Trapped in her own Web

The Mission

Natasha downed her coffee as she strode next to Clint down the hall way. They flashed their badges at the door and waited whilst it opened. The glass whirred and retracted and they continued down the hall towards the director's office.

They opened the door and took a seat at the conference table. Not a moment later they were accompanied by Fury and Hill. No words were exchanged as a file was slid across to them. They started to read it and found out that it was an information and elimination mission.

They would enter the Hydra base from the storage containment, disguised as mail workers. Natasha would continue to the main research lab and gather all the Intel. All the while Clint went to several different points to rig the bombs. Comms would be traceable in the facility so as soon as Clint rigged the last bomb they would have a ten minute window to get out. Natasha would have no way to know when that window was and so had to estimate that she had about 20 minutes to complete her part. Anymore and she would be dead.

Neither were too happy with the plan but didn't complain as they suited up and headed to the waiting quinjet. It was a quite flight only interrupted by Maria announcing that the extraction team would be waiting a few miles out. Both nodded. They had never needed an extraction team before, and now wasn't the time they were going to break their streak.

The first part of the mission went smoothly. Natasha seductively persuaded the officers to help her find the nearest town on her map. A few kicks and punches later and they were both out for the count whilst Clint and Natasha quickly changed.

Entering the building was not difficult either, they split off and went their own separate ways. Natasha towards the lab and Clint towards the lower levels. Natasha programmed her watch for 20 minutes and entered the lab behind one of the tech assistants. The room of scientists all turned their heads to look at her and she smiled coyly.

Natasha leapt into action, leaping over benches and taking down people. She kicked a trolley full of instruments into a group and then used said instruments to silence them. Few put up a fight but she dismissed the thought of prying on the weak, she had gone into Black Widow mode. The Black Widow snapped necks and slit throats. It was only when the floor was covered in bodies and blood that she stopped. She stepped carefully over each person until she reached the main computer.

"Hail Hydra," she said sarcastically as she plugged in the USB stick and began working on hacking the encryption codes. A slow clap from the door made her do a 180.
"I see you still haven't lost your touch." From the shadows stepped a man in his early 30s. He had neatly cropped red hair, a dark red like a chestnut colour, and icy blue eyes that leached the warmth out of the already cold room.

"Alexei." His name fell off of her lips before she could stop it and he smirked.
"In the flesh." She shuddered as he drew closer. It wasn't possible, he had died in a plane crash whilst working for the KGB. She hadn't mourned, after all he was the reason James had forgotten her and the reason she had defected. He was abusive and manipulative, often letting his anger get the better of him.

"Did you miss me darling? Did you cry for me?"
"Did you expect me to? After all you did to me."
"Well it's only fitting for a wife who's lost her husband."
"Clearly I haven't lost anything."
"Except your dear James. I've heard the Soldat has escaped but with all that brain damage, it's hardly a surprise if he never remembers you."

Natasha felt like she had been punched in the gut. She inhaled sharply and glared as he brought out a pistol and cocked it in her direction. "But that is no problem for us because now I am here and you belong to me Natalia."
"It's Natasha." He sneered in disgust.
"Natalia is your name and so that is what I will call you. Now come along dear. I heard the Hawk has nearly finished. It would be so unfortunate if I found you only to lose you."

From anyone else that would of sounded at least a little romantic. But somehow Alexei managed to make it sound as if it would only be a slight inconvenience. He gripped her wrist and tried to pull her along. Instead she head butted him hard and knocked the gun from his hand. She then legged it down the corridors making random twists and turns.

She saw a fire exit up ahead and charged through it, Alexei had long been left behind but Natasha kept on running until she reached the meet up point. Clint was already there and immediately came to help her. "Everything go ok?" She nodded her head. "Great the bombs are about to go, I was afraid you wouldn't make it." He joked half heartedly. "Hey are you sure you're ok, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"That's cause I have." She murmured.
"What?" Said Clint.
"Nothing," she shook her head slightly.
"Damn whatever was on that hard drive must've spooked you pretty bad."

Natasha's head snapped up to look at him. What little colour she had regained drained instantly. Her eyes opened wide and she parted her mouth before getting up and sprinting towards the facility.

"Of course how could I forget!" She ran back towards the fire exit and missed Clint's shout of protest. A huge explosion rocked the foundations and flames surged outwards in a deadly wave. The aftershock sent Natasha flying like a rag doll and she hit the ground hard.

Clint coughed out smoke and raced to where his partner lay. Her face was streaked with ash and soot and her arm had a nasty burn where something had hit her. Blood ran down her forehead and Clint found a sticky knot on the back of her head. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow, Clint scooped her up and ran towards the extraction point. On the way he radioed the team to tell them to prepare medical assistance.

He managed to run the 3 miles in under 20 minutes, which is pretty impressive when he was carrying his partner. The jet was on the ground and Maria ran out to meet him with a med team. Natasha was strapped onto the gurney and a breathing mask shoved over her nose and mouth. Clint also received one but he batted it away impatiently.

Maria guided him to the cockpit and she stared at him expectantly. He cleared his throat and looked at his feet. "We didn't get the intel." Maria raised an eyebrow.
"What happened? Was there no intel or did Hydra expect the attack and destroy it? What happened Barton and why is Romanoff out of it?"
"Natasha forgot it Maria, she FORGOT it. She had the drive and everything but she left it behind. I have no idea why she left it but when she remembered she ran back in just as it exploded."

Maria ran a hand through her hair. "Repeat that will you. Did you just say Romanoff forgot the USB stick?" Clint nodded his head. They were both shocked and confused. Natasha perfected every mission, never once had something like this happened. Sure there were always a few small hitches and sometimes great improvisation skills were needed, but never had it been Natasha that botched a mission, especially her own mission.

Something had scared her and Clint was determined to find out what. When she woke up he planned on having a nice long chat with her, until then he would have to face the debrief with Fury on his own. Someone save him.

A/N Does anyone know where the image from the top is from? Hint; its from a marvel series.