Assassins - Natasha Romanoff

Be seeing you

"There's not many people who can sneak up on me." Loki grinned, turning round to stare at Natasha as he spoke.

"But you figured I'd come." John stood in he shadows, watching calmly, yet alert.

"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm, and I would co-operate." Loki spoke with an aura of smug confidence, completely oblivious to the third person in the room.

"I want to know what you've done with Agent Barton." Natasha spoke sternly, straight to the point with no fuss.

"I would say I've expanded his mind."

"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" Stepping closer to the glass separating them, Natasha crossed her arms.

"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" The smug smile on Loki's face infuriated John, however he remained where he was, knowing Natasha had a plan.

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt."

"Tell me." Narrowing his eyes, John watched on as Loki comfortably sat down, like a toddler waiting for a bedtime story. John didn't like how calm Loki seemed, he didn't seem like a man who had been caught.

"Before I worked for SHIELD, I ah...well I made a name for myself. I have a vey specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call. " John rose his eyebrow, not many people would refuse to complete a mission, especially for SHIELD from what he had read in his research. Either Barton really liked her or was a very good man who saw redemption in everyone. John frowned lightly at the thought, he would have killed her without question before his retirement but now...he wasn't so sure.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"

"Not let you out." Loki leaned forwards ginning psychotically at her words.

"No, but I like this. Your world in the balance and you bargain for one man."

"Regimes fall every day. I ten not to weep over that. I'm Russian... Or I was."

"And what are you now?" Loki spoke after a brief pause.

"It's really not that complicated. I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out. " Natasha's words caused John to evaluate his own life, if he could wipe out the red in his ledger, would he? He had killed hundreds and never had a second thought until he met Helen, except she was gone now and he was alone once more. He was the Baba Yaga, the boogeyman, this life was all he had.

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykov's daughter, São Paulo, the hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, its gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you and they will never go away." Loki charged forwards, banging his fist on the glass as Natasha back away feigning fright, John silently pulling his gun from the back of his trousers, "I wont touch Barton, not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then, he'll wake just long enough to see his good work and when he screams, I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim."

Natasha spun around to put her back to Loki at the words, pretending to cry as she spoke softly, brokenly, "you're a monster."

"Oh no,"Loki laughed, "you bought the monster."

"So, Banner, that's your play." The fake crying stopped, her back straightening as she turned around with victory in her eyes, even John was impressed with her skills.

"What?" John actually nearly laughed at the look of bafflement on Loki's face.

"Loki means to unleash the hulk, keep Banner in the lab. We're on our way. Send Thor as well."

"We?" Loki questioned as she made her way to the door and paused to look at him.

"You can come out, we have what we need, we won't be needing to use your...techniques." Natasha's looked to the shadows as John stepped out, not taking his eyes of Loki who looked shocked at the presence he hadn't noticed.

"He didn't tell us where the Tesseract is." As he spoke in his gruff voice, he walked over to stand in front of Loki, analysing him coldly.

"Ah the legendary John Wick, I did my research into the worlds most dangerous players when I arrived here. For SHIELD to call upon such a lost soul to save them, they must be truly desperate. Tell me, how is your wife?" Loki smirked, knowing he was getting under the assassins skin when John clenched his jaw, his hold on his gun tightening.

"Wick, don't. We need him alive and you know Thor will never let you harm him." Stepping up behind him like a frightened deer approaching a raging lion, Natasha spoke cautiously, the amount of cautious she was using gave Loki pause, she was scared of this mortal but not of him, a god.

"You speak of power yet your eyes show someone who has endured plenty of torture, a victim." John's words were cold, unforgiving, as Loki widened his eyes in shock. Loki went to threaten him, but John was not finished yet.

"You talk of monsters, but you've lived as a Prince until now, you have no idea what a monster truly looks like. So, why don't you look into my eyes because trust me, the stories you've heard about me, have been watered down. I suggest you never mention my wife again if you wish to keep your life because I assure you, nobody, not even your brother, would be able to stop me from killing you. Be seeing you." Straightening his black suit jacket, John turned and left the room, leaving Loki speechless with a hint of fear in his eyes. The Avengers all stood watching the events through a camera, their mouths gaping as they watched the deadly man leave the room, Thor in disbelief as his silver tongued brother was, for the first time in his life, speechless.