"Maraya Morozova doesn't exist," Skye said bluntly, after she entered Coulson's office.
"What?"
"It's a fake ID."
"Any idea who she is then?"
"She hasn't spoken a word."
"Keep Morse and Romanov on it, tell them that they have permission to use more experimental interrogation techniques."
"Coulson are you sure..."
"Pass on the order, Skye."
"Yes, Sir."
"Morozova", Natasha said threateningly, "if you don't start talking then I might feel I have to use some of these tools," the assassin said evenly, pointing at the array of knives and scalpels that she had just layed out on the table.
"я не боюсь тебя," (I am not afraid of you)
"Почему бы нам не проверить это," Natasha replied. (Why don't we test that).
"дай мне худшее." (give me your worst)
Natasha picked up the smallest knife and carved a deep cut above her eyebrow. The woman didn't flinch. Natasha hated doing it. She joined SHIELD to help people, but now she was back to hurting them. Still, this information was crucial. Putting the small knife down, she picked up a bigger one and began to carve small gashes down her arm.
"I don't want to hurt you. Just give me something."
Morozova didn't say a word. Blood was seeping down the woman's skin, soaking into the dress and carving lines through her makeup, and still she didn't utter a single syllable. If Natasha did anymore, she would pass out from blood loss, and they would achieve nothing.
"At least tell us who you're working for," she said as a last attempt to extract information.
"сам" (Myself)
Natasha left the room, locking the door behind her.
"позвольте мне поговорить c Коулсон," the woman called back. (Let me talk to Coulson.)
Natasha slipped back into the room.
"Coulson?"
"да" (yes).
"Any luck?" Coulson asked as Natasha walked in.
"She didn't even flinch. But she isn't working for anyone and will only speak in Russian, despite understanding English perfectly well."
"Anything else?"
"She wants to speak to you."
"How does she even know who I am?"
"I don't know. I'm going to try the lighter tomorrow but if you think that is a safe request, then let me know when an appropriate time would be."
"Tomorrow, before you start. I want to speak to her beforehand- hopefully I can get her to talk, and maybe we won't have to use the torture."
"Okay sir, I'll come and get you when I am ready to start."
When Natasha walked into his office the next morning, it was clear that she would have to do the interrogation without him. Papers were streaked across the desk in front of him and Hill, as they tried to deal with the diplomatic crisis on their hands. The US military had spotted their Quinn Jet when they departed their most recent missions, and there were a lot of questions, given that SHIELD had now been branded a terrorist organization.
"I take it I should do the interrogation alone then?"
"That would be great Natasha, thanks."
"Wake up," she said, a little too loudly, pouring a bucket of icy water over the Woman's head.
"Я не спал." (I didn't sleep)
"How about you speak today? Or at least eat some of your food. You're going to starve yourself.
"как я могу этому доверять?" (How can I trust this?)
"You can't."
"точно. так зачем мне есть." (Exactly. So why should I eat?)
"Enough chat. Why do you want to talk to Coulson?"
Once again, she remained silent. Sighing, Natasha picked up the lighter and held it to her open wounds, letting the acrid smell of burning flesh fill the room. Still the woman didn't even let her know it hurt. She just stared at the wall. The afternoon went on like that- Natasha using the lighter and Morozova remaining unreactive. She had to have a breaking point. Natasha would go on like this, and eventually the woman would break, they always did, but for now she had to stop, it was almost like the woman had no sense of pain- she would pass out before she flinched. Perhaps she would call Bobbi down tomorrow- they would be more efficient as a pair. The person she really wished for was May: she would have taken over the job or helped Natasha- she always did everything she could to avoid Natasha having to do these things, aware of the flashbacks caused by torturing and interrogating people.
"Jemma, come and look at this," Fitz said, staring at the lab results Infront of him."
"Thats incredible," she replied as she looked over his shoulder at the results on the computer.
"This metal absorbs fingerprints. Look," he touched the handle and put it under the device again, and within seconds the newly made fingerprints had vanished from it.
"How does it even do that? It's unlike anything we've ever seen."
"Some kind of coating. We'll have to run some more tests to pinpoint exactly what it is and how it works. I also have the tests back for the rest of the sword. Solid vibranium. I've never seen this much in one place, and I've never heard of it used in weapons, save the Winter soldiers arm and Captain America's SHIELD. It looks more like a piece of art than a weapon, yet it is pretty much indestructible. Look here, the intricacy of the craftmanship, these are real diamonds!"
"Surely, we must be able to trace such a thing?" Simmons asked.
"We can put Skye on it at on it after our next meeting, but I don't think it will be necessary. Romanoff is on interrogation and will probably have answers before. We even ask Skye to look."
"It's a shame it will be taken to somewhere secure after we close the investigation. I could spend years reverse engineering this technology."
"It's a dangerous weapon, Fitz. It's not safe in the lab and it being locked away is safer for all of us."
"I know but look at it Jemma, it's a technological masterpiece."
"Why don't you create a digital model of it, and then you can study that once the case is closed."
"Good idea, I'll get on it immediately.
"Ah, Sir, we were just looking for you. Could you ask Skye to track this?"
"Where did you get that?"
"It was Morozova's, Fitz replied, confused.
"No, it wasn't."
"Sir, Skye took it straight off her at the party."
"You could track it but there is no need."
"Why? Did Romanoff get her to talk."
"No, not a word."
"Then why?"
It was made in Wakanda and was a Gift from king T'challa."
"Sir, how do you know...?"
"It was a gift for Melinda May."
"But how is it here?"
Coulson walked out the door before the two scientists noticed and walked at high speed towards the holding cells and bursting through the door.
"What did you do to her."
She remained silent.
"If you want to live, then you better talk because I've just about had enough. What did you do to her."
"я ничего не делал" (I didn't do anything)
"I know you can speak English and I need to find her."
"Well maybe she doesn't want to be found," she said in a forced Russian accent.
"And how would you know something like that."
"How about you let me go?"
"How about you talk, or I might just let this lighter slide a little closer to your skin."
"You don't want to do that. You'd never be able to live with yourself afterwards."
"And why is that."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"What would put you in a position to hurt me?"
"You think this chair can hold me? I'm only here because I want to be."
"No, you aren't. You're here because my team brought you in. We brought you in and now we intend to get the information we want. What did you do to Melinda May."
"Nothing. I have no idea who she is, or where she is."
"That's a lie and you know it."
"Director Coulson please report to your office," Maria's voice crackled through the intercom.
"I will be back Morozova, and when I am you better have answers."
Simmons waited for the director to leave before entering the holding cell. She stopped a few steps into the room as she observed the woman's injuries. Blood ran down the side of her face, and deep cuts and burns ran the length of her arms.
"что ты здесь делаешь?" the woman asked her (what are you doing here)
"Sorry I'm a scientist not a field operative. I only speak English."
"I know who you are Jemma."
"What. What did they do? What did they do to you?"
"It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm used to it. Just some minor injuries."
"Minor? Why would SHIELD?" The young scientist started hyperventilating, and slowly spiraled into a panic attack. The view was slowly going fuzzy, and she hardly noticed when the prisoner freed herself and knelt next to her.
"It's okay Jemma, breathe with me. You need to calm down. It's just a few injuries. Copy my breathing."
She copied the instructions carefully and the world came back into focus. After a few minutes of sitting there calming down, she was calm enough to speak.
"Why are you helping me, and how did you escape."
"I never wanted to hurt any of you. How do you think you took me in so easily? I could kill you all with my bare hands, but I don't kill innocent people, not anymore."
"I've heard a Russian accent before and that's not natural. Who are you really?"
"You need to get Coulson to stop looking for May."
"Why?"
"I'm not ready to come back," she said, slipping into her normal accent.
Jemma's eyes widened slightly.
"I'm going to leave in a few days, and after I have gone, I need you to persuade Coulson to stop looking for me. Whatever it takes. He needs to move on."
"It won't be that easy, May. He won't even assign Maria as permanent deputy. How are you even planning on getting out?"
"These," she said pulling a pair of knives from her skirt and handing a third to Jemma. "Give that to Fitz. I think he would be interested in the technology behind it. Oh, and goodbye Jemma."
"Please comeback soon," the girl replied. "The team needs you, especially Coulson."
"I have always worked better alone. Less people get hurt that way. Doesn't mean I don't miss you all; Of course I do, but you are better off without me."
She picked up the lighter and began to cauterize her wounds. Simmons immediately grabbed it out of her hand.
"You can't just hurt yourself like that!" Simmons said angrily.
"It's the best way to treat these with my limited resources."
"You can't do it to that many wounds without painkiller!"
"It's worked on a lot worse wounds than this Jemma. This is at least more medically safe than tape. Field medication is like that. You use what you can to keep yourself alive. Even if I was treating this in a lab I wouldn't bother with painkillers- not if it's only a few stitches or a minor bullet. Painkillers cloud your judgement and can be fatal. Don't worry about me. I can handle this."
"Goodbye May," she said as she walked out of the room.
Jemma made it as far as the labs before she broke down crying. It was all too messed up. And since when did SHIELD use that kind of torture. She would normally brush it off as injuries sustained beforehand, but Jemma saw her being brought in- not a visible scratch, and now she had hardly an inch of unburned skin on her arms. It wasn't even like she was some stranger. She was family, and Coulson was having her tortured.
"Are you okay Jemma?" Fitz asked as he walked in, finding her crying.
"No," she said, tightly embracing him and crying onto his shoulder.
Thanks for reading :) some nice angst for Christmas (sorry). Hopefully the next chapter will be slightly less blood and tears. Thanks for staying with me. Please leave a review. Luv u guys. Late Merry Christmas. PS. Sorry for my terrible Google translate Russian. I only speak English if you are offended by it, please leave corrections in the comments and I will fix it for you :)