Dancing For Demons

Led Zeppelin

"Tell Bruce what you told me," Tony told Anastasia.
"A couple of weeks ago, Hydra gave me a drug called Robomens. It is a highly toxic drug and causes the decay of brain tissue, resulting in death." Anastasia took the necklace off and opened it to show Bruce the pills. "These pills prevent this happening, but they have to be taken every day. The problem is that I only have five left."
Bruce rubbed his head as he processed this information. "So you need more pills?"
"Yes, but I don't know what is in them. I have been trying these past weeks to figure it out, but no matter what I read and do, I haven't found out anything."
Bruce started to suggest different tests and soon Anastasia emerged in a new world of science. Some she had already tried with no results and so they made a list of everything she had done. She found herself easily picking up new language and joined in their conversations with ease.
"How do you know so much about this, Anastasia?" Bruce asked.
She smiled at him and then explained it. "Robomems boosts my neural capacity and I can learn stuff extremely quick. Also, I did a lot of research."
Nodding impressed, they went back to work and despite the worries hanging over her, Anastasia found that she was enjoying herself. Tony put on some music he called Led Zeppelin and he hummed under his breathe as he worked, which she didn't understand.
Suddenly the door was flung open and Steve entered.
"I've been looking for you for the past hour!" he exclaimed.
"Oh," Anastasia replied. Looking at the clock, she realised they had been working for four hours and it was the middle of the night.
"Nobody believes me that you are not dead. I keep on getting sympathetic looks off everyone." Steve told her and she felt guilty that she hadn't told them.
"Sorry," Anastasia responded. "We've been working on something important. Is the winter soldier awake?" Anastasia quickly changed the subject to divert Steve's attention from their project. She didn't want him to worry.
"No, he's being kept sedated." Steve seemed sad at the reminder of Bucky.
"It was you, wasn't it. It was you who got him to leave Hydra," Anastasia realised.
Nodding, Steve tried to leave, but Anastasia stopped him.
"I need to talk to him," she said.

The team's jaws dropped wide open when she told them her plan.
"You want us to let you go back to Hydra and hope you don't come back and kill us," Nick Fury commented.
"And you want the same person who tried to kill you take you there. The unstable, mind-wiped slave, sorry Steve," Clint remarked.
"Yes," Anastasia replied. "Also he wasn't trying to kill me, he was trying to subdue me and take me back. So we should let him."
Tony laughed, which got him a mixture of looks. "He stabbed you in the heart. If that isn't attempted murder than I don't know what is!"
Trying to keep a straight face was hard, especially when everyone seemed so slow. But Anastasia patiently replied.
"He is fully aware of my healing abilities and was probably told to do that. If he had wanted to kill me, he would have cut off my head."
There was a quiet discussion and Anastasia spent that time looking out a window. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed to hear their discussion, but that she didn't want to know. She could hear it across the room anyway. Finally, Fury delivered their verdict. "No," he said. "To allow you to go back to Hydra would be foolish, nevermind the fact that they would never trust you again. You would most likely end up like the winter soldier and I cannot allow that. Finally, you are a fifteen year old girl and it is not your responsibility. You gave us the base and now we will take it."
Tempted to argue back, Anastasia restrained herself. She had quickly learnt that what Fury decided was final and there was no point arguing her case. However, going behind his back would be easier.
She left the room, mentioning something out training, then headed down to the labs. There was a cupboard with dangerous chemicals and after breaking the lock, she grabbed what she was looking for. The vial of Cyanide was quickly transformed into a capsule, which she attached to the back of her teeth. Extremely concentrated, a drop of the stuff would kill five people and she had several in an easy-to-break capsule at the back of her teeth. Still, this wouldn't kill her, but it would buy her a few days time if they decided to brainwash her. Then, she started building a tiny transmittor device. Tony walked in while she worked, but when he asked what she was making, she lied. Once it was finished, she made a small incision in her arm and held it open to slide the device in. The wound instantly healed over it, leaving no trace.
Heading back to her room, Anastasia went through what little possessions she had acquired and selected anything that would be of use. Afterwards, she stole a gun and two knives from the training room, some food from the kitchen and packed them in a rucksack she also stole.
After an agonising wait, everyone had finally gone to bed. Anastasia moved through the facility, stealthily. She didn't make a sound. Feeling sick with nerves, Anastasia stopped for a few minutes and did breathing exercises to calm her body down. Than she stepped into the cool, moonlit outside and stole away in the night.

....................

"Steve," Wanda opened his bedroom door. "Anastasia's gone to get Natasha." Steve was awake in an instant.
"Are you sure?" he responded.
"She left a note." Wanda waved the piece of paper she was clutching. Steve grabbed it to see what it said.
Dear Avengers
I know you told me not to, but I have to fix my mistakes. I have gone to rescue Natasha. I have left another note in my room with instructions for you to follow. Thank you for all you have done for me, now let me do something for you.

P.S. Tony and Bruce - Bucky has the same problem