Natasha and James waited until nearly midnight to launch their operation against the HYDRA base. Natasha tried not to think of everything that could go wrong. One of the biggest things concerning Natasha was that while both she and Barnes were experienced operators, they had no experience operating together. Natasha reassured herself that while this was a dangerous mission, Barnes was capable of being professional and could be a hard-core lethal badass.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping that the man she'd gone up against in the past was the same man going into this mission with her. If not, she was screwed.
The flat barren terrain around the HYDRA compound offered no way to approach it without being seen. The only option was to go in that night. The moon wouldn't be up for hours. It was the only advantage they were going to get. Though the moonless night gave them the advantage on their approach they stopped their vehicle over two miles from the compound. The terrain was flat. There were no hills, no gullies, no place to hide the Land Cruiser. If not for the pitch blackness caused by the absence of the moon, it would have been like putting up a neon sign announcing their arrival.
Climbing out of the vehicle and quietly gathering at the rear, they gave their equipment a final check, and crept silently towards the base.
"Comm Check." James said quietly.
"Five by five." Natasha chuckled. This was the third comm check he'd done since they'd arrived. "You worried about me?"
"Maybe." But James kept that thought to himself. Instead he told her, "That would be like worrying about a panther in its own habitat. Queen of the jungle, in charge of her domain. I'm worried about this mission. Something doesn't feel right."
Natasha couldn't argue with that, she felt it too.
James was the dedicated marksman for the operation. Romanoff had submitted a detailed equipment list ahead of time, and James had gotten everything he'd asked for. In particular, he'd requested a SOCOM MK-13 sniper rifle, He wanted a powerful weapon with a solid round that would take care of business in any situation. Once they arrived at the base he did a quick sweep for any potential threats, then lowered himself to the ground and settled in behind his rifle.
The public face he put forth in no way jibed with the thoughts of retribution that filled his head. Inside he was a much older man. A jaded, hard man who was now a trained killer. He thought again of his conversation with Fury and his new profession. He was ready. Eager really, but not in a reckless way. More methodical perhaps than at any other point in his life.
Once he was in position James radioed Romanoff. "Negative movement in the compound."
"Copy. Rodger that." Natasha replied as she made her way to the fence. Along with the gear Fury had provide was a breacher's kit. It should have included a set of bolt cutters, instead all she had was leather-man's tool. Natasha took one long look at the gauge of the fence and sighed. The fence was fabricated with heavy galvanized steel, it took a ton of force to cut through the links. It was a bitch of a job.
At least once, James could have sworn he saw Romanoff mouth the words Fuck you at him. He smiled and continued to scan the area for threats. There were no foot patrols. In all likelihood HYDRA didn't think it necessary to post an around-the-clock watch. Big Mistake. When Natasha had opened a hole large enough for them to fit through she chucked the tool aside.
James offered her a fist pump, knowing Romanoff's hand had to be killing her. Instead of responding in kind Natasha gave him the finger. James suppressed a laugh, before gathering up his rifle to join her at the fence. On Natasha's command they climbed through and took up their positions. With confirmation from their drone that the coast was clear, Natasha peeked around the corner of a building and then led them forward.
"Where is everyone?" James asked as they made their way further onto the base, unease tightening his stomach.
"I'm wondering the same thing. There should be guards here." Natasha replied, quietly. Something was very off. It was too still.
In the next instant all hell broke loose. The flashes from a monster .50 cal machine gun as it spat forward its rounds lite up the sky like lightening.
"Smoke that bastard!" Natasha shouted over the radio.
James didn't wait. Pressing the trigger, he sent a single stage HEAT warhead sizzling towards its target. The HYDRA soldier firing the machine gun never saw it coming. The grenade hit the gun, and it exploded in a fireball. Flaming pieces of wreckage littered the compound, and a hail of razor-sharp shrapnel rained down as James leapt back and covered Natasha. "Let's go!" He ordered.
As they took cover around the corner of a building Natasha asked for a SITREP.
"There's two snipers on the roof at our three O'clock." James told her.
"Alright I'll get their attention."
Natasha held up her hand and counted down from three, then step back around the corner. On cue she drew the snipers out. As soon as the soldiers popped their heads up, James stepped out from around the corner and, with Natasha covering him, shot them both. But the moment James had gotten his rounds off, another sniper materialized in the window of a different building.
A bullet whizzed past Natasha's ear. "Fuck!" She cursed, as James grabbed her by her Tac Suit and hauled her back around the corner.
"Where the hell did that guy come from?" James asked through gritted teeth.
"Second-story window across the quad." Natasha replied. She hadn't seen the shooter until the flash erupted from the end of his rifle and by then it was too late.
"I'll cover this time." James said.
Natasha nodded. Slinging her rifle, she transitioned to the Russian grenade launcher and racked it, loading a round. "Just pin him down long enough for me to get off my shot."
"Hundred bucks says you'll miss."
Natasha rolled her eyes and then pointed forward, signaling that she was ready to go. Together the two of them swung around the corner. James peppered the building's second-floor windows with rounds from his MK-13. Natasha brought the grenade launcher up, sighted the window, and fired. The shot was perfect. It sailed straight into the room where the sniper had been and in a blinding flash exploded. Glass, timber, and pieces of concrete erupted out onto the quad. A column of thick, black smoke rose into the air.
"Time to go." Natasha said, as she switched back to her rifle and scanned the area. They didn't encounter any more resistance as they made their way farther into the base. Natasha felt like she was in the Twilight Zone. HYDRA never just let her march in and take over. "Where the hell are the rest of the men? This is too easy."
"Gone. Which makes absolutely zero fucking sense." James retorted. He didn't like the situation any more than Romanoff did. The base was now like a ghost town.
As they came upon the door for the bases main building Natasha held up a hand and tried the doorknob. She had lost count of how many times she had been in some of the world's shittiest, most dangerous places and doors had been left unlocked. That wasn't the case here. Letting her rifle hang against her chest she removed a set of pics from her tac suit and went to work on the lock. Twenty seconds later. She had it open. Pulling back the door she stepped aside so Barnes could enter.
Off in the distance an explosion illuminated the night sky. As Natasha followed Barnes inside she let out a heavy sigh. "They just blew up our ride."
James slide his gaze to Natasha's "So, they're in full retreat? Why?"
"Let's look around and see if we can figure that out. Oh, and you owe me a hundred dollars."
James grunted and headed farther into the building. The place looked like it had been abandoned in a hurry. Every door was open, except one leading into an office. Removing her pics, Natasha got to work. This lock was a little tougher to defeat, but not impossible. As soon as she had it beaten she nodded at James. On James' mark, she opened the door and James slid inside. Natasha followed him in.
It was a small room stacked with supplies. A metal desk with two chairs sat on an old Persian rug. Binders were jammed haphazardly into a cheap wooden bookcase. Along the far wall were several tall filing cabinets. Taped to the wall above them was a map of Belarus. In it, several small pins had been stuck. James studied the map while Natasha moved the chairs and desk. Nothing said HYDRA like a trap door.
She found nothing but the same battered old linoleum tile that ran through the rest of the room. Taking his eyes from the map, James looked down at the floor beneath his boots. The tiles there, as best as he could tell through the gray-green of his night vision goggles, looked less worn than the rest of the others. Crouching, he ran his fingers across the top of them. At first, he didn't feel anything. On his second pass, as he moved more slowly, he felt it. Two grooves.
Waving Natasha over he showed her what he'd found. It took them five minutes to find the release mechanism. Once they did, there was a click, then a filing cabinet popped away from the wall and revealed a passage behind it. They moved slowly, at times having to duck or turn sideways to make it through. Heads scrapped against ceilings, elbows scrapped against walls. They maintained strict silence, although James wanted to utter a few choice words at times.
At the end of the hallway they found another small room. This one held only a desk with a laptop on top of it. Natasha moved closer to the desk and found a flash drive with a note stuck to it. "Stay away from Alexi. He's dangerous, he'll kill you." Natasha read.
James came up next to her and stilled as he saw the note. "That's my handwriting. I wrote that."
"Who's Alexi?"
"I have no fucking idea."
"Well they left this with it." Natasha said, holding up the flash drive. She reached down and powered up the laptop. "Let's see what's on it." Once the laptop was running Natasha put the flash drive in and checked the files. Only one, a video. Natasha hit play.
James watched as he came into view on the screen. He was in a large training room with a group of young women lined up along a mat. James slide a look at Romanoff, her face a mixture of anger, hatred, and grief. A foreboding premonition hijacked his thoughts and sent his mind careening into a place that he did not want to go.
"I don't know those women. Or where that even is." James said, tightly.
"I do." Natasha replied. "That's the Red Room." Her voice showed that she was keeping an iron grip not on mere anger, but a much colder, deadly emotion.
To James the room tempeture felt like it had dropped twenty degrees when she spoke. He hit pause and watched Romanoff closely. She stilled. Blinked once. Not another muscle moved on her body, not a single one. He wasn't even sure she was breathing. After a long beat she composed herself. Her face neutral. Switzerland. It was fascinating really. James thought himself quite the emotion controller, but Romanoff was the master. He had no clue what she was thinking or feeling. And that, James decided, made her the most dangerous person he'd ever met.
"You don't have to watch it." James began.
But Natasha reached out and hit play again. "Yes, I do." This time her voice was completely devoid of any emotion.
"Shoulders back! Eyes front and center!" The Winter Soldier ordered, then shook his head and muttered "I don't have time to babysit." He removed his shoes and socks then placed them next to the end of the mat in almost a ninety-degree angle. Next, he removed his sunglasses and laid them on top of the socks. Stepping onto the mat he asked "Rules?"
"That's up to you sir." A blond woman said in reply.
"The Winter Soldier bent back stretching, and said. "Since no one is here to comfort you, I suggest we keep this civilized. Stay away from the eyes and no throat strikes,"
"What about choke holds?" The same blond asked.
"Absolutely." The Winter Soldier grinned. "If you want it to end, all you have to do is tap out."
All the girls shook their heads.
"Fair enough. I'll start with you." The Winter Soldier said, pointing to the only girl that had spoken. The Woman nodded and stepped onto the mat.
The Winter Soldier began sliding to his right, looking for an angle of attack. He glimpsed his opening when his opponent made an aggressive head fake that was an obvious tell of what was to follow. In that moment, he decided to dispatch the kid quickly. He wasn't going to waste his time with defensive blocks and holds. He was going to make the woman feel some real pain. Maybe break a couple of ribs.
The Winter Soldier anticipated the girls punch, ducked under into a crouch and came up delivering a blow to the woman's midsection. The force was enough to knock the girl clean off the mat and send her sliding across the floor, doubled over in agony and unable to continue. The same scene played out with each of the women on the video. All of them failing to land a significant hit on the Winter Soldier and all of them injured in some way. All though some held out much longer than the first one.
The Winter Soldier opened the door to the training room and bellowed out. "None of these women are satisfactory for our purpose! And they need a damn medic."
Natasha shut the video off as she watched Barnes go from leveled out to complete shit in ten seconds. The guy wasn't just an emotional roller coaster; he was a whole damned amusement park. If he didn't learn how to come to terms with his past it would crush him.
James could feel himself go numb, his breathing coming out in labored rasps. "I'm a fucking monster. I did that to those women."
Natasha turned and looked at him steadily. "All of those women were highly trained killers. I wouldn't feel bad about it, they lived. What I don't understand is why aren't Yelena and I there. We should have been in this video too."
"Christ, I beat up a bunch of women. Look at them." James took a mental step back. "Wait….What do you mean you should have been there?"
"That's the Red Room. I raised there. It's where I was trained to be the killer that I am. I grew up with those women. But there are two of us not in that video."
James sank down onto the floor and clutched his head. His brain was on fire again, dragging him back down into the raging inferno. He tried to stop it.
Natasha crouched down in front of him. "Listen to me Barnes. They were not innocent woman. Not a single one of them. They were all operatives. Every one of them had already killed multiple times."
James whole body started shuddering, he panted hard as he fought the nightmares raging in his head. But the pain, the tearing blackness, the white heat of his uncontrollable fury, the terror that made him run from himself, the sweats and the shakes, and the burning ache in his head, they were all too real. He could no longer see Natasha or hear her. At least not the her that was in the Hydra base with him. What he could see and hear was a much younger Romanoff, no Natalia.
Her name was Natalia.
The Winter Soldier was speaking with Natalia in the training room, they were on the mat preparing to fight. "Rules?" He asked her just like he had the others. She would have heard what had happened to the women. So, he would give her the same chance.
"I'd prefer none, but if you insist." Natalia replied, calmly.
The Soldier caught the first glimpse of something he didn't like. There was no sign of tension on the woman's face. She looked as relaxed as a schmuck who was about to play a game of pool. Two possibilities presented themselves and he liked neither. The first was that the woman might not be the naïve girl that he thought, and the second was she might be too stupid to know she wasn't cut out for this line of work.
Either way, he would probably have to waste more than a day of his valuable time to drum her out. Muttering to himself, he realized there may be a third possibility. That she might actually have the goods. The potential made the Soldier pause. He glanced at her and realized he knew very little about the woman standing in the middle of the mat.
He stood on the mat and stared at her as if silently daring her. Before she'd barely taken a step, he rushed her, grabbing her around the middle. Natalia twisted, but couldn't break his hold or get a position to hurt him. He threw her over his shoulder dumping her onto the mat. Her humiliation complete.
"I expected better." He said, glaring down at her.
Natalia sprang up. "What are you waiting for?" She asked when he merely stood there.
He gave her a ghost of a smile before he took a step towards her. She was ready for him this time. With a sweep of her leg, she had him shifting his weight. Then she sent a punch into his groin while pushing against his chest with her other hand. Natalia smiled down at him from his position on the floor looking back up at her.
"I expected better." She tossed his words back at him.
The Winter Soldier leapt back to his feet, satisfied. "Good, keep in mind that you are a weapon. When you're done with training, you should be able to kick a hole in a wall or knock out a moose with a single punch."
"I would never hit a moose," said Natalia. "They're endangered."
The Winter Soldier could feel himself laughing for the first time that he could remember.
Natasha watching Barnes trapped in his flashback pressed her forehead to his. Her hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. "Don't let them take you from me."
"No. I don't want to..."
She clenched his hands to the point of pain. "Stay with me."
James' pupils contracted to pinpoints, dilated again rapidly, and then returned to something resembling normalcy. He fisted his hand in Natasha's hair, without realizing what he was doing and more on an impulse than anything else, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. It was a simple gesture, and he pulled back after only a moment. "Always, Talia." He murmured, then blinked rapidly as his world righted itself again.
Natasha stilled at the name, then pulled back. "Are you all right?"
James could barely bring himself to meet Natasha's gaze. "You were there." He told her, his voice rough with guilt. "I helped them train you."
Natasha's heart clenched hard, but she schooled her features carefully. "I don't remember you."
James wonder if anybody else felt this way, if anyone was as haunted as he was. Were they as sad and angry and confused and ashamed? Was that even possible? Was it even possible for him to continue to hold all the pain? "I remember. You were there."
Natasha simply nodded acceptance of his statement and did what she always did, compartmentalized it. Not his fault, she reminded herself. He did not deserve her anger or wrath. And that's what she would continue to tell herself for as long as she needed to hear it. Judging by the look on his face, he was punishing himself enough.
After she felt composed again Natasha looked him in the eyes. "All that is left to bring you pain, are the memories. You can't spend the rest of your life hiding from yourself; always afraid that your memories will incapacitate you, and they will if you continue to bury them."
"We need to leave." James said suddenly with a sense of urgency.
Natasha raised an eyebrow at the change in him. Yep, whole damn amusement park. She was going to need a Fastpass to keep up. "Why?"
"A gut feeling." As he'd continued to recover from the flashback, a particular feeling had been nudging him. James knew it well. Danger was fast approaching—and he needed to do something.
Since they had agreed to trust each other's instincts, James wasn't surprised when she asked, "When?"
"Now."
Natasha didn't bat an eye as she tucked the flash drive into her pack, along with the note, and grabbed her weapon. James did the same then walked to the door peering out it. Then he slipped through the opening. Natasha was quick to follow him. Once they were outside the building James silently led her away from the base, scanning the area for threats as he went.
Natasha stayed close behind him with a Glock in one hand. So far, he hadn't seen any evidence of others approaching, but that didn't mean anything. His instincts had told him to leave, and he wasn't going to question that. The base being secluded as it was, they walked for a couple of miles without encountering any other buildings. It wouldn't be long before they hit the city.
They walked for almost an hour before Natasha asked, "Where are we going?"
"No idea."
"Wow. You didn't even try to lie."
James slowed so she came even with him. "There's no point. You'd have known if I had."
"Do you have a general direction you've headed us in?"
"I had four directions to choose from. I chose west."
"For a reason." Natasha countered.
"James pressed his lips together before sighing. "We're getting the hell out of Belarus."
"Okay." She stated, as she adjusted her pack.
He'd expected an argument, but he should have known better. Romanoff was nothing if not completely professional on the job. James slid her a sidelong look. Neither had spoken about what had happened between them, and he had a feeling she never would. It might be for the best. Besides, his focus was on making sure HYDRA didn't ambush them. Romanoff had been right. The take down of the base had been too easy.
For the next couple of hours, they made their way west. When the moon disappeared from the sky James stopped. "How do you feel about stealing a car?"
Natasha shot him a smile. "Don't you mean Borrow?"
James snorted. "It's not like we're going to return it."
"Works for me."
"The next town is five klicks away. We should get there before dawn. Just enough time for us to find a vehicle and get on the road."
Natasha grunted in response. They fell silent as they made their way to the small town. Just as James expected, there was little movement before dawn. The few people awake were opening shops or getting an early breakfast. He took her to a diner with a couple of trucks parked in front of it, but it was the old Škoda parked off to the side of the building that caught James' eye.
"Wait here." James ordered in a whisper as he set down his bag and weapons.
Natasha gave him a salute. Apparently, the alpha male part of Barnes thought he was in charge. She thought it was amusingly cute so she let him get away with it.
James hunched over and hurried to the car. Luck was on his side when he tried the handle and the door opened. He climbed inside and pulled the door partly closed. Then he reached below the steering column and yanked out the wires. All he had to do was get the engine started and then they could be on the road. He glanced up to check on Romanoff and stilled when he saw her talking to someone.
The man had his back to James. It wasn't until Romanoff sidestepped, causing the man to turn with her that James saw the gun pointed at her. It wasn't fury that filled him, but cold, deadly intent. He quietly pushed open the car door and slipped out, squatting beside the vehicle while pushing the door closed. As soon as he moved away from the car, he'd be seen.
James scanned the area trying to determine if the man was alone. It was still too dark to see if there were others inside the parked vehicles or not. His gaze landed on the bag with his weapons. The only thing he had on him was a knife. He pulled it from its sheath at the back of his waist and prepared to stand when he felt something behind him.
James spun and saw the bear-sized assailant just in time to raise his arm and knock the gun away. He stood and thrust his knife upwards, aiming for the man's gut, but the assailant moved to the side and slammed James' hand against the car. James elbowed his attacker in the side of the face twice before slamming his foot into the side of the man's knee. There was a grunt but his opponent didn't go down easily. The man had skills and he was a behemoth of a man.
James slashed with his knife again and again, and each time, the man blocked and evaded him. A kick came out of nowhere, knocking the knife from James' hand. A second man had entered the fight. James didn't slow his attack. The blows happened quickly from each of them. One vicious blow to his cheek had James tasting blood. The other two men used whatever they could find to fight. The battle turned brutal.
All three of the men realized only one of them would walk away. James was going to make sure that was him. He wanted to look over at Romanoff, but to do so might very well be what cost him his life. He had to trust she could take care of herself. James managed to get behind one of his opponents and wrap an arm around his neck. The man elbowed James repeatedly, but he didn't loosen his hold.
"Who sent you?" James demanded.
The man snarled in response. "Your mother."
When James was about to question him further he happened to look up and found Romanoff gone. Without hesitating, he broke the man's neck. As the attacker fell to the ground, James grabbed his knife and tossed it into the other man's throat. With both men dead James ran to the bags Romanoff had left behind. He scooped up both by the straps and took off looking for her.
Natasha ran as fast as possible, weaving and zigzagging around anything that would give her cover. She could feel blood dripping down her arm. She ignored it. There were twelve rounds left in her Glock. Twelve bullets that had to find their targets. She had no idea how many were after her, so she couldn't waste a single round. She turned left intending to get far away from the town. She couldn't risk civilians getting hurt so she was moving the fight as far from them as she could.
Her best chance to take out her pursuers was to lose them in the woods. She didn't pause until she found a set of trees that she could duck behind. Natasha closed her eyes for a second and took several deep breaths before peering around the trunks to see how close the men were. The wound on her arm stung, but she was lucky she had shifted at the last second. Otherwise, she'd be dead.
She wondered about Barnes. When she'd glanced his way, he'd been locked in a very physical battle of his own. Natasha debated doubling back, then decided against it. Away from the city, the men would have to fan out to look for her. It would give her the opportunity to take them out one at a time. The crack of a limb sounded nearby. Then the area grew as silent as a graveyard. They were close. When she looked back through the trees she counted seven men.
Natasha looked out in front of her, trying to choose her best route. She didn't know the region and didn't want to end up cornered somewhere. But it wasn't like she had a lot of time to plan. With a deep breath, she pushed away from the tree and crept forward. She stayed low, letting the underbrush assist in hiding her. She methodically and steadily put more distance between her and the town full of innocent people. She needed to find an area large enough to move around in, but also provided cover in order for her to start taking the men out.
James knelt beside the bags, getting weapons out as he glanced up every few seconds. He didn't know what he would be walking into. He had to be prepared, but he couldn't lug the bags with him if he wanted to creep up on the man after Romanoff. Once James was set with weapons, he stashed the bags behind a bush and stood. The traffic in the sleepy town was getting heavier. That meant more people would see him. It was a chance he'd have to take to find Romanoff.
The concrete gave nothing away. It wasn't until he saw a drop of blood that he knew he was headed in the right direction. He refused to think that the blood was Romanoff's. Because the idea of her on her own and wounded sent him into an animalistic rage. He followed the drops of blood in a path that wound around vehicles, garbage cans, and businesses. It wasn't until the trail veered off away from the town and into the tree-line that he smiled.
Ten feet into the woodland, he saw a body slumped against a tree with the victim's chest soaked in blood. James recognized him as the man that had confronted Romanoff. He squatted beside the dead man, a white male in his twenties with a tattoo. Local gang. Great, Hydra had recruited help. He surveyed the area, spotting the prints of several large boots. They erased any evidence of Romanoff. But he knew she was out there. Just as he was certain she'd been the one to kill the man.
James crept through the trees on silent feet as he spotted a guard. The man was well hidden, but not good enough. James made his way toward the unsuspecting man. There was a mechanical click, and his target whispered. James paused, listening. When nothing more was said he moved forward and spotted the headset the man was wearing. James came up behind him, knife in hand and slit the man's throat. As the man bled out James took the headset and rifle before following the trail of boot prints.
Natasha could hear the men gaining quickly. She spotted a fallen tree ahead of her and ran toward it. As soon as she reached it she vaulted over the massive trunk and landed heavily on the other side. She turned and lifted her Glock when a face appeared over the trunk, knife raised. Natasha fell back as she fired off two shots, dead center in the man's chest. He slumped lifelessly across the trunk.
There wasn't time to get up as another reached the tree. This time, however, she was looking down the barrel of a gun. She didn't hesitate to shift her Glock and pull the trigger a heartbeat before her attacker. Her face turned away as she squeezed her eyes shut when the bullet landed in the dirt a few inches away from her head. When she looked back, the only thing visible from her position was the man's foot since he'd fallen back over the other side.
Natasha heard a noise and rolled over onto her hands and knees. Someone grabbed a handful of her hair from behind and yanked her upper body up, as she remained kneeling. She winced, clutching the hand that held her.
"Finally found you, bitch," the man said angrily. "You're gonna pay for what you've done."
He squeezed the wrist of her hand holding her gun, so she had no choice but to drop the Glock or risk having her bone break. Her other hand reached around to her knife, while he talked. She slipped the blade out and held it against her arm.
"You actually thought you could outrun us." He said and turned her toward him.
She looked into his close-set eyes "You're going to lose."
"You've already lost." He said with a sneer.
Natasha held his gaze as he tightened his fist in her hair. The pain shot down from her scalp, but she didn't move. One of the things she didn't believe in was the idea of a fair fight. She was not trained to fight fair. She was trained to win. Outwardly, she allowed him to believe he was dominating her, showing her who the victor would be. Then she smiled and smoothly slid her knife between his ribs and right into his heart.
When his fingers slacked in her hair and his eyes widened as he fell to his knees, she leaned close to his face. "Who lost, bitch?" Natasha asked in an icy voice. Natasha heard someone approaching quickly to her left, she grabbed her Glock and pointed it straight at Barnes.
Who was looking infinitely badass and deadly as hell. In his black tac suit he was a living, breathing Batman. Finally! This was the Barnes she'd been waiting to see since he'd shown up in her life and announced he wanted in on her fight with HYDRA. She knew just how lethal a weapon Barnes was. Why had he been holding back? She was curious about his actions but relieved he finally seemed to be on the same page as her. She'd been about to give up.
"There were seven."
"Dead." James replied in a gruff voice, his gaze raking over her. "You're hurt."
Natasha lowered her Glock and Shrugged. "A graze. I'll live. We need to leave."
James ignored her as stalked to her in long purposeful strides, and ripped the sleeve of her tack suit so that he could examine her wound. "You need stitches."
Natasha glanced over at him through her lashes and let a sultry smile play across her lips. "You going to play doctor, Barnes?"
James glanced down at her and got lost in the depths of her green eyes. What he wanted to do was haul her into him and kiss her so thoroughly she lost the ability stand. Without thinking, he gently reached out and brushed her hair off her sweaty forehead with his fingers. "You see anyone else around to do it?" he asked, relieved when his voice came out steady.
Natasha felt her heart skip a beat at the heat she saw in his eyes, but she ignored it. She stepped away from James, keeping her eyes blank. "I'll take care of it on the way out of town. You were right, we need to leave Belarus."
"I need to stitch your arm up first."
Natasha shook her head no. In the field, you could never count on your first approach being successful. You had to be ready to change tactics on the fly. Spies learned to make lightning-fast observations and connects the dots just as quickly "This was a set up. The whole damn thing was a set up. These scumbags are locals, not HYDRA."
"Yeah, I noticed that."
"We need to go before our pictures hit every news agency in the country. I have a feeling we're about to become Belarus's most wanted." Natasha continued.
"We need to stitch up your arm." James said stubbornly. He was going to take care of her arm, even if that meant holding her down to do it. He'd followed her blood trail more than the boot prints to find her.
Natasha sighed, giving in. She had a feeling this was going to wind up turning into a scene if she continued opposing him. He might not wind up losing his temper, but she had a feeling she would. "You're my penance, aren't you?" It wasn't a question, it was an accusation.
"For what?" James asked, curious.
"I don't know, but it must have been something really bad I'm blocking out. Apocalyptic bad." She told him, giving up. "Ok we'll stich up my arm and then we leave.'
James snorted. "Where to next?" he asked, content that she was going to be reasonable about her injury.
"Germany. Fury says our Dr. Fennhoff has a practice there. Time to pay him a visit."
Later that morning, the redheaded man sauntered around the woods observing the carnage Natalia had left behind and smiled. He would see her again soon.