Chapter 33

"What who, how did I get here", a certain red haired spy blurted out in surprise.

 "Well to put it simply I brought you here, how I did so I'll leave up to your imagination but a spy of your caliber I'm sure would have no trouble with that." Smirking at her in response.

"You see I've been well aware of the lengths SHIELD has gone to trying to track me down. I thought that instead of playing our game of cat and mouse, it was time to come to some kind of understanding."

 Seeing her silent and glaring at me was oddly satisfying, feeling that i had gotten one over her, i mean it's not going to happen often so let's take the opportunity to enjoy it, however brief. I walked over to the table and poured two glasses of whiskey, handing one to her. She eyed me warily before taking a sip.

"You have my attention," she finally spoke, her tone guarded but curious. I leaned back in my chair, swirling the amber liquid in my glass.

 "I know you've been tasked with bringing me in, but have you ever stopped to wonder why?" I asked cryptically, watching as her brow furrowed in confusion.

 "SHIELD doesn't just go after anyone without reason," she replied cautiously.

"You're right they don't, and their track record doesn't exactly do justice for their reputation does it." I need to keep Abra's existence a secret for as long as possible, having a teleporter and psychic on hand does end up being a deal breaker for some people, especially a certain bald, one eyed excessively paranoid spy.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of said "bald, one-eyed excessively paranoid spy," a flicker of recognition passing through them. She took another sip of the whiskey, the gears in her mind audibly turning as she contemplated his words.

"What's your angle here?" she finally asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"My angle? Simple. I want to propose an alliance," I stated boldly, meeting her gaze head-on.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "An alliance between us? You and a wanted fugitive?"

"Yes, precisely. Or well not just you but SHIELD in particular. You see I have come across a bit of a conundrum, I have been investigating the various gangs and criminals around the area in hopes of shutting down their operations for good," seeing her staring at me taking me words in.

"They are too widespread for just myself to take down, I have certain powered assets that would come in use, however no matter how skilled we are, there are inherent limits on what we can do. Hence working with SHIELD to take them down."

Seeing her nod along with my words I started feeling optimistic about my chances. But that was quickly quashed with her response.

"Well you see Mr....", Thinking on my feet "Red, you can call me Red".

"Well Mr Red…", "Just Red, no Mister"

"Ok then, Red, well you see there is a bit of a problem, your actions have had some impacts on the criminal element in the city. Mainly being your elimination of some key assets is going to open the door for new players to enter the area and ruin the status quo which has been established." Feeling my anger rise as her words went on.

"You mean to tell me," He scoffed, "that you're more worried about maintaining the 'status quo' than the innocent people living in constant fear of being taken, assaulted, or even murdered by these criminals?" The tension in the room rose as his piercing gaze locked onto his opponent's. The weight of his argument lingered and settled like a heavy fog, silencing any rebuttal. It was clear that for him, the protection and safety of the vulnerable held far greater importance than preserving some outdated societal norm.

 His words hung heavy in the air, carrying with them a sense of righteousness that seemed to challenge the very core of her being. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly finding it difficult to maintain eye contact with this man named Red. His conviction was palpable, radiating from him like a force of nature that threatened to upend the delicate balance she had so carefully constructed in her mind.

 Seeing her speechless made a sense of satisfaction mix with my anger at her words. "Being a government agent, you should be helping out the people that live in it, you may be worries about the gangs gaining more power and being a more serious problem down the line." Staring her in the eyes with unrestrained intensity and fervor, "Then don't stop, help me put them down and then if they come back, I'll do it again, as many times as needed to ensure they learn to stay far away from me."

 Seeing uncertainty cross her face I knew that she would think about my words for a while. "Think about what we have talked about and if you feel any modicum of care for the regular people in the city we can proceed from here. I'll send you back and you when you finally make your decision, I'll be in touch. I won't wait forever and while I would like to work with SHIELD, if needs be I will do it alone. You have 1 week, after that I'll take matters into my own hands."

Sending a mental signal to Abra, she teleported Black Widow back to her original location.

 The room fell silent, the weight of their conversation still lingering heavy in the air. Red stared at the spot where Black Widow had just vanished, a mix of determination and impatience flickering in his eyes. He knew that his ultimatum was a risky move, but he also knew that time was of the essence when dealing with the criminal underworld.

As the seconds stretched on, Red could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his mind already racing with plans and contingencies for both outcomes. He had always been a lone wolf, but this time felt different. This time, he had extended an olive branch to an unexpected ally, hoping that she would see the truth in his words.