Chapter 13
Elena's POV
It's been about two weeks since Steve and Tony found out about my abilities. They had told the others, but no one really seemed to mention it. I guess, that's what surprised me. There were no experiments, no tests, nothing.
I spent most of my time in the training room. I worked a lot on cardio, running was nice and simple and it kept my mind off things. I practiced my knife throwing. They had real nice equipment for that. To be honest, I was surprised by all the equipment that they had. They were ready for anything.
Others would come down occasionally.
I watched Clint shoot arrows. I never learned how to use a bow. I'm surprised by how efficiently he uses such a weapon. Those trick arrows are especially useful.
Steve and Sam come here too. Steve and Sam prefer running outside, but they'll come to the training room for other things. Steve uses the punching bag a lot and Sam works on using those wings of his.
The other one who comes down is Natasha. Sometimes we run together. Although together is a loose term. We aren't near each other and we don't talk to each other, but it's at the same time, so I suppose, together.
I rarely see anyone else. Tony and Bruce never come down, they mostly work in the lab. Scott usually is at home with his family. Rhodey, well, I don't know where he is, I think he has a job that he spends time at. Thor, I believe, is in Asgard.
Today, I came down to the training room at around seven in the morning. I had eaten a bowl of Froot Loops and was now running.
At 8:00, Natasha came down and she started running too. Again, we were pretty much as far away from each other as we could get, but in some ways in felt like bonding to me, although I do believe she was the most skeptical of me.
At 9, Sam and Steve came in from their run. I don't know what time they had left. They were talking to each other in a friendly manner. It made me wonder what it was like to have a friend.
At 9:30, both Natasha and I stopped running. Sam and Steve were still here, this time they were sparring with each other. It was not something they did that often. I was going to head over to another area and start throwing knives when I heard Steve.
"Elena," He said, causing me to turn my head. Sam was on the bench, taking a break and Steve was still standing on the mat. "Do you want to spar with us?"
It was something I hadn't done in a while, not since Hydra. I shook my head.
Steve nodded in response.
"Come on," I hear behind me. I turned, surprised. It was Natasha. "You should practice, even for self-defense. I will spar with you."
I wondered if she was trying to be nice, or if she just wanted to see more of my fighting abilities so she knew what kind of threat I was. I nod, either way. "Okay."
We walk up to the mat. Steve and Sam sit at a bench to watch.
When we start, it's rhythmic it a first. Hit, deflect, hit, deflect.
Things switch up quick, each one of us trying to get the other to slip up. Clint comes into the training room at some point. He never comes in before 10, so I can imagine it's around then.
I monitor her movements. Analyzing her fighting styles. I'm surprised when I recognize it as the Red Room. It's one of the harder ones to recognize, since its whole purpose is to be undetected, but now that I realize it, I can't see how it could be anything else.
I use this knowledge to my advantage and anticipate her next move. I'm correct as I'm able to flip her over. The problem is, I don't expect her to bounce back so quickly, but even as she is on her back she manages to kick me square in the face. As I'm down, I realize she's about to plant her foot in my stomach. I roll out of the way, but I'm a hair to slow and I get a blow to the side. It hurts, but of course it doesn't stop me. We both manage to get up and back into our original positions.
I'm about to strike again, when I hear from the sidelines, "I think it's time to call this."
"Yep. Sparring matches aren't supposed to last this long." Sam says. "Fight's over. Congrats, you both win."
It takes a moment, but then Natasha and I both relax.
It was weird having a fight with no stakes. It didn't feel like a fight for my life or a fight to avoid a beating. When I went up against an opponent as strong as Natasha, we'd fight until one of us was unconscious, even if it took hours. Fighting her was tiring and I do actually wonder if we had kept going if I would have eventually won. For some reason, I doubt it. I recognized the Red Room training, but she must have been away for a while for she had a mixture of techniques. I mean, they usually graduate at 17. She must be about late 20s.
Suddenly it occurred to me. Do they know she was part of the Red Room? Did they work with that group?
I tensed up, but tried no to let it show. I sat on the bench, slightly away from where the three guys were now sitting, keeping my eyes down. The group had seemed nice, but there was still that part of me that couldn't trust, even though I'm pretty sure I wanted to.
Natasha sat next to me. I involuntary scooted slightly away.
"You know the Red Room?" Natasha asked. It wasn't really a question. It was a statement. As soon as she says it, the boys got quiet.
They must know. Does that mean they are apart of that group? The Red Room works with Hydra. I control my breathing, but I feel stupid and, in some way, betrayed. That made me feel more stupid, because I should have known. I should have been better prepared.
"You were one of their students." I don't look up, I don't want to look at any of them. "You work with them."
"I did."
She did? Does she not anymore? I want to believe. Weak.
"When?" I asked.
"I grew up in the program." Natasha said. "I worked with them for a long time, but then I defected from Russia and joined SHIELD, thanks to Clint."
My eyes glanced up at Clint. All the guys were quiet, watching the interaction intensely. It was quiet and tense in the room. My eyes didn't stay there long, instead they moved to Natasha. I release a breath and nod. I'm relaxed by her answer, despite my worry that she's lying. They have been really great, this would make sense.
I look back down, because I know what she was going to ask next and then, she did. "How do you know the Red Room?"
I rub my arm, a nervous habit of mine. I hate it, but it comforts me. I know they are all waiting for an answer. I try to focus on Natasha, feeling that perhaps we are similar after all.
"I spent about two years training with the Red Room starting when I was 14." I say.
"Hydra…" I hesitated, choosing the right word. "…appreciated what the Red Room had to offer. So, I trained with the girls. I learned how they fought. I practiced ballet with them. I went through the graduation ceremony. It was the closest I got to be with someone my own age, but, like I said, I wasn't there for as long as the normal recruits."
Natasha nodded, digesting the information. "You know, one of the things that helped me get over my past was by helping people, and that's what I do now, with the Avengers."
"That's… something to think about." I respond. There a brief pause. "I'm, um, going to head to up to my room." I get up and leave.