I almost titled this chapter Sci-Tech vs. Operations because those are the name of the programs, but it didn't have a nice ring to it.
Year One: Scientists vs. Specialists
Camp SHIELD - 13:03 PM
Another tradition at Camp SHIELD was the rivalry between Sci-Tech and Operation. It was a feud that dated to the earliest days of The Academy. Nobody knew why it started or why nobody bothered to defuse it, but nobody cared. It was just a harmless prank war to prove superiority over the Academy. Brains vs. brawn.
And since Camp SHIELD was soon coming to a close, when better to start the war?
Daniel sits on his bunk. In his cabin, a lot of his fellow Sci-Tech classmates sit amongst the room. In the front, a classmate stands in front of a whiteboard because they didn't have access to a holo-table. Damn that prerequisite course that wasn't available for them till next year. So they're stuck with using whiteboards and dry-erase markers. Whatever. They can still write and come up with better pranks.
"Survival of the fittest doesn't work during mass extinctions," the classmate at the board says. "If we looked at the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction, specialists die off. So maybe we should play to that angle."
"Operations isn't worth the apocalypse," someone else says.
"And aren't we more of the specialists?" Daniel questions. All eyes are now on him. "Sure, Operations kids get the title, but we pick a branch of science or technology to focus on and get a Ph.D. They learn everything offered. If we're focusing on survival of the fittest, the generalists survive because they could adapt."
Everyone's quiet. They look at Daniel like a computer processing new information. After a minute, he gets a collective shut up which makes him smile.
-o-
For the same goal of proving campus power, the Operations kids had the dining hall. To them, this was already a victory since Sci-Tech was confined to a dorm. Instead of having any apparatus to write their possible strategies, they're just going to toss ideas around and pick the most efficient and funniest. Those criteria will render them victors in this non-official contest.
"Why don't we include Communications?" James asks.
Nobody has an answer. Not even any nearby professors or counsellors. Ever since the feud arose, Communications stayed in their lane. It never interfered and nobody dragged them in. Besides, they're likely just graphing information, reviewing case studies or writing spoken-word poetry. They never posed a threat which was a secret reason why they remained untouched.
"They seem like hippies," James adds.
Angela pulls him close and whispers, "Britney was raised by communications agents."
That shuts him right up. James shivers, thinking back to how batshit crazy Britney was. Forget every preconceived notion he had about the third program at the Academy, they're better off at their poetry nights and bar graphs.
"Maybe we should make an alliance," James suggests.
-o-
Early the next morning, the boys in Operations were fresh out of the shower and dressed for their morning of rigorous training. They walk around their cabin, warming up for warm-ups because their professors yell at them for being so weak. But that's when protein shakes come in handy. Shake-makers are plugged in and whirring. Everyone needs that protein boost and energy spike for the regimen or else they will die before nine in the morning.
Xavier's bunkmate hands him a glass. Although he doesn't need it, he accepts the offer. Apparently, it's a non-verbal Operations act of kindness when someone gives you a portion of their protein shake. It's actually nice, the more Xavier thinks about it.
Until he tastes it.
Xavier gags and, for a moment, he thought he was being rude but other guys in the cabin start coughing in disgust. There was something grainy and unsettling about his and he can't pinpoint the problem. He watched them make the shakes so there wasn't anything bizarre added.
"Give me that," Xavier says.
He looks at all the containers of their protein powers and opens them all. He and some other boys look at the individual powders and only notice now that there's something off in the texture and, for some, the scent. The guys look at each other hesitant about whether they should try it. It couldn't be lethal, right? They tasted it for a second in the shakes and they're still here.
Fuck it.
Xavier pinches some into his mouth and he pauses. Were these drugs? Because this isn't how you take them. But then the taste changes into something earthy and nutty. It's familiar to something he's rarely had before. He almost forgot it existed since he left home. This shake almost made his home experiences palatable.
"This is chickpea flour," Xavier states, wiping his hands on his uniform.
"Mine's icing sugar," Brody adds.
And others start listing the other powder replacements were. Some had salt, crushed sprinkles, powdered cookies, other flours, etc. Xavier's jealous he didn't get the cookies or sprinkles. Maybe he would've noticed anything strange. But this isn't cool. Everyone knew that it was those Sci-Tech kids who swapped their protein powders. Now, they're angry and not sustained for their training. Their professors will kill them.
Some phones go off, turning out to be messages from the Operations girls. They had the same issue with their protein powder and were desperate for revenge on those nerds.
Even Xavier is on board for it. Everything would be harmless and it follows Camp SHIELD tradition. He drank chickpea flour, of all things.
"How do you know about chickpea flour?" Brody asks as the boys start getting ready for the day.
"My sister's a baker," Xavier responds.
"Damn, that's lucky."
"She's vegan."
"...oh, I'm so sorry."
"They could've given us crack," someone points out optimistically.
Brody scoffs. "Please, we get drug-tested randomly. Besides, if we get caught with drugs, it'll get traced to them because where would we get it from? And we're not stupid enough to all take it, especially Rogers."
"Not to mention that we mysteriously have drugs and they have our protein powders? It won't add up," Xavier adds. Then, he has an idea. "How about we get something they'll need?"
-o-
The rain poured outside but that didn't cancel class. Everyone, including professors, was on Camp SHIELD so there was no excuse for absences. It didn't help that class was only a few trees away. Just run under the foliage if you didn't pack an umbrella. It also didn't help that the storm clouds were so dark that it might as well be night-time. The lights in the cabins and dining hall kept on flickering. Everyone begged for the power to go out because in Sci-Tech, they didn't have to run a mile in a storm. But Apollo and Iqadi didn't hear James's prayers so he still had to go to class.
To his delight, this was the one day James didn't complain. He flew here at top speed under the foliage, remaining completely dry. He was even early enough to get a front-row seat. His professor thought something was wrong because he was here (and here early) but James shrugs. He only came because he wanted to see the masterpiece Operations came up with as a revenge prank.
As classmates poured in, some soaking wet from the rain, James watches his professor look through the cabinets for their materials. He searches and re-searches, grunting in frustration when he can't find what he needs. James smiles to himself as the professor makes his way to the front. It didn't help that the lights were still flickering and it was dark outside.
"So," he starts, "those damned Operations kids snagged what we need and left us with the solar-powered objects."
James smiles as everyone gasps and curses those protein-pumping monsters. " … wow, that's mean."
James saw this prank coming because he was in Operations and knew their strategies (and vice versa) but he played dumb. He only showed up to class to see everyone's reaction and have class cancelled because they had no materials. Worst-case scenario, they end up trying mental math. If that was the case, he would sneak out and not come back. But only after he figures out Sci-Tech's next move on Operations.
-o-
Weight Class B got a break from running laps and got to lifting weights. The only issue is that they couldn't lift the weights. It was weird when they walked in and all the weights were off their racks and spread out across the floor. What was weirder was the strange colourful foam between the weights and the ground. The professor tapped one with her toes and it didn't budge. When she bends over to try and lift it, it doesn't move. Merida bites down on her smile. It reminds her of that time when she and her friends took turns trying to lift Thor's hammer. None of them succeeded.
The professor sighs. "Damn Sci-Tech kids. I bet it took five of them to move one weight, and not that far. Whatever. Alright, class, new plan. Instead of lifting sets, you'll be attempting to remove these weights from the ground. Whoever succeeds gets one set removed from the drills the next time we return to campus. But don't get a hernia. That pain isn't worth an extra five minutes of strength-building."
The class disperses, cursing out Sci-Tech and plotting their next plan.
"What is this?" Orchid asks as she attempts prying a kettlebell. "It looks like hardened dish soap."
"Polyurethane foam spray," Ashton responds, working on removing a dumbbell. "It's a great adhesive."
Orchid pauses to stare at him. Merida does the same. How the hell does he know that? They're not diminishing his intelligence, they're only questioning it.
"How did you know that?" Orchid asks.
"I'm in one science class," Ashton responds. "It's something in chemistry."
"To get the stupid but mandatory credit?"
"Yup."
"дерьмо," Merida curses, "I still have to get mine." She shrugs. "Whatever, I still have three years."
The three of them stop attempting their weights. They look around and see some of their classmates trying to break the foam. That might be a smarter idea, but it was also longer. Maybe they needed more strength to get the weights off the ground. The trio looks at a vacant barbell and dart over. Each of them grasps the metal bar and adjust their stance. Nobody wanted a hernia over this. Sci-Tech will never hear the end of it.
"On my count," Merida states.
-o-
"Those assholes."
It was stupid of them to write this equation on the board and leave the door unlocked. They could've written it on a tablet but all the good tech was left at the Academy. And they had more control over a dry-erase marker. But they shouldn't have left this equation alone because some Operations kids came in and tampered with it. And they were smart about it too. They didn't erase a line across the board, run their fingers through it or remove a line. Sci-Tech isn't sure what they did but it was obvious yet subtle. One variable in an equation that took two whiteboards to prove was made negative and modified from that point forward to make sense.
If nobody looked at the board upon entry, they wouldn't have noticed. But they decided to double-check their work and that's when they realized something was wrong.
Daniel, in a room of four other people as smart as him, can't figure it out. They didn't think those jocks had it in them.
"Oh, this is evil," Daniel states.
"How so?" Someone asks.
"They didn't just mess it all up, they made it cancel itself out."
Tensions rise in the room. The last thing any of them want is to erase the whole thing. It took them all of yesterday to solve it. Sure, they glued Operations' weights to the ground and swapped their protein powders but those were different. This act is initiating war.
" … fuck them."
-o-
As the Romeo and Juliet love child, James always knew when an attack would happen. Some he wanted to see whereas others he wanted to hide. That way, he always remained safe. Bless bridging programs. During the current battle, he sits on a tree branch just on the edge of camp. He has his AirPods in and music playing, but he can still hear the cries and curses from every student out there.
This will be the only prank war chapter but I enjoyed writing it. For more pranks, wait till year three.