Pain Is Power

22: Mama

NATASHA'S POV

Tony, Clint, Mimi and I went to find Alisa. 

"Remind me again who is this woman?" "She took care of Pips and me when we were on a mission." She says observing him as he flew the jet she was trying to learn, she could watch something once and she'd get it. "What mission?" "You ask too many questions." She says moving over to my side to watch me instead. Clint looked over at me. He didn't want to annoy her anymore but that didn't mean he didn't want to know more. "Alisa was good to them, wasn't she?" I asked Mila. She nodded, watching every single move I made. I was used to it I knew this was how she learnt so it didn't bother me much. I knew Thor hated it as he felt like she was analysing him in a bad way. 

"She was a widow, Pips and I were used as her cover, mother of two, husband helped her fit into the community." She says. "What does this do?" She pointed. I explained what it did and she listened. "We went back to her a few times. We loved it with her it was like we had a real family and the bad stuff wasn't happening anymore. We were happy." She asked another question about the jet. I answered it. Tony was stood in between Clint and me listening to his daughter talk. 

"She gave us our names." "Your names?" "Mila and Pipa..." I say softly. "Why?" "Because when you're in the red room you never want to hear your name, it was normally followed by a punishment." She explained. "So she gave up new names so we didn't hide when she called us." I looked up at Tony briefly he looked upset, whenever she spoke about her experience he did that's probably why she didn't speak about it often despite people asking her to. "She was good to us and she left when we were 16... ran away but she told Pips and me that we could find her. That we could go home." 

"Excuse me I need to use the bathroom." She swiftly left, she was getting upset thinking about her past that's why and she didn't want Tony to see her like that or any of us for that matter. "They were our only good memories... when we were away on those types of missions. We both got lucky and had good women take care of us. They were the only positive influences we had raising us." 

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"Are you sure it's this way?" Tony asked her, we were in the middle of nowhere. In the woods and I could have sworn we have walked past the same 10 trees. "Yes." We all exchanged a worried look. We're lost. We're not lost. I chuckle to myself and she looks over her shoulder at me. Then she stopped walking and looked around taking in everything. She closed her eyes. "What is she?" "Shh," Tony told Clint covering his mouth with his hand. 

"Down by the bay." "The bay?" "If you go home. Just don't get caught." She looked up and around before moving towards a tree. "Give me a boost?" She asked her dad who did and helped her into the tree. She retrieved something before looking down. "Don't jump." Clint and Tony said in unison. She jumped and landed perfectly. "Mimi. Come on." She laughed at the two guys reaction that is seemingly very in sync today. 

"It's this way." She says putting the thing around her neck and then picked up her bag. "A key." She says. "To the cabin." "How did you know it was there?" "She told us we could come home and where home would be... And if we got caught go high...I assumed she'd put the key up there." "But how did you know it was that tree?" Clint asked. She shrugged and kept walking. 

We walked for an hour she'd occasionally stop and recall something reassess and then continue. Clint got the hang of not talking when she did this after the fourth time. "Her mind is magical." "Impressive isn't it." Tony bragged as we approached the cabin. "Careful." She warned ducking under a wire. We copied and followed behind her. We got to the door and she froze looking around. "Somethings wrong." She says. "What?" Her dad pulled her away from the door. "How do you know?" "She never left the door unlocked." She pulled from her dad and pushed the door open. "Mama... Alisa, Mama it's Mila!" She called out. "Sure let the killers know you're here," Tony says getting in front of her.