Part 2.

'Florence?' Natasha demanded with an irritated sigh.

'You weren't going to name her.' Steve muttered. 'And it worked -'

'All the way up until you used it.' The assassin pointed out. A wry smile on her lips. Probably thinking about Steve's face when the little girl went to peg him with the beaker.

Said little girl was now securely tied down to a chair in medical, being attended to by a very edgy Bruce and being watched by Clint.

Steve chafed at the very idea of having to restrain a child like that but understood the need. What had come out of her mouth while she was being "restrained" was decidedly not sugar and spice. He was pretty sure he now knew how to curse in three languages and none of them were English.

'What would you have called her?' He asked.

'Lilya.'

Russian, of course. 'Lily?' He asked.

She shrugged with another secretive smile. 'It's still better than Florence.'

Natasha was just not going to let him forget that - clearly. 'Why did she attack Banner?' He wondered. 'He wasn't being threatening - he wasn't even near her.'

'She doesn't like doctors.' Natasha replied.

That - that made some sort of sense. She hadn't become outwardly aggressive until Banner had identified himself as a doctor. But a reaction like that was beyond a simple fear of medical people. 'Why would she not like doctors?' Steve wondered.

Natasha was giving him that look again. Like he was too innocent to really understand. 'Why do people like Armin Zola exist?' She replied.

Steve shifted uncomfortably.

'She was an experiment.' Natasha replied in a complete monotone which somehow made him feel worse. 'Experiments are tested and re-tested to find out what's wrong with them, how they work. What can be done to improve the method.'

Steve turned to look back into the room where "Florence" was now glaring daggers at Banner as he took bloods. When it was put to you like that - how could she not hate doctors? Such a short little life filled by pain and orders given by shadowy people in control of everything around her. It must've taken all the courage and defiance she had to go with Buck.

It must've taken all Natasha's courage to break free of the Soviets.

'I need to make some calls.' Natasha murmured and walked away, leaving Steve to stare almost forlornly at the scene.

He wished Bucky were here - although perhaps that wasn't the best thing to wish for. But he wanted to at least take him to one side and make sure that he was alright. That he understood that he was a father.

Clint looked up at the two-way glass and nodded towards the door. He wanted to talk to Steve.

'How's Nat taking this?' Barton asked gently when they were out in the corridor.

Steve ran a hand down the stubble of his jaw and glanced at Clint. 'You know Nat. She's hard to read when she wants to be.'

Clint nodded. He knew better than anyone how true that was. 'Where is she now?'

'She said she had to make a few calls.' Steve replied. Clint nodded, having expected it.

'I'm worried about her,' Hawkeye murmured, clearly having worked up to this.

'It's Natasha.' Steve replied and clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. 'She can handle anything.'

'Even a sociopathic daughter?' Clint asked with a smirk.

Steve chuckled. 'Of course. And she'll have us to help her.' He agreed. 'But sociopath? Really?'

'I call them like I see them.' Clint replied.

The two paused. Listening to the creak and the roll of the Helicarrier. Clint frowned and then looked up at Steve. 'Is it me or is it too quiet in there?'

They both turned and lunged for the door.

Mantis was gone. Banner was out cold, slumped against a table.

'Bruce? Bruce!'

It looked like she'd concussed the poor man. He groaned and tried to sit up, a hand already working itself into the unruly hair. 'Did I Hulk out again?' He begged.

'No, you were hit over the head.' Clint replied as Steve glanced around, looking for the child's escape route. She was not in the room, and he'd already come to the conclusion that she was much cleverer than she let on - so waiting until Clint and Steve were busy and attacking Banner had to serve some sort of purpose.

Where would she go?

'What's going on in here?' Steve and Clint turned to see a furious Natasha standing in the doorway.

And then there was the other problem. Natasha's wrath.

The ship was huge. Praying Mantis was not going to easily stumble across the hangar bay here. She hadn't seen many people wandering the corridors yet - and those she did see, she was able to avoid.

She was going to steal a plane and find Soldier. She liked Soldier far more than she liked the Widow. At least Soldier respected her. Romanov treated her like… like…. A child .A clueless idiot child. Or a threat. That was why she'd been brought aboard this glorified Harrier. That was why Widow had asked doctors to look at her. The Widow didn't trust her - she didn't need or want her trust. The only person she had trusted was Soldier and he was presumably being chased by their former employers - if employers was the right phrase.

What she needed, she realized, was a map of this place. She couldn't possibly wander around here forever - eventually someone would realize she had taken a bunsen burner and applied the right amount of force to the right part of the skull of the doctor to induce a few seconds of unconsciousness. Not enough to really harm anyone - if only because if she were caught, Mantis wanted at least that in her favour. Always have a back-up plan.

In that spirit - her best likelihood of manipulation if something went wrong would be the tall one who had tried to give her a name.

Florence.

She had never had a name before - It sounded so alien to her lips. A name. Weapons did not have names because they weren't real people - that had been drummed into her from an early age. They had designations like Enfield or Colt. Like Winter Soldier - Like Preying Mantis.

There was no protocol for being given a name. Soldier had called Widow Natalia. That sounded like a name - an old name.

Old name or old alias? She knew that she sometimes went by Natasha too.

Having a name was not on the cards. Soldier had been happy to call her Mantis - The Widow had been happy to call her Mantis. But the big one hadn't. He'd wanted a name from her.

Why?

'Couldn't keep hold of you for five minutes - could they?'

Mantis was aware of the voice coming from behind her, but not aware that she had been snuck up on. Whomever had managed to get this close to her was not your average person. Her spacial awareness had been given top marks. To get the drop on her you had to be good.

She turned and looked up into the eyes - eye, the other was covered by a leather patch - of a tall, intimidating man in a black coat. He was flanked by two men in jumpsuits, carrying obscenely large rifles.

He sighed, as though things like Mantis were sent to try him. 'Cleaning up other people's goddamn messes again.' He grumbled.

Could she take out his escort? Could she take out him? Something in her gut that she was loathe to listen to concluded that to even try would be...painful. This was not an ordinary man. He radiated intimidation and command that up until now, she'd only ever experienced from Soldier.

'Welcome to the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, Mantis. Yes, I know who you are.' He replied to her quirked eyebrow. 'You are meant to be confined to med-bay. Planning on stealing a jet while I'm not looking? Assuming you can see over the controls. Phonebooks can be provided on request.' He added sarcastically.

So this was Nick Fury. The man that was so well prepared that even her father in a surprise attack hadn't been able to kill him - though, that had been a close run thing. The man was clearly dangerous and cunning.

The staring contest they'd entered into when she'd noticed the eyepatch broke when Fury asked 'Why don't we walk?'

'Where are we going?' She demanded. Really didn't want to go back to med-bay and be poked and prodded while they added more restraints.

'The command deck.' He answered.

He was taking her to the inner sanctum of the ship? The man was clearly planning something. Maybe he was just hoping the increased security would provide him back-up.

'Why?'

'It'll be easier for Rogers to find us when he bothers to tell me about the security breach.' Fury replied matter-of-factly. 'And you'll be wanting the disarming codes you'll find on the jets. Installed those after Deadpool stole one of Stark's.'

Of course they had codes. You wouldn't leave thousand dollar equipment around without protection. Still - she was wary of Fury.

He swept past her, his hands clasped behind his back before turning and asking 'Well?'

Nothing to lose, she supposed.

Mantis followed him.

A/N: Hello kiddies! I've been prodding this chapter along for months. I had to include Fury because - of course Fury and Mantis would get on like a house on fire. Stand back, or you'll end up getting burned. She got her revenge on Bruce for being a doctor AND made Steve and Clint look like idiots to Natasha. Win/win Mantis.

I have more chapters of this planned, but Staken is moving house. Which means no internet for a month or so.

Thank you to all the watchers, favouriters and reviewers! You guys make me feel guilty for not updating this more.