They Avengers' must have been their for at least over 24hours, because the next day...
Or whenever it was! Basically the next time Nat was visited it wasn't be any figure of importance, just some random thug Hydra had sent to get whatever plan they had moving.
She didn't know what was worse; the fact that they thought so little of her to send a simple baboon to beat her up.
Or the fact they were giving her so little attention, had her plan back-fired already?
Suddenly the projection was brought back to life, but this time she saw all her friends for a mere 5 minutes before Steve's screen was expanded and the others discarded.
She knew how she looked: her eyes were wide and constantly crossing-over, jumping faster than flies and never seeing the same thing again. Loose strands of tangled fur replaced her silky crimson locks, it was a bag of clumps and knots. She was constantly shivering despite her sweating body, her skin was thick and hot and Steve's t-shirt was no longer recognisable. It stuck to her like a second skin and did little to contain her body temperature.
But knowing all that summed up for nothing when she saw Rogers' terrified orbs trying to absorb her current state, Natasha was actually pleased; other than the constant clothing of worry and hatred he looked the same, just his cheeks lead you to believe he was straining as the brightness shone darker than usual.
Though the sight of a Hydra agent entering his cell made her pleasure turn to pain, they were going to torture them; using each other as bait.
Rogers' barely glanced at the man in his cell, his eyes never leaving Romanoff's as she was brutally lowered so her feet were planted on the ground, just looking at her state sent a shiver down his spine.
Unlike when Pierce had threatened her - Nat's body language had implied Romanoff's screen had been turned off, however all the remaining Avengers' hadn't and they'd all caught the disturbing interaction - Nat wasn't trying to hold her own weight, clearly she was severally weakened.
Despite the Agent in Steve's cell and the medical table, which was now housing numerous instruments with different shapes, pointed edges and jagged spikes, Hydra made no move towards him. The man simply paced before Rogers' trying to steal his eyes, which were glued to Tasha.
Suddenly, Cap's chin jerked upwards, Nat couldn't catch the muffled questions asked as the thug pounced around. She almost laughed at his dodging state, come on buddy it wasn't like she was gonna put up a fight...But Steve would, Nat knew how the game worked, Hydra asked whatever the hell they wanted and Rogers' being a predictable, loveable gentlemen answered as long as his little spider didn't get harmed.
Steve's jaw was set, clearly struggling whether to give away the information. Before she could stop herself an electrical impulse contorted her veins and her voice snapped "Steve...don't!" His attention returned to Romanoff as her statement revolved in a fist pounding twice into her stomach, her face crumbled in agony.
A growl escaped his lips, but at least Nat had gotten his attention. Even though she could handle herself a few punches she saved the suffering for the real questions of this interrogation by speaking with her eyes. She knew she could say a thousand more words with her verdant orbs, than her mouth could even attempt to utter whilst experiencing the painful duration of uneven rhythm and beat of kicks and hits.
DON'T.
She urged as if it was her last breath, the confusion set alight in his eyes was transported through the screen as Nat begged him to trust her.
She could do this.
She willed him to just pretend the screen wasn't on, act as if he didn't know she'd be receiving the rear end of his interrogation.
More questions were shared but Cap's jaw was tightly sealed, however what followed shortly after wasn't short lived.
Romanoff slide across the floor as the momentum of being beaten swung her chains, her fingers clawed against the floor as she tried to stop the room from spinning. When green met blue everything straightened, he was her holding point.
She was doing this for him.
Though she'd be lying if she said she wasn't desperate for a breather, usually whenever she has been interrogated or tortured Romanoff has always been able to tell herself that it wasn't real, believe it or not but she was able to say to herself that she was imagining the pain and if that didn't work then she'd push the pain down and deal with it later; her only assurance being that it would end.
However, right now was the first time Nat couldn't do that. No matter how much she tried it was too much and all because she had to look strong in front of the one person she'd shown her real weakness, otherwise he'd spill every little secret SHIELD had left that hadn't already been uncovered by Hydra.
Finally the interrogation stopped, leaving Romanoff bloody and beaten. Her tears turned to blood as the chains released her and a groan fell from her lips as she crashed forwards. At the very last second possible the man - who Nat was bitterly happy to see had bloody hands as bloody as her own, though how much of that blood belonged to him she couldn't tell - caught her bare form and Romanoff almost allowed herself to let somebody else support her when he viciously threw her against the wall of her ceil.
Soon after he left, spitting at her feet as he did so.
The word pain was too dainty to describe what Widow was feeling, the lexis lost all its refinement as her wounds of misery and torment crept on her shuddering body like a crawling toddler. Grief filled her system as Natasha mourned the fight and will of the Black Widow, who crumbled before her like a shadow showing the broken soul of a warrior.
The name Widow finally related to Romanoff's broken spirit, no longer meaning she was the ferociously deadly spider but in fact a mourning individual.
But what really shattered her resistance was Steve's suffering surface, Romanoff saw it like he was in front of her - really in front of her, next to instead of in another bloody room - the misery of knowing he had done this to her. Steve's actions had repeated what they've always done, hurt his loved ones. Chipped away at them until there was no more love for him, Nat bit down the shiver rising from her body and made to relieve his anguish but was interrupted by the unwelcome presence of Alexander Pierce, who stood over hawk-like, enjoying the ravishing sight of his prey's defiance slowly fading as her mind began to decay due to the actions of her loved one.
From somewhere buried deep under the rumble of refusal a fire was burning, That's exactly what he wants her to think!
Pierce wants Natasha to turn on Steve, he wants her to look at Cap with a hatred fuelled by a jaw-dropping malice, then he'll have fully succeeded in not only breaking the Avengers' leader, but by also converting one of SHIELD's last remaining advantages into a newly refined Hydra weapon.
Well, not if I have anything to do with it! The Black Widow was merely biding her time, she'd take her shot, healing and then strike.
Pierce then surprised the Widow by gently placing his hands on her small arms and lifting her up, resting her weakened body against his own as he lead her out of the cell.
In the distance she heard Steve screaming her name, one last look at the projection showed not just Cap but all the Avengers. Their reactions were diverse:
- Thor already looked like he'd seen her ghost, his face stricken with regret,
- Stark placed his head in his hands,
- Bruce kept his eyes down, his body shaking uncontrollably - probably trying to stay calm,
- Clint stormed off his bed, shouting as he pounded his fist against the wall, his blood spitting on the camera,
- Wanda tried to conceal a sob as warm tears evacuated her glazed eyes,
- Pietro finally made a break for it, penetrating his force-field for a second as his fury drove him to vanquish his anger by moving, his speed left marks against the floor. Rapidly he fell down again, gasping for air as the compact power moulded to his body again.
Little did Romanoff know: the footage in Natasha's room changed to that of her and Pierce walking down the hallway, the Avengers' held their breath watching their friend stumble down the hall.
Nat didn't get another look at Rogers' before she was in the corridor, she accepted Pierce's help and noted how the dark, gloomy hallway was deserted. Where were the guards?
Though Nat wasn't going to be stupid and ignore this chance for freedom by questioning Hydra's security measures. Idly she geared herself up, keeping the tightening and clenching of her muscles unnoticeable as Pierce made his way further down the hallway. On the right Nat noticed a panel randomly placed on the wall at hand height. Slowly the pieces fell into place, as the image of the door engraving into her metal cell struck her eyes.
Quickly, Natasha counted the negatives and positives; she had just as much of a chance as opening that door and finding her friends as finding heavily armed soldiers ready to tackle her. Plus there was always the possibility that it wasn't a door opening at all, now that would be embarrassing, Tasha cocked an eyebrow.
Suddenly, Natasha's left calf caught Pierce's leg and she went to trip but pulled out at the last minute and let him face plant to the floor. Instantly she kicked him in the stomach and when he tried to stand up she knocked him out by punching him in the head. Not wasting a second; assuming their were cameras in the hall and guards were already on their way, Romanoff raised his limp hand against the scanner.
A robotic voice spoke stoically. "Alexander Pierce." followed by a amazingly satisfying beep as the door imprinted and then opened, Natasha charged through, leaving Pierce's body on the floor.
Excitement flooded her nerves, taking charge as a devious army invaded her body. Her, slightly too appreciative, smile was smacked off her face after her eyes caught up with the ever-changing image in front of her.
Her pleasure shifted to pain as she saw before her was a startled James Buchanan Barnes, lad back - shirtless she might add - in his brainwashing chair. It was odd, he appeared relatively comfortable in a chair used to torture him.
Her desperation dragged out a whisper "No..." Bucky's eyes were a mixture of amusement and resent as he shifted slightly, his reaction slightly emphasised for the viewers on the screen. Nat turned to look at the projection, seeing her friends again.
Her mind finally shifted to the realisation of a shattering dream, she turned automatically and felt the sinking feeling of butterflies in her stomach reminding her of that stomach-churning shift when you were on a rollercoaster ride and you reached the top and waited that nerve-raking second to return shooting to the ground.
The engraved door folded back into a metal cell and Romanoff frantically began throwing her body against the wall "No!" Her voice broke out into a husky crack.
"Nooo! No...no..." Oddly the image of herself breaking outside of Steve's door all those nights ago, appeared in her head, trying to get him to answer her. Just like she'd known then and just like she knew now...she wasn't going to be let in - or in this case out.
Romanoff was so fucking disappointed with herself.
Out of all the cells her friends were being kept in she had to walk into this one.
A groan escapes her mouth as she slides down the wall, scratching her bear legs against the hard surface. Surprisingly, James gets up and lifts Nat into his arms and walks her towards the chair, immediately Romanoff starts panicking "No! Get me away from that thing...James stop!"
Her struggles to get away make him stop walking, he couldn't risk dropping her. Silently he turns to the wall opposite the projection and quietly he sits down, Nat squirms to get out of his reach but she feels completely and utterly drained.
Her head rests against his shoulder and her back leans against his chest, as she closes her eyes letting the darkness consume her.
Natasha's eyes opened in an even darker setting, like the light into the cell followed regular time - like day and night etc.
Underneath her body she felt the deep breaths of a peaceful body and quickly remembered Barnes resting her against him, her eyes travelled down her body, seeing Steve's soaking wet t-shirt clinging to her skin, keeping her cold and dampening Bucky's warming temperature. Her eyes settled on Barnes' arm around her waist, slowly she asked herself what it meant.
Nat knew Bucky still cared greatly for her, at least before they'd been captured he had. But after their capture she had to ask herself whether or not he'd played her, the finality he'd used when pursuing her and Rogers' not long ago suggested otherwise.
A clear voice spoke in her head The problem with James is you never know which actions are his and which are Hydra's. He's their number one go to agent. Over time his thoughts have moulded into theirs, that's why you struggle to trust him and that's why his treatment towards you is always changing. I told you and Steve that it'd be difficult to finally separate them and him.
Natasha spun forwards, just jarring James, and eyed his arm as it instinctively tightened around her waist. She settled herself back against his chest, stopping him from grabbing at her in his not so unconscious slumber.
Romanoff's eyes travelled to the projection again, the majority of the Avengers were asleep; yep definitely night time.
Finally green orbs searched for the brown watcher, Romanoff gasped as Wanda nodded at her; reassuring the spy that the voice in her head had been Maximoff. Natasha also saw the strain it had taken on the young girl "Wanda get some rest, please." Her voice was so silent Nat almost didn't hear it but somehow Witch did. Idly she nodded, agony flashed in her eyes like a flame reflected from a fire.
Widow finally got a better look at Wanda's force-field. It was attached to many other wires, like veins. Natasha concealed her gasp realising what it was meant to represent; an eye.
Thoughts started spinning faster and faster until Natasha had a clear idea of what Hydra was planning, they were going to use Witch's abilities to send an image...maybe a nightmare or a hallucination to each member of the Avengers.
Make them crack one by one, until there was nothing left.
Natasha's breathing increased and Bucky shifted in his sleep slightly, wrapping another arm around her waist. "Get some sleep Tash." He spoke in her ear, not realising the affect it had on her, immediately Nat wanted to escape his hold. Reluctantly Romanoff let him hold her, imagining what Steve must have thought when she'd fallen asleep in his arms.
Guilt threatened to trickle from her eyes but Romanoff swallowed them; she couldn't afford to worry about something so insignificant - but yet painful - as jealousy and she needed to save water so crying was not going to help.
After another daunting 10 seconds Tasha's eyes found the fresh t-shirt waiting for her by the wall where she'd come in from, she could tell that was where the door was by the blood from her knuckles, after beating it senselessly, dotting the wall.
Her temptation to get out of this cold skin was crushed when she remembered Bucky was shirtless and that was most likely meant for him, Nat cursed her body which swiftly remembered his defined abs against her back; how was he not freezing?
Once again Natasha looked up at the projection, her eyes catching Steve watchfully. Instantly she moved to get out of Bucky's protective arms, but Steve's sad eyes held her in place, he shock his head and smiled at her.
Romanoff didn't have the heart to smile back, she felt she was teasing him; mocking almost. For a while they just stared at each other, nothing else to do besides that, Nat didn't know how long they'd looked at each other but Tasha saw Steve struggling to keep his eyes open more than once.
"Steve" the sound of her voice was music to his ears, even though he flinched at the sudden evacuation of silence. "Get some rest, please." He frowned, if she was staying up he wanted to as well. But she narrowed her orbs knowingly, finally he lay back against the bed, sinking into the comfy mattress of the chair; as soon as his eyelids shut there was nothing Nat could do but watch.
She wished it was his arms keeping her warm, whilst imagining him holding her Romanoff got lost in past memories of waking up beside him. Once more she drifted into sleep only waking several hours later to see her Avengers were mostly up, except Thor who was snoring loudly.
As soon as she woke, she began laughing causing Stark to stare at her with a smirk on his face "Trust you to be smiling at a time like this Red." that made Nat's laughter harder to contain and soon Barton asked her, sleep still peeping from his eyes "What the fuck are you laughing at Romanoff?"
She pointed to Thor, he was lying on the ground, his stomach on the ground, his head turned to the side so his snoring was still audible. Slowly the amusement faded from her eyes as she realised how cold that had been, the previously smirking boys stared at her, seeing what had stopped her.
Widow soon realised, rather happy she'd only just noticed, James' arms were no longer draped around her acting as a bed sheet.
Pietro, who was crouched against his cell wall, cheeks white as a ghost answered her unspoken question "He was collected this morning, he begged that they leave you here." She stiffened, stifling a gulp.
Before Stark could come back with a witty remark Barton interrupted "You alright kid?" Pietro didn't acknowledge Clint, just moved on "I'm guessing you've all experienced this sort of thing before."
Tony responded "Not as extreme as this."
To which Thor, who'd just woken, retorted "You? You've been in captivity before?"
Instead of arguing back Tony enjoyed the soft laughter that followed, immediately after a cell door opened in his cell and Stark stood, tensing as he did so. Pierce walked in glaring, Nat was pleased to see he looked almost as bad as she did with a black eye and fat lip.
"Walk with me Mr Stark." He ordered, Stark turned to the screen "What...you're not scared I'll beat you like Romanoff?" Pierce growled staring at the defiantly laughing Barton, Banner and Thor.
"No where near as concerned, now come along." He opened the door for Tony who turned back to the projector, winking as he did so "I'll have you know I can be much worse, but only on my time of month."
The little humour, however inappropriate or half-hearted was a big help. It gave Nat hope that, well if Stark was still cracking jokes - no matter how bad - at least he was okay.
As soon as Tony left - this time no camera following him out the corridor - Barnes returned, his eyes darker and Nat jumped immediately she turned to the opposite side of the room, cautious as to where he'd been. He must have something to do with Stark.
Before she could ask he picked up the discarded t-shirt on the floor, having collected one from somewhere else, and handed it to Natasha.
Out of the surrounding shadows crept a hand of possession, it wrapped around Romanoff like a second skin and held her to her most impulsive desires.
Quickly, Nat turned her back to him raising the old rag; she wasn't surprised to find her reluctance to let it go, despite everything that t-shirt had been through it was the closest - at that precise moment - that she was to Rogers and somehow it still seized Steve's singular smell.
In a blink she'd pulled off his top and replaced it with the spare, when she turned she was pleasantly surprised to see James had turned his back to her to give her privacy. As if sensing her staring at him he too spun to face her, for a while they just stared at each other and then the thoughts kept bubbling until she was raising her t-shirt.
Bucky's eyes followed her movement as Natasha revealed her bullet wound scar just above her hipbone "Do you remember giving this to me?" her voice was demanding.
James gulped before sadly stating "No, no I don't. How did...when did I?"
The memory shattered Nat's vision "That doesn't matter, do you remember leaving me?" These were questions Widow longed answers for, like a forgotten kiss, ever since the events happened. Just like now she longed for Steve's protective arms to hold her.
Nat couldn't tell if he was avoiding the second question or not because he pressed her for the first. "When, Natasha?" Thankfully her voice didn't betray her as she spoke the same words she'd once shared with Cap, adapting it to the correct time period. "Ten years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. But you...the Winter Solider was there. I was covering my engineer so you shot him straight through me."
A pained expression contorted Bucky's regularly crystal calm exterior.
She stepped up to him, it was time Nat did her own investigation, she shoved him backwards, gentler than she'd intended. Well she was still recovering. "Now, I've answered your question...Answer mine!" A fire filled firm eyes, but he backed down, settling into a crouch.
"I didn't know I was leaving...after that night I wanted to protect you, that's all I ever wanted to do. But I couldn't...I was in the wrong mind set, I should have fought harder!" He growled and Nat concluded "They forced you..."
James bowed his head, and asked his next question "Did...did you love me?"
Silently Romanoff sinks to the floor, feeling old wounds and scars reopening, there were too many this time. Too many new ones threatening to attack her body, if she spoke about this Nat was sure she wouldn't be able to stop bleeding, her heart pumping the blood faster and faster out of her numerous love wounds.
"Yes..."
That's all she can manage to say as the word vividly toys with his emotions, daring him to act but also punishing him by denying his feelings. He takes 1 step forward but then 2 back.
Silently he asks, as their bodies shudder and shiver from the painfully daunting questions, "Do you still love me?" His head falls as he interprets the answer.
Astonishing even herself her mouth moves before her head "Yes, but not for the reason you think." Without waiting for him to respond Natasha elaborates, only just remembering the intruding audience behind her, she stays still ignoring them and goes on to explain what's been holding her back all this time.
"When you fall in love" her voice is filled with promise of a sunshine romance, which then cracked "And they break your heart, it takes a piece of you away. It steals it...the piece you gave to them is gone...and you can never get it back. You can never give that same part of yourself to somebody else." No tears fall, which for once demonstrates her broken heart more than if she was crying a river.
"That's why...after you broke my heart I thought love was unfair - and I shut myself off, I sealed those bridges for a long time, - that's why people fall out of love so easily...because they change during it. And you leaving me...no matter if it wasn't your fault...changed me, before I met you I would have cut myself off. I would have distanced myself from everybody, not just people I loved.
It took time but I let people in...eventually" A playful smile turned the corners of her mouth up, you have no idea how happy she was that the rock pushing down on her heart was being lifted.
"Love is trust and trust is a power...the whole point of love is giving somebody that power. It all comes down to whether they wield it or not. And that's why we can't be, I'm not brave enough to give you that kind of power again Buck...I'm sorry but I don't trust myself enough to do that. Truthfully, those feelings I felt were what you took from me.
"But I do love you, because even though you hurt me. You took away that poisonous pit in my stomach that told me not to love because I was a monster, and so were you." As the remaining words dripped from her mouth she felt her wall breaking that little bit more "I think I'm just realising now why we worked, because we didn't believe we were good enough for better people.
So, I'm thanking you, because yes you cut me, but that left me open in a way I hadn't been before and that left room for somebody to give me a new part of myself."
Natasha instantly turned away from him, retreating to the opposite corner and wrapping herself in Steve's shirt, even if she wanted to see him she knew looking at his pained face would break her in ways she hadn't been broken in before.
Desperately her eyes strayed from the projection, she was terrified to look, terrified to see Steve's reaction.
Suddenly the door opened and Nat sprang up to see a Pierce, who at first ignored Natasha, he stepped into the room and grabbed Bucky forcefully. Romanoff didn't dare try and escape, still weary of Stark's lack of sarcasm. As soon as Barnes left Pierce grabbed Nat, pulling her up by her hair and dragged her from his cell.
She kicked out but was too deprived of energy and before she new it she was back in her own cell, this time her arms were chained to the wall, thankfully not the ceiling.
The painful days ticked on and they were all suffering, in Stark's absence there was nothing holding the team back from doubting his survival. It was cruel and harsh to think but so was Hydra.
Eventually all members had been tortured or beaten, the most recent had been Barton. The entire time Nat had been yelling - which earned herself some pretty blunt punches - to fight it. Keep going, now they were all starving and with no water death was only round the corner. Until finally, Stark returned, he didn't look beaten or hurt, he looked healthier than when he'd left. Despite the bombardment of questions he refused to acknowledge their existence which honestly was the scariest thing Nat had experienced to date.
The only people left who hadn't been tortured were the Maximoff twins, which still managed to keep the flame of hope alive in the pouring rain.
It was another day when somebody entered Pietro's cell, it was James Barnes. Ever since Natasha's separation; Barnes' cell had been empty. He marched in with a menacing glare and the entire team stiffened, immediately he began beating Pietro senseless.
Quicksilver couldn't even move to react to the assault due to the concealment of his force-field. It was painful to hear never mind watch, and worst of all was Wanda's reaction, she acted as if she was the one being beaten. Throwing herself across her force-field with everything she had, suddenly in the chaos that followed Pietro took a blow to the head, his complexion red as a rose as he fell forwards.
At that piercing moment Natasha steeled herself, seeing Scarlet Witch tense herself. All at once, Wanda snapped, red sparks leaped from her kneeling form like water dripping off a wet body. They formed cracks in the force-field until it shattered into tiny pieces of near invisible glass.
Wanda didn't hesitate suddenly the door to her cell opened and Witch was running down the cell, seconds later she marched into Pietro's cell, Bucky turned to her but before he could do anything her hand gripped the air as if a ball of steel was within her grip. James was lifted into the air and hurtled towards Pietro whose force-field also smashed after the shear force from Maximoff.
They wasted no time and left the cell, a fleeting thought fought its way to the surface of Tasha's skull; it would be so much easier for them to leave without a backwards glance.
If it was Natasha in that position, no matter how much she loved the Avengers, she knew that thought would be pressing against her, though Wanda had been right - no matter how much easier it would be, Nat would die for her teammates.
It's because of that torturing thought that Wanda's spirals of destruction reached through the confining cages and crushed any confinements the team are trapped to. Now, they were on the move, they'd come too far to not go all the way; no matter if that meant freedom or death.
Wanda had risked to much and Nat wasn't gonna hold back, suddenly her cell door clashed open and Romanoff took a fleeting glance at the screen; Banner and Thor were already out and Wanda was heading to Barton next.
Tasha saw a bunch of guards entering her cell and she dove into a rollie-pollie, when she came out she was right next the first guards feet. The click of a gun made Nat grab him by the throat and spin, Natasha hated using other humans for shield's but...with pleasure she recognised the thug who'd beaten both her and Rogers - by making his actions lead to it - so she was more than thrilled that he was now protecting her, in other words.
Once the remaining guards had wasted a lot of their ammunition on their co-worker Romanoff threw his body at the nearest guard and leaped from behind, kicking the other in the chest and side-stepping another punch. She snarled as a bullet grazed her arm and stepped up the guys body, kicking him in the groan and chin before flipping forwards and out the door.
Further down the corridor Natasha heard Barton yell "Tasha!" She didn't even turn but yelled "I'm getting Rogers and Stark, meet you guys up there!" She pointed upwards, assuming they were underground. The distant sound of gunfire distracted Clint from arguing.
Otherwise it would have been dangerous splitting up, but with Wanda as long as everyone else stayed together it should be fine.
Nat found another door but before she could do anything she noticed the hand scanner, frantically she began to panic. She was about to call for Wanda but Barnes appeared terrifying Romanoff as he did so.
Without questions asked James placed his hand on the scanner and the door opened straight away; she guessed Barnes was more trusted than she thought. Stark bounded towards them and wrapped Nat in a fleeting hug before they continued further down the corridor. Finally they came to the last scanner, opened it and Steve jumped out, Stark and Barnes leaped backwards whereas Nat ran forwards her legs wrapping around Steve as he lifted her up into a clinging caress.
Steve didn't say anything at the sight of James but patted Tony's back and they continued down the corridor "Where's the others?" Tony's voice bounced off the silent walls "They had to get Clint, they're all together though. Wanda's keeping tabs on us all, we need to get up...but which..?" Bucky heard all he wanted to hear and took the lead, the thought that he could be betraying them clearly crossed Cap and Iron Man's faces but Nat cocked an eye before following; there wasn't time for doubts.
An alarm was blaring and drowning out the chorus of rushed and short breaths. As they rounded the corner they came face to face with a huddle of guards without waiting for a second to spare Steve and Bucky tackled the first row whilst Tony knocked out a few with several powerful punches and Nat brought up the rear, stopping only to grab some guns off the fallen guards. She chucked one to Stark whilst keeping two to herself and suddenly they reached a door. Steve kicked it in straight away and a blinding light covered their vision as they rocked forwards, jumping from the door and landing in a cushion of snow.
Their surroundings included trees, mountains and a magnificent view, Nat spun eyeing the rest of the facility and saw a spark of red leaping into the air, it came from a gap between two heavily guarded doors.
Nat pointed it out and began running at fall speed, the cold only just catching up to her as a breeze blew her red curls around her face.
The Avengers charged through the gates of hell and halted seeing the chaos exploding around them, Pietro and Wanda were in full swing using their powers as the best weapon as Thor - who'd left Mjolnir at the house - used his speed and strength to tackle anything that moved.
Barton on the other hand had retrieved a gun from one of the guards and was shooting left, right and centre. His aim was just as good with a gun as a bow, but it wasn't as swift or refined.
Banner on the other hand was standing next to Wanda allowing her to protect him, soon the Avengers ran to them, helping out hold of Hydra. Finally Nat yelled "What the hell are we waiting for? Let's get out of here." They began running for the gate when Stark froze "WAIT! I need to go back."
Steve spun to him in pure rage, "Why? STARK!" Steve was now screaming at the shadow of his crazy friend, Steve moved as if to go and follow but Pietro yelled "I'll go, meet you by the forest!"
Wanda snapped after her brother, but Nat grabbed her attempt to follow, holding the twin back despite the pain withdrawing from Maximoff's weeping fingers. Sparks encircled the pair
"Wanda...come on! We need to move." Barton's assuring tone brought the girl back who fled Romanoff's grip and the group began sprinting just as Hydra guards reappeared, they got out the clearance of the gates and were nearing the forest when an explosion rocked the hilly ground and the Avengers were thrown into the air.
Abruptly Thor and Barton regained their footing and helped Banner and Wanda up, James was standing at the front of the pack taking a reluctant hand from Wanda and leading her to the trees.
Nat on the other hand, was a different story. She'd been closest to the explosion and had been properly jarred, her eye sight was endlessly spinning and her ears were laughing at the difficulty and lack of control the spy had over her senses.
Without missing a beat Steve lifted her up in his arms, bridal style and chased his friends into the forest, Natasha clinging to him for dear life.
Once under the protection of the trees, despite Hydra's futile attempts to shot them, they were safe. For several more minutes they were staring at the gates, willing Pietro and Stark to return.
"Come on Stark!" Natasha whispered to no one in particular to which Thor shouted "We should have never left them." Which resulted in Wanda collapsing to the ground. Her eyes closed and Nat knew she was reaching out for her brother, slowly Natasha sank down next to Wanda, taking her hand and she muttered "Come on, Wanda. Just clear your head." Maximoff took a deep breath, her eyes shut and then started snapping her watchful eyes open and she stood straight away, shock seeping off her like a mist.
Before Natasha could ask what was going on Bucky ran forward out of the shelter of the trees, clearly he'd waited too long. Gunfire still raged on and James had to take cover behind a cove of snow created from the previous explosion. Before Nat could think she chased after him; he was not getting himself killed because of Tony.
Pietro would get through, he always did.
"Natasha!" Behind her Steve yelled, but Thor gripped his friends arm, they couldn't risk it anymore.
Soon Romanoff reached Barnes, ducking from fire during the process. "What the fuck are you doing Barnes?" she peeped around the corner; there was no chance he could get past this cove without getting shot.
James stared around too, steeling himself and Nat grabbed his hand with hers; holding him in place. Her eyes spoke with more persuasion than her mouth could master. Don't you dare!
"It's practically suicide James." He shock her hold off "I don't care, it's my fault Natasha!" She was tempted to agree with him but she remembered what Wanda had told her; The problem with James is you never know which actions are his and which are Hydra's...that's why you struggle to trust him and that's why his treatment towards you is always changing.
Desperately Natasha reassured him, "No it's not Buck! Hydra's always been in your head, manipulating and abusing you until you can't tell the difference between their thoughts and your own."
He stared at her, determined "Exactly Romanoff, that's why I have to fix this."
Nat snarled, loosing patience as the snow shifted and she had to move further into the protection of the cove, closer to James.
"Look! I agree you've acted like a dick, a pretty huge one at that...But getting shot now won't change that. There's nothing we can do except wait. If there were don't you think we'd be doing it?" Her rhetorical question lead him to think.
His body froze and he turned to her "You're right. But you said so yourself, I'm a monster...so maybe it'd be...okay if I died not being so monstrous whilst saving your friends' butts?" Nat glared "It would be the noble thing to do." He added which a touch of amusement in his voice.
Nat spat a correction "It would be the stupid thing to do!" He went to argue but a blue flicker of movement caught her eye.
Pietro landed next to them, Stark rolling out of his arms as he did so. Nat's gasp of relief subsided when she saw Pietro's movements were compact, she ran to him hearing Wanda's scream bouncing of the lining of her skull.
He had a bullet wound in his side which was seeping blood, immediately Nat tore the bottom of her t-shirt and Wanda materialised beside her. She was crying, holding his cheeks and whispering.
Given Pietro's speed Nat assumed that he was like Steve in the sense that everything about him was enhanced by speed; therefore he'd heal quicker but he'd also bleed quicker. He was lucky the wound hadn't touched anything series, but a not so series wound for a human could be exceptionally dangerous for somebody whose blood ran 10 times faster.
Pietro's eyes were glazed and unfocused, at Nat's back she heard Stark yelling; this must be horrible for him, thinking the twins already hated him for creating the weapon that killed their parents and now...he might of got one of them killed.
Widow felt dizzy at the thought, No! She wasn't going to let that happen.
"Wanda, I need you to stop the bleeding." Witch looked confused. "Wha...?"
Nat repeated herself, her nerve exposed and impatient "Stop the bleeding!"
She began to argue "But I could hurt..."
Nat yelled, ripping more of her shirt to replace the dripping red material she'd previously used "JUST DO IT!"
Maximoff silenced and sealed her eyes, using every remaining bit of strength the twin had she put a mental plug in his bullet wound. Beneath them Pietro squirmed and behind the girls the frantic boys were causing quite a commotion, Romanoff screamed, her patience wearing thin as Wanda's concentration strayed slightly "Keep it down back there!"
The boys suddenly hushed and Natasha grinned; she couldn't let herself smile yet, Wanda was doing it. The blood stopped running, but Nat's appreciation and praise deteriorated as she saw the clustering strain rising higher than the confessing moon in her friends' eyes.
Natasha's voice resembled that strain "Barton!" Clint appeared before the detached spy who was trying to find the balance between patching up Pietro and looking professional; when you're trying to save a life it doesn't look good to have the same amount of pain and apprehension Wanda was comfortably wearing.
"I need something to wrap around his torso, strips of my t-shirt aren't gonna cut it."
In the background she heard Stark, probably receiving a disapproving glance from Rogers "Not that we don't wanna see our little Red in her underwear, but hey! I'd hate for her to get hyperthermia."
Clint surprised Nat with a roll of bandages, apparently Pietro had been shot before they'd headed back and Stark had snagged a roll before leaving. Nat made quick work of the injury and whispered to Wanda "You can relax now, if you want." The twin eyed her carefully "Will it help if I keep it from running out?"
Nat reluctantly nodded, not wanting the girl to waste all her energy right now, they still had a long distance to go before escaping the Hydra facility.
When Romanoff turned back to the conversation, leaving Wanda with her brother, she caught the last few tense statements she folded her arms in a commanding stance which spoke speeches, drawing attention from the boys.
"We should talk about this later" Her voice stepped behind Steve's advancing body to Stark's retreating one, "Now we need to find cover and get as far away from them as we can." As if to emphasise her point an explosion rocked the land, Natasha not even flinching. She saw the guilt rising in Stark's posture and the last thing anybody needed was a lay in from their leader.
Though Romanoff also observed Cap was hesitant to give it.
Steve and Thor lead the team away from the destruction unfolding around them, Barton - carrying Pietro with his sisters' help to ease the weight with her powers - and Wanda behind them with Banner not far behind and bringing up the rear was a miserable Tony, an ashamed Barnes and a stealthy silent Natasha, keeping tabs on the two most likely to fall behind due to the caging feeling of their own guilty suffering.
Widow knew better than most, sometimes being trapped in your own heart was worse than a physical cage; though nothing could convince Romanoff to return to that hell hold of her own accord at that precise moment.
They wondered for hours until they reached the ending of the forest, the snow was melting away and the soft ground was a comfort under Nat's cold feet. She'd managed to hijack a piggy-back ride from Stark for the last few hours, during which she'd convinced him to spill the beans.
As it turned out that day when Bucky had disappeared, had been because he'd been sent to break into Stark Tower and complete the mission originally tailored to be completed with Maximoff and Romanoff.
Of course he'd been successful and when he'd returned Stark had been sent to go and create a weapon Hydra had collected his equipment to make. Nat smiled up at him as she untangled herself from Tony's hunched backside, mocking her weight which she smacked his arm for, earning a smile, "What did you make?" His smile faded too quickly.
"A bomb." Nat's mouth opened in panic but he reassured her "Don't worry, it doesn't work." Nat was still sceptical but Stark added as an after thought "But it also means I can't make it myself anytime in the foreseeable future."
Nat bit her lip, unsure as whether that was a bad thing or not.
"Don't you think..." Her thought trailed of, the last thing she wanted to do was panic anybody further. She looked down the long line of Avengers, Quicksilver was looking livelier and limping along, using Clint as support rather than a human carrier. Wanda had her indifferent smile back, fighting between being concerned for her brother or angry at him. Barnes was daydreaming, but his shoulders weren't as slouched as before. Thor, Banner and Steve were conversing in an aimless matter, just making general chit-chat.
No her thought was far too damaging to contribute to now.
Nonetheless Stark detected it "It was too easy? Maybe" he generally showed little concern over the matter, pocking his hands. "Perhaps they wanted us to escape, I mean we weren't exactly the most humbly honoured guests were we?" Nat chuckled but didn't speak on the matter, knowing the light-heartedness would flee faster than a flash.
He nudged her shoulder playfully "Why don't we leave that conversation for Fury and the self-snobbish council?" Nat furrowed her brow. "You know...when you're not completely caught up in being a pretentious little playboy prat, you're actually quite a nice guy." Stark snorted as the rest of the team finally hesitated their pace, Nat's eyes darted forwards, her body following her vision.
They'd stopped at the top of a small village, with a shared look of regard Steve decided they should rest here, at least for one night.