protected || natasha romanoff [DISCONTINUED]

i kill a man

he attacks first.

i flip the larger man onto the ground, rolling across the floor and landing in a crouch. he flips back to his feet. i straighten as well. he jumps into a flying kick, and at the last second, i duck out of the way. i spring onto his shoulders and wrap my arms around his throat tightly. he taps my arm twice and i let go, jumping down.

he coughs, rubbing his throat. "nice work, natalia."

"thank you," i say, "i think i'm going to go for a run now."

"the general wants to see you," the man says, patting me on the shoulder.

i press my lips together, but leave the training room. i take the cement stairs up to my handler's office. maybe i'll finally be able to do something.

"excellent," the older man says as soon as i close the door behind me.

"yes, sir?"

"there's an agent i need you to take out."

"of course," i say immediately. i want to get out anyways, but i know not to deny him something.

"we don't know his name," he tells me. "he may be using an alias- my source says he may be going by rob, but you'll have to play it by ear."

"i won't let you down."

he hands me a file. "you have five hours, starting now. kill anyone who gets in your way."

i nod and grab the file, stalking out of the room. i flick through the pages as i head back to my own room. if i'm lucky, he'll still be in the same hotel, since is just a routine check up for him.

-

two hours later, i'm dressed in a summery dress. my short red hair is down. there's a gun under my skirt and in my purse.

i walk to the hotel and head for the bar. i've just sat down in a bar seat. when someone taps on my shoulder. i turn to see my target.

"hey," he says, "sorry to bother you, but we're a little confused on which way to go."

his partner shows me a map and points to a spot. i squint a little to read the writing.

try to kill any of us, and there will be a bullet through your skull before you can even fire.

"what?" i ask, acting oblivious, "you have the wrong person. that's creative, though."

"no, here," rob says, pointing at a different spot.

"oh," i say, making sure my russian accent is visible, "the street signs are a little confusing. it may look like you should keep going straight here"- i point to a place on the map- "but really, you should take a right."

"thank you," his apparent bodyguard says, stepping away. she runs a hand through her long blonde hair nervously.

i turn back to face the bartender and pretend to pull out my ID. instead, i take out my pistol, spin, and shoot rob twice. he collapses to the ground and the noises around me all go quiet. someone screams.

i slip the gun away as the girl turns around. she storms over to me and knocks me out of my chair. i stumble back, pretending to be afraid, as she slams me into a wall. a couple gets up from a table to leave.

"ma'am," the bartender interjects, his hands on the bar, "please stop-"

she flashes a badge at him. "this is SHIELD business. trust me, you'd be lucky if i took her off of your hands.

"i'm so sorry about your friend, miss," i gasp, trembling. another person stands up to leave.

"drop the act," she snaps, so close to me i can hear a person talking through her comm.

"agent, back off until you have more orders," i hear someone with a british accent say.

the agent presses her lips together, but steps away from me, turning to the bartender. "sorry for the inconvenience. i'll pay for any damages."

i hide my smile as she walks out of the bar, and return to my seat for a drink. i pull out my ID, discreetly turning the safety back on. i put it on the counter between the bartender and i. he picks it up and scans it. it's not real, obviously, but my age is correct. i know i look young, and i also know what i can get away with. there's an advantage to being the legal drinking age for real, though.

"i'm sorry," the bartender apologizes for the agent, "that was uncalled for. drinks are on the house."

"thank you," i tell him. "it's not your fault at all." then i sigh. "just give me something hard, please."

-

i'm back home an hour later, and i head straight for the general's office. i knock quickly.

"come in!" he calls.

i step in confidently. it was an easy mission, nothing compared to things i've done before. "the target is dead. a few witnesses, but i couldn't kill them all without suspicion. there was one other agent, who thought i did it, but has orders to leave me alone."

"perfect, my little spider. quick and efficient, as always. i will send someone after the other. you're excused. i'll call you back in when you're needed."

"thank you, sir," i say, and when the door is closed behind me again, i let out a sigh of relief. i walk back to my room, hoping to still get my run in before dark. but of course, i've just sat down to take off my shoes when a lower level agent enters my room.

"the general?" i assume.

she nods and i stand up, sighing. she disappears somewhere along my walk back to his office. i knock before entering again.

"they're onto you," he says right away, "i sent someone to get information and kill the other agent. her name is bobbi morse, and she's called for backup. by the sounds of it, they're only sending one other agent for her- they think you may have information he needs. since they're looking for you, i figured you'd be able to find and take them out. again, you can kill anyone who gets in your way."

"thank you, sir," i say.

after i've left, i realize he didn't tell me how long i have. i guess i'll make this quick.