Mind Games (Avengers Wrong Number Fugitive [Natasha Romanoff x teen])

5. Interrogation Gone Sour Patch Kids

August's POV

Trying to catch someone must be hard for some people. The Avengers have been after me, and I'm seriously just toying with them. An ex-HYDRA slave, who's been for, against, for, against them isn't an easy person to capture. They should know, they have the infamous Winter Soldier on their team. 

So I'm just sitting on top of a building, chilling with my Shake Shack burger, fries, and cookies and cream milkshake. I have a hoodie up, hiding the majority of my lengthy red curls and scar. My large-frame sunglasses are good for covering my face as I watch the Avengers on patrol for me come up empty.

I sigh. It's not like I want this, and it's definitely not what I need. But what will they do with me? I've done unimaginable things, both scarring me and others. I'll most likely be brutally interrogated, then sentenced to life behind bars. Forever.

But then I see someone sit next to me. The gun beside them is placed off safety, and their catsuit holds weapons everywhere. If not for the circumstances, I'd go all fangirl.

"You know you're not as hard to find as you think, Augustine." the Black Widow says.

I sigh, correcting her. "August. You're here to take me back to SHIELD. I don't want to go."

"Look, kid, you've made some pretty big impacts on the wrong crowds. You killed your own parents-"

How fast she can talk about my home life matches the speed of my emotions changing in this instant. Like bad acting or writing in a movie. "Is that what they told you?" I stand up, looking at her, fury in my eyes. "I did not kill my parents. Or my brother. They were murdered, and I was blinded by rage. I went after HYDRA, and they mind controlled me!"

She takes a deep breath, either trying to calm herself, or me. "And who are you for now?"

"No one. I'm trying to live my life without the superhero world interfering." I pause, trying to stop myself from saying words I know my idol will hate. But I'm not on her side right now... and I know a lot about her. "Though you can't catch a break picking sides."

"And your killing habits?"

She pretends I didn't say anything, though we both know I did. I can play games too, pretending the questioning jab didn't hurt.

The answer to her question is simple. Growing up in this environment creates false realities for the children. "As little as possible, but you should know that's easier said than done." 

"I do. Come sit back down, let's just talk. It's not an interrogation, but I'd like to hear your side."

Unexpected.

"And if I don't cooperate?"

"We'll take it from there, kid."

Kid. I'm anything but.

I sit back down, and slurp on my shake. "What do you want to know?"

I can't trust this, I know I can't trust her, but I have no other choice at the moment. And she's a human lie detector. But I was trained to bend the truth as well.

"Let's start with what I've been told. That you killed your family along with teachers and students from your school." It's not a question but I still have to answer.

"I don't know how I got blamed for the death of them, but that was just another active shooter I believe. It's America after all. And I grew up in Ohio, ya know the memes?"

"I do, but I lived there for three years so I don't believe them."

I put the shake down and pick up some fries. "Help yourself," I tell her. The Black Widow doesn't bother being humble, grabbing five in one hand.

Though the food doesn't stop her from pushing in this easy interrogation. "You went after Hydra after they allegedly killed your family?" 

"It wasn't allegedly, I had something." This is something I don't like talking about. I don't share this part. Because I don't know how it got there, and I don't know how I got out.

At my change in voice, my favorite hero and I lock eyes. But her's are looking at every little detail on my face. For any source of lying or fear. But that's not what she'll get.

"What is this 'something', Miller?"

I know exactly how to get my way without telling her. Innocence.

I look down, 'ashamed,' with hints of a sniffle. "Please not this, I had information about the bombing. I had something, and used that. I was mad, and angry."

This trick is as old as the book. You give information they already know, or basically know. They ask about one thing and you give them answers to another. But they don't question it because they think you slipped up.

"You'll come around in time. I get it, somethings you just can't speak about. We all have regrets, and we all have stories that you can't tell. But I need to ask, what bombing?"

Bingo. 

"I thought you knew. I thought that's how you thought I killed them. That's how they died." The tears run down to the crevices of my mouth. I always liked the taste of them, but this acting is getting harder to keep up.

"Seems as though I don't."

"Black Widow, I swear, I didn't kill my parents. My brother. Nobody until I tried with Hydra. There was a bombing on my house! I was ten! Ronan was seven! Ronan's... Ronan's dead."

I hit a sour spot in my own façade. Now real tears are coming. It's good they were already there.

"You're telling me a bomb is how your family died?" 

I nod, it's true. 

"And you expect me to believe that?"

Another small, scared little girl's nod. 

"It was a gun." is what throws me off the edge.

"It wasn't a gun! I was there! The house burned down and I had to watch. I don't know where the bomb came from, but I saw it. Then-" I stop myself. 

"Then...? August, you're coming with me."

"No! Please no! What else do you want?"

Where am I leading with this now? I got what I needed.

She rubs her pointer and thumb on her right hand down her face, for a split second covering her eyes. She groans, then I hear; "What happened in HYDRA?"

I can't stop myself anymore. The deep inhale scares both of us.

"I tried to kill them- HYDRA soldiers. At that point I had a gun. A sketchy looking warehouse held HYDRA soldiers! I tried killing them but it didn't work. I was scrawny, weak, and a perfect test subject. They experimented on me, mind controlled me, manipulated me. They fed me lies mixed with truth so I didn't know which was which. They put a tracker in me I didn't know existed. Gave me a taste of freedom just to tear it away again. That's what happened, accurately a quick recap. I worked for and against them too many times. I'm still on the run from them right now."

I know it reminds Black Widow of her old life, and the witch's. That's why it takes a lot out of her to keep her composure. But that doesn't mean I'm safe.

"It's time I take you in, Miller."

"No, please." This time I use the energy from the fast food joint to help me conjure up a full length mirror, right in front of her. It falls on top of the infamous Black Widow, pushing her off the edge of the building. I know she's not dead, it takes more than that to kill a widow. But it does give me just the right amount of time I need to hop off the building's fire escape, and disappear. 

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A/N

The mirror is bad because it falls on Nat just for her to see herself. She's fine, she fell backwards but knew if August wanted to kill Natasha, she would've. Nat caught onto the edge of the building and pulled herself up.