the forgotten enhanced - natasha romanoff

the truth

Vision was already sitting down with the rest of the group when Nat and Delia came back inside.
'I checked the perimeter, I couldn't see anyone.' Vision informed her. 'Glad you are safe Miss Delia.' he smiled.
'I'm sure we all are.' Tony sighed, he had sobered up massively since Delia last saw him.
Clint and Wanda looked at Nat nervously. 'Nat, do you mind just coming with us for a sec?' Wanda asked.
'Sure.' she looked over at Delia, 'I won't be a minute.'
It was now just Tony, Thor and Bruce sat with Delia, you could hear a pin drop it was that silent.
Thor slapped his knees and stood up, 'I think I'll call it a night. Terrific party Tony.' He turned around and winked at Delia. 'See you tomorrow guys.'

The remaining three sat awkwardly, Bruce fiddled with bud glasses while Tony was looking stonily at Delia.
'And then there was three.' Delia sighed.
'Don't even think of talking until Nat comes back. You have a lot of explaining to do.' Tony glared. 'I saved you, I could of let you get arrested. But from the kindness of my heart I let you come here, and this is how you repay us?' Tony's voice sharply rang through the empty room.
'You don't understand Mr Stark if I told you how-'
'You don't need to tell us where you came from. It's plainly obvious you were hydra property, so just cut the bullshit and tell us the rest.' he snapped. 'It's simple.'
Tony's words cut through Delia like a knife and her hands began to tremble at the tone of his voice
Delia didn't want Tony to notice her fear, and she was done with him treating her like shit.
'If your so invested in my past career then fine. I'm giving you what you want, you really want to know who did this?' She shouted. 'My father was a hydra agent. He gave me up to the cause so his offspring could be a part of the so-called revolution and so he could get a fucking job raise. He let them test on me, throw me in a cell, and he became one of my researchers. He's the one who's after me, that's Him.'
Delia was practically sobbing with rage by the end of it all. Tony and Bruce sat there gormless, not quite knowing what to say to all that.

Nat, Wanda and Clint where stood behind Delia. She hadn't noticed them come in when she started shouting.
'So is that good enough for you Mr Stark? Is that what you wanted to hear? My father preferred to watch his daughter die than to give up the hydra cause. That's all there is to it.'
Delia got up out of her seat and turned around to see Nat stood there.
'Delia-' she started to speak but Delia brushed past her and walked off to the dorms.

'Was there any need to provoke her like that Tony.' Bruce sighed. 'You should of just let her talk when she wanted to.'
'Look I wanted to-' Tony began to explain but Nat angrily interrupted.
'God Tony it's not about what you want. It's about what she needs, and what she didn't need was you interrogating her after she just saw her father in the grounds.'
'That's what we wanted to talk to you about Nat.' Clint said. 'We checked the cctv, there was no one there with Delia.'
'She wouldn't of lied. She was terrified.' Nat argued. 'Check again.'
'We checked many times. I promise you Nat it was just her.'
'Well what do you think happened then?' she glowered.
'I think there's two possibilities.' Wanda offered. 'Either she simply hallucinated the man or there's some sort of hydra brainwashing still in her head.'
'Well Bruce can take a scan of her brain tomorrow then.' Tony assured Nat. 'She'll be fixed up in no time, after Bucky we know what we are dealing with.'
Nat flashed a glance at Tony before looking away again. 'Great. I'll see you all tomorrow, enjoy the rest of your night. She said walking away.

Natasha bumped into Pepper on the way to her room and gave her a small smile.
'I heard about Delia, I hope she's feeling better.' Pepper comforted her. 'She likes you, I can tell.'
'Yeah well I hope she does.' Nat sighed. 'She's a nice girl.'
'Your doing a great job. She'll thank you for it in time.' Pepper said as she walked away.
Nat got into her room and sat on her dresser, the team had put some music on and we're seemingly having after-party drinks.
'How could you even carry on acting like you hadn't just heard that.' Nat muttered to herself. 'Her own father.'
She eventually got into bed and fell asleep, Delia's words still in her mind as she drifted off.

Next door Delia was not sleeping. Every mirror she looked in she saw Him behind her. She knew it wasn't real, but it still shook her a little.
'Well they know now.' she spoke to the crying girl in the mirror, 'There's no going back. No way to stop them from looking at me differently.'
The girl in the mirror began to look less and less like herself. Delia knew this wasn't her, she wasn't born to dress like this, she wasn't made to go to parties and sit with gods and rich men.

Her small tears turned into shuddering sobs that shook her whole body. She hadn't cried since the day she escaped her father, that was months ago. She tore off her shoes, turned on the shower and flung herself onto the floor, tearing her hair out at the realisation she can never be normal. She will never be able to live the all-american life. She'll be a soldier, an assassin. She can never stop being enhanced, the mind stone will always be a part of her.
And she hated that part of her, no- she hated every part of herself. 

Next door Nat awoke to the sound of the shower running next door. It was 2am, why on earth was Delia having a shower?
'Jesus Christ.' Nat groaned as she got out of bed. 'I cant have one minute of peace.'
She walked up to Delia's door and knocked, a little softer than she usually did. 'Cordelia?'
No answer, Nat knocked once more but once again, no answer from Delia.
Nat opened the door and walked over to the bathroom. She began to hear Delia's pained sobs and she held her hand to her mouth.
'Doll?' Nat pushed the bathroom door open ajar. 'Talk to me, I'm here.'
Delia had buried her head between her legs and was shaking, still crying.
'It's okay.' Nat leaned over to turn the shower off and sat cross legged in front of Delia,  'Let's get you out of the shower, come to my room. You can watch a movie with me.'
'No.' Delia said between shudders, 'Just go please. I don't I-'
'Shhh it's okay. Just lift your head up for me, I want to see your face.' Nat leant over and gently prised Delia's face out of her legs and brushed the hair out of her face.

'I want to be a different person.' Delia wept. 'I'm done with being me. Wi- With being enhanced, a child soldier. I look in the mirror and all I see is a hydra manufactured freak.'
Nat bit her lip and stroked Delias soaking wet hair. 'You're not a part of hydra anymore.'
'Do you know how many people I've killed Nat? I'm sixteen. I don't want to kill anymore. But I cant escape, I see my father everywhere.'
Nat sighed and pulled Delia into a hug. 'Whenever you see him, just repeat to yourself that it's not real, he's not real. That's all you can do.' she whispered.
'I'm sorry-'
'Don't be. I just want you to have a better life, and you will.' Nat soothed. 'You have me, and Wanda, and everyone else. Even goddamn Tony.' she laughed.
'He's a dick.' Delia giggled.
'Ditto. You get used to his narcissism, it gets quite funny to see him parade around.' Nat smirked. 'One step at a time, let's get out of here and I'll find you a fresh pair of pyjamas in my room.' Nat patted Delia and helped her up. 'You go and wash your face, and you and I can just hang out for a while, that okay with you?'
'Yeah.' Delia wiped her eyes and walked with Nat to her room.