Training Days

         Once Amanda recovered from the attack, she got back to training. She knew she had to hone her skills so she would be ready the next time CHARTER struck.
         She swung her arm. The water she was training with rose and slammed into the dummy. The dummy moved along the ground but didn't fall over. She pulled the water to her, shaping it into a bo staff. She ran forward, swinging the staff at the dummy. The surface tension of the bo staff broke as it hit the dummy, though it did lean over before it corrected itself.
         Amanda jumped backward. Her muscle memory led her to attempt a backflip. She ended up falling flat on her face. "Agent Fisher!" a voice said over her earpiece.
         "I'm fine," Amanda said as she pushed herself to her feet. "The thing that hurts the most is my pride."
         She moved her arms back, bringing all the water behind her. She swung her arms forward. The water surged forward, parting around her before crashing into the dummy. The dummy finally fell over.
         "Alright, Agent Fisher, we have the info we need. For the sake of research, please prop the dummy back up and run the hand-to-hand regiment against it."
         Amanda nodded. She did as instructed. She launched a flurry of punches and chops against the dummy, ending with a roundhouse kick that sent the dummy tumbling. "Thank you. You may cool off now."
         Amanda nodded as she headed toward the shower. The training/testing was exhausting. She understood why she was training. It would take a while for her to fully control her powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. needed her to take on CHARTER.
         Amanda stepped out of the shower. It still felt rather surreal. Showers were making her feel so powerful, being surrounded by her element. Likewise, toweling off made her feel weaker and more vulnerable. There was a knocking on the door of the stall. "Amanda?" Agent Simmons asked.
         "Yes?"
         "Once you're decent, we should talk over the data."
         "Understood."
         It was the same as the last few times. They were seeing how her powers were progressing. She wanted to know that herself.
         Amanda got dressed before she walked to Fitzsimmons' lab. Fitz and Simmons were waiting there for her, along with Coulson.
         "Agent Coulson?" asked Amanda. "What are you doing here?"
         "Director Fury is interested in the data as well, but he's currently tied up in a meeting," explained Coulson. "So, he sent me in his place."
         "Fair enough. Well, Fitzsimmons, what's the damage?"
         "You are showing signs of improvement," said Simmons. "The force behind your water attacks has increased. However..."
         "Not by enough," continued Fitz. "Other than your tidal wave attack, you're not putting enough force into your attacks. You likely wouldn't fair well in combat."
         "Hey, water is a hard element to do damage with," defended Amanda. "It's hard to hurt someone with something that breaks upon impact."
         "We understand that, Agent Fisher," said Simmons. "But, you're not quite fit to return to active duty."
         "So what if I can't use my water powers? I still have hand-to-hand combat training."
         "That may not work out either," said Fitz. "Here's the data of your hand-to-hand regiment against one of our dummies before you took the serum." A graph showed up on one of the screens. "And this is the data from earlier today." A second graph appeared on an adjacent screen. "As you can see, some strikes have more force behind them. But most of them are weaker than they were before the serum."
         "That doesn't make sense," said Coulson. "Her weight-lifting capability has increased by fifty pounds across all metrics."
         "Yes, but there is a difference between weight-lifting and fighting," said Fitz. "Amanda isn't moving fast enough."
         "Think of weight-lifting as a marathon," said Simmons. "It's mostly stamina-based. Martial arts are more like sprints. Impulse is a lot more important, at least when it comes to what you do to an opponent."
         "Normally Coulson, you would be correct. An increase in strength would normally mean Amanda would be able to exert more force behind her strikes. Building up strength normally takes time. The serum made the change happen almost instantaneously."
         "With a slow increase in strength, the human body would be able to adapt one's fighting style to accommodate the increased muscle mass. Amanda essentially woke up in a whole new body.
         "Amanda, you're still fighting like you're in your old body. Your old fighting style made the most of your petite physique and lack of strength. That fighting style doesn't mesh well with the body you now have. You need to capitalize on your newfound strength."
         "In other words," said a fifth voice, "she's fighting like Black Widow when she should be fighting more like me." Everyone turned to see who had just spoken. "Is that a reasonable assumption?" asked Captain America.
         Amanda couldn't believe it. She was actually seeing Captain America in the flesh. Up-close-and-personal. She'd heard about his exploits in WWII and his involvement with the Avengers. She had seen him before, but it was usually at a distance. She had never been able to muster the courage to talk with him. Even now, his presence was so radiant that it made Amanda sink into her chair.
         "Cap? What are you doing here?" Coulson nervously asked as he straightened his suit.
         "You are correct in your assumption, Captain Rogers," said Simmons, clearly awestruck. "You put it well. The serum Agent Fisher took has left her less agile than she originally was."
         "What are you doing here, Cap?" Coulson asked again.
         "Fury brought me in. He said some agents have taken the CHARTER serum and need training from me."
         "Hold on, Agents, plural?" asked Amanda. "There are only two of us, and the other one has gone AWOL."
         "You're a few days early, Rogers," said a sixth voice. Nick Fury was standing in the doorway. "I sent the message, knowing you were away on Avengers duty. I didn't think you'd be back for a while. I probably should have specified a date. I suppose I have some explaining to do. Captain Rogers. Agent Fisher. Please follow me to my office."


         Amanda sat across the desk from Nick Fury, next to Captain America. He had put his shield and cowl down.
         "Captain Rogers, what do you know about CHARTER?" asked Fury.
         "Not much. The Avengers haven't had to deal with them, aside from the time you brought one of their berserkers into your base. The berserker proceeded to beat the snot out of Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor."
         "CHARTER developed a super serum of their own. We guess they may have been trying to recreate you, though we don't know for certain. Regardless, they've been building up an army of serum-enhanced berserkers. When we got word that they were making a new batch of the serum, we sent in a team to stop them. In the process, Agent Fisher here created a new, more powerful version of the serum. One which has since been stolen by CHARTER."
         "So, what does that have to do with me?" asked Captain America.
         "We have no idea how many soldiers CHARTER has at their disposal. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to be ready. We will be needing soldiers of our own. I plan on fighting fire with fire."
         "You're going to be giving other agents the serum?" asked Amanda.
         "You already proved that you're capable of taking down one berserker. You're one of only two people who have been able to beat one of them. Especially now that CHARTER has Version 2, S.H.I.E.L.D. will need more than just the two of you to combat them."
         Amanda took those words in for a moment, then came to a realization. "You're letting the berserker join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
         "Director Fury, I don't think I have to tell you how big of a security risk that is," said Cap.
         "I acknowledge the risk, and I am taking precautions. I don't trust easily. Andrew Ross will be followed by armed guards at every moment. However, he is feeling disillusioned with CHARTER, considering that they didn't try to rescue him when they broke into our facility. That's why I let him out in the first place."
         "You let him out!?" Amanda asked, rage filling her voice.
         "Agent Fisher, the two of us can have this conversation at a later date. As for you, Captain Rogers, I want you to train the new heroes. Agent Fisher has already shown that our agents are likely to struggle after taking the serum. The long and short of it is that Agent Fisher is not used to her new body."
         "What sort of changes are we talking about, sir?" Cap asked.
         "Your typical enhancements, increased speed, strength, and most particularly, muscle mass. Plus some additional abilities that change on a case-by-case basis. While you can't help with that, we figure you can help with the other stuff. You have had experience with it, after all."
         "All due respect, sir, but it's not exactly a one-to-one comparison. I had no fighting skills before I took the super soldier serum. Most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have had some training, correct?"
         "You make a fair point. I guess it's fortuitous, then, that you arrived early. Agent Fisher can be your guinea pig."
         "What do you mean by that?" asked Amanda.
         "If both of you are willing, Captain America will be giving you one-on-one training before we give the serum to anyone else. This way, you'll be field-ready faster," Fury nodded toward Amanda before turning back to Steve and continuing, "and you'll be able to train the new heroes sooner."
         "Director Fury, I'm always down to do my part to protect the world in whatever way I can. I will train the new heroes. As for providing Agent Fisher here with one-on-one training, well, that's entirely up to her."
         Nick Fury and Captain America both turned to face her, awaiting her decision.


         Training under Captain America was harder than Amanda thought. In hindsight, she questioned why she thought her training would involve more acrobatics.
         Amanda had spent a good portion of the last four days in a secondary location, mostly learning how to throw various punches. They were elsewhere because, as Fury said, if agents knew they would be trained by Captain America, they would volunteer to take the serum before knowing the risks.
         While taking a break, Amanda finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind. "Why are you only teaching me how to throw a punch?"
         "Before the serum, that's all I knew how to do," explained Steve. "I couldn't do it well, but I could. It's my only baseline to compare myself before and after the serum. Punches are also simple actions, relatively. Once your body adapts to those, you'll be ready for the other stuff."
         "Is that so? I thought it was just because you only know how to fight with your hands."
         "I use the shield, don't I? I don't throw it by punching. I've also received some martial arts training myself since coming out of the ice. I can handle myself, even without the shield."
         "Oh, really?" a gruff-sounding voice said. The door opened. In walked a short man, followed by four big men. "How's bout you prove it to me?"
         "I don't know how you followed me here, Hammerhead," said Captain America, "but this isn't going to end well for you."
         "Oh, please, there's nothing that you or your Avenger-in-training can do."
         "Let's find out," said Amanda, adopting a battle stance.
         "Stay back," Cap warned her. "You're not finished with your training."
         The goons rushed forward. Two of them went for Cap, two went for Amanda. Amanda still knew how to fight. She gave one of the goons a roundhouse kick, which caused him to fall over. The smile she got from that faded as the other goon grabbed her. He threw her into a table, knocking over the water cooler, and dazing her.
         "You should have listened to the superhero, lady," said Hammerhead. "They usually know better. Except when it comes to interfering with my business."
         "You call stealing from a museum business?" asked Captain America.
         "I'd like to think of it more as 'adventure capitalism'."
         Amanda shook her head out of the daze. She noticed she was lying in a puddle. Maybe they were right; she wasn't ready to fight them yet. She had more ways to fight. She shouted as she threw her hands up. The water splashed the goons in the face. It didn't do much to them, but their surprise allowed her to get back to her feet.
         Cap noticed Amanda get into a familiar-looking fighting stance. She swung out her arms, the water reacting to her movements. Some of the water wrapped around one of the goons. Amanda swung her arm away. To her surprise, the water threw the goon into one of the ones Cap was fighting. Amanda rolled with it, launching more attacks at her other goon. He too was wrapped in water, and then thrown out the door. Cap took out his other opponent. Cap and Amanda looked around and noticed Hammerhead had fled. The goons fled as well.
         "Well, I'm impressed," said Cap. "Fitzsimmons told me you hadn't figured out your powers yet."
         "I haven't. I don't know how I did that."
         "I think I have an idea. In fact, I think I know how best to train you."


         Amanda was once again practicing her powers. "She does seem to have better control over her powers," said Simmons.
         "And now that you mention it," said Fitz, "her motions do seem to suggest martial arts training."
         "I recognize the style," said Natasha Romanov. "Tai Chi. A rather fluid fighting style. Quite fitting for someone with the ability to control water."
         "Tai Chi, you say?" asked Fitz.
         "Fitz, I've already told you, that's a foolish idea," said Simmons.
         "What idea are you talking about?" asked Cap.
         "Fitz is talking about a cartoon called 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. There are a bunch of characters who can control various elements, including water. Fitz has been suggesting Agent Fisher watch it as part of her training."
         "Her movements do remind me of Katara, now that you mention it," said Romanov.
         "What sort of combat training has Agent Fisher received?" asked Cap.
         "The standard S.H.I.E.L.D. regiment," replied Simmons. "If she has received any other training, we don't know."
         Amanda wrapped up her session. She turned toward the lab and bowed before heading off to the locker room.
         "I think I know how best to train Agent Fisher moving forward," said Cap. "If the usage of her powers is already similar to Tai Chi..."
         "It would make sense to give her formal training in the style," finished Romanov. She sighed before turning to face the silent observer in the room. "Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have anyone else proficient enough in Tai Chi to teach Agent Fisher?" she asked.
         Everyone in the room turned to look at who she was talking to. "I can't say off the top of my head," replied Director Fury. "That's not why I'm here. The two of you have Avengers duty to attend to. Absorbing Man just kidnapped a scientist. Stark will give the two of you the full debrief."
         "Understood." Captain America turned back to face Fitzsimmons. "Inform Agent Fisher that I have a plan to train her."
         "Will do," said Simmons.


         Amanda heard a knock on the stall door as she exited the shower. "Captain Rogers has to leave on Avengers duty, but he wanted me to tell you he has a plan to train you," Simmons told her. "Also, Director Fury would like to talk with you."
         "Understood." Amanda toweled herself off and got dressed. She looked at herself in the full-body mirror, her hair still wet. She tried something. Sure enough, she was able to dry her hair with her powers. She probably should have combed it first.
         She walked through the base to Fury's office. She'd been waiting for this conversation since she started training with Captain America.
         Amanda sat down across from Director Fury. "Before you say whatever it is you called me here to talk about, I want you to explain why you let the Berserker out of his cell."
         "Bold of you to talk in such a way to your superior officer. Here's the situation. One Berserker was able to take out Hulk and Thor, two of the strongest Avengers. Four Berserkers could have easily destroyed the whole base. I knew that only two people in the base could stop them. Once you were knocked unconscious, I had to take drastic measures."
         "I understand," said Amanda. "But you unleashed a fifth Berserker. How did you know he would join our side?"
         "Truthfully, I didn't. Andrew Ross, the captured Berserker, told me that the other Berserkers didn't try to free him and he felt betrayed. I had no proof of this; I didn't have the time to check the security cameras." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Agent Fisher, I'm not one to trust gut feelings. I rely primarily on logic. But my gut was telling me that Andrew Ross was telling the truth. So, I trusted it."
         "And now you're planning on letting him join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
         "He already proved he could be a valuable asset during the break-in. For now, that's all he is: an asset. As I told Captain Rogers, Andrew Ross will have armed guards around him at all times. For all we know, he could be a double agent. Though, if he is truly aligning himself with S.H.I.E.L.D., he will be joining your squad. Which brings me to what I called you here to discuss in the first place."
         "What do you mean by 'my squad'?"
         "As I told you and Captain Rogers, we plan on giving Version 2 of the CHARTER serum to some additional S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. We'd be assembling a new super team if you will. I would like you to lead them."
         "Why me?"
         "Simply put, you've had your powers for some time already. You've had the opportunity to become familiar with them. You can help the new agents. I know, they likely won't have the same powers as you. You can at least help them figure out what their powers are."
         "Alright. I accept. So, who are my squadmates?"
         "The only one we know for sure is Andrew Ross. We're still vetting down the list of volunteers. Fitzsimmons have some process that I wouldn't be able to explain to you."
         "You want only the best to receive powers."
         "More accurately, we want ones that don't pose much of a security risk."
         "Fair enough."
         "There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you, while we're on the topic of new heroes. Stark has started the career of a new hero and has requested we give the hero access to our database, so he would be more prepared to fight supervillains. He just had an altercation in which Absorbing Man got away. I don't want to grant access to just anyone, regardless of their references."
         "Let me guess, you want me to go and assess him, see if we should grant access."
         "You guessed it."
         "So, who's the person?"
         "Stark has refused to give his secret identity, but he goes by the hero name Overload."