Contest of Champions

24

Okoye strides up to center stage, her floor length red dress gently brushing against the floor and highlighting the red and black tattoos crossing her scalp. She keeps her warrior walk, making her seem out of place in the elegant outfit. She is trying to hide the look of distaste on her face, but it still shows. I suddenly imagine her stylist throwing a fit over her "uncooperative attitude," which makes me think of Sif and Darcy.

Oh, fun times.

Luis asks her about her time with the Dora Milaje, the guards who protected Wakanda's king. She answers briefly and always to the point, her hostility only serving to her advantage.

"What if you die?" Luis is asking now. "What if this Contest is the end for you?"

"Then," Okoye says. "It will be the noblest ending in history."

The audience claps, as expected, and Okoye retires to her seat as Natasha Romanoff is introduced.

Natasha's red, curly hair bounces around her shoulders as she steps forward. She's wearing a black dress that flares out at the knees with a tiny white jacket and black heels, a look contradicting the deadliness she exhibited in training. She smiles as Luis greets her and responds wittily to his compliment.

Natasha is better about making engaging conversation than Okoye. She's charming and pretty, and the two go very well together alongside the fighting skills I've seen her use.

Of course, this crowd doesn't know that.

Yet.

Cassie Lang is next. She's dressed in a light purple dress with a sparkly, gossamer skirt that goes down to her knees and her hair streams out behind her, topped with a pink tiara. Although she is fifteen, the dress design is obviously for a little girl, with a high waistline and a puffy skirt. Downplaying her age, I see, making her appear innocent and young. She remembers to smile at Luis as she comes to a stop beside him. I get the feeling she doesn't really want to.

Luis gives her a high five before starting his interview. He asks her about being the daughter of a former champion. "Did your daddy give you any insider tips for the arena?" he queries. "What tricks do you have up your sleeve, little Cassie?"

Cassie clasps her hands behind her back. Suddenly, her expression turns grave and she looks years older than her stylist wanted her to appear. "I know people think size matters," she says. "But I know that sometimes, being smaller is actually better." Then she smiles and she looks like a little girl again. "And as you see, I don't have sleeves."

Her dress is, in fact, sleeveless.

The crowd laughs and claps.

Luis calls up Sharon Carter. She's wearing a nice, simple black dress, with a square neckline and long sleeves, and Luis asks her about her aunt. I wonder why, and I can tell the crowd is curious, as well.

"My aunt," Sharon says, pausing for a moment. "Peggy Carter –"

A gasp ripples through the room. My own eyes widen slightly.

"– not only won her Contest, but she was the first non-enhanced human to do so," Sharon continues. "As a child, seeing the recap of her accomplishment, it was almost too much to live up to. But here I am. And I will try."

Technically, Kaecilius, the first human to win the Contest, hadn't been enhanced – he'd simply been a DimJump. But we all get her point.

Speaking of DimJumps, Christine Palmer from that particular district is next, and she answers Luis' questions with a smile on her lips but not in her eyes. The female contender from Jotunheim is unmemorable, and Helen Cho comes and goes next. From the way she speaks, you can tell she'll never be able to kill in the arena.

"Veers!"

I start as Veers stands and walks towards Luis. She's wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a filmy transparent piece of the same color layered on top and white pants. Her hair is pulled to the side in a messy bun, and her makeup is minimal. Unlike Natasha and Okoye, the Kree is not playing pretty for the cameras. I catch the look on Okoye's face as she mutters something along the lines of "Why does she get to wear that?"

But Veers does smile for Luis, her smirk causing shivers to run down my spine. My heart is pounding and I have no idea why.

I almost don't want to know why.

"So you're Starforce?" Luis queries. "Dang, girl. Hot and deadly, huh?"

Veers smirks. "Well, you know us Kree. Love to multitask."

The crowd applauds and Luis laughs. Yon-Rogg gives a shake of his head, grinning slightly, while I try to take a deep breath without drawing any attention to myself. It's not hard; everyone's eyes are glued to Veers, including my own.

"So, is there anyone here, anyone of the contenders, that you feel a special connection to?" Luis asks, and we all know where this is going. The answer is Yon-Rogg because he trained her and they are partners on Starforce, and this is Luis' way of seguing into that.

Veers turns and glances back at the row of contenders seated behind her. I watch her eyes land on Yon-Rogg and then feel my own narrow in confusion as they skim down the row, landing on....

Me.

"The Asgardian," Veers replies, her tone serious. "Loki."