watch your back

chapter 8

he had thought about this a lot, before deciding what to do. it wasn't like him to doubt his intuition so much, but considering the latest events, he was getting a little unsure about whether he might have been wrong about a few things. but, all things considered, tony decided it was for the best if he told natasha how he actually managed to get to florence. now he only had to find her before she decided to talk flo. he didn't want romanoff to have the same fight.

meanwhile, natasha had decided to look for william before she went to talk to the girl. maybe it would reveal a little bit more of the big mystery that surrounded these kids.
she unlocked the door to the cells with her fingerprint and it slid open. left and right on the hallway were cells with a glass front. everything was equipped with s.h.i.e.l.d. and stark technology. most of the cells were empty, they didn't usually keep anyone on the perimeter, only when they tried to clean up a mess before informing the fbi.
william was in one of the last cells on the left. he got up from his bed as soon as nat reached his cell. his hair was burned in some places and greasy. dark rings around his eyes told natasha that he probably hadn't slept much since his arrival, but she couldn't blame him, those metal beds had to be very uncomfortable.
"hey.", she said, her voice careful but steady.
he didn't look at her or answer for a bit.
"what do you want?", he then asked, deliberately not looking exactly at her, but rather at something at the wall behind her.
"i just want to talk.", natasha replied.
he laughed and it sounded hollow.
"sure.", he said, his voice mocking. "talk to me, then."
okay, that'll be a tough one, natasha thought and then leaned on the wall behind her as casually as possible.
"im sorry we put you in here. it wasn't our plan. not at first. we wanted to help you kids."
"help.", he spat back. the bitterness in his voice made natashas stomach cramp. she recognized it from herself.
"can you tell me anything about that prison? the other kids maybe, or the man that kept you?"
"malum.", william mumbled.
"sorry?" nat didn't quite hear the boy.
"his name was malum."
"malum?", she arched her eyebrows. "that means evil in latin, doesn't it?"
william didn't answer.
"doesn't seem like he was much of the creative type."
he remained silent. if he wasn't going to talk, she'd have to try provoking him. he did seem to have a bit of anger stored inside.
"anyway, i don't understand why all of you aren't happy with what we did. i mean, it must've been horrible in there."
natasha spoke in the most casual manner, almost a little arrogant. but william still didn't react. she looked at the stump, where once his arm had been. some of the best doctors in the world had worked on him, trying to rescue as much as possible. and she knew that tony had a blueprint for a protesis lying around. then an idea struck her. maybe she should try a different approach.
„we could give you a new one, you know."
he looked at natasha, for the first time, suspicious.
„a new what?"
she pointed at the stump.
„i know stark has plans lying around already."
she saw a spark of hope flash in his eyes.
„you'd just need to cooperate."
a short silence followed.
„you're just bluffing anyway.", he mumbled.
william turned away and nat could almost feel him wrestling with himself. now it was just about patience.
when he turned back, natasha could feel herself exhale softly.
„i'll talk to you. but i want the arm first."
she smiled to herself.
„im sorry, that's not how this works. but we can meet you half way. you talk, you get your arm, and then you talk some more."
william tried to stare her down but failed quickly. she really did feel sorry for the boy. a skinny figure, lonely and probably very much scared. but there was nothing much she could do for him as long as he wanted to kill her.
„what do you want to know?", he asked. his voice was low but strong. nat had to be careful not to underestimate him.
„how did you get there? did he take you?"
william looked back on the ground again.
„he takes kids that are discarded anyway. kids living on the streets, babies found in boxes, always like that. i was homeless when i was five, my parents couldn't provide for me, they were junkies, both of them. i met malum when i was trying to steal some food from a store. he told me he wouldn't tell on me if i'd just come with him, so i did. then he put a bag over my head and drove me away. just like that."
natasha was listening carefully, trying to get every detail.
„so he knew you'd be at that store?"
„he must've. we all assumed that he watched us a little before he took us. why it was us, we never found out."
„alright so he takes you to his mansion and then what? your parents don't look for you?"
william shrugged. „don't know. i guess taking kids with problematic backgrounds helps to keep a low profile. and he took kids from all over the country, so authorities wouldn't get suspicious. i think they only really started to sniff his scent after florence."
nat softly pushed herself back from the wall, eyebrows raised. „after florence?"
„subject 2375X. i think she was the only exception he ever made. she and her sister.", suddenly, william smiled dirtily. „but don't you keep her around here? im sure she can tell you way more than i can."
so that was it, natasha thought. he wasn't going to say anything more.
„thank you.", she just said, leaving quickly. now she wanted to speak to florence even more.
„or do you have nothing to blackmail her with?", the boy shouted after her, but she just ignored it, her thoughts already far away from william and his cell.