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A/N 13th chapter on the 13th of October. Why not? Again, bolded conversations are in Russian.
I have a break around lunch where I wander aimlessly trying to avoid everyone. I find myself on the roof, which is where Clint always goes to think. Except that's in America, land of the free. Dangling my legs precariously over the edge, I sit and stare at he cloudy grey sky, willing it not to rain. For once my wish comes true and it begins to brighten up a bit. That's when I hear footsteps behind me. "I don't get it. Are you with us or against us?" I snap my head around and see the Winter Soldier staring back at me. Just one of the many people I was trying to avoid.
"Which are you?" I reply, raising my eyebrow. I'm with him, if he decides he wants to try and reclaim his memories, but I'm certainly not with them.
"You didn't answer my question." He informs me. I don't know how to answer his question. I've checked they're are no cameras or microphones on the roof, but he might have one on him. Knowing Petrovitch, I'm surprised that I don't have one on me already.
"And you didn't answer mine." When in doubt, be smart arsed.
"Fuck you, Natalia." The good boy swore. Him swearing is sort of like Cap swearing, which he does believe it or not, from time to time.
"How do you know my name?" I ask. He must be beginning to remember. He must have fished Steve out of the lake, because he found some connection to him. This has to be good. He can help me escape.
"I... I don't know." And he genuinely doesn't. They've definitely wiped his memories, and I know they've done it recently... maybe he's becoming immune to it?
As I've been thinking there's been quite a pause, and James seems to think that it's my turn to talk. "You should be against evil. You used to be." I'm of course referring to quite a way back, in the 1940s, but he doesn't need to know that.
Obviously he doesn't like that topic of conversation. "Who was the man I almost killed? The one I was ordered to kill with you." If he had killed me Ivan would have had a hissy fit and a half, and probably would have killed most of HYDRA. That would've been good. All of Fury's work done.
"Steve was your best friend from childhood. You fought together in the second World War."
"You're lying." For once, I'm actually not.
"I'm not. James listen to me-" James? What the hell am I thinking?
He interrupts me with, "Who the hell's James? Is he me? Is he Bucky?"
"Yes. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes." According to the good Captain anyway.
"Look, Natalia, I didn't come here to find out about my past. I don't to be talking to you. The commander told me to look for you." He turns to walk away.
"James, help me escape. Escape with me. Even if you don't, the Avengers are coming to bomb the compound soon, and I'll have to drag your sorry ass out of here for Steve. Escape now, help me." He doesn't turn, but he stops, considering for a moment.
"No." He walks away. I wait a few minutes before following him down the ladder, but then turn in to the gym. The afternoon session of training small people awaits me. At least these are supposed to be the older ones so they should put up a better fight.
I'm alone for five minutes which is way too long. In that time I have too many thoughts about Clint, Eva and any of the other guys dying, me never getting out of here and the Winter Soldier killing me. It's not exactly pleasant. As I'm just sitting on one of the benches, I notice when the older girls come in. I get them each set up with a punching bag and observe, correcting techniques and sometimes just making conversation, quietly of course.
I end the session a couple of hours later, after sparring and other workouts. A couple of them stay behind to talk to me. "Miss Romanova?" The tallest one, probably one of the best asks me.
"Yes?" I ask, quietly. They shouldn't be talking to me, and they know it. Still, I don't think Petrovitch will be watching. Not since I disconnected the camera feed anyway.
"Hypothetically, would you tell us how we can escape if we let you use a phone?" They want to leave. A new generation of spies want to leave the world. And they're talking to me in English. They know that Petrovitch barely knows the language, that he relies heavily on translators.
"If you want to go, you'll be hiding from them for the rest of your life. I'm pretty sure I could get you a place at S.H.I.E.L.D. And then you could escape in a couple of days with me." I need to get them out of here fast. All four girls nod excitedly. Then I remember that there's no S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury's probably building up something new. "So what are your names, how old are you and how long have you been here?"
"'M Yana, I'm thirteen been here eleven years." The smallest begins. She's got long wavy dark brown hair and green eyes.
"I'm Olga, sixteen, been here nine years." The on the far left. She's got shoulder length light brown hair and hazel coloured eyes. It seems as if the two tallest are protecting the two smaller ones in the middle.
"Irina, fourteen. I've been here ten years." The one on the right in the middle announces. She's got straight red hair and blue eyes.
"Klara. I'm twenty one. I've been here seventeen years. I just want to get out of here. I remember when you left. There was a massive thing." The tall, brave one says. She's got long white-blond hair, kept in a braid, extremely pale skin and blue eyes. That's the four of them, Klara, Olga, Irina and Yana.
"Hey," I smile, "I'm Natasha, but call me Miss Romanova when we're with people." They nod excitedly. "And were you saying something about a phone?"
Irina's eyes light up and she leads the way to the room that has beds in it. They've changed the layout, instead of the one dormitory, there's two rooms, a younger girls and an upper girls. Except we're going in to the younger girls.
"I'm still in the little girls dormy, because I only turned thirteen a week ago. That's why there's no one here." Yana tells me. I tell her what it was like in my day, and all of them except Klara seem quite shocked. I learn that Klara stays here too, because she's the oldest and apparently most qualified to look after the little ones.
Irina passes me a small mobile and I type in the familiar American number. "Hello?" Asks the voice on the other line.
"Clint." I breathe exhaling all my feelings. He's alive.
"NAT!" He screams happily, "You're alive! Thank God."
"Shush, I've got to be quick. Are you and the guys coming? Where's Eva?" I whisper, not wanting any one to overhear.
"I'm leaving her with Pepper like you said. She's completely fine. The guys want to leave tomorrow, Nat. I can't go without them, but I wish I could. Hold on, okay?" He pauses, but I don't think he's finished, "Tash, did you send me Morse code on the plane?"
"That was in my dream. How the hell did that happen?" Were talking in rushed, hushed tones, anxious to have a fully conversation before I get found out and killed.
"I don't know. Out of body experience? You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, Tasha." Clint sighs.
"I do, Clint. I do because it's as good as it is to hear yours." I hear slow footsteps coming from down the hallway, drawing nearer. "Got to go Clint, love you bye." I motion for the girls to get under the beds as I walk out the door.
"Natalia!" Petrovitch smiles creepily. "I was looking for you. Where have you been?"
"I was looking around the wing. You've done it up, haven't you?" He nods slowly, probably wondering why I'm being nice. "Well I'll continue looking around, maybe you could guide me?"
"Of course Natalia." he says with that twinkle in his eye. Oh joy.
I see the four girls at dinner later that night. Thank God none of them were caught.