Red Thorn

Chapter 7

May 2014

Steve and Natasha were in the back of a Quinjet with SHIELD's STRIKE unit over the Indian Ocean. One of their vessel's had been compromised, taken by pirates just over an hour and a half earlier. "Secure channel seven," Cap said, tapping on the communicator in his ear.

"Seven secure," the Black Widow replied. "Did you do anything fun on Saturday night?"

"Well, all the guys from my barber shop quartet are dead, so... No, not really," Steve quipped.

The pilot's voice suddenly rang through the radio. "We're coming up on the drop zone, Cap."

"You know, if you ask Kristen out from statistics," Natasha suggested, readjusting her gauntlets, "She'd probably say yes."

He shook his head. "That's why I don't ask."

"Too shy or too scared?" she teased.

"Too busy!" With that, he jumped out of the plane without a parachute, diving into the choppy waters below.

He quietly climbed onto the deck, using his shield to swiftly disable those around him so that no one could raise the alarm. Just as he thought he had gotten them all, he came face to face with the barrel of one of the pirate's guns. "Bouge pas, bouge pas!" he shouted, telling him to stay still.

A silenced shot was fired and the Frenchman fell lifelessly to the floor.

"Thanks," Cap told Rumlow, the man in charge of the STRIKE team, as he landed a few feet away.

"Yeah," the agent said, looking over the many fallen pirates. "You seemed pretty helpless without me."

"What about your old neighbour in New York?" Natasha asked, nimbly landing besides the two men. "Charlotte, wasn't it?"

"Oh no." He shook his head. "We're good friends, nothing more."

"Friends?" the redhead queried.

"Yes, friends," he affirmed. "Her last relationship broke her, but maybe I'll introduce you to her sometime. I think you'd get on."

Natasha followed Cap along the deck, whispering to him, "What last relationship?"

His face dropped as he realised his mistake, Red had told him that her siblings didn't know, neither did Director Fury. "Secure the engine," he deflected, "Then find me a date."

"I'm multitasking," she responded, leaping over a railing as she wondered how hard it would be to get the information she wanted from the super soldier.

*

Red was sat on the steps just outside a DC apartment building, her hood up as she waited for the familiar sound of a certain super soldier's motorbike. Soon enough, he pulled up, not noticing her until she spoke. "Capitaine?"

His head whipped around at the sound of her voice. "Charlie?"

"C'est moi," she said, her smile mirroring his. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he said, but she wasn't fooled. "It's work, Fury he has lots of secrets and I'm not sure if I want to keep taking orders from someone I'll never know if I can trust." She nodded in understanding. "Anyway, how are you? What brings you to Washington?"