The Other Barton | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter Seven

The door opened into a dark room, which we all hesitated to walk out into. Very unsure of the situation now, I tightly held the gun in my hands, leaving it in a low ready position. I walked out first, the other two following. Once I had walked about a hundred feet in the lights automatically turned on to reveal an older computer system.

"What the fuck.." I whispered to myself looking around the room for what could be any traps. "This can't be the data point. This technology is ancient." Natasha concluded, observing the main computer in the middle of the room. Every piece of technology in this room was older than me or Natasha. And shield retired these years ago. As I walked back to the middle where the other two were standing the setup looked intentional.

It had one larger screen, with multiple smaller screens around it and a lot of buttons and switches below it. The only technology that looked familiar was a flash port drive. It had to have been placed recently. Natasha looked around unsure of whether to place it in or not. Her head turned to me, and I nervously nodded.

We were already here, and this far into it. There was nothing more we could lose at this point. The only problem we had now was shield would have no problem finding us now.

A low beep sounded as she put the drive into one of the ports, immediately everything came to life. Lights flickered and the technology started to whir and move. It was loud, which made sense with how old it was, but made me nervous if a secret attack were to happen..

All three of us didn't know where to put our attention, there was a lot going on and nothing going on simultaneously. The big screen flashed on, with a dark green hint and light green letters. I slightly elbowed Natasha to bring back her attention to the screen.

The words initiate system were read aloud as they were typed onto the screen. Natasha walked up to the keyboard, "Y-E-S spells yes."She said while typing it. Seconds later the computer starts powering on the humming getting even louder than before. We all waited in silence for the next activity to happen, when Natasha spoke again, "Shall we play a game?" She asked, turning around to see our reactions. Mine was a slight smile while Steve stayed unamused.

"It's from a movie that was really pop-" I tried to explain to him, thinking he didn't understand it but he cut me off before I could finish. "I know I saw it."

My smile faded and I turned back to the computer screen. I took a few steps forward to be in-front of the screen like her and Steve were. The screen began to flicker as a face started to pixelate. It had really distinct features but the distorted voice set off any correlation I started to make.

"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918."

The computer began saying as a camera placed on top of the large monitor moved to each person.

"Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984."

Natasha wasn't smiling anymore, and looked startled at the information the computer was naming off. The camera finally moved to me.

"Barton, Brielle Edith. Born 1984."

I nervously looked over to Natasha and Steve but they looked at me with the same look. Not a single one of us had a clue what this system was or how it knew this information. "It's some kind of recording," Natasha muttered, confused. I aggressively nodded my head in agreement.

"I am not a recording, Fraulein." It responded angrily. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am." It further explained, as one of the smaller screens showed a picture of a small man. That was what I needed to click. I'd watch enough documentaries on Captain America to know he was a Hydra scientist. He was the reason why so many new torture methods rised up in the fifty's. Most noted for his founding of effective brainwashing. Could make a man forget his entire family, career, everything.

"You know this thing?" Natasha asked Steve, who continued to look between the smaller screen and larger one. "Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve explained, starting to walk around the machine in-front of us.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving, on 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain."

"Gross." I murmured to myself, while Steve reemerged in front of the machine again. "How did you get here?" He questioned the machine.

"Invited."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. Shield recruited German scientists with strategic value." Natasha started to explain, before being interrupted.

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own."

"Hydra died with the Red Skull." I spat out like a fact that everyone knew.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."

"Prove it." Steve demanded.

"Accessing archive." It started while a video played on a small screen to the left of me. "Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with it's own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, shield was founded, and I was recruited. The new Hydra grew, A beautiful parasite inside shield. For 70 years, Hydra has been secretly feeding the crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

"That's impossible. Shield would have stopped you." Natasha spoke up, confirming what I was also thinking.

"Accidents will happen." It explained, while showing an article for Howard Stark's death and then a paper showing Fury as confirmed deceased.

"We're trusting computers now? This is total bullshit!" I yelled out, refusing to accept it.

"Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete. Hydras new world order will arise."

"We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum." Fueled with rage at the computers baffling Steve punched in the larger screen of the computer system. The hum coming from it died down, but was met with a new hum from the smaller one on the right. "As I was saying..."

"What's on the drive? Enough of this bullshit." I finally questioned the computer.

"Project Insight requires insight. So, I wrote an algorithm."

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Natasha stepped in, asking the computer.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it." The door to the elevator started to close, and Steve turned to throw his shield at it hoping to stop it but it just rang back to him.

"Brie, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic." Natasha began explaining, when I cut in, "30 seconds tops."

"Who fired it?" Steve asked.

"Shield." Natasha and I both answered.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it. It's better this way."

I grabbed the drive and stuffed it in my pocket while Steve looked around, finding something for us to take cover before running to a grate on the floor pulling it off. Natasha had wrapped her hand around my waist dragging us to where Steve was waiting.

Natasha and I jumped down first and Steve followed using his shield to protect us all just in time. The sound of the blast was the first sign we'd got. My ears started to ring before my vision started to fade in and out. All I could do now was pray no one died, and shield wouldn't find us.