SILENCE THE TRUTH

F O U R

THIRD PERSON

The drive to Boston took a while. It was silent most of the time besides a bit of small talk and awkward conversations. A majority of the time Zaira and Natalia were being obnoxious, getting drunk, and playing cards. Freddy actual has to fight Natalia and Zaira to get the vodka, whiskey, beer, and Schnapps away from the two of them. Shockingly, no one gets stabbed on the way to the apartment building they are forced to stay at. 

" We're here, " Jonathan says as he hands both girls a water bottle. Freddy and Jonathan carry everyone's bags, the girls stumbling into the elevator, then the room. Natalia sobers up once she realizes that the apartment building is the same one she used to live in. 

" So, the boys get the master bedroom, " Natalia says, Zaira giving her a drunk smile, " And Z gets the guest room. " 

Jonathan shrugs his duffel bag onto the ground in the master bedroom. " What about you? " 

" I'll take the couch while we're here, " Natalia shrugs, not really caring. Freddy nods and faceplants into the bed in the master bedroom. Jonathan laughs and closes the door, probably going to sleep. Natalia grabs a large bowl from the cupboard and puts it by the side of the guest bed, helping Zaira change and get into bed. Natalia changes into shorts and a tight fitting pink and blue striped shirt. She flops onto the couch and flips through the channels until she sees Star Wars, then she keeps it on that and falls asleep. 

***** ( time skip ) 

Natalia wakes up from Zaira squealing. Natalia jumps out of her bed, it's also like 4:30 am, so she's not very happy with Zaira, or the fact that she's a light sleeper, gun ready. Zaira points to a black Hummer outside. Natalia hits Zaira in the head with the back of her gun. Natalia climbs back onto the couch and sleeps for another two hours. After she wakes up and gets ready for the day that she wishes she was dead Jonathan tosses her three packs of cherry Pop Tarts on her way out the door and to Wayne Enterprises. 

She arrives and is let in without identification. Natalia eats a thing of Poptarts before walking into the meeting. During the time when Charlotte isn't there, Natalia sits silently on her phone. 

Natalia notices the head of black hair, and dark brown, almost black, eyes very different to hers. Charlotte and James walk through the door. James sees Natalia and smiles at her and stands next to Charlotte. 

Natalia doesn't want to look at Charlotte, but she feels the heavy weight of her gaze. She can feel the skin under her dress burn, maybe Charlotte really is a robot and has laser eyes. That would make sense. But she's on the job, she has to save Wayne Enterprises, save the American public, save the world, she has to save Charlotte, she has to save herself, and for once it's all connected. So she shifts her head and locks eyes with Charlotte the eyes that drove daggers through her heart across the legal table, like she brought this all on herself, like she didn't even matter, disdain and displeasure so familiar to Natalia that she can conjure up the image in a split second—thought it used to be reflected in green eyes, the same green as her own.

And she doesn't have to worry about sinking too far into her role any more, because she's gone. All her growth, all the years, every good she's ever done is gone and now she's standing on the porch in the middle of the night, soaking wet, water dripping down her neck and past her shirt collar to her back. She's standing there, humiliated and rejected and desperate for Charlotte to see, to know but Charlotte doesn't and never will because Charlotte is a prophet and prophets don't waste their time on people like Natalia.

Yeah, she's not going to survive this.

Neither Natalia nor Charlotte make a move to break eye contact and it's starting to freak the others out in the room. Natalia can clearly make out several conversations.

"What's going on?"

"That's the lady who sued Wayne."

"And she thinks she can just show up?"

No, she doesn't think she can just show up. She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to remember this. She in no fucking way, wants this deep, scorching pain to resonate through her body. Her stomach is cramping, her head is throbbing, and she's pretty sure her eyes are wide and shining with tears she will hold back by any means necessary even if it kills her.

It might have been easier if Charlotte looked different but she looks roughly the same. She looks like she did when they were building up Wayne Enterprises, together, her eyes glowing and her mouth moving a mile a minute. She looks like she did when he met N'ya al Shul for the first time, mouth in an awed smile even Natalia had never pulled from her. She looks like she did when she kicked her out of the company and didn't even bat an eyelash.

Of course, nothing about Charlotte was ever easy. Not for Natalia.