Мишка ✦ 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰

𒊹𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𒊹

2016

The events of civil war had left the Avengers in a multitude of piece's scattered across the world. Maria wasn't sure she could even reach Natasha but she was optimistic for Nataliya's sake. The agent's hand hovered cautiously over the phone as she reached to press down on the call button. Maria's hope wavered for a moment whilst she listened to the musical ringing sound the phone made.
After a lifetime of anticipation the call went through and there was a hesitant sound on the other end.

"Maria?" Natasha's voice sounded almost unrecognisable to the naked ear but the special agent knew it well. Maria had been in contact with the Black Widow ever since she'd been on the run. Natasha had been the one to notify the agent of the secret facility which the Red Room still ran out of. The second the mission was over the red head had fled and Maria hadn't had any contact since. But now Maria needed to hear Natasha's voice. It tugged on Maria's heart knowing the formidable, untouchable Black Widow had another life. Lost to war and time. It hurt thinking about how Natasha had hidden her pain from everyone. If only she had known sooner.

"You need to come back Nat" Maria was direct and almost blunt when she spoke. She needed Natasha to pick up on her tone. If Natasha realised Maria was serious maybe she'd believe her. Even if it did sound impossible.

Maria could hear the fugitive sigh before she spoke "You know I can't" her voice was submissive and Maria's pulse quickened as she felt Natasha slipping away. She couldn't let her hang up. "We found Nataliya" Maria didn't intend of being so forthcoming about the information but with Natasha clearly paranoid and trying to shy away she had no other choice.

There was a pause on the end of the line "wha...how...who told you that name?" Natasha sounded defensive, offended.

Maria pulled at her hair. Natasha was a generally secretive person and Maria knew this was a sensitive subject so she pressed gently "Nataliya's alive. You know I wouldn't lie to you about this Nat. I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you needed to come".

"Give me six hours. Whiskey after work" then the line went dead. Whiskey after work was what Maria used to say when her and Natasha would go to a bar downtown after a mission.

The last time Maria had disobeyed orders was when Hydra infiltrated SHIELD in 2014. The buzz of adrenaline filled the agent's veins as she went about the rest of her day. She had six hours to come up with a way to smuggle Nataliya out of the compound after hours. For starters she had to convince the hostile child to come with her in the first place.

Maria entered the locked interrogation room where Nataliya was being held. The sun was beginning to set and many of the staff on site had began to leave. The halls were quiet. The perfect scenario to smuggle something or rather someone out of the compound without being seen. The girl didn't move from her position at the far corner of the room on the floor at first until she noticed who it was and quickly rose to her feet.

"You're coming with me" Maria briefly explained to the child before she locked the metal handcuffs to her small wrists. It was a precautionary measure. As much as Nataliya looked like a child her file suggested otherwise and Agent Hill had seen first hand how easily she was able to disarm an agent. She couldn't risk it so the handcuffs it was.

Realistically if Nataliya really wanted too she could easily escape the restraints but she was curious to see what the agent was planning. She had to wait it out if she wanted to successfully complete her mission.

"Follow me" the pair existed the interrogation room and hastily rushed down the corridor. There was a cautious urgency to Agent Hill as the girl followed her through the building. Was she helping her escape? If so why the handcuffs?

Eventually they reached the almost empty parking lot. There were only a handful of cars left now most of the employees had gone home. Nataliya followed Maria to her car and watched as the brunette popped open the trunk of the black SUV. "Get in" the agent instructed a tone of urgency to her voice. The girl stepped backwards and looked at her dubiously. She didn't trust her.

Maria sighed. She knew this part would be difficult. she couldn't exactly tell the girl she was taking her to her mother. She'd never believe her.

Maria folded her arms over her chest before she spoke "Listen kid I'm trying to help you here. You might not believe me but your mom and I were friends. So could you please just get in the trunk and I'll explain later when I'm not at risk of loosing my job"

The red haired girl listened to the American agent's words and reluctantly climbed into the back of the car. So far Agent Hill hadn't hurt her, not yet anyway. If she really was trying to help her she might as well let her.

Maria's heart was in her throat as she held her foot steady on the acceleration and drove towards the security gate at the entrance of the compound. She pulled up in front of it and scanned her ID card. The gate buzzed with a click, unlocking and Maria let out a small sigh of relief. "Have a good night Hill" the security guard waved her off as she drove out, successfully smuggling the child of an Avenger in her trunk "You too Bill" Maria smiled at the guard before she drove past him and out of the gate.

They continued driving for a short while before Maria pulled over to let Nataliya out of the trunk. "Welcome to the free country" Maria stated as she unlocked the girl's handcuffs and opened the passenger door to the car. Nataliya looked around at the road as she got into the car. This was the first time she'd been free. She silently stared out of the window the entire drive into New York. She'd never seen a city before.

It was late into the evening by now and Maria pulled the car to a stop down the street from the bar and waited. She wasn't even sure Natasha would show up. The agent turned and looked at the girl sat in the passenger seat. She had an emotionless look on her face as she sat with her hands in her lap waiting patiently for something she didn't know. It pained Maria to see a child like Nataliya. So broken. The worst part was that she wasn't the only one. There were hundreds of girls across the world like Nataliya. Subjected to torture and turned into inhuman killer and spies with no one to protect them.

After a while of waiting in silence Maria was beginning to think Natasha wouldn't come. Nataliya's eyes were beginning to grow tired from the days of sleepless nights she'd endured. Then a car pulled up on the other side of the road. It was dark and the driver was wearing a cap hiding their face but Maria knew it was her: Natasha. "Wait here" the brunette instructed the child as she got out of the car, manila folder in hand and walked across the road.

The Black Widow rolled down the window as the agent approached the car. "She's in the car" Maria handed the file over through the window. For a moment Natasha sat a flicked through the pages in the file, scanning the information inside. She let out a strained laugh of disbelief. The girl in the file was in fact her daughter but she'd been told she was dead. There was no way she could actually be alive.

The newly blonde haired woman wiped a threatening tear from her eye and got out of the car, bracing herself for a moment she never thought would come. She crossed the road swiftly and opened the passenger door of Maria's car. She inhaled sharply at the sight.

"Taliya?" Natasha croaked.

The girl turned her head slowly to look at who was saying her name. The voice was familiar and there was only one person who had ever called her by that name. She looked up.

Red hair and green eyes. She looked oddly familiar but Nataliya wasn't sure where she knew her from. However clearly the woman knew who she was so she put on an act. She practically jumped out of the car and clung onto the woman. Then whilst she was holding onto the woman in a hug it clicked and she realised who she was.

Nataliya still felt as though the woman looked similar to her own mother but it couldn't be. Her mother was dead and this wasn't her mama this was an imposter she was tasked with eliminating. The woman was her target.

She'd been taught to lie for so long that she couldn't tell what was true anymore. It was simply orders and instructions.

"YA tak sil'no tebya lyublyu" Natasha pulled away to look at her daughter's face. She'd grown a lot since she'd last seen her but there was no doubt that this was her little girl. I love you so much

Love. Love was for children and Nataliya was not a child.