The atmosphere tensed. The sunlight filtered through the umbrella's fabric, casting slight shadows on the table. Laughter and chatter from nearby diners contrasted with the atmosphere of this particular meeting.
Ghost flatly, "So… what's this about?"
Natasha coolly, "Let's talk about what you know. And what you shouldn't."
Ghost said nothing, still watching every angle from his glasses. Ezio sipped his espresso again, completely unfazed. Natasha Romanoff folded her arms on the table and changed her target to Ezio.
Natasha to Ezio, "You've been popping up too often on intel feeds, Ezio. Istanbul. Marrakesh. Prague. Naples. Always clean. Always subtle. But always… there."
Ezio with a slight shrug, "Perhaps I just enjoy sightseeing."
Natasha smirking, "Your sightseeing tends to coincide with missing arms dealers, intercepted tech, and very dead people. A few too many coincidences, even for someone with a historical name."
Ezio set his cup down and asked, "How did you find me?"
Natasha, "You're careful. But someone like you doesn't move alone. Patterns emerge. Purchases. Conversations. Marseille, rings a bell? You can't erase everything Ezio, there's always a trail."
Ezio glancing toward Ghost, "Told you Marseille was too noisy."
Ghost didn't respond. His body was still, but his had was gripping a firearm under the table.
Ezio, "You said my name like it was familiar."
Natasha, "There are legends about you in underworld. The Master Assassin, they called you. Your methods were… admired, same pattern of killing, a sharp strike of blade to vitals. We followed the pattern and here we are"
Ezio leaned forward slightly, voice dipping low.
Ezio, "You've come all this way just on a hypothesis?"
Natasha serious, "You've been moving under our radar for a long time. But this... presence in Rome? That's new but not unexpected. And I don't think you're working alone."
Ezio gave a half-smile, one eyebrow raised.
Ezio, "Perhaps I've made friends. Isn't that what people do, Natasha?"
Her gaze narrowed. She tapped one perfectly manicured nail against the table.
Natasha, "We're not enemies. Not yet. But I need to know what you're planning. You show up, files go missing. People disappear. Someone is asking questions. I chose to talk first."
Ghost stiffened at the word someone. Ezio gave a small nod of appreciation.
Ezio, "Then you're smarter than most. But I have no intention of playing politics."
He finished his espresso, then added with a calm voice, "As for my plans... let's just say I'm here for the view."
Natasha smiling faintly, "Funny. That's exactly what a spy would say."
Ezio stood slowly, motioning to the waiter to bring the bill. Ghost rose as well, still watching the snipers on the rooftops through the reflection on a nearby window.
Natasha stayed seated, "Won't you bite at least, I have given enough info already!"
Ezio, "For now I can say is… we are not your enemies and you can't stop us from leaving."
Natasha, "And what makes you think I can't stop you?"
Ezio adjusting his jacket glanced around and said, "If you are so curious, why don't you try and find out."
He tossed a few Euros on the table and walked off. Ghost followed. As they exited the café, Ghost whispered into the comms,
"She's good. Real good. She doesn't know about AEGIS… yet. But she's hunting Ezio, not the rest of us."
Ezio, already a few steps ahead, replied dryly into the wristband mic.
Ezio, "Which means we've got time. And time… is all I need."
Ghost's wristband pulsed a silent alert — HQ had received the exposure signal and started cleanup protocols.
Ghost grumbling, "I still don't get why I had to show up in person. Could've just FaceTimed and this whole thing could be avoided."
Ezio calmly, "Because I needed her to see me. The legend had to be confirmed. Legends confuse enemies, then men become predictable."
Ghost glanced back over his shoulder.
Ghost, "Yeah? Well, she didn't seem confused. She seemed ready to put a round through our skull."
Ezio smirking, "That's how you know she's interested."
They rounded a corner and vanished down a quiet alleyway. A black SUV was waiting, modified by Q. Soon they disappeared.
Rooftop Café – Natasha's Table
Natasha sat alone now, slowly swirling the last of her drink. The agents who had been pretending to be customers were beginning to disperse in pairs, quietly signaling retreat.
A voice buzzed in her earpiece — Coulson.
Coulson through comms, "Do we have an ID match?"
Natasha, "Visual confirmed. It's him. Ezio Auditore. He's alive — and working."
Coulson, "You think he's freelance?"
Natasha shaking her head, "No. Too coordinated. He's not operating solo. And that guy with him… masked, tactical gear. Not local. No ID match yet."
Coulson, "We'll run facial reconstruction."
Natasha quietly, "Don't bother. He knew how to avoid optics. He's trained."
She glanced in the direction Ezio had vanished.
Natasha softly, "There's something else going on here."
She stood and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking out over Rome's skyline.
Natasha murmuring, "Let's see how long you can run, Ezio…"
Safehouse – Fencing School, Rome
The unmarked black SUV pulled into an underground parking structure. Ezio sat behind the wheel, calm as always.
Ghost, "She knew your name, Ezio. Not your alias. Your complete name."
Ezio glancing at him, "Which means she's been digging for a long time."
Ghost, "She had a damn perimeter set up, snipers, agents… and you just sat there sipping espresso."
Ezio dryly, "The coffee was good."
Ghost huffed, shaking his head.
As they stepped out, the garage door slid shut behind them. Security turrets momentarily lowered from the ceiling, scanning them both before retreating. Ezio placed his hand on the biometric lock and entered the safehouse.
Inside the safehouse, they made their way towards the communication room, minimalist design, tactical gear hanging neatly, weapons in concealed compartments, encrypted terminals glowing silently in the corner. Ghost collapsed onto a steel stool, muttering.
Ghost, "I still don't like this. She let us go too easy."
Ezio began stripping off his jacket, "We got out of there because of you."
Ghost tilted his head slightly, "They weren't exactly hostile. Just observing."
Ezio, "Exactly. Observing… until you arrived. That's when they flinched.", after hanging the jacket, he said, "The ones who locked down the perimeter were focused on me. You showed up, and they paused. Hesitated. Because they didn't know you. Couldn't predict you."
Ghost remained silent, listening.
Ezio, "That hesitation gave me a window. If you weren't there… I don't know if it would've been a chat over drinks or a bag over my head."
Ghost gave a low hum, "And Romanoff?"
Ezio exhaled slowly, "Didn't expect her. I've felt eyes on me since I touched the surface. Always do. So, I baited it. Played vulnerable. Took the same route twice, sat in the same place every time. Let them think they had an opening."
Ezio grimly, "I wanted someone to make a move. I just didn't think it would be her. Or that SHIELD would be this interested."
A silence lingered before Ezio stood and walked toward the concealed panel where the surveillance logs were being decrypted.
Ezio, "We wiped the CCTV. Azmuth's ghost-field tech worked like a charm."
Ghost, "But people aren't cameras. They talk. They remember faces. Reactions. We can't erase them."
Ezio nodded.
Grant Enterprises HQ – Secure Command Room
Hunter stood at the center of the secure war table, with digital blueprints of SHIELD's last-known operations, Ezio's interaction timeline, and Natasha Romanoff's profile glowing on screen.
Hunter, "Alright. Let's walk through it."
Hiroshi, "There's no data leak. No breach. They didn't follow him through our network."
Aizawa on comms, "Could be facial recognition. Long-range drone surveillance. Or maybe someone saw him operating somewhere years ago and tagged it. This was personal. She's been hunting him."
Hunter nodded slowly.
Hunter, "She didn't mention SHIELD. Not once. Which means she's just testing the waters."
Hiroshi, "You think SHIELD's probing for AEGIS?"
Hunter, "Maybe. Or maybe just Ezio. Either way… we keep quiet. No retaliation. Just maintain counter-surveillance."
He tapped the table, bringing up Ezio's safehouse camera feed. Both Ezio and Ghost were visible, Ezio now at his desk, typing up a small report.
Hunter to the room, "She came prepared. Which means they might come again."
"Well, let's see what happens."
Azmuth connected with Hunter and shared a file, "Hunter, I think you might be interested in this."
Access: SHIELD_Breach_Recon | Route: Arctic Node Alpha
Meta-Human & Alien Intelligence
>>Enhanced_Beings/
-Bruce_Banner_GammaAnalysis.pdf
>>X-Gene_Research/
-Xavier_Facility_ScanMap.vr
-Mutant_Registry_LowThreat.csv
-Omega_Level_Threats_Report.docx
>>Extraterrestrial_Profiles/
-Kree_Biology.v3.pdf
-Skrull_Integration_Flagged.incident
Weapons & Projects
>>Phase_2_Weapon_Tech/
-Tesseract_Weaponization_LabNotes.doc
-Vibranium_Ballistics_Test_Results_H.Stark.xlsx
>>Stark_Weapons_Archives/
-Iron_man_suit.v1.dxf
-Weapons_log.xlsx
Surveillance & Black Ops
>>Global_Agent_Reports/
-Romanoff_Natasha_Operations_Log.pdf
-Barton_Clint_Surveillance_Reel.avi
-[Click to Expand]
>>BlackWidow_Training_Data/
-Rogue_Agents_Watchlist.csv
>>Nick_Fury_Memo/
-Fury_Private_Logs_Encrypted.rtf
-Fury_vs_Council_Meetings.audio
Risk Assessment & Global Events
>>Incursion_Scenarios/
>>Planetary_Defense_Simulations/
>>Unidentified_Sightings_Report/
>>World_Leaders_Loyalty_Index.xlsx
Experimental Science & Off-Limit Data
>>Gamma_Radiation_Effects/
>>Bioweapons_Research_Department/
>>Quantum_Lab_Research/
-Pym_Tech/Theft_Risk_Security_Measures.pptx
Legacy & Historical Data
>>Howard_Stark_Diaries/
>>Carter_Peggy_Files/
>>SHIELD_Formation_Charter/
>>Winter_Soldier_Missions_Recordings/
>>Project_Rebirth_Complete_Database/
Top-Level Directories (Access Level 10+)
>>Project_Insight_Protocols/
>>Avengers_Initiative/
>>Phase_Weapons_Development/
>>MetaHuman_Registry/
>>Alien_Tech_Containment/
>>Super Soldier_Programs/
>>Temporal_Anomalies_Log/
>>Multiverse_Sightings/
>>HYDRA_Intel_Backlogs/
>>Darkhold_Containment_Notes/
>>Council_Communications/
>>Level_10_Personnel_Surveillance/
Hunter opened 'Level_10_Personnel_Surveillance/'
"Access SHIELD mirror server. Directory: Level_10_Personnel_Surveillance/."
Hunter leaned forward; a quick scan later, the directory opened with a soft chime.
>> ACCESS GRANTED
>> Access: SHIELD_Breach_Recon | Route: Arctic Node Alpha
A list of files emerged—each one flagged as classified. Hunter's eyes locked on one titled:
[
>> [EZIO_AUDIT_REPORT_VER_ALPHA]
He opened it. The file loaded.
SUBJECT: EZIO AUDITORE DE FIRENZE
Alias: Ezio
Full Name: Ezio Auditore de Firenze
Historical Origin: Florence, Italy. Late 15th Century
Status: Unknown
Age: Unconfirmed
Affiliation: Unknown
Report Summary:
Subject's attire and weaponry link directly to renaissance-era assassins.
SHIELD historian identified match with De Firenze, a noble family as per historical records from Italy. Suspected to be decedent of the house.
SURVEILLANCE NOTES:
Several low-tier assassins observed following Ezio and team.
These operatives have known affiliations to a cell run by Haytham (see cross-ref: Level_8_Surveillance/Haytham_K_Report).
Surveillance drones followed the group to a moving weapons-grade train where Agent Romanoff (Black Widow) reportedly made first contact with Ezio.
Agent's report filed under: Encounter Log: Romanoff/Train_Incident_BalticSector87 — includes reference to a masked male combatant accompanying Ezio.
Post-conflict scans showed zero evidence of confrontation — wiped clean.
IRON MONGER INCIDENT – DEBRIEF:
Agent Coulson reportedly made first contact with masked man wearing military grade gear during Ironman and Iron Monger fight. (see cross-ref: Level_8_Surveillance/Coulson/2008/Unidentified_Male_Report).
SHIELD failed to recover any footage of this involvement due to system error and inexplicable camera feed corruption.
PATTERN OBSERVATION:
All known appearances of Ezio and his group are followed by identical digital anomalies:
-CCTV feeds are tampered or erased
-Audio surveillance experiences static disruption
-No facial recognition logs ever record their presence
Information gathered thus far relies exclusively on interrogated witnesses and analog sketches.
CONCLUSION:
The individuals connected to Ezio — including the masked male, the train incident, and the Iron Monger interference — are operating with deliberate stealth precision.
All events indicate a central command node coordinating their movement and objectives.
Red Flag Note: Their evasion of every modern surveillance net hints at non-terrestrial technology or temporal masking.
]
Hunter narrowed his eyes at the final line. 'They don't have much data on us. So Romanoff was bluffing all along.'