What now? [winterwidow]

18 - Odessa

Natasha POV

*1 month later*

A mission, finally! Maria hasn't given me any missions in ages and apparently no other catastrophic world destruction events have happened since the last one...

Mission in Odessa, capture not kill, Ukrainian extremist we believe might have ties with A.I.M. His name is Artem Shevchenko and you are to intercept him at 1511 (GMT+3) 46°27'07.0"N 30°36'15.4"E. Quinjet will bring you to Boryspil and agent Phil will rondevue with you the next day at 46°26'23.3"N 30°37'10.7"E 0800 to pick him up.

I enter the quinjet already prepared for me with all my gear and stay in the drop bay, looking through the mission specs. I turn to my left and access S.H.I.E.L.D's database files to check out this 'Shevchenko' man. Single. 26. Ran around with a bunch of gangs. Met up with A.I.M representative 2 weeks ago. 6'7''. Speaks only Ukrainian and English. 8 years experience in Combat Hopak, 4 years in Krav Maga and 1 year in Savate.

Easy.

***

"Agent Romanoff, we're landing in 2 minutes."

"Thanks May." I zip up my suit completely and put on my wig, hat, coat and sling my 'ordinary backpack' over my shoulder.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow I'm guessing?" says May.

"Yes, you will. Also, tell Phil he still owes me...he'll know what I mean." I say getting off the quinjet.

I immediately head towards the car rental shop and for today, I'm going with my Oktober alias. I pull out my ID card and pay the man behind the front desk, grab the keys and drive toward the coordinates provided to me. It's only 1245 right now and my ETA is 1450, plenty of time to scope the area out.

1311.

Still got time. I get out of my car and do a quick survey of the terrain. Dirt road behind the barren hill I parked behind towards the north, arid desert towards the west, civilisation north east and a shack south-wards. With..., I pull out my scope from my bag and see a flipped over car that seems to have been wrecked.

1321.

I can make it, no need to worry about time. I get in the car and speed towards the wreckage south of me to inspect what the heck happened there. As I climb out, I notice something familiar about what I see and it hits me. This was my...first encounter with James? When he tried to shoot me. I circle the battered truck and see some bullet embedded into the steel sheets. 

***

I see a car suddenly speeding off the road and headed straight to me, looking back I see the engineer in shivering in fear. I promised to keep him safe and I intend to do so. I stepped harder on the pedal notifying Maria of incoming enemy on my location to come up with an extraction plan. As I yell into my comms, I drift and make a full circle turn after deciding there's no way I can just shake him in a landscape like this. 

I pull out my M4A1 Carbine that was S.H.I.E.L.D standard issue and fire a few shots at the enemy. But none of them land a hit on the man as he deflects everything whilst driving. I throw my gun to the engineer I was assigned to escort since it was taking no effect and I drive straight towards him to hopefully get him off track and have a clearer shot of him. As I drive right past him, with his glistening arm warding the bullets away and a distance of a few inches, I am shocked to see a split second of confusion from the man.

He attaches a bug to the vehicle and as the engineer and I flip over in the car, I see the man walk out with a M249 Paratrooper SAW, one of my favourite LMGs, huh pretty good taste. He walks towards our wrecked vehicle as I climb out and pull the asset out with me too. I'm not very wounded but the odds are slightly against me. I take a good look at the metal armed man and suddenly realise that this was The Winter Soldier, famed ghost story of the USSR and KGB. He glanced at me, then to the asset I was defending behind me and in a split second, he shoots him while I was trying to compose myself. One of my most idiotic decision in mission. Right through me, he shot the asset in the chest, gave me a millisecond glance with a weird expression and immediately drives off, leaving me in the pool of gushing blood, stirring together from me and the asset.                                                      MISSION FAILED

***

Now that I recall it, why, why did he act so off, like he wasn't himself during that mission. And why did he walk with a lopsidedness barely noticeable to an average person but amplified ten fold when I see it, see him. What am I missing? I know that walk, I know that look, that face, that man. Something before he joined us, before he reunited with Steve. 

Thanks to Enchantress I'm not getting any more migraines but I still can't remember! What is it? Where do I know James from? Before Steve.

A/N: Lol sorry for being a bum uploader guys :p Btw, I actually planned what imma do in future chapters YEY! But... I think I'm gonna end it in 3-5 chapters soz if it was rushed but idek wut to do anymore 😂😭