Chapter: 8
Agent Coulson didn't come back into the room like she had expected. Instead it was Director Fury himself that walked through the door. He locked the door behind him and she didn't comment, she didn't really care. If she truly wanted to she could get out. Her brain already, unintentionally, went through at least a dozen different ways she could kill the man. She could do it if she chose, but if he was going to kill her she really couldn't say that she blamed him. Natasha had killed a lot of people with a lot fewer reasons than anyone would have for killing her. By every meaning of the definition, Natasha felt that maybe she deserved death. She shook that thought away immediately. She knew that she didn't deserve death. No, she deserved something so much worse than that, death would be merciful. Also, she expected that if she did kill the director she probably wouldn't make it out of the building. She knew that she was good, but eventually that wouldn't be enough right? Besides, if this second chance thing that Barton had told her about did work out, maybe she wasn't ready to die just yet.
"You can stop now." He said as he took the seat across from her. Her eyes briefly glanced at the folder that he put on the table before looking back up at him.
"Stop what?"
"Imagining all the ways you could kill me." He spoke as if they were talking over coffee or something. "You may hide it well, but I know the type Romanoff."
"How many ways did you get to?" She asked him.
"About ten," he replied, crossing one hand over the other.
"About?"
"One or two of them was questionable if you'd survive or not. Also, I haven't actually seen you in combat." He shrugged and she just nodded. "And yourself?"
"About thirteen," she replied with the same calm voice that he used. He nodded as well.
"And how would you get out?" He asked and leaned forward just a bit, resting his elbows on the table.
"If I managed to kill you silently, I would have a few more minutes, so I'd probably take two lefts and a right and go down the stairs. If I managed to get that far I'd go down to the first floor and maybe try to head out through the front entrance, killing whoever stood in the way. Then again I could also go to the hanger and steal a jet." She said without hesitation. "I could also just engage in a full-out battle and try to kill as many agents as I could until I either got taken down or escape." She said without hesitation.
"I'm guessing though, that those aren't even the main plan." He said and she neither confirmed or denied the statement. He nodded and looked at her with his completely serious look that he did so well. "Ms. Romanoff, I've locked the door and disabled the video to this room." He said and tapped his finger on the folder. ""This will be the only record that this conversation took place, do you understand me?" She nodded and he continued. "Right now I want you to tell me everything you know about the red room. I want to know the leaders, the locations, the biggest hits they were involved in, everything." He noticed the slight tensing of her facial muscles. If he were anyone else he doubted that he would have noticed. "You don't have to go into any details about your personal experience but I would also like to know how they trained their agents, the serums they used, the...techniques." He studied her for a moment, her eyes seemed faded, like what Coulson had described to him before. "Romanoff!" he snapped and they cleared instantly. "After this you won't have to tell anyone else what you say here." He said and waited for her to acknowledge that she understood. "You do understand how much more difficult this makes everything?" She only nodded in response, her emotionless mask was unbreakable. "The Council is going to have to hear about where you came from, your cooperation with this" he said indicating the folder "may be the only thing that will keep you alive when they are informed. Now, I'll be honest when I say that no one here trusts you. In fact, many of them would feel better if you were dead." She didn't even flinch at his words. She already knew that they were true. "However, if you are serious about joining SHEILD then I'll try my best to make that happen. Do you understand?" Again she only nodded. "But do not underestimate me Ms. Romanoff, if I get the slightest hint that you might have another agenda, especially because of where you came from, then I will not hesitate to order your death. Do we understand each other?" She nodded "A real answer Romanoff," he said.
"Yes."
"Yes sir," he said back to her and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at that.
"Sir is a sign of respect," she said "I'm still making up my mind if you deserve it." He was a bit taken back by that, not even Barton had talked to him that way. This woman was fearless.
"You aren't going to make this easy are you Romanoff?" She leaned forward and mirrored him with her elbow on the table and the dead serious look in her eyes.
"My instructor's name was Ivan," she said began "Ivan Petrovich."
Clint was exhausted but refused to slow down. He hit the punching bag with a series of complicated moves. He happened to glance over at the sparing ring where two juniors where moving around each other at a level he had passed a long time ago. He smirked at the memory of his last sparing match. He had sent the junior agent who had challenged him to the medical ward with a dislocated shoulder. To be perfectly honest he hadn't meant to do it. The junior agent just didn't know how to fall right so that the damage was minimum. Clint didn't know that he didn't know that. When you've fought at a certain level for so long it's easy to forget that the agents that were at a lower level don't know the same moves you do, especially when you're in the middle of a match and only thinking about your next move. He could bring himself to feel to bad about it though, the guy was a little prick who needed to be taken down a notch. He was sure that the guys trainer actually wanted to thank him but that would have been inappropriate. However, he did make a point to go easier on the junior agents after that. It was boring though, he hadn't had a really good sparing partner in a while. Actually the last really good fight he had was with Natasha on the night he was trying to kill her, go figure. He did hope that the interrogations would be over soon. She would be starting her monitored training sessions right after they were through. Coulson had already informed him that he would be there to watch her as well since she would technically be his responsibility. However he wouldn't be running any of the official tests himself, just monitoring.
"When's the last time you slept kid?" He heard behind him as he continued his assault. "Or had anything to eat?"
"What do you want Coulson?" He asked without stopping.
"Answer the question Barton."
"I got a few hours last night and had a bite to eat, ok mother?" He said as he thew some more punches.
"A few hours in last night or in the last few nights, and what was it that you ate exactly?"
"Jeez Phil," he stopped and turned around to face the older man "I ate a turkey sandwich and got exactly five hours of sleep last night, you happy now? Am I free to live my life?"
"I'm just trying to make sure you're taking care of yourself," Coulson said and Clint rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you don't need someone on your ass about your health."
"I can take care of myself," Clint mumbled under his breath as he unwrapped his fingers.
"If left up too you, you'd keep going until you collapsed." He shot Clint a look that dared him to argue. "You look tired, how long have you been here?"
"Well," Clint said and Coulson gave him another look. "I didn't have anything to do today so..."
"You've been here all day?" Clint shrugged. "You're hopeless, you know that right?" They both walked over to the bench that was near the wall and took a seat.
"Why are you here and not in the interrogation room?" Clint asked as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"Fury took over," Coulson said "It's not something I can talk about." He said before Clint could even ask. An annoyed look passed through the archer's eyes but left just as quickly.
"Whatever," he mumbled and sat back against the coolness of the wall. Coulson did the same.
"At least you got some sleep last night," he said after a moment. "I bet you anything that over half the base has had trouble sleeping." Clint smiled at that.
"Well, she hasn't killed anyone."
"Yet." Coulson added.
"You don't think that she would have by now if she really wanted to?"
"If she wanted to? Yes, I believe she would have." Coulson replied and turned his head to look at him. "If she was put here by her organization to gain our trust then take us all out, maybe not."
"I don't think that is what she's here for."
"And you would know this how?"
"I just..."
"You have a feeling." He shook his head at him. "One day those are going to get you killed you know," Coulson said looking away from him.
"Eh probably." Clint closed his eyes and let a very slight smile show. "But they haven't killed me yet."
"Yeah, yeah," Coulson replied and got to his feet. "interrogations should be over by the end of today. Fury is going to meet with the Council first thing in the morning and if everything goes ok, she is to start the testing sessions." Clint gave him a confused look.
"I thought Fury already talked to the Council about this, why should he have to speak with them again?"
"Something of importance came up. I'm..."
"Not allowed to say." Clint said with another roll of his eyes.
"Yep."
"You people and your secrets." Clint murmured under his breath.
"We've all got secrets Barton, Don't act like you don't have a few things you don't want anyone to know," Coulson said. "Remember to eat and get to bed at a decent hour." He said as he turned around and began walking to the gym doors.
"Ok mother!" Clint said loudly before Coulson disappeared through the doors. He briefly glanced down at his watch then got up and went right back to what he was doing, another hour or two wouldn't hurt
Ok people, like it? Hate it? Let me know. I at least hope that you all enjoyed reading :)
