The Best of Us

4: We're the Same

After finishing up a rather gruelling mission, Natasha and Maria make their way back to base, Natasha in the cockpit. As the pressure of the day winds down, Natasha's thoughts drift to the young girl she hasn't heard about since she caused such a scene.

"Oh I've been meaning to ask you, how's our little powerhouse doing?" she inquires, her gaze on the horizon.

Maria glances at the reports and monitors in front of her. "Can't say for sure, haven't checked on her since we left. Want to swing by on our way back from debrief?"

"Please," Natasha nods, she knows how disorienting it can be to suddenly find yourself in the care of S.H.I.E.L.D.

After a very long arduous debrief, the agents approach the holding facility, and Natasha's heart sinks. The young girl is confined to a secure chamber, her surroundings devoid of any semblance of comfort. It's a far cry from the nurturing environment Natasha had hoped for, inhuman or not.

"Why is she locked up like this?" Natasha demands, her voice sharp with outrage. She strides forward, her eyes fixed on the sealed box, her fists clenching at her sides.

After quickly speaking with another agent, Maria steps up beside her, her expression more measured but no less concerned. "They've confirmed she's definitely inhuman, a dangerous one at that. This seems to be a temporary thing, for everyone's safety, including hers, until she gets it under control."

Natasha's jaw tightens, her gaze never wavering from the girl inside. "She's a child, Maria. This isn't right. You wouldn't do this to any of my team."

"I didn't do anything, thank you. Besides, everyone on your team can control themselves, most of the time."

"But she's a kid, she probably doesn't even understand what she can do."

"Yes, exactly, right now this is probably the safest place for her." She pauses, not liking this any more than Natasha is, no matter how much she understands it. "I know you've had more dealings with Gods from Space and weird creatures, but S.H.I.E.L.D. has been resolving issues with Inhumans for a long time. If she's in there, it will be for her safety."

Natasha moves closer to the chamber, her eyes scanning the sterile surroundings. The stark, utilitarian design sends a shiver down her spine. She peers through the glass, taking in the sparse interior. It has the bare essentials—a bed, a toilet—but little else. Her heart sinks at the sight of the girl curled up on the bed, her small frame a bold contrast to the clinical setting.

The sight of the young girl confined to that sterile chamber triggers something in Natasha. For a fleeting moment, the present blurs and she's back in a nightmare. Screams reverberate all around, bouncing off the cold, unfeeling walls of a small, unforgiving space. It's a memory she's fought to bury, one that claws its way back to the surface. The darkness seems to press in, suffocating and unrelenting. It was punishment, a torment she endured in the shadows of the Red Room.

Another image rises, vivid and haunting. Natasha remembers being forced into a similarly confining box, pitted against her comrades, the very people she trained with, fought alongside, and once considered friends. In that stifling enclosure, the air grew heavy with desperation and betrayal. Every detail floods back—the harsh scent of sweat and fear, the taste of iron on her tongue from bitten-back cries, the disorienting rush of her heartbeat drowning out all reason. She couldn't escape, couldn't break free. The memory clings to her, an unshakeable spectre of her past.

As Natasha stands before the glass, her gaze fixed on the young girl, she takes a steadying breath. willing herself to stay composed. She can't let this situation unravel her, not now.

"Nat?" She hears Maria's voice, but it's more muffled, like the remnants of an echo. "Nat," The agent says more firmly, putting a hand on Natasha's shoulder. The Widow is quick to shake it off, already turning on her heels.