To Go Unseen (A Natasha Romanoff Story)

42 [Yelena's safe house on the outside of Houston]

Yelena reached up and pried Natasha’s hands off of her and stepped back.

“You know you can’t leave,” she said. “I’m not going to watch you walk out.”

“I know,” Natasha said and she rolled her sleeves up further now, letting her Widows Bites shine in the dull, yellow light. “I just hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

Yelena grinned. She almost looked excited.

“You’re too funny, Natalia,” she replied horribly cheerfully and she reached up with her gloved fingers to pull her hat down further over her head. “The Winter Soldier will miss you.” She began to back up and Natasha watched her place her hands on the back of the wooden chair she’d been sitting on. “But don’t worry, Romanova. I’ll carry on your legacy even better than you have.”

The next thing Natasha saw was the chair coming for her, swinging through the air, but she’d predicted this and she ducked just in time. Yelena stumbled with the momentum of the swinging chair as it kept going and Natasha’s foot darted out and kicked at Yelena’s knees. She cried out in surprise and started to stumble, and when she did, Natasha stood back up and grabbed the chair from her. Yelena fell, her back against the wall, and Natasha raised the chair over her head and slammed it down, but Yelena rolled out of the way in time. She rushed up beside Natasha and rammed her knee into Natasha’s ribs.

Natasha’s fingers loosened on the chair leg and she sputtered, gasping, and as she doubled over, Yelena tried to do it again. Natasha dove out of the way in time and took Yelena with her to the ground. She landed hard on Yelena’s chest and now they were both out of breath, but Natasha reached up to wipe her hair out of her face and pointed her Widows Bites.

Yelena’s elbow came up out of nowhere and Natasha felt it ram into the side of her head hard and she stopped, seeing stars. That was when Yelena got the upper hand, flipping Natasha over slamming her onto her back. She reached into one of her coat pockets deftly and produced a switchblade. Natasha looked up at her, dazed, and gasped when she saw the glitter of the blade. It was coming at her fast, diving down to settle itself in her eye socket and she threw up both arms automatically, screaming out loud. The knife embedded itself into Natasha’s forearm and her eyes widened. She almost didn’t feel the pain, she was so stunned.

Horrified and in an adrenaline rush of painless fear, Natasha found the strength to throw Yelena off and send her sprawling to the ground. She found a table nearby and used it to pull herself shakily to her feet, and then she looked down at her right arm, where a giant knife sat wedged between her bones, and she gripped it with her left. When she tried to pull, the pain blinded her.

No, she told herself though the thickness of fear and her mind. Leave it in, leave it in. You’ll bleed less.

Across from her, Yelena was pulling herself to her feet. She looked down at the knife and the fight came to something of a lull as Yelena grinned.

“Ouch,” she said. “That’ll sting.” Natasha looked up at her.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a real piece of work,” she gasped. Before Yelena could respond, Natasha acted, slipping a round disk out of one of her sleeves with her good hand and flinging it at Yelena. When it hit her, lines of blue light exploded and Yelena screamed and convulsed. Natasha took advantage of the time and ran to her, stretching a cord between her hands in order to strangle her. Somehow, Yelena grabbed her first by her shoulders, stopping her and gripping her so hard that Natasha could almost feel her nails through her jacket, a strength Natasha still hadn’t learned to expect from Yelena’s wrathful, doll-ish face, and then with the glow of electricity fading from her eyes, she reared her head back and smashed Natasha in the face. Natasha felt the bridge of her nose crunch and suddenly, her mouth and throat were flooded with hot, thick, coppery blood. She choked on it, gargling through the blood. Then, Yelena did it again and Natasha didn’t feel the cord slip from her fingers as she started to see black.

“You aren’t-gaACKK,” Natasha choked and blood dribbled down her chin. “-kk-the B-Black-”

Yelena’s fist came almost out of nowhere and CRRACK right into Natasha’s face again. Natasha felt her knees hit the ground, and that’s when she knew she had to run. She wasn’t going to make it through this fight. She’d made mistakes, she’d tried to reason with Yelena, and she let her guard down and now… Now, she was too far gone to make up the difference in this fight. She wasn’t going to come out on top and if she wanted to live, if she wanted to keep Yelena away from her legacy, she had to make the smart choice. With what strength she had left, Natasha pried herself out of Yelena’s hands and then drew strength out of her fear-powered adrenaline and delivered one final, powerful kick to the side of Yelena’s head before she turned around.

Natasha burst out the door and the rain was coming down worse now, thick and heavy, and Natasha coughed up blood there in the puddles on the street before starting to run. Feet pounding, arms pumping, lungs screaming kind of run. She didn’t know where she was going. She just had to go!

She could hear Yelena behind her, a second set of footsteps splashing in puddles, and she took a sharp turn, almost slipping, and raced down a black alley. Yelena was shouting something behind her and she looked up and watched something sail over her head as she ran towards it. Something glowing. Natasha’s eyes widened as the bomb hit the ground before her and began to take everything with it and she made another sharp turn to avoid it. Some of the blast hit her and she flew through the air and landed hard on her right arm. She thought she’d never felt pain like that before, as the knife turned between her bones as it hit the ground before her and then she landed heavy on the wound. The knife began to wedge itself out and Natasha ripped it out with a scream. Blood gushed. She tried to pull herself to her feet again and collapsed, then grabbed the brick wall and tried again and finally stood upright. Then, leaving a trail of red behind her, kept going. She had no time to stop.

James, I need to get James, she thought frantically. Thirty minute drive here. No idea where I am. Bleeding out. How do I get back?!

Yelena was catching up and Natasha could hear her start to round the corner and, working on frenzied instinct, she collapsed in the dark corner behind a dumpster and clung to the corner between the metal and the wall, sinking into the shadow. She prayed Yelena didn’t see her, didn’t see anything, and Yelena was rounding the corner now. Natasha watched her from the corner as she ran past and stared, stunned at her luck, as Yelena kept going without her.

She’ll notice the blood not in the puddles anymore, Natasha thought. She’ll come back. Natasha hugged her right arm to herself and scrambled to her feet and began to run in the opposite direction.

Where am I where am i where am i

cab? can i take a cab??

can’t… can’t walk that far. won’t make it…

Natasha ran until she couldn’t anymore, and walked until she couldn’t anymore, and she thought she could recognize the landmarks around her and followed them, but she was still too far from James to be safe when she dizzily collapsed in an alley and everything was woosh gone.