When in Hydra

Chapter 5

Watching Natasha make her way around their makeshift lab all day was far from boring. Unlike being in a lab with Tony, Natasha was pleasant enough to be around while she worked. Even if Steve had no idea what she was doing and didn't dare risk their cover by talking, he was content to watch her work and help when necessary. 

It was eight hours later when Steve became fidgety. The soldiers had long since stopped pretending to work and had been plainly watching them for the last few hours. While Natasha had continued working as normal, Steve knew she was also on edge. The longer they were trapped in the lab, the lower their chances of being let out became.

Steve felt it the moment before Natasha snapped. Her shoulders dropped from being held back so rigidly straight a second before she turned to a nearby soldier and snapped at him in German. Without a word, the man pressed the comm in his ear and repeated what Natasha had said.

Nothing else was said, but Natasha didn't take her eyes off the man until the vault door began to open. As Steve turned to see who entered, he wasn't sure if he was surprised or not to find the same man as from before.

Although he didn't speak German, he could see Natasha's frustration. Her voice stayed even, but her lips were pursed and he knew she wasn't getting what she wanted.

He was so focused on trying to read Natasha's next move that he didn't notice the man move forward until it was too late. A loud smack echoed through the lab and Steve's blood burned at the mark on Natasha's face.

As furious as it made him, Steve didn't move. Any rash action could risk their mission and they were currently in the middle of a Hydra base. Instead, he was left to look between Natasha's bruising face and the other man as they conversed in German.

Steve could see the man getting ready to hit her again, but he paused moments before he reached for her.

"Tell me, Herr Dietrich, " the man said in English. "Do you know what Frau Maria is doing here?"

Steve glanced at Natasha for a sign on whether or not he should actually respond. The only answer he got was a hard look that he couldn't interpret. 

"No, sir," Steve replied, pulling his hands behind his back.

The man raised an eyebrow and glanced at Natasha.

"So you don't know of any formula she brought with her?"

Steve shook his head but came up with a quick answer. "I do not search Miss von Kant's bags."

It must have been acceptable because the man turned back to Natasha. He said something first to her then to his men. Even Steve could hear the switch from German to Russian. He'd heard Natasha speak it often enough with Wanda that he could recognise it.

"They aren't letting me return to the hotel," Natasha said quietly to Steve without turning her back on the men. "I need you to call Tony and ask him for the formulas DD 13-942 and 13-945. Let Fury know we need backup too."

"What about you?" Steve whispered in return.

"Schmidt wants me to remain here and continue working until you get back." She shoved something in his hand without hardly moving. "I'll be fine. Just get the formula from Tony and write it down so I can read it."

"Should I bring a tracker? In case things go south?" Steve asked.

Natasha shook her head. "I've already got one."

By then, Schmidt was heading back towards them so she stepped away from Steve and turned to address Schmidt instead. When Schmidt nodded for Steve to follow him, Steve did as he was told and followed Director Schmidt out of the lab. The door locked behind him.

* * * * 

Natasha was running out of ways to fake a formula. She had busied herself with things she'd found on some of Tony's old servers, but he was bad enough with chemistry that she rarely bothered with his notes. The one good thing he'd come up with was the DD combo―or Doomsday Twins as Tony liked to say.

There was only so much Natasha could do before someone recognised her work as something from the Red Room. It would have been a good way to determine if Fury was correct about Hydra and the KGB working together, but after hearing Schmidt address his soldiers in Russian, Natasha knew it was true.

It was unfortunate that Schmidt wasn't letting her return to the hotel, but she wasn't necessarily surprised. She had something to give them and until she did, Hydra wouldn't be letting her out of their sight. Luckily, Steve knew how to get ahold of Fury. With a little extra luck, he could accurately copy down the formulas she needed. If not, blowing up the lab might not be their biggest problem.