never leaving your side || romanogers

Chapter 29

Natasha slumped in the chair. She no longer had many ideas of how much time she had spent in that awful chair, and because she fell asleep in the middle of one interrogation, she woke up with her head doused in ice-cold water. Her skin was freezing in the cold room, but she gritted her teeth and tried her best to numb the pain. 

Because after all, wasn't she the Black Widow? The Russian spy who worked with the Avengers, the one who'd killed dozens with ease? Kept up with a group of superhumans, despite being one of the only two ordinary individuals on the original 6 person team?

That was partly true, Natasha thought. She had killed dozens and dozens of people. They weren't all bad though. When she was brainwashed by the Red Room and those awful scientists that helped them, she had a faint memory of bluish liquid injected into her arms. Afterward, everything felt funny and stiff and faint, and her memory would blank. When she woke up, she felt as good as new, although part of her had always known that what they put in her wasn't normal. So really, when she put together the missing pieces, she was a sort of superhuman. 

And being the Black Widow. She scoffed; luckily no one was in the room with her, as her noise would be counted as an offense. There were dozens of poor girls taken from their homes, brought to the Red Room at an early age, and trained to their breaking point, and beyond that even. They were all skilled. They were all Black Widows, with a venomous bite. 

Natasha wondered when they would ask about her team. They hadn't yet. In fact, the only thing they did when they brought her in was clip a handcuff onto her right wrist, her dominant hand, and then they left. Before exiting the room quietly, though, one of them spoke. 

"She'll see you in 5 minutes." A very young girl, Natasha concluded, judging her appearance. She was very short and had an athletic build, and her voice was high and soft. Her eyes pled with Natasha, begging her to help. Natasha could only look down sadly. The older girl slapped her harshly, and they left the room. 

As she sat in that cold room, soaked through and through, she wondered what she was doing. She could definitely break out right now, but what was stopping her? They said they'd hurt her team, but the Avengers were strong, with or without her. But they said they'd do everything they could to hurt Steve, and Steve she had to protect. No, she thought. I won't try anything just yet.

---

Tony winced, touching his cheek gingerly. "What was that for?" He whined, looking at Pepper like an abandoned puppy. 

"Leaving the rest of the team when they went for Natasha," Pepper said in a furiously calm voice. "Not giving a crap when everyone else tried to find her. Other things too, but they're personal."

Tony sighed, touching his cheek one last time. "I know, and I'm sorry. Truly." He looked at Pepper, with her small mouth pressed in a rigid line. "Can we go inside?"

Pepper scowled. "It's your tower."

---

Tony sprawled on the couch, sighing. After 5 seconds, he pulled himself to a sitting position, then motioned for Pepper to sit next to him. After a suspicious look, she sat lightly on the edge. 

"Ok. I'm about to tell you everything I know about Natasha's disappearance. Don't freak out."

Pepper tilted her head. "Depends on what you know."

---

The four men, Steve, Bruce, Clint, and Thor were on their way to Russia. 

They all sat, almost ironically, in a still line on a side of the plan while a pilot navigated the route. No one said a word. It was silent. A somber sadness surrounded them in a cloud, and with that, anger. 

But when they got there, adrenaline boiled over. They stormed the Red Room, the place only Clint had known to find. He would never forget it. Barbed wire, tall fences, a building surrounded by miles and miles of forest and pain. It was where he met his best friend, and where he was going to get her back. 

They didn't bother trying to come quietly. The Hulk broke down the door with only brute force, while the rest readied their weapons, prepared for the fight that would begin. 

But it was silent. It almost seemed deserted, the lights were off, it was dark, and everything was still. But- as Steve walked past an empty classroom, an even darker shadow flashed by, so fast he would have missed it if he blinked. Slightly cautious now, Steve stepped into the classroom, scanning for any fighters. "No one here," he called back to the rest of the team. "We're goo-"

Thor, Bruce, and Hulk didn't hear the rest of his answer. It was as if he had disappeared into a dark void, never to be seen again. Maybe he had. 

But as soon as Captain America was out of the picture, all hell broke loose. 

Fighters of all shapes and sizes jumped from out of dark crevices and corners, throwing quick punches and kicks at the Avengers. Startled, they were vulnerable, leaving lots of time for the attackers to attack them. 

But quickly enough, they were brought back to their senses. The remaining three quickly began to fight back, shooting arrows and and throwing hammers and slamming bodies. Soon, though, their manpower and weapons were not enough for the girls' swift tactics, and they were finally forced to surrender, bloody and bruised. 

---

As promised, Madame B did come in 5 minutes later. She came in, wearing colorless gray clothes. She hadn't changed in over 10 years, Natasha noted. Same graying blond hair, thin face and permanent flat expression.

As she sat down, Natasha couldn't help but let out a smirk. She was too tall for the chair, so her knees bumped awkwardly against the table. Good for her, Natasha thought. 

"So, I see you haven't given in yet, have you?" Madame B said, cruelly twisting the words in a way that made Natasha want to scream.

Natasha flashed her teeth, fierce. "Never," she hissed. 

Madame B observed her carefully. But instead of snapping guards in, she nodded. "Very well, then. Maybe you'll comply when you see this?" She held out a gray tablet, and tapped the screen. As Natasha watched, she gasped in horror. They hadn't followed her rules. They had followed her. 

What did Natasha see?