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Shadows - Chapter 12

Natasha looked at the girl who stared back in horror. "He didn't know."

"What did she say?" Tony was behind Natasha and she ignored him. She had eyes for only one person in that cell.

"I swear he didn't know until I found him. If he had I - I - I know that he would have told you."

"He told me about you, years ago. He... I..."

"Will someone please tell me what is going on? I don't speak gobbledygook. Who's Lily?"

"Tony, just...don't. It's not my place to tell you."

"Fine, I'll just leave then." Natasha didn't reply and she heard the door slam behind him.

"You work for the Red Room?"

"I did."

"Did?"

"I helped Clint and Steve escape. Please, you've got to believe me." There were tears in the Shadow's eyes. No, Lily, she was Lily.

Clint had told Natasha about his little sister once, just once. He never talked about his past and she never asked. All that she knew about was what she has read from his SHIELD personnel file - and Lily.

"He told me what happened: about the last time he saw you."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well that's not up to you."

xxx

Steve opened his eyes to see a plain white ceiling. Panic struck him as he thought that the Red Room had found them again.

"Steve clam down. You're alright." Bruce's blurred face entered his line of vision and Steve's senses became more aware of his surroundings.

He could hear the slightly elevated beat coming from a heart monitor and closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. A dull pain radiated from between his eyes. "What happened?" His voice was gruff.

"We got you and Clint out of there. You're both going to be Ok."

"What about Lily?"

Bruce's eyebrows crinkled and he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Who's Lily?"

He pain between Steve's eyes was increasing and it felt like his head was going to explode. Bruce must have noticed that he was in pain because he passed Steve a pill and a bottle of water with the instructions. "Take this, it'll help."

The water cooled his dry throat and in no time he had finished the bottle.

"Lily, she's the Shadow."

"She's... Why did Natasha have to know that?"

Steve was confused. "I never said Natasha had to know that."

Bruce sat down in the chair next to Steve's bed. "No, you didn't. Clint did. He said Natasha had to know that it was Lily."

xxx

Natasha left the interrogation room and headed straight for Clint's room in the infirmary. She knew that a report would have to be written up about what had transpired in the room with Lily but it could wait until she had made sure that her partner was Ok.

Thor and Tony were with him when she entered the room. Clint was sleeping peacefully and he had a small frown on his face.

"Natasha," the two men stood up, "how goes the interrogation of the Shadow?"

"Well Thor, it's over. I've got all I can and now she's going to be moved to a holding cell before she's sent to the Fridge."

"Fury's sending her to the Fridge?" The trio saw Clint struggling to sit up. Natasha walked over to him and gently pushed him back down.

"It was that or kill her and I don't think he's all for murdering seventeen year olds. Who knows, she might reform." Natasha met his eyes and she could tell that he knew that she had gotten his message about who the Shadow was.

"So," she turned back to face Tony, "you gonna tell us what the gobbledygook was all about?"

"English wasn't working so I switched to a language I know she's been made to answer to."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I helped create the Shadow Project." The others turned to her. Thor and Tony looked shocked but Clint already knew. "I know exactly what she's been through; I went through most of it myself."

Bruce entered the room and the four of then turned to him. "Steve's awake."

"Is he Ok?" Clint sounded concerned and tried to sit up again but Natasha put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"He's fine. He has a headache but it's nothing painkillers can't cure."

There was silence for a few seconds until Thor spoke up. "I would like to see how Steve fairs for myself if that is alright Bruce."

"Yeah," Bruce seemed to pick up on Thor's hidden meaning, "you coming Tony?"

"Actually, I'm-" his reply was cut short by Bruce grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room.

Only when they were alone did Natasha realise that her hand was still on Clint's shoulder. She removed it and sat down in the chair by his bed.

Clint chuckled. "Well, Thor's become more subtle with his hints."

Natasha smiled. It was great having the old Clint back. The Clint from before Loki and before he had the Shadow hanging over him.

xxx

Tony was getting bored of sitting on hard, plastic chairs in stark white infirmary rooms.

"You guys want anything to drink? Coffee?"

A round of "yes"'s and "please"'s and he was out of the door. He knew that the coffee the SHIELD stocked was horrible but it was better than nothing.

While he waited for the coffee to brew an alarm started to go off. Bright red lights flashing and sirens wailing. Commander Hill's voice came over the speakers. "Prison break code Alpha. The holding cells have been infiltrated. I repeat, prison break code Alpha..."

The holding cells. Natasha said that the Shadow was being taken to a holding cell. Tony moved quickly: he had to get to the Shadow before she escaped.

The hallways were filled with busy agents rushing around with guns. Tony made his way towards the holding cells where a lot of men were trying to subdue the prisoners.

Tony ignored the fighting and made his way towards the exit. The path became clearer as the agents made their way to the holding cells.

He heard fighting ahead and ran around the corner to see a tall muscular man take down five agents. The man moved and Tony saw that the Shadow was with him.

Tony picked up a gun off a fallen agent. "Hey, I thought we caught you already."

The large man turned; he had one of the Shadows arms contained within a meaty fist. Her eyes widened. "No, don't try. He'll-"

The man shook her violently. "Shut your face. You're in enough trouble as it is; you'll be lucky if you live."

The Shadow was still looking at Tony. "Run," she was insistent, "this isn't a fight you can win."

The man shook her again and then started smashing her head against the wall. "Stop talking. I'll make sure the Boss kills you myself. Traitorous bitc- where do you think you're going?"

Tony had tried to walk away but the man dropped the Shadow who crumpled to the floor, blood trickling down her face. He reached for Tony who tried to shoot him but his aim was awful without JARVIS.

The man's stride didn't even falter when the bullet ripped through his upper thigh. He grabbed Tony and his vision went black when his head was smashed into the wall.