Disappearing Act (N.Romanoff)✓

T͟h͟r͟e͟e͟ S͟h͟o͟t͟s͟

Natasha groaned as she plopped down on the couch in the living room. The other Avengers waited around the room for some good news from Bruce and Tony. It had been 3 hours since Normani passed out and everyone was on edge, especially Natasha. She didn't know why but she felt like if she died or got hurt it would be her fault. Like she meant more to her than she thought. She was about to think about it more when both Tony and Bruce came out of the lab, Normani behold them.

"You should not be standing. Should she?" Natasha jumped. Bruce shook his head. "There's no telling this one what she can't and can't do." Normani shrugged, she had a red blanket around her body, covering that sexy ass magicians outfit, damn.

"So what's the problem?" Steve asked, interrupting the moment. "Oh well, it's well...it's pretty complicated." Bruce began. Looking at Normani's facial expression, she didn't know what was going on either. "You were um...you were injected with a toxin to genetically modify your DNA to only want to comply to HYDRA's orders. Fight for them, learn from them, basically fight against their enemies."

"The toxin was meant to come in three separate doses to be completely used properly." Tony continued. When he saw the confusion on their faces he sighed and said it in a language they could 'understand.' "In other words, she's safe to be here because HYDRA never finished the injections. She's not on their side as far as the science shows." Everyone, including Normani breathed a sigh of relief. But Natasha had been in the business to long to take that as an excuse.

"But?" She presses on. Tony gave her the side eye, as if to say that it wasn't a good idea. But Normani had a right to know.

"Fine. The toxin as I said was meant to be in three doses. Unfortunately HYDRA was smarter than we thought, the doses have to be balanced out by each other. Take one shot, you have to have the other two or else there's...side affects." Tony finished. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"What's the side affects?" Normani gulped. Bruce cleared his throat before beginning to explain. "Well, the shots enhance your powers. It were supposed to make it so that you could phase through objects and turn others invisible as well. However now, you're the one disappearing." Natasha stood up and gave both Bruce and Tony the devils glare. "What the hell does that mean?"

Bruce was about to say something when Tony grabbed his hand, shaking his head. Before Natasha could even react, Normani was on their asses. "Listen here." She said, holding Tony by the neck. Weapons were drawn, but Natasha gave them all a look and they put them away. "I have a family to get back to. I'm not walking out of here without a proper answer as to what the hell is happening to me and if I'm going to transfer it to my family when I get home. So I going to let you go and in thirty seconds if you don't explain what's going to happen, I'll find out myself if it's contagious." She said, smiling.

She dropped Tony and she gasped for air. "29, 28..." She began counting down. "Okay, okay!" He yelled. Normani stopped counting and awaited her answer. "Your cells are disappearing at an increasing rate." Normani still looked confused. "In other words, it means you're whole body is disappearing. Banner and I are still working on the part where we know exactly when and what that disappeared involves. Whether that's just turning invisible but still existing, or disappearing altogether, forever out of existence."

Natasha and the others looked at Normani like she was a ghost, oh, bad analogy. "We think that at the most, you have a few weeks left." Tears streamed down Normani's cheeks as the realization kicked in.

"Oh god, I gotta call Sapphire." Right before anyone ask who that was, Normani's phone rang. "Hello." She choked out.

"Hey it's Elena, thank god you answered! After Alisha called you yesterday we thought you were dead."

"And you didn't call the police?"

"And tell them what? You went to a club and got kidnapped by a German? They'd think we were crazy."

"Whatever, where Sapphire?" The phone shifted as a new voice came on the line.

"Woman..."

"Hey Saph." Normani cried.

"You've been gone for almost two days and you left me with the hulogans you call friends and they have me guac, I HATE guac. And...are you crying?"

"Don't worry about it okay, I'm staying with some friends alright, I'll be home soon, okay?"

"Mommy, are you okay?"

It was the first time Sapphire had said something so genuine, a tint of fear laced her voice. "I'm fine baby, okay. I'm fine but I just need to stay here for awhile okay."

Sapphire sniffled on the other end, which made Normani cry even harder.

"Okay mommy, call me later though, okay."

"Okay but baby."

"Bye mommy."

And then the line went dead, and Normani fell to her knees. Tears fell down her face as she thought about not coming home to see her daughter. A warm gentle hand touched her shoulder. "It's okay, we'll figure it out."

But not even Natasha believed her own words.

Cut off one head and two more grow back. That's the motto for HYDRA. Sure the Avengers destroyed their largest facility and took out most of their troops but there would be more to come.

The woman was only injected with one serum, she needed all three to live so twig rescue was for nothing. And even if they got the other two serums, she'd become loyal to HYDRA and HYDRA only. It was sick and twisted but it was what HYDRA did best.

The Avengers could rescue all the weapons they wanted, but they still win. Because they had the most dangerous weapon of all...

Fear. Because Normani Evans was scared, and if the Avengers couldn't offer her what she was looking for, then HYDRA would, in exchange for her allegiance. All she had to do now was get Normani to see that there was no other choice but HYDRA.

And for Maddie, that was the easiest part.