𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

- ⧗  NATASHA ROMANOFF ⧗ -

NATASHA LIKED TO WATCH THE SUNRISE. The colours all blurring together, reds and oranges fading to yellow then bright blue. Like a slate being cleaned, the day before erasing itself and a new one beginning. It was a cycle that was reliable. No matter what, the world would keep on spinning and the sun would rise each morning. Natasha needed that kind of stability right now.

She sat at the edge of the compound roof as the warmth of the new dawn basked over her. She let her legs hang down, her eyes focused on the item on her lap. The black belt felt familiar in her hands, so close it could have been her own. Yet the symbol in the centre was slightly different; the shape more rounded, the colour a deeper red. Everything was so familiar and yet uncharted.

Natasha's fingers ran over the hourglass. It had been a few hours now since the team had arrived back. Most of the others had headed back off to bed, but Natasha had found herself here. She couldn't even truly remember going back to her room to get changed out of her suit. Her mind was too preoccupied. But now she sat in a pair of jeans and a tshirt, clinging onto this belt like a lifeline.

It had all been too much for her at first. Hell, it was even too much now. But that was why her body must have carried her here. This spot was always good for thinking, good to clear your mind.

Natasha had spent the time running over every thing in her head. From the very beginning to now.

She knew that she'd left the red room, helped by her now best friend who had originally been sent to kill her. He'd shown her mercy and she was ever grateful for it, finally giving her the opportunity to defect from the service holding her hostage.

SHIELD had been skeptical, understandably so. A Russian spy presumably wanting to join their cause. It had all seemed like a setup so they had to find a way to prove Natasha's true longlines to leave.

It had been thought out meticulously, a plan that would show Natasha was finally done with the KGB. And it may well save a great many other little girls from her fate at the same time. When the bomb had gone off, Natasha had finally felt free. Watching the building billowing smoke, the knowledge that the red room's conductor was burning away inside, it had made Natasha feel relief like never before.

Finally free. Finally over.

Or so she had thought.

Now this girl had shown up, an agent for the KGB, who was ever so like her when she defected all those years ago. Albeit, this girl was a lot younger, but she wore the same symbol Natasha had done for many years.

And this girl could fight. Shit, she could fight better than anyone she'd ever encountered. To take on Steve like she'd done was no easy feat, and she was so small.

And then there was the matter of hacking into their systems. Stealing their files and decrypting them. Had all of that work been done by this one little girl?

Natasha had run over all the facts a hundred times. Her skills, her outfit, the symbol. It all added up perfectly in an equation Nat didn't want to believe.

Suddenly Natasha sensed she wasn't alone. Her body tensed slightly, but when she recognised the pattern of the steps making their way towards her, she eased up once again.

The figure approached, then slowly sat down a foot away from her without a noise. Their legs swung slightly back and forth off the edge of the building.

"Ain't it a bit early for you to be here?" Natasha broke the silence. Her gaze remained on the body of water ahead, shimmering in the rising sun.

The person hummed. "Fury left a message. When I woke up and saw it, I got here as quick as I could."