Scarlett
Part 29
Natasha was sitting in Scarlett's room in an arm-chair facing the girl who was sound asleep. Now Black Widow understood how exhausted these three days were for her. She slept for 3 or 4 hours at night searching for any possible option to get the child back. But her attempts were not in vain. She found a lot of interesting information on adoption system and especially on that orphanage home where they had taken the girl.
In an hour her phone rang and the lawyer, who was helping her to make an appointment with an orphanage to see the child, told that today the principal of the orphanage placed everyone under quarantine because, as he said, three children got some strange pneumonia which of course was an extremely contagious disease. This meant that her meeting with Scarlett that was arranged for today had to be postponed for better times. A day ago this news would have made her extraordinarily furious but not today. She told the lawyer not to worry about the arrangement. Maybe it would be better for the child to see her later when the quarantine was over. After she disconnected, Natasha quietly went out of child's room closing the door after her, went downstairs and made some calls. Black Widow knew that all the documents, she had hacked, would interest a lot a certain journalist of CNN channel. She just had to wait for the evening news or maybe a day or two for them to check everything. Romanoff didn't care as her little girl was sleeping upstairs. So, she followed Scarlett's plan and went to have a long peaceful nap.
"Have you slept well?" asked Scarlett when she noticed Nat with her peripheral vision coming into her living room.
"Excellent, thank you. How is your book?" Nat plopped on the sofa near the child.
"Interesting, I would say." Scarlett replied closing the book. "Can I go to school tomorrow?"
"I'm not sure about tomorrow but you will start from Monday. I'm waiting for some certain news."
"Will they take me back to that asylum?" Scarlett looked at Nat completely scared to go back to that uncomfortable place.
"Nobody will take you away from me anymore." Nat placed a kiss on child's temple. Scarlett just smiled and hugged the woman.
After that short call from Secretary of State Anthony Stark could not find a place. It was not because somebody penetrated his highly defended prison, deep inside Iron Man was glad that all his colleagues were free, but he was worried about the child, who was definitely injured during that mission. The man didn't know why this little creature always makes him feel uneasy and he wants so much to protect her. Probably because Scarlett was a small girl, younger than Peter Parker but due to her, Tony Stark could do his new technologically modified nano-fiber. Actually, it needed some enhancement. Still, the child was a prodigy and he wanted to protect her no matter what.
"Friday."
"Yes, sir" Echoed the cyber intellect.
"Do whatever you like but find me the girl." He said closing the surveillance video from CCTV that he had already seen like 100 times.
"Sir, I doubt that Miss Romanoff didn't take all the necessary precautions to hide the child." Friday spoke expressing concern.
"I don't care what precautions she might have taken. That bastard shot her and I want to be sure that she's alright. Try all schools in the country. It will be better if Romanoff didn't change girl's name. Try to find Scarlett Rushman. Find any children of 9 or 10 year-old who attend unusual grades. For example, a ten year-old who goes to the 8th or 9th grade at school."
"It might take a while, Mr. Stark."
"I don't care how long does it take. If Jarvis could track Ultron, I don't think it's impossible to track a child, even if she is protected by a famous KGB agent." He said stubbornly.
More than a week passed when Friday had a result.
"I found her, Sir," said the female voice.
"Found who?" asked Tony absent-mindedly too involved in whatever calculations he was doing.
"Scarlett, Sir."
"Yes, and where is she?" He continued interrogation still hugely involved in the task.
"At the orphanage home, Deadwood, South Dakota," replied the voice.
At this news Stark stopped and looked bewildered right in front of him staring vacantly in space.
"What did you say?"
"Scarlett Adler is at the orphanage in Deadwood, Sir," the cyber intellect repeated.
"My God! It's not far from Barton's farm! Why didn't I get that before? Romanoff and Barton are as thick as thieves! Call Pepper and tell her I won't be for lunch today and tell her not to wait for me for dinner as well." Saying so, he was already putting on his fastest iron suit.
Romanoff noticed an unknown flying object late at night when Scarlett was already sent to bed because of a long tiring day. Nat knew that she should take care of the situation as Iron Man knocked too hard at the door. Besides, with his scanning system he could understand that the house was inhabited.
"Stark, you won't enter my house until you leave your suit outside," she said coolly at the intercom. If he wanted to mess around, he would do it on her terms.
Tony swore an oath but obeyed. Romanoff opened the door and let him in.
"Are you going to shoot me?" the man stared at the woman for a moment noticing that her right hand was beside her back, for sure, she could have had a gun in it. Only God knows what else was hidden behind the PJs she was wearing.
"If you don't do anything foolish, I will also behave well." She said calmly not breaking the eye contact.
"How come Scarlett is in the orphanage!" He shouted at her.
The next several seconds came in a flash. In the corner of his eye he saw a creature running at its fastest speed right at him. Stark had such a strong kick in the stomach with both feet of the attacker, that it made him fall as a sack on the floor groaning. He couldn't take a deep breath because sharp claws dug into his neck.
"Don't you ever touch my mommy!" roared the creature.
"Scarlett! Get off of him now! Everything was under control, why on Earth aren't you in bed!" Romanoff looked daggers at the girl.
The child produced a tigerish roar but unclasped her claws from Tony's neck leaving five not deep cuts on his skin that started to bleed immediately.
"Jesus Christ, are you alright?" Nat kneeled beside Tony to have a better look at his neck.
"Yes, I'm fine. I think I can survive some scratches." He stood up still out of his breath.
"Come, let me take care of them." Romanoff said to Stark. "Scarlett, bring an aid kit from the bathroom." She ordered the girl.
"How have you found out about the orphanage?" asked Nat pressing a cotton ball with some liquid to Tony's neck. He hissed but was calm.
"After you rescued all of the former avengers from the impenetrable prison, I started looking for you. Friday searched everywhere but found nothing. So, I tried to find Scarlett but also failed until Friday showed me a picture of Scarlett Adler in one of the orphanages in the nearby town from Barton's secret family house. I went crazy. I couldn't believe that you gave her to an orphanage."
"I didn't, unfortunately, she spent three days there because of the corrupt civil servants. But I took care of that. She goes back to school on Monday." She stuck a plaster to his scratched neck and went to the tap to wash her hands. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Yes, please."
"And I want some milk with cookies," said Scarlett eagerly.
"Then I'd like some coffee with a sandwich, please." Tony added.
And the man and the child looked at Nat with the best puppy eyes expression they could have made.
"It's 11:30 p.m." Romanoff muttered, rolled her eyes but went to the fridge to see what was in it.
"Still in plaster cast," Tony eyed the girl.
"It doesn't hurt but mom said I should have it for one more week," she sighed.
"Your mom is a wise woman. You should always do as she says."
When cookies, milk, hot coffee and sandwiches were on the table, Natalie sat on her chair with a cup of tea in her hand.
"So Stark, what are you going to do? Should we leave tonight or should I kill you now?"
"You treated my scratches to kill me afterwards?" Tony chuckled but according to the seriousness of Romanoff's voice she didn't joke at all.
"Treating wounds and stabbing in the back are very common nowadays, don't you think? It wasn't me who sent all my friends to prison."
"They signed the accords, they knew the consequences." Tony didn't want to admit that the woman was right.
"Not all of them signed the accords, still you left them in prison."
"What did you want me to do? They nearly killed Roddy. The Winter Soldier killed my parents, did you know about that?"
"All of us have our dark secrets. Maybe I have more than anyone of you, but I have never betrayed my friends." She fired a stare at him making the man avoid her eyes.
"Yes, I was wrong. I admit this. Everything was Helmut Zemo's intrigues and I jumped at the bait. I came here just to see that Scarlett's fine. She's the nicest kid I have ever met in my life but it's dangerous to show her abilities in public. I learned every inch of the footage from your prison break. I can't believe that you let a child get the work done. They could have killed her thousands times."
"No, they couldn't. Mom trained me like a Spartan soldier. I remembered every corner and curve of that place, when to come, where to hide, how to attack. If I didn't improvise, I wouldn't even get wounded." Scarlet boasted trying to defend Nat.
"That's what you're doing to her here, training her like a Spartan soldier?"
"Actually, not. She goes to school, plays with Barton's kids, climbs the trees and helps me around the house. I try to give her a usual life in real world with its beauty. Tell me, Stark, what's your idea of a happy life?" Romanoff asked still feeling uneasy with this unexpected visit of an old friend.
"If you think I'm going to reveal your cover, no way. My lips are sealed. You would be surprised to hear it, but I'm glad that you set everyone free. I was also thinking on the plan of how to get them out without anyone to notice that I was behind it, but I'm not a spy or a strategic thinker. I'm a simple mechanic." He confessed.
"Oh, yes! You are hilarious! Anthony Stark – a simple mechanic. Don't make me laugh!" The woman grinned.
"I've been thinking a lot since they got imprisoned. I want to change something in my life. Steve had sent me a letter, where he told a lot of things for me to think over. I won't chase anyone of you. If you or Barton need anything, you know where to find me."
"What about a game of chess?" asked the kid.
"No way, it's midnight already! Cheshire is waiting for you upstairs! I count to ten and if I don't see you under the blanket you're so grounded! One, two…"
The girl left her empty glass in the sink, hugged Tony, kissed Nat on the cheek and disappeared upstairs.
"Wow! That's impressive!" Tony nodded approvingly.
"You may stay in our guest room. You look terrible. Do you sleep at night?"
"Few hours, I guess."
"Come on, let me show your room."
Stark obediently followed Romanoff to the guest room.
To be continued…