The Shadow // Natasha Romanoff x OC

Chapter 16 - A Deserted Wendy's Parking-Lot

Azara's pov

"I'm leaving," Natasha states firmly, as if trying to convince herself more than me.

"I know," is all I respond, knowing she wants to explain without me interrupting.

"The Avengers - or what's left of us - need to separate for a bit. I don't know how long, but we do," she fiddles with her jacket zip, letting it jingle to keep the room from a stoney silence.

"Where will you go?" I ask, already knowing it's a stupid and futile question.

"You know I can't tell you that. Or at least..." she trails off, looking down to her lap with a dismissive nod.

"Or at least what?" I don't want to press her, but I want some sort of an answer.

"Or nothing, ok? It was a stupid idea anyways," she suddenly gets defensive.

"So there was something. Romanoff, what was it?" I need to know.

"It's Natasha! You know it's Natasha!" She bursts out.

"W-what? I'm sorry, I didn-"

"You-she," the ex-KGB spy corrects, "the Shadow Soldier, called me Romanoff. I can't go through being tricked again, not by you."

I'm taken aback by her sudden honesty, "I'm sorry, Natasha. I try to block those months from my memory."

A silence falls between and I half expect her to stand up and leave already.

"Would you come with me?" Natasha's voice is so small I can barely hear it.

"Pardon?" I question, not wanting to get the wrong end of the stick.

"That's what I was going to ask," she states.

"Wow, uh..." I really don't know what to say.

"Don't worry, i-it was silly to even ask," she stands up hastily and walks out so quickly the door she doesn't even close it behind her.

I immediately try to follow her, ripping an IV, and a couple of other important-looking things, out of my arm.

The restraints, when calm, were easy enough to wriggle out of and I could tell they knew I'd be irrationally violent when I woke.

I wince at the first step I take as the cold, tiled floor meets my bare feet. Padding quietly out of the open door, I jog down the empty corridors and around the unfamiliar building.

A siren goes off, reminding me that this is, in fact, a prison.

And also, most likely, that siren is for me.

"Whoopee!" I think to myself sarcastically.

Stumbling back from the corner as I see 3 armed guards come running down the corridor and out of sight, I take notice of a small waiting room style thing to my right (the opposite direction to where I was aimlessly headed).

Dismissing the darkened room, lit only by a near full vending machine, I take a glance left to see the path to be clear.

"*Sniff*," it comes from the small room to my left.