Iron Legacy

Training Wheels Protocol

--

Peter and Elijah jogged up to the yellow school bus, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement as they spotted his decathlon teammates in their yellow jackets. As they approached, a chorus of reactions greeted them.

"Hey, it's Elijah and Peter," Abe noted, turning to face him.

Liz looked a little surprised but gave a warm smile. "Elijah?"

Elijah awkwardly returned the smile, meanwhile Peter looked between Elijah and Liz with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. "Hey, guys! Uh... yeah, I was hoping we could maybe rejoin the team?" Elijah spoke up.

Before anyone could react, Flash elbowed his way to the front of the group, shooting the boys a look of indignation. "No way. You guys can't just bail on us, then stroll up here and expect a welcome parade."

At that moment, Mr. Harrington stepped off the bus, blissfully unaware of any drama. "Hey, Peter, Elijah! Welcome back," he said cheerfully. "Flash, you're back to first alternate."

Flash's face dropped, a mixture of disbelief and offense. "What?"

Abe tried to contain a chuckle. "Sorry, man, Elijah's taking your spot."

"Oh no, no. You can give the spot to Pete it's no problem." Elijah said.

As Flash sulked, Michelle appeared from somewhere at the back of the crowd, conspicuously jacket-free. "Excuse me, can we go already?" she said, her voice deadpan. "I'm hoping to get in some light protesting in front of one of the embassies before dinner. So, y'know... priorities."

Mr. Harrington nodded approvingly, though he seemed only half-present. "Protesting is patriotic," he mumbled. "Let's get on the bus."

With an exaggerated sigh, Flash yanked off his jacket and grudgingly shoved it into Peter's hands. Elijah, who went  off to stand to the side was observing with an amused look, finally Flash passed him, mumbling under his breath. "Don't worry, Flash, you make a great benchwarmer." Elijah gave him a pat on the back which made him freeze and look very irritated, but Elijah just entered the bus.

--

The bus rolled out onto the highway, with the team buzzing as they worked on last-minute decathlon prep. Liz, seated in the front, kept things on task. "Alright, next quiz topic: the moons of Saturn."

Around the bus, students held small bells in their hands, ringing in with answers.

"The second law of thermodynamics," Cindy answered confidently.

"Fort Sumter," Flash chimed in, proud of himself.

Abe didn't miss a beat. "Flash is wrong."

"Okay, guys, focus," Liz reminded them, though she stifled a laugh.

Peter, sitting toward the back with Elijah and Ned, leaned forward. "Strontium, barium, vibranium."

Liz turned around, nodding with an approving smile. "Very good, Peter. Glad to have you back."

Peter returned the smile finally glad she notices him, relaxing. "Glad to be back."

A moment later, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Glancing down, he saw it was a call from Happy. "Uh, Liz, can I take this real quick? I'll only be a sec."

Liz gave him a thumbs-up. "Yeah, go for it."

As Peter got up and made his way toward the back, Michelle's eyes followed him, her book momentarily forgotten. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Peter answered as he slid into the seat next to Ned. "Hello?"

On the other end, Happy's voice rang out, sounding suspicious and more than a little annoyed. "Got a blip on my screen, Parker. You left New York?"