HOLY SHIT long chapter today. I guess I'm making up for not posting for FOREVER.
Natasha made eye contact with Clint, than Steve, than Clint again. "Make a choice Natalia." Alexi purred, twirling a thin blade between his fingers. "It's hard for you, isn't it Natalia? Your partner, and your soldier… Which one is it? I'm so excited to find out which you'll choose. Which of these men I'll carve my name into. Which one's blood I'll have dripping from my hands. The man whose agonizing screams will echo in your mind until the day you die in this cell. The man who-"
"-Steve." Natasha answered quickly. The room fell deathly silent. "I pick Steve."
"Tasha…" Clint said softly, unable to hid the hint of relief in his eyes. A guard grabbed Clint, dragging him towards the door. "Wait! Get your hands off-" Clint swung his fist, only to have his head slammed into a wall.
"Barton!" Steve shouted. Alexi grabbed Steve to prevent him from rushing to Clint's aid. Natasha watched silently as a nearly unconscious Clint was dragged out of the room.
Steve was strapped down in the chair across from Natasha. Alexi's assistant bound him with vibranium chains as well.
"Just to make sure." Alexi said, resting his hand on Natasha's shoulder. She bit his hand, drawing blood. Alexi grabbed a fistful of Natasha's hair and pulled hard causing Natasha dug her nails into the armrest of the chair. Alexi walked around Natasha's chair, circling to stand behind Steve's chair. "Tell me Captain."
"Tell you what?" Steve said, watching Natasha to double check she was okay.
"About Natalia. Or, Natasha as you know her. Apparently I know nothing about her. Tell me about this new version of my wife-"
"I'm not your wife." Natasha glared.
"Was I talking to you, my sweet? No, no I wasn't so if I were you I would keep your mouth shut." Alexi held his thin knife up to Steve's neck, pressing the tip ever so softly into his skin. Natasha looked down, frowning. Steve cleared his throat nervously.
"She's one of the best fighters I've ever seen. She… was trained-"
"Ah ah ah Captain. You're telling me about the Black Widow. I want to hear about Natalia. The woman." Alexi traced his knife along Steve's forearm before cutting into it. Steve bit down on his lip, groaning in pain. "Do you know her?"
"Y-Yes." Steve said as Alexi cut into his hand, letting Steve's blood drip onto the floor. "I do."
"Really?" Alexi asked, cleaning the knife. Steve looked at Natasha who was staring at his bleeding hand intently. She clenched her fists. "Let's test that shall we? We can make it a game! I do love games."
Alexi attached the electric machine's wires to Steve and Natasha's arms, chests and temples. Frantic Russian was heard on his walkie-talkie. Alexi responded quietly before turning towards Steve and Natasha.
"You'll have to excuse me, your friends seem to be causing a bit of trouble. Sit tight. It's not like you have anywhere to be anyway." Alexi left the room with his assistant, leaving Steve and Natasha alone with an armed guard standing across the room.
"He's insane." Steve said quietly.
"You don't say." Natasha struggled against her bindings.
"Ahem." The guard pointed his gun towards Natasha and she stopped, sighing.
"Was he always like that?" Steve winced as he tried to move his bleeding arm.
"Unfortunately yes. I didn't notice until it was too late."
"Too late for what?" Steve raised an eyebrow. Natasha shook her head.
"I was with him almost every day. If I hadn't been so blind… I thought I loved him..."
"…Nat?" Steve said nervously. She stared at the ground, frozen.
"…How could I be so stupid?"
"You're not-"
"Did you miss me?" Alexi asked, walking back into the room. Steve stared at the bloodstain on Alexi's boot. He glared at the Russian furiously. Alexi looked down at his shoe and grinned. "You don't like the way I treated your friends? Hmm. Good."
"Иди к черту, Shostakov." Natasha glared.
Alexi turned the electric machine on and flipped a switch. Natasha and Steve both stiffened painfully as electricity ran through their bodies. Alexi smiled smugly. "Oh good, that still works."
Natasha sighed in relief as the electricity was turned off. She looked up at Steve who was trying to catch his breath.
"You okay?" He mouthed. Natasha nodded slightly and looked over at Alexi who was changing the settings on the machine.
"Let's start with a level 10. That sounds right." Alexi mumbled to himself, flipping switches. "Okay, let's begin. Captain Rogers, what is 'Natasha's' real name?" Alexi asked, frowning when he said Natasha's name.
"Natalia Alianova Romaova." Steve said after a moment. Alexi frowned.
"Correct…" Alexi turned towards his assistant and whispered something. "That was just too easy. What about Natalia's birthday?"
"November…" Steve hesitated biting down on his lip. Natasha closed her eyes dejectedly. She didn't expect Steve to know it, so why did she feel so disappointed?
"I'm waiting Captain…" Alexi raised an eyebrow.
"2nd." Steve felt deflated as Natasha sighed.
"Wrong!" Alexi flipped a switch, coursing electricity through Steve and Natasha's bodies. Pain ripped through Steve's arms. Pulled against the chains in an attempt to escape the shock. Finally Alexi turned the machine off, laughing to himself. "You were close though. November twenty-second. Next question. Bit of a hard one, hopefully it hasn't changed. How does Natalia like her coffee?"
"How does that-"
"Quiet my sweet." Alexi snapped.
"Cream, no sugar." Steve responded, nodding slightly.
"Ugh. Correct." Alexi rolled his eyes. "What about her tea?"
"She doesn't like tea."
"Also correct… What were Natalia's parent's names?" Natasha glared at Alexi, who looked at her smugly.
"I don't… I don't know."
"Oh… Too bad." Alexi turned the machine up to fifteen and switched it on. Natasha reacted first, clamping her mouth shut to keep from screaming. Steve's nails dug into the arm rests of the chair as the voltage reached his skin.
"Y- You don't even know that!" Natasha shouted through gritted teeth.
"Exactly." Alexi switched the machine off. "That's how I knew I'd be right."
The questions continued for hours. Every once in a while Alexi would step away from the machine and twirl his knife around, slicing Steve skin like butter.
His questions ranged from Natasha's history to her favorite way to cook eggs. She was amazed Alexi still knew so much about her.
"I guess you haven't changed as much as you'd like to have changed, hmm?" Alexi said, squeezing Natasha's shoulder.
Steve knew a lot about Natasha too, but regarding her past he really didn't know many specific details. Alexi had cranked the machine up to a 25 by the time he reached his final question. Natasha's skin was spotted in burn marks and she could barely move her arms and legs. Alexi's assistant began removing the wires from Natasha skin and she sighed in relief.
The assistant walked towards Steve and he expected her to start removing his wires as well. Instead the woman started putting Natasha's wires on Steve.
"What are you doing?!" Natasha tried to kick at the woman, but the restraints held her legs down. Alexi changed the settings as high as they would go. "That'll kill him!"
"I just have one more question Natalia. And I think seeing him die will be punishment enough for your actions. To see one you care for ripped away from you by another man seems like just the right about of irony." Alexi grinned cruelly. Natasha was silent before she understood.
"…Oh god." Natasha's eyes widened.
"Hmm." Alexi said, amused. "How many more people will you let die for you Natalia?"
Steve stared at Natasha anxiously as the assistant unstrapped one of his wrists from the chair. Steve was about to fight her off when the guard raised his gun.
"Don't try anything funny Captain." He warned. Steve lowered his hand and allowed the assistant to attach a few wires to his wrist and fingers.
"My last question for you Captain… Requires a background check. How much do you know about Natalia and I's relationship?" Alexi raised an eyebrow.
"You're her ex-husband. The Red Room arraigned it." Steve answered quickly.
"Any why does she claim me to be her ex-husband?" Alexi grimaced when he said 'ex'.
"She met someone else. Fell in love with them and they had an affair." Steve remembered his conversation with Natasha back in Saint Petersburg.
Natasha's heart beat rapidly in her chest. 'No no no no no.' She thought, digging her nails into the palms of her hands.
"And what is his name?" Alexi smiled knowingly glancing at the panicking Natasha. "He has… several."
"A- am I missing something?" Steve looked between Natasha and Alexi.
"Clearly." Alexi lowered his hand towards the switch on the machine. Natasha felt sick to her stomach as he chuckled darkly. "If you survive this, which I truly doubt you will, you should ask Natalia about this man. It's quite a cruel coincidence. After all he is Ja-"
"Alexi…" Natasha said weakly, surprising the men in the room. "…Please."
"…As you wish." Alexi said, almost kindly. "I'll let him die in ignorance."
"No!" Natasha shouted as Alexi quickly flipped the switch and the machine blared to life. Alexi stared at Steve intently, an evil grin spread across his face.
Steve reacted immediately. The shock started in his unbound wrist and ripped up his arm quickly streaming through his whole body. After several excruciating seconds, Steve blacked out.
"…Rogers!" Steve's head felt like it was going to explode. Natasha's shouting wasn't helping. "Steve?!"
"…ow" Steve mumbled in response. Natasha sighed in relief.
"You survived Level 40." Alexi said, sounding intrigued. "That's the highest level we've got."
"…L- l- lucky me…" Steve said raggedly. He coughed weakly, trying to open his eyes. He could barely move his arms or legs as the assistant pulled the hot wires off his body.
"You're drooling." The assistant said distastefully, wiping Steve's chin with a cloth.
"…Sorry." Steve said truthfully, his word cut off by another coughing fit. His whole body ached.
"Ah!" Natasha winced in pain. Steve looked up to see Alexi injecting a needle full of fluids into her neck.
"Don't worry my sweet it's only a minor poison. Non-lethal, but it'll hurt like a bitch." Alexi said nonchalantly.
"What do you w-want Shostakov?" Natasha said as the poison moved through her body. Her muscles stung, and she knew it would only get worse.
"I've already got what I want." Alexi said, pointing to the vials of Natasha's blood sitting on the desk. "Now I'm just having fun."
Natasha clenched as the stinging pain in her arms and legs grew to burning. She muffled a scream and writhed in her seat. It felt like fire was burning through her whole body.
"Nat!" Steve fought to help her but his body ached. Natasha's eyes shot open and she screamed as the muscles in her body continued to burn. The room spun as the poison continued to explore her body, ripping through the muscle tissue.
"Now, I'm needed upstairs. But I suppose I'll see you in a few hours. " Alexi said, almost shouting over Natasha's muffled screaming. He left with his assistant, locking the door. Natasha continued to writhe in pain, biting down on lip so hard it bled.
Steve shifted, feeling the muscles in his arms and legs once again. He moved slowly, looking up at guard standing in the corner. "Y- You didn't check me for weapons." He said quietly.
"Of course we did." The guard rolled his eyes as Steve slowly crossed his unstrapped arm towards his other wrist. "You were unconscious."
"You didn't check very hard. " Steve slammed his hand down over the thin silver bracelet. The shield formed within seconds, breaking his restraints. The guard reacted quickly, firing at Steve who hid behind the shield. Steve unhooked the metal disk from the bracelet and threw it at the guard, knocking him out. He quickly retrieved his shield and checked the guard for weapons. He found a knife, and two pistols and a set of keys. He turned around, half-stumbling towards the chairs. "Natasha."
Steve knelt down in front of her chair, pulling apart her restraints. She fell forward and into Steve. She was shaking like a leaf. "Y- you're hurt."
"Yeah, well you're more hurt." Steve said, picking her up.
"Hmm." Natasha's eyes were clamped shut and she writhed in pain. "G- give me one of the guns."
"You sure you can shoot?" Steve walked towards the door.
"Just give me the gun R-Rogers." Steve gave Natasha one of the pistols, holding the other in the hand under Natasha's legs. "What's the plan?"
"Don't die." Steve said, unlocking the door.
"Perfect." Natasha sighed. Steve pushed the door open looking around the empty hallway.
"Which way?" Steve whispered.
"How should I know?" Natasha frowned. Loud footsteps echoed from the right. Steve ducked around the corner as three guards walked down the hall. Steve lightly set Natasha down and grabbed the knife from his pocket.
"Who's there?" One of guards held up his gun, pointing towards the wall where Steve was hiding. The other guards raised their guns as well. "Identify yourself."
"Come out with your hands up!" A second guard shouted. Steve looked down at Natasha and held a finger to his lips. She nodded, curling up as another wave of pain hit her. Steve stepped out slowly, raising his hands in the air, the knife hidden in his hand
"It's the Captain!" One of the guards stepped forward, grabbing one of Steve's arms and pushing it behind his back. Steve swept his leg, knocking one of the guards down while slashing the other's throat with the knife. The third guard rushed forward as Steve kicked the guard on the ground, knocking him out. Steve grabbed the rushing guard's wrist and twisted her around, kicking her square in the back. She fell forward, dropping her gun.
Steve stepped forward but the guard kicked his feet out from under him, knocking him down. She climbed over him, pinning the soldier to the ground. Raising her gun to his head she pulled out her communicator.
"Sir! The prisoner-" A bullet smashed into her forehead, killing her instantly. Steve turned quickly to see Natasha lying on the ground, her pistol aimed where the woman's head was. Steve pushed the guard's body off of himself and hurried towards Natasha.
"Okay, you can shoot." Steve knelt beside her.
"I can't believe you doubted me Rogers." Natasha said. She tensed as her muscles screamed in pain.
"You're shaking." Steve said nervously.
"It's the poison. It's in my blood stream… Just gotta wait out-" Natasha tried to stand up, only to fall back over. Steve caught her quickly.
"Rebrova! Status?" A voice boomed over the guard's communicator.
"Hand it to me." Natasha said, coughing. Steve passed her the communicator and she cleared her throat. "This is Rebrova. I apologize Sir I was mistaken. I thought the prisoners had escaped but it was only a shadow. Over."
"Don't you dare let it happen again, Rebrova. Can't have you wasting any more of our time."
Steve carried Natasha through the factory, miraculously avoiding the guards and doctors. Natasha's condition was only getting worse. She felt more and more pain as the poison diluted into her system. Her body was coated in sweat and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.
"How you feeling, Natasha?" Steve asked, knowing the answer.
"E- everything… Hurts." She glared.
"It's gonna be okay Nat." Steve whispered looking around for guards. "We're almost out."
They froze at the sound of footsteps rushing down the hall. Steve pointed his gun towards the sound, stopping when he saw who was running.
"It's them!" Tony pointed. Thor, Clint and Tony hurried towards Steve. They stared at the shivering spy in shock. "Holy shit, Red."
"Alexi poisoned her." Steve said as Natasha dug her nails into his arm. "Don't know what it's made of but it sure as hell hurts."
"Fuck off." Natasha mumbled.
"Speaking of the Russian psycho. He's right on our tail with a hell of a lot of guards." Clint said, turning around nervously.
"Let's move. I think the door's this way." Tony said. The group rushed down the hall, searching for an exit. They turned the corner, Steve sighed in relief when he saw an exit sign
"Going somewhere?" Alexi stood at the end of the hall, blocking the door. In seconds armed guards surrounded them.
"You said it yourself, Alexi. You got what you wanted. Let us go." Steve said, expanding the shield from his bracelet in an attempt to shield Natasha.
"Hmm. How about no?" Alexi raised his pistol at Steve.
"Do you hear that?" Thor asked looking around curiously. The Avenger's looked around curiously as the sound of a loud car engine grew closer. Alexi barely had time to dodge before a large armored truck smashed through the doors, sending dust everywhere.
Steve stared at the truck in shock. He squinted, chuckling in disbelief when he saw Maria Hill sitting in the driver's seat. Maria's voice echoed from the van. "Drop your weapons! Now!" Large guns came out of the hood of the truck, aiming themselves toward the guards. Alexi stood up, dusting off his uniform.
"Fire on the Avengers. Shoot to kill." Alexi growled. The truck's passenger side door opened quickly. Bruce poked his head out.
"Get in!" He shouted as the guard's raised their weapons. Steve held Natasha tightly as he and the rest of the Avengers sprinted towards the truck. Maria flipped a switch and the truck's guns fired at the guards.
Natasha heard nothing but gunfire as Steve jumped into the truck, being extra careful not to harm her. Thor slammed the door closed as Maria threw the car into reverse, escaping the guard's gunfire. She turned the car hastily, speeding through the gates and driving down the dirt road. Steve looked around, shocked to see dozens of armed soldiers attacking the factory.
"Where'd all these soldiers come from?" Clint asked in amazement.
"Fury called in some favors." Maria said, retracting the truck's guns.
"How did you know to rescue us?" Thor asked, completely out of breath.
"You'd been off the grid for almost 72 hours." Bruce turned around in his seat. "Needless to say I got worried."
"Glad you did. That long? It felt like-" Clint's sentence was cut off by the sound of Natasha screaming.
"What the hell?!" Maria swerved. Bruce unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly climbed back where the others were sitting.
"What happened to her?" Bruce checked Natasha's rapid pulse, looking between his teammates anxiously.
"Poison." Clint answered quickly. Natasha's screaming stopped and she pushed the teammates away from her, leaning closer to Steve.
"I'm… I'm fine." She said, trying to catch her breath.
"You don't look fine." Tony said worriedly.
"Gee. Thanks Stark." Natasha frowned. "The… pain. It comes and goes. I'm now. Just get us the hell out of here, Hill."
"On it." Maria slammed her foot down on the gas pedal.
"What's that?" Steve looked out the window to see a black jet racing away from the factory.
"Alexi." Natasha frowned. "Now way in hell would he let himself get caught now…" Suddenly a large explosion boomed behind the truck. "The factory…"
The Avengers turned around quickly. The large building was reduced to rubble, the stone and metal devoured by flames.
"What the hell are they doing?" Tony stared out the back window.
"Destroying the evidence." Natasha slammed her hand on the seat angrily.
"The soldiers!" Clint realized. "Maria, you've got to turn around they're dying back there!"
"My assignment was to rescue you. They've got their own agenda if we go back now we'll be killed or worse." Maria said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do for them."
Natasha closed her eyes, leaning against Steve she sighed softly.
"How many more people will you let die for you Natalia?"
Maria pulled the truck over a few hours later. She handed all of the Avengers heavy winter coats and gloves. "We need to ditch the truck before they come looking for us. There's a town a few miles up the road. We can walk to before nightfall if we hurry. Fury's got us a hotel room."
"You okay?" Steve helped Natasha out of the car.
"Yeah." She nodded. "I think the poison's finally out of my system."
"Thank god." Steve smiled a bit. The team trudged through the snow for hours. Natasha and Steve walked a bit behind the group. "Nat?"
"Yeah?" Natasha shivered, zipping up her coat a bit more.
"Why can't I know his name?" Steve asked hesitantly. Natasha took a deep breath, feeling sick to her stomach again.
"Because… It's none of your business." Natasha frowned, trying to act like it was nothing.
"You've said that before, Nat. It doesn't work-"
"It's none of your business, got it?!" Natasha said, a bit louder than she'd meant to. The other Avengers turned around curiously. "Take a picture it'll last longer." Natasha snapped.
The Avengers sighed happily when they stepped inside the dimly lit hotel room. "Heat… Actual heat…" Tony collapsed onto the floor. "…Ow."
"Way to go Stark." Natasha rolled her eyes, unzipping her snow-covered coat.
"We need to discuss something." Maria said, lighting the fireplace. The Avengers sat around the table as Maria hung her coat up. "We know how the Red Room knew your location. They knew where you were the second you landed in Russia."
"How is that possible?" Thor asked.
"Because they are the Russian government." Maria pulled out a file. "Unbeknownst to the government quite a few of the higher ups in the Russian legislature have rather strong ties to the Red Room. The strangest thing? They were spotted with Vitomir a few weeks before Barton took him out."
"Vitomir was trying to take out the Russian government. Do you it was just a distraction so the Red Room could come into power" Natasha asked, crossing her arms.
"I mean it makes sense." Tony nodded. "Alexi convinces Vitomir to start a 'revolution' to distract the government while they sneak up on ol' Vladimir Putin. He's not involved is he?"
"No, he's not." Maria rolled her eyes. "That's all we know. But for now we need to get you to New York. Now we can't fly out of Russia; they'll be looking for us. We've got to cross the border by car or by foot. Fury wants us all to split up. Stark and Thor you go north. Banner, Barton and I take the middle, Rogers and Romanoff you go south. Be quiet and be careful. Once out of Russia you can do whatever you want but get to New York. Alive."
If Steve Rogers was asked if he'd rather have his left arm chopped of or hitch hike through Russia again, he'd cut his own arm off himself. Almost a week of getting rides from sketchy men that would only take them a few miles at a time was exhausting and uncomfortable.
They made it out of the county by hiding in a crate on a shipping truck. After getting off the truck in a small Ukrainian village they contacted Fury who told them a plane would be there soon. They just needed a place to crash for the night.
Steve sat down on the bench beside Natasha. "The hotel's completely booked. Apparently some storm cause a lot of damage and practically the whole town's staying there."
"Fantastic." Natasha sighed. After about an hour of wandering around they broke into an empty old barn on the edge of town. Natasha padded down some of the hay and covered it with an old sheet she found hanging from a hook. "There. It's no Hilton but I've stayed in worst."
"Anything looks better than the cold sidewalk." Steve laid down, patting down the hay.
"Speaking of cold, you gonna be alright?" Natasha laid down beside him, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. The coat's pretty warm, and it's not storming thank god." Steve looked over at Natasha. "You okay?"
"You keep asking me that." Natasha frowned.
"Just worried that's all. You know me."
"Yeah…" Natasha said quietly. Steve rolled over, pulling Natasha into his arms. She sighed, smiling a bit.
"You still haven't answered my question." Steve said, running his fingers through her hair.
"…I'm fine." Natasha shrugged.
"That doesn't sound too convincing." Steve frowned. Natasha sighed, sitting up. She turned to face the Soldier and rolled up his sleeve. She traced her fingertips over the burn marks and cuts along his arm. "I'm fine." Steve smiled a bit, sitting up.
"It's my fault. He made me choose and I chose you. I couldn't Barton but I didn't want-"
"Hey, Hey I know. It's okay." Steve laid his hand on Natasha's cheek. "I'm alright. I promise."
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Natasha frowned.
"Promise me you'll let me get at least one swing at him?"
"I'll consider it." Natasha raised an eyebrow. Steve watched her carefully. A cloud moved in front of the moon, making the room pitch black. "I got it." Natasha reached into the survival backpack Maria had given her and turned on the battery lantern. Turning back to face Steve she was startled by how close they were.
"Hey." Steve smiled a bit.
"Hey." Natasha looked down at the marks on Steve's wrist. "Rogers, there's stuff Alexi said back there-"
"Like the question about the mysterious love affair?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
"The 'love affair' that's none of your business, yeah. Look just… forget about it. There's a reason I don't talk about my past. You just saw a glimpse of it."
"Why didn't you want me to know his name?"
"What?"
"The guy. Why couldn't I know his name?" Steve asked.
"…Because if you did…" Natasha frowned, shaking her head.
"If I did what?"
"Just drop it!" Natasha glared.
"Fine." Steve shrugged. He watcher her closely. She kept her gaze on the ground, her dirty red hair falling in front of her face. Before he realized what was happening he reached up and tucked the hair behind her ear. She looked up quickly. Steve absent-mindedly kept his hand in Natasha's hair.
"Hey." Natasha stared at him intently.
"Hey." Steve whispered. "Look. I'm sorry. I was out of line. I should've asked."
"It's fine." Natasha smiled a bit, suddenly forgetting exactly why she was so mad before. Steve sat up a bit more, accidentally leaning forward a bit. Natasha watched him, startled. She moved closer as if on instinct and the two slow got closer until their noses brushed. Natasha could feel his breath against her upper lip. Steve hesitated, leaning his forehead against hers. Her eyes closed and he smiled a bit, tilting his head up gently. He closed his eyes and-
"Rogers, Romanoff!" A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "The jet has arrived and is waiting on the town's airstrip. I'm sending you coordinates now."
Steve and Natasha had bolted apart quickly. After a moment of silence they both stood and grabbed their things, rushing out the barn door, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
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