The Mind's Plague

The Black Widow Assassin

- Present Day, Year: 2012 -

It's been a week since the Alien Invasion happened in New York. The Black Widow assassin has no idea what to do with herself since then.

She's been itching for a new assignment, something to keep her busy and out of her head, away from the memories that haunt her. 

It's five in the morning as she wraps her hands in the gym of the Avengers Tower. She couldn't sleep, just like most nights so she decides to clear her head by getting lost in exercise. 

Two hours pass by before her boss, Director Nick Fury of SHIELD enters the gym. She turns to look at him, sensing his presence.

"Agent Romanoff."

"Why the serious look and formalities Nick?"

She wipes her forehead, clearing off her sweat as he hands her a file. She takes it, opening it to see a picture of what she assumes is a family laying dead in a pool of their own blood.

Two of the people look like they must have been in their earlier 50s while the other two couldn't be more than a few years older than her.

"Who could do this to someone?"

"We have our suspicions."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"We need you to check it out. The older two, Yasmin and Ryan, they were former agents. They have three kids. Ash, their only girl and the eldest. Rory, their oldest boy and another son, the youngest but there's no name on him."

"Sir, there's only four people in this picture."

"I know. I may have lost one eye but I can still see."

"So where's the youngest?"

"No idea, he mustn't have been around."

She closes the file unable to look at it anymore. Even after everything she has seen, that picture is making her sick to her stomach.

"I need you and Hill to go to the crime scene, check security camera footage. Find this sick son a bitch."

"We'll do our best."

She grabs her stuff and starts heading out of the gym area.

"And Natasha."

She turns around to look at her boss.

"Yes Nick?"

"Be careful, the killer may still be near by."

"Of course."

She leaves the gym, heading to her bedroom to shower and kicking off her trainers. She pulls her tank top over her body and throws it in the laundry basket before unhooking her sports bra, throwing it in the laundry basket. 

She pulls down her leggings and panties, throwing them with the rest of clothes followed by her socks before she gets in the shower. 

She wets her hair before massaging her shea butter shampoo in and rinsing it out. She puts conditioner in the ends of her hair before grabbing her loofah. 

She puts some coconut shower gel onto the loofah before washing her body. She rinses it off her body and rinses the conditioner from her hair. 

She steps out, drying her hair quickly before grabbing another towel and drying her body. She heads into her room and gets dressed, putting on her suit and placing her guns in their holsters. 

She gives her hair a quick dry with the hairdryer before leaving her room and going to find Maria. 

She knocks on the door of Maria's room. The older woman turns to look at who is disturbing her work.

"Hey Nat."

"Nick wants us to go to a crime scene."

Maria gets up walking over to Nat, handing her the file as they start walking.

"God who could do this?"

"We don't know, that's why we're going."

Maria nods, handing Nat the file as they both walk into the lift, heading down to the garage. They get in Nat's car, driving to the crime scene.

When they arrive, they walk up the stairs of the apartment block. They duck the police tap, showing their badges. 

They look at the bodies, both feeling sick to their stomachs. Regardless of the nausea, Nat moves closer, examining the body.

"Cause of death?"

"There's slash marks on them. There's something not normal about this."

"What do you mean?"

"The slash marks. They don't look like they done by anything around here."

"Maybe the killer took the....weapon...."

Maria looks at Natasha who trailed off, looking closer at the marks. They all look at the marks as they close up. 

"What the fuck?"

"That's never happened before."

"I doubt it did."

Natasha walks away looking at a picture that has five people in it, the youngest boy only looks a year or two younger than her. It seems recent, she takes a picture of it before looking at another picture of the woman and youngest boy, his smile a lot wider.

"He seems closest to the mother."

Maria stands by Nat as they look at the pictures. Whenever the youngest boy appeared in one, he didn't smile unless he was alone with his mother.

"That explains why she didn't have as many slashes on her body."

They nod before walking away to get the security footage and heading back to the Tower to analyse it. Maria turns to Nat as the youngest of the two drives.

"There's something strange about all this. The marks closing on their own."

"Not to mention, there's no sign of their youngest son."

Maria notices the concentration on Nat's face.

"You have a theory, what is it?"

"What if he did it? The youngest."

"I don't know. The others maybe but his mom?"

"Maybe there was two people?"

"Maybe but let's watch the footage before making any concrete decisions."

Nat nods as they pull into the garage of the Tower. They get out of the car and head to the lift, heading upstairs. 

They head to one of the many rooms in the Tower, getting the footage up on a big screen. They watch hours of the tape seeing nothing. No one entering or leaving that apartment.

"I'm gonna get us a drink."

"Okay."

Maria gets up to go out of the room and get them water.

"Wait!"

Maria turns looking at the screen, a hooded figure walking into the room. Their eyes widen the figure enters.

"Their face is covered."

Nat hits the table angrily, just wanting to get justice for this family. They watch as the door opens again, the same figure walking out before looking at the camera. 

They watch as the figure runs from the building, watching all footage to see where they go. Since they are SHIELD, they have access to all security footage around the city.

They are able to follow the person to an abandoned old motel, running inside. They follow them and seeing the figure enter a room. 

"Go forward see if they leaves."

Maria leaves the room to get Nick as Nat fast forwards the tape, no sign of the figure leaving that room. Nick walks into the room, followed by Maria.

"Well, Hill said you found where the person went."

"Yeah we did, an abandoned motel."

"Go get the sick son of a bitch. Bring agents with you."