Thaw

Mission. Pt 1

TWO WEEKS LATER.

JUNE 13, 2017.

I was walking along the perimeter of the lake behind the facility early in the morning. The air smelt clean and crisp. The sun hung lowly in the sky and the morning dew was evident on the soft grass that tickled my bare feet as I walked farther from the building behind me. 

This had quickly become routine for me. 

Sam and Steve went for runs, Nat did yoga alone in the comfort of her room, Tony made coffee and caught up on news, sometimes, I would find him and Rhodey in the gym, Wanda turned on her music and had a shower... I have walks at dawn. Being close to water is, as it turns out, actually beneficial for me. Tony ran some tests a few weeks ago and came to the conclusion that I gain energy from natural water and clean air. I walked up the dock and sat down on the edge. The lake was relatively small, no one used it, it wasn't the most scenic either. 

I think the location for the facility was only chosen because there was no access point from behind the building. The only entry was the front gates unless someone planned to drop in from air. 

The water was an opaque murky green blue and the sun up enough to illuminate and pierce the surface of the dark lake. Anyone else would be terrified to even dip their feet into a seemingly never-ending, ice cold abyss. Nevertheless, I found myself stripping out of my clothes. I threw my hoodie over my head and stepped out of my sweatpants, leaving the clothes and my phone in a heap on the dock. I was left in my sports bra and underwear causing the cool morning air to leave goosebumps on my skin. I didn't think twice about plunging into the water. Going under was like taking a relieving breath of air. The cold I felt from before vanished and was replaced with the familiar tingling sensation I welcomed with open arms. I resurfaced a moment later and let myself float on my back. I stayed like that for a while, long enough that the sun had fully risen and began to warm the air into the expected warm June weather.

Later.

"Astrid!" I heard the voice of Steve call in the distance.

"Yea! By the lake!" I called back. I began to swim back to the dock and a moment later I heard the sound of feet walking along the wooden boards.

"I brought you a towel. Why don't you ever plan for these beforehand?" He questioned.

"Because I get up and expect to just go for a walk. What can I say, Cap, me and the water are one. It calls to me." I joked, pulling myself up and out of the water. I took the towel from him and wrapped it around my body.

"Well can you at least turn your ringer on? We've been calling for 20 minutes. I picked the short straw and had to come up here myself." He sighed, picking up my clothes and phone.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked, confused. They usually never call me, giving me all the time I want out here alone.

"Everyone's meeting in the briefing room. A mission's come up." He explained as we began the walk back up to the compound.

"Seriously!" I exclaimed excitedly. 

"Yea, you in?" He stopped to face me.

"Yes, of course! Now come on!" I agreed, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. 

Later.

I said a quick good morning to everyone in the living room, grabbed an apple and munched on it as I ran up to my room. I quickly threw on a fresh pair of clothes and hurried back down to meet the others. I sat beside Wanda who smiled seeing me practically bounce in my chair.

"Excited?" she leaned forward and whispered.

"Is that bad? I mean missions usually aren't because something particularly good is going on." I whispered back.