Covert Affair | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 20: This Isn't Much Better

After their meeting, Jasper Sitwell walked out of the building alongside Senator Stern, discussing various matters.

"Listen, I gotta fly home tonight, cause uh...I got some constituency problem, and I gotta press the flesh," Senator Stern explained.

"Any constituent in particular, Mr. Senator?" Sitwell inquired.

"Uh...no, not really. Twenty-three, kind of hot. Real hot. You know, wants to be a reporter, I think. I don't know, who listens at that point?" Stern rambled.

"Doesn't sound much of a problem to me," Sitwell commented casually.

"Really? Cause she's killing my back. Look, this isn't the place to talk about it," Stern replied, changing the subject. He then admired Sitwell's pin on his jacket. "This is a nice pin."

"Thank you," Sitwell responded.

"Come here," Stern gestured, and as they embraced, he whispered, "Hail, HYDRA." Stern stepped away.

"I just saw that, yeah," Sitwell agreed.

"Should I get it checked?" Stern asked.

"I think you should," Sitwell advised, watching Stern walk away. As Sitwell received a call from Pierce, he instructed his men to bring the car around, then answered the phone.

"Agent Sitwell, how was lunch? I hear the crab cakes here are delicious," a voice on the other end said.

"Who is this?" Sitwell demanded.

"The good looking guy in the sunglasses, your ten o'clock," the voice replied cryptically. "Your other ten o'clock."

Realizing he was being watched, Sitwell turned to find Sam sitting nearby, a few feet away.

"What do you want?" Sitwell asked warily.

"You're gonna go around the corner, to your right. There's a grey car, two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride," Sam instructed calmly.

"And why would I do that?" Sitwell questionef.

"Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up," Sam replied, a small red light from the gun pointed at Sitwell catching his attention.

Hidden in the shadows. Zero stood on the adjacent rooftop alongside Natasha , her mischievous giggles barely contained as she pointed a laser pointer at Sitwell from afar. Natasha watching Zero enjoy herself a bit too much. "You having fun there?" Natasha asked, her lips twitching in a smirk with a suppressed laughter.

"Way too much" Zero replied unable to contain her amusement.

As Sitwell's attention was drawn to the mysterious red light, Zero couldn't help but laugh even louder.
 
"Hey, The view up here is pretty nice" Zero stated out of nowhere.

Natasha glanced over at Zero , a soft smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, it is," she agreed, her gaze sweeping over the city skyline. "But I have to admit, the view just got a lot better with you here."

Zero felt her cheeks flush at Natasha's unexpected comment, a flutter of excitement stirring in her chest. "Smooth, Romanoff. Always a flirt aren't you." she teased, a playful glint in her eyes. 

Natasha's expression softened,  "Thank you for coming, Zero," she said, her voice carrying a sincerity that resonated deep within her. "I know you didn't have to, but you did."

There was a vulnerability in Natasha's words, a raw honesty that touched Zero's heart.  A warmth spread through Zero's chest as she reached out to gently squeeze Natasha's hand. "Of course, Natasha". 

Natasha's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as she continued, "And when this is over, we're getting ice cream from that stupid gas station again.".

A smile tugged at Zero's lips, her heart swelling with affection for her friend. "Sounds good," she replied, her voice warm with anticipation. Zero couldn't resist adding a playful jab, teasing, "If SHIELD is gone at least there won't be any more mission reports."

Natasha chuckled softly, a wistful expression crossing her face. "Too soon".

The door slams open, and Sitwell flies out with Steve walking behind him. Both girls snapped their attention to the man flying, and Zero couldn't hold back a laugh. "Here we go."

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," Steve demanded.

"Never heard of it," Sitwell claimed.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Natasha pressed.

"I was throwing up, I get seasick," Sitwell replied nonchalantly.

"Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers," Sitwell taunted, seemingly unfazed.

"You're right. It's not. It's hers," Steve said, stepping aside as Natasha kicked Sitwell off the roof, his screams echoing as he plummeted down.

As the confrontation unfolded on the rooftop, Zero couldn't help but cringe, her hands covering her eyes with two fingers open, peeking one eye out cautiously. "Oh, now this isn't much better than shooting someone," her voice laced with a mix of discomfort. 

As the conversation veered towards the mundane, Natasha couldn't help but bring up a familiar face. "Oh, wait. What about that girl from accounting, Laura...?" 

"Lillian. Lip piercing, right?" Steve recalled with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah, she's cute," Natasha affirmed, a subtle twinkle in her eye.

Steve shook his head, a touch of uncertainty in his voice. "Yeah, I'm not ready for that."

But their casual banter was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Sam, soaring through the sky in his Falcon jet-pack suit, clutching Sitwell firmly in his grasp. With a swift motion, he deposited Sitwell onto the rooftop.

"Oh, thank god he's alive... Why does no one ever tell me the plan?" Zero murmured, clutching her chest as if she were about to have a heart attack.

Sitwell's fear was palpable as he raised his hand in a feeble attempt to ward off the impending interrogation.

Sam landed next to Zero and chuckled at her reaction. "You okay? You look like you're about to puke... still hungover?" he joked, flashing her a teasing grin.

Zero's response was swift as she punched Sam's arm so hard that he almost lost his balance. "Ouch!" Sam exclaimed, rubbing his arm in shock at the unexpected force of the blow from the 5 foot girl.

"Zola's algorithm is a program... for choosing Insight's targets!" Sitwell blurted out, desperation evident in his voice.

Steve's brow furrowed in confusion. "What targets?"

Sitwell's revelation sent a chill down their spines as he continued, "You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."

Steve's mind raced with the implications. "The future? How could it know?" he questioned.

"How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it," Sitwell explained, his voice tinged with a mix of dread and resignation. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve pressed.

Sitwell's expression contorted in panic. "Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."

"Then what?!" Steve demanded.

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time," Sitwell confessed, his voice trembling with the gravity of his revelation.