Just so I have it out there even though I doubt anyone cares, the three chapter names of this novella are actually what I've been taught as the stages of warfare which I thought would be fitting.
This final chapter is short because making it any longer would just be dragging it on.
Chapter Three: Consequence
The worst part of any mission was the debriefing. Most agents, including Clint and Natasha, would rather have a life-threatening bullet stuck in one of their vital organs rather than face a strenuous and basically useless question session with the Council. The former situation has a higher survival rate and is more relaxing anyways. The Council usually just scolds them and asks questions they already know the answer time which is such a waste of time, in anyone's opinion.
Council: Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton, your actions in the mission - though successful - were extremely irresponsible.
Clint and Natasha stand in front of the panel of Councilmen and Councilwomen. Right now, the two of them feel like children being scolded by a line-up of angered parents for doing something stupid like leaving a fork in the sink or punching another kid at the park. All they want is to be sent to their rooms so they could leave this situation.
"If I may," Natasha says firmly and politely, "ladies and gentlemen of the Council, Agent Barton and I don't have an extraction plan but an unorthodox escape plan instead. We don't follow the rules because we make them for ourselves. And when the time comes, we break them and survive."
The Council is silent.
"Our version of an extraction plan is unexplainable," Clint adds. "They're a ridiculous sequence of events that lead to us almost dying and an even more ridiculous sequence that lead to us surviving. Sure, things never go exactly as planned but we're not dead this time so it's a win."
The Council is not amused by the responses as they were and don't even have to conference with one another to discuss their next move. Some people just didn't appreciate serious jokes.
Council: You are both dismissed.
-o-
"I'd say that was a success!" Clint chants, closing his locker door.
He looks up at Natasha who's now changed into her civvies and has a leg propped up on the bench to lace up her combat boot. She glanced up at him and smirks. They prepared those answers on the way to SHIELD and memorized them like an actor to its script. Once you've been in one debriefing, you've been to all of them and can basically predict what they would ask.
"Drinks on me," Natasha says. "We definitely need them."
"Ah..." Clint mutters nostalgically. "Just like Budapest all over again."
Natasha eyes him strangely. "You and I remember Budapest very differently."
Clint grins. "What would I ever do without you?"
"Probably die."
She was serious...and he didn't argue.
Thank you so much to everyone who has read and enjoyed this. I had loads of fun writing all the wit and comebacks, and just Clint and Natasha in general. Please feel free to check out any of my other stories and even leave me an idea.
~ MysteryGal5
