The following morning, Natasha was horrified to discover that Steve had spent the night in her room. While it was only their first night in Berlin, they were supposed to follow their covers from the moment they arrived. Even if no one had noticed, questions would be raised if her supposed bodyguard was spending the night with her.

Carefully, she untangled herself from Steve and stood up to stretch. The clock beside the bed read 9:12AM and she frowned. Sleeping in on missions wasn't something she enjoyed even if she hadn't accounted for the time change.

"Tasha?" Steve mumbled, turning his head in her direction. He blinked as he saw her standing beside the bed. "I wasn't s'posed to spend the night," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"I know."

She had spent more than just that morning telling herself that.  Unfortunately, she'd developed an awful habit of spending nights with Steve after having nightmares and it seemed that habit would not be disappearing even on missions. She would need to make a point of changing that.

"I should go." He was already standing up despite the sleepy look still in his eyes.

"I'll meet you downstairs," she told him, watching as Steve grabbed the few things he'd brought with him. "Feel free to sleep longer then join me in the lobby when you're ready to begin the day."

Steve merely nodded and waved over his shoulder before slipping out of her room. 

Natasha got ready quickly then made her way to the hotel restaurant. She hadn't brought much aside from her suit and a few handguns, but that was typically for deep-cover missions. Unfortunately, it meant that their first day would be spent shopping for the right cover clothes rather than getting intel.

Rather than waiting for Steve to meet her downstairs, Natasha knocked on his door shortly after finishing breakfast. It took him a little while to open the door and when he did, he had wet hair and was only wearing jeans.

"Nat? I thought you were downstairs."

"We need to go shopping," she said without preamble, "so hurry up."

Steve nodded and opened his door so she could come in. Reaching for a nearby shirt, he tugged it over his head then ran his fingers through his hair once.

"Are we getting breakfast on the way?" Steve asked, pocketing his hotel key card.

"We'll find you something," Natasha said, giving him a teasing smile. "Just don't expect a full buffet." 

They stopped at the hotel restaurant on their way out and once Steve had eaten, they went in search of a taxi to take downtown. 

"Is there any particular place we're going to first?" Steve asked, following Natasha into a large shopping centre. He was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming scent of perfume, but he tried to keep his eyes from watering.

"No." Natasha seemed unaffected by the overpowering perfumes. "Just find what fits."

Steve nodded and even though they were surrounded by Dior and Louis Vuitton, he knew Natasha would be able to find something for both of them.

* * * * 

They had finished shopping by early afternoon and returned to the hotel to contact Fury. After a brief call, they were being sent to a club on the far side of Berlin. If Natasha didn't completely trust Fury's judgement, she would be questioning why Hydra agents were recruiting in German strip clubs.

Natasha had just finished zipping up her dress when her hotel phone rang. Unsurprisingly, it was Steve on the other end.

"I'm ready."

Natasha caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and knew she wasn't.

"Head out," she told him. "I'll meet you there."

She hung up before he could argue and walked over to her duffel bag. At the bottom was a clear bag with a short blond wig folded neatly inside. When she had packed it, she wasn't sure if she would even need it. Now, though, she was glad she had it.

In the bathroom, she braided her hair back and pinned the long braids around her head. She tugged the wig cap over her head before pinning the wig on tightly. After a few adjustments, she walked back out of the bathroom with a smile.

Finding a taxi was a breeze and after a bit of flirting, they arrived at the club. It wasn't nearly as busy as she had anticipated, but she paid the driver instead of thinking about what an empty club could mean.

As she stepped into the club, she was glad to see that there were quite a number of people inside despite her earlier thoughts. A bartender was busy making drinks and to his right at the back of the club, a man stood with his arms crossed. It was almost too obvious he was guarding something, but Natasha made her way to the bar first.

The bartender was friendly and chatty, just enough that she knew he was used to winning over customers. She ordered a drink and when the bartender winked and told her it was free, she nearly rolled her eyes. Instead, Natasha thanked him and turned her attention to the club.

A few minutes later, Steve appeared beside her.

"Maria?"

Natasha nodded then pointed him towards the stairwell with her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I noticed him too," Steve murmured. He glanced down at Natasha's drink and gave her a knowing look, but Natasha rolled her eyes. "We're working."

"I know." She grinned and just to see Steve's reaction, she turned around and smiled at the bartender. He fumbled the drink he was making and turned red, but Natasha had made her point.

"Let's just do our job," Steve muttered.

Natasha nodded. Setting aside her drink, she stood up and walked over to the man standing at the back of the club. Steve followed without question.

"Hello," she greeted in German. The man looked her up and down then grunted. "I would like to meet with the man up those stairs."

"Sorry, ma'am." His Russian accent was unmistakable. "No one up there."

"Oh, you see, I'm here to apply for a job. I'm a scientist, mind you," Natasha said. She spotted his hand drift towards his hip but she continued talking. "I've heard you want something that can control the world and I'd like to offer my services."

The bodyguard eyed her suspiciously then nodded slowly.

"First door on your left." 

Natasha thanked him, running her hand down his arm as she passed. Leaving Steve with the man downstairs, she walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. As the door opened, she spotted a man behind a desk wearing the Hydra symbol on his armband. At the sound of her approach, he looked up and frowned.

"I fear you have confused this room with another," he told her. He motioned to the man beside him to take her away but Natasha spoke up before he reached her.

"I'm Maria von Kant and I have something you're interested in."

The man at the desk looked up, hiding his curiosity well, but not well enough. Encouraged, Natasha continued on to say, "I've conducted many experiments and yielded very promising results. With the right tools, I could give you what you want."

"How did you come to find out about us, Frau von Kant?"

"I have friends in low places," Natasha told him, approaching his desk. "I have a deal for you."

"Yes?" 

"You hire me," Natasha said bluntly. "Give me access to your wonderful labs and give me test subjects. In return, I will provide you with the power to control the world."

The man thought about it for a few seconds and Natasha watched him closely. He didn't seem to be about to reject the idea, though.

"You have yourself a deal, Frau," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake.