Eternity

Chapter 10: Red Room Reset.

Suddenly, everything felt distant. Like she was floating underwater, voice far away and echoing around her. She shut her eyes briefly and let the warmth flood over her, ignored the ringing getting louder and louder in her ears until it stopped abruptly and her eyes opened.

She remained calm, staring ahead at Alexi, bound to a chair watching her intently. The Soldier spoke her name and she case him a brief look. He looked different than she remembered, stronger and with more personality in his face than she'd ever seen. wasn't he a traitor, not to be trusted. As were none of the others surrounding her she assumed, watching, waiting.

"You weren't their only asset" Alexi smirked, calmly leaning back in his chair. The soldier kept staring at her, a peculiar expression on his features, but she ignored him. Still Waiting for a vague form of recognition on how she got here and wondering: Why wasn't she bound? Where were they? Who were these people? What should she do?

"Natasha," the man next to her address her, cautiously taking a step towards her. She turned to watch him, frowning at the name, muscles tensing which made him pause. Smart man. Kind face, almost fatherly. "Hey kid, C'mon now, you're scaring us."

She raised a brow, turning her attention to the young woman who spoke. "She doesn't know you...us. There's...there's nothing but confusion and darkness in her head." She murmured, fidgeting in worry with her coat as she looked towards the Soldier.

Natasha frowned at the witch, glaring daggers into her soul as much as she could.

"Alright little Red, lets get you home." The man in armour beside her took her arm with force, quick and vice like so she struggled immediately, using her feet to climb him and push him to the ground, aiming a punch at his face which he caught with his hand, throwing her off him forcefully. He arrogantly never expected her to be so non compliant.

"Don't!" Bucky shouted. "No one touch her!" She stood up, ready for a fight. Ready for a kill. There were too many, she was ill prepared for this. Confused and disorientated.

"Calm, little spider." Alexi murmured in Russian, like a purr of familiarity, and a soft wave of relief graced her for a moment. She looked to him expectantly, her eyes falling to the chain glinting from beneath his shirt. She hooked a finger around it and eased it out, a hidden treasure she'd never noticed before bearing a golden emblem of a family crest but expertly crafted to hid the KGB mark. She recognised it and dropped it to hang in front of his chest, relieved at the small familiarity of it. She was on his side.

She flickered her eyes in a flash to his bindings then back to his face and he nodded once in reply to her unanswered question. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you."

She eyed the strangers cautiously, the soldier being the only one brave enough to step closer to her. "Natasha," she quirked her head slightly at the name again. An alias she must have been going by.  "C'mon, this can't be real...you'd have known about this. You have to have-"

She had no idea what he was talking about, why his look was so desperate and pleading. In one swift movement no one saw coming, she cut the binds on the chair so Alexi was free, he quickly stood up beside her, hand ghosting over her back almost using her as a shield keeping everyone back from them.

"The soldier has quite an infatuation with you, Widow. Excellent work." Alexi stated stepping to her side, letting her narrow her eyes at him, a nod of recognition. "You've succeeded your mission very well, our apologises it's taken you so long to get you back."

"You bastard!" The soldier growled, taking a step towards them but Alexi only smirked as Natasha stood forward, fighting stance ready before he could grab him. He stopped immediately, and her lips gave the smallest twitch of a half grin. Her threat to him.