Project Crimson- Natasha's daughter

5

Aleksandra, confined within the walls of S.H.I.E.L.D., found herself in the clutches of boredom, something she had not gotten to feel until now. The inability to engage in her usual rigorous training routine left her grappling with an uncomfortable urge, training and fighting had been the backbone of her life. The cable TV offerings served as a useless distraction, failing to captivate her interest in any way. Most of the channels were filled with cheaply made movies or shows that extended upwards to fifteen seasons, based on ridiculous premises such as wedding dress shopping, cakes, hoarders, and coupon lovers. The monotony of her days stretched endlessly, a relentless cycle that seemed allergic to change.

Sleep was scarce as usual for Aleksandra. Nightmares, remnants of her tumultuous past in the Red Room, haunted her in the late hours, leaving her profusely sweating and hyperventilating in the dimly lit room. The dark bags below her eyes bore witness to the toll these sleepless nights exacted on her.

Although, Maria Hill emerged as a consistent presence in Aleksandra's life, which certainly weired the teenager out. The redhead had not expected to see Mari again after being released from the hospital, she had yet to understand why Maria kept coming back. Maria's visits, two or three times a day, were a welcome interruption to the otherwise mundane routine. The Deputy Director's check-ins went beyond the formalities, she made sure Alex always had clean clothes, she genuinely asked about her day, she'd bring her books once in a while and even though Maria swore she was discreet, Aleksandra had noticed how she scanned her for injuries each visit.

Dinner became a small break, a time when Maria would gently push Aleksandra out of her solitude and lead her to the cafeteria. Aleksandra wouldn't particularly say she enjoyed the food, it was mediocre at best so she would only push it around her plate and take a few bites. They would rarely talk during dinner, at that point, Maria was tired out and Aleksandra wasn't going to start the conversation, although she could admit it felt nice having the company. Especially when she could feel the glares of several agents around the cafeteria.

Yet, despite Maria's best efforts, the struggle against boredom and nightmares persisted, casting a shadow over Aleksandra's days within the high-security walls of S.H.I.E.L.D. Each passing moment seemed to stretch into infinity, a present reminder this could be all she ever did for the rest of her life.

-

In the bustling S.H.I.E.L.D cafeteria, Aleksandra navigated the sea of unfamiliar faces. The low hum of conversations and the clatter of trays formed a loud background noise. With Maria engrossed in a lengthy meeting, Aleksandra decided to venture to the cafeteria alone, she had missed both breakfast and lunch so missing dinner might have not been the wisest.

Peter Parker had only moved to the S.H.I.E.L.D HQ, after the events of the fight with Thanos and Tony passing away, Fury offered for Peter to move into the building as he figured out his next step. It was an easy solution as Aunt May had only been able to find a one bedroom flat after the blip. Adapting there had been relevantly easy as Fury and Maria both helped him, getting him into training classes and assigning a driver to take him to school and the Avengers compound.

Peter, was navigating the crowded S.H.I.E.L.D cafeteria when he accidentally collided with someone. It turned out to be Aleksandra, the enigmatic young woman he had seen around but never really interacted with. Startled, Peter quickly apologized, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I should really watch where I'm going."

Aleksandra, who had been immersed in her thoughts, looked up, her guarded expression softening for a moment. "It's fine," she replied in a hushed tone. Peter, always eager to make a new friend, decided to strike up a conversation. Which promptly interrupted Aleksandra who had just begun to walk away.