Stained (N.R)

Prologue

The last rune was finally put into place, connected to circuit of runes of a multitude of colors. I smelted the last part of the metal together and stood shakily. Project Diana stood proudly before me, and I ran my hands across its fine metallic surface. It was a jet black, life sized leopard made out of uru, the Asgardian metal I traded with Tony Stark for a favor.

I squinted my eyes at the leopard's dim blue eyes and clapped my hands together. One last step. 

I danced across my lab, reaching for a box covered with runes , carefully unlocking it. In the box were round, grey, marble like substances, a dozen of them, sitting in their place. 

 I picked one up and shut the box immediately, cradling the marble in my hand.

"Are you finished with your little project yet, Kid?" A familiar voice rang in my ear as my long time friend and sponsor, Stark, marched into my lab, coffee in one hand, and a cheese burger in another, causing me to jump.

"What, impatient already?" I mimicked his tone, walking back towards my Diana. "If I dropped this, old friend, I would have had you killed."

He took a long drink from his coffee and watched with interest as I placed the marble on the metal leopard's forehead, watching as it melted into the mechanism. "Impeccable timing I chose to came. Do I get to stay and watch your concert?"

I glared at him and started to chant in old Latin, biting down on my finger and drawing blood. Then I started to draw. Rune after rune was drawn, encircling Diana's perimeter, they glowed eerily on my lab floor, but I did not care the slightest. When my chant came to a stop, the leopard began to shrink, the runes flying off the floor and merging with the shrinking leopard, turning into a plain silver card between my fingers. 

"Done." I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Now, what are you here for."

"I'm going to Stuttgart, Germany, in about five minutes." He replied nonchalantly, completely ignoring my question. 

"Other than here to annoy me, mock my chanting, and gloat about your vacations," I grit my teeth at him. "What are you here for?"

"I am inviting you to come with me, of-course, seeing that your supposed murderer would be there too." He put his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on one of my worktables and smirked.

I perked up at that. "Natalia would be there?"

He snorted at me. "She would be trying to tear Loki into pieces."

"And you are suggesting that go I and interrogate her in person?" I rolled my eyes. 

"Ha, you would more likely swoon. " He wagged his finger at me, his eyes shone with excitement. "I want you to come with me to capture Loki."

"So I can be on the Fury's list of throws and keeps? No thanks, I'm fine."

Stark raised an eyebrow. "You are already on the list, he just doesn't know you are alive."

"And I intend it to stay that way, I'm dead to the world and I like it." I drew a rune into the air, making the silver card vanishing in front of his eyes. "I'm a killer, Stark. I have been killing people for families like yours since high school age. If I stop killing, it means that my life is going to come to an end, both physically and figuratively."

"I never knew they taught you anything else in the Red Room." He mused, clearly not getting the point. 

"Actually, they also taught me ballet and mechanics, bits of design and technology after they found out this little talent of mine. And perhaps they would have taught me more, except I died, a mute child in a fire." 

"You were mute?" Tony smirked, "I couldn't tell."

"It was part of the side effects to commanding the dead, rest of the time, I faked." I shrugged, plucking away his untouched burger from his hand and took a hungry bite. "It was either that or I lost my tongue."

"Well, " Tony slyly returned to the subject. "I don't see that and the connection between not joining me on a trip to Stuttgart."

"The point is, Stark, I'm a turn coat. I ran away from the Red Room, I can run away again. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Tony held out his hands in surrender. "We both know you are loyal as a dog, Katyusha Dreykov. But if you have made up your decision, I'll respect that."

He turned to go, but I stopped him. 

"Wait." I drew a rune again, this time snatching a black card out of the air. "Project Pluto, take him with you."

His eyes lit up, "Can I have the other two as well?"

I opened my eyes wide. "You are joking, I just finished Diana today and you want to take her away from me?"

"How about the albatross sized hawk..Ouch." I slapped him on the side of the head. "Jupiter is going to be flying me to Stuttgart if you call for help, since I don't have one of your cool iron suits.

He grinned and shrugged,  walking to the door."I'm afraid your help would not be required. However, I'll always call you over when the party begins."

"Thanks, Uncle Tony." I whispered to his disappearing figure, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead against my work table. 

Natalia.... I sank back into memory. The one who nearly killed me, but instead brought my freedom. Did she tire of me? Of the useless, bony little mute that was adopted by the man she hated most? She had every reason to kill me, but it's just.... painful to think about.

I am not a good person, not like Tony or Natalia. I enjoy killing, enjoy hurting, enjoy hanging my life on a threat of candy floss whilst dancing on a bridge of ice. I was as mad as I was sane. It's a danger to Tony, and to his loved ones.

I was trained to be obedient, to be mindless and unquestioning, to kill hundreds without batting an eyelid, and I can do all of that just perfectly, except for the obedient bit. I was a weapon out of control, impossible to wield. Someone like me should not be allowed freedom, but I gained it anyways.

My mind would be my downfall.