2001-Birthday/First Mission
It had been a year since Barton had brought her into SHIELD and some days she still couldn't quite believe that she was still alive. Most people turn 21 and barely flinch, sure to most Americans it means they can finally drink (legally of course) but to her she couldn't believe she had managed to survive. In the Red Room most of the girls don't make it through training let alone living as long as she had after completing the training itself.
When she woke up that morning to find Clint knocking on her door she opened it to find him holding a folder and a small box.
"Happy Birthday!" he said smiling down at her holding out the two items in his hands. Without saying anything he could tell she was confused.
"I know it's not your real birthday but since you won't tell me I've decided that since today is the anniversary of me bringing you into SHIELD it'll be your birthday," he said walking past her into her room "unless of course you want to tell me now." Smirking back at her he dropped the file and box down on the table next to her bed and sat down next to it looking at her expectantly.
She scoffed before crossing the room to pick up the file, opening it to find what looked like classified documents outlining a drug smuggling ring operating out of Ecuador that had been giving SHIELD a bit of a problem the past few months. It looks like they'd been evading them but they couldn't find out how. It looked like a cake walk of a mission compared to the missions the Red Room used to give her.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked looking up from the folder and at the man sitting across from her.
"Think of it as a gift from SHIELD. They decided that since you've been here a year now that they can't just keep you on base 24/7. I brought you in for a reason and since you haven't done anything to piss anyone off for a while they decided it was time." He told her reaching over to grab the folder from her and pushing the box towards her with the file.
"So it's a test to see if I remain loyal to SHIELD and if not there'll be someone in the distance ready to take me out the moment I step out of line," crossing her arms over her chest she continued "am I right?"
"Ya pretty much, but hey we get to go on our first mission as partners and we finally get to get off base for more than a few hours." He said trying to sound positive.
Natasha had to admit going on a mission after this long would be nice, she was getting sick of just training and sitting around all the time, it wasn't what she was built for and she had a feeling SHIELD knew that and it was one of the many reasons why they had delayed the inevitable for as long as they had.
"So when do we leave?"
"Coulson said wheels up tomorrow at 08:00 hours, so I'll leave you to go over the mission details and I'll swing by later with Coulson so he can debrief us on the specifics." Clint left her alone to get to know her part of the mission and went to find Coulson.
"You do realize that she was going to figure out that this was a test, right." Clint said as he walked into Coulson's office and collapsing on the couch and picking up his own file for the missions to Ecuador.
"I did, but I don't think the higher ups realize that Romanoff is smarter than they think she is." He replied not looking up from his stack of paper but smirking none the less. "They probably think she's just what she lets people see her as."
"And what's that" Clint asked, already knowing what he was going to say.
"A young, pretty, naïve little girl, that was trained to obey and not ask questions. Basically a young hit woman who doesn't think past "Plan, kill, pay day" so when Fury passed this mission along to me my suspicions were confirmed. Let's just hope that they realize their mistake soon so the two of you can actually get some missions that measure up to your caliber." Coulson finished as they neared Natasha's quarters.
"Ya, would be nice to be assigned something other than babysitting duty of some pompous, heiress half way across the world." Clint replied as he knocked on the door. They heard a faint 'enter' and he pushed the door open to find his partner stretched out on her bed lazily flipping through the file folder he had given her a few hours previous.
"You're still not done going through it" Clint asked in surprise. By now he thought she would have been due to her past experience in their field.
She scoffed and tossed to folder aside before straightening up and moving to the door.
"Please, I finished it 10 minutes after you left. Memorized it in 20, I was just bored waiting for you two to collect me for the briefing so since no one seems to think I can be trusted with something as simple as a few books or even a TV, I worked with what I had available to me. I take it we're going to someplace else to debrief or…" she trailed off looking at the men in front of her. Clint was smirking and Coulson looked almost amused.
"See Coulson, the council will be giving us real missions in no time."
The next morning the two agents were heading towards the Quinjet that was being prepped for the 13 hour flight that was ahead of them.
"So, what do you think this Anya Degadio will be like?" Clint asked as he took his spot in the pilot's chair. Natasha slipped into the co-pilots seat a few seconds later, with a book in hand (Coulson had managed to smuggle her a few things before the left).
"My training never taught me to think about the target as anything more than that, a target.
But seeing as I was never given protection assignments before," she paused, trying to adjust her personal thinking about how a mission is supposed to be done "I'd say she'll probably be like every other rich, entitled woman out there."
"And what prey tell does that entail?"
"Someone who doesn't want us there what so ever"
The mission was as simple as one could get without purposely trying to piss them off and being obvious that this was a test run. Some rich man's daughter was getting death threats for a number of reasons, you name it: revenge on her father, payday for the assassination etc… so it turns out Mr. Degadio has some pretty good connections with the US government and it was decided S.H.I.E.L.D was the best agency for the job. Turns out the FBI and CIA were well associated with the Degadio family and they didn't want to take any chances with Anya's safety whist she traveled Europe for the summer promoting her fashion line.
"Could there be anything more stereotypical than a rich daddy's girl to make a fashion line?" Clint asked after a few hours of silence, the only interruptions being a page turning or something on the Quinjet beeping at him.
Without looking up from her book Natasha responded, "Perfume, a new exercise craze to beat all the others. Who knows but at least the stops she's making aren't in any countries I've been banned from."
Setting the jet to autopilot Clint turned to his partner in amusement, "and prey tells which countries those would be?"
The smirk that crept its way onto her face was the only thing that would indicate that she was even listening to him, "Too many to get into but let's just say, the last Pope wasn't too fond of us Russians." And with that she went back to her book and back to ignoring him.
Clint let out a laugh, because if he were being honest the fact she had pissed off the most powerful person in Europe next to the Queen of England, it would be his partner.
When they touch down in Sweden a long black stretch limo is already waiting for them on the tarmac. As Clint powered down the jet, Natasha moved to the back to where Coulson had been sleeping. Looking back at her partner then back at the sleeping man in front of her she decides to risk the gun that will most likely be drawn on her the moment the older man realizes who was in front of him.
"Coulson? We're here." But to her surprise the only thing Coulson did on being woken up was blink at her in confusion and thank her for the wakeup call.
To say she wasn't used to people being so calm about being in such close proximity to her was an understatement to say the least.
The 3 agents proceeded to grab their packs and make their way off the jet and into the limo which would take them to the Degadio Estates
2 weeks later….
"If she comments on the way I decide to dress as a bodyguard and tries to get me into trying her new line one more time I don't care how pissed Fury or the Council will be, I'm going to kill her!" Natasha whispered, venom dripping from her every word. Clint, who wasn't having the time of his life either, stopped beside her and replied with a slight growl in his vice, "I'll swap with you, you try convincing her father I'm just here to do my job and not sleep with his daughter. I swear it's like he forgets he's the one who requested protection in the first place and that I didn't just walk up to their front gates and decided this is where I want to spend my time. Following his daughter around 24/7"
Despite being there for 2 weeks now the closest they had come to some action was when a crazed fan of her fashion line had managed to break through the security lines and tried to show Anya her own work. Besides that it had been one of the most boring missions either agent had been on in their careers.
1 week later….
To say the threat had been simply from one of those "anti-fur fashion hate groups" was surprising to say the least. But after a few more angry letters and slander campaigns ads against Anya's fashion they had managed to track down the group and Coulson had done his thing. Finally convincing the group that their efforts, whilst inspiring and a righteous cause, were going a bit too far and they agreed to stop with the threats and slander in exchange for Anya's to start incorporating faux-furs into her line from now on.
Once they were back at SHIELD and had been debriefed Clint was called into see Fury before he was allowed off of base and back into his apartment.
"You wanted to see me sir?" as he walked right past his secretary and into the office. Fury was facing the large window looking out on the skyline of New York City.
"So the mission was a success." Not a question, but a matter of fact was all Fury said before turning around and sitting down at his desk. Looking across at Clint, Clint could see his boss was trying to make a decision, about what, who knows.
"The day I sent you after Romanoff I made a bet with myself, and Coulson."
"And what was that, sir?"
"That I had sent the right agent to not kill her….but bring her in."
Clint, being in the lien of work that he was in, doesn't tend to be shocked by much but finding out that tidbit of information would now be added to the very short list of them.
Trying to regain himself he smirked "I bet Phil was thrilled at losing that one."
"Oh, he was and you should have seen his face, $350, but he thought it'd be funny to give it to me in spare change."
"Coulson doesn't like to lose, but when he does he has a way of still winning."
"By the way, I've spoken with the council and you will from now on be receiving proper missions that are better suited to both of your caliber. I'm also going to be making some changes around here, the first being instating you and Romanoff as the first, of what I hope will become many, STRIKE Teams here at SHIELD. Special teams, with the right abilities for the right mission parameters. You will from this day forth be referred to as STRIKE TEAM DELTA."