Один
There are a few seconds where Lidiya feels a sense of serenity. A feeling of calm overtakes her, and for a few seconds she escapes herself; this never-ending nightmare fading, replaced by the tranquillity of the moment. The air is still, as she empties her pistol, tucking a few wild strands of hair behind her ears. Feeling her back pocket, she fumbles to find the new cartridges, pulling them out of the pocket and loading them into the chamber of the pistol. Her hands tremble as she closes the compartment, and she puts the pistol back into its holster. She lets herself to relax slightly, focusing on her breathing, allowing her to recover.
There is a sudden surge of movement as the door to the apartment flies open, people filing into the room. They're armed, hostile expressions on their faces as they search for her; their target, their enemy. She recognises one of the agents with them, her red hair short and bouncing freely around her shoulders. Her face is equally red, as she yells commands to the army following her.
Lidiya takes a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut tightly before she runs from her shelter. The silence lasts for a second, before the rippling shots of gunfire echo through the room. She's too quick for them though.
Everything passes in slow motion. She can see her surroundings stand still as she ducks and scrambles on the floor, passing Agent Romanoff swiftly. She reaches for the gun in her back pocket, whipping it out and quickly aiming at the agent in front of her. The gunshot is aimed at their arm, and as they begin to collapse enough space is made for her to sprint to the fire exit. Slamming open the door, she pauses momentarily, taking a deep breath. More shouts follow, but before they can react, she jumps over the railings, landing neatly on the next flight of stairs. There are agents everywhere, as she tries to hastily navigate an escape route.
Her instinct is to jump, and so she dives over the railings again. As she lands, she rolls out of the leap, kicking the agent in front of her before flipping herself up. A few more punches are landed, the person collapses on the floor next to her. She dodges another gunshot, twisting the agents arm behind their back and aiming the next shot at another colleague. Swiftly, she smashes their head into the ground, grabbing the gun and using it to aim at the helicopter above her. The aerial threat doesn't last long, as she is able to take it out with one shot, and as it crashes down, she makes her escape.
Lidiya runs as fast as she can, making it down two roads within seconds. There are people screaming all around, frantically trying to run away from the current showdown. The streets of Nizhny Novgorod are in chaos as a flurry of cars begin to chase after her, Agent Romanoff leading on a motorcycle.
This is all too familiar though for Lidiya, as she knows the exact turn to take to get away from the pack. A sudden left turn helps her to navigate her own motorcycle, buying her plenty of time to start the engine and drive away. She can't help but smile to herself, as she drives faster down the streets, completing the mission effortlessly.
~~~~~~~~
The emergency Avengers meeting starts ten minutes after Natasha arrives back in New York. Everyone files into a small conference room, where lavish chairs surround a glass table. Natasha Romanoff is the first on in the room, a deep cut on her jaw line. Emotionless she sits, the only evidence of feeling in her eyes, which glow with rage as she sits agitatedly. Steve Rogers makes his way in next, figure tall and proud. He's dressed very casually, as he gives a small smile to Natasha.
"Tough mission?" he says, sitting next to her.
His response is a deep sigh, and a small smile. She speaks up when Clint arrives, simply saying "Whoever she is, she's definitely good."
Bruce Banner and Maria Hill enter soon after. They wait for Tony in silence, the mood sombre.
When Tony finally enters, he is followed by Nick Fury. He pulls out a chair, leaning back in it and putting his hands behind his head. "Is this about the assassination of that Russian scientist?" he said, turning his body towards Fury.
A hologram is put up by Nick onto a board at the front of the room. A picture of a small girl appears. Her hair is wild, locks of dark mane spiralling out of control and past her chest. Cerulean eyes accompany lightly freckled cheeks, and her expression is almost emotionless.
Fury points at the hologram, "Lidiya Aliya Markova, born October '93, age 21. Born in Barnet, London, she moved to Rostov-On-Don in 1996, aged 2. She goes by the name of 'The Blood Assassin.' Not much is known about her past, but more evidence has been discovered since."
Fury pauses, looking around the group, before sighing. Tony raises an eyebrow, turning to Natasha, who is still scowling. He smirks slightly, "So she's young then?"
"Yes. What we do know about her, is she is a HYDRA assassin. Trained in hand to hand combat, she was taken in to the Siberia unit at only 17."
"I'm guessing she's pretty well trained then," Steve interjects, "She's been around for few years."
"She took out a whole team mission single handily, you aren't wrong there," Clint said, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting slightly.
"That still doesn't explain how she was so fast, she didn't tire once, and she survived a jump from the fifth floor of that wretched building," Natasha grunts, obviously very ticked off still by the failed mission.
Nick Fury pauses slightly, pulling up another hologram of a building, "We do know, however, that Agent Markova has enhanced characteristics." The rest of the group appear confused, not understanding what he means.
"The very little information we have from her files, shows that when she was 19, she was transferred to Sokovia. The HYDRA Research Base were holding experiments, led by Wolfgang von Strucker. We do know that she was one of the first to be exposed to the Sceptre. Many thought that she had died, but von Strucker kept her as his little secret. She survived, and now has Enhanced Speed, if this answers your question Romanoff."
"What does that mean though, she just runs fast?" Steve says, running a hand through his hair.
"Kind of, it doesn't just affect her running though. She has accelerated metabolism, thought process and perception. Enhanced agility, durability, endurance, reflexes, stamina. Agent Markova can also see in slow-motion, adapt to different G-forces and throw objects at incredible speeds. We don't know to what extent these are at though."
"From her records, we know she's very skilled. Many believed she didn't exist – she was a ghost tale as such," Natasha starts, coughing slightly. The fire in her eyes hadn't faded yet, and she leaned back in her chair. "She has one of the highest kill rates in HYDRA's recent years, and she's one of their youngest members."
"So she's a threat," Clint stated, leaning back on the edge of the table, "She's not only extremely talented at combat, but has superhuman enhancements. And she's part of HYDRA."
"What's her motive? I'm just saying isn't it just a bit weird that a 21 year old is our top HYDRA target," Bruce Banner finally speaks up, rubbing his face and looking lost in thought, " And why is she so hard to track and take down?"
"Because Bruce, she has no one monitoring her. We don't know her motives, or her involvement with HYDRA, but with the resources she has, and the abilities she beholds, she can assassinate, infiltrate and destabilise a city within a day, and no one would see her coming."
"Surely we must have an idea of her location for now, and if we do we must follow her immediately, right?" Steve said, frustration evident in his voice. A little snort came from Tony, before he stood up.
"We believe she is on her way to Romania, but we have no solid evidence for this." Tony says, gesturing towards the photo.
"Wherever she is, there is more to her story that first appears. We need to urgently find out her motives, her role within HYDRA, and who she really is. So, what are the Avengers prepared to do?"
Steve takes a step forward, looking around the group. Their eyes are reassuring, flickers of anger glazing over numerous pairs. He clears his throat, before saying, "Whatever it takes to bring her in."