A Spyder's Shield

3: Rewind Repeat It

Something had happened.

Steve hadn't changed, at least not externally, but his eyes and body language told me a different story. The Steve I knew wouldn't slump back or have dull eyes. The blue in his eyes had almost turned gray and his hair was a dirty blonde.

As I said, something had happened.

I smiled at T'Challa as he shut the door and then went to sit down near Steve.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" He muttered glancing around.

I looked around and took in the golden walls and bed, with the wooden desk in the side and the olden days telephone. It looked like one of the hotel rooms Tony stayed in.

"Yea." I replied. I didn't know what had happened. I had never seen him look this broken before, not even when he'd first met the Winter Soldier.

"Steve what happened?" I asked, gently.

He let out a humourless laugh. "Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar." I half- smiled.

He turned to  me, and I could almost see down those dark blue pits. He was debating whether to tell me or not.

He finally decided with ...
"It's Bucky. You won't be seeing him anytime."

I froze. My mind turned back almost twenty years to when I was just a fragile, naive young girl trying to learn how to survive this world.

Flashback

"Useless. Weak..."
I struggled against his tight headlock.

"Try harder!" The voice commanded.

I struggled even harder, trying to kick my opponent.

I succeeded but my kick was weak and he pinned me down, his entire weight on my petite figure.

"Dead." My instructor walked away.

I shut my eyes waiting for the blow to come, for the pain which would help me escape this world of torture but nothing came.

I opened one eye cautiously to see him wiping the sweat of his forehead. When he realised I was awake, he walked towards me and stuck a helping hand out.

"You didn't kill me." I mumbled cautiously.

"Can't kill a kid." He smiled. He had dark, long hair which covered his eyes.

"Thank you." I mumbled, afraid to meet his eyes.

"Don't thank me now kid. You're weak. But you're not stupid and you're definitely not slow. I'm going to help you."

I was stunned. Why would he want to help me? There were so many other girls who was faster, more graceful and prettier than me.

"Why me?"

"Because Natalia, you have a good heart. You remind me of someone, someone I knew. He was weak too but he became strong. Just like you .." He smiled again but his eyes were sad and ghost-like.

------
I met my instructor at 12 midnight. He was in the boxing ring wrapping bandages on his hands.

"Ah good. You are here."

I walked across the bare floor and ducked into the boxing ring. It was just the hard, marble floor with a makeshift cardboard fence.

I hated hand to hand combat. Especially when I had to punch or use my arms. It made sense that he'd want to help me in that.

So I was surprised when there were no boxing gloves for me.

"What are we doing?" I asked, nervously.

He took his place opposite to me and simply said "come at me."

"I have no gloves." I was scared. I couldn't fight without gloves.

"I don't care Natalia. Attack me, cause some pain."

I was going to die tonight. But then, I would die before I became an adult. When I died would never matter if I didn't die tonight.

I shook my hair out of my face and ran towards him.

My instructor didn't hold back.

As I lashed out with my fist, he grabbed it and flipped me down. He punched at me and I rolled towards the side. I tried to bite his leg but he kicked at my face, which I dodged by curling into a ball.

He paused for a moment and I sprung up kicking him in the process.

Unfazed, he began throwing fast punches and kicks at me so I was forced to dance around the court. After around ten minutes of this, he got lucky and punched me with enough force to knock me out.

-----

This continued for a few more days. The usual punching and kicking until one day I developed the stronger move.

He had knocked me down again. As I lay there trying to avoid being killed I noticed how there was an opening between both his hands which led to his neck.

As he landed the next blow I sprang upwards and wrapped my thighs around his neck, pushing him down.

He lay sprawled out on the floor and I felt a small spark of satisfaction. I had defeated the Winter Soldier. Me, Natalia Romanova, who was considered to be weak and useless.

"What was that kid?" He groaned and he picked himself up.

"The Black Widow move." I grinned proudly.