23.| FOUR, FIVE

THE FACT THAT NATASHA WAS ON THE MISSION WITH JAMES MADE HIM FURIOUS. He kept his mouth shut as he piloted the quinjet, keeping his mind off of the negative thoughts that he had because of Natasha's presence. She knew about the dark side that he had when they had first met, there were things that he had done that he told her in hopes of getting her to trust him. And she did. Natasha ate up everything that he said to her, and he was grateful that she trusted him. Because not even his brother knew about the horrible things that he had done as the Executioner.

Hours went by and James landed the quinjet and a heavy sigh left his lips. The younger Stark brother unbuckled himself from the pilot's seat and he began to prepare himself for the mission, as did Natasha. The red-haired woman looked over her shoulder to James, an almost sad expression on her face as she stared at him. She knew how difficult it must've been for him to take the mantle of Executioner again. She knew what killing all of those people had done to him because she had done it as well. The effects had the same toll on Natasha as they did with him, which was why she joined him.

She joined him on the mission because, when it came to the executing, she would be the one to pull the trigger. Natasha couldn't allow James to take one more life in his hands, even if that meant that she was adding a little bit more red to her ledger.

James let out a heavy sigh as he placed a few weapons to his person before he hit the button that would open the hatch. Both agents stepped off of the quinjet and began to make their way through the empty streets, eyeing the building that they were told that the target would be in. James's eyes glossed over and Natasha knew that he was taking on the persona of the Executioner.

Natasha wanted to grab onto his arm and stop him from what he was doing. Stop him from walking down the path that they were taking to get to the building. But he was already taken over by the person that Nick Fury wanted him to become. The dark-haired man walked through the double doors of the building, and that was when James grabbed his bow from his back and pulled out an arrow from the quiver.

His eyes narrowed as he made his way through the facility, and as HYDRA agents appeared around them, James was quick to take them out. Natasha counted all of the bodies that hit the floor, knowing how many more souls that Nick Fury was asking James to reap- one, two, three, four, five . . . the numbers continued to grow and grow the more HYDRA agents that fell.

It was like a song, the Executioner's song that seemed to play over and over again as James took life after life. Natasha wanted to take him out, to keep him from killing more and more people. But they were getting further and further into the building until they found the door that would lead them into the room that they were supposed to go to. James didn't look to Natasha or anything as he kicked down the door, his eyes narrowed in on the woman that was seated at the end of the long table.

James tilted his head to the side as he stared at her. Natasha glanced to him and she took a step forward, grabbing his arm, "James, let me do this. You have already killed so many."

"Why do you care?" James snapped at her, his eyes narrowed at her. "This is my job. I am Nick Fury's executioner and I am here to make sure that the mission goes through. If you can't handle that, then leave." He turned his head to the woman, and she stared at the two of them.

"Awe, the two of you bicker as if you have nothing better to do," The HYDRA woman snarled at the two of them, standing up from the seat she sat in, her eyes flickering to the two of them. "So, get on with it. Do what you were sent here to do. You S.H.I.E.L.D agents have nothing better to do than to be goody two shoes who do absolutely nothing wron-"

A gunshot rang out through the room and the bullet found itself within the woman's head. Natasha didn't flinch as she stared at the dead body of the HYDRA head before she looked to James. But there was nothing on his face as he stared at the body of the woman's life that he had taken. He didn't look in Natasha's direction as he turned around and began to make his way out of the building.

A deep exhale left Natasha's lips as she followed him through the halls, waiting for it all to take over him. It always happened, whenever he went out as the Executioner. It would always take over and he would never be the same as he was before he put on the Executioner's name. Agents like him never had a normal life, and he would never be the same man that she had met in Russia.

And she knew that she would miss the James she used to know.