It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Not too warm you were sweating in a t-shirt, which was what Katya was used to when it came to Africa.
She loved the continent. The pure, open people, the vivacity on the streets and in some cases, the lack of technology and good security. It was good for both her soul and the job.
So that she was hauled up with Steve of all people in a small hotel room, keeping an eye on her fiancée and her best friend on the streets below, wasn't how she had wanted her next trip to this healing place to go. Steve, as always, was way too tense and serious, a sharp contrast to the usually sarcastic and outgoing Russian next to him.
Katya's short brown hair fell into her face as she peeked through the curtains. Healthy nerves danced through her body. She was ready for a fight.
''All right, what do you see?'' Steve asked Wanda.
The woman was seated at a table of a nice, small café on the opposite side of the street. Her brown cap hid her face from her, but besides that, Katya had a good view of her. It made her feel a little bit better about sending the Sokovian into one of her biggest missions yet.
Contrary to Wanda, who blended in nicely, Natasha stuck out like a sore thumb despite the glasses and cap she had on. That red hair was simply not disguisable. She looked amazing however, in her light jacket and boots. Katya still couldn't believe she was going to marry her.
Wanda steered her coffee, slowly bringing it up to her lips so it wouldn't be too obvious she was talking to someone. A trick Katya had taught her, and she executed it perfectly. She looked over her shoulder casually to observe the tiny police station across the street. ''Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target.''
''There's an ATM in the south corner, which means...'' Steve trailed off, having her fill in the rest. Learning by doing was the best way. Katya could list a thousand tricks to help Wanda's spy work, but by doing it, she would know what worked and what didn't.
''Cameras,'' Wanda finished flawlessly. Katya couldn't help but be proud of her pupil. A year ago she almost had a panic attack in Sokovia and today she was sitting there calmly, acting perfectly normal.
Katya noticed something Wanda hadn't yet said. ''Both cross streets are one way,'' she hinted.
''So compromised escape routes.''
Katya nodded approvingly even though the woman couldn't see it. She took over from Steve, seeing as she was more skilled at this than him. ''Means our guy doesn't care about being seen, he isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out.'' She pulled the curtain open a little further, but not enough to alert the people down below. ''You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?''
Wanda's eyes flickered over to it, instantly spotting it. ''Yeah, the red one? It's cute.''
''You're right. It is cute.'' Katya couldn't help but joke, feeling the annoyance from Steve radiate off him. She had gotten used to his disapproving stares by now, since she was often the person on the other end of them.
''It's also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us.'' It was the first time Natasha had spoken up. And of course when she did, she did it with that sarcastic underlaying tone of hers while hiding her smirk behind her coffee cup.
Wanda all but scoffed. ''You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?'' she bragged. Her powers had gotten so much more controlled and powerful. Katya was sure she could have ripped those giant worms during the Battle of New York right in half before they were even halfway through the space holes. Where was a witch when you needed one?
Natasha subtly turned around in her chair, glimpsing at the woman. ''Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature.''
''Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?''
Katya almost burst out laughing at Sam's dry voice, which didn't help prove her innocence. He was up on a roof somewhere, keeping overview on the whole mission. Who better to do that than a birdman?
''Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?'' It was that Natasha sat with her back to Katya, otherwise she would have risked throwing a glare in her direction.
''It wasn't me,'' Katya defended herself, trying to stay serious but unable to completely mask the playful tone in her voice.
Steve all but sighed, shifting his weight from one leg to another. He must think he was working with a bunch of children. ''Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him.''
Once again, Sam was there with a sarcastic reply. ''If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us.''
Katya chuckled through her earpiece. ''Correction, he hates you. His fragile masculinity was broken when you beat him in that fight in the Triskelion.'' She raised her hands in surrender when Steve told her to be serious for a second. It was maybe best not to test his patience today since he was so on edge.
''I didn't beat him. I jumped ship before the building came down on me, he didn't.''
''Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it.'' Steve steered the conversation back on track, an old, rusty garbage truck pushing through the streets roughly, impatiently. These were the kinds of details Katya perked up for. Things a normal person wouldn't even notice, wouldn't think twice about. But you always found something suspicious if you kept looking long enough.
It wasn't long until Redwing -the stupid name Sam had given his little drone thingy- appeared, although nobody on the street saw or heard him. People generally were so unaware of the things happening around them.
Redwing flew under the truck, scanning it for X-ray, the rest of the team patiently waiting.
''That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed,'' Sam finally said. Katya knew what that meant before Natasha had said it.
''It's a battering ram.''
Great minds think alike.
''Go now,'' Steve ordered them, a plan forming in his head.
''What?'' Wanda didn't understand, causing her to panic.
''He's not hitting the police,'' Katya replied, already halfway down the hallway of the hotel. Her footsteps were silent on the soft but worn carpet. It wasn't the nicest hotel, but they were forced to pick this one for the view. ''For Christ sake, why can't a mission ever go like we want it to?''
She pulled the hood of her jacket up to hide her face from the people inside, but why was she even trying when Steve caught up with her, dressed in full uniform with that Frisbee of Freedom in his hand.
''Then it wouldn't be any fun,'' Natasha answered her, even though Katya didn't expect anyone to have heard her soft outburst. Through her comms, the redheads quick footsteps on the pavement accompanied her silent breathing.
Katya set her first few steps outside when the truck crashed into the barrier in front of the Institute For Infectious Diseases, a loud boom echoing between the stone walls of the buildings around. She couldn't see it, not yet, but from the screaming of the people, she knew where to go.
Behind her, Sam picked up Steve so he could fly him there, while Wanda, with the help of her powers, rose from the ground in the distance.
Katya groaned in annoyance, picking up her pace. Luckily, she was a fast runner. ''How is it fair that I have to run there while you all fly there. Nat, where are you?''
Right then, a motorcycle rolled up next to her, a smirking Natasha steering the thing. It was a sight for sore eyes. ''Right here darling,'' she joked, causing Katya to roll her eyes.
Skillfully, Katya jumped on, wrapping her arms around her fiancée tightly. ''The hell did you find this?'' she yelled over the wind as the motor sped up. The citizens were definitely watching now. Even here they knew who the Avengers were, and when two of them sped past you, weaving through traffic, how could you not stare?
Natasha narrowly avoided a stall with fruit. ''I stole it!''
Of course she did. This time however, Katya didn't protest. Over Natasha's shoulder, she saw a big cloud of green gas twirling up in the atmosphere, like a tornado but going up. The red wisps laced through it betrayed who was responsible for it and the brunette felt a rush of pride.
''Rumlow has a biological weapon,'' Steve announced over the comms. Despite infiltrating the building by himself, he wasn't out of breath.
''We're on it,'' Natasha answered without having to clarify what ''we'' meant. Everyone knew the Russians stuck together on missions. ''I'm gonna need you to jump,'' she yelled over her shoulder, driving the bike through the now broken entrance and onto the small plaza behind, acting as a parking lot for the institutes trucks.
Of course the second Katya jumped off, Natasha crashed the bike. The bike she stole. It smashed into a man, sending him flying. She sent one of her Widow Bites into the next man, kicking the third one in his chest and into the truck behind. This all was done before Katya was back on her feet, pulling her gun out the back of her jeans.
She shot a guy who wanted to sneak up on Natasha as she fought, kicking car doors into people's faces and slamming their guns into their noses. But pretty soon Katya was met with her own resistance, three guys circling around her like hyenas.
She shot the first one in his neck before he knew what had happened, grabbed the knife from the inside of her jacket and threw it into the second man's thigh. The third one she disarmed with a simple kick to his rifle before ducking down and sweeping his legs away. The legs were always easiest while fighting men and women in body armor.
They relied too much on the protection on their top half they forgot their bottom half. Same with Steve, who forgot his shield was kind of small for such a big guy and only hid his chest when standing up.
The second man fell unconscious with a kick to his face, definitely breaking his nose in the process. Now there was only the third man left, who was silently crying about his thigh. Katya plucked the knife out of his leg, threw the man over her shoulder and angled the weapon so that it slipped under his armor and as close to his heart as possible.
This was all done without breaking a sweat. But because she had been distracted, she hadn't noticed Rumlow had thrown Natasha into one of the trucks together with a grenade.
Katya jumped when the explosion rang out and spun around so quickly she was a blur. ''Nat!'' She took two other man down on her way over, crouching down next to a coughing Natasha who turned on her back to get more air. ''You okay?''
''Amazing,'' she groaned, accepting the hand Katya offered her.
''Sam. He's in an AFV heading north,'' Steve reported. He looked to have taken a hit, but he was Captain America, he could handle a lot.
Katya saw Natasha eye the bike she had crashed earlier. It may have a few scratches and bumps, but it would be fine to drive. She helped the redhead get it up and took her place behind her again. Together they sped towards the market, following Sam who flew above their heads.
Sam scanned the place for the hostiles. One of them had the weapon, an innocent looking tube with a deadly disease. Who knew how many people Rumlow could wipe out with it. ''I got four, they're splitting up.''
Natasha underran the bike in a couple cars, running over the their hoods. ''I got the two on the left.''
Katya followed but split off when her boots hit the ground. ''I got the right.''
The crowd in the market was suffocating. It almost caused her to go claustrophobic. To fight it, she kept her sharp eyes on the men in black. It was too risky to shoot at them between all these people. She would have to fight them hand to hand.
''They ditched their gear. It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload,'' Steve spoke in the brunette's ear as she rudely pushed people aside and skillfully jumped over crates and stalls.
Katya sped up when she left the market and had one of her two men right in front. She was faster because he made the mistake of looking over his shoulder, which slowed him down. With a powerful jump on his back, she tackled him to the ground, punching him unconscious.
She was about to search him when a flash of black in the corner of her eye caused her to duck. Just in time because a bullet flew right over her head. Pulling out her own gun, she shot the mercenary in his knee and then his shoulder.
Quickly, she crouched down and patted the men's clothes and backpacks for the weapon, but came up empty. She cursed softly. ''Nat, I'm empty.''
''Don't worry, I got it!'' The woman yelled in her ear. She was slightly out of breath from running and jumping and Katya wasn't about to sit there and wait. So she followed the yells of people and the crashing noises from the center of the market. People threw nasty looks at her as she crashed into them, but were quick to cover them up when they saw who she was.
''Drop it. Or I'll drop this. Drop it!'' A man yelled loudly.
Katya arrived at the scene in the middle of a stand-off. One of the men had a gun pointed at Natasha, while she did the same to him. The second man was the real threat though. In his hand was the weapon with the unknown virus and he threatened to drop it.
Katya snuck up behind the first man so Natasha saw her. They didn't have to discuss the plan, they were thinking the same thing.
With a subtle nod, Natasha told Katya she was ready. The brunette didn't waste time and shot the man with the vile in his head at the same time Natasha shot the man who had her pinned down. Just in time, she caught the glass tube before it hit the sandy ground. Elegantly, she jumped back up, her red hair swinging back.
''Payload secure,'' Natasha confirmed to the others, turning towards Katya who emerged from the shadows. ''Thanks babe.''
Katya smiled brightly, clicking the safety back on her gun. ''You're very welcome.''
Their moment of relaxation and celebration was unjustified however. Rumlow was still out there and it wouldn't be hard to guess who he was after, Steve's grunts were heard over the radio.
Once again, Katya weaved through the market, but this time she was too late for the action. Over the comms she heard Wanda grunt and in front of her, a ball of fire rose up in the air. It must have been Rumlow, since he was the only one stupid enough to blow himself up, hoping to take Steve with him in the process.
Wanda wasn't strong enough to compress such a powerful explosion and rise a person into the air at the same time. Her powers faltered until they failed altogether, releasing the hold she had on the bomb. It exploded right next to a high apartment building.
This only caused Katya to run faster and into the clearing the crowd had unconsciously made. Everyone was running away from the disaster. Everyone but the Avengers, who ran towards it.
Wanda gasped and fell onto her knees, tears jumping in her eyes. Katya was with her immediately, sitting on her knees in front of her and grasping her face. ''Wanda, look at me. Look at me,'' she repeated more sternly when the woman, almost ten years younger than her, didn't listen the first time.
Natasha ran into the clearing too, first looking up at the building and then down to the two women on their knees in the sand. It warmed her heart how much Katya cared about Wanda, they were almost sisters at this point.
''Accidents happen. Don't blame yourself, okay?'' Wanda tried looking away from Katya's intense gaze, but the brunette kept ducking her head to catch it. ''Wanda. Are you hearing me?'' Katya lightly shook Wanda's head to wake her up. ''Blaming yourself doesn't make anything better, it only makes you hate yourself. Trust me, I've been there.''
All the Avengers heard her speech, either because they were standing right next to her or in Sam's case, over the comms.
Wanda was in no state to answer, so Katya stood, pulled her up from the ground and sat her down on a crate a good distance away from everything. Emergency services would take it from here, there was nothing left for them to do.
Katya shared a worried look with Natasha, who had followed them. The youngest woman sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, staring into nothingness. Just when she was doing better, this happened.
Natasha nodded her head, gesturing for Katya to follow her. Out of earshot from Wanda, they stopped, equal frowns on their faces. ''This is bad. There were people in that building. She's never killed before if you don't count the robots. You remember how guilty we felt after killing our first man, we need to keep an eye on her.''
Katya sighed, studying the toes of her boots. ''I agree, but there's only so much we can do.'' Her fingers ran through her sandy brown locks.
A slim hand found its way to her underarm, squeezing it lightly. ''She looks up to you, you'll figure it out.''
''I don't know, Nat.'' Katya admitted, finding the courage to look into those deep green eyes that felt like home. ''I've never been in this position before where I am the example. I was always the example of what not to be and suddenly I have to do everything right.''
Uncertainty was the thing Katya hated most. She didn't know how to be a good example, she was just herself. And no matter how many people told her that that was enough, she would never fully believe it.
''You don't.'' Natasha countered. ''It's trial and error and I think you've been doing an amazing job training her.''
The sirens of emergency services came closer, reminding Katya once again how bad it was. ''Not good enough apparently.'' Her hands played with the gun in her hands. Such a deadly weapon. Something no one should be allowed to wield.
Natasha threw her a glare. It frustrated her how Katya always blamed herself. ''You just gave her a speech on not blaming herself and then you go and do it yourself. You have no clue about powers or anything like that. She's had to figure that out on her own, but she's a good spy. You're doing the best you can, Kat.''
''I know.'' Katya admitted defeat, hanging her shoulders. ''I just wish this hadn't happened. The people still hate us after what happened in Sokovia.''
''Yeah,'' Natasha breathed, turning her head to look at the flames. ''I'm afraid this isn't over yet.''
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A/N: and I'm back with a Friday update! Thank you for being patient last week and thank you for everyone who commented on the two questions on my profile. I will go through them and draw a conclusion. For now, enjoy this and I'll see you on Monday!