Bird Set Free | Natasha Romanoff ✓

Chapter One

Aquila Cadman sat at a bar as loud music drowned her ears in music until she almost couldn't hear her own thoughts anymore. Two open bottles sat in front of her, one finished and the other one on the way to joining the first. They hadn't been her first and certainly wouldn't be her last.

A loud crash sounded from behind her, as two people had been leaning on a table, locked in a sweet embrace, well maybe not so sweet, as the table went crashing to the floor.

Get a goddamn room.

Spending her night at such a bar probably wasn't the smartest idea that she had had but what did it matter, she would be leaving to the next town in a matter of days. That was the routine she had long fallen into, staying in a new town every few weeks, it kept her hidden and off the radar of anyone wishing to track her down.

She blended in now, her old accent which had made her stand out, fallen off her tongue. The only thing that stood out now was her sudden appearances and disappearances.

Taking the final swig of the drink in front of her, Aquila was about to wave the bartender down to ask for another when she felt a presence behind her.

Cursing inwardly at the unfortunate turn of events without turning around, she responded to the person behind her.

"Ms. Romanoff, what can I do for you today?

A woman with fiery red hair that ended in a short bob and piercing green eyes sat beside Aquila, studying her. "Impressive." She remarked.

"What? My ability to drink?" Aquila scoffed.

"The fact you knew I was there."

"What? That? Please, that was nothing." Aquila responded.

"Nice tattoo."

As the hot weather was only continuing, Aquila's choice of a black halter top in order to combat the heat had left her shoulders exposed, in particular, her right shoulder where an intricate tattoo of her eagle rested. It had been an impulsive choice, made one late night, but very much worth it, as it reminded her of her long lost home, where tattoos, similar were very common.

"Thanks," Aquila said. "Alright, small talk aside. I know why you are here, and the answer is no."

"Well, that was easy to convince you." Natasha joked humourlessly.

"Well, you can tell Fury that I'm not joining his precious S.H.I.E.L.D, no matter what is in it for me. Just because I can turn into a giant eagle doesn't mean I want to use it to solve whatever petty fight, Fury has got himself into."

"Well, this isn't a petty fight, we are generally threatened. Plus some of our very own agents have been compromised, we need you more than ever."

"Really?" Aquila asked sarcastically. "And how is a giant bird going to help the situation exactly?"

"Well, I know exactly who you are, Ms. Cadman. And you are much more than the ability to turn into an eagle. You are a warrior and the fact that you knew that I was there, only confirmed it."

"Oh, I'm flattered."

"Please, this is serious. We need you. We wouldn't have tracked you down if it wasn't desperate."

"Oh, please, it's not like this is the first time you have tracked me down, I can recall the person back then saying they were 'desperate', too."

Natasha Romanoff was about to make a retort when a bottle was smashed against a wall, followed by more crashes and bangs.

"Maybe, we should get out of here, and discuss this more privately?"

"Well, first of all, there is no 'we' in this situation, but you have my answer," Aquila replied, collecting her belongings and swinging her well-worn leather jacket over her bare shoulders. "Good evening, Ms. Romanoff."

Aquila had slapped some money on the bar top in order to pay for her drinks and had swung her way out of the bar before Natasha Romanoff had even worked out what had just happened.

"Excuse me! Ms. Cadman!" Natasha Romanoff ran after her, finding Aquila halfway onto her motorcycle parked outside. "Please, just let me explain."

"You have thirty seconds," Aquila responded looking down at her imaginary watch.

Natasha reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone, displaying a glowing blue cube. "This is the Tesseract. It belongs to a planet called Asgard and has been stolen by an Asgardian, Loki."

"Well, if it belongs to Asgard and has been stolen by an Asgardian, why are we stressing about it so much?"

The woman in front of Aquila, shook her head slightly, ignoring her comment. "The plan was to bring you as well as two others who we feel are the only people who can help us take down Loki in a fight."

Aquila nodded in response, as her brain ran wild with thoughts. She couldn't believe she was actually starting to consider Natasha's offer.

"Fine. I'll do it. But I better get a hella of rewards."

Natasha smiled, pressing a finger to her ear, she said. "It's affirmative. Bring in the Quinjet."