Avengers Academy- Thursday
Over the last couple weeks, Maddie had begun to realize how much she missed these people, and missed the idea that someday she might end up getting to be an Avenger. Amazing how before that, she'd wanted nothing more to do with it, and now she was depowered and not sure how anything was going to go anymore.
So excuse the anxiety that followed the teachers calling the students down to talk to them.
"In your time at Avengers Academy, you've been through things I never could have handled at your age," Giant-Man began. "You've done us, and yourselves, proud. We feel that should be recognized. I am pleased to announce that as of now, you are all Avengers Third Grade."
The students remained silent, some random mix of hurt and angry and betrayed and confused. Maddie felt all of those things at once, actually.
Finally Reptil said, "Third Grade? What did we do wrong?"
Giant-Man looked startled. "No- it's not a demotion. It's... think of it as sophomore year. You'll ascend to second grade, first grade, then full Avengers."
"I told you it was confusing to number backwards," Hawkeye said. "We should've gone with levels: level one, level two... like video games. Everyone gets video games."
"Let it go, Hawkeye," Tigra said.
"Look, these are Avengers communicators," Giant-Man went on, holding one up. "You've all been awarded heightened security clearance."
"And you'll start doing ride-alongs," Hawkeye continued. "One-on-one mission support with senior Avengers. Like internships. But no getting coffee. Donuts, maybe..."
"What the boys are trying to say," Tigra said, "is that you've done great. Better than we ever hoped. And you should be as proud of yourselves as we are of you."
There was still nothing from the students. For her part, Maddie thought it sounded great... except that she knew they were being lied to. And she didn't think she was alone in that.
Of course it was Hazmat who actually said it. "Cut the crap," she said. "We know. We've known since day one. You didn't recruit us to Avengers Academy because we're so awesome. We're the most screwed up. The most dangerous. We're not likely to be the next Avengers. More likely to be the next Masters of Evil. And we've all had enough of being lied to. So either put is in jail... or let us get on with our lives."
"Wait, what?" White Tiger said, staring at them in shock. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Masters of Evil?" Lightspeed repeated. "I've been a hero for years! I have more experience than some Avengers!"
"Now I understand," X-23 added.
"This was not how this was supposed to go," Giant-Man cut in. "Please, all of you, listen to me. I don't know how you found that out. I'm sorry you did. It's true. I mean, was true. But it's not anymore."
Tigra at least looked as uncomfortable as Giant-Man did. But Hawkeye hadn't been there from the start, so he didn't have to take the blame on this, Jocasta was a robot, and Quicksilver had probably never looked uncomfortable. "Yes, we had... concerns," Tigra admitted. "Not because of who you are, but because of what was done to you. We probably should have been honest-"
"I wanted to from the start," Quicksilver put in.
"-but we didn't want you seeing yourselves as damaged goods."
"Look, you guys are vets now," Hawkeye said. "You've been through wars. Proved yourselves a dozen times over. If we didn't believe in you, you wouldn't be getting security clearances. You wouldn't be here. I was the Avengers' first 'at-risk' recruit. Take it from me, you're way past being on probation. You're the Avengers of tomorrow. End of story."
"And that's not all. You've done more than justify our faith in you. You've educated us. The program Jeremy Briggs began- the match superhumans with humanitarian crises they can help with- was flawed because he was flawed. But I believed- and believe today- that it was a good idea. A better idea, perhaps, than any this school is teaching you. We want you to continue it. As part of the Avengers Network of Philantropic Foundations."
"And we want you to expand it," said Tigra. Young people throughout the world have ideas on how to help. What they lack is resources. You- and we- will provide them."
"Jocasta will be your faculty advistor."
"So Jocasta's in charge?" Reptil asked.
"No, Reptil. You are. My function is to help," Jocasta clarified. "The foundation is yours. Your way to make your mark upon the world. To make a difference, in whatever way you see fit, and to show young people worldwide what you have proven in your time at Avengers Academy. You may be young, and face great challenges, but you can overcome them. You can control your own destiny and do something good with your life."
"The same lesson you've taught us," Giant-Man said. "Congratulations."
No matter how pissed off or hurt anyone had felt before, hearing all that had seemed to help everyone. Maddie didn't really know if all the same concerns had gone for Lightspeed and X-23 and anyone else who'd come in after she left, but she didn't even think it mattered anymore. It was just kind of great to hear that after all that time of worrying that people thought the worst of you, you'd given them reason not to.
As the other students paired up to talk about things, Maddie made her way over towards where Giant-Man and Tigra were talking. "Dr. Pym, Tigra... I just wanted to thank you," she said, smiling. "Now that my powers are gone, I wasn't sure what to do. This foundation is perfect."
"Oh. Madeline, I'm sorry," Giant-Man said seriously. "I should have spoken to you first. We'd love to have you at the foundation... as staff. But to do that, you need a high school diploma. And you have to be of legal age. The others will be there as students... but without your abilities, it's too dangerous for you to remain at Avengers Academy. Don't worry," he added quickly. "You can take a GED course. Obtain your equivalency degree. Before you know it, you'll be eighteen-"
Don't mind Maddie. She'd just be over here, getting her heart ripped out, thrown to the ground and danced on. By someone wearing cleats. It was kind of fitting, really. Everyone Osborn had gotten his hands on had gotten a rough deal, but she'd gotten the worst of it. She had to take her own steps to fix it because no one else could help her... and she still ended up screwed over. Sadly, she'd expected this since she saw Jeremy dead on that roof.
"No, it's okay," she said, trying not to sound as crushed as she felt. "This just reinforces what I was already thinking. I'm normal again. That's what I wanted, and it's what I got. So I need to start acting like a normal person. I know what I have to do."
She just wasn't going to be happy about it.
[Bye, all of Maddie's canon! NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Taken from Avengers Academy #39.]
So excuse the anxiety that followed the teachers calling the students down to talk to them.
"In your time at Avengers Academy, you've been through things I never could have handled at your age," Giant-Man began. "You've done us, and yourselves, proud. We feel that should be recognized. I am pleased to announce that as of now, you are all Avengers Third Grade."
The students remained silent, some random mix of hurt and angry and betrayed and confused. Maddie felt all of those things at once, actually.
Finally Reptil said, "Third Grade? What did we do wrong?"
Giant-Man looked startled. "No- it's not a demotion. It's... think of it as sophomore year. You'll ascend to second grade, first grade, then full Avengers."
"I told you it was confusing to number backwards," Hawkeye said. "We should've gone with levels: level one, level two... like video games. Everyone gets video games."
"Let it go, Hawkeye," Tigra said.
"Look, these are Avengers communicators," Giant-Man went on, holding one up. "You've all been awarded heightened security clearance."
"And you'll start doing ride-alongs," Hawkeye continued. "One-on-one mission support with senior Avengers. Like internships. But no getting coffee. Donuts, maybe..."
"What the boys are trying to say," Tigra said, "is that you've done great. Better than we ever hoped. And you should be as proud of yourselves as we are of you."
There was still nothing from the students. For her part, Maddie thought it sounded great... except that she knew they were being lied to. And she didn't think she was alone in that.
Of course it was Hazmat who actually said it. "Cut the crap," she said. "We know. We've known since day one. You didn't recruit us to Avengers Academy because we're so awesome. We're the most screwed up. The most dangerous. We're not likely to be the next Avengers. More likely to be the next Masters of Evil. And we've all had enough of being lied to. So either put is in jail... or let us get on with our lives."
"Wait, what?" White Tiger said, staring at them in shock. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Masters of Evil?" Lightspeed repeated. "I've been a hero for years! I have more experience than some Avengers!"
"Now I understand," X-23 added.
"This was not how this was supposed to go," Giant-Man cut in. "Please, all of you, listen to me. I don't know how you found that out. I'm sorry you did. It's true. I mean, was true. But it's not anymore."
Tigra at least looked as uncomfortable as Giant-Man did. But Hawkeye hadn't been there from the start, so he didn't have to take the blame on this, Jocasta was a robot, and Quicksilver had probably never looked uncomfortable. "Yes, we had... concerns," Tigra admitted. "Not because of who you are, but because of what was done to you. We probably should have been honest-"
"I wanted to from the start," Quicksilver put in.
"-but we didn't want you seeing yourselves as damaged goods."
"Look, you guys are vets now," Hawkeye said. "You've been through wars. Proved yourselves a dozen times over. If we didn't believe in you, you wouldn't be getting security clearances. You wouldn't be here. I was the Avengers' first 'at-risk' recruit. Take it from me, you're way past being on probation. You're the Avengers of tomorrow. End of story."
"And that's not all. You've done more than justify our faith in you. You've educated us. The program Jeremy Briggs began- the match superhumans with humanitarian crises they can help with- was flawed because he was flawed. But I believed- and believe today- that it was a good idea. A better idea, perhaps, than any this school is teaching you. We want you to continue it. As part of the Avengers Network of Philantropic Foundations."
"And we want you to expand it," said Tigra. Young people throughout the world have ideas on how to help. What they lack is resources. You- and we- will provide them."
"Jocasta will be your faculty advistor."
"So Jocasta's in charge?" Reptil asked.
"No, Reptil. You are. My function is to help," Jocasta clarified. "The foundation is yours. Your way to make your mark upon the world. To make a difference, in whatever way you see fit, and to show young people worldwide what you have proven in your time at Avengers Academy. You may be young, and face great challenges, but you can overcome them. You can control your own destiny and do something good with your life."
"The same lesson you've taught us," Giant-Man said. "Congratulations."
No matter how pissed off or hurt anyone had felt before, hearing all that had seemed to help everyone. Maddie didn't really know if all the same concerns had gone for Lightspeed and X-23 and anyone else who'd come in after she left, but she didn't even think it mattered anymore. It was just kind of great to hear that after all that time of worrying that people thought the worst of you, you'd given them reason not to.
As the other students paired up to talk about things, Maddie made her way over towards where Giant-Man and Tigra were talking. "Dr. Pym, Tigra... I just wanted to thank you," she said, smiling. "Now that my powers are gone, I wasn't sure what to do. This foundation is perfect."
"Oh. Madeline, I'm sorry," Giant-Man said seriously. "I should have spoken to you first. We'd love to have you at the foundation... as staff. But to do that, you need a high school diploma. And you have to be of legal age. The others will be there as students... but without your abilities, it's too dangerous for you to remain at Avengers Academy. Don't worry," he added quickly. "You can take a GED course. Obtain your equivalency degree. Before you know it, you'll be eighteen-"
Don't mind Maddie. She'd just be over here, getting her heart ripped out, thrown to the ground and danced on. By someone wearing cleats. It was kind of fitting, really. Everyone Osborn had gotten his hands on had gotten a rough deal, but she'd gotten the worst of it. She had to take her own steps to fix it because no one else could help her... and she still ended up screwed over. Sadly, she'd expected this since she saw Jeremy dead on that roof.
"No, it's okay," she said, trying not to sound as crushed as she felt. "This just reinforces what I was already thinking. I'm normal again. That's what I wanted, and it's what I got. So I need to start acting like a normal person. I know what I have to do."
She just wasn't going to be happy about it.
[Bye, all of Maddie's canon! NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Taken from Avengers Academy #39.]