Students of S.H.I.E.L.D

Episode 1:The Pilot

Act 1

Mike Peterson was an exceptional football player. His Dad had taught him how to play just as Mike taught his little brother after their Dad passed away. However Ace was no Linebacker like his brother. Mike was tall, strong and fast with lightning fast reflexes while Ace was skinny, uncoordinated and asthmatic. Mike loved his little brother and everybody knew it. That was why the 8th grade bullies of Carter Academy steered clear of the typical bully cannon fodder.

Mike was a nice kid. The football team boys he hung around with were less so. The Carter Academy Dragons were just as ferocious as their mascot. The worst was Grant Ward. The quarterback and star of the team, he wreaked havoc across campus. Mike hated the stupid asshole but it was almost impossible to get away from him. Between classes and football practise, Mike just wished he could go home at night and be away from it all, but he was a boarder at the school just like Grant. Until one day he found an escape.

That day at football practise, Mike was doing drills when his foot landed in a hole in the grassy field. He turned but his foot did not and Mike felt a surge of pain run through his ankle down to his foot. He toppled to the ground, drawing exaggerated laughter from his douchebag teammates.

"UP AND AT 'EM PETERSON" Coach Garrett yelled out "It ain't nap time!"

Mike was humiliated, injured and covered in mud. He propped himself up to call out to the coach.

"I think I sprained my ankle." He said, placing a hand on his injury. Coach rolled his eyes.

"Well hurry up and go to the nurse, put some ice on it."

Mike struggled to stand up, trying to avoid as much further embarrassment as he could. Another boy jogged over and held out his hand. He pulled Mike out of the dirt and wrapped an arm around him to prop him up. They started walking to the nurse's office.

"Thanks." Mike blushed, unable to look the boy in the eye. He'd seen the guy around before but never talked to him. He seemed to be the only nice guy on the team. Mike also couldn't help but notice that he was really cute.

"Don't worry about it. My names Antoine but for the love of god call me Tripp." The boy smiled.

"If anyone should be called Tripp it's me." Mike sighed. Tripp laughed.

"You're funny Mike." Tripp said. Mike stared at him. Nobody on the team ever called him Mike.

They walked the rest of the way to the nurse's office. Nurse Debbie gave Mike an ice pack and instructed him to keep drinking his Chita. Chita was a sports energy drink that sponsored the football team, so they drank a lot of it.

"But Miss that stuff always makes me feel sick." Mike objected. Nurse Debbie shook her head and handed him a can from a small refrigerator.

"Nonsense. Just drink up and you'll feel better in no time." She said with a force smile.

"Can I least have a painkiller?" Mike pleaded. Nurse Debbie shook her head once again. "Drink your Chita and you won't need it" Mike gave up and limped back outside. Tripp was waiting for him.

"You didn't have to wait I'll be fine." Mike began to walk back towards his dormitory. Tripp jogged up next to him.

"I know. I'm just not keen to get back to running around in the mud. Where is your dorm?"

Later that night Mike sat at his desk and sighed. He reached under his bed and retrieved his sketchpad and pencils. He opened to a blank page and began to draw. Mike loved to draw and he was possibly better at art than he was at football. He drew a picture of a cheetah biting the school mascot, Dewey the Dragon. He then used his coloured paints and was oddly proud of the result. He was angry and embarrassed by the football team and stupid Chita made him sick. He hated the school and wanted everybody to know. He knew what he had to do.