Mission Successful
Natasha had gotten the mission a few days ago. It was quite simple, really: Eliminate Wanda Maximoff. Very to the point. It was quite a unique mission, however. She had thought that her days of assassination were over once she joined the Avengers, but apparently not. But Natasha didn't complain- complaining was a waste of time in this business.
As she looked at the file for her target, various thoughts crossed her mind. Emotions that she had been suppressing started to appear. For one thing, the girl was young, no more than 17 or 18 from the looks of it. Not only that, she looked... broken. Her eyes were dull, skin pale. Her cheeks were sunken in, clearly from malnutrition. Natasha felt a rush of pity for her. She was being sent to kill a child. Then, she looked at the text below the image.
Wanda Maximoff, Female. Given various telepathic abilities by HYDRA, using the Mind Stone. Threat Level: High.
Sighing, Natasha tucked the file away. Despite her own misgivings, this was her job. The Black Widow was a killer.
A while later, Natasha was in Sokovia after being dropped off by a SHIELD vehicle. Looking around, she sucked in a breath at her surroundings. She had heard of the poverty in the small country, of course- she wasn't living under a rock. But it was one thing to see it on T.V, and another thing to be there, among the people. Countless men, women, and children were on their hands and knees, pleading, begging for scraps. Natasha had put on a dark hoodie and jeans in an attempt to blend in, but she stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of people whose clothes were more rips and holes than fabric.
She kept the image of Wanda Maximoff in her mind. According to the SHIELD members who had briefed her on the mission, she should be somewhere around here. While she was lost in her thoughts, Natasha felt a hand grip onto her leg. Whipping her head around and feeling for her gun, she was surprised to see a young boy. His eyes were wide and pleading, his dirt-covered face streaked with tears. “Please, мэм, do you have money to spare?” He cried in accented English. Natasha was about to shake him off and be on her way, but something stopped her.
Crouching down to face him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out 100 Sokovian Rubles. Crumpling it up, she placed it in the palm of his hand, closing his fingers over it. “Ваши родители рядом (Are your parents nearby)?” Natasha asked gently, believing the boy would be more familiar with Russian than English. He nodded, jaw hanging open slightly. This is probably the most money he’s ever seen in his life, she thought sadly.
“Good. Беги к ним как можно быстрее, не останавливайся (Run to them as fast as you can, don’t stop).” Most of the people on these streets would not hesitate before attacking a young child if they saw the money he held. Natasha ruffled his hair before standing up and continuing to walk, deciding not to draw any more attention to the boy.
Slightly angry at herself for getting sidetracked, Natasha picked up the pace. The sooner she could get out of here, the better. She just had to find the Maximoff girl.
As she continued to walk, she noticed the number of people on the streets starting to dwindle. It was strange that her target was somewhere here, but SHIELD was tracking her using her high levels of power and energy, and they were convinced.
Finally, she spotted her. The girl was huddled on the ground, arms wrapped around herself and knees hunched up to her chest. She looked even worse than she did in the photo. As soon as Wanda noticed Natasha, she stood up, surprisingly relaxed. “You’re here to kill me,” she stated plainly.
That caught Natasha off guard, and she took a step back. No one else was in the vicinity to hear them, thankfully. “What do you mean?” She asked, feigning confusion.
Wanda laughed softly. “Do not play with me, Romanoff. I know who you are. Everyone in Sokovia knows who you are. You are the Black Widow, an Avenger.” She spat out the last word. “And now you are here, with me. There is no other reason for you to be here.” Letting out a sigh, she relaxed her shoulders.
“I should be thanking you though,” Wanda continued quietly. “After all, there is no point anymore.” Eyes narrowing, Natasha advanced towards her slowly.
“No point to what?” The older woman questioned. Wanda shrugged.
“Living. Existing.” Raising her eyebrows at Natasha’s expression, she elaborated. “They killed my brother. All their experiments eventually became too much for him.” Her previously cold facade broke a little, and her voice cracked. “I suppose I was lucky to survive… but I don’t deserve to live.”
Natasha dug her nails into her palms, almost drawing blood. This girl was lying, trying to make her feel guilty. But deep down, the assassin knew that wasn’t true. She was genuinely happy to die.
She pulled out the gun from the holster and turned it around a few times in her hand. Wanda eyed the weapon and nodded slightly. “Do it,” she urged. Closing her eyes, Wanda awaited the impact, welcoming the darkness…
And it didn’t come. Instead, there was the sound of something hitting the ground. Natasha had dropped the gun.
“No,” she said simply. Wanda looked from her to the gun, confusion and frustration evident on her face.
“What? Why?” Wanda asked, eyes flashing red for a moment.
Tilting her head, Natasha kicked the gun away. “Because you don’t deserve it,” she said with a shrug. ”You’re just a kid,” she added, voice becoming more gentle.
Wanda’s lip trembled. “I’m not a kid, I’m a monster!” She yelled. “I’m an experiment! A weapon!” Natasha felt her heart clench- she had thought those same things about herself not long ago. Sometimes, she still thought of those things.
Slowly, cautiously, she moved towards Wanda, raising her hands to show she wasn’t a threat. “I get that, I really do. But you’re not. You have a whole life ahead of you- I’m not gonna rip that away,” she said calmly.
The girl scoffed. “A life of what? Poverty?” She gestured vaguely towards their surroundings. “Hiding?” A tear slid down her face, and Wanda’s knees buckled. “I just feel so… alone,” she said in a voice close to a whisper.
Natasha barely hesitated before sitting down next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I know. I know,” she murmured. Completely forgetting about her initial mission, she tried to provide comfort for the girl.
Suddenly, Wanda looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes. “I killed them all,” she blurted out. “The HYDRA guards. When I learned they killed Pietro, I snapped.” She kicked at some pebbles on the ground. “They are after me, they want their weapon back. I am out of control; dangerous.” Out of nowhere, Natasha had an idea. A risky idea, but an idea.
Turning to Wanda, she took her hands in her own. “We can help you. The Avengers, I mean. And before you say no, let me plead my case,” she said quickly. “You can learn to control your powers; learn how to use them properly.”
“You can train with me, and I can teach you hand-to-hand combat. Not only that… you can become a part of our family.” She clearly got Wanda’s attention at the word family.
Natasha realized that Wanda had leaned into her, and her head was now resting on her shoulder. “Why are you being so kind?” She asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. Natasha thought for a while before answering.
“Because you deserve it,” she answered with a small smile. Tears continued to stream down Wanda’s face- the last person who had shown her such kindness was Pietro. She took a shaky breath and straightened up.
“I- I will take you up on your offer,” she decided. “I will become a part of your… family.” Natasha grinned at this, and pulled the girl into a side hug. The mission had gone extremely off-track, but to be honest, she didn’t care. As she wiped a tear from Wanda’s cheek, she quickly pulled up her device and opened her mission log.
MISSION: SUCCESSFUL.