(This story takes place during the movie Iron Man 2 and contains the characters Natasha Romanoff, Pepper Potts and Maria Hill)
*
A lone personal assistant walked hurriedly through the entrance hall at Stark Industries, her heels clacking in the silent space. The massive corporation was empty this late into the night and the throng of visitors and staff that normally clogged the reception area were now long gone.
The young redhead climbed the central open stairway, ascending quickly. Once she had reached the highest level she turned left, continuing along a dimly lit corridor. Every office was dark, each door closed. Moving brusquely the girl headed for the large, impressive double doors at the end of the way.
As she drew closer to her target the woman self-consciously checked her appearance, tugging nervously at the hem of her short charcoal skirt. The young woman's appearance gave of a professional, yet non-threatening impression. Every item of clothing was tight and soft, emphasizing her voluptuous curves and pert assets. Anyone who laid eyes on her could have guessed the girl's occupation simply by viewing her outfit. But the redhead was in actuality capable of far more than delivering coffee and typing memos.
Arriving at the double doors, she pressed an ear to the expensive wood, listening intently. Unable to detect anything, she pulled a pin from her hair, allowing long, red strands to swing loose down her neck. This was when her façade faded, albeit momentarily. In less than 5 seconds she had the lock picked and slipped inside.
Natalie Rushman quickly scanned the room for her boss, or any potential booby traps, before pulling the door closed. In a heartbeat she was across the space and behind the large desk, bringing the computer atop its surface whirring to life. Pulling a USB from the dummy folder beneath her arm she soon began hacking into Stark Industries more classified files.
At this point it would have apparent to any observer Miss Rushman had no right to be there, her nerves obvious. The girl was in fact a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, an expert in covert operations, a spy. Her mission from the very beginning of her internship at Stark Industries had been to gain access to the corporation's weapons research program, data that was only available to the most senior members of staff. Hence her current position as the assistant to the CEO of the company, giving her all the access she needed.
Natalie placed the file she had been carrying on the desk, opening it to find her mobile phone inside, which was in sync with the hacking tool. Glancing at it she cursed silently, the download was only at 6%. If she were caught breaking into the Stark computer system her whole cover story would unravel, her mission would be a failure. It was important that she remained close to Tony Stark, to monitor his work and assess his potential for another, even more important assignment. Personally though, Natalie would have chosen a boxing match with the hulk over this mission. How could she keep up her persona in this compromising situation, with over 2 months of deep cover work now on the line? Desperately the undercover agent thought back to the beginning of her covert operations training.
...
(2 months earlier, aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier)
Natasha Romanoff stepped into the dark training room, adjusting to the dim light within the space before allowing the large metal door to close behind her. She felt at home here in the state of the art gym; here, where she honed her martial arts skills aboard the massive floating air base. Over time she had even come to find that the constant muted drone of four giant propellers oddly comforting.
Tonight however, she had come to the room under different circumstances. A shadowy superior had ordered her to report to the training space for 'additional instruction with potential for promotion,' via her secure communication channel. Natasha had not required additional incentives and as always, arrived early. Although she had fulfilled every demand of the message, now that she was here the order felt strange.
The young redhead had been reminded to report to the training space shortly after her return to the helicarrier. Natasha was exhausted after another dangerous mission, but was a professional and hid all signs of her discomfort.
However with nothing else to do but wait, the agent ran through a mental itinerary of her equipment, as always preferring to have a pre-prepared escape strategy. At the moment Natasha was wearing a tight, form-fitting garment that was dark navy and segmented with black protective padding. This combined with a flexible PVC blend in the joints to ensure the suit never rustled, allowing her to achieve near silent movement. The one-piece uniform fitted her like a glove.
Around her waist Natasha wore a utility belt, an item she practically never left home without. The leather strap was as always overburdened with equipment and hung loose around her hip. On her feet she wore knee high combat boots. Sadly a gun had been out of the question. Natasha bit her lip, thumbing her belt as she stared into a corner of the room. The redhead felt light, almost naked, without that cold steel pressing against her hip.
The young agent sighed with frustration and used a hand to swipe wavy red hair from in front of her eyes behind her ear. After a successful mission Natasha had a ritual involving; loud music, a hot shower and where possible a shooting range. Anyone who knew her would not have disturbed that process. Disgruntled, the redhead leant against a vaulting horse, her patience for the chain of command running short as ever.
Minutes later a metal door leading into the room clanked open and bright light from the corridor poured in. The young agent quickly composed herself upon seeing her superior; Agent Maria Hill stood in the doorway.
....
"Miss Rushman! What are you doing in here!?"
The young assistant froze, a spy caught red handed. The brand new CEO of Stark Industries, Miss Pepper Potts, had unexpectedly stepped into her office to find the girl there, standing awkwardly beside the woman's own desk. Luckily she had been able to dim the screen and stand upright before her 'boss' had entered. But now what? Her instinct was to takedown the threat, but she knew that course of action would be counterproductive. So then what where the options? The faux-personal assistants ulterior training kicked in:
"As your executive assistant I have access to all areas of your working life. I was just... putting this file on your in-tray. " Miss Potts eyed Natalie warily as she gesticulated to the tray delicately, but the young agent was sure the woman would accept her excuse. Her strawberry blonde hair, despite being tied back, was unkempt and from the way she stood Natalie guessed the CEO had been on her feet all day, attending meetings, calling shareholders and researching investment opportunities. People this overworked tended to except what they wanted to hear.
"Ohh, of course, sorry I'm not used to having an assistant and I didn't expect anyone else to still be on duty. Shouldn't you have left hours ago?"
Natalie gave Miss Potts her sweetest smile, still attempting to disarm her superior: "Actually Miss Potts, it is my job to make sure your as comfortable as possible, whilst doing whatever it takes to ensure your working to the best of your ability. So I cannot leave until you do."
