Wanda stood in front of the agency where she would intern for the week. The girl was extremely nervous, and for good reason; she'd soon be inside the agency that represented the first and most important hero in American history, even if he himself was no longer amongst them.

Wanda wore a backpack on her back, carried her briefcase with her uniform in her hands, and after taking a deep breath, entered the building. The agency was located in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, at the old apartment complex where young Steven Rogers had called home from the 1920's to the 1940's.

The building had since been updated and enhanced over the years into a larger facility. The bottom two floors made up the Captain America museum, an essential tourist spot and always present on school trips. The upper floors were devoted to the actual hero agency, and near the top was the newly minted "Carter Self-Defense Academy for Girls."

This is it, she thought. My next step in becoming a pro! After a brief introduction with the front desk and being given a pass key for the agency elevator, Wanda clutched her backpack strap tightly in anticipation.

Her mentor for the week was Sharon Carter, formerly known as Agent 13. Wanda recalled a girl in the 1-B Class with the same name, likely another relative along with the boy who had a shield Quirk. She would have to verify her suspicions once she was back at school.

Wanda quickly identified the more modern style of the agency, contrasting heavily with the retro look of the first couple of floors. Several photos hung from the wall of Steve Rogers and his family, as well as other heroes who'd worked for the agency over the decades.

"Wanda Maximoff?" A voice called over from the end of the room, making Wanda turn towards it. A woman with an athletic body, light skin, rounded face, slightly wavy dark blond hair and blue eyes entered the room. She wore leggings and a black tank top and was sweaty, probably having just finished a martial arts class.

"Y-yes!" She said, a bit nervous in the presence of the legacy heroine.

"Perfect, the secretary downstairs said you were coming up," replied Sharon with a smile. "You arrived just in time for us to go on patrol. Come with me, I'll show you the locker room..."


"Our work is divided into categories; rescue of civilians, arrest of criminals, and investigation," a slender woman spoke before the interns. She had a voluptuous body, fair skin and slightly wavy red hair. Her uniform was a tight black tactical uniform. Her recruits each stood in front of a target. "S.H.I.E.L.D is the agency responsible for the activities of heroes throughout Northeast region of the country."

"Just as the Silent Council and the Royal House are for the Northwest and Southern regions respectively," another woman added. She was a little taller, older too, with black hair in a ponytail and a thick Russian accent. "S.H.I.E.L.D is notified of any activity that needs help from heroes, and depending on the region and nature of the notification, specific agencies are called in to take action."

"But that test comes later. For now, throw it!" A third voice shouted, addressing the interns. This woman was younger than the other two, blonde, shorter, and with but also with a thick Russian accent. The trainees and recruits threw their knives at the placed targets.

In two quick movements, Tandy launched the two throwing knives that were handed to her, easily hitting both regions of the body of the target image; between the shoulder and the chest, as heroes were now trained to hit non-vital points of targets. She looked back, receiving positive nods from her instructors. Tandy felt she would learn a lot from her stay with the Black Widow division of S.H.I.E.L.D.


"But S.H.I.E.L.D isn't just a law enforcement agency," a dark-skinned woman with long, frizzy hair spoke to her new recruit. She wore a black and white leotard with a stylized star on her chest, everything under a black jacket. The woman floated down towards the ground in front of the boy, "We also support heroes through scientists and agents specializing in specific areas, as well as providing equipment and training in various areas, following so far?"

"Yes..." Tyrone replied, emerging through the black smoke. He wore his huge black cape and hood.

"If you say so," the heroine Photon returned to flying and saw the boy disappear again, following her through the dimension he had mentioned to her.


"We, the heroes, are then responsible for documenting our activities accounting for everything possible and we send them to S.H.I.E.L.D itself," the man explained. He wore black medieval armor, including a helmet, cape, sword and the image of a red bird on his chest.

He addressed the girl walking next to him, "Depending on our results and the amount of work completed, payment is sent to us accordingly."

He's smarter than I expected… Nico thought as she listened to the hero she was interning with. They both looked like they were dressed up for an RPG convention as they walked the streets of the Chelsea neighborhood in midtown Manhattan.


"Of course, not all heroes get enough work on their own to keep up with that meager salary," a thin, dark-haired, slender-bodied woman said. She wore a simple set of jeans, boots, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. "So, we branch out and do outside work," she raised her camera to illustrate her tool as a private investigator.

Luke nodded, watching her drink a cup of coffee. Jessica Jones didn't seem that much older than he was, she'd only been a registered pro for about 2 years. But his overall impression was that this woman had already seen a lot in her career.

"Makes sense, we all do what we gotta do to pay the bills," Luke replied, bringing his own cup of coffee to his lips, before stopping to smell it. "This coffee smells weird..."

"Hmm? Oh, that one's mine. It's mixed with vodka," she said, swapping the cups when noticing the different taste. Luke wondered what he'd gotten himself into...


"This generated a lot of discussion at first. But with the exponential rise in popularity of some heroes, it almost forced them to create a brand or something close to it," the woman explained. She had white hair in a ponytail, fair skin with few wrinkles and a friendly smile. She addressed the two girls standing before her.

"For example, after finding out that I was designing the agency uniforms for 'Ant-Man' and 'The Wasp', fans insisted that I create my own brand for clothing. And voila; not only did I become a respected designer of hero uniforms, but now I run the most successful civilian fashion line in the country!"

The two girls; Ava and Sharon nodded. They were in the office of the legendary Janet van Dyne as she passed through several dresses on hangers. She was the former heroine known as the Wasp and now ran her own company for clothing and costume designing. This woman was responsible for the design and production of M.A student clothing (uniforms, gymnastics and hero suits), while Stark Industries kept up with the technological aspects. Coincidentally, Janet was prepping some outfits for an upcoming show.

Ava was dressed in her white jumpsuit with her mask in her hands. Her fellow intern Sharon wore a blue and red jumpsuit over her more muscular body. It covered her legs and torso but had no sleeves, she also wore gloves and gauntlets on her hands. She wore a kind of tiara/helmet, which covered her forehead and came down a little in front of her ears, with two wings protruding above.

"We understand the importance of your work, but we were thinking of something closer to the work of heroes, like patrolling, rather than being left here alone," Ava said, Sharon nodding in agreement as Janet turned to them both.

"Who said anything about being alone?" The heroine gave an amused smile, "You're coming with me. Several of these outfits need to be properly tested, so you two are my new models!" Janet seemed excited over the prospect, while the two girls quite didn't share her enthusiasm over this news.


"In in the end, our goal is to bring peace and hope to people's hearts," the speaker was a Mexican-born heroine. She was a tall, muscular woman with tanned skin, thick black hair, and wore a red tribal outfit that covered her torso with some silver trimming.

"Of course. A leader's most important mission is with his people, and the same can be said for heroes," Azari said as he walks with his new tutor through the streets from Bronx. She smiled at the boy, pleased by his response.


"But regardless of their routine, every hero should be physically fit for any challenge they may encounter," a man with lightly tanned skin, big muscles, and an athletic build said. He had straight black hair and wore a tight black and red uniform as he leapt through the trees of Central Park.

"This is so much harder than school!" Kamala complained to her internship partner while they both tried to reach their new mentor. The brunette was stretching her legs to try to reach him.

"You're telling me!" Doreen replied, running on all fours, leaping from tree to tree and using her tail to keep her balance. "The Apache Squirrels are much more capable than us, imagine one with a Quirk that only increases that!" She said as the girls struggled to keep up with the hero.


"Of course, we can't forget to relax either. Knowing how to de-stress and stay calm for the next day of heroic activities is super important. Especially when you're in the spotlight as much as you and I are," the young man said.

He was Brazilian with brown eyes, an athletic-body, and wore a black and yellow jumpsuit. This was Roberto da Costa, the solar hero known as Sunspot.

He burst into flames and flew through the sky alongside his new helper, "For example, I love football! Although I guess you call it 'soccer' here. I actually used to compete on a team back in Brazil. We weren't allowed to use our Quirks though, and I had to stop when I kept kicking the ball so hard, it burst into flames!"

"I like music and dancing," Seol replied to the hero, trying to maintain her ice slide, which she used to keep up with him without melting. "Usually I write something or just listen to music. Oh! I do choreography too."

"Cool!" Sunspot said, back to focusing on flying. "Each of us have our own way of relaxing... Oh! Be careful not to get too close to my-"

"WHOA!!!" Seol screamed, as her ice melted and she fell to the ground with a dull thud, making her mentor cringe slightly.

"...Flames," he finished.


"YAAAAAHHH!!!" The huge, red-skinned woman screamed in the middle of the fighting ring. She was tall and muscular, with thick curly black hair and a few red streaks, wearing a tight-fitting black leather outfit including pants, a sleeveless jacket and gloves. She was twisting the foot of a bipedal tiger monster with flaming claws that now suffered in her hands.

"This isn't what I expected when you mentioned 'relaxing,' Ms. Ross," Kei said. He was sitting outside the ring and watched the fight/massacre between the heroine he was interning with and Fireclaw.

"Since you're part of his Quirk," said the Red She-Hulk, getting off the monster for a moment. "And you are the destructive part of his power, you need to learn how to hit and how to take a hit. Since the boy is still a minor and anything I do might kill him..."

She gave Kei a look that bordered on menacing, making him swallow hard.

"KEI, GET ME OUT OF HERE! SHE'S CRAZY!!!" Fireclaw yelled, not taking it anymore.

"Just a little longer, I had an idea..." the boy replied, taking his notebook and pencil and imagining the half-naked heroine in front of a fire on a tiger skin rug.


"So, explain to me why we're even running without using our Quirks, Ms. Makkari?" Pietro asked his boss.

"Well, in our case, when we have physical Quirks related to speed, our body works as a tool. We don't pull energy from other dimensions or activate a mysterious latent power. We just move fast," the heroine replied to Pietro.

Makkari was tall and lanky, as expected for someone with a speed Quirk. She had dark skin and dark hair, wearing a white and red full-length leotard, leaving only her face out with a small windshield to protect against wind and dust.

"All we can do is improve our body, strengthening it by working it under its normal conditions," she went on.

"But couldn't we do just this using our Quirks, but not at full speed, so that our bodies can get used to higher speeds?" Pietro asked.

"Not really," Makkari replied. "When we use our Quirk, it's as if we were putting something extra in our body. Activating something hidden, something stronger than our body would normally be able to do, otherwise we would be at high speed all the time. Therefore, when we increase our body in the 'normal' way, we'll be able to go faster longer with our powers. That's why I always run in the morning during the start of the patrol."

"Got it!" Pietro said, happy to have learned something without having to sit in a chair and read a book.


"So why are you having us work at your bar, Uncle Fixit?" Asked Amadeus, wearing an apron and carrying a tub of dirty plates back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, shouldn't we be, you know, patrolling or something?" Added Teddy Altman, carrying out a rack of clean glasses.

"This is how I patrol," said the large, grey figure, taking a bite out of a donut. This man was Joe Fixit, better known as the first Hulk, and he was the head of the S.M.A.S.H Agency's operations. Being the eldest of the family, he started his career as a part time bouncer and private detective in the 1940's.

Over time, he'd gotten used to his "Hulk" form, standing over two meters tall, weighing several tons and having gray skin. The man wore clothes reminiscent of his detective days; his dark blue overcoat and hat hung from a coat rack, and he wore brown trousers, a yellowed shirt, and suspenders, walking with giant, brown loafers.

"You wanna get information on lowlifes, the first place you investigate is where they hang out," he went on, wiping the counter of the bar. "But that's not why you're here, Cho. I saw how you went ballistic during the Sports Fest. You can't afford that to happen next time you're in a stressful situation. So you've gotta get thicker skin. For me, there's better way than exposure therapy."

"What about me?" Asked Teddy, setting down the rack.

"Your Quirk has its limitations, just like other members of my family's agency," Fixit replied. "Here you'll learn to broaden your potential and advance in more than one specific area. Strength alone won't make you a top hero. You've gotta have smarts to go with it."

He threw away the empty donut box he carried and it landed in the trash, "Basically, you both keep your mouths shut and your ears open. This week will be more productive than you think..."


"When you're in the air you have to connect with important things, bucket head," Rocket said into the communicator to his intern, who was flying alongside the ship.

"I already said; my name is Nova!" Sam exclaimed with irritation.

"Okay, bucket head," Rocket ignored. "But when flying, you have to have a sense and knowledge of the airways that'll be used in your area. We've already got enough problems having to put up with flying kids and making planes and helicopters crash."

"Yes sir..." Sam said, looking defeated.

"I am Groot," the treant hero said, standing at the back of the ship with his own intern.

"I am Groot," the alien teenager added in agreement.

"Deep words," Sam commented dryly.


"I'm glad you accepted my invitation," said Johnny Blaze, sitting behind a desk in front of Roberto Reyes. "To be honest, I was worried you might've changed your mind..."

The boy was now in one of the last places he, until recently, would have set foot on his own accord; the "Hellflame" agency. It was named for the former circus of dangerous attractions where Johnny spent the first years of his life as a stunt biker before taking his career as a hero more seriously.

"I'm not running anymore," Robbie replied. "If you can teach me to use the flames and keep the demon in check, then I'm ready to listen."

"Alright then," Blaze grinned, changing into his fiery alter-ego. "Let's get started."


"I gotta tell ya something, kid..." A man with mutton chops sat behind his desk, speaking to the boy in front of him. "I don't like you very much."

"Excuse me?" Flash asked, not understanding what brought on that comment.

The boy was now in Westchester Country, lower New York. More specifically, he was at the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning. It was a facility that specialized in training so called "problem children," it also served as the base for the Number 4 Hero's agency; James "Logan" Howlett, the Wolverine.

This former member of the X-Men had created his own school as an offshoot of the Xavier Institute for those requiring a more hands on approach to handling difficult Quirks and difficult attitudes. He was an older man now, but still very capable as a hero and mentor, being well respected amongst his peers.

After putting his things in one of the vacant dorms and changing into his costume, Flash had gone to meet the professional hero himself. He was shorter in person, and very hairy with bulging muscles. A white streak went through his hair on each side of his temple. He smoked a stogie, tapping the ashes into a bowl on his desk.

"You're a strong kid, with a powerful Quirk and great control over it. At least, that's what people think," Logan said, folding his hands in front of his face. "To me, you're a pile of talent and potential, but that's about it. You're arrogant, cocky and think you're invincible. Besides that, I noticed that you don't seem as used to your Quirk as before..." The man added seriously, "That's why you lost at the Sports Festival."

"Hey, listen jackass; you were the one who chose me!" Flash said, remembering the hour and a half he had to put up with his stepfather on the trip and getting even angrier to think that he was wasting his time.

"Yeah, it was a dumb decision, as many of my staff advised me. They wanted Reyes kid, but it was the decision I made anyway," he stood up, walking to the window with his back turned to Flash. "But don't pretend your innocent, Thompson. I know you just accepted the request because I'm one of the top five heroes in the Northeast region of the country. And besides-"

"Don't act like you know everything about me, because you don't know anything!!!" Flash ground his teeth angrily at being interrupted, "If you called me here just to give me a lecture, I'll leave an-"

"I called you here," Logan says, once again interrupting Flash's nonsense. "Because you're a challenge. Everyone who's interned here before was afraid of me and not as powerful as you. I chose you because I think I can stop you from playing the high school bully and finally become a man! A real hero!!"

"I don't need your goddamn help!" Flash roared, his arms getting covered in the black goo. "I'm gonna be a better hero than you ever were!! Better than-"

He stopped when the Logan whirled around snarling. He pops his metal claws with a SNIKT!!

"Not with that temper, you're not," he growled. "Now turn your damn Quirk off before you really make me mad."

The look in his eyes was that of a wild animal, ready to fight. But behind that instinct, there was still control, something the boy sorely lacked. This took Flash by surprise and he powered down. Logan, in turn, retracted his claws and became somewhat calmer.

"Listen bub, those idiots in the stands couldn't see it, but I could," he said, walking back to his desk. "That Quirk of yours is linked to your emotions. The angrier you get, the more you lose control. That's dangerous enough on your own, but in the field-"

"I know," Flash retorted. "That's why I decided to come here. It's... something I've been trying to get a handle on. But if it gets out that my Quirk's... changing me, I could lose my spot at M.A. and I'm sure as hell not gonna let that happen!!"

"Hrm," the short man growled slightly. "In that case, you've got your work cut out for ya. It's not something that'll disappear overnight, I've had to work at my own rage for years to get where I am now."

"Yeah, but..." The boy looked at a team picture of different individuals in costumes. "You still pulled it off. And that's what I want to know; how you did it. I will be a hero, so I will get this under control. I can take anything you can dish out!!"

Logan smirked, the kid might be interesting after all. "Alright, squirt," he said. "We've got one week to whip ya into shape. So listen to me, do what I tell ya, and I promise that I'll help you stay on the hero's path." He extended his hand to the boy, "We got a deal?"

Flash grinned darkly, "Yes..." He took the man's hand and squeezed it, but soon felt a stronger grip. "Ah! Yes, sir," Flash reluctantly corrected through gritted teeth.

"All right, then," Logan walked towards the door, motioning for the boy to follow. "Let's get to it. We have a lot of work to do..."


The first day of the internships had come to an end. After a long day of patrolling, training and learning about the heroes' duties, motivations and their various roles to society, all 1-A students, no matter where they were, settled in so they could continue their activities the next day. Like most who found themselves in a formal agency, Danny had finished the day and after a quick shower, was making his dinner before bed.

The boy was preparing his meal when the shoji style door opened and the agency secretary Katy poked her head inside the room. "Shang? Oh hey, what's up? All good?" She seemed to be looking for the Pro Hero, but when she saw Danny standing there, she entered the room. "You're called 'The Fist', right?

"Ah, yeah, that's my hero name. But you can call me Danny," he replied.

"Okay, Danny…" the woman said in a funny way, sitting on the floor and putting her legs under the kotatsu. "How was the patrol today? I wanted to get a perspective that wasn't from Shang."

"Well..." Danny sat on the opposite side, leaving his pot of food on the table. "He showed me a little about the formation of routes and the strategies that are generally used, but nothing much happened out there."

The boy remembered the peaceful day he had had. Ever since an inter-agency task force was created to catch Punisher, the standard criminals weren't so keen to test their luck.

"Cool. It must've been pretty calm then," she said, stretching her arms above her head, but then withdrawing her right with a face of pain. She placed her left hand on her right shoulder and rotated it slightly.

"Is everything all right?" Danny asked, a little concerned.

"Oh that? It's nothing," Katy replied. "I practice archery sometimes and when I overdo it, my shoulders punish me for my bad choices!" She laughed lightly to herself.

"I... I think I can help," Danny offered.

"Really? How?" The girl blinked in surprise.

"There's some pressure points in the body that when pressed can relieve certain tensions," he went on a little more energetically, due to his interest in the subject. "But with my chi, I can cause an acceleration of healing and sending substances, causing immediate relief and faster recovery…"

He stopped when he saw Katy's impressed face and cringed, blushing slightly. "But of course, only with your permission..."

"Go for it!" Katy said cheerfully, turning her back as she took off the jacket she was wearing, leaving only the shirt.

Danny leaned slightly towards the woman, as they aren't that far apart. He easily found the pressure point below the right shoulder blade and carefully presses the spot with three fingers, concentrating his chi and activating his Quirk. This caused his fingers to glow yellow and dig into Katy's back. After a few seconds, Danny pulled away and deactivated his power.

"Okay, that should do it," he said simply.

"Wow..." she rotates her shoulders more radically. "It feels great! Where'd you learn how to do that?" Katy asked incredulously, turning to the boy while moving her arms.

"Orson, my father, taught me about pressure points when he started training me in martial arts," Danny replied, memories starting to flood his thoughts. "But I became interested in the medicinal part; healing, acupuncture, I tried to come up with a way of use my Quirk for that. But he said it was a waste of time..."

"Well, I'm no oriental master, but that was really cool!" Katy smiled at the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Your girlfriend must be very happy with these massages!"

"..." For a brief second, Danny blushed like he'd never blush before, as an image of Gwen popped into his mind. But he quickly dispelled it and tries to respond, "Um, I don't have-"

"Katy!" They both turned to see Shang standing in the doorway, having traded in his hero uniform for a set of jeans and a T-shirt. "Shall we? Oh, hi Danny!" He waves to the boy.

"Hell yeah, it's karaoke time!!" She replied, getting up and ruffling Danny's hair. "See you tomorrow, little grasshopper. Keep up with the pressure points, your dad doesn't know how useful it is!" Soon after, her and Shang leave the room.

Danny just sits back down alone, trying to calm his thoughts. But he also smiled, almost involuntarily at the compliment he'd received, feeling a lightness in his chest that he hasn't felt in a while. The boy then went back to his dinner, and starts eating, only to realize that it was already cold.

.

.

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Barber's Chair

• Got a few cameos here. Some names you may recognize, some you may not.

• For some characters, I incorporated a mix of traits from both the comics and movies.

• At one point, realizing the potential for a mentor figure I was previously using, I went back and swapped him out for someone else. Any re-readers remember who it was?