A Different Call

Moving Forward

Natasha's P.O.V. 

I was sitting in Fury's office, it had been about two weeks since the issue in Paris. I knew that this was going to deal with my reinstatement to SHIELD. Hopefully, Coulson wasn't lying when he told me that I would get reinstated rather than thrown in some SHIELD prison.

"Ms. Romanoff, I'm sure you know why I called you in here."

I nod, sitting ramrod straight, "Yes sir."

"Well I just want to tell you something," I took in a deep breath. Damn the dramatics and just tell me what happened. "All I can say is welcome to level seven."

"Wait, what?"

"I thought you would understand this, you're being reinstated."

"No, sir, I understand that. I was confused about the whole promotion issue."

"Coulson told me that he informed you of the plans to make you and Barton into a STRIKE team, so I figured why not speed up the progress."

"Thank you, but there's just one little issue, Barton doesn't trust me."

"True and that's why I'm going to deliver the news to him in three...two...one." By the time that Fury finished the countdown Barton entered the room, looking first at me, then Fury.

"Sir, what's going on? Hill told me you had a mission?"

"Well, that is part of the reason for bringing you here. The other reason is to discuss what happened in Paris."

"I know what happened in Paris," Barton replied shortly, glaring at me.

"Then you know that agent Romanoff saved your life."

"Wait what?"

Fury nods, "The glass that Johnson had given you was laced with the poison we had given each of you for the parliament member. When our men got there, we found Johnson with an empty packet in his pocket and a dead parliament member, a member who had the drink that was given to you lying next to him."

"Really, Barton, I figured after being my SO for a year, you would have realized I had changed. And maybe not have trusted the guy who used to beat you up in the locker room." I said, turning my body toward him.

"I'm so sorry Nat. For everything, the way I acted, what I said, what-"

"You told the other agents?"

"Yes, I was a total ass doing that."

"Yes, you were, and I still don't forgive you, but as Fury said we have a mission," I turn my attention back to Fury, "Which is?"

"We got news of some illegal experiments being done on humans."

"And?" Barton asked, "There are always back ally scientists doing some weird science, what brought this onto SHIELD's radar."

"Because these experiments are trying to recreate the super soldier serum that was used on Captain Rogers."

Clint raised his hand, "Um sir, isn't this a little above our pay grade. I mean this is something a little more up STRIKE's alley isn't it."

"It is and luckily, you and Romanoff are now SHIELD's newest STRIKE team."

"A STRIKE team with only two people?"

"Actually three," Coulson said entering the office, "I figured you would have told them by now."

"Agent Coulson will be your handler for many of your missions, especially ones where to two of you are together, and I think the first thing he should do as your handler is brief you on your mission." Fury handed two manila folders to Coulson. "You are dismissed."

Clint and I stood up and followed Coulson to his office. "Well, he's definitely used ruder techniques to get us to leave," Clint supplied during our walk.

Once we arrived in Coulson's office Clint claimed the couch while I took one of the chairs in front of Coulson's desk and turned it toward Barton while Coulson did the same with his.

"So, another attempt at recreating the super soldier serum. Those have never worked before, why should this be any different? And where are these doctors practicing?" I asked, taking one of the folders and starting to flip through it.

"Wait, people have tried doing the serum before?" Clint asked, grabbing the other folder.

"Yes, Clint. That serum could be the key to ushering a new age of warfare. I know during the Cold War the Soviets tried to their hands on Roger's blood in order to recreate the serum, and from what I hear the U.S. military is trying to recreate it using gamma radiation. There haven't been any major results so far though." If only you knew how wrong, you are. "And, to answer your question Natasha, we have pinned them down to a city in Hungry."

"But how does any of that have to do with Hungary? I mean, what does Hungry even have, that would make it be a hive for needing super soldier serum?"

I roll my eyes, "Hungary was a Soviet satellite state, which means if anyone that used to work for the Soviet government wanted to continue their operations without being under a magnifying glass, along with the fact that while Hungary isn't necessarily a country with a lot of power, it's allied with countries that are."

"She's correct Barton, and we're not completely sure if this has anything to do with the French Parliament member either," Coulson informed us.

"So, what's the goal, see if they have a super soldier serum, and then what? And how are we going to even to find these doctors anyway? I mean we can't really go around asking the locals if they've seen a buncha of scientists with strange vials of liquid."

"We have the name of a spa that we believe is being used as a front for this operation, although we don't know how to actually get to the scientists, so that's one of the obstacles you two will need to figure out. But once you can confirm that they are testing super soldier serum, you need to capture one of the vials."

"I thought that we didn't want to have anyone to possess this stuff."

I roll my eyes, "SHIELD doesn't want its enemies to have it Barton, but if they have it the science division could possibly develop it further."

"I'm not going to comment on that statement Romanoff, but after you retrieve one of the vials, we want to end the operations completely, whatever the two of you think that entails. One last thing, you'll be posing as a newly married couple, and there's no extraction plan set up. Now, now, before you say anything Clint, I will be on comms with you two most of the time, it's just with the nature of this mission a planned extraction isn't the most sensible choice."

If there is a God may he strike me dead now.

"So, what far, exotic city are we visiting exactly?" I asked, wanting to at least know what city I'll be doing my first and possibly last STRIKE mission in.

"Budapest."