"Shadow Assassins, fifteen of my subordinates. For now, they'll take orders from you and help wipe out Hydra. Tell them when it's over, and they'll come back on their own."
Mercer spoke with a faint smile.
He certainly wasn't going to step in personally over something like this. Sending his subordinates would do.
He had acquired the Shadow Alliance's assassins long ago, but had never put them to use. A battle at this level was just right for them.
Everyone present had seen their share of extraordinary things and knew how remarkable Mercer was. Still, seeing him actually use his strange abilities made their scalps prickle.
"These are... people from the Assassins Alliance?!"
Recognizing the Shadow Assassins' attire, Natasha fell silent for a few seconds before blurting out in astonishment.
Mercer smiled and nodded. "They're called the Shadow Alliance now, but they're still assassins at heart."
"Natasha, you know them?" Banner asked, turning toward her.
"Yes." Natasha nodded. "They're an alliance of killers that appeared in the early nineteenth century, with a terrifying record of zero failures. They were linked to quite a few major cases.
"But their movements were truly impossible to track. There was no footage, no photographs, only records of their existence in a handful of old books. I only met one of their assassins because of certain incidents. He was really strong."
As she spoke, Natasha couldn't help stealing a few more glances at the smiling young man standing in front of them. Every time he appeared, he seemed to bring them an even bigger surprise.
Natasha ranked among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top three in combat. Any opponent she praised was certainly no ordinary person.
"I know them too," Rogers, the Winter Soldier, chimed in.
"I've carried out missions with them before. They're a team with flawless execution.