Imagine If You Assembled the Avengers: Volume 1

The Illusion of Truth (Natasha Romanoff x reader)

You sat in a small café, waiting for your target to appear. There was a very large bounty on his head, and you were the number one freelance assassin pretty much anywhere due to your illusion manipulation abilities. For this particular case, the café itself was a product of your own design, and if you must say so yourself, your attention to detail was on point. So much so that the smell of coffee and pastries was making you hungry. Your chosen personality façade was the appearance of an old friend of yours, one that you took a little pause in using because of your history together, but given that your target was a high-ranking SHIELD agent and a friend of hers, it was guaranteed to draw him in. All he had to do was find himself sitting across from Natasha Romanoff and you would kill him so efficiently that he wouldn't even see it coming, and the blame would be placed on his own team.

His footsteps were even and strong, and you knew it was him before you made visual contact. He rested his hand on your shoulder, giving you confidence that your illusion of Natasha was successful.

"Give me five minutes, I'll be right back," he said quietly, leaning in close to you, but moving away again before you could reply. He had yet to look you in the eye, and your instincts were telling you that something wasn't right here.

~~~

"Well, you were right, she's an exact match," Fury whispered into his phone as he watched you wait for him on the other side of your created environment. "Man, even the way she turns her head to move her hair is the same. It's amazing."

"Okay, so engage her and we'll move in."

"Rogers, you know that the second I sit down in front of her, she's gonna take her shot." Nick looked around at his surroundings for the first time, shaking his head in awe of the details you had put into it. "Damn, she's good. I would have no reason to believe that this place wasn't real. Right down to the cracks in the old ceiling and worn paint job."

"If you don't get her to show her hand, we have nothing to go on to take her, you know that," Steve sighed, "we need proof that she's the one who's after you."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Nick huffed, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration, "the fact that I'm here looking at Natasha Romanoff when the real Natasha Romanoff is sitting right next to you isn't enough? I have to actually get shot to prove that she's out to get me? What if she takes a head shot, genius? Nothing bullet proof there!"

"I don't know, Fury, that skull of yours is pretty thick," Steve laughed, and Nick swore he could hear Nat in the background joining in; after a small pause he heard Steve cough quietly to regain his composure. "We should have her before she can take a shot; she's out in the open so she'll aim under the table. It's too risky for her to make her play that publicly."

"That's reassuring, Rogers, thanks," Nick groaned sarcastically. "Alright, let's get this over with." He slid his phone into his pocket and tapped his chest gently, reassuring himself that his vest was secure and ready to protect him. He walked back to you as casually as he could, still trying to look official, while trying to not appear too nervous. It was a balancing act that he really wasn't skilled at, and he hoped that you would buy it anyway.

"So, let's have it," he said, pulling his chair out to sit. "What was so urgent that you needed to see me, and why not at HQ?"

"Well, it seems like you've really pissed off the wrong people this time, Nick. They've put a very high price on your head," you said, leveling your gun under the table so that it would strike the lower mid-left rib cage and destroy the most vital part of his heart. "It would seem that there have been a few takers on that offer."

Fury leaned back in his chair, trying to ensure that the vest was in the direct line of your aim. "You think I don't know when I'm being hunted? Trust me, Romanoff, I've been around long enough to know when I'm getting played. And I've got a great team," he finished with a smile.