Army Of Me
A Brave New World
CHARLIE -
The next day is different. Tony comes in and brings me a coffee, and just as we’re sitting down someone barges into the room and I jump and spill some of it on the desk. It’s Director Fury.
“There’s a meeting in my office. Please don’t be late.” He says, then leaves. I stand up immediately and start to follow him.
“We don’t have to go yet.” Tony says to me.
I turn back to him, keeping my eyes down. “He said not to be late.” I say.
I see him shrug. “So? We won’t be.”
I hover by the door for a second, trying to decide if I should listen to Director Fury or Tony.
“I’m going to go, now...” I tell Tony, deciding Fury is the boss, and disobeying him wouldn’t be very polite.
Tony shrugs again. “’Kay, I’ll come with you then.”
He jumps up and sips the last of his coffee, then bangs the empty mug on the table, and bounds over to me.
We walk in silence to Fury’s office. When we get there, Steve is already sitting down, writing something on a note pad. Fury nods to us and we take a seat. Tony sits next to Steve and starts talking to him, and I go and sit and the very end of the table, next to Fury.
I keep my head down until everyone else has come in.
“We all here, then?” Tony asks us all.
“Peter isn’t.” Wade replies.
Nick starts anyway. He starts talking about the changes SHIELD is going through at the moment, to try to improve the lifestyle we have around here. He stops momentarily to tell Tony and Wade to stop throwing bits of paper at Thor.
The door suddenly bangs open and I jump again. Someone stalks in and grabs the seat next to me. I keep my eyes down and shrink down in my seat.
It’s Peter.
Peter is nice, well I think he’s nice, if I ever actually talked to him.
Nick hands us all timetables, then Rain and him have an argument. I sit and look at the paper, pretending to intensely read it.
Nick finally sighs and says we can all leave. I put the paper in my pocket and start to leave, head down.
Peter gets to the door before me and pulls it open. He holds it for me and I smile at him.
I think of what Tony said to me yesterday. He says I should talk more. I take a breath, then say “Thanks, Peter,” to him as I walk through to door.
“She talks!” Someone says from behind me. I feel my face go red and rush out the room.
“Shut up, Wade.” Peter snaps back and then suddenly he’s walking next to me, door slammed shut behind him.
I keep my eyes down, trying to walk fast. He grabs my arm and I tense up.
“Hey, your name is...” He starts.
“I’m Charlie.” I say. I pull my arm free and hold it by my side, looking down.
“Hey, Charlie. I’m Peter!” The door behind him opens. Everyone else piles out. Tony smiles at me from over Peter’s shoulders and I try to smile at him back.
“Hi, Peter...” I reply.
He turns around to the others. Wade is looking at us weirdly. Peter turns around again.
“Wanna hang out with me?” He asks, smirking.
“Uh, sure, I guess...” His smirk turns into a beam and he grabs my arm again and starts walking down the corridor. Wade bangs into me slightly as he walks past us.
“Oi, Wade, watch out.” Peter shouts at him. He’s still smiling, though.
“Yeah, sure, sorry whatever.” Wade calls back. He turns a corner and I just catch a glimpse of him scowling at us.
Peter pulls me further away from Fury’s office, then opens a door. “Wade is such a dick.”
I follow him into the room. I think it’s his; there’s a bed with a pile of books and notepads scattered on, and a desk with his laptop.
“But you like him.” I say. He whizzes around.
“What?”
“You... like him. You guys hang out together a lot, and you talk to him...”
He starts to laugh. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry about the mess, by the way. I stay here sometimes, when I’m not in university. I take all my books and whatever back here.”
I nod.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” He asks.
I look up at him. “I guess not.”
“Why?”
I shrug.
He goes and sits on his bed and grabs a pad of paper. “You’re a scientist, right?”
Well, not exactly; I just work with Tony in the lab. I’m not good at it. I nod anyway.
“Yeah, I’m studying science. Physics.”
“I, uh, I’m more into biology. Tony and I are trying to figure out what stopped the growth in a rat when we fed it some chemicals to try to... Sorry, you’re not interested in this, are you? You like physics.”
He shakes his head. “No, go on, it’s interesting.”
“No, it’s not. It’s really boring. What, uh, books have you got there?”
He picks them up and makes them into a pile on his lap. I go and sit on the edge of the bed, and he picks them up one by one and shows me.
“That one is good. It’s probably my favourite sci-fi book.” I say, pointing at A Brave New World.
“It’s great, isn’t it? I’ve literally only just started, though. When did you read it?”
“I can’t remember actually. A while ago. I spent my whole life reading. Maybe that’s why I don’t talk to anyone now, because I was reading instead of socializing...”
“Reading is better than talking to people. And you’re talking to me.” He says. He puts all the books down.
I smile and look down.
“You don’t need to be so shy, Charlie. You should talk more. You’re nice, yeah.” I look up at him.
“That’s what Tony said. I’ll uh, try.”
“Try, for me and Tony, okay?”
I nod and he beams at me.
The next day is different. Tony comes in and brings me a coffee, and just as we’re sitting down someone barges into the room and I jump and spill some of it on the desk. It’s Director Fury.
“There’s a meeting in my office. Please don’t be late.” He says, then leaves. I stand up immediately and start to follow him.
“We don’t have to go yet.” Tony says to me.
I turn back to him, keeping my eyes down. “He said not to be late.” I say.
I see him shrug. “So? We won’t be.”
I hover by the door for a second, trying to decide if I should listen to Director Fury or Tony.
“I’m going to go, now...” I tell Tony, deciding Fury is the boss, and disobeying him wouldn’t be very polite.
Tony shrugs again. “’Kay, I’ll come with you then.”
He jumps up and sips the last of his coffee, then bangs the empty mug on the table, and bounds over to me.
We walk in silence to Fury’s office. When we get there, Steve is already sitting down, writing something on a note pad. Fury nods to us and we take a seat. Tony sits next to Steve and starts talking to him, and I go and sit and the very end of the table, next to Fury.
I keep my head down until everyone else has come in.
“We all here, then?” Tony asks us all.
“Peter isn’t.” Wade replies.
Nick starts anyway. He starts talking about the changes SHIELD is going through at the moment, to try to improve the lifestyle we have around here. He stops momentarily to tell Tony and Wade to stop throwing bits of paper at Thor.
The door suddenly bangs open and I jump again. Someone stalks in and grabs the seat next to me. I keep my eyes down and shrink down in my seat.
It’s Peter.
Peter is nice, well I think he’s nice, if I ever actually talked to him.
Nick hands us all timetables, then Rain and him have an argument. I sit and look at the paper, pretending to intensely read it.
Nick finally sighs and says we can all leave. I put the paper in my pocket and start to leave, head down.
Peter gets to the door before me and pulls it open. He holds it for me and I smile at him.
I think of what Tony said to me yesterday. He says I should talk more. I take a breath, then say “Thanks, Peter,” to him as I walk through to door.
“She talks!” Someone says from behind me. I feel my face go red and rush out the room.
“Shut up, Wade.” Peter snaps back and then suddenly he’s walking next to me, door slammed shut behind him.
I keep my eyes down, trying to walk fast. He grabs my arm and I tense up.
“Hey, your name is...” He starts.
“I’m Charlie.” I say. I pull my arm free and hold it by my side, looking down.
“Hey, Charlie. I’m Peter!” The door behind him opens. Everyone else piles out. Tony smiles at me from over Peter’s shoulders and I try to smile at him back.
“Hi, Peter...” I reply.
He turns around to the others. Wade is looking at us weirdly. Peter turns around again.
“Wanna hang out with me?” He asks, smirking.
“Uh, sure, I guess...” His smirk turns into a beam and he grabs my arm again and starts walking down the corridor. Wade bangs into me slightly as he walks past us.
“Oi, Wade, watch out.” Peter shouts at him. He’s still smiling, though.
“Yeah, sure, sorry whatever.” Wade calls back. He turns a corner and I just catch a glimpse of him scowling at us.
Peter pulls me further away from Fury’s office, then opens a door. “Wade is such a dick.”
I follow him into the room. I think it’s his; there’s a bed with a pile of books and notepads scattered on, and a desk with his laptop.
“But you like him.” I say. He whizzes around.
“What?”
“You... like him. You guys hang out together a lot, and you talk to him...”
He starts to laugh. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry about the mess, by the way. I stay here sometimes, when I’m not in university. I take all my books and whatever back here.”
I nod.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” He asks.
I look up at him. “I guess not.”
“Why?”
I shrug.
He goes and sits on his bed and grabs a pad of paper. “You’re a scientist, right?”
Well, not exactly; I just work with Tony in the lab. I’m not good at it. I nod anyway.
“Yeah, I’m studying science. Physics.”
“I, uh, I’m more into biology. Tony and I are trying to figure out what stopped the growth in a rat when we fed it some chemicals to try to... Sorry, you’re not interested in this, are you? You like physics.”
He shakes his head. “No, go on, it’s interesting.”
“No, it’s not. It’s really boring. What, uh, books have you got there?”
He picks them up and makes them into a pile on his lap. I go and sit on the edge of the bed, and he picks them up one by one and shows me.
“That one is good. It’s probably my favourite sci-fi book.” I say, pointing at A Brave New World.
“It’s great, isn’t it? I’ve literally only just started, though. When did you read it?”
“I can’t remember actually. A while ago. I spent my whole life reading. Maybe that’s why I don’t talk to anyone now, because I was reading instead of socializing...”
“Reading is better than talking to people. And you’re talking to me.” He says. He puts all the books down.
I smile and look down.
“You don’t need to be so shy, Charlie. You should talk more. You’re nice, yeah.” I look up at him.
“That’s what Tony said. I’ll uh, try.”
“Try, for me and Tony, okay?”
I nod and he beams at me.