Project Crimson- Natasha's daughter

3

Days passed in the hospital room, with Maria paying frequent visits, attempting to close the gap between herself and the enigmatic girl she had saved. Each time she entered the room, she was met with the same stoic silence from Aleksandra, who had withdrawn into herself, revealing nothing about her person or her current predicament.

Sitting by Aleksandra's bedside, Maria let out a soft sigh, her gaze fixed on the young girl's profile. "You know you have to speak at some point, right?" she ventured, her voice gentle yet persistent. "We need to figure out what happened out there, so we can help you."

Aleksandra remained unmoved, her eyes fixed on a distant point beyond the sterile walls of the hospital room. Her expression was blank, a mask that revealed nothing of the turmoil stored within her.

"Your silence won't protect you forever," Maria continued, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration. "I need to know what we're dealing with."

But Alexandra remained resolute, her defenses firmly in place. The memories of the Red Room, of the brutal training and the constant fear, had taught her the importance of staying silent, of trusting no one. She couldn't afford to let her guard down, not even in the presence of someone who had shown her nothing but kindness.

"I can't help you if you won't let me," Maria pressed on, her concern palpable. "I'm here to protect you, but I need you to meet me halfway."

The room was filled with the weight of unspoken words, of the invisible barrier that had erected itself between them. Alexandra remained resolute, her gaze unwavering, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Whatever you're afraid of, whatever secrets you're hiding, they won't disappear just because you refuse to acknowledge them," Maria murmured, her voice a poignant reflection of her determination.

A flicker of something similar to vulnerability passed through Aleksandra's eyes, a fleeting glimpse of the internal struggle that waged within her. But it was quickly replaced by a steely resolve, a determination to hold her ground, to protect herself at any cost. She had managed to survive the bullet, she could stay a couple of days in silence.

Maria sat there examining the kid, a small part of her mind couldn't help but notice the similar mannerisms the kid shared with Natasha. The thought was quickly pushed back into the depths of her mind, Natasha was gone, she needed to accept it.

"Fine," Maria relented, her tone softening as she realized how useless it was to keep pushing further. "Take your time."

With those words hanging in the air, Maria rose from her chair, her footsteps heavy with the weight of her unspoken concerns. She took one last glance at Aleksandra, hoping that her words had managed to penetrate the fortress the girl had built around herself. Maria was out of her comfort zone, she knew nothing about the girl, and getting her to speak was proving to be more challenging than she expected.

Aleksandra couldn't help but stare at the door Maria had just exited through. She knew Maria probably wanted to help, but she couldn't let her guard down, it's what has kept her alive so long, and she is not about to change it because a SHIELD agent was nice to her.