Author's note:
So this story is coming along a little slower than a few other stories, hope you don't mind being patient with me!
Shorter chapter this time!
Thank you to the two reviewers on the previous chapter: ScarlettBarton and Princess2016.
Natasha twisted on the spot, ducking under the agent's arm and stepping behind him. With a swift kick to the back of the legs and quick push, he landed on the ground with a thud. A deep sigh left her when 'Five seconds' was called out. When she was asked to help out with some of the newer recruits, she'd thought it'd be more challenging. Thankfully, she hadn't needed to go through his process; she was already trained in all areas of fighting.
"You were going easy on him." Agent Hand stated.
Natasha gave a short nod, bored out of her mind. "He wasn't a threat; it would have been cruel to fully attack an unarmed individual."
Agent Hand nodded understandingly before dismissing the agents. "How about you stay around, train with some other agents- not recruits."
She wasn't sure if it were a request or order, so she agreed anyway. At least this was better than sitting in her room, waiting for an assignment or the calls from Clint. "Sounds good."
Thirty minutes later, Natasha was pleased she had stayed.
She was stood a few metres away from another agent, one who could hold herself in a fight- and she wasn't a drone. There was so much personality to her movements; she was comfortable in her own skin and knew what she was doing. Neither of them moved for a few minutes, waiting for the other to strike first. Eventually, they took off at the same time; Natasha twisted around, almost throwing the other agent to the floor, who rolled out of it. When she straightened up, Natasha looked down in shock- she had been tagged.
Of course, Natasha had tagged the other agent more than once; but this was the first time that she had been tagged without realising immediately. Maybe Clint wasn't the only person she could spar with at this place. A small approving smile made its way to her lips. "I like you."
The other agent smiled, almost smirking as she stood up. "Thanks. I'm Izzy."
"Natasha."
"It's a pleasure. Why are you stuffed up here?" Izzy asked her, stepping off the mat to show she wasn't going to attack and that this wasn't a tactic.
Natasha stepped off the mat before answering. "Partner's off for a bit- they won't let me out on my own." She answered truthfully- she had no issues with telling people S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hesitation with letting her do her job.
Izzy cocked her head to one side. "But if you went with somebody, they'd be cool with that?"
"Apparently, but I'm sure they'd find another excuse to keep me locked up here." Natasha replied bitterly. She knew the bitterness wasn't entirely directed at S.H.I.E.L.D- she is used to following orders- but at herself, for choosing to wait for somebody else instead of doing what's best for her and her career. Damn it, she was weak.
"You should tag along onto one of my missions; they are mainly undercover and intel recon, but we'll be thankful to have somebody of your skill level." Izzy offered so casually that Natasha could only compare that to how people throw around eating on a regular basis and meeting up for it.
She gave a short nod, but did not verbally confirm it- but that seemed to be enough for Izzy.
"Great, I'll let you know."
Natasha watched her walk off and turned her attention to the punching bag; if training was over, maybe she should get in a workout- she needed to keep herself in tip-top shape.
Natasha zipped up her tac-suit and double checked the stitching and hidden hooks before grabbing her belt. Looking up Izzy, she attached her belt and picked up her holster. "Are you going to tell me the specifics of what I am to do on this mission?"
Izzy sighed and rolled her shoulders experimentally in her own tac-suit. "Same as me- beat up the bad guys, get the info, get out." She said simply.
Natasha nodded and mentally went through her arsenal of assorted guns and knives before making her way to the door after the quinjet had landed, Izzy right behind her. "You take left, I'll take right." She ordered when they reached the main entrance to the giant building that contained the information they sought. Izzy dipped her head once in confirmation, pulled out a knife, and kicked the doors open forcefully with a combat boot-clad foot. They were immediately swamped with the replaceable goons that made up the security detail, both efficiently sending punches and kicks to the enemies that hadn't already collapsed with a knife or gunshot wound.
"I heard Agent Barton is retiring early." Izzy commented after slicing a chunk of flesh from a man's cheekbone and kicking him in the sternum.
"That's a negative. He's not." Natasha replied as she cleared a path through the sea of combatants with a barrage of bullets.
"Then how come he's not in the field anymore?"
Natasha threw a goon to the ground with a grunt. "That's a temporary measure; he's taken some time off."
"Ever wonder what he does with that much time off?" Izzy asked with a sly grin, stooping down and, in one swift movement, slitting the throat of a man who was struggling to reach his dropped gun. She righted herself, panting a little. "I'm just saying that time off is usually a few days- not weeks. There's something weird there."
"I know what he does with his time off." Natasha replied shortly, crushing another man's fingers under her boot and elbowing someone in the face simultaneously.
Izzy raised a brow. "And that is…?" She gestured for Natasha to continue, using her other hand to slash at an oncoming attacker and sending him to the floor, clutching his bloody face.
"Private."
"Ah, I see how it is." Izzy teased dryly, pausing for a moment to tackle a man to the ground. She pulled his arm behind his back and pressed on it until it cracked audibly, then, as she stood, stomped on the back of his head as hard as she could, throwing her knife into another's neck. "You two are romantically involved, right?" She asked as she retrieved her weapon.
Natasha fired two more rounds into the remaining opponents, downing them. "That's a negative- I thought S.H.I.E.L.D agents were supposed to be good at reading people."
"We are." Izzy replied smugly. Before Natasha had a chance to reply, she was off down the hallway, sprinting to the stairs, giving Natasha no choice but to follow. More goons awaited them on the third floor, and by the time Natasha had caught up, Izzy had slain one third of them. "There's clearly something between you two- at least on your end."
"Negative." Her reply shortened. "He's a trusted friend- I don't have many friends."
Izzy's face morphed into a pout. "And you didn't mention me? That hurts," she commented before returning to her usual smirk and sending a powerful punch into a large man's jaw. "He must really be something special." This was muttered under her breath.
"You're delusional; have you been hit on the head?" Natasha retorted as she steadied her arm, took aim and fired three bullets into an attacker's upper torso- all within a few seconds. She whipped around and did the same to another, then another, while Izzy picked off the stragglers.
"Ah, forget it." Izzy relented with a roll of her eyes, driving her blade into a man's head. "No use in arguing with someone so deeply in denial." There was a glint in her eyes.
Natasha ignored the frustrating fellow agent as she broke a man's legs using only one arm, the other still firing her gun into the lessening crowd of men to take down.
After a few more minutes of combat, the enemies were all down, and the two made their way into the room at the end of the hall. "Watch my back while I get the info." Izzy ordered, crouching by the computer system and pulling out a small device, pocketing her knife.
Natasha lifted her stance, her eyes instantly scanning the room. "Copy that." She replied, surveying the area carefully.
"Alright, almost… got it... We're golden! Let's get the hell out of here!" Izzy exclaimed, jumping up and exchanging the device containing the information for her knife, heading for the door.
Natasha was right on her tail, twisting around to ensure they weren't being followed. There were no words exchanged between them until they were on the quinjet and in the air. "Is that usually how your missions go?" She questioned. It had been a lot more fun than she had expected.
"Nope- usually they're more boring. You're not bad, Romanoff." Izzy replied. "Hey, wanna get a drink? It's a tradition after a successful mission… and unsuccessful missions, too."
"Sure." Natasha agreed with a swift nod. She had never been invited for drinks with anybody apart from Clint at S.H.I.E.L.D- not a proper invitation, anyway. Maybe Clint taking a little time off was beneficial to her.
"Awesome." Izzy took out her knife and a rag and began to wipe the blood from it. "Let's say… six tonight, after debriefing?"
Natasha gave a nod as her reply. That would give her enough time to shower beforehand- it was probably a good idea to wash out the blood. She contemplated thanking Izzy for inviting her, but decided against it.
Thank you for reading, any response you have is welcome :)