Shatter: A Marvel Fanfiction

Natasha

I can't stop thinking about Ashley's message. I am very afraid of what could happen to my friends here if I joined them, but I am also afraid of what will happen if I don't. I know the Red Room. I know the girls that came out of the place, and those girls will not show mercy. I remember being one of them.

I remember being handcuffed to the beds. I remember them pushing me. Killing. Hurting. I remember the graduation ceremony. I cross my legs at the memory. After the ceremony one of the men who worked in the Red Room made sure it worked. I never spoke of it, but judging by the looks on the other girls, he did the same to them too.

I remember the hope Ashley had when we were little that we would be rescued. She talked incessantly about it for years until we were in our late teens and they had beaten any sense of hope out of us. She became the coldest of us all. Coldest except for me.

I can't fight them. That would ensure certain death to myself and to the Avengers. Steve. I need to keep him safe from this. That means I can't join them either. I know of only one thing to do.

I open my closet and find a duffel bag. I shove clothes into the bag along with shoes, toiletries, a few weapons, and anything else I might need. I leave my phone behind. I can't let anyone track it. Not Ashley. Not Nick. Not Steve.

I go into my closet once more and pull back the hangers that block the wall to reveal a safe equipped with fingerprint and retina scanners. I unlock and open the safe and pull out the contents. Cash. Hundreds of thousands of dollars that will certainly last me a good long time. I stuff that in the false bottom compartment of my bag.

I move into the kitchen to look for food I can bring. I have no idea where I am going, but I know it will be a long trip, and I don't want to be stopping for snacks. I pack whatever fits in my bag: peanut butter, bottled water, crackers, cookies, fruits, and anything that will keep for a long time. By the time I finish with that, half my cabinets are empty.

I scan the apartment one more time for anything I might have forgotten. I can't come back, so I need to be thorough. After I'm sure I have everything, I exhale and leave the apartment, locking the door behind me. I walk down the stair nonchalantly.

"Going on a trip, ma'am?" the doorman asks.

I nod and smile.

"Enjoy it!"

I exit the apartment building without any further interaction. I get in my car, disable the GPS and anything else that can lead to someone finding me, and drive.

As I drive out of the city I feel a twinge of regret for leaving, but this is the best thing for everyone. I hope that Ashley will realize that I left town and try to track me down or at least leave the others alone.

I find myself following the highway west. Maybe I will go to the desert. Maybe the west coast. Somewhere unpopulated. I get lost in my thoughts of where to go as I follow the highway.