Sorry again for making you wait so long. Here's the next instalment of our saga, which contains yet another Avenger because they really are all supposed to be in this story at one point or another. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Turned out, Natasha's 'friend', was Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk.
Katya wasn't afraid as she sat with the Doctor, she was more curious than anything. She knew about Natasha's past with the man and wondered what made her feel comfortable leaving her down there in a closed lab by herself with one of the only people in the building who had a chance of killing her. Then again, they had greeted one another with a friendly enough chat about the weather and life in general before Natasha had introduced Katya to him. Maybe their luck had changed and they really were friends as Natasha had tried to convince her before.
"So, I hear you're remembering things." He didn't bother beating around the bush, his nervous eyes sliding to her face before sliding away just as quickly. They were seated at a lab table, on stools, his equipment spread out between them. She didn't mind having the table between them if it meant she was safer in case he did decide to Hulk out. And she was sure he didn't mind having it there when she could easily attack. She might not be able to kill him, but she was sure she could pull the Hulk out and she wondered if he was afraid that she would try just to see what happened.
She wanted to tell him she wouldn't provoke him, that she was smarter than that, but she kept it to herself, instead thinking about what to tell him.
"I get flashbacks." She offered hesitantly, wondering how he could help with something like that.
She knew about Bruce Banner, the Gamma radiation specialist. He knew everything there was to know about the poisonous waves and had tested them on himself, which resulted in his big, green problem. He was a genius, the complete opposite from Tony Stark himself, but Katya had trouble seeing him as someone who would experience such a trauma as what she had. Even though he was older, premature greys peppering his hair, he seemed strong enough to fight off such an attack. It would be hard to imagine him as vulnerable.
"Natasha mentioned those while setting up our little talk. I was wondering if anything triggered those. Like, a certain smell or a word choice that makes you remember your past?" He didn't mention the Room, but she was sure he was curious. Everyone had to be. No one had found the audacity to ask, but they were probably curious as to why she didn't talk about it. Why she'd buried those secrets so deep. The memories were the reason, but they would never know. She knew better than to push her weaknesses out into the open.
"No. Once it was triggered by Steve talking to me. Another time it was because Natasha said something a certain way and it reminded me of someone else, in a different time. It's not words, they were two different triggers. Steve was just talking about working out while Natasha said her words a specific way." Katya explained clinically, trying to impress on him the difference.
"It might be wise to document the different triggers to see if there's a correlation. You could keep a small notebook on you at all times and jot down whatever makes you remember something. It might not help, memory loss is very unpredictable, no matter the means. You could get all of your memories back, none, or just a few. It depends on your brain and how long the information had to create neuro-pathways that will help you remember." He explained sounding, well, like a doctor, even if she knew he wasn't that kind of doctor.
"If you think it might help." She didn't think it would. If there were any triggers, they were probably made by the Room and that meant completely random or case related. She didn't trust her memory any more than she trusted the scientists who made her into what she was.
"It could. Enough about the memories, though. Those will come in due time. The thing I'm here to talk to you about, according to our resident assassins, is how to deal with those memories. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is very real and there's a good chance you'll be affected by it if you aren't already. Natasha wanted me to talk to you about how to deal with the trauma you were forced through so that you aren't thrown into a depression spiral, so to speak. She believes my experiences with the Other Guy will help you deal with your past." He explained, lacing his fingers and finally looking her in the eye. She could see that he was in his element. That element was apparently lecturing. "There are a few different tactics I've tried. Some were more sane than others, but whatever works for you.
"One that I've found therapeutic was meditation. Focusing your mind into a pinprick reduces stress and helps you deal with your anxiety and overall emotions with ease. It's a tried and true method with many people. Also, yoga. It's partly meditation, partly body manipulation."
"I already do yoga. To keep my flexibility." Katya interrupted, the words sounding rehearsed.
"Alright, maybe not yoga then. There are some more hands-on ones that help as well. Massages are said to be quite therapeutic, but you don't seem the type to allow a stranger to handle your body of your own free will. Acupuncture, if you could find someone you trusted. It's designed to relieve muscle tension, but relaxing the body can help relax the brain. Walks can help clear the mind as well as working out. Writing about what you're feeling in a journal. Uh, reading a book sometimes helps people. It's all about what you find comforting and familiar. As for your background, which I don't know much about, but I do know you're from the same facilities that Natasha is, I wouldn't recommend anything they allowed of you in the facilities. It could be a trigger and our goal is to calm you down, not find more memories.
"I printed out a list off of a self-help website I want you to take a look at. They're mostly to relieve you of the stress you're feeling as well as help you to calm yourself if something did crop up. My name and number are on the bottom if you have any questions or need to talk. If these don't work for you and you can't find something, come on down and we can see if we can find something else that will work." He informed her eagerly, sincerity in his gaze. Katya had assumed he'd only talked to her as a favor to Natasha, but now she wondered. Did he somehow care about her?
That was ridiculous. She brushed off the idea easily and moved on, standing and smiling just slightly before nodding a little. "Thank you for the list. I'll look at it."
She made no promises and he seemed to understand as they walked over to the elevator. She took the key Natasha had given her out of her pocket and stuck it in the key slot before pressing the floor she was going to. It wasn't Natasha and Clint's floor, she had a request to make of the only person she could think of who would help.
With a wave, the door closed and she was sent up to the next appointment she had, the one that the man she was going to see had no idea was coming.
A smile slid across her face as she waited to hit her next stop.