Camp Darkness

A/N: One of my favourite bands/songs. Queen :P Oh so much fun though they really do have some very, very strange songs :P Under Pressure: I really like the last part of it, where they start talking about what love demands from us:D And if it doesn't work, I'll take a wrench to it later and fix it.

That's right, I am a WENCH WITH A WRENCH. Be afraid, be very very.... SQUIRREL!

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 Waking the little darlings up involved quick reflexes and a loud sterio. Gideon wasn't like the other Concillors, in that she firmly believed in being on hand for the intake under her care. So she tended to just sleep on the couch in their group lounge, and make use of their intake house as if it were her own. Though she did have a real, private room elsewhere, she only ever used it as storage and for her days off.

So on the first morning of intake five's very first full day under her care, she decided to show them why it is always a good idea to sleep with paranoia. She couldn't honestly say who was faster out of bed, the boys or the girls, because the moment she turned on the music, everyone jumped about three feet out of bed simultaneously. Of course having the song 'Banana Phone' get blared in your ears at 6 am is probably likely to make anyone wake wide eyed and alarmed, so Gideon didn't hold it against them.

The convict was the only one of her intake that didn't seem vaguely intimidated by her, so it was no surprise that he was the one to grumble and step forward, turning off the sound system. Gideon made no move to stop him, though she found it amusing that it took even her convict nearly half the song to realize that she was just going to let it blare on and annoy them until they did something to stop it.

"Good morning intake 5!" Gideon enthused, upping the cheery to a new, psychotic notch. This was a perverse trick of hers, as Gideon hated early mornings even more than her kids could. She was an insomniac of the highest order, clocking in a whole whopping 2-3 hours of sleep a night when she was lucky. Which sort of obliged her to be a night owl, something she would never let the kids know. Because it always worked out that if she came at them in the morning all cheery and bright, it seemed to goad them into acceptance and go along with what she wanted. The only times she'd ever come in gloom and doom morning style, the kids had all thrown up their own futile resistance, a mistake she didn't plan on making with these kids.

They all stared at her, sandy-eyed and grumbling, complaining to each other that they didn't think it was fair that they were waking up at this time and none of the other intake houses even had lights on yet. They're already uniting against a common enemy- me. Oh they make me so proud! Gideon grinned, her internally mocking thoughts reflected on her face by the snarky grin. And much to their chagrin, the lights of the other intake houses started to flick on as well, though their sun rise greetings were less jarring than Gideon's own method. There were six intake houses, with six kids in each house, though the break down wasn't always even male-female.

"I figured you guys would want first dibs on the eggs and bacon for breakfast." Gideon stated plainly, shrugging her shoulders. Intake 5 actually got to see the other side of the thus far meek Luna Swiftfang. Apparently when she's not fully awake, her more animalistic nature takes over.

The cat girl was growling softly in her chest, a rumbling sound that looked odd coming from an anthropomorphized leopard, teenaged girl. Her beautiful eyes were full pupil, without any trace of the sane human mind that usually reigned in the violent and aggressive instincts. Like the instincts seeming to be in charge now while the lycanthrope realized she would have to share food. Most animals are really rather bad over that kind of thing. Add in an eating disorder and a whole heaping of self-loathing and you have a great recipe of hormones, instincts, emotions and very little common sense. Shake well and serve in a tall glass with a sprig of catnip and you'd have little Luna right this moment.

Gideon sucked in a sigh and locked the violence away a moment before little Swiftfang could have dropped to all fours and made a run for the food. Of course since she was just as likely to think her intake mates would make a faster and easier meal, Gideon had to stop this no matter which way it went. Cat-girl had been all lithsome grace a moment ago and now found herself sprawled on the floor, groaning.

"Oops, a little too much." Gideon mumbled, not liking that the convict was frowning at her, as if he was starting to figure out that she was the one shutting people down. Gideon didn't care if they figured out she could do it, she just didn't want anyone figuring out HOW she was able to. Time to derail that thought proces.... Gideon figured, seeing Virgil's eyes take in Gideon's physical appearance a little more carefully. "Princess, Morningstar, she's your ward until she's back on her own two feet. Something bad happens to her and it's your asses. Got me?" Gideon pointed at the two she wanted.

"Why the hell should I do your job for you?" Virgil demanded, not seeming bothered by the now permanent nicname of princess.

"As touched as I am that you want me taking time out of my busy day to hold your hand and spend the morning with you, Councillors are a little busy in the am hours." Gideon retorted, reminding the convict that yesterday they were told that their house Councillors were in charge of afternoons, the Senior Councillors took the mornings with the Doctor. "Listen princess. This is one of those, what I say goes things. You all haven't earned the right to bitch and moan about it yet. You can whine if you want to, but don't expect any sympathy. Take care of your intake mate. This one, and all the others. They've got your back in here. Trust me when I say not a single one of you will make it alone through this."

Gideon looked at the rest of the kids, suddenly feeling old even though the convict was barely months younger than she was. Worlds apart more from experience than any kind of cultural reasons. "I suggest you all get a move on and change. Houses two and three have already left ahead of you and I woke you all up early." she warned. The threat of no bacon got the lead out of them faster than praise or violence even could have. Gideon walked her kids over, waving at the other Councillors as her group neared theirs.

"How's the Night Shift?" Gideon asked Lisa, watching as her six youngsters grumbled and mingled with the Witch's, the kids all having this vague air of 'our councillor sucks worse than yours'.

"Oh, you know." Lisa shrugged off, smiling as Xavier came up and looped an arm over her shoulders.

"And how about you tinman?" Gideon asked the golem. "How's your Echoes?"

"Same as ever." The golem winked at Gideon, scanning the mingling group of kids. The trio of Councillors let intake four, five and six wander in without them. Instead they headed straight back into the kitchens.

Gideon loaded up on travelling food for all three of them, Lisa scrounged together a box of tomatoes and Xavier grabbed a bag full of string, small wood steaks and a fist full of bells. The looks that the intakes gave them as they walked passed the tables was one of mixed dread and fear. Already Gideon's group looked at their Councillor, as if accepting that she was going to go out of her way to teach them a lesson and that it might be easier to go along and dodge whatever projecticle she had ready; rapier wit or physical object.

"Just to give you the heads up intake five, this first week is going to be all about learning and using rule number one." Gideon called to her kids as they scooched past their table.

"Don't get caught?" the incubus asked, already confused.

"No. Be honest with yourself." the convict muttered across the table.

"And how do you teach someone that?" the vampire asked, aiming for snarky but falling shot and just sounding confused and bitchy.

"By making it impossible for you to lie to yourself." Gideon stated with a smile.

"I have the distinct feeling we all should run and hide." Virgil said sarcastically.

"Why?" the necromancer asked, missing the subtext completely.

"I may have only been here for a day thus far, but I've already learned that when that one," Virgil points at Gideon, "has that kind of demented smile on her face, I don't want to be involved."

"Gideon, it sounds as if your intake doesn't trust you." Jasper, another Councillor called out.

Gideon just smiled even broader. "Of course not Jasp. They're not stupid."

"Just trouble. Like you." Jasper countered, tone biting.

Gideon just shrugs off the slight animosity. "The world never got changed by people unwilling to cause a little chaos Jasper."

"Yeah, I'm just not liking how you're twisting these young minds." Jasper walked over so their conversation wasn't yelled at each other across many witnessing ears.

Gideon looked up at Jasper, the smile never leaving her face. "Jasp, just remember which one of us here wants to help for the paycheque and which one of us is here because the system works. And then walk away." she instructed. Jasper's lower jaw jutted out as he clenched it, face flashing with anger, but he spun on his heel and walked away.

"Did you just bluff your way out of a fight?" Trinity, Gideon's witch asked, eyes bright.

"Kids, rule number 3. Don't bluff. That way no one can call you on it later." Gideon waved her fingertips at intake five as if nothing serious had occured at all.

"You're mental." Lisa whispered to Gideon as the trio walked outside.

"Yeah and?" Gideon replied, smile falling away.

"Ladies, shall we assemble the obstacle course or did you guys just want to wing it this time?" Xavier asked, setting down bag and bells.

"It's never a good idea to let Gideon wing it." Lisa tried to muffle her laugh.

Gideon just laughed, nodding. "I really don't need another dip in the lake thanks." she waved off and started to set up a complex web of wooden steaks, rope and bells with the help of her friends. It took them most of the morning, but eventually they had over an acre of land covered in a confusing layout that looked just this side of impossible.

"How long do you think it'll be before they figure it out?" Xavier asked Gideon. She held up a $5 bill.

"I say it takes them an hour." Gideon bet.

The golem pulls out a matching $5. "I say 45 minutes."

Lisa snorts at them. "You guys give them too much credit. I say nearly 2 hours." she adds her own $5 to the mix. The trio look back towards the mess and meet, then grin at each other. "They're not gonig to have a clue what hit them." Lisa says triumphantly.

"Oh..... I think they'll be able to figure out some of what's hitting them." Gideon countered, hefting a tomato.