Chapter 5 - JFK

*Natasha's point of view*

We flew for 9 hours. It was the longest plane ride I have ever been on, and the first plane ride I've been on where I'm not in the lower deck! They used to sneak us on to the lower deck where the hold luggage is kept. You find some creepy things when your down there.

Take off was quite scary to watch. The world shoots passed you quicker than you can blink, nature turns into a blur. The wheels lift off the tarmac and my head went dizzy, the blurred houses come back into view and it almost feels like your slowing down. The altitude rises and you can see the traffic that bundles on the motorways and the town houses, holding a family of people. Then the clouds come and your ears pop, all noises sound muffled, like you've stuffed tissue in your ears. The clouds eventually clear and the bright blue sky shines down like a ray of light. The sun watches over the world peacefully, situated among the surrounding blue. It's never that pretty down on earth.

Turbulence was pretty familiar. It came suddenly, not making me jump but it made me aware that I'm in a big tin can flying through the air, soaring over the world everyone knows, not all love it though. The plane suddenly shook and it did feel like it may start to collapse from the sky. Clint sat opposite me, snoring like a baby buffalo. God, he's a noisy sleeper. He slept through it all, he could probably sleep through a hurricane!

Landing felt familiar but, again, it was scary to watch. The plane balances over the tarmac, daring to touch it. The wheels were finally reunited with the ground, the breaks were smacked on and I gripped the hand rests for dear life. The plane gradually slowed and went to the steady speed of about 5 mph. I thought it was time to wake Clint up so I sneaked up to him, not making a sound. Quiet. Quiet. "CLINT WAKE UP!!!" I shook him violently and his eyes shot open. "Wait... what?" He murmured when I let go of him and sat back on my seat."We're here." I smiled simply. He looked Pissed off that I woke him up so viciously when there is no emergency. "Oh okay." He paused for a moment to rub the dust from his eyes. "DID YOU SEE THE NEW YORK SKYLINE?!" He yelled, making me jump. "Clint. Have you seen the weather? It's foggy as fuck!" I laughed. He looked disappointed. "Oh okay. I must take you to see it one day. It's beautiful!" He gasped, probably reliving the memory of him seeing the skyline for the first time.

The plane pulled into a garage, almost identical to the one we left in Vnukovo. A lady stood holding a clipboard a few meters away from where the plane stopped dead. She had brown locks, tied back in a small ponytail. Her face was stern and serious. She wore a black dress with a grey tartan pattern making an appearance on the skirt. She had black heels on and a dark blazer to cover her dress.

The pilot, Greg, made his way out of the cockpit and towards the stairway-door thing. He pressed a button and the stairway descended steadily down towards the ground. Clint and I both stood up and started to make our way over to the stairs. "Thanks Greg, see ya around!" Clint said as he exited the plane. "Thank you." I weakly smiled, trying my best to get back to Clint who was waiting at the bottom of the small stairway. I jogged down the stairs and met Clint.

We both walked towards the Lady, I seemed shy but he seems to know her. "Hill! Nice to see you!" He ran up and hugged the lady, she gladly accepted the hug and hugged him back."Barton! Your still a suck up." She laughed, they released each other and realised that I was still there. "Hill, this is the girl I called about! This is Natasha Romanoff, I think if the boss accepts, she can be a great asset to SHIELD. She knocked my ass down a few times!" He laughed. I walked over and shook the ladies hand. "I think it was a few more than that." I laughed, turning to face him. "Hey Natasha! Clint speaks very highly of you. I see your good with Banter! Your gonna fit right in!" She laughed. "Clint didn't say my actual name!" She turned and punched his arm, he gripped it in pain and I couldn't help but let out a giggle. "I'm Agent Maria Hill, I work with Nick Fury. He is the boss. He prefers women fighters to men as he finds us easier to deal with! He seems overwhelming but he's actually a softie. He'll love you!" She stated. I'm glad that they're are other women in this governmental group."Hi, Maria." I smiled. She seems more approachable then the pilot.

After Clint and Maria caught up, we headed off in a black SUV with tinted windows. Maria sat in the front with the Driver while Clint and I sat in the back. The car smelt like it had just been polished. The stench of bleach crawled up my nostrils, causing me to sneeze like mad. I'm not used to cleanliness.

We drove out of the airport and found on to another freeway. This time, I didn't feel the urge to stick my head against the glass, I've just spent 9 hours on a plane wide awake. I'm shattered. Instead, I lay my head against the window and slowly drift off into a tranquil sleep.

I jolted upright after a car horn blared, the sound bouncing off the walls. I rubbed my eyes, removing any evidence that I have been asleep and stretch. My arm reached above me, touching the soft lining of the SUV's roof, then my arms stretched behind me. As I pushed them to the side, I heard a grunt as I felt some form of resistance I hit. "Ow. Afternoon Natasha. How was your beauty sleep?" Clint moaned, caressing his jawline from where I just accidentally punched him. My arms drew back to me, a feeling over guilt rushed over me. "Shit. Sorry! It was rather good, surprisingly peaceful. Where are we?" I pondered. My eyes directed their attention to the window. Crowds of people flooded the pavement, cars and yellow cabs were placed in front of them. "Welcome to New York!" He said enthusiastically, he gestured to Maria and my tinted window lowered.

The echo of people yelling and talking filled the streets. Endless buildings rose up to touch the dirty white sky. Street lights lined the faded roads, that were covered by 4 wheeled vehicles, chugging their way through the streets. Small side roads appeared every few yards, all showing the small details that make up this glorious city. This man-made jungle is one of the best places I've ever been.

The car pulled up to a small building, it had blue tarp covering the scaffolding. It looked only 3-4 floors high but it's clearly under construction. We pulled into an underground garage that could house at least 100 cars, minimum. Clint got excited when we drove passed a car that looked very similar to the one we had in Russia, this one was still black but had a fierce white stripe going down the sides of it. "My jag!" He squealed. "What's a jag?" I looked at him while furrowing my eyebrows. I saw the driver look through the rear view mirror, with a very judgemental look. Maria shifted in her seat and turned back to look at me while Clint had his mouth wide open. "What?""You don't know what a jag is?!" Maria had a confused look on her face, as did I but for different reasons. "A jag is like a brand of car. It's called a Jaguar but everybody just calls it a Jag because it's so much easier." Maria enlightened me, she still looked confused of how I didn't know that."My baby is a Jaguar XJS, beautiful masterpiece. Stunning. Goes fucking fast on a clear road!" His hazel eyes follow the car until the car was out of sight.

The car pulled up in front of two metal doors that housed the elevator. Maria knew how to open a car door like the back of her hand and so did Clint, but this is only my third time getting out of cars like these, so again, I copied Clint and pulled a small lever on the door and thankfully, it flew open. I chucked my backpack on my back and got out of the SUV, this is one tall car, I basically had to jump to get to the floor! My feet landed on the cement floor, the sound of smacking bounced off the walls. The driver stay sat in his seat, while all three of us got out.

We met in front of the elevator, all silently debating who should press the elevator button. Finally, Maria stepped forward and pressed the button, that flashed red beneath her petite fingers. "So, are we going straight to Nick?" Clint asked, slightly tilting his head."Yeah. I think you should go in to talk to him before we go in." Advised Maria.

The metal doors slid open revealing a silver-walled box. The floor was a shade of cream that made felt so comforting and welcoming. As we walked in and turned around, a display of buttons were placed in organised rows, I'm not sure what most of them meant but Oh well. Maria pressed the button for the second floor and the doors slid shut again, leaving us in awkward silence during the 10 second ride to the second floor.

The door slid open once again but the scene that greeted me was not the same as the garage. A long bright hallway with lights and windows greeted my emerald eyes. Although it was an amazing sight, I'm terrified of what this boss is like.

We walked down the corridor, each step I want to turn back and run a mile. The walls were caving in. My breathing fastened and my head went light. This meeting could change my life! I have got to get myself together! To my luck, we walked into a desolate  waiting room. All chairs faced towards a pair of glass double doors. "You guys wait out here, I'll be out in a minute." Clint said as he knocked on the door. "Come in." The muffled deep voice said through the glass. The glass was covered by black blinds. The tension is killing me

I sat down outside the room in one of the many arm chairs, Maria sat opposite me. She was clearly trying to work out what my background is, why I'm here and what my intentions are. She's so clearly a spy. We sat in awkward silence for a little while before Maria couldn't wait any longer.

End of JFK