Stormvalley High: The beginnings of Earths Mightiest Heroes (Vash x Starlightkitten)

[X-Vash00]

High above the large compound of Stormvalley High School a transport carrier buzzed across the air. Inside a nervous Tony Stark stood in a suit of steel colored armor. He pressed an armored finger to the com piece on the helmet. "Dad," Tony asked, "Are you sure about this? I mean this is still a prototype." Howard Stark chuckled from the other end of the line. "Come on Tony, you and I built this and did all the calculations together. Two genius brains couldn't possibly get this wrong. Now just follow the plan and everything should be fine." Tony nodded and closed the open face of the helmet. He stepped out as the cargo door opened and took a deep breath before jumping off and activating the rockets in the suit. As he felt himsel fly through the air all of his inhibitions went out the door.

The students of class two-thousand-and-eleven were all currently packed into the school's hall, waiting anxiously for the first assembly of the year to begin. They were expecting the school principal to make his appearance any second and to deliver the usual humdrum speech, which is why the hall fell into shocked silence when they were instead greeted by the strum of a guitar...

"Welcome to the Jungle," the vocalist screamed as a suit of iron burst through the roof and slammed into the stage, landing crouched on one knee with his steel fist pressed against the floor. The platform was suddenly awash in multicoloured lights and fireworks as the steel-clad billionaire launched off the stage and flew over the gasping, wide-eyed, students, all while twirling and winding in tune with the Guns'N'Roses song; showing off his flying skills as well as the new Stark prototype. Unlike his usual outfit, the suit displayed a large array of weaponry, enough to warrant a bit of parental hate-mail no doubt. "So worth it," He thought as he gave the students a quick wink before ending the ostentatious display with one last flip and another heavy landing on the stage amid a final explosion of fireworks and lights. As the song died, Tony strutted toward the front of the platform, admiring the semi-casual whites and blues of the teens' assigned uniforms.

Placing both hands firmly on the podium, the twenty-one-year old began, "I think that's enough fun for one assembly, so allow me to simply welcome you all to Stormvalley High! I'm sure you're all going to love it here." He smiled, confident in his words. "Now, before I begin, I'd like to address a rumour I've heard floating about the halls, regarding the Avengers... All I can say is that Stark Industries is unaware of any metahuman presence within the school." He gave a moment's pause, to allow the message to sink in, before continuing, "The close proximity of the Avengers tower is merely a coincidence and the same could be said for any potential superhumans attending Stormvalley." Tony watched the reactions of the student-body, trying to gauge whether they believed him or not, before gazing out a nearby window to the tower which stood just across the street.

The Avengers Tower was similar to an apartment building, with each room individually crafted to suit the desires and personality of each Avenger. As a skyscraper the Avenger tower was by far taller than any other in the city, with the glassy panelling which covered its sleek exterior topped by an ancient monument of Asgard. It stood as a picture of simplicity and style, leaving many unaware of the extensive array of weapons and sensors which hid under its plain, glistening, surface. On the inside the tower was managed by an artificial intelligence system known as Jarvis, who attended to the needs of its occupants while ensuring a secure, functional, environment. Besides supplying the Avengers with refreshments as well as guest, entertainment and relaxation rooms, the tower also maintained several training centres, gyms, mission prep areas and modes of transport. The decor also changes from one room to the next, where one might be stylized in polished marble, another could have a more wooden, rustic, appeal. This was done in the hopes of giving the more redundant areas a little more character. Tony Stark had spared no expense and while he pretended that Stormvalley was simply another eccentric venture for the public, the truth was that it too was created for the benefit of the Avengers.

Returning his attention to the assembly before him, Stark continued, "And now I will leave you to your principal, Doctor Xander Rice, to explain the more boring details of life at Stormvalley High." With that Tony turned to the good doctor to make an exaggerated sweep of his hand, implying that the stage was all his. Xander, a tall, lean-muscled, man with dirty blonde hair, looked less than amused by Stark's antics. His russet-coloured eyes glared at him as he stood from his chair, adjusted his white lab coat, and approached the podium. The doctor then proceeded to highlight the rules and expectations of the school in a swift, no-nonsense, tone. He seemed to want to get the assembly out of the way as much as everyone else.

As he neared the end of his speech he noted, "Finally, we will be testing a new study program where we assign certain students into groups of three, or perhaps more. You'll receive more details once the groups have been formed." What Xander had failed to elaborate on was that each group was in actuality going to be treated as an Avenger squad, to teach them the importance of team work and coordination. Once the principal was finished Tony quickly announced the band's closing song "Highway to Hell" (an apparent joke) before flying right back out the hole he'd made on his entrance.

Many of the students started to shuffle their way out from the hall and into the courtyard, standing beneath the shade of the clouds which hid the morning sun. They chattered on excitedly about what the new year might bring, from general teen gossip to more politically orientated topics (such as the possible resurgence of Hydra). Or they simply kept to themselves, watching and waiting. A frozen yoghurt stand stood opposite the street, at the base of the Avengers building, while fields for various sport surrounded the students in the school grounds. The day was meant mostly for exploring and adjusting so nobody had to worry about class, or at least not yet....

Outside the auditorium a small beat up truck drove to the front of the school. The truck had a large circus logo blazened on the doors. Inside the truck was Clint Barton, his brother Bernard, and his friend and mentor Buck Chislom. Clint and his brother were runaways, orphaned at an early age and sick of being bounced around foster homes. They ended up at the circus as roustabouts and he was being trained by Buck also known as Trick Shot. Clint was looking down and sad, he would much rather be at the circus shooting arrows than this school and being a part of these so called Avengers. Buck saw this in Clint, "Clint, I know you don't want to be here but this a big deal. These SHIELD guys see what you can do and know how to put it to better use than just shooting targets in front of a crowd." Clint still was reluctant to get out of the car, but Bernard bolted right out of the car as soon as it stopped. Buck have Clint a nudge on the shoulder, "Come on kid, do it for me." Clint nodded his head and got his stuff, the school was a live in school so Clint had brought all of his clothes and marksman gear. He gave Buck one last look and got out of the truck. He gave Buck a wave goodbye and he left to the dorms.

On his way to the dorms a couple of big burly guys blocked his path. They were dressed in blue slacks, a white shirt, and a pressed blue sport coat, preppy kids. "Hey kid," One asked, "Did you get out of a truck that had the circus logo on it?" Clint responded, "Yes." They all laughed in unison while pointing at him, "Your a circus freak?! What are you, the human fish? The guy with a few extra limbs? A kid with no dick?!!!" That brought up more laughter. Clint pushed passed them and went on his way, a scowl now on his face.

 

[SingingSatellite]

RE: Stormvalley High

There wasn’t much that bothered Betsy Braddock. She had earned herself something of a reputation for being rather blasé about her work. Honestly, it simply didn’t challenge her. She would have preferred being out in the field, and after spending her summer doing work with the British Intelligence; she felt it pointless to be back at school. Given that, it explained her current locale, which was perched at the top of the bleachers outside. Her white skirt had been hiked up, smooth ivory skin visible, the blue polo top clinging to her curvaceous torso. Her long, violet hair was down around her shoulders, stunning blue eyes looking as she watched Tony Stark make his grand entrance into the school, “Typical.” She muttered, scanning the minds of a few of the students, listening as it was a mixture of awe and excitement from most, a few of the men intimidated.

She rolled her eyes as she leaned down, grabbing her beige military messenger bag, slinging it over her shoulders as she watched some of the students filing out of the building. Betsy resented even having to come here; her dorm already set up, having managed to snag a single to herself. Her parents had always been the type to ‘spare no expense’, although she rarely saw them. A few times she had met Tony Stark, her parents traveling in similar circles as his, though she had avoided alone time with the young man.

Betsy made her way towards the crowd of students, a few giving her sideways glances, her hair having that effect. The purple was natural, though her parents tended to tell people that she just dyed it. It had actually been the opposite growing up, her parents covering the purple with a bleach blonde until she was old enough to tell them to fuck off. And she did.

“Bloody school won’t even let me bring my wine… stupid institution…” She grumbled as she made her way through the crowd, heading towards the frozen yogurt stand across the street. Her eyes caught the glance of a young woman she recognized from orientation a few weeks back, Jean Grey. The woman was oddly quiet and oddly reserved, always with her nose in a book. Rolling her eyes again, the young woman danced across the street with grace.
For a woman with natural superpowers, Betsy had always felt rather out of place. Her own abilities were not unique, and both her older brothers had found themselves mutated as well. But her family had paid for just herself and her brother Jaime to go to the school, her eldest brother already through college and a bit off his rocker. Standing by the ordering window, Betsy ordered a peanut butter frozen yogurt, paying with hundred-dollar bill before settling in at a picnic table outside.

Jean watched from afar as a group of boys seemed to corner a young man. Clint. The head of the school had since let the students out, and Jean, quiet and walking alone while she still tried to find her friends, watched. By now, she had made her way towards the bottom of the bleachers, passing Betsy, a fellow mutant and telepath. She had hoped to chat, though the young mutant seemed perturbed. By now, Jean was sitting with her bag, her shoulder-length red hair held back in a pony tail that was slowly falling apart. Her own uniform was a size too big and not nearly as flattering as she wanted it to be, her frame much more slender than Betsy’s.

Sitting on the bottom bleachers, she took out her cellphone, looking to see if Scott had texted her recently. He was a fellow student at the school, and while he had yet to actually ask her on a date, Jean still obsessively checked. Nothing. Looking a little broken up, wondering if that other student ‘Emma’ had perhaps started talking to him, Jean tried to let it go, reaching into her backpack and withdrawing her kindle, a gift from her parents before sending her off.

 

[X-Vash00]

After getting the hell out of dodge from the auditorium Tony returned to the private Stark building on campus. He flew back into the workshop to find his hot rod, and father waiting for him. Tony landed on the mapped out area of the workshop and immediatley the floor split apart and a wide arty of robotic arms came out and gripped the various areas of the armor and began removing the plating and revealing Tony's prim and proper uniform all pressed and neat. Howard came over and have Tony a clap on the back, "Good job my boy! Now scrap the blueprints and open up another one." Tony was confused, "Wait, I thought the Iron Man project was ongoing?" Howard shook his head, "Tony that's just a publicity stunt, something to pull the attention away from the tower!" Tony wasn't so easy to give up on it. Howard saw this and recognized what Tony was feeling. He sighed before saying, "Look if you want to keep going on it fine, but don't expect any help from me." With that Howard took his leave. Tony remained in the workshop, mulling what his next move was. He tapped his feet, fiddled with his hands, and other various idiosyncrasies he did when he was thinking. Finally making a final decision he raised his head and spoke, "Jarvis," A robotic voice with a British accent responded back, "At your service sir." "Bring up the footage from the assembly and analyze the flaws in the armor. I'll review them when I get back." With that Tony took his leave and went to the local Ice Cream shop that was the popular bang out for the student body. Before he left he took a look in the mirror and saw that his Arc reactor wasn't shining through his shirt, "Good, the rubber polymer is holding up." He left to the ice cream shop.

He arrived at the shop to see the student population busing around. He weaved through the crowd, no one protesting at all, and ordered a big bowl of cookies and cream, his favorite. He stepped out and looked around at the students. He spotted a head of purple immediatley and recognizing it. He walked over and stood next to her, "So Liz," He knew she liked to go by Betsy but he liked Liz better, "I see my dad convinced your parents to come to this place." After that he took a big spoonful of ice cream and ate it with joy.


Meanwhile Clint was settling in to his dorm. SHIELD offered him a single room, that way he wouldn't be disturbed. He didn't have much stuff, some clothes for weekends and not much else, the rest was stuff for his bows and arrows. After settling down he looked out his window to see his fellow students shuffling out of the auditorium and over to a small ice cream shop. Next to it he saw an open field and decided to forget everyone else. He grabbed a large case and walked out. He went over past the shop and into the field where he would hope no one would notice him. He opened the case and pulled out a collapsible target along with his quiver and bow. With everything set up he pulled an arrow out, drew it in the bow, took aim and fired. A perfect bullseye. That process continued each time the arrow came as close to the other one as possible without damaging it. After a warm up quiver he pulled them out of the target and went through the trick shot exercises that Buck had taught him. He was now lost in his own world, no one else existed there, just him and the target.