The New Recruit

Rooms of Blood and Ashes

The only words he can manage are, "What the fuck..."

Tony's POV

When I opened the final file on Natasha 3 things startled me.

The first thing I noticed was the title of Red Room (Hydra & Project X (KGB specialization)).

The second thing I notice is a huge separate folder with every mission Natasha was ever on for the KGB.

The final big thing I notice which causes me to gasp out in surprise is Natasha's birthdate.

The numbers 11/22/1928 replay over and over in my head until it's all that's left.

How is that possible? She looks so young? How does she not look old?

After all of the questions fly through my head, while I sit in complete silence trapped in my own mind one final question remains.

What has she been through during all those years?

Against my better judgement I come back to reality and continue to look through the translated file.

3rd Person

What Tony didn't know is that the whole time Natasha was still in the room and saw everything Tony saw. The further Tony digs into the file the shorter and quicker her breaths come.

Before she knows it she curls up into a ball in the corner of the room hyperventilating while being sent in to flashbacks.

December 13, 1948

Natalia is curled into a ball shaking on her bed not aware of the trickle of red flowing down her arm from the cold metal shackle holding her left arm to the bed frame.

She doesn't know her door has been opened until the small trickle of light floods in from the candles outside of her room.

Natalia starts to tense up, shaking even worse until she hears the familiar sound of her sister's footsteps.

"Natalia?" When she gets no response Yelena shuffles further into the room, after a couple of seconds her eyes adjust to the dark and see her sister curled up in a ball with patches of red on her shivering body.

"Oh Natalia what did they do to you?" Yelena asks her voice slightly shaking at the sight of her sister.

"I- I had to kill her tonight. She was so you-young, she was begging me not to do it. I nearly didn't. Alexei had heard everything over the coms and-and when I got back he- he cut me with his knives and then poured acid on my wounds and wouldn't stop for hours and hours." Natalia says barely above a whisper while sobbing in her sister's arms.

"It's ok everything will be ok Natalia."

"Natalia"

"Natalia

"Natasha"

Natasha jumps up out of the ball she had curled herself into and leans back against the wall.

When she fully comes back into the moment she looks to where the voice came from, to see Tony crouched over her with a look of concern on his face.

"Natasha are you ok?" Tony asks after she starts to look around.

"Get Steve" Natasha says in a voice just above a whisper.

"Ok Little Red. FRIDAY, tell Capsicle to get his ass down to my lab fast. If he says no, then tell him it's an emergency."

Not even a minute later Steve comes bounding into the lab with an annoyed look on his face.

"Ok Stark what is so important that it couldn't wait until later?" Steve asks looking for the inventor.

When Steve finally sees a scared looking Stark next to a shaking Natasha, all his annoyance flies out the window and he rushes to Nat's side.

"Nat honey. You are ok. You aren't back there. Take a breath come on I'm here you are safe." Steve holds her close as she curls into his chest with silent tears running down her face.

"I'm a monster. I had to kill her. She was so young." Steve shushes her delirious and sorrowful words.

"It's ok Nat. You aren't a monster. You had no choice. You did what you had to do. Never think that you are a monster."

Natasha only clung onto Steve tighter after she started calming down.

"Do you want to go upstairs and watch Frozen again?" Steve whispers into her hair.

Natasha nods her head and grasps onto Steve for comfort.

"Tony if you tell anyone about what happened tonight I can guarantee Natasha will not be happy. She is planning on telling the team about her past tomorrow so she needs rest and I don't need to be chasing her down at 3 am as she tries to kill you. Got it?" Steve tells Tony as he picks up Natasha and starts to walk towards the door.

"Yup. Don't piss off scary Russian assassin. Got it." Tony says as he shuffles back to his work bench.

Tony's POV

After Steve leaves, Tony turns back to his computer and takes one more look. He notices one detail he didn't see before.

"Holy shit."

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Happy New Year everyone!!!
I probably will be updating more stories tonight since I have nothing to do.