"Let's not talk about that. Let's think about how best to spend the evening. I'd like to stroll down the yew alley," Natalya said serenely, tucking her hair behind her ear with a familiar motion. "I still haven't had the chance to see how it's transformed for Christmas."
"A lady's wish is law." Literally a five-minute walk from our group was the city park. Within the park stretched a yew alley, considered one of Gotham's main attractions. This enchanting alley had been here since the city's founding. It's not known for certain whether the yew trees were planted by someone or if they were a natural gift of nature.
It's no secret that nature is the best designer and architect. Trees are among the longest-lived creatures on the planet. Here, in this fairytale alley, the giant plants are so old that their crowns have grown together, creating a dense roof of branches.
They have reached each other and intertwined, forming a living, vegetative tunnel of trees, where light and shadow play through the twisted branches of the evergreen yews. And there is nothing more pleasant than walking along this magical living corridor of intertwined crowns.
It feels like you're becoming a part of nature itself. But in the later months, the park changes its appearance, taking on new colors under the glow of holiday lights. In the United States, people begin preparing for Christmas immediately after Thanksgiving, which is traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
Everyone buys lush, green fir trees, prepares gifts, and, of course, decorates their houses and streets. Because of the League of Shadows, I didn't have time to prepare for the holiday, which is unfortunate. But I'll definitely fix that!
In this country, people decorate their houses not only inside but also outside, which creates a cozy, festive atmosphere in the city.
Most of the houses were illuminated, illuminating the streets with multicolored lights. The city streets were so bright that it was hard to believe it was night outside. Garlands adorned both trees and shrubs. Every homeowner displayed decorated snowmen, reindeer, and Santa Clauses in front of their homes, and hung colorful wreaths of fir branches on their doors.
Even the yew alley was already emitting the atmosphere of Christmas and the approaching New Year. We passed through a wide archway created by the union of the crowns of the rich conifers and wandered deep into the park.
Here, the branches of the green giants spread so densely that the dim moonlight barely filtered through the barely noticeable cracks. Only one narrow path, large enough for a single person, passed through this thicket. People avoided the dense thicket, not even thinking of delving deeper. And in this part of the alley, where the light from the bright holiday garlands didn't reach and only the dim light of the moon, laboriously making its way, gave the travelers the faint outlines of the vegetation, my companion and I were left completely alone.
"And how did this happen?" I asked rhetorically, recalling the moments that led us here. "You led me to the most deserted part of the park... Do you want to kill me, Miss Romanov? Just don't think that anyone can do it."
"You know my true identity... Well, that's quite expected. I assume you knew about me from the very beginning?"
"You mean when you came to my office or when you sent your resume? It doesn't matter... Yes, I knew who you were and where you were from."
"Then why did you hire me?" the double agent asked, trying to understand my motives.
"And why shouldn't I? You're a good financial analyst, and the company needed just such a specialist. The fact that you worked for someone else didn't bother me much. Life isn't easy these days, and there's nothing shameful about someone looking for a part-time job," I shrugged.
"You're joking... Well, as always. How did you find out about me, and more importantly, how did you find out where I'm from?"
"You mean the omnipresent S.H.I.E.L.D.? You're not exactly hiding..."
"But you know more than the rest," she pressed her voice, demanding an answer. "You found the Captain frozen in the Arctic ice. You reacted calmly to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arrival, and accepted me into your company without a shadow of a doubt. It's as if everything that happened was exactly what you expected. You knew about it all in advance, and you prepared for the events that followed..."
"You're at a loss: how do I know this?" It's simple... The information comes to me from here," I tapped my temple. "But you shouldn't count on being able to get it from there."
"Is that your ability? You're a mutant..."
"I'm not a mutant, and I'm not even a meta-human... I'm a special case and I have special abilities."
"I understand. You want to keep everything secret. But that can't help but be alarming. A person who possesses secret information is considered a threat."
"Perhaps... But special cases have special privileges. I can stand up for myself. Believe me, you won't want to make an enemy of me."
This won't end well. I used to be wary of such a formidable adversary as S.H.I.E.L.D., but now it poses no threat to me. I have not only the public behind me, but also a highly respected figure in the form of Bruce Wayne and his nocturnal alter ego.
Moreover, during my time in this world, I've met many extraordinary individuals ready to help me in times of need. But my main asset isn't that; it's information capable of destroying those in power. For example, if I tell the world that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Hydra, Olympus, the high-flying planet, would crumble. I'm sure A.R.G.U.S., and Amanda Waller in particular, won't miss this opportunity to take down Nick Fury.
After all, according to information received from Bats, the two organizations aren't particularly fond of each other.
"So, Miss Romanoff, what's next? Why are we here?"
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Thanks for reading guys, it means alot.
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