Hey everyone! Part 1 of Saniya's adventures are about to come to an end. I estimate maybe 3 (?) more chapters and an epilogue left. BUT I will conclude part 2 directly off of this story so you don't have to go searching through my profile for it. I'll work hard to make part 1 end amazingly! Thank you all for your support! I'm not sure I would have continued my story without you.

Yuki Suou: maybe... haha. The true reason of why her eyes turn black will be revealed in one of the next five chapters

CainToYourAbel: Awww thank you :) You're so sweet. Thank you so much for your nice words and for being my one-hundredth follower! This is truly amazing

Within an hour, a SHIELD car drove up to the house and an agent told Saniya and Marsha to gather their things. There wasn't nearly enough time to explain to Clint what exactly happened and why she told on him. Suffice to say, he wasn't too happy with either of them though claiming he understood why they were scared.

They couldn't tell Natasha and Clint about the dream. It was a good enough reason for Saniya to get them out of the country, but that was because she lived through it. She felt the fear for not only hers but Marsha's life as well. Natasha and Clint wouldn't understand like Marsha and Saniya did. They probably would have called them paranoid or insane to think a dream meant anything. To avoid that completely, she told him how traumatized she was, which wasn't a complete lie.

He frowned like a disappointed father but didn't press further. She considered it safe to say that he bought her explanation.

Clint dropped her bag in the trunk with less care than before. As he turned away from the car, he almost stepped on Liho. The cat hissed, only calming down when Natasha took it in her arms.

"Clint, I didn't want to get you in trouble," Saniya said for the millionth time.

His lips pressed together. "Shame you did, then." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but quickly changed his mind. "You better get in the car. Rookie over there is getting anxious."

She looked at the man in the suit. His face was stoic and more apathetic than anxious.

"Body language is easy when you know what to look for," Natasha quietly explained, her eyes watching Saniya's face. "His arm brushes against his gun twice every seven seconds and when one of us move out of sight, he backs against the fence." Her eyes widened comically. "It's funny."

Clint picked up Marsha's bag and dropped it on Saniya's. "Like I said, anxious."

Marsha frowned. "I wonder why he's nervous."

Natasha's mouth twitched into a faint smirk. "Let's just say that SHIELD can be quite creative when it comes to containing prisoners. I'm sure he'll be more relaxed when he's further away."

Just as she said that, Signora Arlotti's face disappeared from the window. Saniya stared at the large lock on the gate. Originally she thought it was to keep unwanted visitors out, but maybe it also kept someone in.

She thought about her own 'prison' in Stark Tower. Signora Arlotti and Saniya were more alike than she realized.

The send-off, much like when they left for Italy, was pitiful. Clint hadn't bothered to wave them off. Oddly enough, it was Natasha who did that. She stood outside, not waving until the car disappeared from view. The cat glared at them through the windows, circling Natasha's legs like a guard. Saniya regretted not saying one last goodbye to Signora Arlotti. She wished it was the old woman standing outside instead of Natasha and Liho.

Then, it was the trip to Italy in reverse. Marsha didn't talk much, so Saniya did most of the talking for them, getting her quota of social interaction by striking a conversation with the flight attendants. For the last half of the trip, she was out cold. Marsha claimed she sleep walked to the bathroom and came right back to her seat, but there were no other problems than that.

Agent Musa was waiting with a car as the plane landed. Her dark blue hijab nearly blew off in the wind, but she held it down with a rough hand. As soon as the got off the plane, the agent was by their sides with a twisted frown.

She gave them both a lingering stare. "When was the last time either of you bathed?"

Saniya tugged at her bag. "We spent fourteen hours on a plane in a span of two days. Give us a break."

Agent Musa led them to a black car, similar to the one Natasha drove in Italy. When their luggage was packed and they were buckled, she sped out of the airport. Turned out Natasha and Saniya weren't the only ones who liked to drive fast.

"What Barton did was irresponsible. I was not notified that you left the country," Agent Musa said with her eyes locked on the road in front of her. A security guard lifted the gate and they were officially out of the airport.

Saniya shrugged. "It was pretty stupid of him," she scoffed. Then, she remembered the look on Clint's face when she told him she called Agent Musa. It was the face of someone who knew they were in trouble. "But I wouldn't go as far as to say irresponsible," Saniya rushed out.

Agent Musa scowled. "It was irresponsible. The first few months of training are the most important. You start forming habits and a solid foundation of fitness. Your entire schedule has been pushed back because of your escapade."

"It was just a couple of days. He didn't do much damage."

She clicked her tongue. "Not much damage is still damage. He neglected your schedule and that is uncalled for."

Saniya tapped her feet on the floor of the car. "In his defense, the whole trip was a sort of training. I mean, I learned a lot so you shouldn't talk like he ignored me completely," she retorted.

"If you think it was such a good time, perhaps I should send you back," Agent Musa said with an unnerving calmness.

"I didn't..." Saniya crossed her arms. "I didn't say that it was a good time, just that you should give him more credit."

Agent Musa humphed, in a weird, disapproving laugh. One thing was clear: Saniya screwed Clint over by calling her. She got out of Italy but at the cost of Clint's reputation. The familiar weight of guilt settled on her, but then she remembered Marsha alive and well in the backseat. It was necessary, but that didn't mean she had to like what she did.

Marsha fiddled with her seatbelt, double checking to make sure it was locked. "What... what is going to happen to him? He's not in a lot of trouble, right?"

"I have filed a formal complaint that will be reviewed by our superiors," Agent Musa told them. "It is out of my hands." Her shoulders began to sag from exhaustion. "Agent Barton will no longer be your trainer—"

"What? You can't—"

"—and he will be replaced by someone else." Agent Musa glared at the interruption. Saniya's insides recoiled under her withering gaze. "I... don't know who will train you. I am the only trainer in the area and I cannot instruct you full time, as much as I wish I could. There are several in D.C. and more than a few available on the helicarrier, but I assume you don't want to leave New York."

Saniya nodded. "I refuse to go somewhere else."

Agent Musa repressed a sigh. "And that's where the trouble comes in. I may have someone stationed in New York with open times. I'll do my best but we may have to come up with a compromise."

"Let me guess, this compromise is you getting your way with no complaints?"

"That would be ideal, but I don't want you to be miserable. I remember being a young agent and shipped a different city every month. It's an unnecessary pain." The crow's feet around her eyes crinkled. "Poor morale hinders your ability to advance in your training. I assure you that if comes to it, the compromise will be fairer than you're expecting."

Saniya risked a peek at Marsha. Her sister pointed at Agent Musa and was mouthing something. As much as she tried to make sense of what she was trying to say, Saniya was at a loss.

"What?" Saniya whispered, which didn't go unnoticed by Agent Musa.

Marsha gulped, eyes staring at the back of the hijab. "I don't understand why Clint can't train her anymore. He made a mistake and he should get a second chance."

There was a brief pause as Agent Musa tilted her head as if she was looking right at Marsha instead of a windshield. "Miss Elliot, in life, there is no such thing as second chances. You must get it right the first time or suffer the consequences."

Marsha slumped in her seat, but Saniya was willing to rise in her defense, just as she had for Clint. She crossed her arms. "That's very pessimistic," she replied. "She has a point. Give him another chance."

Agent Musa didn't bother to entertain the thought. "I prefer the term realistic, and no, she doesn't." She sighed. "Clint's time as your trainer is over."

The day had gone and left by the time Marsha and Saniya felt like they were up for doing anything. Traveling was a draining experience that they both agreed they didn't want to do again. Finally, at six in the morning, Saniya felt awake and like she could conquer the world. Marsha was sleeping peacefully at the end of the bed.

She, still in her pajamas and uncombed hair, gathered the letters she found in Italy. "Jarvis?" she whispered to the ceiling.

"Yes, Ms. Ramakrishna?"

"Where's Bruce? He asleep?"

"No. He is currently in the labs, very much awake."

She opened her door. He was awake. She was awake. What better time to ask him to translate some things for her? Besides, she hadn't seen him since she returned from Italy. Saniya needed to catch him up on everything that happened, and, well, she really wanted to see him.

Saniya got into the elevator. "Same floor as always?"

"Yes, but I highly recommend you wait until later. He is not in his most amiable state at the moment."

She pressed the button despite the AI's warnings. "Nah, I think it'll be okay."

The receptionist gave her a weird look, but she supposed it wasn't so out of the ordinary to visit the labs in pajamas. She turned the letters in her hand so many times that she lost count. On the last turn, before she walked into the lab, she noticed that the lines of marker on her wrist were faded to nonexistence.

She had lost count of all the times she used her abilities. It used to be a compulsive action and it was fun seeing how many marks she had by the end of the week. Saniya couldn't remember the exact time she stopped though she was certain it was around the time she came to the tower. Well, new life meant leaving behind old habits. It was better this way. She had a feeling she would get ink poisoning if she continued with the way her life was heading.

She pushed open the lab door and froze. When Jarvis warned that Bruce wasn't in his most amiable state, she expected him to be tired and cranky. Maybe having caffeine withdrawals or being bothered by Tony. It never crossed her mind that he was angry enough to become the Hulk.

His large fists slammed on the glass enclosure named the Hulk Tank. It vibrated under his assaults but didn't shatter. The second his beady eyes landed on her, he growled and banged on the glass with more ferocity. Saniya felt like she was thrown into a frozen pond the way he was staring at her. There was so much anger in his eyes. But, this was in a controlled environment. This sort of fear only made her gape with amazement at the creature of raw strength before her. The icy water of fear was refreshing.

"Shortcake! When'd you get back from France?" Tony swiveled his chair to face her. There were two dark circles under his eyes.

Saniya took a step towards the glass. "Italy," she corrected. "We got back yesterday."

Tony placed himself between her and the glass, maybe in a way to shield her from the terror behind it. Thoughtful, but ultimately an unnecessary action. His forehead creased with concern "Maybe you should leave," he said softly.

She blinked, trying to get around him. "Why?"

"Uh." He jabbed his thumb behind him. The Hulk was only made more enraged by the movement. "Need I say more?"

Saniya twisted the letters closer to her chest and moved around the scientist. Her eyes grew wider the closer she came to the cage. The Hulk raised his fist and smashed down where she assumed her head was supposed to be.

She looked back at Tony. "Why is he in there?"

Tony watched her carefully. "I have some new projects and am measuring exactly how strong the big guy is." He backed up to his chair, always keeping her in his line of sight. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little... stunned."

A smile climbed up her face. "Hell yeah I'm stunned." She gestured to the Hulk, who, quite frankly, hated being gestured to. He snarled and paced the small cage, slamming the sides with his hands.

He raised an eyebrow. "He's very stunning, I suppose."

"Try awesome."

The Hulk stopped for a moment of testing the durability of the cage. He whipped his head towards her, face scrunched in a growl. Saniya mustered up a small wave. There was a long second of him staring at her before he huffed and grumbled to himself.

Tony regarded the Hulk with a bit of unease. But, his typical smirk returned to his face when his eyes were back on her. "So, you think the Jolly Green Giant is awesome? Gold medal to you. I thought he would've been at the top of your naughty list."

Saniya shrugged. "I mean, I think Bruce is amazing, so..."

As she watched the Hulk stomp like a toddler, she was suddenly reminded by something Thor said. He believed that Bruce and the Hulk were one person. They were like a coin with two very different sides.

She never did make her mind up on the matter, whether she agreed with Thor or not, but she decided that she didn't care. Whether they were two parts of one person or two people in one body, Bruce was always in the equation. And anything involving him, she saw in a positive light.

Even if she tried to, she couldn't stop seeing the micro-similarities between the Hulk and Bruce, which only reinforced that idea. The facial expressions, the awkward movements, they all reminded her of Bruce. Of course, there were some big differences between the two that she could not look past.

One being the unrelenting rage.

His eyes met hers. She thought he recognized her, but then he slammed his shoulder against the side of the cage with a snarl.

Tony whistled. "Strongest hit yet! You really piss him off," he complimented.

"Do you want me to stand closer? Better data and that sort of stuff," she offered. Before Tony could give a real answer, she was moving close enough to press her hands against the clear structure. Her heart began to beat faster as he kicked at her head. She felt the glass vibrate with each smack.

The Hulk stepped away, glaring at her as he stomped to the other side of the cage, though it wasn't much distance. She barely had the time to think 'holy crap I am so stupid' when he pushed off the ground and rammed his whole body at her.

The clear glass —or whatever it was— didn't shatter. If she ever met the person who made that material, she'd thank them a million times for its strength. Instead of breaking, it absorbed the impact and shook so much that she fell backwards.

Saniya grabbed her side as her ribs ached from her tumble. He roared then continued his never-ending escape attempt. Tony rushed to her side, expecting tears or, at least, some sort of fear. Maybe it was the adrenaline that made her react that way, but she laughed. The Hulk stared at her like she was an alien.

"That had to be a new record."

Tony's forehead creased. "Remember when I said that was his strongest hit yet? Well, this was ten times greater." He helped her stand up, doing most of the work for her. "You look a little out of it. Maybe you should head up to bed. I can slip you some sleeping pills if that'll help."

Saniya steadied herself so that she no longer had to lean on Tony for support. His suggestion was more of a demand, and that sort of made her angry that he thought he could order her around. But since she didn't feel like being kicked out of the lab and ruin her chances of seeing the Hulk again, she told him that he was right.

She set the letters on Bruce's desk. "When he's done with this whole thing, tell him these are the papers I need translated."

He barely looked away from the screen. "Sure, whatever."

As she walked to the doorway, the strength of the Hulk's punches decreased. He stopped fighting completely, instead watching after her as she left. Tony burst into fits of laughter as he followed to exactly where he was staring.

Tony let out one last chuckle. "Looks like the Hulk likes her butt just as much as Bruce does. That's amazing. Jarvis! Please tell me you are recording!"

"I always am, sir."

"I'm so adding that to the montage."

Saniya rested her head on her hands as Steve taught Marsha how to play chess. With Clint in Europe and Bruce doing whatever with the Hulk, there wasn't much for her to do.

"See, these pieces move diagonally across the board while these only move horizontally." Steve set the pieces back in the correct spaces.

Marsha picked up the knight, twirling the horse between her fingers. "And how do these move?"

"Those are trickier. Just think of them moving in the shape of a seven." Steve demonstrated the move then placed it back on the dark space. "Do you want to do a practice round?"

Marsha nodded with a smile.

Steve made his move and waited for Marsha to make hers. Five minutes of her trying to figure out what to do was driving Saniya crazy. Someone had to say something, and she was willing to be that person.

"Steve, can I ask you a favor?"

She could have sworn his mouth curved into a frown before it settled on a neutral thin-mouthed appearance. "Depends on the favor," he replied.

Saniya shifted in her seat. "Agent Musa sort of fired Clint from trainer duty and... I can't be moved somewhere else. I have to stay in New York."

He raised an eyebrow, looking away from the board as Marsha weighed her choices. "What's keeping you here?"

She held her tongue from snapping at him. He was just making conversation, not attacking you, she reminded herself. "This entire city. I can't leave it," she confessed. "I love it too much. It's home."

He nodded knowingly, not even looking down as he moved his pawn forward. "In the time I spent in the war, before the... ice, I remember how homesick I got." His eyes lit up enough for her to appreciate their startling blueness. There was no denying that he was an attractive man. "This city grows on you."

She almost grinned at his confession. Finally, they had something major in common: their love for New York.

"So, you get why I can't leave?"

Steve's shoulder slacked from any tension they previously held. "I understand, but," he began to say, "what is the favor?"

He moved his queen forward, causing Marsha to whisper 'darn it' under her breath. Steve pointed towards one of her pieces as a hint. She moved exactly where he told her to and the game continued without a hitch.

Saniya tapped her foot against the leg of her chair. "If Agent Musa can't find a trainer for me in New York, will you do it?" Steve's eyes widened. Before he could protest or argue with her, Saniya moved on the offensive. "You wouldn't have to do it for long, I just need some direction. I can train independently so I really think I'm being reasonable with my request."

"Training independently isn't an option. You need someone to constantly critique your form and to keep you on the right track." He shook his head, opened his mouth, then closed it when he caught sight of Marsha's pleading eyes. Steve held up his finger. "I am not qualified to train you."

"What?" she exclaimed. Saniya slammed her hands on the table for dramatic effect, rattling the chess pieces. "You're Captain America!"

He leaned back in his chair. "Yes, and I do not specialize in stealth," he argued. Steve sighed. "You'd be much better off having an agent who has a similar occupation as you."

Saniya stifled a frustrated groan. "That's what Agent Musa is here for. I still will see her once a week and she can teach me all about the spy part of the job." She threw up her hands. "Maybe I can negotiate to get her twice a week! All you'd have to do is help me get strong and teach me how to fight. That's all!"

"I have a feeling it is not that simple."

She melodramatically draped her arms over his. "But it is. Help me, Steve Rogers. You're my only hope."

As predicted, the Star Wars reference flew right over his head, but it had the response she was hoping for. No longer was he looking at her with hard eyes, but with those of sympathy. And one glance over at Marsha sealed the deal.

Between the two of them, Steve was putty in their hands.

"Fine," he relented. "But only if Agent Musa can't find someone else."

Saniya beamed. "Thanks, Steve!" Even Marsha let out a quiet 'thank you'.

The two sisters met eyes and fought back laughter. Together, they were quite the force to be reckoned with.

—Inside Trieste Airport in Italy—

Natasha's eyes roved over the surveillance videos with an eye trained by years of espionage. A piece of SHIELD equipment was hooked up to the monitor, scanning all faces for any sort of match. It hummed as the first sign of overheating. There were hundreds of faces to scan and it had trouble keeping up. Even she was having trouble keeping up.

"Nat?"

Her finger pressed on her earpiece. "Still looking. The highest match I'm getting is at 40%. You see anything yet?"

"No. Wait, check the south side of the gift shop. I think I saw her."

"On it."

With a flurry of fingers, she brought the camera facing the shop into focus. The state of the art program immediately picked up on the face, making an one hundred percent match. Natasha straightened her back. "Got a match exactly where you said. She's heading north. I'll cut her off while you come up from behind."

"Roger."

Natasha smirked. "Now what does Steve Rogers have to do with this?"

Clint laughed but abruptly stopped. "No jokes on the job, Romanoff."

"Hypocrite," she scoffed playfully. She turned towards the officer and spoke in fluent Italian. "Alert everyone you know to be on the lookout for that woman. Do not attempt an arrest. Leave her to us." Natasha didn't wait to see if the man was going to pass on her message. Flashing her SHIELD badge, she bypassed all extra security and ran down the length of the airport.

Her hand itched to grab her gun when she caught sight of her —Indali— but there were too many civilians around. Too many to get in the way of her bullet. She discreetly pressed her wrists. Her Widow's Bites hummed as they began to charge. Natasha slowed to a brisk walk as she blended with her surroundings.

As if people knew that they needed to get out of the way for something more than they could handle, the crowd parted enough so she didn't have to push through. She drew closer to the dark head until she could Indali's brown eyes widened.

"Gun!" Clint yelled in her ear.

Her eyes flickered to Indali's hand, where she was, in fact, reaching for a weapon. Natasha sprinted towards her, watching the barrel of the gun become level with her head. She gripped Indali's arm and forced it up to the ceiling, firing three shots at the skylight.

Natasha wrapped a leg around Indali's neck as men and women screamed. Their momentum toppled them to the ground. Natasha tried to twist the gun from Indali but her hand had a grip of iron.

More shots were fired and someone screeched with pain. She pressed her leg tighter against Indali's neck. Her breaths were only small rasps now. Natasha yanked the gun out of her grasp and tossed it to the other side of the walkway.

All she had to concentrate now was cutting off Indali's breathing.

Or, at least, that was what she thought until Indali sank her teeth into her leg. Indali, with pure strength, forced herself out from under her and jumped to her feet. Then, her foot collided with Natasha's head.

Her vision blurred as her face smacked on the tile. Indali raised her foot and brought the heel down. Natasha rolled before it could collide with her face. She leaped to her feet, Widow's Bites humming dangerously.

Indali was smart enough to dodge her hands completely. She was constantly moving with her eyes watching the charged blue wrists. The closest thing that could describe the fight was Ying and Yang. Each move was met with one of equal force. Natasha was far more skilled, but Indali was quicker and stronger. She was able to force Natasha back with brute strength.

There was an opening and Natasha took it, latching on to her with her legs and wrapping a wire around her soft throat. Indali clawed at it but Natasha was unrelenting as it closed her trachea.

She forced the wire tighter. This was normally the part where people fell unconscious.

Indali slammed Natasha's back against the ground. Her vertebrae made a sickening crack. The wire came loose enough for her to slip her bruised neck away.

People, still trying to flee the scene, shrieked as Indali dived for the gun at their feet. Clint lifted his own weapon and shot her right in the chest. Indali stumbled but returned fire without any sign of being injured. Bulletproof vest. Natasha forced herself to move.

Clint dropped to the ground.

"Barton!" Natasha barked from behind her terrible cover of a wooden bench.

He rolled behind a metal trash bin. Clint lifted his hand and saw that it was covered in blood. "Just grazed me."

She pulled out her own gun. This woman had to be taken out now.

Indali yanked a woman by her wrist and held her in front of her as protection. The gun pressed into the innocent's temple. "Follow me and I'll kill her!" she threatened.

"Shoot when you have a clean shot," Natasha told Clint.

He nodded with a grim expression.

Turned out Indali would come up with the grand idea of a whole circle of civilians to cover her. It was an impenetrable shield of blubbering adults and children. Clint never had a clean shot, no matter how many angles he tried. He refused to shoot with the chance of hitting someone.

"Clear the plane!" Indali pointed towards the one that was just being boarded. Nobody moved. Her eyes flashed. "Clear it! Don't try to stop me. Nobody will stop me."

Natasha raised an eyebrow as one of the officers rushed through a gate with dozens of passengers soon trailing behind. The last man debarked. Indali —with her circle of hostages— locked them in the plane, sending the pilot to the cockpit. The two agents were beyond dumbstruck as the airport allowed them to fly off the runway without a problem.

Dozens of Italian police watched with them, even police cars lined the runway, but nobody interfered. Natasha was beyond infuriated. She was more than certain that there were protocols to follow after a plane hijacking. Nothing was done to get in her way.

"I..." Clint shook his head. "Wow, I really thought they wouldn't let her through, but they just..."

Natasha gritted her teeth. All she wanted to do was punch something, or someone. She grabbed the collar of the nearest Italian with a badge and slammed him against the wall. His eyes were glazed over, only returning into focus when he hit the plaster. "Why did you let her through? Why didn't security stop her?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know."

Clint returned his gun to his holster. "I'll try to figure out this mess. Maybe if I ask around enough I can figure out where the airport went wrong."

He returned a half hour later with no answers. Everyone he asked said that they felt like they had to obey her and nothing further. Natasha was tempted to scream in their faces about how they allowed a crazed murderer onto a plane, but then she recalled how she didn't do anything either. Odd. She was more pragmatic than Clint and saw the appeals of attacking her before she boarded, civilians or not. In fact, she specifically remembered thinking that just before Indali disappeared into the plane.

Why didn't she do anything?

When she asked Clint the same question, he was at a loss as well. Suddenly the officers who said they felt like they had to obey didn't seem so daft. Natasha and Clint were just as bad as them in the situation. It had her thinking as she recalled Marsha and Saniya and their abilities. Was there something they were missing?

The next hours were spent on a plane tracking her and arranging a group of agents as backup for the eventual confrontation. Their previous strategy of a small two-person team obviously was not the best for the situation. So, while arrangements were made, Clint plotted several potential landing points.

"We'll get her this time," Clint reassured her as he closed the laptop.

She shook her head. "We've said that several times already. She's too quick for the two of us to catch on our own. She uses civilians as a way to run. Every single time."

"Except for the time with Saniya." Clint frowned.

Natasha scowled. "Saniya is a civilian. At the hotel, she distracted us with a bomb and we had to evacuate an entire building. And now she has a dozen people standing between us and her. We might not get her quite yet."

Casualties. It all came down to casualties. If was her old self, before SHIELD, Indali would have been killed long before the hotel explosion, with the consequences of several dead townspeople. The past was easier in the respect that she didn't have to worry about innocents. She used to shoot anyone who got in her way without a second thought. But things weren't like that anymore. Not a single person could be overlooked, even the most insignificant.

He cupped her knee with a worn hand. "I feel it in my gut. This will be our golden moment."

"Are you sure it's not the airline food?" she asked.

Clint removed his hand as the stewardess walked past. He shrugged. "Okay, so maybe a little bit is from the food, but I'm positive of this. We're the best of SHIELD." She hummed her agreement. "If we can't catch her, no one can."

Natasha brushed her hand against his in the slightest of movements. "That's what I'm worried about." She closed her eyes for a moment. "She reminds me of what I was like, right after I left the Room."

"You think it started back up?"

"No," she said without hesitation. "The Red Room wouldn't taint its reputation by letting someone so unskilled do their work. I highly doubt she's even been properly instructed on combat."

Clint grabbed her hand, hiding it behind the armrest. "Then what's bothering you?"

She squeezed his fingers. "It's a power play. After I was let out of the Red Room, I used to do the exact same thing. She kills without asking the question of if she should. She's going to murder every single one of those hostages all because she can."

His eyes widened. "No matter what we do, they'll die."

"She'll kill more if we don't get to her first," she said. "Screw custody and an arrest, I'm bringing Director Fury a dead body."

"Nat—"

"People like her need to be put down before she can cause more damage," she interrupted.

Clint frowned. He disagreed with her, since once upon a time she was one of those people who needed to be taken out. He might have been willing to make the call to allow redemption but she wasn't. Much like Agent Musa, Natasha wasn't an optimist.

Bit of a spoiler for the next chapter: someone very special comes back ;)

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