The Shadow // Natasha Romanoff x OC

Chapter 12 - Surpriseeee!

Azara's pov

The lights of a small corner shop come into view and I enter, hearing the ring of the bell on the door.

"Wo bin ich? Es war eine lange Reise," (Where am I? It's been a long journey) I ask the shop keeper.

"Michendorf, südlich von Potsdam," (Michendorf, just south of Potsdam) he replies politely, fiddling with the cash register.

"Wie komme ich nach Zossen?" (How do I get to Zossen?) I ask, browsing the aisle of newspapers.

"Take the main road out to the west and go south at Rangsdorf, there's a bus stop just down the street that'll take you there," he replies in German, now looking up at me.

"Vielen Dank, Ihre Dienste haben HYDRA geholfen," (Thank you, your services have been of help to HYDRA).

"Was? wer ist HYD-" (What? Who's HYD-).

I shoot him square between the eyes, the murmur of the silenced shot and the slump of the man to the floor is all the noise there is before the cover of an otherwise silent night take over once more.

Grabbing the worker's rucksack and emptying it, I fill it with water and food. Taking the bus would be stupidity and I have no clue what the base on the outskirts of Zossen looks like, so I'm going to walk it.

It's only a seven hour journey but I've overstocked because you never know just what it'll be like when you arrive. "Be prepared for a freak storm even when the water is still" as my father used to say.

~~~~~~~

Dropping my bag on the curb corner outside of an abandoned apartment building next to a big sign saying "Willkommen in Zossen" (Welcome to Zossen), I sip at my water.

An old man approaches me with a walking stick, his hunched shadow flickering in the dodgy street lamp light.

"They left these part long ago, or so they say at least," he says in German, "They never left and they never will. There's a man in there who can help you, Shadow," he gestures to a small, dimly lit bar.

"Hail HYDRA," he mutters before walking off. I watch him walk down the lonely street until he disappears around the corner before pulling myself up off the curb and in the direction of the bar.

Walking in cautiously, I'm hit with the overbearing smell of strong alcohol and smoke. Glancing around, it doesn't take me a moment to realise who the man I'm looking for is. Sat in the corner of bar in a spot where he's able to see everyone, turning a little, his HYDRA tattoo is prominently visible on his neck. I slide onto the stool next to him and order a beer.

"Was bringt dich zu diesen Teilen, Soldat?" (What brings you to these parts, soldier?) He continues to stare straight ahead at the numerous bottles lining the shelves.

"The grey base is gone. Sergeant Volstad is dead along with everyone else on the base."

"Wer was es?" (Who was it?) he take a long sip of his drink.

"Die Avengers," (The Avengers) I state.

"Warst du bei ihnen?" (Were you with them?) His voice is calm but accusing.

"Ich war, bis mein Vater mich zur Besinnung brachte," (I was until my father brought me to my senses). A lengthy silence prevails as the bartender slides my drink over the bar-top towards me.

"Du bist wegen der roten Basis hier, nehme ich an?" (You're here for the red base, I suppose?) he taps rhythmically on the counter top.

"Ja, mir wurde gesagt, es sei hier in Zossen," (Yes, I was told it was here in Zossen) he chuckles slightly at my words.