The Pirate And His Sea

Chapter 11: How Natasha Met Him & Found Out

(This is not my chapter and the credit of the characters goes to their respective authors)

There were few things that Natasha loathed with a passion, but this mission was a culmination of many of them: rumors, out-of-country incidents (because America had enough problems as it was) and criminal organizations that had the power to back up their smack talk.

So she was filled with great reluctance when she read over the mission parameters and found that she was to take down the informant web of BREK, a rising terrorist group that had set their eyes out of Europe and on America. It was just her luck that it was settled in Greece, fueled by mutters in the international underground.

It was her second week there in Greece, hidden in the outskirts of the middle-sized town that was supposedly the centre of the web. Finally, after days of observation, she was ready to go and crash the place.

If it burnt to the ground in an unfortunately timed gas leak then it was just a coincidence, right?

It was early in the morning, about 2 am, when she approached the building. With her knives strapped to her thighs and her guns settled in their holsters she ghosted across the cracked cement. She was in the middle of a rarely used cargo yard, full of half-empty warehouses and shady characters. It was ideal for any type of illegal activity, and at this hour the only buss in the place was inside.

She stealthily slipped inside the warehouse from a side door. The halls were bare and the only noise came from farther into the building. She snuck through the paths made by the gaps between rusting shipping containers, and peeked around the corner of one to catch sight of the centre area.

There was a series of tables, with several men gathered around them. They were talking in Greek and garbled Russian, voices low. It took Natasha a moment to tune into their conversation.

"-the men think they've seen a suspicious character around. 'Parently they've been hanging around the warehouse district for a while now."

"Do you think it could be the government?"

"Maybe. They think it was a bit too shady, though."

"Damn. Now's really not the time for this kind of shit. The heads are really squeezing us for info. I doubt they even know how difficult information gathering can be."

"Ha, you said it. I just hope the trap we laid for this shady spy works - it'd be better if we got rid of them quickly."

"Ooh, shady spy. Nice."

A trap? Natasha jerked back in surprise and hastily backed away. How had they noticed her? Or figured out she'd be coming tonight?

This needed more consideration; she'd come back tomorrow to finish them off when they were confused by her no-show. Darting around a pile of sea containers, her heart clenched painfully when she just about ran into someone. Immediately her training kicked in and she threw herself back several feet, as her unknown assaulter did the same. She drew her knives, ready to take down her enemy as silently and quickly as possible, when logic kicked in at the sight of the man.

He was dressed in dark, comfortable clothing like she was. A knife made of a strange bronze metal hung at his side, and he was crouching in the stance of an expert fighter. Green, green eyes watched her from within the shadows cast by a hood pulled high over his head. Another spy, then. But from which organization?

They both faced off warily, keeping an eye on the other and an ear listening for approaching footsteps. The man's footsteps were as silent as her own, and while he did not have a weapon in his hands, Natasha knew he was just as dangerous, if not more, than her. It was only that, and their precarious situation, that held her back from attacking him right away.