Locked Within Their Labyrinth

A Tough Front

"Coulson and May got a lead." Everyone's heads snapped towards Maria. She stood in the doorway to the conference room with her arms crossed. Tucked under her arm was a file containing camera snaps and mission reports. The team had been restless and eager to avenge however all of their trails had ended cold. Peter was still in the hospital, comatose, and Tony rarely left his side unless something promising came up. It was a matter of chance that he was with them now.

"What have you got for us Hill?" She spread out the contents of the file over the table.

"They were tracking agents Ward and Malick after we got the information that they were close with Natasha from your interrogation." She nodded her head at Bucky who remained silent. He hadn't spoken a word except for the apology to Tony. "They managed to follow them to here," she pointed to a map of the states and indicated a little red dot signifying some eastern part of Canada. "Unfortunately this was 4 days ago and they haven't been in contact since. We have reason to believe they've been compromised however before we lost contact they radioed in to say there has been talk of, quote, the little red bitch. Courtesy of May, of course."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Everybody suit up." There was a flurry of movement as the team left the table and headed for their gear.

"Hey cap, me and Bruce here are gonna sit this one out." Steve nodded his head as Clint headed towards the door.

"That's fine, Bucky maybe you could stay with them?" Bucky swivelled his head to stare at Steve.

"What? Why?" Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and Steve just sighed wearily.

"Just, sit this one out Buck. Please." Bruce took his arm and gently led him away. His bewilderment vanished when he heard Steve address the rest of the team. "Remember. This is a kill mission, you see her you shoot her."

"NO!" The doors slid shut and the team set about preparing their equipment. Bucky tore himself from Bruce only to be blocked by Clint. Steve met Bucky's eyes briefly and mouthed some sort of apology. His eyes were sorrowful but determined and Bucky felt his heart shattering, it couldn't be happening. He redoubled his efforts to get free but Bruce had his arms wrapped around him securely, he couldn't remove him without possibly setting off the hulk.

Clint gripped his shirt and helped Bruce wrestle him towards the stairs. "No no no no. They're going to kill her!"

"I know. I know." Bucky saw the helplessness in Clint's eyes and the grief in Bruce's.

"We can't let them."

"Stop making it harder than it already is." Clint snapped at him. They heard the engines firing up and Bucky made one last attempt to break free. It was unsuccessful and Bruce cautioned him with a low growl, clearly the hulk's influence.

The watched from out of the window as the jet disappeared into the sky, a body bag already pre prepared.

...

The sight before Natasha required the full use of her spy skills. Don't get attached, attachment leads to your compromise. The first rule of the red room, one she'd broken many a times.

Ward stood proud, his arms crossed as he basked in silent glory. Tightly bound and clearly just surfacing from the drug haze sat agent Coulson and Agent May. "Caught them in a stake out, had some pretty interesting footage of us." Natasha only nodded. "Thought you'd like to have a crack at them, I was told you were the best." Again she could only nod. After an awkward beat of silence Ward gestured to the door. "I'll be out there if you need me."

May was first to focus. Her deep set eyes flashing angrily as they rested on the bored face of one Natasha Romanoff. Except it wasn't. Not anymore. Natasha had willingly surrendered herself to Natalia's control. She'd need Natalia's indifference if she wanted to pull this off.

Coulson only showed disappointment. Sorrow and regret seeped from his pale blue eyes and Natalia scoffed at the weakness he displayed. What an amateur. The female's rage however, that she could have fun with. The two followed her movement like hawks as she paced before them, finally perching on the edge of the corner table. The cell was very drab, the two chairs and table being the only furniture whilst all four walls were the same gloomy grey.

Ward chose these for a reason, because they were close to her. She needed to use that against them. "You know she didn't want this. She detested Hydra, spent most of her life fighting them only to become one."

A moment of silence whilst they waited for her to elaborate.

"Alright I'll bite, who?" May was waspish and cold, detachment only marred slightly by anger.

"Natasha of course, who else?" The red head smiled winningly, revelling in the shared look of confusion. "You didn't think little miss Romanoff would actually have the balls to go through with this? No no no. Natasha was a childlike fantasy, a dream that we wished for when we were children. Widow and I are the nightmares of reality. You're lucky it's me you're talking to, widow usually expresses her thoughts through action if you know what I mean." She mimed slicing her throat.

She heard Coulson's quiet "deep cover disorder," and clapped loudly in his direction. It was common among spies, especially those forced to go undercover for long periods of time. You started to become your cover and most have to undergo intensive psychiatric therapy to regain their normal selves. If left unchecked the covers started building up into different personalities, into different people. She wasn't that far gone yet, but they didn't know that.

"Bingo my friend. For too long has she kept us hidden, only allowing us some small freedom when it suits her needs. Now it's her turn and we will force her to suffer through you." She span in Mays direction and clocked her heavily in the jaw, most certainly dislocating it and causing blood to fly out as her head whipped back.

To her credit May didn't cry out. Instead she turned to glare at the woman in front of her. Blood dribbled between her lips and stained her teeth. "Go to hell." It was quiet and slurred, most likely due to the dislocated jaw, but Natalia heard it all the same.

She grinned wickedly. "We're already here."

A/N would you look at that, a long awaited update has finally happened.