Author's Note And Disclaimer: Alright, once again, I'm starting a new fic when I really shouldn't. But this idea ate my brain and I just can't concentrate on anything else until I get this posted. On the general knowledge of Specials in this, people are aware that they exist, but mostly in a peripheral, we-try-not-to-think-about-it kind of way. Very X-Men, let's put it that way. This AU is borrowed with permission from Daria234, and the initial concept came from her oneshot, Rescue Worker. I don't own anything whatsoever.

New Jersey

The Company Academy

The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., precisely as it did every morning. She opened her eyes to the sight of gray predawn light filtering through the window, precisely as she did every morning. But unlike every other morning, Claire Bennet didn't immediately get out of bed and dive headfirst into her day.

No, today, she wanted to lay in bed just a few minutes more, trying to recapture the dream she had just awoken from. She wasn't quite sure what it had been about, but she was quite sure that it had been wonderful. For a moment, Claire was able to drag back a flash of the dream, just an instant in time, in which a pair of dark eyes met hers. It made no sense to her out of context though, and with a sigh, she sat up.

Her room, like every other one at the Academy, was Spartan in its furnishings. The floor was concrete, although Claire had brought in several brightly-colored braided rugs to keep her feet warm. The walls were cinderblock, painted a cheerless, hospital blue. In her second year at the Academy, Claire had grown frustrated with staring at the depressing color, and brought in a can of sunshine yellow paint to color the walls with. But two days later, when she returned to her room in the evening, the walls were blue again. She knew better than to try again.

Instead, she bought a painting to hang on the walls in an attempt to brighten up the room. She had a print of Anita Austwick's "Going Home." Claire loved Austwick's style, full of bright colors and blurred lines. It reminded her of her childhood, growing up under the hot Texas sun, despite the vastly different subject matter.

But although an Agent's salary was high, she had yet to graduate from the Academy and Claire's spending money was limited. That print was the only one she could afford, and so she used a large rectangular mirror hung on the wall opposite the window to make the room look more open and light.

It was that mirror she approached now, examining her reflection carefully. Today was not a normal day at the Academy, and Claire wanted to be certain she looked her best. She pulled on a pair of tight grey-washed jeans and a blue tank top. Although the Academy encouraged looking professional, doing the work they did was usually difficult dressed in anything more formal than Claire's current attire. Forget the heels, she was wearing her favorite white tennis shoes today. She swiped a bit of mascara across her lashes and tugged a comb through her long, loose blonde curls which she then tied up in a high ponytail. A little cherry lipgloss, and she decided she looked decent.

Upon exiting her room, she found Zach Angrom waiting for her. "Happy Birthday, Texas," he said, pulling her against him and kissing her warmly.

Claire gave her three seconds to enjoy the kiss, then pushed him away. "Not the time," she said. "But thanks."

Her relationship with Zach was hard to define. They had been inseparable friends since the Academy first pulled them from regular school to begin the advanced training necessary to become an Agent at age fifteen. For three years, that had been all they were to each other. Then, last year over the holidays, something had changed between them. She supposed that the only way to describe their relationship was "friends with benefits." There was an emotional attachment, sure, but Claire was very certain that she didn't love him. She thought maybe he loved her, or at least thought he did, and she knew it was wrong to lead him along like this, but it was hard not to. Everyone else at the Academy had found someone within the school. Claire's own parents had met here. But for Claire, there had never been that special someone who caught her eye. And so she carried on with Zach, hoping that it would be enough to fill the lonely place inside her.

His bright blue eyes were sad as she broke the contact. To make up for it, she took his hand and they walked down to the training yard together.

"You up for some sparring before breakfast?" she asked as they arrived at the grassy square in the center of the Academy where a handful of other students had already arrived. Not many, though- Claire was a habitual early riser, and Zach had changed his habits to fit her routine.

Zach grinned. "You know I am, Texas. And don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you're turning nineteen today."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Claire said. "The one day I take a break is the day I sign my own death warrant."

He smirked. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd think you were mocking your training. You of all people can afford to knock off once in awhile. Not like you can get hurt."

Claire looked away, staring at the few young men and women who were already in the yard. "But that doesn't mean I can't fail. And failure is not acceptable."

It was a lesson her father had drilled into her from a very early age. She was Company legacy, destined from the moment of her birth to rise to the top ranks of the Agents. She couldn't have avoided it, not with parents like Noah and Sandra Bennet. The legendary husband-wife team were two of the deadliest Agents in the western hemisphere. Following traditional Company policy of "one of us, one of them," the powerless Noah worked with his illusionist wife. The duo had made Company history early in their stellar career and only climbed higher as time went on. They weren't as active as they used to be, mostly reserved for special missions. They had instead been asked to become instructors at the Academy. Sandra taught a course in covert operations, and Noah was a firearms instructor.

It wasn't really fair, she thought. She had never gotten a chance to know 'normal' growing up. Claire didn't really miss what she'd never had, but sometimes she wondered what life would have been like if she'd been able to go to a normal high school. Would she have been athletic? A cheerleader, maybe? She'd have liked that.

But daydreams did her no good, as she remembered when a fist connected hard with her jaw. Acting on instinct, she dropped to a crouch and swept Zach's unsuspecting legs out from under him.

With an athletic twist, he was back on his feet, but Claire was too fast for him. In seconds, she'd gotten behind him and delivered a sharp kick to his kidney. He bent over, clutching his side. She took advantage of his distraction and brought her knee up from beneath to smash it into his nose. Then, before he could recover, she rammed her elbow down on the base of his neck. He dropped to his knees. She counted silently to five in her head, then extended her hand to help him up.

"Damn, Texas," he said, wiping a trickle of blood from his nostril. "Couldn't have gone easy on me, could you?"

She laughed. "Oh you big baby," she said. "You know I didn't even hit you half as hard as I could have. Besides, you caught me off-guard. You had the advantage from the start and you didn't take it. You were the one going easy on me. Seems you can't keep your word as well as you think."

He ran a hand through his sandy hair. "Guess not. I'd be dead if you had. Anybody ever told you you're a force of nature?"

Claire shrugged. "I've been doing this longer than you have. My parents took my training into their own hands when I was little, remember? I know what's what. You'll catch up, don't worry."

Zach gave her a playful glare. "Tell you what, until that day arrives, how 'bout we do some armed combat practice? There, at least, I can kick your ass."

"You're on. What's your preference?"

He pretended to think about it, although Claire already knew what he was going to say. "Staffs," he answered finally. She had expected as much. The heavy wooden staffs the Academy issued for weapons practice were taller than she was and difficult for her to wield. Zach liked to win. This was going to be painful.

* * *

Two hours later, both of them were drenched in sweat and covered in dust. Claire had a large bruise on her shoulder where she had dislocated it in a badly-managed fall, but it was disappearing swiftly. She had won two bouts, and Zach six, and it was making him insufferable. "You could at least act less smug," she said irritably.

"And where's the fun in that?" he said. "You're too serious, Texas. You need to lighten up once in awhile."

She socked him on the arm. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Some of us aren't invincible, you know!"

Reality warped a few feet in front of them and suddenly Sandra was standing in front of them, holding her prize Pomeranian, Mr. Muggles, tightly in one arm.. "Hi Mom," Claire said brightly.

Sandra favored her with a smile. "Hello, Claire. Hello Zachary. How are you?"

"Good," he said. "Claire keeps punching me, though."

Claire punched him again for good measure. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the spot.

"Uh, did you want anything in particular?" Claire asked.

Sandra nodded. "Professor Bishop wants to see you in his office. Your father's waiting there."

She smiled. "Thanks, Mom." Reality shifted again, and suddenly Sandra was a mousy freshman who hurried off in the opposite direction. Claire turned to Zach. "Catch you at breakfast, 'kay?" she said. Then she stood up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips.

When Claire knocked on the oaken door with the name 'Bishop' stenciled on the placard, it swung open almost immediately. Behind the intimidating desk, Bob Bishop, acting head of the Company and the Academy's superintendent, sat perusing a thick stack of papers. Two deliberately uncomfortable leather chairs faced the desk, and one of them was occupied by her father, Noah Bennet.

"Hi Dad," she said, feeling self-conscious.

He smiled at her from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. "Hi, Claire-bear. How are you?"

Claire shrugged, smiling back at him. "Same as always. I've been sparring with Zach."

"So I see," Professor Bishop interrupted. "Please, Miss Bennet, sit down."

She sat.

"Miss Bennet, you are one of our top students here at the Academy. You are aware of this. You also have a highly valuable ability, which makes you an extremely valuable asset to the Company. Now, as I'm sure you know, it's not the Academy's usual practice to allow students to go on assignment before they've been granted Agent status. However, I've discussed it with your father, and we have a proposition we'd like to make to you..."

Just a note on Claire's character- It doesn't show as much in this chapter, though I did my best, but she's essentially Claire as we've seen her so far in season four. Only better trained, and a lot tougher.