InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Don't worry, be happy!"

The flight to Genosha hadn’t taken very long, considering they were travelling from New York to an island off the east coast of Africa. Quinjets were fast. There hadn’t been much lead-time for the trip, so Shuri had raided the wardrobe in her room at the embassy - and discovered that yes, she had been here before. Or a version of her had, anyway. Fortunately, she had good fashion sense, much like Shuri did, which was logical as they were basically the same person.

“This is so bizarre,” she murmured to herself as she used a plastic fob to wand the door to her room at the resort open. It worked, which was expected, and she rolled her small suitcase and wardrobe bag inside to find a stunning room that just screamed ‘I Am Expensive,’ which she’d sort of expected, but was still surprised.

“Wow,” she said, and thanks to the artwork and rugs on the walls, her voice didn’t echo in the huge room. Shuri turned in a circle, once, then tucked her suitcase and wardrobe bag into a closet. Pulling out her phone, she sent a text to MJ, Peter and Ned. She’d met the boys on the journey and they’d chatted a little when they weren’t dozing or glued to the windows.

Her text read: ‘In my room. O.M.G. I think six families could live in here comfortably. Everyone okay?’ Then she walked to the huge window to look at the beautiful view while she waited for a reply.

***

“Okay so like… what do you think the sleeping arrangement is going to be?” Unlike Shuri, Ned, Peter, and MJ had not gone into the ‘fast lane’ at the check in counter and were one person away from getting their room…. Rooms? Ned was a little nervous. He wanted to admit that he wanted to bunk with Peter, but probably Peter wanted to bunk with MJ and maybe Ned was supposed to want a good Stark-paid-for hotel room all to himself. Thankfully all of his anxieties seem to muster into grabbing his phone when it dinged. “You know what? We could always come back down here later and check in? Shuri says her room is awesome and we could go check hers out first… or something.” He offered a smile like ‘this is a totally normal suggestion’ even if they all had their luggage with them.

***

Being on a real Avengers mission was a lot more exciting than MJ could have ever guessed. She knew that she and Ned were largely here to keep Peter company, but they were still part of the team, able to help with the distractions needed to break Loki out of wherever he was being confined. And, of course, the fact that there was a secret island prison was proof that some conspiracy theories were real, which pleased her more than she could say.

“I’m guessing we have our own rooms,” she said. “Don’t know if they’ll all be as nice as Shuri’s though.” They weren’t royalty, after all. She pulled out her own phone so she could send a reply.

We’re next to check in. Meet us in the lobby in 20 minutes so we can explore.

That should give them enough time to stash their bags.

***

To Peter, this was all surreal. It wasn’t just the unbelievable luxury of the place - which was a long way from his corner of Queens - but the knowledge that Loki was in the near vicinity, too. Of all the places in the world, this didn’t look like a top pick to take an accused war criminal, but appearances were usually deceiving.

“We can always sneak into each other’s tonight,” Peter assured Ned as they received their room keys, though he stole a glance at MJ too. After hauling their luggage into their assigned rooms (despite any of them not being royalty, they were huge and roomy and fancy), they headed down to the lobby. Peter kept his senses attuned to anything out of the ordinary, seeing as the base of his neck hadn’t stopped subtly tingling since they’d arrived.

“So,” Peter said as they waited for Shuri. He lowered his voice, just in case any of the people wandering were interested in the conversation of a few teenagers. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve noticed so far?”

***

“The apparent zombification of the staff,” Shuri whispered, arriving just behind him and to the left. She hoped she hadn’t startled anyone, but her sandals were rubber-soled and very quiet and she wasn’t wearing anything that jangled or squeaked or otherwise drew attention to itself. If they were going to poke around the place, it made sense to be as silent as possible, though if there were cameras everywhere, the resort staff would have the jump on where they were going. This was not going to be easy, but many things that were worthwhile accomplishing never were.

“I also think we are being monitored, so we must assume they can see us wherever we are and be as nonchalant as possible when we find something interesting.” Shuri stepped closer to hide her face between Peter and MJ as she added softly, “And if they can see us, they also might be able to hear us or have software that lip reads. Maybe I am being paranoid, but… bettah safe than screwed, right?” How they were going to communicate with one another about anything important was another hurdle.

***

Ned had to leave one of his bags on the quinjet since it had his laptop which he was sorely missing. He had been kind of nervous about his phone, but he managed to get it through customs. Of course, he kind of felt like he was going to get jumped on by scary bad guys if he spent too long on it. “Has anyone wondered what would happen if, you know, we end up being like the Stepford Wives of this place?” Ned really didn’t want to be a zombie, dead or not actually dead. “I was thinking maybe we could fix some of that, though… I bet if we turn on our bluetooth and modify one of those white-noise apps people use to go to sleep, we could at least cause a little bit of graininess to any video cameras around us. Not like, you know, super obvious because phones and bluetooth, but enough that it’d be hard to read lips.”

***

MJ wasn’t even a little surprised when Ned proposed a technical solution to Shuri’s concern. He was Peter’s ‘guy in the chair’ for a reason and even though they had access to a lot more sophisticated equipment than usual, she trusted him to figure out a way to keep them from attracting too much attention. Well, at least until they were supposed to attract attention to serve as a distraction for the mission.

“We should also head out and explore the island,” she suggested, keeping her voice low. “Should be easier to cover our conversations with the ambient noise.” Plus she wanted to see how the other half lived while she had the opportunity.

***

The phone idea was a brilliant one, and would give them something to work on tonight - and it could be something to tell the others, too, seeing as the wedding might be a place where noise dampening would come in handy. For now, the sea breeze outside would hopefully mask their conversations if there were hidden cameras even on the shorefront.

As the group stepped outside, Peter found it difficult to take in everything at once. It was so ridiculously luxurious that he was pretty sure even one of the elaborate statues on the beach walkway could pay his and May’s rent for a lifetime, but even the beauty of the place couldn’t mask that something was off. To those who knew enough background information to be suspicious, anyway.

“I can see why people don’t notice anything’s up here when there’s so much to look at.” And well, honestly, a lot of the tourists here seemed so distracted by their own wealth that maybe they wouldn’t pick up on much. As a staff member passed them with a placid smile, Peter smiled back and frowned as soon as she walked by.

“The…you know, the tingle - is kinda-” He gestured with his hand, trying to word things as vaguely as possible even if they were likely safe with that wind. “-going off around the people who work here? Even the people at the front desk.” He looked over at Shuri, not sure if she’d know about that part of his abilities. “It’s a…spider thing. Like a built in warning system.”

***
“That is very handy,” Shuri said with a smile and pointed at something out in the water for them to look at, keeping their faces away from any potential cameras at the buildings behind them. She hoped. They probably monitored the beach, too, but being cautious of the obvious was a start, until the boys could work on Ned’s disruptive idea. “Between your warning system and Ned’s white noise, we have a few more advantages.” There was a boat in the direction she pointed, so maybe anyone watching would think they were avid sailors or something.

“Going outside for more extended conversations is perfect, MJ, and to put another of our advantages to work: our eyes. We are all very keen observers.” She turned slightly. “Another advantage: we have phones with Stark tech. If the Genoshan’s want to hack our texts, they can, I am absolutely certain, but it won’t be as easy as with a normal phone. We can be cautious, but we can text one another if something catches our interest. Being excited teenagers about something else cool in the area, of course.”

Shuri tended to talk a lot when she was excited, and this? This situation definitely qualified as exciting. And terrifying. But mostly exciting.

***

Were they all keen observers? Ned was pretty sure he was the odd guy out on that one, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Shuri who was totally cool and also pretty gorgeous so he just nodded along as if to say ‘yes, super observant’. Ned was way better if he had a screen to look at. Give him some code and he’ll find the answer, but real life and real people? Way harder.

“Does that mean we should talk in code? Like, ‘getting ice cream at 2 pm’ is somehow code for ‘I’m stuck in a supervillain’s lair and I need help?’” That seemed like something important to communicate. He didn’t bring up that he would get an alert on his phone if someone tried to hack it…. Having hacked the phone himself. Just in case people were listening.

***

The idea of Ned and Peter developing some elaborate code for them to use for conversing made MJ roll her eyes. “I think as long as we’re careful, we can just talk,” she said. “But we need to be discreet.” As long as they looked like carefree teenagers on vacation, she didn’t think anyone would pay much attention to them. If anything, they would be focused on the adults they’d arrived with which gave the teens a bit more freedom to explore. At least she hoped.

“Did you notice that they’re all wearing the same necklace?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “I wonder if it’s some kind of mind control.” Before, anytime she said something like that, people would think she was crazy, though Peter hadn’t laughed when she told him the Eiffel Tower theory.

***

“We should come up with a code sometime anyway,” Peter said, grinning briefly over at Ned. “Never know when we might need it.”

When MJ noted the necklaces, Peter turned to look back towards the resort and the pool, his gaze passing over a few employees who roamed the area. And she was right - they all had a simple silvery band around their necks, a common theme. “The receptionist had one on too,” Peter remembered, nodding. Something he’d learned in the past few years was that MJ’s favorite conspiracy theories weren’t so far-fetched when you compared them to their reality.

Peter looked back out at the water, not wanting to stare too much. “Maybe when we’re messing with the white noise app later we could see if there’s any way we could see if we could pick up other frequencies. If they really are being controlled somehow, that tech has to be giving off some kind of signature, right?”

***

Shuri was delighted to be in the company of people who thought outside of the box and knew how to apply their ideas to a situation. It wasn’t that she didn’t know such people, but this was just so serendipitous. That the four of them should be here, in the right time and place, to tackle these challenges? It was meant to be.

“Yes,” she said. “They should give off a signature, though if it is controlling all of the collars, it must be very strong. This place is huge and there are many employees.” She glanced back at the pool before looking at her new friends. “I wonder if any of them knew what they were getting into by working here…”

***

“Maybe it’s all some big cult thing. You know, like they first bought into an ideal and then when they climbed the ranks they put on a collar and poof, zombie servant.” The idea was terrifying. “Uh.. though now that I think about it… what if someone tries to put one on us? Should we decline, like, all jewelry? Do you think hats are safe?” He had seen some cool hats in the gift shop, after all. It’d be a shame if there couldn’t be one thing here that was just awesome and not evil.

***

“It could be a cult,” MJ agreed. She knew a lot about those too and they always managed to suck people in by appearing harmless at first. “And I’d say we shouldn’t put on anything we didn’t bring with us without checking it first.”

And now that they’d left their bags unattended, maybe they needed to check the stuff they brought along too. Just in case someone slipped a transmitter or something in it while they were out exploring. “We know to be careful though, so that’s the important thing.” Being aware that there was danger meant they were less likely to fall for some kind of ruse.

***

Whether a cult or brainwashing or a mix of both, Peter was alarmed for the workers. Their smiles were too tight, and their eyes too distant. The idea of anything like that happening to his friends was an anxiety-inducing one, but at least they weren’t alone here. If anything went wrong, there were Avengers and Asgardians in place to help them out.

“It looks like they have a patrol along the boundaries too.” Peter took out his phone, taking a video of the waves ahead of them at first before he panned out towards the boat floating on the other end of the beach. “And it doesn’t really sound like normal hotel security.” At least not from the muffled conversation his super-hearing was picking up - the eastern border is still secure, a man was saying over a crackly radio.

“We should stick together as much as we can. Strength in numbers, right? The good thing about all this is that we can use doing all the cliche touristy things as a cover. Kind of a win-win, though. We get to do fun stuff and try to figure out what’s going on here.”

***

“I agree,”Shuri said with a nod. “Being aware of the potential for danger is one of our best advantages, and sticking together is always the best idea. We can take a tour as a group of excited teens with blogs and Instagrams and so on, and when we cannot be all together or when it does not make sense for us to be so, we buddy system when you can.” She looked out at the boat and back to Peter. “You can hear what they are saying? Another very handy ability. I wish I could do that so - no, wait, I have changed my mind. I do not want to be able to hear what goes on in other rooms at the embassy.”

She could be traumatized for life if she happened to pick up on her brother and Natasha doing what couples do. That was private and none of her business. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t poke and needle T’Challa about it later, but she did not wish to hear things first hand, as it were.

“We probably shouldn’t write anything down, make notes once we are on the jet or even back home. So, we should start now, while we have some free time. A few selfies? Group shots, goofy faces, and all that?” Shuri pulled out her phone and turned on Ned and MJ with a big grin. “Guys? Think fast!” And she started taking pictures of them with various hotel buildings clearly visible behind them.

***

The first photo had Ned scrambling in a panic which meant he dropped his phone. The second photo Shuri took had Ned picking up said phone, but losing his hat on the bend-down, the next photo was of him almost out of the frame as he chased after his hat. He managed to catch it though. He came back to the group a little out of breath. “Don’t worry, I got it.” He smiled, huffing and puffing. “Also, uh, I heard someone pitching someone else a timeshare? So if we’re agreeing this is an evil place, that’s probably bad, right?”

***

Shuri’s photos would capture MJ laughing at Ned as he dropped his phone and lost his hat. Then she grabbed Peter and tried to pull him into the frame too. “We need to get one of all of us,” she said, pulling out her own phone and motioning for Shuri to come over and join them so she could get a selfie that included the whole group. She was so glad that there was another girl around who could keep up with them.

“Let’s go down to the beach,” she suggested. There were probably less suspicious things down there, but it seemed like the thing most teenagers would want to do first.

***

Peter tossed a thumbs up for one selfie, and raised some bunny ears behind Ned’s hat for another, cracking up through all of it. Beyond the evidence gathered, it would be good to have these memories - of that time they infiltrated a resort potentially full of zombified staff with a not at all suspicious ’rehab’ facility close by. It wasn’t exactly a typical vacation, but it fit right in with the usual chaos of their lives.

“Sounds like a plan.” Peter said to MJ’s suggestion, nodding to the others. “How much trouble can we get into, right?” There was a wryness to Peter’s tone - because with a group like this, those options were probably limitless.

***