"And this," said Sam Wilson, "Is the training center."

He pushed open the wide double doors, and he and Wanda Maximoff stepped inside.

Wanda's jaw dropped in amazement. "This place is huge!"

"Yeah. It is," Sam agreed, taking pleasure in Wanda's reaction. "I think it was originally supposed to be an aircraft hangar. But after S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, Stark re-purposed the space for us on the fly. No pun intended."

Sam had just finished taking Wanda on a brief tour of the new facility, but had intentionally saved the large training area for last.

Wanda stared up at the ceiling far above them. "How - how big is...?"

"The training center is the same height as the rest of the main building, so, a little over four stories," Sam told her. "Floor dimensions are roughly sixty meters by a hundred and ten meters." He pointed off to their left, towards another pair of double doors. "The gym is through there, with all the standard weight training and cardio equipment. We'll be spending a lot of time in there, too. Natasha told me, ahh, your conditioning needs a little work."

Wanda appeared not to have heard. She was still gaping at the cavernous space.

"Why do we need something so large?" she asked, in complete bewilderment.

"Mostly, so we can run simulation drills. We can put up all kinds of temporary constructs in here for training purposes. Plus, when half your team is capable of flight, sometimes it helps to have some extra space. Of course, if we need a really big space, there's the whole clearing to the north of the building. You can fly, right?"

"I don't know if you'd call it flying," Wanda smiled shyly. "I can make myself float. I can sort of push myself around in any direction while in mid-air. But it's not really flying. Not like you."

"I don't fly," Sam said simply. "I've got a jet pack with wings. The suit flies. Without it, I just sort of plummet." He made a low whistle and wagged his finger in a circular, descending motion.

Wanda giggled at his joke. "Well... you know what I mean."

"Barton and I want to set up some simulation drills for you here in this space. But before we can do that, we need to get a baseline of your powers. You know, an overview of the things you can do."

Wanda's face blanched. "Please don't ask me to explain," she pleaded. "I barely know how to make my powers work for me. I couldn't even begin to describe them for somebody else."

"You don't need to worry there," Sam assured her. "We'll run you through a few exercises this afternoon, just so we can get a sense of where to start. Let's start with flying. Do you think you could reach the ceiling in here, using your powers?"

Wanda glanced upward. "I think so," she nodded. "Yeah."

"Why don't you try it, then. Just float yourself up so you can touch one of the girders, one of those steel beams you see up there, then come back down."

"Okay."

Wanda stepped a couple of paces away from Sam, and moved into the Tadasana or 'mountain' stance that Natasha had taught her. After taking a couple of cleansing breaths, she lifted her arms slowly away from her sides, hands and fingers spread wide, palms facing out and downward. The entire lower half of her body began to literally glow with energy - a muted, dull red glow that seemed to emanate from somewhere inside her. The palms of her hands were glowing bright, fiery red. Slowly, her body rose up off the floor, and she began to soar upwards. The glow followed after her, a bright ruby-red contrail of energy extending from her legs and feet.

Sam had heard about Wanda's abilities, but this was the first time he'd actually seen her use them. Now it was his turn to have his jaw drop.

"Damn," he muttered softly.

Wanda sailed upwards with no apparent difficulty all the way to the roof, placed her hand on one of the beams, and started back down. She landed gracefully about a foot from where she'd started. Sam was still staring at her in astonishment.

"Please don't be freaked out," Wanda begged.

"I'm not," Sam said. "Well, I am. A little," he admitted. "Wanda, that was amazing."

Wanda smiled bashfully. "It isn't, not really."

"Girl, you just floated up to the damn ceiling, and floated back down, under your own power. Trust me. That falls into the amazing category." With an effort, Sam tried to refocus himself on the task at hand. "That took, what, about two minutes? There and back?"

"I wasn't timing myself," Wanda pointed out.

"Can you fly faster than that?"

"I'm not sure," Wanda said uncertainly. "I barely know how to get myself into the air as it is."

"Yeah, but you're pushing yourself, propelling yourself, using your energy," Sam said. "Maybe we can find a way for you to focus your energy, so you're capable of some real speed."

"It's not really my energy," Wanda told him. "I know it seems like the power comes from me, but it doesn't. I'm just tapping into the energy that's all around me. In the air. The earth. The water."

"And it comes out as fire," Sam said admiringly.

"Yeah. Sort of," Wanda said shyly. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, and it was making her feel self-conscious.

"How long can you stay in the air?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

"What's the longest you've ever kept yourself in flight, or at least, with your feet not touching the ground?"

"Actually, I think what I did just now was the longest I've ever done that."

"Did that make you feel tired at all? Could you do it for longer periods?"

"I think so, but I don't know for how long."

"Why don't you try it," Sam suggested. "Just lift yourself, say, a meter off the ground. Hold yourself there for as long as you can. Don't strain too hard," he added quickly. "If you get uncomfortable, stop. I just want to get a sense of what your limits are."

Wanda nodded, resumed her starting stance, and raised herself up about a foot and a half from the floor. "Will this do?"

"That's fine. We're not going for height here. Just see how long you can hold it. Let me know if you feel like your muscles are straining, or anything like that."

"Should I try 'walking' around?" Wanda asked.

"No, not right now. Just float."

"We could be here for hours," Wanda grinned at him.

"You seriously think you could stay suspended that long?" Sam was obviously impressed.

"I'm just kidding, Sam, I really have no idea."

"You're carrying on a conversation without any shortness of breath," Sam noted. "So, when you use your power, it's not placing any stress on your cardiovascular system? Is your heart pumping? Are you drawing deeper breaths?"

"A little bit, but it's not like when I'm running. My heart rate is elevated a little. Not bad, though."

"Let me know if you notice any change."

"Okay." There was a brief pause, and Wanda felt uncomfortable with the silence. "So, when did you first meet Natasha?"

"Let's stay focused on your test," Sam suggested.

"I am. You want to see if using my powers puts stress on my heart or lungs, right? So, let's see if I can hold a conversation without getting short of breath. When did you meet her?"

"I had just met Cap, actually," Sam answered. "I was out for a morning run, and he blew by me like five or six times in the space of fifteen minutes. Dude was lapping me. We talked, introduced ourselves. Tasha came and picked him up in some really nice sports car."

"How long ago was this?"

"Damn, I can't remember dates, but it was when that whole Winter Soldier mess happened. When S.H.I.E.L.D. went under."

"Then... you've seen him," Wanda's eyes went wide. "You've seen the Winter Soldier."

"Oh, hell, yeah, I have."

"And you're still alive?" Wanda was incredulous.

"I was lucky. He's not a dude you want to mess with." Sam suppressed a shudder. "Tasha's tangled with him a couple of times. She's never stopped him. But, he never stopped her, either."

"So, you've fought with Natasha. I mean, alongside her."

"Yeah. I have."

"Tell me about her," Wanda pleaded.

Sam smiled. "She's as amazing as you are," he assured her. "In her own ways. But I think you already have a sense of how amazing she really is. One thing I can tell you, you are one incredibly lucky young lady, that someone like Natasha Romanoff wants to train you personally. If you want my advice, whenever you're with her, be a sponge."

"A sponge?" Wanda giggled.

"I mean it. Whatever she's teaching you, soak it up. You won't find many role models better than the Black Widow. Especially if you expect to go into the field with us one day."

"Why do they call her the Black Widow?"

"Ahh, that was just some field alias she used on an undercover op years ago. Name kinda stuck, and she's been using it ever since. You know, we're going to need a field alias for you, too."

"You mean, a superhero name?" Wanda giggled again.

"The term is field alias," Sam grunted. "When you're out in the field, you almost never use real names. You have to use code names. We'll need to think of one for you. How you doing?"

"I'm starting to feel some strain, but not bad yet."

"Where? Muscles, heart, lungs, where?"

"My heart is pumping harder. And I need to take deeper breaths, like I was walking at a brisk pace."

"If you feel any real discomfort, stop immediately."

"I will," Wanda promised.

"What else can you do? Cap said something about... reading minds?"

"Oh, sure, I can do that."

Sam's jaw dropped again. "Seriously."

"All girls can read all boys' minds. We always know what you're thinking." Wanda gave him a wicked grin.

"Don't you mess with me, rookie," Sam growled.

Wanda made a face. "No, I can't read your mind, Sam. I can plant suggestions in your mind, but I'm not a mind reader or mind controller. I can't actually make you do anything you don't want to do."

"But you can put thoughts in peoples' heads?"

"It's not that weird, Sam. If I told you not to think about squirrels, what's the first thing you'd think about?"

"Squirrels."

"See? Anybody can do that. The only difference is, my power can... well, amplify the suggestion. Allow your own mind to give it larger context. Some people say it's like having a waking dream."

"Or a hallucination?"

"Yeah. I guess." Wanda grimaced slightly. "Sam, I'm sorry, I need to stop now."

"It's okay, Wanda. Go ahead and release."

Wanda dropped quickly to the floor and sighed with relief. "I was beginning to feel a strain, there. Heart's pumping pretty good now."

"Still, that's impressive. You held yourself aloft for several minutes." Sam looked thoughtful. "Can you use the power to lift things other than yourself? For example, could you carry a person?"

"Oh, sure, I can lift all kinds of stuff with my power. I don't have any real control over it, though. And I don't think I've ever tried to lift anything as heavy as a person."

"Hold that thought."

Sam walked over to the wall, and pressed a button on a control panel. The wall slid open to reveal a recessed compartment, and inside was one of the Iron Legion drones.

Wanda frowned in puzzlement. "That's not Iron Man's suit... is it?"

"No. But you're not far off. This is a drone unit. It's deactivated, so basically it's just a suit of armor. It's a little heavier than an adult person." Sam regarded his new recruit thoughtfully. "Barton tells me you were punching holes in Ultron's drones. Ripping them to pieces."

"Sure, that part's easy. Just blasting away is no problem. Trying to do things with control... that's what's hard."

"So, you can focus your energy so it has mass and density, like a projectile?"

"Well... it's more like a flame thrower than a bullet."

"Try lifting the drone," Sam suggested. "Bring it out of its receptacle, set it anywhere on the floor."

Wanda looked at drone with a dubious expression on her face. "I'm not sure if I can do that," she said uncertainly.

"Just try it," Sam urged.

Wanda regarded the drone thoughtfully, examining it from all the angles that she could see. Then, hesitantly, she raised her hands, and once again her palms began to glow red. Sam could see that as the energy focused, not only did Wanda's skin glow, but the iris of her eyes turned bright red - even her reddish-brown hair suddenly had bright red glowing highlights. She looked undeniably supernatural. Sam drew in a sharp breath of amazement.

Carefully, Wanda extended her bands of energy until they roughly encircled the drone, then she made a gentle sweeping motion with her arms, as if attempting to drag the drone from its space. The metal creaked, and there was a harsh grinding sound as the drone slid forward about a foot across the floor. As Wanda continued to tug with her energy bands, the suit began to wobble unsteadily; then it suddenly pitched forward, and crashed to the floor with a loud metallic clang.

"Sorry," Wanda apologized. "Sorry. Like I said. I can kind of move things. Controlling the movement is really hard."

"Then that's one of the things we'll be sure to work on," Sam nodded. "Control like that will be very useful for you." He actually seemed quite pleased. "What else can you do with your energy? Could you, for instance, make a shield?"

"You mean, something that could deflect bullets?"

"Yeah."

"I've made shields before," Wanda allowed. "But I'm about as good at making those as I am at moving things. And I've never tried to protect myself from something like gunfire. Shields are hard."

"I bet they are," Sam agreed. "But something very worthwhile."

"Yeah..."

"All right, Wanda, I've seen enough for now. Here's how this is going to work. Tomorrow morning, and every morning after that, you and I will begin our day with a four kilometer run -"

"Four kilometers?!" Wanda cried in dismay.

"Followed by, a program of calisthenics, like what I took when I first went to the service. We'll mix that up a little, get some strength training in there too. We need to build up your endurance, Wanda. Trust me. You're gonna need it."

Wanda sighed. After all, she thought to herself, you did ask for help. "Yes, sir."

"You and I will have breakfast in the kitchen after that. Then, your day really begins. In this room, you and me, every day, and Clint and Natasha will be working with you, too. And when we've worn you down to the point you can't move, then... we'll bring Cap in to work with you." Sam's eyes narrowed. "Do you know CPR?"

Wanda shook her head slowly.

"Okay. We'll make sure that gets covered this week. Knowing CPR is a mission critical for every team member. For now, you're dismissed. Take advantage of your down time this afternoon, Wanda. You won't have much, if any, after today."

"Sam... thank you. I know you'll be giving up a big chunk of your time to work with me. I want you to know, I appreciate everything you're doing to help me."

"If I'm doing my job right, you'll be cursing me, not thanking me," Sam cautioned.

"Oh, I'll scream and shout. Lots," Wanda promised him. "It won't mean I'm not grateful."

Sam gave her a somber smile. "Cap asked me to turn you into an Avenger," he said quietly. "That means, it's my job to make sure when we do take you into the field, you don't die. I'm not doing this for my health, Wanda. I'm doing it for yours."

"I understand."

"Now, go on, get out of here. Barton and I have a lot of work to do. And no peeking," he added sternly. "We'll go over the details of the simulation exercise tomorrow before we begin."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"While I'm training, am I supposed to call you sir, or by some rank, or...?"

"No. I'm just Sam when I'm your teacher. I do expect you to follow every order I give you, though."

"What time should I meet you tomorrow?"

"Oh-five-hundred. In the lobby."

"I'll be there," Wanda promised, and turned to leave. She paused in the doorway. "Captain America was right," she said thoughtfully.

Sam frowned, not understanding. "Right about what?"

"You're really easy to talk to." She gave him a warm, friendly smile. "See you tomorrow, Sam."

After Wanda had left the training center, Sam touched the intercom on the wall.

"Barton? Get your ass down here. You and I have a lot of work to do."

"On my way," Clint responded.

Sam looked back out over the wide, empty space, slowly shaking his head. "Yes, sir," he murmured to himself. "A whole lot of work to do."