Rise || Marvel

《6》Natasha the Human Meat Shield

《 Tia's POV 》

"You WHAT?!" Tony shouted.

"I DO NOT REGRET MY DECISION!" I yelped, hiding behind Natasha in order to use her as a human meat shield.

"YOU WENT TO VIENNA AND NEARLY GOT BLOWN UP!"

"In my defense, I was trying to help!" I retorted. After a long-as-frick plane ride, my patience was running rather thin. I could almost feel Natasha roll her eyes.

"So, you can confirm that this girl isn't someone I need to be weary of?" She inquired calmly.

Tony looked taken aback, "What? No. She's good..."

"Alright," Natasha sighed, "We have important matters to attend to, Stark... It appears that Steve's old war partner, James Buchanan Barnes, was the culprit behind the bombing. I know that Rogers will go after him."

"It wasn't Bucky...!" I piped up.

"Don't push your luck, kiddo. You're in so much trouble," Tony grumbled, "And what evidence do you even have to support that?"

"We have video surveillance footage showing that it was Barnes..." Natasha frowned at me.

"I know, but it wasn't Bucky! It was this dude called Zemo and he's framing Bucky!" I insisted. Natasha and Tony exchanged glances.

"You don't believe me," I stated bluntly.

"Sorry... But we have compelling evidence against Barnes," Natasha averted her gaze. I turned away, furious. This is going to bite you all in the butt, just you wait. So how can I help the situation now...?

"Romanoff," Tony was saying, "Where do you think Rogers would be right now? We need to find him before he does something stupid."

"I'm not sure of Barnes's whereabouts right now..." Natasha admitted, "But I've requested Rhodes to contact me if anything happens. He's part of the investigation to locate Barnes."

I glanced at them grumpily. It wouldn't make a difference even if I did tell them.

"Friday, did you catch all that?" Tony raised his voice slightly.

"Yes, sir," Came the automatic response.

"Start searching," Tony requested.

"Right away sir."

Natasha strode over to the window silently. I perched on the edge of the kitchen seat indignantly. Tony ran his hand through his hair, blowing out a long breath and leaned against the table.

"Try not to charge off recklessly like that, kid... You could have been seriously injured..." He said quietly. I started, not realising that he was now talking to me.

Swiveling around in my seat, I glared at the floor, "I could've saved them. If I had gotten there sooner, I could've stopped this."

Tony shook his head wearily, "You're young, inexperienced. Even if you had the right intentions, some things you can't change. Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not your fault."

I didn't reply. The deaths hit harder now that I knew I could've stopped them. I wasn't just sitting in a cinema with my friends and a box of tissues anymore. This was real... And it hurt a lot more. A wave of emotion washed over me and I lowered my head. Poor Shuri... Back when Civil War had first come out in cinemas, Black Panther hadn't been filmed yet. I'd never thought about how Shuri, Okoye and the others reacted when they'd found out T'Chaka died.

Faintly, I heard the ringtone of a phone. Tony pushed off the table beside me. Glancing up, I saw Natasha still standing near the window, but now she had her phone pressed to her ear, frowning urgently.

"Rhodes, what's happened?" She said quietly. At the mention of his friend's name, I saw Tony stiffen expectantly next to me. I turned my attention back to Natasha. Her frown had deepened into a scowl.

"I warned both of them to stay out of this. Any injuries?" She groaned. A pause, in which Rhodey was undoubtedly speaking.

Natasha turned to face Tony and I, face stony, "I see. And Wilson, too? Where are they being taken to?"

Another pause.

"Right. Thanks, Rhodes. I appreciate it. We'll be there as soon as we can... Hm? Oh, yes. I'm with Tony right now. I've filled him on this situation... Right... Yes... You too... See you soon."

The auburn-haired female lowered her phone and tucked it into her pocket.

"What happened?" Tony asked immediately, folding his arms over his chest.

"Rogers found Barnes..." Natasha reported, clearly disapproving of what Steve had done.

"T'Challa did too, didn't he?" I raised my eyebrow. Natasha held my gaze for a moment.

"Yes," she said eventually, "T'Challa, Barnes and Rogers, along with Wilson engaged in combat. They've been apprehended and are currently being transported to the Task Force Headquarters in Berlin... If we catch the next plane flight, we can make it there just before they arrive."

Tony nodded, "Let's go."

He grabbed his briefcase and followed Natasha towards the door.

"You got everything you need? It's going to be a boring plane ride," He remarked. I perked up. They're actually okay with me tagging along with them?

"Yeah, sure!" I replied. I had my phone and earbuds stuffed in my pockets, and had found a drawing notebook stuffed under the fruit bowl on the table. Luckily, all of these items fit in the inside pocket of my jacket, which was conveniently large.

"To Berlin, then," Natasha said grimly.