The Ghost [Marvel | Steve Rogers]

Chapter 72

Upstate New York, USA

Late Summer 2015

Before Nadine knew it, summer was beginning to circle around to autumn. The Avengers Compound was, at most, a few days away from being officially completed. The work on construction and outfitting was finally wrapped up. There were a handful of the latest Stark-made Quinjets on the landing pad and technicians of all kinds scurried and flitted about. The whole facility was teaming with personnel, really—many former S.H.I.E.L.D., if Nadine wasn't mistaken—and the Team itself, its newest members included, were settling in, preparing for whatever training regimen Rogers and Natasha seemed to be cooking up.

It really had become the home of the Avengers.

And Nadine had somehow settled into life at the Compound right alongside them. She really had, and for the life of her, she hadn't entirely figured out how. How was it that she already felt so comfortable here?

Because she could be herself here. Without any pretenses. There was no need for them. She honestly felt like she could let her guard down in this place. Not that she didn't still disappear behind her masks more often than not. It was more that she felt like she could. She had the freedom to be open even if she wasn't quite practicing the impulse yet. She felt like, should the urge grab her, she could just talk to people, be it her sister or the guy eating his sandwich in the agents' cafeteria, without having to police her every word and expression, without having to analyze and study everything the other person said or did.

Perhaps that was why.

It was comfortable because she was learning she could be herself and no one would bat an eye. Everyone knew she had her secrets and they let her be. She was what she was, a highly trained and Enhanced spy and assassin, and that was that. It was no different in this place than Natasha being Black Widow, or Stark Iron Man. They all just were.

It was something she was still getting used to. But she found she liked it, bewildering as it was.

Never once had she expected to be respected for being what she was. Not like she was at the Avengers Compound. It was the same sort of respect the Avengers were given. An admiring sort, rather than the intimidated, fearful sort she had anticipated when word made it around about just what she was. Especially as word about her role in taking Strucker's base, her part in fixing the Ultron Fiasco and her alliance with the Avengers joined that talk. It truly did lend credence to Natasha's observations from before their mission in Paris that most of the people in the Compound saw her as a de facto Avenger. She still didn't see herself as one—not by a long shot—but it was a strangely reassuring feeling nonetheless.

That wasn't to say it had been a completely seamless transition. The Ghost was not infamous, after all, and rumour that the Avengers' mysterious new ally was in fact The Ghost was being whispered around the Compound. So while most treated her much as they treated the Avengers—with respectful deference and an appropriate measure of distance—thanks to her role in fighting by their side, there were no few nervous, suspicious and even fearful glances sent her way that always managed to wear on her after a while.

Not that she was exactly surprised by that either. Even if her identity as The Ghost was still hearsay beyond the Avengers and their inner most circle of allies, she was an assassin, and an Enhanced one at that. But as far as the rest of the Compound was concerned, she was a highly trained operative just as Natasha was, who had also thrown in with the Avengers in Sokovia. But she wasn't about to go shouting it out that she was The Ghost, no matter how comfortable she was growing, and she wasn't going to apologize for it. She was wanted around the world, and she suspected the loyalty inherent to the Avengers within the facility and the uncertainty that she was actually the notorious Ghost was all that kept her presence from being reported.