"Come on Nat! Tell us what happened!"
"Yeah! You just went on your first mission; you have to tell us how it went!"
"Spill it! SPILL IT!"
Natasha had been back home for a day now, the first thing she did when she did was take a shower and then, on her father's orders, went to see the doctor on staff.
The doctor looked her over from head to foot and only found a few bruised ribs and large bumps and bruises and asked how she got them. Natasha explained that during her mission, a bomb went off and part of the roof caved in and much of it missed her (she deliberately left Clint out of this story) and then she later was found by Ivan amongst the rubble. The doctor nodded and said that she was free to go yet gave her an icepack for her ribs.
Natasha was found in her bed the next morning by all her sisters standing over her and refused to talk about her mission "Not now OK?"
"Not an option Natasha you need to tell us everything!" Anya pulled her upright in bed and let her go when she winced
"Just some bruised ribs and bumps, nothing to worry about" Natasha reassured Anya "the mission went well and I would say that I succeeded" Natasha wanted to end it there but Anya and the rest begged her for more details.
Natasha told them about the building, the people and the glamorousness of it all and then "…and I danced…with a man" all the girls screamed happily and hugged Natasha and then quickly asked about everything, Natasha continued: "his name is Clint, he found me trying to steal a sip of champagne, did you guys know that the 'drinking age' of in America is 21! Anyway, we talked and danced" Natasha's voice took on a dream-like tone "he was kind and strong and oh-so-cute! He was passionate about his job, he tried to get me out of the building so fast and was very protective!"
a chorus of 'woo-hoo's' echoed out the door.
Natasha hid under her blankets as they all started chanting 'Nata-sha-and-Cli-int-sit-ting-in-a-tree-K-I-S-S-I -N-G!'
A voice over the intercom asked Natasha to come to Ivan's office, Natasha gladly left her sisters, who were still giggling, and slowly made her way to Ivan's office.
"I am so proud of you my darling" Ivan hugged Natasha closely and then held her at arm's length and looked her over "not a scratch on you! A true Black Widow"
"Thank you Father" Natasha smiled shyly and sat down "I hoped that I wouldn't let you or my sisters down"
"You did very well, Natasha. I was watching every move you made and you did very well for your first time, even with the distractions" Ivan eyed Natasha and raised his eyebrows "a certain young man ring any bells?"
"Yes" Natasha blushed "but I tried to forget him and focus, a Black Widow is always focused!" Natasha couldn't help but remember feeling butterflies in her stomach when he was with her that night but tried in vain to do her job.
Ivan got up from his chair and pulled out some files, these were thinner than the ones he had on Vanko, and gave them to her. Natasha read one word in big bold black letters:
S.H.I.E.L.D
The word was obviously an abbreviation. This was explained with a line of text underneath
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcementand Logistics Division
In the file were papers and reports about the American organization: agents, field work and their accomplishments. Natasha stared at a picture of a young man with the name Clint Barton next to it. His file read that he had not been an agent for very long.
Natasha looked up at Ivan now, "This is him! This is the man I met"
"Yes, an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D and a good one despite the fact that he is new. Natasha, I have another mission for you, this should be easier than last time" Ivan pushed went another folder in front of her "inside this are plans for an old weapon of mine that Vanko took with him to America. I want these plans back, they could change everything! However, this agent Barton might know who you are and who you work for. Barton will most likely use it to kill you and your sisters and myself and you need to stop him before he does that"
"Yes father, I won't let you down" Natasha stood up proudly "he'll be dead before he hits the ground" Natasha tried to ignore the knotted feeling inside her stomach, she had killed before and she could do it again.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Clint sat at in a chair facing Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, he couldn't bring himself to look either of them in the eye. He failed, he failed on the very first mission. Clint couldn't be more disappointed with himself.
Over and over Nick and Phil tried to make him feel better, praising about how he took charge and managed to get everyone out of the building in time before it came down. Clint mentioned the girl he was with, Natasha, and felt a pull in his heart. It was likely that she was gone.
"Clint, the security footage shows differently" Phil pressed a button on a remote and a TV screen showed the rubble of the building, Clint being pulled to safety and checked over and then, to the far left of the screen, he saw Natasha and an older man, he assumed was her father, slowly get out and head for a car that sped off screen.
Natasha was alive.
Clint smiled softly to himself "I wouldn't get your hopes up Barton" Nick placed several photos and files in front of him "Miss Natasha isn't all she claimed to be"
The files were about a Russian organization called Black Widow Ops, he had read about it before and hated what had been done to these girls. They were just 10 years old when they were taken and then made into killers. So this is what Natasha was; a brainwashed killer.
A pang of guilt and sorrow pierced his chest, "what do you want me to do" his face was now emotionless
"Ivan Petrovitch used to work with Vanko, as you know, and while Vanko was in the process of running to us; he tried his best to destroy his work. He had plans for something big, something that could help people, make them fight off cancer and other deadly illnesses. Ivan wanted to warp this thing and change it to make people invincible, boost their immune system so nothing could hurt them and give them excellent stamina. Vanko has the plans and we think Ivan wants them back"
"You want to take them before the Black Widows come for it?" Clint asked
"Yes and bring it here so we can lock it away until we can make it and test it"
Clint didn't think that sounded too difficult, get in, get the plans and get out again. He nodded and accepted the mission, before he left he asked Nick if he could watch the security footage "why?" Nick asked
"I like to get to know who I'm most likely going to kill" Clint took the tapes and the file to his room and look them over.
Once in his room, Clint put the tape into the video player and opened the file, he saw himself being dragged from the building and then Natasha with her father speeding away. The look of concern on his face was clear as day. Clint decided to rewind the tape to a more pleasant picture, he smiled when he saw himself with Natasha, she looked beautiful in her dress. Why had he not seen her as a killer?
He then watched as Natasha and Vanko went off together, the camera changed angles and they went into one of the labs, Natasha listening as Vanko explained his work.
Clint sat up straighter when Natasha took out her gun and pointed. Natasha hadn't shot him yet, Vanko was pleading for his life but then his expression changed, he looked like he was reasoning with her. Clint looked closely, why was Natasha not shooting him? Then Clint noticed a flicker of emotion cross Natasha's face – confusion? Fear? And then she shot him.
Clint rewound the tape again and again, why was that emotion on her face? He watched what Vanko was saying, he was good at reading lips:
Your father? But he…never had children…or even a wife for that matter?
Clint saw Natasha's face change then, that confusion, and watched again as Vanko began to talk about Black Widow Ops and again her face showed the same emotion.
The girls in Black Widow Ops were brainwashed, made to think they were someone they weren't, Natasha believed that Ivan was her father, that she was always an assassin. Yet at the slight mention of this not being true caused Natasha to question it, only for a second.
Could this life-long brainwashing be broken down until you were free? Could Natasha and all the other girls be free? Clint thought for a moment and felt hopeful. Instead of killing her, he wanted to help her, to save her.
If he could help her get free, she could be anything she wanted, be who she was before all this and use her skills for good. She could join S.H.I.E.L.D.
Clint got up from his bed and strode to the door and went to find Nick and Phil, a plan already forming in his head.
"OK, explain it to me again Clint" Nick rubbed his forehead with his fingers
"If you watch the tape I won't really have to! She has been brainwashed her whole life, I saw it when she tried to kill Vanko and he was begging for his life. One mentioned of Black Widow and her father and she looked like she didn't know who he was talking about but then she snapped out of it. I believe that this can be broken down over time and with gentle prodding. She and all the other could be saved!" Clint couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.
Nick and Phil exchanged a glance "alright, let's just say that in theory you're right. If they can be saved, what would you have us do? Kidnap them and show them what they were before?" Phil asked
"I have a plan. What about I become a double agent? I could work for Ivan and then get closer to Natasha and slowly but surely break the hold Ivan has on her and the others and bring them in to work for us" when they didn't say anything, Clint went on "I will be the perfect assassin yet send reports to you about my progress"
"What if Ivan wants to brainwash you like he did all the other girls?" Nick asked sounding smug "how will you still be loyal to us?"
"Actually, sir, we're working on something that could counteract such brainwashing, kind of like contact lenses that block out subliminal messaging through pictures, we haven't tested it yet but in theory it's supposed to stop you from being brainwashed" Phil looked down and kicked himself for even considering helping Clint with this mission.
Clint looked ecstatic, his plan could and would work, he just needed Nick's approval and he would work out everything else. Clint looked hopefully at Nick as he thought over everything about the mission and what could possibly go wrong. After he had weighed the pros and cons in his head he sighed and gave Clint the go-ahead.
"You are to give us fortnightly reports and if I sniff out the slightest hint that you have gone over to their side, we'll have to kill you since you know all of our secrets"
Clint understood why Nick was being harsh but nodded and was soon in his room packing for his mission, feeling hopeful that he would save Natasha.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, I changed this chapter three times while writing it, and like the last chapter I had SO MUCH TROUBLE with this one! But I think it's getting good and can only get better from here!