E/d note: Before you read, you need to pay the cookie tax! Also, this chapter was written without any reference to the MTL. This is a completely original and additional chapter to flesh out the simulation that MC had gone through in MTL 22.
'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
[System]
[Diary entries]
(Word count: 1,820)
~ With Luke, in the simulated world ~
"I see you've met one of our rising new recruit, Nat." Clint said as he saw Luke struggling against Natasha, who was currently holding him in a chokehold.
'Goddamnit system! At least send me to after this interaction with Natasha! Now I have to live with going through this embarrassment first-hand! You are such a useless piece of mystical presence in my life, you know that? But of course, you don't know that. Because you're not sentient. Because if you were, you would have had enough decency to at least send me to a better starting point!' Thought Luke as he realized at which point he had been taken to for the simulation.
"You know this crazy b*tch, Clint?! Cuz' if you do, GET HER OFF ME!" Luke 'requested', after recognizing the voice of Clint, as he tried to use his strength to remove the grip that the woman had. Staring with a deadpan expression at Luke, Clint just walked past by them before saying, "You dug your own grave kid. You should know the person you just called a b*tch is the one you've been fangirling about."
Confused at the words of his fellow SHIELD agent, Luke suddenly felt the grip tighten around him, causing him even more pain than before, not to mention the increasing embarrassment of being held down by a woman who looked no older than a few years his senior. 'Wait, the one I've been fangirling about? Oh shit. . .'
As if sensing his realization, Natasha wore a smirk before she spoke. "It's nice to meet you, in case you haven't figured it out in that brain of yours, the names Black Widow." In SHIELD, only a handful knew of Natasha's true identity, one of them being Clint Barton himself. However, everyone knew the moniker that Natasha goes by, Black Widow.
Said to be one of the few agents who could best the top agent Clint Barton himself, Natasha had gained the respect and admiration of many SHIELD agents for her abilities and accomplishments, stories of her successful missions told among the lower levelled agents. She had been a rare case where an agent joins SHIELD as a direct level 7 agent. No one else has had that same privilege. In fact, her fame could rival that of Maria Hill, who had been the fastest agent to rise in rank from level 1 to level 9, acting as the active Deputy Director to Fury.
"So, care to repeat what you just called me?" Natasha asked, her tone tinged with subtle threat as she ever so gently tightened her grip further. "TIME TIME TIME TIME TIME!" Luke cried out in agony as he tapped her hands. Natasha relented and released her hold, but only after a few seconds had passed to ensure that her point got across.
Luke gasped for air to enter his lungs as he was released. When he had been taken down by Natasha earlier, she had immediately adjusted her body position and flung him forward, causing Luke to have both his knees and elbows to touch the ground. Natasha had then followed up by raising her right leg over Luke's head, before locking it under her as she sat backwards and placed her left leg over Luke's right leg, causing him to be stuck in place and in pain. This was known as the 'Peruvian Necktie Chokehold', one of the hardest chokehold positions to successfully perform that is based around the neck of a person. When Luke had called her a b*tch, she had lifted her left leg to be placed onto his back, which is significantly worse for the person who was getting choked.
"Damn, that hurt. That hurt a lot." Luke said as he massaged the areas around his neck. Looking over to Clint, Luke blurted, "Maybe next time some help would be appreciated when the psycho gets all handsy-" As soon as the words left his mouth, Natasha had made a step towards Luke, to which he could only close his eyes, raise his hands up and in front of him as he reeled back, bracing for any potential impact, "I'M KIDDING I'M KIDDING!"
A second passed by, then another, and another. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Luke opened his eyes only to be met with the amused faces of both Clint and Natasha. Natasha, not used to the whimsical personality of the person before, could not help but turn to Clint to ask him a question. "So, this is the kid you've been telling me about. How and where exactly did you find him?" To which, Luke shouted, his words coming off as mere background noise "I AM NOT A KID!"
"Came across the kid after he showed great aptitude in marksmanship." Clint said off-handedly to which Luke smiled at the compliment. "Took a mission that required long-distance engagement and had the kid moved into the team to see if there were any substance to the rumours. I have to say, kid's got almost the same potential as I had when I was about his age."
"Yeah you wish old man, I could tie both my arms behind my back and I bet I could still hit the centre of a moving target further than you ever could." Luke interfered when he heard Clint's comparison. Staring at Luke, Clint added, "He's also got a mean streak of disrespect in him. Every report ever made by his supervising agent has the inclusion of 'No respect for higher ranking personnel'. But you'll get used to it after a while, he kinds of adds life to our profession. And when it's time to get down to the task at hand, kid can turn online in an instant, like flipping a switch."
"It's called being a professional, maybe you should try it." Luke rebutted. "Remind me again who it was who came begging me to be his protégé?" Luke then cheekily asked to which Clint could only sigh. "And let me remind you that I was not inviting you to be my protégé, I only asked if you wanted to try and use the bow, which you answered you'd rather shoot a gun through your head than carry a bow."
"And I stand by it." Luke affirmed. "So, not that I'm complaining about having to meet my hero in the flesh," Luke started and gestured towards Natasha as she smiled amusedly, "But, why are you here?" Thinking of his answer, Clint replied, "Give me a moment," before walking into a separate room to make a phone call, leaving Natasha and Luke alone, in awkward silence.
"So. . . Hi. I'm Luke, Luke Sullivan by the way." Luke said, attempting to engage in small talk. Natasha only replied, "Widow."
'. . . THE SILENCE IS KILLING ME! WHERE ARE YOU CLINT?!' Luke complained internally. After a few minutes, Clint finally returned to the room before relaying the order he had just received, "New plan, Luke, abandon your mission. You don't have to monitor Dravkowski any longer."
"Thank god!" Luke exclaimed.
"Instead, you'll be coming with us. Congratulations rookie, welcome to the adult's table." Clint said with a smirk, already knowing how Luke would react.
". . . NO WAY! I'VE BEEN MONITORING THIS JERK FOR 2 MONTHS WITH NOTHING HAPPENING, AND JUST AS I GET TO STOP CREEPILY LOOKING AT HIM FROM AFAR, I HAVE TO NOW FOLLOW THE TWO OF YOU?" Luke yelled in frustration, as Clint had predicted. "I just want to go home and take a week-long vacation, don't I at least deserve that much?" Luke said, mustering his best puppy eye he could to Clint.
It did not work, "Well that's too bad, we've both got higher level clearance and I just received confirmation from higher up." Clint started, to which Natasha raised an eyebrow to him as he nodded. "Now stop being a baby and let's get a move on. You'll be joining our mission as an understudy." Clint said he started walking towards his next destination, with Natasha following closely.
Luke stayed in his spot for a moment, before following suit as he grumbled.
'Wait, what the hell just happened?' Luke thought as he stopped in his tracks, before promptly resuming so as to not look suspicious. 'Did I really just insult Natasha of all people? And did I really just talk back to my superior officers? And since when did I have such a "childish" attitude, so much so that I had even ended up in that outburst towards the end there?'
Unbeknownst to Luke, the simulation had also given him a rebellious and carefree attitude to match his young age. 'This simulation feature is becoming more and more unpredictable. It even played out an entire scene that I had not written out in the entry.'
Choosing to address this issue after he finished going through the simulation, Luke quickly picked up his steps so as to not get left behind by Natasha and Clint, "Hey wait up!"
- End of Chapter 22 -
Next time in C23
"Fuck. . ." Luke could only bemoan his situation as he resigned himself to what lay ahead and followed after Natasha.
Seeing their interaction, Laura walked up to Clint before asking him, "How close?"
"Too close." Clint sighed.
E/d note: That's it for C22! As mentioned at the start, this chapter is completely original and my own adaptation of what happened in the simulation. In the MTL, this was all we got:
- MTL chapter 22 -
As the scene simulation turned on, the next second Su Che seemed to be in another world.
There are clips of her first acquaintance with Natasha, and there are clips of her being a bartender.
There are also clips of usually getting along with her, and even where she invites herself to join the Avengers
Although these fragments are all virtual and all made up by themselves. But, quite true. . .
(and then it goes on to talk about how MC selective takes what emotions or interactions he wants from the simulation to bring back to the real world.)
- End of MTL chapter 22 -
That was literally it for the simulation in the MTL. In this series however, you get a full scene of the first interaction Luke had with Natasha in the other world! Hope you've enjoyed it and if you have, please! I need cookies! I am starving!
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