After eating breakfast in the cafeteria, I headed to the training room only to see it was occupied.

There's a brunette man training with a punching bag, his dirtied hand wraps slipping off. I watch for a few seconds before heading towards the treadmill.

"What's your name?" He asks over the sound of his punching and the mechanical whir of the treadmill.

"Anastasia, yours?"

"Luke, Luke Anstop. You in the trial program?" He asks, rewrapping his hands.

"Yeah, it was this or a very cozy spot in prison."

"Intense... I volunteered."

"Why would you want to volunteer for a place like this?" I ask, surprised.

"Fury has been riding me to join his program for years, I guess I finally decided to take up his offer."

"Why would he want you? I mean no offense, but you don't exactly look the type for this."

"Well, I've been boxing for fifteen years and I suppose I've been told I'm good at hand-to hand combat. Took it up in order to protect my little brother, we don't exactly live in the best neighborhood."

"Can't S.H.I.E.L.D. get you a safer place?" I inquire.

"Besides the fact practically none of New York is safe? I already tried. Only family members, or agents level 5 and up get a room. I pass this trial run, I can protect my brother and I get the lovely bonus of being an agent here" he remarks sarcastically.

Shortly after we finish conversing, a man walks in with about 25 people behind him.

"Lucky me" I say rolling my eyes as I meet eyes with Clint Barton again.

"Tasha didn't tell me you'd be here... Ana?" He guesses.

"Anastasia" I correct. I don't like when people who aren't very close to me call me nicknames.

"Anastasia." He turns towards the crowd of people, "Unfortunately, your original trainer was sent on a mission overseas so I will be your instructor for the first month here."

Multiple groans are heard throughout the room. "Hey, what's the problem with me?" Clint asks holding his hand on his chest in dramatization.

"All you do is shoot arrows, how are you qualified to teach us?" One 18-year old trainee shouts.

"Alright then, anyone want to spar?" He asks, taking the arrows off his back and walking towards the sparring mat.

"I can take you on again" I say with a smirk, approaching the mat.

"Bring it on" he says before we start sparring. He starts with a blow to my chest as I flip around him to kick his knees. He falls but attempts to punch my side before I catch his fist. I use the leverage to push him back again so I have the advantage. We keep sparring for a few minutes before Clint side sweeps my feet and I fall, getting the air pushed out of me.

He stands up and smirks at the earlier trainee before offering me a hand. I "graciously" accept before using the leverage to flip him over onto ground as I hold my arms over him. I internally laugh at his face before he groans and gets up.

"Lesson 1, never trust your opponent. We can all see that Anastasia got the upper hand on me, but if anyone tells Agent Romanoff, you're dead meat."

He walkes towards a whiteboard before talking, "I'm going to put you in groups based off your skill set, for the rest of the month you will be training together and improving your skill set until you will take on a mission together. These are the people your life is going to depend on so I don't want to hear about any misconduct. I will be helping out different areas but I have missions of my own as Hawkeye so even if I'm not here, you don't get a break."

"Everyone understand?"

We nod our heads as a few trainees are not thrilled at the idea of teamwork. I'm not much of a team player, the Red Room taught us never to form friendships because their motto was "kill or be killed." I never was a stickler for rules, but I learned the hard way that you can't really trust anyone but yourself. I had a friend back in Russia, and she was ordered to kill me after I escaped. I left with broken trust and she left with a bullet in her sternum.

"Alright, look at the board for your groups and I want you to get to know each other today. The sparring matts are open, you have access to the weapons armory, or you can get lunch. Doesn't matter to me as long as no one gets killed. I'm going to leave, my partner seems to have gotten in trouble" Agent Barton says, exiting the room.

Trainees crowd together near the board as I see my name:

Group 3

Agent Romanova

Agent Garcia

Agent Anstop

The other agents join me near the board as I ask, "What do you want to eat?"

A Mexican man with brown hair who I guess to be Agent Garcia responds, "I could go for the burger place down the street."

"That sounds cool with me" Luke says.

"Okay, lead the way Agent Garcia."

Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed!