Locked Within Their Labyrinth

The Final Showdown

Natasha faced the window, her back to the door as she stared out across the rows of troops running drills and agents carrying out orders. Behind her Ward stepped into her office. For some reason she wasn't able to shake him, not even when he was ordered out of the country. Today though the air between them was different. Usually there was the tension of trepidation and wariness but today there was a resolved confidence in him and a cool control within her.

It was expected earlier and she was disappointed in him even as he pushed the barrel of glock into the back of her head. It was cold against her skull. "Normally I'd click off the safety for dramatic effect but unfortunately this particular model doesn't come with one."

"That and you're scared." He pushed it further in angrily.

"What have I got to be scared of? You are at MY mercy!" She didn't react. Instead she turned slowly until the barrel was pressed firmly into her forehead.

"Then why hesitate? Shoot me." He wavered and a smirk curled her lips upward. "You won't because you're still afraid of what I can do."

"If I was that afraid then I'd finish you and be done with it."

"So why haven't you then?"

"Curiosity." She quirked a brow. "I can't see your angle." Ward admitted. "You don't hesitate to spill SHIELD secrets and hurt your friends but you won't kill them. You're building up Hydra's forces but where we should be stronger we fail." Natasha smiled indulgently at him.

"I don't have friends Ward and what I do with my organisation is none of your concern."

"It's not your organisation." He said. "It's mine and Ruby's and Malik's and Strucker's. I'm not supposed to kill you, we're supposed to formally demote you but you're a tricky one and I don't trust you not to slip the net. They're all flying back now and when they get here you'll be dead and we'll be the new leaders of Hydra."

"How cute, you planned a mutiny." She remained relaxed and composed, completely unbothered. It unnerved Ward and he started losing his hold on all rationality. He dug the barrel in even further, forcing Natasha to step back in order to avoid a circular bruise on her forehead. "Let me ask you something though Ward, what have you actually done for Hydra?" Her head tilted to one side and she watched him almost hungrily as he floundered for an answer. He caught her gaze and scowled.

"See, this is what I'm on about. You claim to do so much for us but you're not wholly dedicated."

"So you admit you've done nothing." He growled at her almost animalisticly and really she should know better when she's on the wrong end of a gun.

"It's like you're setting us up to fail." He snarled. He froze as realisation set in. "You're setting us up to fail." He repeated, his eyes wide with horror as he comprehended her truly diabolical way of thinking.

"Congratulations." Natasha said, clapping slowly and flashing him a mocking smile. "You're smarter than you look."

His hand had dipped in surprise but upon meeting her gaze again he levelled it back at her head. "Why? I mean, you tried before with the Triskelion but it didn't work. Why would this attempt fare any better?"

"Because, as the saying goes, if you want a job done properly you do it yourself. By orchestrating this entire thing - the rise and organisation of Hydra - I've effectively enabled a collection of resources, power, and potential. But I have you to thank for this final execution." She moved away from the window with Ward's gun trained on her head. His brow furrowed and his confusion was palpable.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything!" At that a half smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"For the most part that's true. I'm glad you've finally admitted it. You've done nothing and achieved nothing but you were the lynchpin that pulled my plan together." She started rifling through her desk and his hands clenched tighter around the gun. "You're a double agent Ward, that comes with its own set of trust issues. I had faith in your paranoia." She imagined that if this were a dramatic movie scene it would cut to a series of flashbacks. "After I learnt about Alexei and the latest super soldier experiments I realised Hydra had been hiding a lot even from SHIELD. Hydra was only ever using them it was always it's own separate entity. Cut off one head and two more grow back et cetera et cetera. It wasn't really my fight but I thought I might as well mop up some more of the red in my ledger by cleaning up a couple stragglers."