Budapest

Chapter 18

Clint Barton
(Hawkeye)
I can feel the many glances being thrown my way, but one pair of eyes stay staring. I don't turn to look at her, there is no point. She knows I'm here. I look around at the theater, it is quite an unusual place to find a Black Widow. At first I thought she was just becoming sloppy in her movements, with all the things she left at different destinations. But she was leading a trail to this spot where the trap must lye.
I am not wearing a suit or tie. But instead my shield uniform, with my bow in my backpack. If this is the night that decides the result of this mission, I want to have the familiarity of my bow and arrows and not the weight of a gun.
I suddenly feel the burning gaze lift.
Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. I turn around. She is no longer in her seat. She is walking towards the front row. She places her hand on a large man's shoulder. I see her anger and disappointment when the man turns and she sees his face. She says something in Hungarian then walks back towards her seat. Now's my chance. If I am to get away to a better position, I must go now. Before she sees me leave. I stand and make my way towards the door, knocking the shoulders of people as I go past. I mutter what I believe to be 'sorry' in Hungarian before getting outside the door. Looking left and right, I walk outside of the theater and towards the small park I saw earlier. In the middle of it, there's a big tree that would conceal me from view. I know it can because it has before. I had watched twice as Natalia came out to the park at midnight and just watched the water of the pond. On the first night she'd come out, I almost fell out of the tree, meaning I was dangling by one leg while one of my arms was holding the rest of my weight awkwardly. That was scary.
I reach the tree now and climb it. I get my bow out now and assemble it. I put my sheath in the place of my backpack while I put the rest of my supplies up higher in the tree. I awkwardly crouch, with my back leaning against the trunk, my bow sitting on top of my knees. Being a SHIELD sniper, I can stay still in all manner of positions for hours. And I just may well have to.
Why did I even go to the theater in the first place?
I knew the theatre would be a trap but I also knew it wasn't a trap set just for me.
About an hour later I hear screams coming from the theatre with a gun shot followed. Craning my neck around, I see people swarming out of the theatre, running in all manner of directions. Another gun shot sounds and there are more screams. As the flow of the crowd streaming out of the theatre lessens, it becomes quiet. So now I can hear the sound of police sirens. They are too far away. She'll be gone by then. Unless..it was her that got shot.
My latest theory is upturned when I see her walking out of the theater, no coat, with her gun held at a man's head. His neck is held in her vice-like grip. There will be no escaping it. Out of the many people who were in the theatre, there are only about 5 left standing around Natalia. And by the looks of the tattoos and the weapons they hold, they know her and they got caught in the trap. Whoever she is holding at gun-point must be important for none of the other men make a move. Even with a gun to his head, the hostage looks menacing, with his face the only place free of the ink that colours his skin. From this distance away, I can't quite make out what the tattoos are but they must be some kind of gang sign.
One of the men on the outside makes a small step forward. As soon as his foot leaves the ground to take another step, he has a knife thrown at his face. He falls, mid-scream with his limbs contracting as his brain sends signals to remove the knife. He's dead now. The other men look at Natalia then at each other. It seems they no longer care about the hostage she holds for they all attack. The gunshot sends shivers up my spine. Natalia no longer holds a hostage. I hear movement below the tree. The police are here now, and swarming the park and around the theatre. By looking at the number of police, they must not know that there is more than one gun-man. They will be finished quickly. I close my eyes and tighten the grip around my bow. I don't want to see any more killings at the hand of Natalia. For she doesn't just kill them, she strips down their identity first. She's makes them question themselves before sending them on to the next life.
I hear yells, gun shots and the sounds of bodies hitting ground. This goes on before I hear a slight scream or yell of agony. But this one is different, it came from a woman and not a man. I open my eyes and take in the scene before me. Bodies litter the ground with the blood spilling over the cracks of the bricks. Natalia is a lot closer now, she stands about 3 meters away. I see one last man fall, a knife sticking out of his back. Natalia turns slowly, looking at each body in turn. There are 11 bodies on the ground. I catch the sight of a cut on her shoulder and back. That must be why she howled in agony. She steps forward slightly to balance herself. And that's when I notice that her hands are empty. She has no weapons, she is un-armed. The bow that I still hold seems to burn my skin while my arrows, burn my back. The Black Widow is unarmed for the first time and I have my best weapons in my hands. The Black Widow is standing right below me and she still does not know I am here. I remember my mission, to kill her. And here is my chance. The Black Widow seems to be caught in her own web. But then I remember that she did not want this web or her title. It was thrust upon her. Kind of like the circumstances I was put in....but at least I had a second chance. Because someone gave me a second chance. I know what I have to do now. Soundlessly, I notch an arrow. Shifting myself slightly, I get ready to pull back the string. She is in full-view now, no longer under the tree. She stands about a meter away. Looking once at my bow then back at her, I draw back my arrow then release.