The Mimic

105

"So, where're we going?" Y/n asked, pulling on a jacket as she walked out of the compound.

A few months had passed, and everything seemed to be going great. There had been a few missions here and there, but nothing that the team couldn't handle. Everything was just nice. Y/n had finally found people that treated her like family, and she never wanted to let go of them. Yes, it was a crazy, dysfunctional family, but it was y/n's family. She'd never want them to change. Life just wouldn't be the same if she didn't hear bickering at stupid hours in the morning. 

"Lagos, Nigeria." Steve announced, walking a few steps ahead of y/n. He was already in 'focus mode', and didn't seem to be in the mood for any jokes. Whatever this mission was, it was important to him. However, only a select few were actually coming on the mission. Y/n being one of them. Natasha, Sam, and Wanda were also chosen to come along. In the missions room, Steve had refused to tell y/n why Bucky wasn't chosen, but y/n was adamant to figure out why. 

All five climbed into the quinjet, beginning to sit down and strap themselves into their seats. "Are you going to tell me what the mission is, or do I just have to go along with it?" Y/n asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She sat down in one of the seats, beginning to tie the laces of her combat boots. Wanda, Natasha, and y/n had been instructed to go undercover, so they didn't have their typical mission suits on. They had to look as much like civilians as possible, which was fun, but a pain when it came to combat. 

Steve sat down in the pilot's seat, setting his shield on the ground beside him as he strapped in. "Well, if you weren't so late you would've been able to make it to the briefing. Don't get annoyed at me, it's your mistakes that put you in this position." Steve said seriously, snapping straight back at y/n when he heard the annoyance in her voice. He was already stressed over the mission, he didn't need y/n trying to start an argument as well. 

Y/n sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she leant back in her seat. As much as y/n hated to admit it, Steve was right. She had been out in the city with Bucky for two days straight, and had only arrived back at the compound this morning. It had been an amazing two days, but the pair had barely slept. Especially y/n. The most amount of sleep that she'd gotten was probably a twenty-minute power nap on the subway. That was it. She'd just been running off of caffeine and sugar to keep herself going. Well, that and the fact that she was terrified to sleep. Her nightmares were beginning to get worse, and y/n just couldn't handle it anymore. That was why she convinced Bucky to escape to the city with her, she had to escape her thoughts and make better memories. She'd do anything to block out the horrible memories embedded in her brain. 

Y/n took a deep breath, resting her hands on her lap as she let her eyes adjust to the light once again. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Cap. I didn't know there was a mission planned for today." She sighed, knowing that she needed to clear the tension in the air before the mission begun. They were a team, and teams work together, even if they don't always get along. Y/n watched as Steve begun to turn around, his mouth opening as if he was about to continue to scold her, but she quickly cut him off. "And I know that I should've known! But I was stupid and left my phone back at the compound. I know, I know." She huffed, resting her head back on the seat once Steve turned back around. Y/n knew that she was in trouble, she didn't need anyone else to rub it in even more. God, she felt like a guilty child. She knew what she'd done was wrong, yet everyone kept deciding to remind her, it was beginning to get on her nerves.

Once they were up in the air, Steve finally decided to tell y/n what the mission was about. He put the quinjet on autopilot, and made his way to the back of the plane where the rest of the team were sat. "The reason why Bucky isn't coming along, is because we're tracking an ex-Hydra operative. We know that Rumlow has made contact with Bucky before, and I don't want to trigger any bad memories for him." Steve explained with a sigh, sitting in the seat opposite y/n and the rest of the team. "I chose you to come along because I know you can work well with Wanda's powers in case anything goes south. And, from what you've told us about your time in Hydra, you were mostly isolated, so I'm sure that Rumlow doesn't even know who you are." Steve continued to explain, pulling up a holographic screen that displayed Rumlow's identity and details. "We're not sure what he's doing in Lagos, but we know that he's gathered a team of operatives to join him. So whatever it is must be important." Steve hummed, pulling up a map of Lagos on the screen.

Steve explained where everyone was going to be stationed, and what everyone's jobs were for the mission. Y/n, Wanda, and Natasha were stationed on the ground. They were going to be undercover as civilians, and their job was to look out for any suspicious behaviour. They knew that Rumlow was somewhere in Lagos, but none of them knew exactly where. Sam and Steve were stationed up high, with Steve watching through a hotel window and Sam patrolling the rooftops. There was no way Rumlow could escape.

Y/n couldn't help but smile as she was given the details of the mission. They hadn't had a mission as serious as this for a long while. God, this was going to be fun.