The Trial of Bruce Banner

Consequence

"I told that boy to say much more than Hong Kong and Boga. Barton and I need to have words some other time," Nick Fury complains as he leads Natasha.

Fury's meeting place isn't far from the university, proving to Natasha that he has supervised her.

She follows through an alley after returning her family to the rental with Rebecca. Or...she tried to.

"How much further is outpost?" Alexei whines, panting behind her.

"There is no outpost,' Natasha directs her comments over her shoulder, 'just old-fashioned spy shit."

"I don't have suit. My feet groan with pain. Golova-! It pounds! Are we in Dublin? My skull have explosion."

He demonstrates with a sound effect in her ear.

Natasha jumps away from him due to the proximity and refocuses on Fury.

"Your sense of direction, Alexei, is astounding," Fury grumbles.

"You should hear him in the middle of the night,' she whispers to Fury, 'he gets lost finding the kitchen."

"Eh!" Alexei snarls, "I not hear anything you say. What you say, huh?! No secrets!"

"What's my target been up to?"

Fury sighs and pivots thoughts back onto their target, "Damon Dran's been obsessed with immortality since, when, the day Barton picked you up from Dreykov's place? Nothing's changed."

Natasha shrugs with her hands shoved deep into her coat pockets while Alexei retracts uncomfortably. She twists her neck slightly to brush the blonde bangs from her face and watches as Fury taps a few bricks to expose one. She accepts the small coin, tapping to reveal a holographic photo of her target.

Alexei's eyes fill with protective rage, "Not him again!"

"Barton did some digging,' Fury elaborates, 'Banner was close when he mentioned Hong Kong, but in reality, his location is a little further south on some unknown island."

"Why would he target family?!" Alexei's glare could kill someone, "Stupid American man-!"

Natasha bites her cheek, "A clone comes into the picture by a renowned scientist and practically indestructible Avenger. It's like finding a pot of gold for this psychopath. Was...Was Boga successful in getting what he wanted from Bruce?"

"He's likely got a fraction or two of Banner's blood at this point,' if she doesn't know better, Fury sounds impressed, 'It might be worth shuffling your little girl into a new rental, maybe a new school when she gets back to the States. Bulk her up. Get her heavy-lifting. And maybe some bubble wrap."

Natasha frowns and fixates on the image of a tall, sulking man with metal plates over his face.

Alexei snickers as if his insult will break the silence, "He look like bad experiment."

Natasha ignores, digging through the remaining items to unfold a fake passport, bullets, and a vial of Widow's bite, "Thank you, Fury. I've got it from here."

Her mentor adjusts his stance to face Natasha and asks pointedly, "What do you need?"

Her shoulder lifts, "I need this to be over."

"Be smart."

"Damon touched my family. That's a line no one can cross without consequence."

"Then, you might also be pleased to know that your decoy found some dirt on that dumbass lawyer," Fury says proudly and checks over his shoulder.

"Declin?"

"Dr. Elizabeth Ross must've been real bored in your house. She outgrew solitaire and organizing your spice drawer, uncovered some money laundering on Declin's part. It might be enough to return the favor he bestowed upon Banner and send him behind bars."

Natasha smirks, "Well. Tell her I said thank you. For spice drawer organization specifically."

"Tell her yourself when you return to your home."

She nods, "Okay."

"Be smart," he says as he briefly grips her shoulder.

"Check on my daughter for me?" Natasha softly requests.

"She's safe,' he holds eye contact, 'I promise."

Fury seems to disappear into the fog after a nod and toward the incoming rain the season is known for. Natasha finds solace in the breeze and makes her plan of attack.

"When we leave?" Alexei asks with his chin practically towering over her head, "Where we go?"

"Toward the Castle on the Hill," Natasha is too tired to argue about his presence knowing he will insist on coming along. She shares her map.

"Spot is in ocean," he complains.

"That's Damon's lair. Castle first. Lair second."

"You want me to swim, huh?! I drown. I do not swim."

"I expect you to behave for the flight."

"We fly?! Who is flying plane? Eye patch man left us-."

Romanoff walks ahead through the emptied streets and toward an open cliffside. The faded colors of a rainbow arch off the sides, fog providing a misty backdrop in all directions.

She finds her way to the large old castle off in the distance and toward the abandoned open space that surrounds it.

"Wait!" Alexei admonishes fiercely, "Your mother make huge, juicy steak tomorrow. We will be home for dinner, yes?!"

"I don't know. So if that matters to you, turn around now," She shields her eyes and smiles, letting the landing plane tussle her bangs.

She steps back and looks beyond the view, over the ocean and the small rocks that wait below.

"I do not turn around,' Alexei groans, 'The Red Guardian stays in face of starvation. Would rather die as flesh and bone than leave daughter alone to smash crazy man's head into concrete wall again and again-."

"-Sure."

"What?!"

"Natasha," the pilot removes his sunglasses mid-greeting now that he's out of the plane.

"Hi Clint," she throws her arms around him and hugs him close.

Barton nods when they part with a heavy sigh, "I'm kidnapping him too?"

"No kidnap! I volunteer!" Alexei groans, ready to complain.

"I apologize in advance for his rambling. If we need to stab him with a tranquilizer, I'm not opposed. It'll be a long flight otherwise," she clarifies to Clint and quickly steps onboard.

Alexei huffs in offense, "Natasha! Did you not hear plan to break bad man's skull?"

"Ohhh boy," Clint mumbles and follows Alexei back up and into the small plane.