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English
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Trick or Treat Exchange 2016, Be Compromised Promptathon
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Published:
2016-11-07
Completed:
2016-11-07
Words:
546
Chapters:
2/2
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7
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36
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Widow in the Shadows

Summary:

Two ficlets looking at a darker side to the Black Widow.

1/ Civil War (MCU): Natasha's plans are going smoothly as always.

2/ Civil War II (616): However you try to pretty it up, survival will always come before morality.

Notes:

Chapter 1: My Work Here Has Just Begun

Notes:

For kiss_me_cassie

Chapter Text

The QuinJet maneuvered its way choppily out of the demolished hangar, taking Rogers and Barnes away from the site of the Avengers' latest failure. Natasha watched it go pensively. She couldn't predict what would happen when the pair reached Siberia, but either way, it was sure to be divisive and chaotic.

She eyed the prince, frozen and shivering in her electric web. He was valuable; the soon-to-be King of Wakanda. His presence within this battle was not to be taken lightly, nor ignored, not when he represented such potential.

Natasha made a quick decision, tiring though it was. She'd already betrayed the pro-Accords side, in a move that would reignite Stark's trust issues and confuse many of the team's allies, if she played it right. Getting her hooks into Wakanda, the next big stronghold of power and order in the world, would be quite the coup d'etat.

She stepped closer to the Panther, schooling her features into a mask of apology and integrity. "I'm sorry," she said, honestly ringing in every syllable. "I'm just trying to protect people."

The Bite began to fade, and she stepped past him, making her way to the remains of the Avengers. They were sure to be torn apart and disheartened by the battle, hopeless, and Natasha would be there to spin them just the way she wanted, confused and disorganized and yearning for something strong to give them order.

Perhaps ready to hail Hydra at last.

Chapter 2: Know When To Cut Your Losses

Notes:

For Mimm and CloudAtlas, inspired by Mimm's prompt: The moment [Natasha] realized there's probably no limit to how much evil she can do if she sees it's necessary.

This started MCU, and ended in 616? So... it's a fusion? *sad jazz hands* Sorry if this doesn't make a lot of sense.

Chapter Text

When Natasha was first recruited to SHIELD years ago, Nick Fury conducted a lot of her training personally. Mostly he tried to help her construct an ethical paradigm that could exist within SHIELD's (rather lax) guidelines, and accommodate her own instincts, honed through years of torture, assassination, and sabotage. He taught her to weigh each action she took for its potential to do good or harm in the world, to judge morality based on both intentions and results.

Natasha has used this training every day since. She's always confident of her decisions when she makes them, and while that's not to say she hasn't reconsidered, or looked back with more information, she does always make the choice that will effect the most good in the world.

Up until today, that is. Because Natasha is sitting in front of a pair of computers and one is showing a feed to a courtroom and one is poised to attack. Judge, jury, and executioner, and she can let them do their jobs or she can take on the mantles for herself.

When she started this, there was no thought of justice. Justice hasn't meant much of anything, recently. Right and wrong have gotten turned upside down in a haze of precognition and dark conspiracies. Morality died with Bruce.

When training falls through, there is survival. And survival means you make it out, and the few you call friends make it out, and the rest of the world can burn. Natasha can feel something burning, something she's clung to for a long time, as she starts to type, but everything else has gone cold, so it doesn't hurt.

Clint will go free. And Natasha? Well, cutting away a web you wove around yourself is a type of freedom, even if it was warm. She doesn't have any regrets.