clutter | rogers

SEVEN

Steve stood, taking the phone with him, and left the interrogation room. Vision stayed back to keep an eye on her.

Vision sat across from her and she noticed his pajamas for the first time.

"Are you a human?" she asked dumbly.

"I'm a humanoid. Are you a human?" he asked with mock intrigue.

"Unfortunately. Humanoid sounds more interesting. What is that, in your forehead? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind," he crossed his leg over the other, "but, unfortunately, I don't really know what it is."

She hummed in understanding. She rubbed her wrists where the cuffs lied. "Do you think I'm a bad person?" She asked. They both watched her wrists and hands.

"I don't believe in bad people. I believe in people with bad decisions. But, no, I don't believe you're one of them."

"Why not?"

"You don't give me the impression of a bad person, and I'm usually not wrong about this sort of thing. Do you believe you're a bad person?"

"I hope not."

Whether she was the caller for the attacks or the called upon, bad things were happening in her name. Perhaps that was enough for her to be dangerous. Perhaps her running away was as selfish as Aris made her think it was.

The minutes were silent, perhaps they were hours. She couldn't tell.

Vision sat more patiently than she did. She'd begun to grow antsy, dreading and hoping for the Captain's return.

"Who's Natasha?"

Vision looked at her, and she wondered if she'd asked the question out loud. After a moment, he simply said, "She's everything right and wrong with our ensemble."

Before Vee could press on, the door opened. Instead of Captain, a woman appeared with red  hair tied into a single neat braid. Vee assumed she was Natasha.

Vision stood.

"Go sleep, Vis, I'll handle this," Natasha assured.

This. I'm a problem, right? Not even a person, not even a her?

Vision walked past her and out the door. Natasha moved to the table and freed Vee's wrists.

"Try anything, and you'll regret it. Besides, you're just some photographer from Maine, I doubt you have any physical skill."

Vee's stomach dropped at this. She knew the redhead was right, but it was still a blow to her pride. She rubbed her wrists and stood.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff, better known as the Black Widow. Perhaps you've heard of me, perhaps not. We know little of you. Your past is rather allusive, even to us." Natasha led her out of the interrogation room and down an emotionless hall. Natasha led; Vee followed.

Natasha talked; Vee listened. "You are, as you know, a person of interest. Trouble seems to follow you, whether you want it to or not. I heard the call over the receivers, and we'll get to that another time."

A right turn.

"I wanted to personally apologize to you." Natasha stopped and faced Vee. "I know hardly anything about you, other than what you've told us and the scraps we've shed light on. Nonetheless, we shouldn't have treated you so poorly. I was taking a personal day, today. Seems as if the woman leaves for a day and the world falls apart."

She paused. "Steve hurt your head with a blunt object and your wrists with the cuffs; I'm sure you have rope burns - barbaric thing, rope is." She caught her train of caught again, obviously tired. "What I'm struggling to get to is this: I'm sincerely sorry for your mistreatment. I've ordered a doctor to stop by in," she glanced at her watch, "five minutes. She's also bringing water and a meal. I hope you can accept my apology."

Vee nodded, meekly.

"I know it's a serious change of scenery, but we'll be over and done with everything shortly, assuming it goes smoothly and you cooperate. Do you have any family or friends I should notify?"

"Uh, yeah, but I can talk to them. Is there a phone I can use?"

To answer this, Natasha strode down a few more feet and stopped in front of a door. She opened it with a sliding key.

"Here is where you're staying. There's a bathroom and a kitchenette. There's a phone too, make all the calls you want. My direct phone number is speed dial one. Don't hesitate to call me, and if anyone gives you a problem, tell them I said to ease off on you."

"Thanks," Vee said, and she meant it. Though everything was utterly strange, she appreciated the ounce of hospitality.

"Of course. Enjoy the night."

"You too," Vee said and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to explore and familiarize herself with her surroundings. The bathroom and bedroom were masters, and luxuriously furnished.

She decided upon a well-deserved bath after the doctor came and went. The physical exam was smooth and the food tasted delicious.

Vee settled into the froth of her bath and exhaled, her lungs loosening for the first time since that morning.

She made a mental to-do list:
•call Cookbook
•call Jameson
•find out where Peter is and how he is connected to all this. spy?
•remind Cookbook to feed Jem

Vee huffed. The bruises on her wrists and forehead reminded her of the looming storm cloud that hovered above her head.

She decided if things went south, that she'd find a way to escape. She'd done it with Aris, and that was unthinkable. If she were to escape, she had to snag Jem and her car first. How far away could she be from home?

In actuality, she was only five minutes from her hostile. She didn't know that, of course.

She pushed these vague plans out of her mind and picked up the landline, preparing to check off her to-dos.