Lieutenant - Daughter of the Captain

Chapter 31.0 - Puberty

It had been a few days since she set foot anywhere near the lab.

Carter wanted nothing more than for the scepter to be as far from her as possible.

She just had to hold out until it was on Asgard, and then she'd never have to deal with it again.

Carter was doing strength-training against a padded mannequin, pushing herself until each punch was a little stronger, each kick a little faster.

She hadn't had a chance to reach out to the voice again. She strongly believed it was Wanda Maximov, but she was still reluctant to trust her- no matter what she'd said to Tony.

Instead, she'd tried to ignore the outburst she'd had in the lab, and the itching feeling she sometimes felt in the back of her head- even with her ears fully active.

She kept up her training with Clint, now that he was cleared for full combat again.

Unfortunately, this was the night of the party, so she was stuck training herself while the others got ready to mingle with strangers.

Steve had made sure she held up her promise to at least tell Tony she'd stop by the afterparty. She felt a little better when he promised they weren't getting "new years eve" or "birthday" drunk, not that she knew what that meant when it came to Tony.

She was prepped to land another kick on the abused mannequin when the lights shut off in the training room, and she blinked to adjust to the dim light flooding in through the windows.

She spotted a silhouette in the mirrored wall across the room, watching the form stalk towards her silently.

But she would be no one's prey.

She couldn't hear their footsteps, only the familiar buzz in her head. Instead, she relied on her perception of the space.

She counted the steps they took, using her mental outline of the room to map their approach. She waited...

Five more steps...

Four...

Three...

Two...

A kick- just slow enough for her assailant to grip her leg, giving her small frame the advantage as she used their hold as a step-up to swing her other leg around and over their opposite shoulder and around their neck.

She easily leaned forward, like a gymnast over a bar, tucking her head and bringing them both to the floor. Sending her right leg over their other shoulder, she strengthened her hold on their throat, not strangling- only holding tight enough so they couldn't get their head loose.

A large hand tapped lightly on her leg, and she immediately released her victim, a smirk landing on her small features as the lights flicked on once more.

Her assailant- Steve -stood up slowly, rolling his eyes at her smug expression.

"I'll never understand why you do that," She said, backing towards the bench so she could catch his next words.

He shrugged, rolling his shoulders a little in the process, "Gotta keep you on your toes," He joked.

The lights flickered and they looked towards the door, "She's gotta keep you on your toes, old man. How about you leave her training to the spry and flexible..." Natasha quipped at him, earning a glare and a fistbump from the girl when she reached the pair.

"Training? I figured you'd be getting ready for the party?" Carter asked Natasha from her seat on the bench, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.