Chasing Ghosts | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 5: The Past Is The Present

Natasha absentmindedly twisted Katya's hair around her fingers, her other hand still clutching onto Maya on her lap. It was so relaxing that Katya wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep right there, but the situation on the screen made her so mad that her heart beat too fast for that.

Walker happily signed posters, flyers, and custom dolls you could buy everywhere, and took pictures with the people. People who didn't give two shits who wore the suit, as long as they had their Cap. Made Katya wonder how much they actually cared about her and Nat.

Walker ran to the podium, shield in hand, and waved at the crazy crowd. 

''Ladies and gentlemen. Your new Captain America!'' The interviewer was a blonde woman, around thirty years old, Katya guessed. And she seemed very happy to do this.

''Good morning, America,'' Walker spoke like it was rehearsed, a big smile on his face that Katya wanted to punch off. She wondered if he had a say in this. If he even wanted this. He looked happy enough.

They sat down on two chairs, Walker taking his helmet off. His suit wasn't the same as Steve's. In fact, it looked completely different besides the color scheme. Apparently stuffing another man into it wasn't enough change. 

''Thank you so much for coming. This has gotta be fun, though, coming back to your high school after so much has changed?'' The interviewer asked.

Walker chuckled; a bit overwhelmed by it all. ''Oh, it's great. We're-'' He got cut off by the yelling crowd, which he answered with more waving and laughing. 

''I don't like him,'' Maya mumbled over the noise, her long red curls hiding a big part of her face. She was always busy wiping it out of her eyes, so Katya and Natasha were always busy braiding it or tying it up into a ponytail. 

''You decided that already?'' Natasha questioned, ducking her head a bit to try and capture Maya's eyes. She didn't take them off the TV though and gave a hum as confirmation. Natasha shared an amused look with Katya, who shook her head and smiled.

''John, I think the first thing everyone wants to know is; what is it like being Captain America?'' The interviewer continued. ''Do eagles fly overhead wherever you go?''

Walker laughed loudly, even though the joke wasn't that funny to begin with. He was a people-pleaser, Katya realized. He wanted people to like him and tried everything to achieve that. Another difference with Steve: he didn't care about being liked. He just did the job. ''Uh, yes. Yeah, that and flags tend to start majestically waving in the wind.'' 

''And how's the tour been? I know they did a big rollout for you, right?'' The woman continued. The tour was big. No expense had been spared to show America the new Cap. So much money they could have used to help the people who snapped back and now lived in camps. It was a huge problem, the camps. And Katya wasn't surprised a radical group emerged to fight for their rights. 

''It's the greatest honor of my life. Um, but I'm just a little shocked, I think. How did a guy like me end up here?''

''Asking myself that, too,'' Katya muttered under her breath, jaw locked as she scanned the man on the screen. Even though she laid her job down, her instincts would never leave her. 

''Oh, wait, wait, wait. "A guy like me"? Somebody's being a bit too humble. For those of you who aren't familiar with his résumé, "John Walker, first person in American history to receive three Medals of Honor, ran RS-One missions in counterterrorism and hostage rescue." '' A clip played on screen of Walker practicing with the shield. Throwing it, letting it bounce back to him, catching it. Katya had to avert her eyes because all she saw was Steve.