It had been drilled into her not to question orders, but she couldn't help but hesitate. The heat from this would be hotter than the surface of the sun, and her Handler was not here to verify this was correct. It seemed like a trap. For her. And this man put her on edge. Still.... orders were orders.
“Positive.” Fury regarded her a moment before he continued. “We've had an eye on this for a while now. We let it ride, for obvious reasons. But now....” Words trailed off and he sighed. “Now we have to act. Before something worse happens. He is against everything we believe in.”
Natasha let it roll around in her head a few moments. “All right. Interference?” That was only fair. The manhunt would be massive. She was the one taking all the risk. She was good at fading into the shadows, but a little help never hurt. Especially on something this big.
“Already done,” Fury assured her. “Decoy on the grassy knoll. One at the end of the route. We'll have people in the crowd.”
Well, it wasn't perfect but it would have to do. Natasha gave a short nod. “How much time do I have?”
“Six hours give or take. We have someone on him now. He's becoming more erratic. We have confirmation he will hit during the route.”
“Is it narrowed down any?” Romanova wouldn't have much time to set up or scout. They were going to have to do some of the legwork. Knowledge was power and she liked knowing everything she could.
“Four best possible options.” Which was not bad when it came down to it. The whole route couldn't be covered. But she could clear the most likely locations and work from there. It would still be tight. It wasn't like she could teleport.
Fury pushed a packet across the table to her and she took it without comment. She would read through it when she got there. Without another word she left. There was a critical mission to attend to and her handlers expected absolute compliance despite the fact she was no longer supposed to be in the game.
Five hours later and she had arrived and whittled down the options. Oswald would use the book depository. She was sure of it. Still.... she waited until she got word that the man was headed there. Lingering only a few more minutes, Natasha faded into the crowd.
Oswald's footsteps told her the man himself was getting into position. And so would she. The weapon Oswald was bringing with him was slower than what she was carrying. Not to mention the years of experience the spy had. The sign on the roof provided cover and a vantage point.
The crowd cheered and she knew the convoy was coming. The President would be sandwiched in the middle for safety. Natasha snorted at that. Safety was always merely an illusion. As she was about to prove.
Her reflexes proved to be superior when her shot mingled with Oswald's shot. Same for the next two. Unlike the would be assassin, Natasha took her time exiting her location. Now that the job was finished she had nothing but time. But she was anxious to get back to her husband. He would be returning from his test flight soon and she was looking forward to seeing him after these long weeks. Comrade Oswald was not her problem. She had completely her task neatly and efficiently. Only she had the honor of killing an American President. None of her peers could boast such a thing.
Fury hovered, watching as the brain was removed. They could learn a lot from it he hoped. President Kennedy had been dead for months but they had allowed the Skrull who took his place to remain. Until such a time it was important to deal with it. The Skrulls were becoming a bigger issue than Fury or SHIELD had ever anticipated and Fury felt he was behind since it was his job to keep track of these things. Being the Man on the Wall meant he should have seen this coming.
But he would kick himself later. Right now they needed all the information they could get to combat this Skrull invasion. He thought it was a test run, a small invasion to see if they were noticed. If that were the case, humanity had failed. He couldn't help but worry it wasn't a small invasion though.
“What about the girl?” a voice asked from the darkness.
“She was as we were told,” Fury replied not bothering to look at the source. “They've worked her over good. She's one to keep an eye on. She'll be a thorn in our side when they cut her loose.” Which he thought might be sooner rather than later if his sources were correct. She would be going home to find out her husband was dead in a test flight and she would go back into their Widow program. Nick Fury had no doubt the woman would survive it. Survive it and thrive.
“Did she know who you were?”
“I don't think so. She seemed to buy that she was on loan. When she gets back they will throw her back into the program.” He paused, lighting a cigar and taking a few enjoyable puffs. His network had spanned into the KGB, which is how he had become aware of the young woman he suspected he would be seeing a lot of in the years to come. It wasn't as if the US Government could kill their own President. Someone had to do it before the Skrull ruined everything. So, if all else failed, they could blame it on the Russians. Oswald had clamored to become a Russian citizen years before after all. “She's already formidable. She picked out the right location without any problems. Didn't hesitate even though we made the other ones look most viable. Her shots were timed perfectly. Once she finishes, she could be a significant problem to us.”
“To anyone she sets her sights on.” Fury chuckled. “I wouldn't want to be in her way.”
“Can she be brought over?”
“In time I think. But some things have to run their course first.” Or at least Fury hoped. Natalia Romanova was an asset he absolutely wanted to secure.
