Almost Dusk {A Black Widow Story}

CHAPTER TWENTY

(Natasha's Perspective)

Once we finally got Stark off his ass and back to work helping us, things kicked into motion.

What he created resembled something along the lines of a dentist's chair in a horror film. All the wires and electrodes poking out of the chair was enough to cause concern for safety.

So I let Barton go first.

Rose and I sat on stools next to the work bench and looked on as Barton sat in the chair, placing a couple electrodes and monitors on his temples, his heart and his wrist.

Stark flipped on a switch that sent a buzz of electricity to the chair. The energy waves were almost visible as they swirled in the air around Barton's head.

"You will feel a pinch, then it should go numb. Hold tight." Stark prepares him.

With a not so certain nod, Barton squeezes his eyes shut as the metal poles act like tongs around his skull. The electrical buzz lifts in pitch and I find myself turning away to watch Rose instead.

She isn't looking either; she has her head down and her eyes shut, gripping the stool she sits on. I reach out my hand and rest it on top of hers.

When Barton yelps, I only hold on to her tighter.

The buzzing reaches its peak as it surges almost pulsing in the air. When Tony speaks, I look up.

"Okay Barton. Think about that day. Think about what happened after you said goodbye. What do you see?" He probes.

Clint's eyes remain closed, almost as if thick from sleep. He mumbles at first, then he speaks louder.

"We went to SHIELD headquarters. They were waiting for us. They wanted us to recount what we did; how we did it. They wanted everything. I, -" He trails off as if in a trance.

"Clint" I try to bring him back, but he starts to groan as if in immense pain.

"Barton talk to me." Tony urges as he checks Clint's vitals on the monitor. "What happened then?"

Through his grunts, Clint manages to utter "it's all...it's too fuzzy. I can't.."

"Clint, just breathe. Take a deep breath and tell me what you see." Tony tries again.

This time Clint calms right down and his face scrunches up in concentration, speaking through gritted teeth.

"We give a recount of the incident. I think there were some files. Then we were given something. I think it's a pen. We signed something. We are shaking their hands. Then we leave."

Clint lets out gasp of relief as he is pulled out of the memory.

"You're right." I tell him as Stark powers down the machine, "I remember the pens, I remember signing. It was a confidentiality agreement; for the incident. They didn't want anyone else to find out what we know. We were supposed to keep it under wraps." I say as the memory comes back to me through a thick haze.

"And the phone call?"

"Maybe we wanted to call to tell them not to tell anyone about what happened that day?" I guess.

Rose moves over to the dentist's chair and holds onto Clint's arm as he steadies his breathing.

Watching them, I say "I guess it was just a warning, nothing more."

I am relieved that it wasn't an emergency. But it's so unlike me to forget something that serious. That leads me to thinking; what else am I suppressing so far down that I can almost forget?