---

---

---

---

---

---

April smiled, the skin near her eyes crinkling as she saw Danni and Dori come out of their room - and Percy. He was Diana's brother and Dorian's boyfriend, but otherwise she didn't really know him that well, and he didn't really know her. He had helped her the night of the Monster Mash though, and given her lack of familiarity with him, that was both good and awkward. So she waved slightly to him, before pulling both Danni and Dori into a quick hug. "Let's go!" she whisper-shouted.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I don't think everyone heard you," he observed, before calmly heading for the stairs. It wasn't very hard for the group to make it from Stark Hall to the gym - easy, really. No one was expecting kids to sneak onto the Framework, and while it was late, none of these students being out late would be cause for concern - the school may have put all their stock in the Young Avengers winning once more, but that didn't mean the other groups weren't being worked to the bone.

When they arrived, April went up to each of her girlfriends, giving them a kiss on the cheek and squeezing their hands. It was one of the few joint training sessions they'd had - it was hard, having her girlfriends and her besties on different teams from her, but she did have one bestie with her - Mads - so she wasn't entirely alone. "You both hanging in there? Excited for the break soon?" April asked.

But there wasn't much time for chatter, as everyone had arrived, and Ed closed the doors, locking them so no one could get in and discover this unauthorized use. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and he clearly had been pulling all nighters in preparation for this. "Alright, get suited up and into the tanks - I'm loading the programs now," Ed said, sitting down at the chair in front of the Framework computer and typing in a line of code - one that would initiate the software.

April went into the attached locker room and got changed - as did her teammate, Gideon Muir. Gideon was wearing sunglasses despite being indoor, sipping a cup of black coffee.

"D'you reckon we can go all night in there?" Gideon asked, daydreaming about cutting apart pixels with her sword for hours.

April shrugged her shoulders. "Probably not? But for a few hours, at least. It might not be taxing on our bodies, but our minds'll get tired - and eventually someone might notice we're all gone."

"Cool cool cool," Gideon said, suited up now, before hopping into one of the tanks. She closed her eyes and when she opened it, she was standing in the middle of the Contest of Champions arena - or a simulation of it, at least.

---

---

---

---

Andy smiled as Zari rambled about her previous experience in the Framework. "Yeah, try to keep it realistic. During the real Contest, you probably won't have the chance to do that." She waved at Mary Sue and got into her Framework outfit. Andy wasn't super comfortable with going into this thing. But it was reassuring to know Zari was in there with her. If something went wrong Zari could probably fix it.

"See you inside." She smiled. A thought crossed her mind. Would her vampire touch work in here? If not that could mean she could hug people without fear of draining them. She'd have to keep it in mind, maybe give it a small quick test. She didn't like using the vampire touch, but it had gotten harder to avoid it. When she ignored it for too long it felt like the hunger took over her.

Closing herself into the chamber she let the system take over and she opened her eyes to the arena.

---

---

---

---

Diana managed to get into the gym with everyone else now as well, she turned to look at Percy and gave him a slight smile. "Good evening lil bro." Diana said to Percy it would be pretty cool to actually train alongside him in the Framework. "Seems like everyone is here now." Diana said just as Ed had entered the gym it looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep recently. "You look like you've been pulling a shit ton of all nighters." Diana said to Ed as she looked at Victoria for a moment wondering if she was going to go full drill sergeant with them all like she did on their first day of training in the Framework with Usagi.

April started to make her way towards the locker room and started to do the same as well to, she looked at Gideon she didn't know her all that well really other than she was on April's team. She hoped that the staff wouldn't catch them all sneaking out of their dorms and coming here for unauthorized use of the Framework for private training. "See you guys in there." Diana said as she started to get changed into the Framework suit that they all used, and headed back into the room and climbed into the tube. Diana slowly closed her eyes and a few seconds later she opened them again seeing that they were in the Contest of Champions arena now.

---

---

---

---

Madalyne stood next to April she watched as she gave a kiss to each of her girlfriends which was kind of sweet but she didn't say anything, as the others started to make their way into the gym. And then a few seconds later Ed came into the room, she didn't know them all that well really honestly as she gave him a slight nod. She was actually looking forward to training with everyone and wondered what they had planned when their were inside the Framework.

"I'll see you all inside." Madalyne said as she made her way towards the locker room, and got herself changed into the Framework suit that they all were required to wear. "I'm pretty sure they will notice something is up if the gym was locked or something." Madalyne said as she finished changing. "See you guys on the inside then." Madalyne smiled as she followed shortly behind Diana and climbed into the other free tube and started to close her eyes, before finding herself waking up within the Framework itself standing on the arena for the Contest of Champions.

---

---

---

Sabine greeted April as she entered as the rest of their lot slowly trickled in. Sabine knew of the others outside of her team, if for no other reason than to know the competition. It was an interesting dynamic as friends and family were split in the teams. Diana and her brother were on opposite teams. Her and her girlfriends. She wasn't sure of the other friend groups but they had to be there. Awkward.

Sabine did some warm-up stretches as people filed in.

The whole thing felt very Matrix, which was kind of cool. "No time like the present. Good luck everyone." Sabine said to the others, though she was more concerned with her posse. Sabine stepped up into the tank and closed her eyes.

Once she was safely sure she was in, she opened them and saw she was in the Contest of Champions arena. She looked at herself, checking to see if her limbs all processed correctly. "All right, I'm in. Do we start or....?"

---

---

---

As soon as Dorian had entered and seen Mary Sue, he'd let go of Percy's hand and ran towards her. They hadn't had much time to talk since the Fair, so now was the perfect time to try and catch up a bit. ” ‘ey! Chère, ‘ow've you been? We've barely seen eyes since t'e start of school and you're on my besties team. ‘Ow’s t'at possible? Oh! And did you ever figure out what t'at Sailor Moon charm does? Is it a magical girl transformation? Powers from t'e Cosmos?!” As he was excitedly gabbing, the sound of locks clicking resonated in the empty gym. Dorian turning to look at the disheveled Ed closing them in. ”Ok, t'at's creepy Ed. Maybe a warnin’ or somet'in’ next time. Or at least…a nap or two? You sure you're good to operate all t'is? You looked more exhausted t'an a first time mot'er.” He noted, about to turn around and continue his conversation when he noticed everyone was getting ready into their framework suits. ”Oh, talk to you later t'en. Won't due to be t'e last one in. See you inside t'e works”

Dorian had gone as quickly as he came, entering the lockers to slip into the suit provided for use of the tanks. The entire time chatting it up with any who would listen. Before long he was ready and going straight to the nearest one, sliding in before entering The Frame. ”Oh ‘ey! If it isn't my fiendish friend in ‘orror. We should all do a movie night soon! Get some relaxin’ in and just vibe for a while so we aren't too exhausted when t'e actual contest begins. What do you t'ink Ed ‘as in store for us? Oh maybe a ‘oard of zombies, or Olympian God's! Or perhaps we can face off t'e best of t'e best of X-men! Or or or maybe we can fend off Galactus!!! ‘Ow cool would t'at be?!”

Danni hummed as they made their way to the gym. Ed was a brilliant, brilliant mastermind and Danni wondered if they'd be able to sneak out for joint training sessions more often - he always liked a bigger group and this was gonna have so many awesome people! He hurried to the changing rooms, swapped into the suit, and dove right into the Framework with no preamble.

“Aw, yeah, startin’ in t'e arena!” Danni did a little wiggle and a spin to make sure everything worked right and slid right up to Beanie. “Beanie, Beanie, Beanie! Finally, some trainin’ wit'out Poisson-Pas ‘ere ta sneak a nasty surprise inta t'e route. T'ough, you t'ink Ed did t'e samet'in’? Like, maybe laced the ground wit’ landmines or ‘as invisible walls so we run face first inta t'em? Maybe t'is is all a big ol’ ruse and Ed wants some revenge or somet'in’. Oh,through, we tots need ta ‘ang out soon! I got some tea ta spill and you're gunna love it!” Danni laughed, wiggling excitedly as they waited for more.

“Oh dang it, t'at reminds me. Maaaaaaaads!” Danni skipped to her, hanging off her shoulders. “Okay, I know t'e library gave me a cool book about a different dimension ta learn ‘bout dragons, but can you ‘elp me find somet’in’ a little closer ta ‘ome it’ more info? Idk ‘ow long we'd be gone if we did all t'at travel stuff, but I don’t wanna hurt the baby and I really don't know what I'm doin’!”

---

---

---

Leah was definitely not looking forward to the break coming up. Everybody would be going home, which meant Leah would be alone in the entire fucking school. Breaks didn’t actually mean anything for Leah, since the school was her home 24/7. A “break” for Leah was just relaxing in her dorm, not going anywhere else. So she didn’t care as much as anyone else did. After all, she didn’t have a family, and she didn’t want to have one. Not unless it consisted of April and Sabine. And maybe Sabine’s dog- She called him Jeans as a joke one day, and it stuck in her mind.

”I don’t really care about breaks much,” she said, bluntly. ”I stay here during those, remember?”

Leah broke off from the two of them and got changed for the tanks. These things were always a fucking nightmare on her hair, but it was worth the edge when the Baby Avengers got to enjoy all the advantages.

She loaded in, and waited for Ed’s scheme to commence.

The last few days were... Heavy. Leah had managed to put Marrok out of her mind, but the haunting postcard she found on her door weighed on her mind ever since. When she sat down to rest, her thoughts drifted towards her dad sneaking in during the dead of night. It pissed her off, and made her a bit more skittish than she usually was. And that was saying something, since Leah was always on guard in some capacity or another, to an extent where it seemed as if that was her natural state of being.

The fact that he was coming for her, the fact that he had done things to her that she was only learning about years later. She needed to do something about it, and Leah was almost nervous to talk about it with her girlfriends. It was irrational, she knew. But it still plagued her.



Sabine had taken some time to herself over the past few weeks. Shopping and spa days were called for. What she didn't do was invite April or Leah. It weighed on her, but she needed to be alone to process things. She knew they had to have a conversation and to have it soon. So when her phone chimed with a message from Leah, she took it as a sign. She shot off a reply.



Sabine passed by a bakery and bought some cookies before she made her way back to the school and dorm. She would need the energy. Her stomach rumbled the reminder of how out of it she was at the dance when she almost passed out. She played it off as being exhausted from the fight in the maze, but she knew better. And she figured April and Leah did too.

Ever since the Monster Mash, April had re-dedicated herself to her training. She kept her thoughts out of her mind but a relentless regiment, studying, exercising, practicing - she woke up early to review footage of previous Contest of Champions fights, and she went to bed late, her muscles aching from laps she'd done in the school's pool. Unlike a fictional demigod, the water wasn't rejuvenating - but it was still welcome. But above all else, she didn't think about what she'd seen in Nimue's maze - those thoughts haunted her nightmares, so she pushed them aside with more coffee, with more work. The Contest was getting ever closer - everything would be over before they went home for Christmas Break.

She had just finished a session in the pool - her first of three for the day - when her phone buzzed in the locker room.


Quickly finishing drying off her hair from the shower, April got back into her school uniform and then hurried to the dorms, her heart bursting with anxiety. It was probably fine. Right?

Leah wasn’t in her school uniform. Instead, she was in some comfy sweatpants and an old Firewind t-shirt due to the fact that she was too damn lazy to put anything fancy on right now. There were a lot of things they had to talk about. The dance, the way Leah handle it, the way she reacted to April’s situation… God, they weren’t going to leave this bedroom for hours, were they?

When someone finally came through the door, Leah was sitting on her bed with that ominous postcard in hand. The sword she got from the dance was leaning against a wall, since it didn’t come with a scabbard or a set of nails to hang it up. Why was she nervous? It was just her girlfriends.

”Hey.”

Sabine had entered her room, carrying the bright pink box, and saw Leah sitting there. Sabine was not dressed in her school uniform either. Instead she wore lavender-colored skinny jeans and a light blue crop top. She wanted to get the most out of the day and the weather. Sabine walked in and set the cookies down on her desk. "Hey.'

Well this was sufficiently awkward. "I brought cookies. Got all our favorites. April should be here soon." Sabine said that like she knew exactly where April was, but she didn't.

April's hair was still damp when she made it to the dorm, knocking on the door to Sabine's and Leah's suite. She didn't have a key - the academy didn't issue extra ones, and making copies was strictly against the rules. So instead, she had to hover outside, waiting for one of her girlfriends - Leah, maybe? - to let her on in. She didn't know if Sabine was back yet from wherever she had been just yet. Or maybe she was the last one to arrive.

"Leah, Sabine, it's me!" April added, shifting slightly from side to side as she waited.

Leah looked at the door, then back at Sabine. She grinned a little, happy that April came but also a little amused that she was waiting on tne door to be opened. Leah stood up and walked over to open door.

”We’re both here,” she said, standing aside to let her in.

”Get in here, c’mon.”

Sabine allowed April to be let in as she took a seat on her own bed. Once they were all in the room, Sabine spoke. "Okay, we are all here. What's up Leah?" Although truth be told, Sabine had a feeling she knew what Leah wanted to say. She assumed April wouldn't be comfortable bringing up the dance first. Better to get her acclimated first.

April entered the room quickly, doing her best to keep a smile on her face even as the anxiety started to eat away at her insides. She wished she already knew what Leah wanted to talk to them about - the suspense, even brief, was killing her. And the space was only giving her time to come up with a billion different ways for Leah to be about to bring up something terrible - to explain that she actually hated both of them, that she was dumping them and going to make sure everyone knew what horrible people they were, that Leah was dying, that she was moving to Mars and never coming back, that she -- April blinked. She tried to catch the thought, to force herself to just breathe and be present in this moment.

"Yeah, what's up?" April asked, taking a seat on Sabine's desk chair.

Closing the door and sitting down on her bed, Leah inhaled, and thought about her words. They had to start somewhere. ”Before we get into anything else… I made the dance way worse that it had to be for anybody. And… I’m sorry for that,” She finally said, genuinely. She exploded and didn’t stop to think about the ramifications. Hell, Leah could’ve turned the entire dance floor into a bear trap and devoured Nimue whole if it weren’t for the fact that she wasn’t completely unhinged.

”I’m sorry for making that worse, April.”

Sabine stood up after Leah apologized and confessed. "You are not solely to blame. I didn't help matters. Nimue deserved some repercussion, but we could have saved it for after the dance and ensured you were okay, April. So I am also sorry." Sabine felt like a sucky girlfriend.

This couldn't be all Leah wanted to say though. Plus there was the whole werewolf scene too. But April took priority. She had been traumatized and if it was anything like the scene she got when she entered the haunted house, it was mental wreckage.

April loosened up, not because she had been waiting for an apology, but because her fears that everything was about to go disastrously wrong were abated ever so slightly. If she was being honest though, she hadn't needed all of that fuss - hadn't needed people to draw more attention to her breakdown, and while her girlfriends had been sweet to go righteously dismantle an unjust system... She also would have preferred them to... well, to be with her. Or maybe that was wrong of her too - maybe the right answer was that she should have insisted Sabine and Leah go have fun without her. The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt - the more a blush of potential shame rose in her cheeks. "Oh, it's totally okay!" Did she mean it? She didn't know. No, she did know. She did mean it. It was okay.

"I, uh, kinda lost it... And it's not on either of you to, like, pick me back up when something happens - which it won't happen again, it was just a stressful night and... yeah! So no apologies needed. Plus, you two were heroes - you stopped it from happening to anyone else!" April then paused, biting her lip. "I'm sorry I ruined our night - you didn't ruin it at all, Leah, I just... I didn't do so great with the thing it showed me."

"I didn't either. I got my ass kicked, and I didn't even recognize who it was. Bigger than me, stronger than me, I punched them in the back of the head and it flayed my hand..." Leah thought for a second. "They knew my birth name, for some reason. Didn't look like anyone I would recognize. Grey skin, a bunch of magic runes on their arms... It was weird. And they just talked in riddles, saying I'd "understand eventually," or something."

"Speaking of that... I've got some pretty fucked up news. When I went by our dorm that day, I found this stuck to the door." Leah grabbed the menacing postcard, and tossed onto the desk April was sat at. It had her birth name on it, and a hole from the knife it was impaled with.

She inhaled slowly, and exhaled quickly. "There's only two people alive on the planet who knew me by that name. Sabine's one of them, after she saw through my memories by accident once, and the other is my dad." Her voice dropped half a step. "I'm pretty sure he left that to scare the shit out of me. Or to prove a point- I don't know. But... He knows I'm here, now. He found me. So... Now it's official, he'll be here one day. I don't know when, and I know know how, but he'll show up. Probably when he's expected the least." She was putting on a brave face, but Leah felt nothing but dread every time she thought about it. The girls had to know sooner rather than later, though.

"I meant to say something sooner but- Well- Everything happened and... Yeah."

"I faced an older version of myself. One significantly more skilled than I currently am. One whose powers advanced. She nearly controlled me. How I got the better of her, I do not know. But I don't think I won. I think she let me." Sabine's memory shifted to her fortune from the fair.

Sabine listened intently as Leah spoke about her father. She remembered vividly the images shown when she accidentally saw Leah's memories. Her father was a beast. And now he knew where she was.

Before, Sabine would have said that the school was a safe place. It had faculty with powers and students training to be the next Avenger. But given what happened at the dance, could she trust the school to protect their own?

"Well when he shows up, he's going to have to go through me. And I am prepared to blow his brain up from the inside if it comes to that." Sabine hoped this provided some comfort to Leah, but she couldn't imagine what Leah was thinking or feeling. Her own father wasn't the best, but she didn't doubt he cared about her in some way.

April bit down on her lip, and sat on her hands to keep herself from shredding the skin near her nails as Leah and Sabine explained everything that had happened to them - Leah in particular. She couldn't help but be horrified. This was a real problem - it wasn't something silly or stupid, it wasn't anything like what April had faced in Nimue's haunted house. It was real and pressing and terrifying. It made her feel ashamed for how she had reacted, when Leah was so strong - so strong as to be carrying the weight of the knowledge that her villainous father was hunting her down, and that she took the time to care for others over herself... Trauma wasn't a competition, something that April had yet to learn, so she couldn't help but feel wretched.

"Can we... We should tell someone, like SHIELD or - or someone on staff here," April said. "They can protect you, Leah. I mean, not that we can't also protect you but, like, they can do a better job of it. Is there... is there a reason we can't tell someone and get help? I... I don't want to lose you or see you get hurt, and if he's found you..." She bit her lip again.

”He’s better than that,” Leah said, quickly. ”He’s too smart, if he’s announcing himself now, that means he’s been watching long enough that he knows what to expect. He- He waits and spies on people before he makes a move, he could’ve stalked the teachers- Learned their weaknesses and where their families are- or he might know where you two go when school is out…” And Leah didn’t go anywhere during the summer.

”He has ways of getting through security systems, getting past people and dealing with mutants. You could throw the Avengers at him and he won’t give them a fight unless he’s already planned ahead.” The longer Leah talked about him, the harder it was for her to ignore the slight shaking she felt. ”He could show up in the dead if night, trick everyone who can see the future into thinking there was a problem somewhere else, then kill everybody else who gets in his way. Tha- That’s what he does. He uses his mutant powers to make it possible, he finds a way.”

There it was again, that feeling of being so unfathomably small that she was powerless against everything.

Sabine could feel the tenseness coming off of Leah. Understandably so. "Even if he wasn't as dangerous as Leah said, I doubt any of the faculty here could be of some help. Look how they handled the dance." Sabine also didn't know if SHIELD would be someone to let in on this information.

"No one is beyond weakness. Surely there must be something that could turn it in our favor. I'm not letting him get to you."

Maybe if she had been older, less impressionable, April would have argued back - would have pointed out the numerous different foes that superhero groups around the galaxy had managed to take down - would have even stressed how her parents were both SHIELD agents who had done the impossible, that no matter how powerful someone was, they had a weakness. But she was young and she accepted Leah's assertion at face value - accepted that her father was beyond powerful, that there was no one they could talk to to help, that it was them and that was it. It was the same helplessness she had felt in Nimue's maze, the same inevitability - that one day April would wake up and no longer recognize herself, that Magneto's helmet would be on her head, that she would become a monster. That Leah would die, or worse, suffer whatever twisted fate her father had in store for her.

"How can we know he's not listening now then?" April whispered. "Like, should we even be talking about this here? Maybe..." April got an idea. It would be hard, but something she could try. "Maybe we should go to the beach - and take a swim," she didn't say it outright - that she wanted to bring her girlfriends to the ocean floor, using her powers over water to create a bubble, the ultimate spot of privacy where no listening ears could be found. But if Leah's dad was listening right now, she didn't want to give the plan away here.

Leah mentally winced at that. ”I’m probably about to sound weird for saying this, but I’ve been asking myself that a lot. And by a lot, I mean for years,” she admitted. ”Since I first showed up to this place, every little sound would keep me up all night, because I’d get in my head about it.” And as she said that out loud, she considered burying herself under a mountain just to feel safer. ”And… Sometimes that’s still a thing. If he was watching right now, I don’t think we’d know. I used to tear my dorm upside down looking for bugs or hidden cameras because he’s a total psychopath.”

”But a beach day sounds nice, when we have time. Just the three of us. If you want.”

Whispers infected Sabine's mind. They weren't loud enough to cause notice, but they were still lingering. You can't protect them. Sabine shook her head. She could. She will.

"No one trusts you. You can make people forget or remember. Their deepest fears are yours to capitalize on. No one trusts you. Not your family. Not your friends. The school probably has systems in place should you go on a rampage."

Sabine closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. This was just her anxiety peaking from everything going on.

"Leah's father will take you out first. Or use you to get to her. Is Leah really safe with you nearby?"

Sabine clenched her fist and unclenched. "A beach day sounds amazing. Much needed with everything going on. And Leah, we will figure this out. His brain will be goo by the time I am done with him. And if he can hear me, I hope he knows that I will go to every length to see you safe."

Was she convincing Leah or herself?

April's face fell slightly. Neither of them had caught onto her suggestion. Or maybe they had and had already dismissed it - the listening devices could be on them, after all. Maybe it was embedded into their skin. "We should go to the beach now," April insisted. Sabine was being brave after all, speaking directly to the specter. Leah was being brave, dealing with all of this alone, not asking for help. So it was the very least that April could do was to try - to try to bring Leah to a safe space, a space where her father wouldn't anticipate to hear them. "Did you all ever read Percy Jackson - the kiss they had?" she then added, referencing Annabeth and Percy's Underwater kiss, done in that location as to give them privacy.

Holy shit, her girls were cool. For a moment, Leah silently felt as if she were dating a literal goddess due to how fucking brazen it was of Sabine to speak like that as if he were hearing them now.

"I- Uh... Did I read that..." Gears turned in her mind for a moment. Back home, she didn't even have a TV. "Nah, don't think I have. Waaaaait. Beach- Water... You want to go the bottom of the ocean? April... You can do that?" Fuck yeah, let's fucking go to the beach right the hell now. That sounds cool as shit." Leah didn't have to read the books, but she knew how April's gay little mind worked. She could read April like a book. "Let's do it."

It was real cute how excited Leah was to go to the beach. One could almost miss how her life was in danger. Still, it was important to make time for them. Plus, if Leah calmed down enough, perhaps they could think of a plan on how to deal with her father. "Beach day it is. Bought a new swimsuit for it and everything." Sabine's mind flashed, albeit briefly, to her own family. She should consider herself lucky despite how horrendous her step-mother and her spawn were. "Let's get ready then."



A little while later, the girls had made it to the beach. April was standing at the shore, curling her toes into the sand - she knew a lot of people tended to hate sand, hate the way that it clung to them, that it scratched, but there was something comforting about it to her. It was like clay that she could mold, but could be returned to its original state by the waves - something that would always be there, unchangeable, no matter what happened. She then took a deep breath, feeling the rhythm of the ocean in her gut, before holding out her hands to Sabine and Leah. She hadn't tried this before, not with other people.

"Do you trust me?"

Leah liked sand, personally. One could imagine she wouldn’t, given that she was raised in a desert, but the warmth and the familiarity made her feel like she was at peace. Leah came in a loose tank top and gray sweatpants. It was about as much skin as she was showing at the dance. She took April’s hand and held it close.

”I trust you two more than literally anyone else I know,” she said.

This was needed. Sabine with her two girls. A bright day, a warm beach. There is nowhere she'd rather be. So when April offered her hand and asked if she trusted her, Sabine's response was almost instantaneous. "Without question." Sabine took Aprils hand and reached for Leah's.

This was hers.

April nodded, giving both of her girlfriends' hands a squeeze. She took a breath and slowly waded out into the water, concentrating on her surroundings, on the movement - feeling the push and pull of the waves as if they were a part of her. And strangely, despite being in contact with the water, neither Leah or Sabine would feel wet - the water touched them, yes, but it parted so easily - like an invisible membrane had been constructed around them.

April glanced back over her shoulder, searching their eyes for a moment, before her mouth split open into a wide grin - and they plunged to the ocean floor, her control over the water propelling them forward and down, a bubble forming around Sabine and Leah - April didn't need one. Her hair fluttered behind her in the water like a mermaid's. "No one can hear you down here. He can't hear you down here. It's completely safe and private - just us and the fish," April promised, breathing the water like it was air.

”Holy hell…” Leah was, in no uncertain terms, mesmerized by what she saw as they walked deeper and deeper down into the sea. How long has April been able to do things like this? It was incredible, and Leah couldn’t help but admire her all the more intensely for it. Her hand didn’t leave April’s, or Sabine’s. She didn’t like being touched very often, but she made an exception for them. Especially now.

”Just us… And the fish… Would- Would either of you two believe me if I’ve never been in a place as safe as this before? I lived in a desert before we met. It was just me and him for hundreds of miles, and I didn’t feel safe then, even after I thought he was dead,” she admitted.

”And then the school. There are so many ways you could slip in and not be noticed. I mean- Shit, the teachers can’t even tell what we’re up to half the time, not unless they’re on our asses. Dad definitely doesn’t have a submarine or anything- I think- But this feels… Not like a lot. It’s- This is the opposite of a lot…” She stopped and looked at the ground- Magmatic basalt from the lithosphere. ”Sorry, I’m talking nonsense now.”

It was a brilliant idea of April's. As they stood there with the aquatic life swirling around them, Sabine was reminded of how lucky she was. And how strong a drive she held in wanting to protect this. "You aren't talking nonsense. This is a lot to take in, but think of it like this: when you need it, this is your space. Where you can say what you want without fear. And I will stop at nothing to ensure that you are able to do so out there as well."

She squeezed both of their hands. "This is amazing April. You're amazing."

It made April want to cry, both from sorrow that Leah had never felt such safety before, but also from happiness at how much her girlfriends were both moved by this gesture. She drew strength from them, from their bonds, as she maintained the bubble - as she kept them safe at the ocean floor. It should have been incredibly draining, her hands should have been shaking, but it felt... almost effortless. Because they were here with her - because they were her anchor. "Thank you," April blushed, accepting Sabine's compliment. "Any time you need to come here, Leah, just say that we need a beach day - same thing for you, Sabine. This space will always be here for us - and no one else."

---

---

Zelda was still not sure about this whole situation, but she followed along with everyone else to where everything was setup with the Framework. She found the idea of the Framework a little weird, but also kind of interesting to say the least, the idea of basically being able to go into a virtual world and being able to wander around that way. It basically was a really big virtual reality video game, so that was something she was more or less excited about. But also the idea of training that way was not something she was super sure of. Since it made it too much like real life, that was the reason she liked video games, they were an escape from everything.

Seeing everyone else already getting into the tanks to hook into the Framework, and she basically got ready before getting into the thing. This was still a weird feeling to her, and she closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them again and she woke up in the Framework, seeing the others popping up nearby in the contest arena. Zelda wasn't sure what they were supposed to do now though, since this didn't fully make too much sense to her on what to do now.

---

---

---

---

"I will don't worry. But hey, who knows, if people want more of a challenge maybe I can trigger something interesting to happen in the arena for practice," Zari responded to Andy giggling still at the idea. She knew she had to stop herself from causing too many issues in the Framework, but if anyone wanted more fun or a bigger challenge, then she would happily oblige and give them something more interesting to say the least. That would be entirely up to everyone else though.

She got ready to go into the Framework again, climbing into the tank as she went. Zari waved slightly at Andy as she had climbed into her own tank to go in. Diving in, she closed her eyes, waiting to load into the Framework to be able to mess around in that virtual world again. Except that isn't what happened. No, Zari's eyes did not open up or anything like that, at least not in the virtual world.

Unlike everyone else, she didn't wake up in the Framework. And wasn't there at all.

Mary Sue smiled at Andy as she acknowledged her, and smiled back, surprised at the pace everything was moving at, before she knew it, Dorian has approached her to talk. She was too stunned to stumble out a response before he was gone again, but she was so happy just that somebody she'd really only met once remembered her and wanted tit all to her. It made her feel like she was doing something right. She blinked for a moment at the reminder of the existence of the Charm she'd gotten all the way back on the first day of school. She needed to look at that again sometime; see if she'd actually learn anything about it.

Resolving to talk to Dorian later, Mary Sue prepped herself to enter the Framework. She didn't really have anything to say, what happened next would happen next, and she felt like she was well enough prepared for anything she could experience here. Giving her head one more shake to try to wake herself up, she stepped in.

---

---

---

Slowly but surely everyone filed in and at Ed's beckon suited up and sunk into the tanks. Listening in on the conversations using her superior senses, she managed to gather nothing of note, save for perhaps Zari's vague declaration that she may not screw around with the sim this time. Oh well, first time for everything. she thought, hiding an eyeroll behind closed eyelids.

Usually she was among the first in the tanks, but this time she purposefully stayed behind until only she and Ed were left outside. "Hey. Nicely done. But don't try to pull any fast ones, okay? One Usagi at the controls is already more than the universe needs." she joked, beforeheading to her own tank. Fishing in her pocket, she hung a little charm on her tank - A severed cat paw on a key chain, something she took to wearing in protest after her detention with Usagi started.

Splashing down in the tank, she engaged with the systems and chose to load into the simulation unarmored, but this time, she created a virtual interface to act as a middle man between herself and the system, to allow her to participate without her main body going offline- With that, she could keep her eyes scanning the room, keeping watch against anything that could go awry - such as some faculty showing up. She was not sure what she would be able to do if they were busted, but whatever she came up with, she would have the fastest reaction time of the lot, she bet. Or, so went the theory, at least.

---

---

---

---

@Forsythe: For a brief moment, Vicky managed to suspend her consciousness - to be both active within the Framework and present within her own body. But then that control was lost, as if a partition had been forced into existence. Perhaps it was one of the Framework's safety measures. Or perhaps the tech was simply that advanced, enough to know that she had split her faculties, and remedied it. The reason as to why ultimately didn't matter as much as the outcome - that Vicky was fully within the Framework whether she liked it or not.

@BlueSky44: Zari did not wake up.

---

---

April had mentally shrunk inwards at Leah's response to her question about the break - she knew that Leah didn't travel for those, she had meant that they'd be getting a break from the near constant studying and work that they'd been forced through since the Monster Mash. But the moment to explain herself, to apologize, had passed. Her face was bright red even now inside the Framework, the sensors translating her embarrassment.

"Okay, everyone, loading in the programs now. Good luck!" Ed's voice boomed all around them - and then suddenly, their surroundings shifted. It was like the arena had glitched, falling away and snapping back, replaced with a narrow strip of existence, almost like a hallway. Charming music played in the background, a theme intimately familiar to April - music she'd hear from her dad gaming most mornings as a little kid.

She looked down at her hands and gasped in surprise - they were pixelated, two dimensional. Her outfit had changed too - she looked like a color swapped Princess Peach, or a retro Rosalina. All around her, similar things had happened to her peers, making them look like Mario characters -



They were inside a Mario game.

And a small pack of goomba were coming right at them.

Meanwhile, Percy was speechless for a moment, taking in his surroundings - and his outfit. He was put in a little blue vest with no shirt and white shorts, and there was some sort of massive dome on his head. He instantly crossed his arms, covering his chest in an attempt to preserve his modesty. "Ed, you loaded Super Mario!" Percy hissed, more pissed about the alterations to his clothing and physical appearance than anything else.

"Oh, I know," Ed answered with a slight laugh. "Just so you know, I've removed the safety controls. If you die in there, you'll die in real life... and one last thing? Call me Arcade."

"Seriously?!" Percy clenched his hands into fists, rotating them as he tried to access the emergency override - to forcibly eject his consciousness from the Framework. But nothing happened. There was no response - Ed - Arcade must have seen to that already. He quickly glanced around the group assembled, trying to suss out the powers at their disposal. Someone had to be able to get them out of here. His gaze landed on Dorian.

"Can you shift and eject yourself out?" Percy proposed.

The goombas were about to collide with the group - someone needed to jump on them and fast.

And up ahead, not too far, were a variety of flashing blocks - and three enticing green pipes.

---

---

---

---

The shifting world made her a little sick to her stomach. But she knew exactly where she was. The music was familiar and sent her back to a foster home. She could almost feel the plastic-covered couch under her. Hear the laughter of the other kids. One of them she knew was the first person she had ever killed. Andy shivered and looked around among the group. She frowned. They were short more than just Ed, the asshole. Zari wasn't there.

Andy's stomach twisted. "Zari?" She asked the group, hoping maybe she was wrong. What had Ed done? Where the hell was her girlfriend? Andy didn't even take in what she was wearing, baggy blue pants, an oversized red hoody, and a white mask.

Andy drew her attention down the long 'hallway.' She remembered a video about what happened to those who fell off the map. She shook her head and focused. Getting out was important. She had to make sure Zari was okay. Andy started running and jumped, she missed the first goomba and almost fell over, but she was able to keep her balance. She jumped again, and at the same time, she tried to get her electricity to flow. It didn't work, but she did land on the goomba. It disappeared off to the side, dying.

"I don't know if you guys have played this, so if you haven't these guys," She gestures to the goombas. "Aren't the most powerful enemies in the game. But they are dangerous if you let them touch you. To take them out jump on them. Or throw a Koopa shell." She wonders if they have inventory, but takes another jump landing on the next Goomba. This time lighting does spark from her legs. Andy sighs a little relieved. Her powers work, at least this one does. That'll give her an advantage that a plain Mario character wouldn't have.

---

---

---

---

Diana looked over at the rest of her friends and teammates as they all started to load into the Framework itself, however the first thing she noticed was that Zari wasn't there at all. "Uhm where is Zari?" Diana asked it was worrying when Ed started to use the Framework and things suddenly shifted from the Contest of Champions Arena to something very pixelated. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing a pink dress with a red vest with a gold trim along the edges.

She reached for her head feeling something really big and poofy on her head, and two pig tails that were pink, really old music started to play from a retro video game. Then Ed's voice suddenly boomed all around them, telling them all to call him Arcade and if they died in here then they would die in the real world. "What hell Ed?!" Diana yelled she turned to look at her brother she was suddenly very worried about him, both of her moms would kill her if she let her younger brother die in a retro video game.

Andy seemed to know it pretty well as she looked at her as she explained. "So don't let the turd looking guys touch you and just jump on them gotcha." Diana said to Andy watching as Andy started to take one out. Diana tried to use her power as she teleported and ended up landing on Percy. "Shit sorry Percy." Diana said to him as she tried to teleport again only to miss and tried again only to miss again.

---

---

---

---

Madalyne looked over when Danni grabbed onto her shoulders wanting some more help with his baby dragon and smiled slightly. "Yeah i'll help you up sometime this weekend with it if you want." Madalyne said to him as she wanted to more or less focus on getting this training session done and out of the way with. Everyone else seemed to be loaded in now which was good then she didn't notice that Zari was with them however. Ed decided to then suddenly change the scenery into something else. Things were suddenly turned into a very old and retro video game. She found herself in a yellow and orange dress, as she looked down at her sudden change of clothes and appearance she was very pixelated.

"What gives, what did we do to you Ed?" Madalyne said as she noticed the pack of goombas approaching them she had played Mario once when she was really young. She did know the basics though as Andy explained it to the others who may not have played Mario she quickly charged forward and jumped on one and then another taking out two of them fairly quickly.

---

---

---

As they all loaded in, the very first thing Leah noticed was how everything looked very much not like an arena. Not like a fight, not even a gym. It was some sort of pixelated world that Leah didn’t recognize in the slightest. And then the sound of Ed’s voice came through and announced to all of them that they would fucking die if they didn’t make it out of here. But Leah didn’t buy that, the Framework didn’t cause physical harm to anyone, and that dumb fucker would have his life ruined if he murdered a dozen of his classmates.

Still, this was fucked. Worst of all, Zari wasn’t even here to just shut this whole thing down. The one time her presence would be appreciated…

”What the shit is all this? How the fuck do- Why did-“ Exasperated, she looked down realized she was in a red dress that was showing off way more than she was normally okay with. More than her Scorpia dress. Leah didn’t know who Mario was or what the weird shit piles with legs were, but she was dressed as Pauline. She could feel her skin heating up like a toaster… What the fuck?!

”WHAT THE FUCKING- Oh, I’m going to shatter that little god damn twink like a fucking window when I’m out of here…” Leah took a deep breath, feeling like her dignity has just been punched in the face. According to Andy, they just had to jump on those weird goblin looking creatures to kill them. And Mads managed to do just that, removing a few of them from the “game.” Their powers seemed to work, which would certainly help.

”Okay- Okay… Since Andy knows how this works and I don’t- How do we win? Do we kill a boss or something? If there are things in the way and our powers work, I could just fly us over everything with a big enough rock.”

---

---

Zelda wasn't sure what to think, until she heard a very familiar sound playing through the area and she looked up. Super Mario? They were literally in Super Mario? Honestly despite it being a much older game, she did enjoy it. She tended to play games from that era anyway on occasion. She was named after a video game character, specifically from an older game in that series too. So it was actually kind of nice to be in a familiar area, even though it was added onto by Ed saying that they could actually die. Seemed like someone was a big fan of SAO or something at this rate. That's when Zelda noticed the outfit she was wearing, while it was the yellow and orange of Princess Daisy (complete with the crown) it actually was a shorts and tank top outfit, looked like it was more of the outfit that Daisy wore in the sports spinoff titles of the game. Well she was glad she wasn't in a dress, considering what it was she was immediately aiming for.

Looking around, she obviously saw the Goombas heading their way, and Zelda looked up above them, right where she knew they would be, the line of blocks up above that everyone seemed to have ignored. One of the blocks was one in particular she was aiming for, one that had a question mark on it's sides. "There's more to this game then just stomping on Goombas," she ended up saying, before taking off forward, heading straight for the block. She jumped up and punch the block with her hand, before whirling around and catching the power up mushroom that emerged from the block. There was the typical power up sound effect for the game (even though it was the simplest one) as she ended up growing a bit in size so she was taller now then everyone else. Before she immediately went forward and jumped onto the nearest Goomba, stomping it down and destroying it. "Power ups are a thing, first level in the game always has a mushroom in the first block you come across, it's pretty much a given with the Mario games, specifically the side scroller ones, not the more 3D environment ones specifically... Mushrooms make it so it takes a little more to kill you essentially, so that was the reason I went for that first before stomping on a Goomba," she explained simply.

---

---

---

Once everyone had gotten in the simulation booted up. Soon there were bright pixels forming in front of her. Sabine even felt some tingliness on her person and looked to see herself transforming. Her outfit was changed into some light blue dress. She noticed her hai move into a more flowy look. And a gentle crown placed on top of her head.

Before she could say anything, Percy shouted at Ed, or Arcade as he asked to be called. Sabine hadn't played too many video games growing up, but she was familiar with the Mario Bros. She had played Mario Kart with her step-siblings on occasion, usually after being begged. She glanced down again, figuring out who she was. She was Rosalina, or at least a rough estimation. She looked to see who everyone else was. April was like her, though she looked to be a mix of Rosalina and Princess Peach.

Leah however.....

Leah was killing it in her outfit. "Oh Leah, you need to think about wearing that all the time." Sabine's attention was briefly scattered as people began asking questions and wondering what to do. Apparently one of them was not here, but before she could think on that more, Goombas appeared. The others began to fight. Sabine looked around and saw a Koopa meandering. Recalling her time in Mario Kart, she knew Koopa shells were ideal weapons. Sabine ran over and hopped up, hitting the turtle and spooking it back into its shell. She picked it up, "Sorry little guy," and threw it towards the Goombas. It moved a bit, but then stood still. This was probably easier to do while driving. So Sabine ran up and kicked the shell and it was ent flyng towards them, running through two and knocking them away.

There were still some left, but she was proud of her adaptability.

---

---

The surroundings began to shift around them, which in and of itself was extremely cool to watch. Dorian was used to loading into the arenas Pre set, he never got to watch them change before his very eyes. It felt like being in one of those old movies or stories about people who first entered Virtual Reality. He now stood on a narrow platform, stretching down far with overhead blocks a few feet away and creatures even further in the distance. He'd noticed Zari was missing at first, but the wonderment of it all made that thought fade away. Besides maybe she was taking her time loading up, or using her powers to make a grand entrance. Who was he to stop a little flare?

The scene shift took Danni by surprise, grabbing on Dee with a yelp in case the ground also fell out from beneath them. “Okay, okay, okay. So what's t'is? Some oldie version of t'e racin’ game? We gunna have cars too? Bad news, I'm a ‘orrible driver. I don't even ‘ave a permitt!” Danni muttered, taking in the surroundings suspiciously.

As the music began to play, Dorian instantly recognized it. They were in a Mario game. He'd played some of them through by popular request on his stream. Using his VR to make himself Mario for Retro Night that stream, even though his outfit during the stream was from another retro game. ”Ed, er, Arcade, Chère, I'm not one to question tactical genius, but is a platformer really the best trainin’ for us to do to beat t’e Young Avengers?” He noticed Percy's clothes had changed to something more… revealing than Percy ever would have worn. Looking down he saw his outfit had [url=cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/813132… too. He had a purple shirt, black vest, black leather pants, a white ascot with a gem piece and gold and white coat that draped down to his knee high boots. A golden crown sat atop his head and his sword had been altered into a scepter.

”Woah! Am I King Boo?! Forget what I said about t’is idea. I love it now!!! Just t’e break we needed before some serious trainin’ afterwards. And the Die in Game Die in Life bit? Perfect for makin’ sure we aren't more reckless than we'd be outside of system.”

Danni loosened up as the others charged into the fight, but what caught his interest were the outfit changes. “Oooh, Cadie whipped us up some fashion too! I love t’e Princess squad look ‘ere for t'e triad. And Dee, you’re such a ‘andsome ‘auntling! Spicy, loosin’ up a bit I see, I likey, I likey. You should stick wit’ t’is once we’re done wit’ trainin’! Oooh, and a shy guy t'ats awesome! Zelds, you're lookin’ great up t'ere sweetie! I call dibs on ridin’ ‘er shoulders tho!” Danni loved the changes and he took a moment to check himself out. He had black spiky wrist and arm bands, a black spiked choker, a black tank top, grey jeans, and…

“Omg, I ‘ave ‘orns!” Danni hopped up and down excitedly. “Dee, Dee, Dee, Dee I ‘ave ‘orns!”

Dorian turned to look at Danni, taking in how his outfit had changed as well. ”Oh! King Kuppo! You got ‘is ‘orns!!!” He exclaimed in between excited giggling. ”Look at us! A pair of Kings! I'm t'e ghost king and you t'e king of t'e Kuppos. T'is is great!!! T'ough…we should probably ‘elp t'em out a bit non?” He said as he pointed his scepter towards everyone fighting the oncoming threat of Goombas. He'd fully forgotten about Percy's request to attempt a phase out, too excited for what lay in store. ”If mushrooms are still in game. Does t'at mean we can find One-Ups? Gain more lives? What's t'e rules ‘ere?”

“Oooo, well Shy Guy t'ere can ‘ave some lightnin’ so maybe we can still use our stuff?” Danni suggested, sticking his tongue out as he closed one eye and fired off a fire blast.

Or at least tried to. Instead, a little fire flower popped up with a little noise and Danni screamed, the fire going wide. “What in t’e world?!” Danni screeched, waving the flower around. “What is t’is? Like, I know what it is, don’t explain it to me Dee, but Cadie, what t’e ‘ell! T’at’s not cool, messin’ wit’ my fire!”

Dorian had intended to help Danni out with the onslaught against the Goombas. Pressing his fingers to his temples in an attempt to use his telekinetic powers that had awoken a small while back. Objects tended to go flying whenever he had a meltdown but they'd just chalked it up to his ghost powers, it's why he chose the name Poltergeist. But now he was learning to attempt to control them. Danni’s reaction, however, caused him to lose all concentration and burst out laughing as a small flower appeared in Danni's hand. He wiped a tear from his eye as he saw the flames go wide.

”Oh t’at's rich. It's a fire flower D. T'ough typically you ingest it and gain fire powers but I guess since you already ‘ave t'em it's acting more as an item or conduit for t'em. Which means…we got game rules.” This time Dorian decided to hold his new scepter out like a wand. Pointing the gem towards the Goombas to try and bind them in place. Psionic energy began to radiat in pixels with a haunting 2-bit sound around the scepter and then again around the Goombas leaving a faint ghostly green outline around its pixelated silhouette. ”King Kuppo I got ‘em! Flame on! Wait is t'at copyrighted?”

“Dee, I just told ya not ta explain it ta me.” Danni groaned, but held out the fire flower again and closed one eye to take better aim. A little bouncing fire ball blasted out and slammed into the glowing Goomba, who disappeared in a pixel burst. “We did it, we did it! Take t'at Cadie!” Danni cheered, doing a little victory dance as he waved the flower around excitedly.

”D&D 1 Cadie 0! It's gonna take more t'an Goombas to take us down!” Dorian exclaimed as he made his way over to Danni and hooked arms with him dancing around in a circle before stopping before him and putting his hands up for a double high five.

“Yeah, might as well brin’ on t'e big boss already!” Danni taunted, Giving Dee the double high five.

Mary Sue hadn't been sure exactly what to expect when entering the simulation, but it certainly wasn't this. She appeared in a retro game, as a pink... mushroom person? Toadette, as it would turn out, though Mary Sue didn't know that. This was the sort of thing she knew her dad would love, and though she never caught his love of video games, she had at the very least heard about the basics of Mario. Jump on mushrooms (hopefully not the kind she was), save princesses, all that jazz. At the shifting change in circumstances, where it seemed Ed was now intent on killing them, Mary Sue instantly went into problem solving mode.

First, she needed to know if her powers still worked here. Holding her hand out in front of her, a turtle shell materialized, and she was left with a satisfied smile. She could throw this, hopefully, and knock out the oncoming goombas, as they were apparently called. Throwing it forward, her smile quickly turned to a look of despair, as it fumbled out and hit Andy, causing her to glitch out for a moment. Horrified, she ran over to her friend, materializing a brick block in front of the group to hopefully keep them safe from the any remaining creatures, before attempting to tend to her friend almost frantically saying, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry." The calm, calculated mind she'd normally have about being in a situation like this, the detachment she hoped she had, shattered at the idea that somebody she cared about could actually be lost.

---

---

---

---

---

Percy was flattened to the ground like a pancake after his sister teleported on top of him. Luckily, his body in this environment seemed to follow game rules - it flickered slightly, briefly transparent, before returning to normal. Just as had happened with Andy when Mary Sue had shelled her, a tiny red heart cracked above Percy's head - he'd lost a life. If Ed - if Arcade - was telling the truth, when those red hearts ran out, he'd die. "He's not here to help us get stronger," Percy muttered, his hands shaking slightly with anger. "He's crazy."

Zelda had taken the powerup available to them, and Mary Sue had installed a barricade of sorts. From what Percy understood of this game, the goombas would start traveling in the opposite direction now until they reached another barrier, and only then would they turn around to reverse. He'd never played Super Mario himself - but he had watched Dorian play it before. The green pipes they'd seen before had been important.

And without Zari present... His hands clenched into fists.

He was going to enjoy driving an axe through Arcade's head.

"Mary Sue, can you make a set of stairs that go to the pipes?" Percy asked.

"Ed, let us out of here!!!" April demanded, stomping her left foot ever so slightly.

Her brain wasn't even fully processing what was happening - that they were stuck inside a video game, told that the stakes were life or death, and they had no way out. She was still in the mindset that they were training for the competition, that everything was fine, that they were just students - even Leah's father had yet to turn up yet, and his was the only threat to their wellbeing that April was prepared to really think about. No, the idea that Ed was here to murder them in a sick video game environment was just foreign to her.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm making a name for myself, you see - and it all starts tonight," Arcade's voice boomed around them. "Every supervillain needs a gimmick. Consider this my soft launch!"

April's left eye twitched.

It slowly sank in.

They needed to be careful here.

Really careful here.

"Okay, who's good at video games? Besides Dori," April prompted, hoping that they weren't completely screwed. She wasn't really a gamer girl herself. Zelda played way more than she really did. She'd played enough to know that she wasn't really good at them, and she'd much preferred going outside and hitting the beach anyways.