Previously:

"Brilliant," he murmured under his breath. "Natasha, tell me, how much professional experience, exactly, does this Via have with technology?"

"None."

"You're sure?"

Nat nodded.

"And am I correct in guessing that she was the one who gave you this phone?"

Another nod.

"Well, Tasha, it would appear that you have found a technological genius. One, no less, who is going to take your baby, which I do not approve of," he held up a hand to stop Natasha from protesting his choice of words, "but, that is a topic that we will discuss later. Right now, we have other business to attend to."

Via's eyes opened. She blinked slowly, trying to regain movement in her limbs and torso. She didn't particularly remember falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was watching Rak's face as the black sedan pulled away from the curb.

Via felt her heart quicken its pace as she recalled previous events. Calming herself would be no easy feat, so she went through her not-so-recently compiled "just-woke-up-in-a-strange-place-and-don't-know-where-I-am" list.

One: Overview of Location

She was laying in a dim room. Everything, at a glance, was in hues of gray and black. It seemed to be a sort of cell. The floor felt like cement and the four plain, windowless walls glinted as if they were made of metal. To Via's right, there was a thin pad; assumably there for the inmate's sleep. The wall Via was facing contained a heavy, solid, iron door that was held by two giant hinges. There wasn't a handle, so Via supposed that it was to be opened from the outside.

Two: Physical Condition

Via's hands were no longer tied, though she felt the aftermath of their grip on her wrists. They hadn't completely scabbed over yet and pulsed uncomfortably every time she moved them. She still wasn't able to completely focus her eyes, and her feet were numb. She flexed her fingers, despite the pain, and found that she found move all ten with no difficulties. She was laying on her side, and didn't feel any injuries.

Three: Details

This was harder, because her eyes couldn't focus, but Via started feeling the floor with her fingertips. This was a trait she had taught herself when she was much younger. Her mother would play endless games of Hide-and-Seek with Via, and Via learned early on that the smallest details were often the most important. By feeling the floor, Via picked up a tiny trace of dirt. She lifted her fingers, and gently felt the shape; this turned out to be nothing definable, but it could be a clue.

As her eyesight became clearer and clearer, she began to notice other tiny details. There were pinstripes of light shining on the floor. Via looked up, straining her neck to do so, but other than feeling what might be a possible breath of air, she noticed nothing unusual about the ceiling.

She sighed in defeat. All she could do was wait.

Nat had long since been past the point of panic. Now, she was leaning towards that eerie calm emotion that freaked people out. As the other members of the team had arrived, they had realized that the only ones who were of any use at this point were Tony and Jarvis. So, to make themselves useful, they devoted themselves to Natasha's every whim. It had quickly turned into a "your wish is my command" type thing. Steve hadn't let her cup of water go dry, refilling it multiple time within the half hour, and Clint was on the hunt for a pillow for her neck. Bruce sat next to her, trying to keep her distracted by explaining the theory of relativity to her.

"Well, you see, it's actually quite simple. It's as simple as, uh, finding, um," He stammered. Natasha kept on glaring at him. "I'm going to stop talking now," he decided wisely.

Tony finally emerged twenty minutes later with a broken phone in hand.

"Well, that went well," he deadpanned. "Tasha, this kid is off-the-charts crazy. It took me four separate tries to hack into the phone, and then, once I did, I had to figure out how to work the thing."

Nat rolled her eyes. "You could have just asked asked me for the password, Genius."

"Yes, but that would have been too easy, wouldn't it, Romanoff?"

"Quit it, you two," Steve ordered. "Now, we may not like this girl, but she could have intel on Loki, and if he is still a threat, intel is what we need."

Natasha cleared her throat.

Steve coughed. "And, uh, she's Natasha's friend."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Via's not going to stay put for long. Either we rescue her, or she's going to rescue herself. I'd rather have it done sooner, though, because you never know when this thing," she gestured to her stomach, "is going to be ready. The kid'll need a mother."

Via was hit with blinding light as the door swung open. Two men and a young woman entered the room. One of the men was wearing a lab coat and carrying a clipboard. The other man had one blue eye and one green eye, matching the woman standing next to him. The woman and man looked as if they were related, though they also looked to be worlds apart.

The woman had kinder eyes and gentler features. She was really quite pretty, even in her "spy" outfit, which looked a bit like the one Natasha wore before going on leave. She had olive skin and deep, chocolate brown hair that was pulled back into a loose braid. The man Via assumed to be her brother had more masculine features, though his hair and skin tone were the same. His hair was curly, but not long. His eyes reflected rage like Via had never seen.

Via had previously regained feeling in her legs and was sitting up and observing quietly. The girl, who was maybe in her mid-twenties, refused to meet Via's eye. Her brother, however, glared at her with a strange sort of glee in his eyes.

"Thanks to you, my dear Olivia-" he started to speak.

"I won't talk." Via interrupted.

"Excuse me?" he growled at her.

"I said I won't talk," she reiterated. "You can torture me to your heart's content, but you'll never get anything."

The man rolled his eyes condescendingly. "There will be no need for torture, Olivia. It isn't information we want out of you. Merely a favor and a small blood sample."

"I'm not giving you money."

The scientist leaned over to the man. "I'm really not quite sure about your father's decision to bring her in. She doesn't exactly live up to expectation, does she?"

"She's bluffing," said the lady quietly.

The man turned on her sharply. "Wendolyn, I swear, if you say another word, I'll tell Father who really destroyed his portrait."

"That was you, not me, Jack," she protested.

He chuckled meanly. "Yes, but who is he going to believe? His son and heir? Or the daughter who never should have been born?"

Via watched with interest. She felt pity for Wendolyn. Via decided to rescue the girl.

"Ahem," she coughed, interrupting. "Back to my situation, please. Do I get a lawyer? You never read me my rights." She turned on her acting skills. She had had plenty of experience pretending to be a spoiled brat.

They turned back to her, but didn't answer her sarcastic question. Instead, the scientist knelt down next to her and took her arm. She pulled away quickly. the scientist tried to grab it back, but she stood up and jumped away.

"You can't take my blood. It's unconstitutional. Besides, you never told me what favor you want," she tried to distract them.

"The favor isn't from you, girl. It's from your brother," the scientist replied this time. Via noticed that he had a very unpleasant, nasally voice and his dark hair was damp and oily. He smelled like coffee and the top of his head was almost bald.

Via shuddered. For some strange reason, she wasn't convinced that he was licensed to take blood; hers or anybody else's.

She was just about to inquire what they could possibly need from Loki.

And the room exploded.

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