2004
A long year had passed in service to SHIELD. I had many operations completed with 100% success under my belt. Fury even trusted me to handle a couple missions solo now, ranging from succide missions to escorting people of interest. In the world of espionage and of global threats I had made a name for myself. Unfortunately I was nowhere close to getting my hands on HYDRA, a fact I've shared with Fury as of late. I was starting to think I'd have to take matters into my own hands.
Currently I was in a hotel room in disguise wearing an armed security uniform that covered my entire body and face. Clint and I were here to protect some politician or bureaucrat, I hated his guts. This was the third time I worked to ensure his safety and every time he'd end the night with a woman behind his wife's back. I was watching tv when Clint nudged my shoulder. Time to move.
Today the bureaucrat had to attend an event and it was his job to convince a politician as he owed a favour to SHIELD. Clint told me that it was an easy job and that it was near impossible for someone to attack the event in broad daylight in the states without us knowing beforehand. In my head, Fury put me on timeout for inquiring about his HYDRA efforts.
I got up and the politician walked out from his room with four of his guards in the same uniform as me. Only him and Clint were in elegant suits since Clint would keep watch from afar for any abnormalities. He didn't even acknowledge us and walked out of the hotel room. My partner and I followed behind them to the event. It was to be held in the hotel, apparently only the higher class and their guests would be a part of it.
Before we entered the ballroom where the event organisers prepared everything, Clint separated from the group to go his own way without drawing attention. I, on the other hand, had to stay next to the guy as he greeted everyone, faking his laugh and kind personality. Minutes turned to hours and we remained in the same group that inflated the man's ego.
Clint spoke through my mic, "I've just done my fifth sweep of the party, nada. Oh where, oh where could our target be?"
I was standing behind the man with his bodyguards at my side and answered discreetly with a whisper, "another hour of this and I'll change targets."
"I'd rather be drinking champagne and winking at the pretty ladies than being under gun fire," he replied.
"I'd take a tank over this." I said watching the bureaucrat praise himself for the eighth time.
Clint laughed, "well we both are experiencing a very different kind of party. Aren't you going to one after this with the X-men?"
"Fury ordered me to. Wants me to talk with Charles about integrating them with SHIELD operations. The party is just something the school was doing beforehand." I answered.
"Either way, try to enjoy yourself with kids your age. I know I'm cool but I have a solo mission for a while." He responded.
Just then a lady in a tight red dress that had a cut at the side showing her legs appeared in the group of politicians. Her blonde hair and figure is exactly the type the scum I guarded enjoyed.
"Shit, we might lose this fucker Clint." I said with an annoyed voice.
"Let's hope he makes it quick if it happens." Was all he said.
Ten minutes went by with subtle flirting between them before the woman started to caress his arms with her finger while giving him the 'fuck me' eyes. Why did a hard working gold digger have to appear now on my mission. He started to say his goodbyes to the group and I knew he was leaving the site without his job being finished.
I stepped forth putting my hand on his shoulder pretending to be a loyal bodyguard giving him news, "Sir, the task hasn't been completed."
He turned around, removing my hand and placing his hands on my shoulders and in a condescending tone spoke, "there is no task when theres no objective. Now, if you excuse me I'm going to the bathroom where I might want someone to follow me in and it's definitely not going to be some mutant ape." He tapped my arms as if treating a dog and looked at his men behind me.
I felt their arms holding back from following him while he left with the woman in red. "Clint the racist is going to be in the bathroom for ten seconds I bet. Can you follow him before I make a scene with these so-called bodyguards." If there was ever a mission to put a bullet in his head I'd do it for free I told myself.
"Way ahead of you." He said.
From the distance I saw as the politician walked into the bathroom with the lady stuck to his arm. Shortly after Clint went in. A minute went by and the lady left alone without a hurry. Clint didn't come out nor answer the mic and I felt something off. I started making my way there when one of the bodyguards tried to stop me and I simply turned around to throw a right hook knocking him out, the others backed off.
I ran now to the bathroom only to find Clint's mic on the floor destroyed and him squirming on the floor, "she killed him. Go after her, she kicked me in the balls." he said while groaning.
Dashing through the event I followed the trace of the lady calling in for help from headquarters for her location. Fifth floor they said and I ran up the stairs knowing I could catch up to her. When I reached the floor I saw her come out of one of the rooms with a bag. She saw me and started running for the window at the end of the hallway. I followed her example as she jumped through it, falling down to the building below.
The woman was on the other side of the building climbing down a ladder when I landed. I made it a meter across when the roof exploded and I fell four levels to the ground. My healing factor kicked in as my skin glowed red across the cuts and my broken legs returned to normal. I got up covered in dust and broke through the walls of the ruined building onto the streets of downtown. They were filled with scared pedestrians and with no sight of the woman. Headquarters looked through the cameras in the surrounding area and agents found no trace of her. My first failed mission and I was pissed at the complete failure it was, with Hawkeye here there wasn't an excuse for what just happened.
Fury called us back to the Helicarrier and we were now at the command center where agents handled the numerous operations worldwide on hightech computers with a table at the entrance for important briefings. Me and Clint sat at the table with Fury finishing his talk with agent Hill before coming to address us.
"You just got your asses kicked." Was his first sentence. "Perhaps it's your fault for letting the idiot get his high in the bathroom or my lack of foresight of not mentioning who did it."
Agent Hill came around to handle us two tablets with information. "The operative who did this came from an organisation we know as the 'red room'. What we've learned as of yet is that they train young girls from an incredibly young age to be spies. Brainwash them, mold them, make them mindless killers. They earn a very specific skill set and tend to be successful. However the one you encountered yesterday we believe to be one of these operatives who has been on our radar for a while now, alias the Black Widow. Normally works in Europe, this is the first time she crossed the seas for a mission in the states. And as you can tell, they have become a thorn in my side." Fury said.
He locked eyes with us, "this is your assignment now. You won't finish it until the red room is taken down indefinitely. You start once Clint returns from his…mission and your talk with Charles Xavier. You are dismissed."
We walked back to our rooms without talking. In my room I was organising a bag on my desk to leave for the school when Clint walked in my room closing the door behind me. He sat on my bed while he tossed a ball he kept in his hands back and forth. Something he would do when thinking deeply on some important life lesson to give me.
"Spill it out already, I'm almost done packing." I said with a humorous tone.
"Remember your tooth brush." he said in amusement before returning to a serious tone, "the Black Widow, huh." He spoke.
"Huh, what?" I said, turning to him with my bag over my shoulder.
"It's just, I can't wrap my head around it. She knew about us before she completed her mission. Yet in the bathroom she only kicked me." Clint said, wanting it to be taken more than just as a fact.
"And set a trap with bombs for me." I replied, trying to figure out his problem.
He pointed his finger at me as if he came up with an idea, "you see that's the point. She spared us, well me at least. Walked away when she could have ended me in the fucken bathroom." Clint chuckled before continuing, "if the 'red room' is so malignant, she sure is one kind operative."
"A benevolent assassin you mean?" I replied with sarcasm.
He laughed, "I see my charms are finally rubbing off you after a year together. I guess we'll just have to see if I'm right going forth with this mission."
"Right about what? You haven't even said anything as of yet." I said watching him leave.
"Enjoy your party kid, by the way what about the name Flint. Would be great, Clint and Flint, the dynamic duo against the evils of the word." He waved his hand dramatically as he pitched the 100th name idea to me.
"To be decided." I said watching him leave.