Everything felt heavy. Her eyes, her hands, even her toes as she tried to wiggle them. She wasn't ready to open her eyes, but her ears were ready to listen. The soft hum of machines was almost soothing. Warm blankets were tucked tightly around her.

Voices alerted her to the fact that she was not alone.

"Typically the ones who have something to hide are the ones who go down fighting on graduation day." A man commented.

A woman gave a noncommittal noise and papers rustled. "What's she hiding?"

"Isn't it always a boy? She's not the first one to act that way." The man added. More papers rustled. A machine beeped faintly like clockwork every 10 seconds.

"Look…" The woman said, the scratching of a pen on a paper was distinct and so much louder compared to the soft humming machines.

"That's what she was hiding then." The man concluded, surprise heavy in his voice.

"Couldn't be... She wouldn't have even known. The numbers are so low. Just barely, though." The woman corrected. "The procedure fixed that."

"Call Madame." The male said quickly. "She'll need to know about this."

Warmth enveloped her again and the voices rushed away. Natasha felt like she was floating again. The next time she stirred she heard no soft mechanical humming. The room was colder. More voices filled the room.

"Are you certain that it was taken care of?" Madame's voice asked quickly.

"If the procedure didn't eliminate it, the final dose of her serums would have. The serum attacks the body. There's no possibility for it to remain." A doctor answered.

The commanders voice came next, "Do we have a problem on our hands? Did she know? Was this a result of her mission the other day? My soldiers on the job said Barkov didn't go easy on her."

Madame cleared her throat, "She's lied either way. Either she was attacked or hid this. The truth will out when she wakes."

Natasha heard a doctor clear his throat, "Madame.. According to these numbers it happened nearly a week ago."

The silence in the room was deafening. The commander spoke first, "A week ago did she have a mission?"

Madame sighed, "No. She was here commander."

The commander's boots scuffed against the floor, "I'll start questioning the soldiers."

"Madame, she's waking up." The female doctor said sharply. Natasha felt less foggy, more aware. Her eyes briefly opening before shutting due to the harsh lighting.

"Put her back under." Madame said sharply and left the room. The commander and one other follower here out as Natasha opened her eyes again.

There was shuffling on her left and before she turned her head she spotted the male doctor unloading a large syringe into an IV in her wrist.

"No…" Natasha breathed, unable to lift her hand.

The man seemed sympathetic, "I'm sorry." He looked at her with an absolute look of worry.

What had she done? She shut her eyes and let the swirling darkness take her over again.

When she woke again she wasn't in a bed. She was fully clothed, her head resting on a cold metal table. She jerked upwards and found her hands handcuffed to the table. Her ankles cuffed as well, to the legs of the chair.

She breathed quickly and tugged her wrists, trying her hardest to break the restraints. It could be done she was sure of it. Angry red welts broke out across her wrists the harder she pulled. Her feet were cold against the cement floor. It was an uncomfortable sort of cold in the room. Her thin leggings, bare feet, and tank top offered no warmth.

The wall in front of her flickered before a large image spanned the blank space. A high-pitched whining sound she was all too familiar with. One of the many videos she watched full of subliminal messages. Brainwashing. She ducked her head as the video flashed images quickly, a rhythmic chanting filling the room. The words were on her lips like a routine. She fought it. Forced the words back. She wasn't going to give in and repeat. She grit her teeth and hummed to herself trying to break the pull the video had on her attention.

The cuffs around her wrists grew hot and a flash of pain erupted from them. A shock from the metal caused her to cry out loudly. The message was clear, comply or be punished. They used to use an electrified stick when the girls were in class. Fall behind or lose concentration and they were zapped.

Natasha lifted her head in defeat and looked up to the screen. The words falling from her lips from memory. Hours passed. So much time had passed that she wasn't sure if it had been hours or days. The video just continued, cycle after cycle. Her throat was sore, her back twinged from the forced posture in the chair. She was so tired, hunger wracked her body. Her stomach seemed to be in a constant clench of hunger.

They were breaking her down. For what? She was lost on what they think they knew. She couldn't think straight with the flashing images, the droning voices in the video.

The video cut out suddenly and the silence was a sweet relief. Natasha sighed and lowered her head to rest on her outstretched arms. Two sets of footsteps echoed into the room.

Her head pounded as she picked it up and looked into the stern face of Madame, and an unreadable expression from the commander.

No one said anything. They simply looked at her and offered no reason for the punishment or their sudden appearance.

Her head was pounding harder, "Madame… What is going on?"

Madame looked at her with a steely anger in her eyes. "You will not be asking any questions, you will be answering them." She said with finality.

Natasha frowned and sat up a little straighter.

"How did you come to be pregnant?" Madame asked sharply.

Natasha laughed, a dark short lived laugh before the angered looks on their faces silenced her. "Are you kidding me?" She gasped in indignation.

Madame's face reddened, "Have I ever been one for games, Natasha?"

Was this some exercise to see how quickly she'd accept a lie and go with it? How easily she'd buy into something that wasn't true? She was in no mood for it. "I can't be pregnant if you just mutilated me." She fired back heatedly.

The commander flipped open a file in his hands and seemed to look for a paper. Madame's response was instantaneous. Her hand struck her cheek swiftly, leaving a painful mark across her pale skin. Natasha expected it. Girls who had lashed out at Madame before were punished severely. But it was worth it just to fire the words at her.

"I've done nothing of the sort. I took a broken orphan off the hands of an impoverish children's home. I turned her into a weapon. I gave that girl purpose. And how does this girl repay me, you may ask? Not with success, but failure and deception." Madame nearly shook with rage.

"I haven't done any…" Natasha quipped.

Madame's hand slammed on the table, startling her into silence. Natasha's heart hammered in her chest as the commander slid a paper in front of her.

Patient:Romanova, Natasha Alianovna

Pathology Report: Pregnancy, 6 days.

Natasha read the report. Her eyes glued to the accusatory word. She didn't believe it. She shook her head. How could she lie her way from this one if it was written to the hour on the paper.

She though he had been careful. She heard older girls mention it a few times. James knew what he was doing. She looked away. Last night he wasn't careful, neither of the three times they lost control. But she had resigned that it didn't matter. It would have been taken care of the next day.

"Who was it?" Madame asked lowly.

Natasha remained motionless. "Barkov." She said indignantly. She knew there was no possible way when the mission was yesterday.

Madame raised her eyes to a camera on the wall behind her and gave it a commanding look. Natasha braced, knowing what was coming. The handcuffs sent electric currents shooting up her arms. Only this time it didn't stop after a second. Madame let it go for longer.

"Do not waste my time Natasha." Madame glanced at the camera again, pointing her finger up. Signaling the person to turn the intensity up.

Natasha felt sweat pepper her forehead. Her fingers were numb from the force of her trying to yank her wrists from the cuffs.

The commander interjected, motioning to the camera to pause. "Tell me which one of the soldiers it was." He said gently. Natasha wouldn't fall for it. He was trying to appeal to the fondness she had for him. He seemed to care for her throughout her testing.

There was only five of them. Natasha almost figured they probably already knew it was James. She shook her head and stared at her bruised wrists.

Madame gave an exasperated sigh. The commander tried again, "I'm sorry this happened to you.."

Natasha found the comment strange. She looked up at him incredulously.

"You shouldn't protect him. It's our jobs to make sure these soldiers don't take advantage of the girls." He continued. "Where did it happen? After a weapons class? Did he find you at night?"

He was insinuating she was assaulted. She felt her face burn with anger. She fixed her gaze above the commander's head.

Madame nodded at the camera. The electric shocks shook her body on an off for several minutes. It took her just as long to recover. Her breathing was erratic, her wrists started to bleed from her tugging. Lack of food and water, made her weaker. Each round of shocks took more and more out of her. Natasha didn't bother to lift her head off her of outstretched arms.

"Is he worth dying for? You're going to waste every bit of potential you have on a boy? I raised you better than that, Natasha. 8 years of work and you're throwing it away for love? Love makes you weak. Love is for children. I've given you the world Natasha, you need to be brave enough to take it." Madame motioned for the intensity to raise again. This time the commander seemed unsure of the tactic.

"Perhaps this is enough for the day." He said shortly.

Madame wasn't one to quit. She slapped five pictures down on the table. The 5 soldiers. She didn't dare look at them. She didn't want to know which one held his face. If she looked at him they would know. Madame knew how to read into a blank stare. She'd know.

There was no way out of this one. She'd have to let Madame kill her. Natasha felt tears in her eyes as the rolled from her lashes to pool on the table. She swallowed her pride and shut her eyes.

Madame let out the smallest sound of surprise. She hadn't expected Natasha to lay her life down. Her chair scraped against the floor as she stood up and stalked out of the room.

"You're in a world of trouble, child." The commander commented as he got up.

Natasha sucked air into her lungs and braced for the shocks again. "I don't think so.. If I was she would have already killed me."

The shocks followed instantly. It is exactly what she got for poking an angry bear.