Echo [11] (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 17

"Okay, first you're going to warm up, then you'll do the gun range, followed by the rope climb, then the parkour, hand-to-hand, powers, and finally, the marathon. Any questions before you start?" Ellie, Tanya, and I were standing in the field, the rest of the agent trainees watching as we prepared for our test. My gut was churning. 

I did not feel prepared for this, but I repeated in my head I could do this over and over again until I had convinced myself it was true. 

"Ellie will go first," Coulson said, so Tanya and I moved to the side. Ellie did a bunch of stretches, showing just how flexible she was.

"The gun range first," Coulson said, and Ellie slid on some earmuffs, grabbing a pistol. Head, throat, and heart. 

Damn, she's good. I thought nervously. She swiftly climbed the rope, breezed through the parkour, and held her own against Natasha. 

"Powers, now," Ellie floated up off the ground, letting out a hiss as she went invisible and two globs of venom hit the side of the building, followed by some acid.

"And now, the marathon," She took off down the track, appearing with three whole minutes to spare. Tanya performed similarly, except she didn't have to do a power test since she didn't have any. 

"Tessa, your turn," I swallowed thickly, getting as limber as possible before grabbing a gun. Square shoulders, feet the same width.

Don't let the gun jerk, even pressure on the trigger. I closed my eyes, firing three consecutive shots. I hit the thigh, throat, and liver area. One challenge down, five to go. Next was the rope climb.

I stood at the base of the rope, staring at the top before jumping as high as I could as the timer started. 

Push, wrap, reach, push, wrap, reach. I tapped the board at the top, before sliding back down. 

"23.7 seconds," Coulson reported. The parkour was easy, it always had been for me since I started training.

"Now you will show defensive and offensive maneuvers," Coulson said as Romanoff walked forward. 

First, I aimed a kick at her side, which she dodged and threw a fist at my nose. I ducked, narrowly avoiding her first, grabbing her arm and flinging her over my shoulder. She landed on her feet, kicking up dust before aiming for my face again. 

As our hands and feet collided, I got small bursts of her abilities, helping me in the fight.

She kicked me in the stomach, sending me to my back. I slid one of my legs between hers, setting it just above her knee and turning with my entire body, sending her to her side.

 "Alright, that's enough," Coulson called, and we stood up, Romanoff walking off. I was covered in dirt and sweat, and I was panting, but I still had to demonstrate my powers and do the run.

 "Carol, if you could," Coulson said, and she stepped up.

I put my hand on her shoulder, charging up the cosmic energy and firing it at an indestructible dummy. 

"Time for the marathon, right?" I asked. 

"Wait a second. We need to determine if you can harness others' powers from a distance," Coulson said, and I paused.

 I had never done that before.

 "Okay..." I said nervously.

"You can do this, Tessa. Your abilities aren't the only reason I recruited you," He encouraged. I closed my eyes, imagining a string connecting Carol and me as I moved away from her. I could still feel the power pulsing through my veins, but I didn't know if it was real or just my imagination. 

I fired a blast, opening my eyes to see the dummy rocking on its base. 

"Good job. Now, for the final part--the marathon," Coulson said.

The other agents were cheering me on, giving me a bit of a boost. 

"In through the nose, out through the mouth!" Sam called as I approached the track.

 "And...start," I took off at a steady pace, breathing just like I had been taught. I was going through the woods, but around 2/3rds of the way through, I was slowing down from exhaustion. There was a break in the trees, and I glanced back over at the others.

They were cheering, waving for me to go faster, and I smiled slightly, speeding up and going faster than I had been.

 My feet hit the ground in a steady rhythm, and my heart felt like it was trying to leap out of my chest. My lungs burned from the effort, and my legs wanted to give out, but I kept going. I had to finish this marathon. 

I had to prove myself good enough. Not just for the teachers, but myself. 

I needed to prove to myself that I was capable of this life. For so long, the only thing that was special about me was my last name. Other than that, I was just one face in a sea of them.

 I could see the finish line.

It was right there. I pushed myself just that little bit harder, passing over it and slowing to a stop, kicking up dust. I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees as I gasped for air. I was tired, covered in dirt, and sweat, and felt like I was about to fall asleep where I stood. Coulson approached as everyone held their breath with anticipation.

"Welcome to rank three, Agent Panzer,"