𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐌━︎━︎ W. Maximoff ✓︎

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

SALEM ALEXANDER sat there in the uncomfortable chair. Her arms and legs were strapped down as her jaw was clenched. She couldn't show them mercy, she couldn't let them know that they were hurting her. The liquid weaved throughout her body as it burned her insides, making the scream of a banshee want to fall from her lips. But she couldn't give them the satisfaction. She knew that it only made them angrier, but frankly she didn't care. It wouldn't be long before they realized she was going to be a dead end and that they would have wasted years and years of trying to form her into something she would never become.

Salem was born with one power, one that was not given to her from experiments, one that was apparently given to her by some god above that hated her existence. She was given the power to teleport. That was the only power she was born with, her other power was given to her by the experiments that they were constantly running. Salem could see glimpses of the future, and it was the most painful thing she'd ever experienced. Salem made sure to keep this power a secret, if they knew she had it, they would for sure turn her into a weapon of some kind.

Salem was smart. She knew what to do and what not to do―︎that didn't necessarily mean she did those things however. Keeping that second power a secret was something that saved her life. Salem had been stuck in the HYDRA facility since she was five. She grew up in the horrid and cold place and knew nothing different. So when two assassins came in and burned the place to the ground, Salem was scared that she was going to burn with the building she grew up in.

But instead, her cell door was kicked open and a woman with bright red hair entered. Shortly behind her came a dirty blonde that had a bow in his hand and a set of arrows on his back. Salem scrambled backwards until her back was hitting the white wall. Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked at the two. She was waiting for a gun to be aimed at her head, or for the guy with the bow to kill her with one of his arrows, but it never happened.

Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton exchanged looks as they looked at the brunette sitting in front of them with fear showing on every inch of her face. Her face showed a different story than the rest of her body. The girl looked like she was ready to die, her shoulders were almost relaxed as if she were relieved about the thought of death.

Natasha wasn't one to show emotion, but this fourteen year old girl looked like she could use some emotion. So Natasha put a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the girl, the one simple action making all of Salem's joints relax. It wasn't an evil or cynical smile like she was used to seeing, it was a gentle and welcoming smile that told her the two agents weren't there to hurt her.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Natasha assured the girl in a soft and gentle tone instead of her rough one. "We're going to help you."

"That's what they said." Salem stuttered out, fear briefly crawling back into her hazel eyes. "That's what those men said to me a-and th-they-"

"I assure you, we aren't here to hurt you. We're here to rescue you." Natasha told the girl, glancing at Clint for a brief second before looking back to the brunette. "Can I ask your name?"

Salem nodded her head. "Salem," she answered with slight hesitancy. Natasha gave her another kind closed lipped smile.

"Salem, I'm Natasha Romanoff. That's my partner Clint Barton, we're here to get you somewhere safe." Natasha introduced. She held out her gloved hand to Salem. "Will you let us do that? Take you somewhere safe?"

Salem was hesitant at first, her eyes switching from Natasha's face, to her hand, and then to Clint before looking back at her hand again. Finally, Salem nodded and placed her hand into Natasha's. With that, the three left the building, watching as it burned whilst they drove away. It was from that day forward that Natasha and Clint both felt like Salem was their responsibility. And that she became. They could've easily given her away to some adoption place, but when Natasha had seen the scared look in Salem's eyes, she couldn't help but remember how at one point in her life that used to be her. So she took the young teenager under her wing and made sure she would never be treated like an experiment ever again.