Enchanted || b.barnes

chapter five; dance

Stark's team was now overstaffed. He'd managed to recruit someone from Queens while she and Vision were busy being attacked- a scrawny boy named Peter Parker who was too obsessed with Carine's ability.

"You can manipulate electricity? Holy crap! With your power and an invention of mine, we could power the whole city for decades! C'ourse, I left the machine back home..."

T'Challa had found it amusing to see Carine deal with Peter nipping at her heels. Both of them still held grudges against each other, no matter how hard Stark tried to make them get along. Vision kept himself busy by teaching himself how to cook, Rhodey flew around the city to keep an eye out for Steve every five minutes and Stark was always cooped up in his office.

He'd forbidden her from using the simulation cells, too. Last time she tried to go down there J.A.R.V.I.S had spewed some nonsense about safety, but Carine knew Stark didn't want her down there because he didn't want her to evolve more. But that didn't seem like his intention when he called everyone down for an emergency meeting.

"That's a suicide mission," Vision was saying. "You cannot expect her to be able to go up against three people on her own." The current debate was concerning Stark's decision to send Carine to convince Cap one more time to sign the Accords, since she was the most powerful person they had after Wanda left.

Stark sipped from his glass. "Look, I don't think you should underestimate her. She did manage to take down Barnes last week in Berlin."

"Temporarily," T'Challa added. Carine glared at the prince from across the table. Stupid cat, she thought. She sent a mental spark of pain to his chest and smiled when she saw him wince.

In the end it was a clean split down the middle. Natasha, Stark and Rhodey thought she could do it and do it well, while T'Challa had absolutely no faith in her abilities, Peter said it wasn't safe and Vision was just overly concerned.

"Alright, seeing as I'm the head of this team and I pretty much make all the decisions and, not to mention, pay for everything you guys own, Carine's going." Stark reclined in his chair, still nursing his drink. "Nobody is allowed to object."

And that's how it was. Rhodey and Natasha flew her back to Berlin, where Nat knew for a fact that Steve was hiding out. "It's actually more of a shared hiding spot," she explained. "I used it when I was working for the bad guys, and Steve uses it literally all the time as a gym." Carine laughed.

They landed the jet a short distance away from the safehouse. Natasha watched as Carine put on her backpack, thinking of the odds that she could convince Steve to come back. "This is your communicator," she said, pressing a small device into Carine's ear. "Under no circumstances should you lose it. I need ears on you at all times." Nat hesitated a little, then grabbed Carine's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Be careful. Remember, if it doesn't work out-"

"Come right back here," Carine finished, pulling away. "Got it. I'll see you later." Both Rhodey and Natasha smiled as she ran off the jet and into the streets.

"I didn't know you had feelings," Rhodey teased.

Natasha turned her head and sighed. "What can I say? I've always wanted a little sister."

It wasn't until she arrived at the safehouse that she realized Natasha was listening in on every word Carine heard. That meant that she'd heard all the little things she was whispering under her breath as she ran through the streets. People found it creepy because Carine liked to repeat stories to herself when she worked, just to keep herself comfortable, of course.

"You had a boyfriend? When you were how old? God, Carrie. I never knew you as that type." Carine could hear the smirk in Natasha's voice. She mentally slapped her forehead and reminded herself never to speak in Nat's presence ever again.