BlackHill | If only

Chapter 10

Natasha's POV:

Most of the flight back it was silent, the only sound coming from the thrum of the jet. We were due to have one more night at the hotel but Yelena needed to be taken to Bruce before the red room found out she had deserted. As soon as she regained consciousness the red room would be able to see where she was and fry her brain with an implant in her head.

I didn't speak to Hill for most of the journey, still unable to decide whether I was angry at her for not telling me about the mission. Hill had offered to fly the ship so that I could sit with Yelena in the back. Ever so often she glanced back at me from the pilot seat, her icy cerulean eyes scanning over my body but I was too tired to make some snarky comment about it or even think much of it.
At that moment I realised I had never been this vulnerable in front of anyone. I had often kept my guard up with colleagues and the scariest thing was that I was grateful for Maria being here.

Maria's POV:

I was worried about Nat, she just looked so broken, so much unlike the famous black widow, Russian assassin, destroyer of men. Her face remained fixed on Yelena the entire flight and I couldn't help but think I should have told her about the mission. Shouldn't have sprung such a bombshell on her.

As soon as we landed in the compound hangar we rushed Yelena out, bursting through the front doors, carrying her unconscious body between us.
"Banner!" Nat screamed her voice echoing through the compound hall, "Get your ass into the lab now we don't have much time".
We had to act fast, Yelena could wake up at any moment and the red room would activate the implant before Bruce could remove it.
As we placed her body on the table Bruce rushed into his lab looking very taken aback at the scene. Eyeing up the blood we were both covered in. Romanoff was too worked up to talk so I took control, speaking as calmly as possible.
"You need to sedate her now, there's a bomb in her head and they're going to kill her if they find out she's here".
Bruce still looking confused nodded and rushed into action, tapping a machine that began to scan over Yelena's skull. Suddenly a red laser highlighted a spot on her temple, emitting a beeping noise through the room. Bruce injected her with a needle and then set to work making a small incision over the red mark. I suddenly felt Natasha's hand grip mine, as he cut deeper with the scalpel. Completely ignoring the rules I squeezed back.

Bruce finally pulled out a small metal disk using some thumb forceps, letting it clatter on the surgical tray, the metal ringing out in the silence. Nat let out a breath she must have been holding in, releasing her iron grip on my hand.

Bruce eventually spoke whilst examining the implant under a microscope.
"What is this all about?" Natasha remained quiet, just staring at Yelena. I pulled out the red vial from my bag,
"The red room has been chemically subjugating their widows to ensure no other widow can escape..." Natasha winced at the comment, Bruce's gaze turning to her pained face. And I instantly felt ashamed at my lack of awareness as I handed the vial to him.
"Inside this vial is the only way to revert the mind control. I need you to make copies of this and then administer one to Yelena, we're going to need a lot of these vials."
He held it under the light, analysing the liquid sloshing around, "It might take me a while to synthesise the other vials so you should come back later. Get some rest."
I turned to go but Nat was still rooted in her position, placing a hand on her shoulder I spoke softly "Come on Romanoff, she's in good hands you need to get some sleep".
She nodded as if brought out of a trance and left the room with me.

Natasha's POV:

I meandered back to my room, side by side with Hill in silence. Our rooms were practically opposite each other so we headed back together. I didn't have the energy to speak. Didn't have the strength to offer any thanks to Hill. As I reached the door I hesitated, my hand hovering above the handle. Unsure whether I could face being alone, face the demons that the mission had brought rushing back. "Maria"...

She looked surprised as she turned back towards me no doubt noting the rule I had broken, calling agents by first names.
"Can you stay with me.."
My voice cracked and I turned my eyes to the floor as I said "I can't face them alone, Dreykov, the red room". A tear rolled down my face as the memories flashed in my mind. All the killing, the beatings, gallons of blood dripping from my hands.
Her eyes softened and she walked back towards me gently pulling me into an embrace, cradling my head with her hand.
Another rule broken. No physical contact between agents outside of the training room.
I stayed there for a while, breathing in her scent, letting her arms hold me.
She murmured in my ear,
"You should get some sleep, Natasha".
I looked up at her with my tear-stained face
"I don't think I can, not with Yelena down there like that... I can't leave her. Not again"
She stared into my eyes, her expression radiating the most compassion I'd ever seen from her. Wiping away a tear with her thumb she whispered,
"I'll stay with you, as long as it takes."

One more broken rule.