MCU: Skull and Bones

2008

Canada, Appalachian Mountains

HYDRA Preparatory Academy

Two Years Later

"The Truth is... I Am Iron Man."

Dr. Whitehall paused the screen on Tony starks face.

"Can anyone tell me why this piece of news is troubling for us and our cause?" He asked the six of us sitting in the classroom.

Ruby, a young blonde girl with a small scar on her forehead, full lips, and green eyes, raised her hand to answer.

"Yes, Cadet Hale. "

Ruby stood, "Because, with this and the recent sightings of that green monster, we can see that enhanced threats are becoming more prominent. If we don't adapt to the new terrain then our goal will never be achieved."

Dr. Whitehall nodded at the girl, "Correct again Cadet Hale."

He pressed a button and the screen changed to a picture of the aftermath of Ironman and Obadiah Stane's battle.

"Can someone else tell me how this disrupts our goal?"

He looked around the small classroom before stopping at a tall blonde boy with clear blue eyes.

"Cadet Von Strucker?"

The tall boy paled as he was called.

"Uhm..sorry sir, I can't think of anything that Cadet Hale hasn't already said."

Dr. Whitehall gave him a disappointed look before resuming his lecture.

"The common man cannot be trusted to wield power on their own. Individually, the common man is weak and selfish, and cannot properly bear the responsibilities of self-rule. So obviously it's up to us to protect them from themselves. Their freedom is a small price to pay for their safety."

The bell rang signaling the students to leave.

"Before you go, Tomorrow all of you will be participating in a field test with Agent Garret. The test is meant to separate the strong from the weak. Those of you who fail will be reassigned to a more fitting base for your station."

***********

"What the fuck? How come they keep springing these super important tests on us with no time to actually prepare?" I complained to the blonde girl walking beside me.

Ruby, used to my complaining by now, shrugged and gave me a mocking look, "What did you expect, we're leadership majors. If you wanted the easy tests, you should've stayed with the grunts."

I bristled at her comment, remembering why I was taking these classes in the first place.

HYDRA Preparatory Academy split students up into categories, Leadership, and Grunts. The Leadership classes shaped students to be Diplomats, Generals, Spys, and Assassins.

While the Grunts were for kids who weren't smart or cunning enough to play the game Hydra was best at, Infiltration and secret gathering.

I initially started out as a Grunt thanks to my 'less prestigious' background. But after the first year, I was offered the option to move up by General Hale when I demonstrated talent with thinking quickly on my feet and playing the game of subtlety during my exams.

Seeing the pros and cons of both majors, I elected to take the Leadership courses to have more autonomy. But I was beginning to regret that decision with each crazy test they gave us. There were originally fifteen students in my class, but with each test more and more disappeared leaving only six of us left.

I looked over at the blonde girl confidently walking beside me and couldn't help but feel jealous of her circumstances. Ruby was General Hale's daughter, so not only was she completely safe during these exams but she had foreknowledge of when they would be held.

Befriending her was supposed to make her knowledge mine, but the girl was super loyal to her Mom and wouldn't talk about anything she told her.

"That's easy for you to say, we don't all have a Mom like yours to look out for us," I said to her, making her halt in her steps before turning to me with a look of guilt and anger.

"I pass these tests with my own skill, not my Mom's." She stated, pointing an irritating finger at my face.

I cracked a sly smile and gave a challenging look, "Prove it. Tell me what you know about the test and we see who takes the top score."

My words caught the girl off guard and she looked like she was having a war with herself at my words. Does she enter this contest of pride and show this lowborn boy his place or keep her mother's loyalty intact?

In the end, she did what I hope she would do, "Fine. But we should make it more interesting. How about the loser has to complete the other's writing assignments for five months?"

I hesitated, which pleased the girl more. I hated the writing assignments at this place, they were literally just about complementing every action Red Skull and his cronies took.

"Deal," I said.

She nodded then looked around us for any curious ears. We were in a hallway further away from the classrooms so no one was listening.

Ruby closed the distance with me and whispered in my ear what the test would be about. With each word, my smile grew wider and wider, and a blood-thirsty look passed through my eyes.

This'll be fun.

*********

A/N: We are finally at the beginning of the MCU!! What did you think about the chapter? Any improvements? Let me know in the comments!