Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 70: Fine Line

For the third time that day, Katya found herself in a jet. All kinds of important UN people were busy calling, typing or writing. What had happened in Vienna was the worst possible start to the Accords. 

In the small bathroom in the front of the plane, she had cleaned herself up as best she could. Someone had been so kind as to retrieve her stuff from the Avengers Quinjet, but she couldn't find the energy to change clothes. Not in this small stall, not when the echo of the bomb rang in her ears. 

To be honest, she wanted to go home, to the compound, and let others deal with this mess. Steve had disappeared in the Austrian capital along with Sam. It wasn't hard to guess where they went, since the news broke Barnes was spotted in Bucharest. 

Part of Katya felt betrayed by two of her friends. It was understandable Steve wanted to protect his friend, get to him before Special Forces could, but didn't he care about the team? Didn't he care about abandoning them, her?

With her icy blue eyes, she studied herself in the small mirror above the sink. In this harsh light, she might as well be a ghost. That's how pale her skin was. Why was she so affected by all this? Why was she constantly nauseous? 

The past repeated itself. She had gotten her hopes up that she had finally found something that would last forever, only for it to crumble down. That's what you got when you let your heart get vulnerable, when you broke the walls down. 

Maybe it would have been better to feel nothing, distant about this whole breakup of the team. But Katya was glad she felt everything, because it suggested it all meant something. 

With a sigh, she unlocked the door and trailed back to her comfortable chair in the back. She said nothing to nobody, slipped off her shoes, grabbed a blanket from the cabinet, put her earphones in and closed her eyes. 

The goal wasn't to fall asleep, the goal was to turn up the volume so loud she was unable to hear her own thoughts. To lose herself in the music as she did when she danced.

The flight only lasted an hour, which was not nearly enough to settle down. Before she knew it, her shoulder was shaken softly. Natasha didn't have to say anything, Katya slipped her shoes on silently. 

Berlin, that's where they were going. A UN-bunker in the middle of the city, somewhere next to the river. Katya didn't sign because she didn't want to be told where to go, which was exactly what was happening now. With reluctance, she trailed after the others, off the plane. It was nice to see Sharon Carter waiting on the bottom of the stairs. At least one person she knew.

''I wonder how Steve knew about Bucharest before Task Force knew,'' Katya hissed at the blonde as she fell into stride next to her. Her accusation was accompanied by a knowing glare. She didn't want Steve locked up, but his refusal to sign the Accords meant he was no longer authorized to act on his own. Katya could respect that rule, no matter how much she hated it, so why couldn't he trust the UN to capture Barnes instead of killing him?

Natasha's head shot to the side, afraid other people had heard her words and it would come back on Carter. ''Katya, you need to calm down.'' As soon as Katya turned around, rage on her face, she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

''Are you seriously telling me to calm down?'' Katya snapped. It was all too much right now. Her voice was loud enough that multiple people around them turned around to see what was going on. ''I am covered in ash, my ears are still ringing and two of our team mates have gone rogue, and there is nothing I can do about it!''

Natasha tried to stay calm. Fighting was not going to solve anything and she knew Katya wasn't mad at her, she needed an outlet and her comment had been the trigger to her explosion. ''I know you're tired, but yelling is not going to solve anything.''