acquiescence
(n.)
the reluctant acceptance of something without protest

•••

"still, I feel like I don't have control sometimes."

•••

The Black Market. The Deep Web.  Basement bars. Gangs. Mobs.

All places where Natalia could find the work that she yearned for. Over the years, she realized that she couldn't live without a little violence. It was who she was. It was who she was designed to be. It had been five years since she worked for the KGB.

Whether Natalia liked it or not, she had been programmed to. She was raised to crave blood. She was trained to yearn to kill. And thats just what she was going to do. She was advertising herself as a spy and an assassin for whatever anyone needed. Sure, she had to start low, but it didn't take long for people to realize that the Black Widow was for hire.

She figured that as long as she wasn't doing these thing for Russia or for Hydra, she wasn't doing anything too bad. What she was doing now was of her own free will. She wouldn't accept a a job that seemed to drastic.

Now, Natalia was working for sophisticated mobs and high paying mafia bosses. Politicians ordering hits. Asking for information. What she liked about this version of her profession is that she got paid. She got paid a lot. She was paid enough to where she could buy new lives. Buy safe houses. She had complete and solid covers. She could be whoever she wanted to be.

And that helped so much. Hydra and Russia were always after her. Always in hope they could get her back. But Natalia was never going back. S. H. I. E. L. D. was always on he back too. Hank Pym kept them off her tail for a while, but he resigned from S. H. I. E. L. D. the year that Natalia defected. Now some of their top agents were always after her. S. H. I. E. L. D. didn't really try to bring her in. They really only spied on her. Kept tabs.

She could never rest.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature."

And it had. She was moving country to country, house to house, name to name. Natalia Alianovna Romanova was a name long lost to her.

She lifted the heavy metal plate from the street just enough to where the was room for her to slip her small body through into the sewer systems.

This current task should be easy, she thought to herself as she dropped to the bottom of the tunnel, her feet splashing the dirty drainage water around her.

It was just an Irish mafia boss. His death will most likely spark a war between the families, but Natalia thought, what the hell. It'll be fun.

She jogged through the tunnel, on their way to the street where a gala was being held. She could have gotten in and killed him the fun way, but she needed to get this one done quickly.

She had to meet another employer. A woman. She was in London, so she had to get out of Ireland as soon as possible. The meeting was set up for tomorrow at six. And she couldn't just blow this woman off. It not like she was desperate for work. She could find anything any day. But this woman was ready to pay one million dollars if Natalia succeeded. And she never failed. Not in seven years. And never before that.

She arrived at the street, where there were two guards. Natalia rolled her eyes. They were expecting an assassination. She readied herself and ran out, attacking the closest man first. She wasn't going to kill them. They weren't her job.

But this was what made it a bit hard. If she wasn't going to kill them, she had to keep them from killing her. The man she attacked pulled a knife on her, she she grabs his wrist and twists him so hard that he went with it. The other man pulled a gun on her, so she ripped the knife from the first man and threw it into his arm, causing him to drop his gun and cry out in pain.

Now that they were both incapacitated, she punched the man in her arms so hard that his was now unconscious while she cartwheeled over him, gaining momentum and kicked the other one unconscious.

Then she crawled through the pipe they were defending. It led straight under the family Head's room. All she had to do was listen closely for the right footsteps. She pressed her ear to the roof of the pipe and pressed her hand to it. She was feeling for vibrations and listened for his voice.

She shuddered when she heard the violent slams against four points of pressure. It was a rhythm. Bump! Bump! Bump! Then she heard a loud moan from a woman followed by grunts from man.

Natalia grimaced. The four points were legs of a bed. They were having sex. Natalia rolled her eyes as she pulled her pistol out. She could always wait for them to be finished so she didn't have to kill the whore too, but Natalia was short on time and she had already shown a bit of mercy today.

She let she shots loose, through the pipe, through the floor and through bed, killing the mafia boss and his whore. Natalia put her pistol back in her belt and left the disgusting pipes, back into the street.

She hurried to her safe house and dressed in casual winter clothes and left for the airport, stopping at a pub for a quick drink.

She sat down at the bar and ordered a whiskey.

"Coming right up miss," the bartender said in a thick Irish accent. Natalia nodded to him as she looked up to the television.

Olympic ice skating. Or figure skating. Whatever. Natalia didn't really care. The bar tender handed her the drink and looked up at the television with her.

"You know, they say Tonya Harding's gonna be the first American woman to land the triple axle spin," he noted, pointing up at the woman dressed up in icy blue.

"They also say she trailer park trash," Natalia added to his statement. He shrugged. "Say what you want, but that woman is a beast."

Natalia scoffed as she downed the drink. "A triple axel spin. Why don't you ask Tonya Harding if she can do 40 grand jettes in a row. Then I might respect the man of a woman."

"What? Do you dance?" asked the bartender. Natalia placed the money for the drink before and and shrugged. "I used to."

"Have a good night miss."

She waved behind her as she stepped out of the pub and hot wired his car, driving to the airport. Not giving a damn.

These few years away from people an authority have made her recklessly skilled. She didn't care about being spotted on a mission. She spent money recklessly. Stole what she wanted. Killed whoever bothered her.

It was November of 1991. Five years since she defected. And she was prosperous in her ways. She boarded the plane and settled in for a long nap. She'd arrive in London in a few hours.

When she got there, she made a stop at her safe house in the area and dressed up for a nice dinner. She covered herself in weapons the way she had been taught to under tight dresses. The woman was offering a million. There's no telling who she was, who was with her, or what she wanted Natalia to do. She had to be ready.

She took a cab to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet the woman. It was a five star retreat. Very nice. Fine china and white table clothes. Mahogany wood. Smelled of lavender and rosemary. Very nice.

She walked up to the reservation podium. The woman told her that she'd be waiting for her. Just to tell that she was meeting someone and she would be brought to her. As long as she arrived at 6:01 on the dot. And that's when she arrived.

"I'm meeting someone," Natalia informed.

The attendant nodded. "Just as Mrs. Stark said. Right this way."

Natalia's brows furrowed. "Stark?"

"Yes, Miss. you did know you were meeting Maria Stark?"

Natalia shook off the shock. "Why yes, of course, sir."

She followed him into the back room where only the finest—and most private— dined. Her hand fell over her pistol, which was in a holster in the inside of her jacket.

"Here, let me get this for you," he suggested, grabbing at her collar. Natalia grabbed back.

"No, please. I'm still a bit cold."

"Yes, ma'am," he understood. "I'll up the heater for you, miss."

"Thank you."

He opened the door for Natalia, allowing her to step through. Once Natalia answered, she saw Maria Stark sitting at a table for two. Natalia eyed her suspiciously.

"Why, Ms. Romanova. Please come sit. I won't bite," assured Stark's wife. Natalia didn't change her poker face, nor removing her hand from her gun.

"You don't want to hire me. You want to bring me in," Natalia called her out.

Maria scoffed. "Do you really think I could bring you in? Look at me. I'm an old woman."

Natalia, still a bit on edge, sat down.

"Would you like to eat. I'll buy."

"Why did you call me here?" Natalia asked.

Stark sighed. "Right to it then," Maria sighed, placing her menu on the table. "You are the Black Widow. I know who you are through my husband. I have access to S.H.E.I.L.D. which gives me access to you. Howard does not know I'm here. I come to you not an agent of S.H.E.I.L.D. or a nosy busybody. I come to you as a worried wife and mother."

Natalia was now interested. This must be serious. "So what do you want me to do?"

"I said I'd pay you a million. I know you won't do it any other way. I'm directly connected to S.H.E.I.L.D. You are taking a risk. You must be compensated. But if you fail, I die. Howard dies. No pay."

Natalia shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "If you've read my record, then you know I don't fail."

Maria nodded. "I've read your file. You don't fail. Not usually. But this job may be slightly more offensive than just S.H.E.I.L.D. I know you are the only one who has a chance."

"Please elaborate."

Maria sighed and rubbed her temples. "You do know Captain Steve Rogers? Captain America? The Red Skull? Abraham Erskine?"

They didn't find Captain America did they? "Too well," she answered.

"Well, Howard's done it," she said sadly, yet proudly.

"Done what?"

"Erskine's Serum. He's done it. Only it's deadlier. It effects all muscles instead of major ones." It sounded like James's. "On the 19th, we've got to have it at the Pentagon. On the way to our Christmas Vacation."

"What do you want me to do?"

Maria sighed. "Hydra knows we have it. We know there will be assassins. We are not expecting to survive the trip to the Pentagon. But that Serum must be protected. It's so dangerous in the wrong hands."

Natalia looked down. Her head was spinning. Her stomach churning. They wouldn't even need and army of Winter Soldiers to take over the world. Just a dozen. This does happen to be quite and offensive mission.

"You want me to protect you and Stark so you can get it to the Pentagon."

Maria nodded solemnly.

"You know, even if you got it to the Pentagon, their assassin can still get in and get that Serum if they want it badly enough. He can do it as easily as you got me to come here."

"But that wasn't very easy," Maria pointed out.

"But you got me here, didn't you?" Natalia asked with a smirk, even though fear had taken her body over completely. She probably wasn't going to succeed. Not if it were the Winter Soldier on the job. But in the far reaches of her mind, she thought that maybe she could save him. Just as he had saved her.

"Hydra cannot have the Super Soldier Serum. And..." she faded off, beginning to tear up. "Tony is so unstable right now. My son. I don't know what will happen to him if Howard goes. If I go. This has to be avoided. He's not ready for us to go. And the words not ready for Super Soldiers to come."

Natalia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to protect you in your way to the Pentagon. Where will you be departing from?"

"Long Island, New York."

Natalia smiled sarcastically. "Your not going to make it to the airport. I'll do it. But don't expect me to succeed. Their assasssin is strong," Natalia said standing up. "I know his weaknesses."

"Well... that's good," Maria said with a nod.

Natalia shot a smile back at Maria. "He knows mine too."

"Aren't you going to stay and have a meal?" asked Maria.

Natalia shook her head. "I'll be in Malibu on the tenth. We'll talk more then."

"How do I reach you?" asked Maria, standing up.

"You won't have to, Mrs. Stark. Have a good evening. Go enjoy your husband and son while you can."

The only think that kept Natalia from dwelling over that fact that she'd probably have to face the Winter Soldier again was that fact that Maria knew that she and her husband were about to be killed. That she had to leave her son behind. Natalia didn't have to be told that Tony Stark was unstable. She had heard enough about the Stark Industries heir. He did need his parents.

But she shook it off when she arrived at her house. It was an acquiescence she had to make. If she failed, she have that one her for the days she had to come. If she survived too. But if she succeeded, the world wouldn't have an army of Winter Soliders. The Stark's would be alive. And just perhaps that either way, she may be able to save Bucky Barnes.

Dont forget to vote/ comment ;)