We arrive at Jenny's Burgers and order before taking a seat at a booth near the window. The little diner is a bit cozy, but honestly, I'd eat anything after that spar. After the first time, I didn't think Agent Barton would be a worthy opponent because his moves were chaotic and unplanned, but I suppose the element of surprise works in his favor. I'm in unknown territory with S.H.I.E.L.D. so far, I'm not used to working for anyone's agenda except for the Red Room, and they had one of the strictest.
"I'm not thrilled with this, and I'm willing to bet you two aren't either, but if my life is going to be in your hands, I'm going to need to know I can trust you," I start.
"Agreed," Agent Garcia says.
"I'll start. I'm Luke, I'm skilled at hand-to-hand combat, self-defense, and I know my way around a bad situation. I have a couple of years of training, but this is my first official job in this area," Luke states.
"I'm Diego Garcia. I was in the police force for a year, saw this opportunity, and thought, "What the hell, why not?" I also heard S.H.I.E.L.D. offered a better paycheck and travel opportunities."
"I'm Anastasia. I used to be an assassin/spy for the KGB ever since I was eight years old. I specialize in knife throwing, and I'm a fan of daggers. I was freelance before my sister brought me in and gave me this opportunity.
"Damn," Garcia whistles, shaking his head.
Luke avoids my eyes while taking a bite of his burger.
"How was life working as a police officer?" I ask Garcia.
"Not much. It was alright, saw a lot of the same things. I had a partner, but she died in the line of duty."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"I..." my phone starts ringing, and I take it out of my pocket to see a message from an unknown number.
South Woods Alley
1523 St.
7:00 pm
Come alone
I read the message and slip my phone back into my pocket. I have no clue who wants to meet me, but the lack of a threat is encouraging.
I look up from the table to meet Luke's gaze towards my pocket.
"Just a friend," I lie, reassuring them.
"I'm going to head out; need to see my brother," Luke says, collecting his leftovers and putting them in a bag.
"How old's your brother?" Diego asks.
"11," Luke responds before leaving.
Agent Garcia and I sit in silence for a few moments before he speaks up with a smirk in my direction, "So, what's this I hear about you being the Black Widow's sister?"
"I am. What about it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes in his direction.
"To the whole world, you're a ghost story. The Black Widow rarely talked publicly about your disappearance, but I heard she built a grave in your honor."
"In my honor?" I scoff. "What would she have to honor about me except being a killer at the Red Room? Now, everyone is scared of me."
"You don't scare me; I have three little sisters," Diego says with a small smile.
I give a slight chuckle in response before starting to clear off the table.
A few hours later, I had arrived at the destination sent on my phone and was in this dodgy alley awaiting someone or something unknown.
I have my gun down to my side in weariness of who might appear.
I hear footsteps behind me as I turn around to see someone I thought was long gone.
"Hey, bestie! Long time no see!"