Silhouette in the Dark

X.

                                                                  [2016]

Tala hobbled down the hall, leaning heavily on the crutch under her right arm. She occasionally winced when a sharp pain ran through her body, an unpleasant reminder of how she came to be here in the first place. As she slowly walked toward the open room at the end of the hall, she allowed her mind to drift back to the events from a few days prior.

"Let's get you some help." Tala stared at the outstretched hand before lifting her gaze to meet his. Knowing that she had no avenue of escape, she placed her hand in his and was pulled to her feet. Together, they slowly walked back to the others, who seemed surprised to see her walking behind him. She didn't dare meet their gaze as Steve informed them of what would happen next.

The car ride to New York was a long, painful one. The red-headed woman, Natasha, had bandaged her wounds as best she could, but every bump in the road sent new pain searing through her body. Finally, she fell asleep and didn't wake up until they arrived at the compound. Steve helped her out of the car and led her through the dark building. They seemed to be the only ones there, which surprised her given the size of the place.

Steve stopped in front of a closed door and glanced back at her. "You can stay in here." He swung the door open and stepped to the side. Tala cast him a suspicious glance as she limped to the doorway. Expecting a cell, she was surprised to see a bedroom. She looked back at him and received only a nod of confirmation before he disappeared down the long hallway. She walked in, closed the door, and gingerly climbed into the bed. The soft pillow and warm blanket provided a welcome relief, and she drifted off into the deepest sleep she had ever known.

The memories lifted as Tala entered what appeared to be the main gathering area for the group. To her left was a kitchenette with an island, and various groupings of tables and chairs around the room offered many options for sitting and relaxing, exactly what the four Avengers who had captured her were doing.

Natasha was the first to see her and motioned with her eyes over the rim of her coffee cup. Steve turned around and smiled, making Tala avert her eyes to the floor. She tried to hide the panic welling within her. This had to be some sort of trap. Why else would they treat a prisoner this way?

Steve stood and walked toward her. "It's nice to see you awake."

The man with the wing-suit—Sam, she recalled—put his feet up and stretched his arms. "You know, I didn't realize a person could sleep for three days straight until now." Steve cast a look back at him that clearly meant to knock it off, as Sam shrugged and exclaimed, "What?"

Tala mustered the courage to look Steve in the eye, but she could only hold his gaze for a second. "I slept for three days?"

"Just about." Steve motioned for her to follow and led the way to the kitchen island. "Help yourself to some fruit or whatever else you can find." He started back toward his seat but noticed that Tala wasn't moving. "What's wrong?" He glanced at the food on the counter. "It's available to you."

Tala stared at the bowl of fruit. "Why?"

Steve glanced back at his friends. "What do you mean?"

Tala's panic turned to anger in an instant, and she boldly locked eyes with Steve. "I'm your prisoner, aren't I? Why don't you have me locked in a cell or handcuffed to a chair, like last time? What do you want from me, that you're treating me this way?" Her gaze swept over Sam, Natasha, and the other woman, the one who had thrown her through a tree.

Steve's smile was more wistful than joyous. "You are in custody, technically, but we don't want you to be our prisoner. Besides, we learned last time that we can't contain you anyways. You have free reign of the compound, but you can't leave the grounds. Anything you want here is yours to use. And as for what we want..." He shrugged and cast her a sheepish look. "We just want to know who you really are."