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VALOR
i. THE ROAD TO HEROISM

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   THE YEAR IS 2008.

   It's an enchanting time to be alive, whether you're on Earth or perhaps a far off planet somewhere in the universe. Congregated on every corner every single day is history, especially in the United States of America. Something new is being unfolded every second. It had the people of this country wondering what the world would look like in one decade—in the year of 2018. Hopefully (and most likely), good things.

   Five years have gone with the wind since Riley Juniper O'Dair was taken in by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, otherwise known as S.H.I.E.L.D. That would also make it five years since the penitent tragedy that altered Riley's life completely.

   The tragedy was, of course, the harrowing deaths of Dr. Athena and Rob O'Dair—two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many bright scientists. Widely known for their contributions in regards to the public government organization, the O'Dair couple was famous in the world of science.

   One of their most anticipated works involved extensive research regarding cellular generation, mutation, and modification. Rumor was that they were making extraordinary strides in their research — progress that could change the way we view the world, to its basic foundations, forever. The married couple, however, refused to release any information before their project's completion.

   This unfortunately never occurred, for in 2003, they were killed—struck down by their naïve two-year-old daughter in their own lab after recklessly wandering around and accidentally pressing the wrong button in the room. Athena and Rob were gone with the blink of an eye, leaving Riley O'Dair as the sole survivor of the accident.

   Although Riley knew that what she had done was a pure accident, she carried a lot of guilt from the experience. Even if she was practically a fetus at the time, Riley just couldn't forgive herself for what she had done. Riley wasn't sure if she ever would. Maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow, maybe in nine years in 2017. Who knows!

   After the accident, S.H.I.E.L.D. chose to conduct tests to determine how the accident affect young Riley's body, considering the O'Dairs' field of research. Could the explosion have impacted Riley's cells, for better or for worse?

   As it turned out, it did. With these tests, S.H.I.E.L.D. learned that Riley's cells were disappearing at a rapid rate, but not because they were damaged (which would have meant her cells were killing her from the inside out).

   As a matter of fact, her cells were still there, which was proven following a biopsy. They were simply transparent, invisible, hidden from the naked eye. That would have to explain why Riley suddenly disappeared from the room in the middle of her procedure.

   The theory was that her entire genetic makeup was disrupted due to the ultraviolet rays being used in Athena and Rob's experiment. All of their life's work was simply transported into their daughter, allowing her to manipulate UV rays at will.

   In simple terms, Riley's body was coursing with ultraviolet energy—the energy the sun gives off. The possibilities of this were endless, but so far, all that is known is that Riley can turn herself invisible and (barely) generate forcefields.

   Fascinated by her powers, Riley was taken in as property of the U.S. government rather than being dropped into the foster care system. Without authorized parents or any family that could have taken her in, all she had left was the organization Athena and Rob dedicated their lives to. This was the perfect opportunity for S.H.I.E.L.D. to use the girl and see where she would fit in terms of the nation's defense.

   And so, Riley traded her toys for a set of weapons, taking on the title of an Agent at the age of two-years-old. Well, it took her some time before she became an agent, but the concept is all the same.

   For five years, Riley O'Dair worked her ass off to become the greatest she could be. She trained constantly, especially her complex powers. She owed it to her parents to understand them better, at the very least, which included keeping up with her academics. Riley eventually learned to perfect her powers of invisibility for the most part, but she struggled considerably with creating forcefields.

   See, Riley's powers were stronger the greater her concentration was. If Riley wasn't focused, she couldn't use them properly. Given that she was a hyperactive child, mastering her powers felt more like a pipedream than anything else. But the kid sure had spirit.

   Despite her age, Agent O'Dair excelled greatly. Her competitive nature and desire to succeed in everything she did gave her an edge her superiors weren't anticipating from the child. While her confidence in her powers lacked, Riley was a phenomenon in every sense of the word.

   She seemed to thrive off of the fact that the directors of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw potential in her. They believed in her. Wasn't that why they had her train with adults rather than the other child agents? S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted Riley O'Dair to be the hero the world needed.

   What is a hero, anyway? To some, a hero is someone who wears a stupid costume and calls themselves some awful, cheesy nickname. To others, a hero is an ordinary person who seeks out bad guys. Sometimes a hero is simply someone who offers you a smile on the worst day of your life, and oftentimes, a hero is someone who slips you the homework answers when you're totally stuck.

   There are so many exceptions to being a hero, but no one's ever actually answered the question. What exactly is a hero?

   By definition, a "hero" is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. But to Riley O'Dair, she thought that was absolute—

   "Bullshit! It's absolute bullshit!"

   Director Nick Fury furrowed his sparse eyebrows together and glimpsed down at the rageful seven-year-old walking beside him. "What the hell are you talking about?" he nonchalantly demanded. "It's not bullshit!"

   Seven-year-old Riley O'Dair vigorously shook her head. "Why should someone be called a hero for saving a cat from a tree?" Riley inquired sneeringly with a squeaky voice. "That's not called being a hero! That's called being a decent person! If you wanna talk to a real hero, call up Captain Marvel!"

   "You're not supposed to talk about her. It's confidential. Can you even spell that?" Fury retorted. Before Riley could answer, he mentioned, "You know, normal kids watch cartoons on Saturday mornings."

   "Well, it's your fault for telling me what CNN is," Riley mumbled. The stretchy material of her black uniform stretched as she crossed her arms. "Hey, did you hear about that guy saying he's the Iron Man? I don't know why anyone's surprised. It's not like his bodyguard could pull it off."

   "Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark. Hard to miss something like that," he said. "I offered him a role in the Avengers Initiative, but he declined. He's a real asshole, I'll tell you that."

   "Oh... Hey, what's an asshole?"

   Fury peered down at the child, bewildered by how much he had corrupted her brain and would likely continue to do so. Whenever he'd be faced with situations like these, he'd feel guilty for tainting her innocent mind.

   "A bad word. Don't use it unless you wanna get beat up by higher-ranking agents."

   Riley shook her head. "They wouldn't beat up a kid. That's why I have the upper hand," she matter-of-factly stated. She paused. "At least, that's what you said."

   "They'd do it if I told them to," Fury quipped.

   The Latina glimpsed up at her superior, deciding to bring the conversation back on track. She was curious about this Tony Stark guy. She only knew what the media said about him and his father. "Do you not like Tony Stark or somethin'?" wondered Riley. "'Cause he said no to your Revengers thingy?"

   "Uh, it's called the Avengers," corrected Fury. Riley shrugged. "And no. That's not the only reason. He's arrogant."

   Riley made an o-shape with her mouth, nodding slowly. "Arrogance is... bad, right?" Riley queried, continuing to follow Nick down the corridor. He nodded. "But... you said I'm arrogant...?"

   Fury chuckled. "You can get away with it 'cause you're cute," he mocked.

   "I am NOT cute!" Riley immediately disputed with her falsetto voice. Her high ponytail swung as she shook her head, pouting her lower lip.

   Riley was one of the few lower-ranking agents (or agents in general, really) who knew about the Avengers protocol. It was honestly an accident and shouldn't have happened, but now that she knew, it was all she ever talked about. She was curious. She wondered if she'd be included in this "Avengers" thing.

   The truth was, Riley wasn't supposed to know about the Avengers or Captain Marvel at all. Call it what it was: convenient luck. She had stumbled upon the files when they were accidentally delivered to her instead of Fury, who instead received the paperwork for an innocent mission report. Riley ended up reading through the information without realizing what it was until it was too late.

   From then on, Riley O'Dair had been unapologetically obsessed with not the Avengers, but Carol Danvers instead.

   Approaching a door, Fury asked, "You ready for this?"

   He never asked that to show that he cared. It was more like, I don't really care if you're ready for this. You're going to pretend you are, even if you're not.

   See, today, Riley was meant to head out with a group of higher-ranking field agents on a mission to infiltrate a rebel hideout on the other side of the world. This would be the second time in history she'd be sent onto the field, making it a year since her first time.

   The first time Riley was sent onto the field was, to say the least, an utter disaster. She was barely a level 3 agent, not to mention six-years-old. Sure, Riley knew how to defend herself, but she was also a child with a weak grip on her powers. She had no business being out on the field, but S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted her there for reasons beyond Riley.

   Child agents were sent out on the field all the time, but not for invading missions or to actually fight. They were used as mules, distractions. They didn't even come in contact with attack missions until they were much older. However, Riley was specifically placed with superior-ranking agents for unknown reasons (She liked to think it was because of her powers). Still, Riley had fun proving herself and moving up ranks as quickly as she did.

   But in hindsight, sending out a level 3 six-year-old with a group of level 6's and 7's was a terrible idea. All Riley remembered was hiding under a pile of rubble and sobbing until one of her colleagues had to unhappily pull her out. Riley frowned at the thought of the woman who saved her—Agent Natasha Romanoff.

   Basically, Natasha Romanoff did not like Riley O'Dair whatsoever.

   It was strange because the two had been forced into this daunting world at young ages. Many thought they would get along because of their similar childhoods, but everyone was astounded when they learned Natasha despised Riley. Natasha believed that Riley was too emotional, too arrogant, too weak, and too immature for "this world".

   And apparently, after Riley's first time on the field, S.H.I.E.L.D. thought the same. Though oddly enough, S.H.I.E.L.D. refused to give up on her. They pulled her back and put her through intensive training for the next year. Her training routines became tougher, more vigorous than before. Riley didn't think she'd make it out of it alive, but if S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't giving up on her, then she wouldn't give up on them.

   She trained out of spite for Romanoff. There weren't many things Riley wanted, but at the top of the list, she wanted to prove herself to Romanoff. That she was strong, that she had a place in this world. Today was the day she had her chance. Today, Riley would (hopefully) prove Natasha Romanoff wrong.

   "Piece of cake," Riley said, albeit not very confidently. "I've got this."

   "You better."

   "Gee, thanks for the reassurance, boss," Riley rejoined as he entered the room, leaving her to trail after him.

   All conversations descended upon their entrance. The waiting agents stood up straighter as their superior came into view. But their gazes drifted to the shorter girl beside him. Riley swallowed the knot in her throat. Now that a year had passed, she was a Level 4 Agent now, but that meant nothing here. Here, she was just a kid, surrounded by 6's and 7's with far more experience than her, the same agents who were meant to be her friends but instead felt insulted every time she was put in the same room as them.

   "What's the kid still doing here?" a voice called out once they noticed Riley. Riley's gaze snapped over to the man. She didn't know who he was. She'd only seen him once or twice.

   "The kid is here because the council wants her here," Fury snapped. "Meanwhile, they don't even know what your damn name is, so I'd suggest you shut it unless you want to get put on a different, less interesting mission."

   As he scolded the unnamed agent, Riley silently trailed over to Clint Barton's side. He had become a close friend to the girl ever since they met. He said that she reminded him of the family he and his wife pictured for their future. There were many agents like Clint who took a liking toward Riley, all thanks to Fury, but there were more who disliked her. Just like Natasha, they thought she didn't belong with them—with good reason. Riley understood their feelings, but that just fueled her motivation to prove herself to them. To all of them.

   Still, Riley was appreciative that she wasn't completely alone in this dog-eat-dog world.

   "You ready?" Clint asked. One by one, everyone piled into an aircraft while Fury left to tend to other matters. He was always so busy.

   "You're the second person that's asked me that today," cited Riley, fastening one of many guns to her body. Riley's main goal involved the protection of her team. The council wanted her to practice using her force-fields.

   Clint shrugged. "It's a normal question," he countered. Riley sent him a knowing glance. "Can't a guy worry about his friends?"

   "Is it normal for a grown man to call a little kid his friend?"

   "Hey, I wouldn't say you're that little."

   Riley gently laughed, her attention drifting to the redheaded woman boarding the aircraft. Natasha Romanoff. Riley hadn't seen her all year. She would've thought that all of her training would give her a little more confidence, but one look at the famed Black Widow, and she was suddenly taken back to the day she failed her superiors.

   It was no surprise that Clint noticed where her gaze trailed. He noticed everything, even the things done behind his back. Riley was convinced he had eyes on the back of his head that no one could see because his hair was in the way. It didn't help that Clint confirmed that was true when Riley asked him about it. It made no sense to her that someone as nice as him could be close friends with Agent Romanoff. She wondered if Natasha judged him for even standing near to her.

   Clint gave her a pat on the back. "You'll be great. Don't sweat it. Just follow my lead, alright? Come on."

   Riley peered up at him, nodding at the warmth of his words before following him onto the aircraft.

   Perhaps she wouldn't have gotten on had she known she would yet again crumble under the pressures of being a child agent. Or perhaps the twisted, more complicated part of her would have regardless.

   That was the thing about being a hero. It was all about testing yourself, pushing yourself beyond your limits, beyond what makes you weak. You have to. Because if you can't be there when the world needs help, no one will.

   Riley O'Dair just wished that the road to becoming a hero came with some instructions.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

wow! what a filler first chapter! LMAO anyways hi, welcome to the official prequel for adventures in babysitting! i love riley SO SO SO much that i just had to write this. this fic will cover the majority of the mcu films and some extra stuff to show what riley's been up to over the years! i'm so excited! hell yeah!

comment what you're thinking and what you're looking forward to seeing (for example, i'm excited for yall to see her friendship with natasha grow, and also writing the first avengers film). it helps a lot hehe <3

thank you for all the support - it means the world to me :)!

also i wish riley was real in the marvel universe. that's all, bye! <333