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Contrary to popular belief, Nina did respect people who weren't her commanding officers. She respected Tony and the rest of the Avengers, she respected her father and her sister, she respected Colonel Rhodes and the doctor she'd been unable to send postcards to.

Above all of that, Nina respected people who worked tirelessly to better themselves because she had always been strong enough to operate in her hurt and trauma but too weak and prideful to ever seek out proper help.

That's why a part of her wasn't okay with the fact that her next hit was about to take place in an AA meeting, held in the town's youth centre.

She was sat, cross-legged, on a folding chair listening as the woman to her right shared her story while staring at the man in the centre of the room leading the meeting. He was her target and by the end of the session, he would no longer be breathing.

Despite her uniform still being on, no one had spared her a second look when she entered the room with the fabric over her face but she wasn't complaining. If her target had looked at her twice, she most definitely would've lost the element of surprise she was going for.

"-and when I found myself willing to steal from a care home to fill my addiction, I knew I needed to get help," the woman completed her story with shaky breaths while the room acknowledged her with nods and looks of understanding.

"Thank you for sharing Alina, I'm sure that was difficult," her target told her, "but the good thing is you took the first step and now you here to take the second. I think I speak for everyone when I say we'll be here for each step of your recovery."

"Thank you," Alina said with sniffled as Nina's target smiled before clapping his hands together.

"Let's take a 10-minute breather before we get stuck in again," he smiled before pointing to a door, "there are snacks and refreshments just through there. Go and mingle, you're all at different stages of your journey and it'll be great if you share more than just your setbacks."

The chorus of agreement in the room was almost deafening but Nina refrained from groaning at the developing headache the sound had caused. She stayed in her seat as the crowd all left and entered the room her target had pointed at. The man in question went to follow them before stopping when he noticed Nina hadn't moved.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked to which Nina shook her head and reached for the glock tucked under her shirt.

"Sit," was the one word she uttered as she used the gun to point at the chair he'd previously been sitting on. Her target looked at the gun and gulped before following the order and taking the seat.

"I-I don't have much but there are twe-twenty dollars in my bag," he said shakily as Nina focused her darkening blue eyes on him, "but I promise you can get over this, don't let the addic-"

"Stop talking. I'm not going to rob you, I'm going to kill you," Nina cut him off, shutting her eyes for a second, for a moment without the harsh lights, before opening them again.

"I- what?"

"You seem like a good guy," Nina said as she leaned forward and dangled the gun in her hand, "so why do you do it?"

"D-do what?" he asked confused and Nina sighed.

"The experiments," she stated and before the, now wide-eyed, man could play dumb she elaborated, "the kids whose lives you're destroying. The twins and that boy."

"How do you- who are you?" the man trailed off when Nina pulled down the fabric of her jacket to showcase her whole face, pushing her brown hair behind her ears.

[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo FitzWhere stories live. Discover now