The Interview
24. Bruce Banner (District Six. Killed by Eric Killmonger.)
23. Scott Summers (District Twelve. Killed by Eric Killmonger.)
22. Laura Barton (District Nine. Killed by Erik Lehnsherr.)
21. Alex Wilder (District Eleven. Killed by Drax the Destroyer.)
20. Ororo Monroe (District Four. Killed by Natasha Romanoff.)
19. Drax the Destroyer (District Eight. Killed by Eric Killmonger.)
18. Clint Barton (District Nine. Killed by Nico Minoru.)
17. Charles Xavier (District One. Killed by Pepper Potts.)
16. Chase Stein (District Four. Killed by Erik Lehnsherr.)
15. Nico Minoru (District Eleven. Killed by Natasha Romanoff.)
14. Natasha Romanoff (District Two. Killed by Okoye.)
13. Carol Danvers (District Six. Killed by Tony Stark.)
12. Tony Stark (District Three. Killed by Jean Grey.)
11. Pepper Potts (District Twelve. Killed by Eric Killmonger.)
10. Eric Killmonger (District Seven. Killed by T’Challa.)
9. T’Challa (District Ten. Killed by Eric Killmonger.)
8. Jane Foster (District Three. Killed by Erik Lehnsherr.)
7. Gert Yorkes (District Five. Killed by Erik Lehnsherr.)
6. Erik Lehnsherr (District Two. Killed by Thor Odinson.)
5. Karolina Dean (District Eight. Killed by Jean Grey.)
4. Mantis (District Seven. Killed by Jean Grey.)
3. Thor Odinson (District Five. Killed by Erik Lehnsherr.)
2. Jean Grey (District One. Killed by Okoye.)
VICTOR - Okoye (District Ten.)
Okoye sat on the victor’s chair, the dark red silk of her gown spread over the velvet cushions. It had been three days since she’d won the Hunger Games, and she’d spent most of that time in a hospital room while they stitched up her stomach and pumped her full of fluids. Now, it was time for her official “coronation” as the victor.
“You can do this.” One of the stagehands reassured her. “It’s just a quick interview, and then you can go back to your District.”
Okoye gave her a look. “I know I can do it. I have dealt with worse.”
The stagehand sighed and brushed a strand of dark blonde hair out of her eye. “They’ll ask you a lot of questions about the Games.” She warned. “They might even show you some video clips. It will be brutal.”
Okoye met her gaze evenly. “It cannot be worse than living through it in the first place.” She insisted.
The blonde looked doubtful. “If you say so.” She said. “Cameras are on in thirty- do your best to smile.”
With that, she retreated to the wings. Okoye redirected her attention to the curtains in front of her, shielding her from the cameras waiting outside.
“Three, two, one… and we’re rolling!” One of the camera crew announced. Okoye took a deep breath. This was it.
She could hear Christine Everhart saying something, and then the curtains drew back. The lights were almost blinding, but she did her best not to show it. Christine Everhart was standing on the stage, but as the curtains pulled away she moved to a seat of her own.
“So, Okoye.” She began. The dark red of her lips glimmered strangely in the light- had she chosen the color of blood on purpose? “We’ve all been dying to know,” (and here she paused to chuckle at her own joke), “how does it feel to be a winner?”
It took Okoye a moment to realize that she was supposed to answer. “I… could you be more specific?”
Christine’s smile stretched, if possible, even wider. “You won the Hunger Games. Are you feeling overwhelmed, honored, proud?” She suggested.
Okoye paused for a moment, then shook her head. “No.” She answered simply.
She never had been one for word games.
“No?”
“No.”
Christine’s smile looked a little more strained at this. “Alright then,” she said, “moving on. Going into the Games, were you nervous? Or did you feel confident in your own victory?”
“I was not nervous.” Okoye told her bluntly. “I was determined.”
“Determined to do what? Bring home the crown?”
“Determined to protect T’Challa with my life.”
At that, her smile came back in full force. Okoye had given her an opening, and she latched on. “But you failed to do that, didn’t you? T’Challa placed ninth overall, whereas you are still here with us.”
Okoye did not grace that with an answer.
“As a matter of fact,” Christine said, sounding rather pleased with herself, “why don’t we watch what happened to him? You were away hunting at the time, so you wouldn’t have been able to see it for yourself.”
Okoye couldn’t help but grow tense, clenching her hands into fists. Her fingernails, painted a shimmering gold, dug into the soft flesh of her palms. “I would rather not.” She ground out.
To her surprise, Christine accepted that. “Let’s talk about your other competitors.” She suggested, changing tactics entirely. “What’s your opinion on Jean Grey?”
“I did not know her well.” Okoye told her. “I don’t have an opinion.”
“And yet you killed her, didn’t you? You watched as she burned alive. Did you ever think she would make it as far in the Games as she did?”
Okoye hesitated before shaking her head. “I didn’t know enough about her for that.” She insisted.
“And how did you feel in that moment the cannon went off? When you knew she was dead? How did it feel to secure your victory-“
“It wasn’t a victory.” Okoye cut her off.
Christine drew back in shock. “But-“
“It wasn’t a victory. It was a murder, and I wish it had not happened.” She continued. Now that she’d started, she couldn’t seem to stop. “Her screams will haunt me for the rest of my life. Not that you would know what that’s like. I should never have fought her. She should be the one sitting here, not me.”
Because she had seen the clips. One of the doctors had shown her, the day after she’d won. She had seen Jean protecting Mantis, befriending Carol, holding Scott’s body after he bled out. Jean had been a good person, and Okoye had killed her for it.
She was dimly aware that the cameras had stopped rolling partway through her speech. Christine’s smile was completely gone, and her glare was venomous. “President Thanos will be here to present you with your crown in an hour.” Her voice was cold. “I suggest you learn to compose yourself before then if you’d like to keep your head.”
In the wings behind the stage, the blonde stagehand stood in the shadows. A tall man in a dark trench coat approached her from behind, coming to a stop just beside her. She didn’t so much as twitch; she had already known he was there.
“Director Fury.” She greeted him, still looking straight ahead.
“She’s got spirit.” Fury remarked, watching Okoye with eyes narrowed in thought. “We need that.”
“Are you suggesting we recruit her?” The stagehand asked.
Fury nodded once. “Not today. But soon. I’ll have someone approach her on the Victory Tour.”
The blonde nodded. There was a long pause, and then she turned to look at Fury. “Any update from Coulson?”
“They’ve made some breakthroughs in the TAHITI process this year. They’re expecting to start with their first test subject within a month.”
The blonde smiled slightly. Then she glanced at her wrist and tapped it once. “Duty calls. But I look forward to seeing the results.”
“As do I, Agent Morse.” Fury said, watching her go. “As do I.”