IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟐𝟑

The rough gravel beneath her knees dug into her skin, leaving crescent shapes and jagged marks. The sun was beating down on her, causing beads of sweat to form on her brow, which she quickly wiped away. Her tight black suit made the heat almost unbearable as she felt the salty warm droplets slip down her neck.

Karina's eye rested against the scope of her sniper, watching as the well-dressed men and women entered and exited the SHIELD building. Her knees were resting on the roof of the building she was perched on as she sat uncomfortably. She was positioned on the left wing of the SHEILD building, which Pierce had given her access to, with a clear view of the entrance.

"𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 - 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘦," Pierce had ordered her after they had exited the torture room, leaving her with no time to speak with Bucky.

Karina sighed, becoming utterly bored as she realised it would be some time before Pierce arrived and the meeting began. As a result, she was forced to endure the agonising heat for a little longer.

There was a crunch of gravel behind her, not the continuous noise of a rolling car, but the distinct short crunch of a footstep. Then there was another crunch, this time lighter and slower, as if the maker of the noise was trying to be quieter, perhaps to sneak up on her.

Karina turned around, grabbed the sharp blade she kept in her boot, and swiftly stood up, pointing her knife at the person behind her. Karina scraped the milky white skin of the red head in front of her with the serrated edge before applying more pressure until the skin broke, releasing a droplet of blood.

Natasha gasped and jerked backwards until the knife was no longer in contact with her skin. Natasha's shocked expression elicited a smirk and a huff of laughter from Karina. Until she noticed Romanoff's attire. Her dark blue skirt and blazer stood out in comparison to her typical clothing.

Karina lowered her arm until the knife was once again at her side. Natasha's gentle expression told her that she wasn't a threat and that she had only wanted to talk.

"What are you doing here, Natasha?" Karina asked, her eyes hard as she stared defiantly at her. Knowing the assassin's many manipulative tactics, she had no idea what the redhead was up to.

"I need to speak with you before all of 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴," she replied, motioning to the Helicarriers preparing to launch. She was hoping to persuade Karina to join her in doing the right thing, "I need you to join me, Karina."

But Karina was weary; if they fail and Hydra triumphs, Pierce would not hesitate to punish her, resulting in a horrible death. "You know I don't have a choice in what I'm doing; it's either kill or be killed," Karina said utterly broken, torn between two internal battles.

"You do. You're just too afraid to admit it. You're too afraid to stand up for yourself, as you should have done when Dreykov told Clone to pull the pin on the grenade years ago," Natasha retorted angrily, provoking the younger assassin. She was aware that what she said was wrong, but it was the only way she could make her point and shake Karina out of her self-doubt.

"How do you know about that? What are you keeping from me, Romanoff?" Karina inquired, suspiciously. The gravel crunched beneath her boot as she approached the woman in front of her, the dagger returning to her throat. But Natasha remained where she stood, refusing to back down from their argument.