I'm Sorry | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 2: Obsessions

Natasha sat in the dimly lit lab at Avengers Tower, the glow of multiple screens casting a blue hue across her face. Beside her, Tony Stark was hunched over a computer, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he ran the fingerprint analysis for what felt like the hundredth time.

Natasha's mind kept drifting back to the ashes, and the sticky note with its taunting message. She couldn't shake the feeling that Inferno was playing a deeper game, and the implications gnawed at her. The memory was seared into her mind, a constant reminder of how close she had come to a different fate.

Tony sighed, breaking her reverie. "No hits" he said, frustration evident in his voice. "I've run this through every database we have access to—Interpol, SHIELD, FBI, even some less-than-legal ones. Nothing."

Natasha frowned, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of her chair. "There has to be something we're missing."

Tony leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "No records, no fingerprints on file, no digital footprint. It's like she doesn't exist."

Natasha's gaze was distant, her mind replaying the scene at the warehouse over and over. "She exists, all right" she muttered. "And she's sending a message. Burning down the whole facility but leaving me alive... She wants us to know she's in control."

From the doorway, Maria Hill, who had been listening quietly, stepped into the room. "It's psychological warfare" she said, her voice steady and analytical. "She's not just a skilled operative; she's smart. Knows how to get under our skin."

Natasha's eyes sharpened with determination. "Then we need to get two steps ahead. There has to be a way to track her, something we haven't considered."

Maria moved closer, her expression thoughtful. "We need to think like her. What would her next move be? She's left us a puzzle, and she's expecting us to follow the pieces. Maybe there's a clue in the ashes, in the message itself."

Natasha shook her head, frustration creeping into her voice. "The thing is, we don't know how to think like her. She's new to the field. The only thing I knew about her my whole time in SHIELD was that she is a woman because she left a singular high heel footprint behind."

Tony spoke up. "If she's just playing games, why are we focusing so much on her?"

Maria looked down at her tablet, scrolling through records. "According to SHIELD's data, there are 261 missions where our operatives found ash left behind as a clue."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "That's....not so bad."

Maria's expression turned. "That's just the missions. It doesn't include the casualty numbers." She scrolled further and stopped, reading aloud, "Mission Moscow 028. Casualties: 92. A pile of ashes left behind."

Tony's demeanor changed instantly. "Okay, well that just changed things. You could've mentioned she was a mass murderer from the start."

Maria sighed. "She is one of SHIELD's biggest mysteries. Or what's left of SHIELD, anyway."

Tony turned to Natasha. "Did you get her name or something?"

Natasha shot him a look. "Yeah, Tony, I asked for her name while she was burning down the building I was in."

Tony smirked. "Took 'slow dancing in a burning room' a bit too seriously, huh?"

Natasha rolled her eyes, exasperation evident. "Tony, this isn't a joke."

Tony put his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. I'll keep running my scans and let you guys know if I find something."

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