never leaving your side || romanogers

Chapter 26

Outside of the room that Natasha had been gassed in, two women conversed quietly.

"Madame, you didn't have to gas her to sleep!" The younger, blond one said indignantly.

"Oh, Yelena? Remember your place here. No matter your age, you will always be a student of the Red Room, until you DIE." The old, thinner woman said. She hissed the last word out, making Yelena shrink back nervously.

"Yes, Madame B," Yelena said in the same monotone voice she used when she was 8, and 12, and 17. It masked fear while showing acceptance. 

"Good. I expect you to have Natalia settled in the cell we've prepared for her by 6 tomorrow, do you understand?"

Yelena nodded, keeping her calm. "Yes, Madame B."

Madame B began to walk away, but not before pausing to turn around. "We can't have her too comfortable, however. I'll have the guards prepare something, nice, for her." She said more to herself than Yelena. She then walked away, to the other side of the building where her office was. 

Seeing her boss go away, Yelena deftly twisted the doorknob to the still room open and saw Natasha sprawled on the floor, red hair a halo around her head, a bit like a rag doll. Hopefully, this doll still had it in her to fight. "Natasha!" Yelena shook her shoulder to wake her up, in what she thought was a soft enough grip. "Get up!"

Groggily, Natasha sat up. "What happened, Lena? They drugged me." She sniffed the air, which still had remnants of the gas floating like wisps of a cloud. "With sleeping gas." She gave her friend, a confused look. "What are you doing with that?" Yelena held a wide strip of folded black cloth, which she fished from a pocket. 

"I'm sorry, Talia. They made me do this." She aimed a skilled punch at Natasha's midsection, making her double in pain. She purposely loosed her aim, making sure not to cause any serious damage, but it was still enough to make Natasha pass out for now, that and the blindfold covering her eyes and nose. As soon as the cloth went over Natasha's face, she passed out once again. This time, though, it didn't feel so forced. It felt light, and airy, like being lifted into the air by her partner in ballet. When she danced...

Natasha woke up with a start. She could tell that she was in a room of some sort. Her prison, to more accurately describe it. It had a single bed, a metal one, judging from the bars at the foot of the bed. There was a small rickety desk and chair as well, maybe for interrogation. She didn't know. Natasha tried to sit up, but one jerk of her hand told her it wouldn't be possible. It was chained to the headboard, restricting her movement at least until someone came to check on her. For safety measures. So they knew she wouldn't escape.

The doorknob rustled a few minutes later, so Natasha was sure that there was a camera monitoring her every movement somewhere. Yelena came in, holding a small key. "Natalia," she said curtly. "Madame would like to see you soon." She unlocked the shackle binding her to her bed. Natasha's wrist had a red ring around it from where the handcuff dug into her skin, and it felt numb. Oh well, she thought. I'm keeping them safe. 

Natasha nodded. The room was dingy and small, but at the same time clean and spacious. There were only 3 pieces of furniture, leaving plenty of space to walk around, and the room was obviously cleaned and dusted by one of the Red Room girls before she came. There was a single splash of red on the ground, in the corner. Natasha shuddered, thinking of what the Red Room had done to all the young girls that went there. She was sure that Madame B would come in to ask her things, about her life with the Avengers, about where she had been, but she hadn't known it was so soon. And she wouldn't tell her anything. 

--

That next morning, after a night of restless sleep, Clint woke Steve up, surprisingly, at the ass crack of dawn. 

He had moved into the room Steve and Tony had been sharing after his family left, kicking Tony out, who opted to room with Pepper for the last few days. He wasn't on good terms with any of them, save Steve and Pepper. Steve didn't know anything that had happened after he slipped into slumber the day before, and Pepper, well. Tony loved Pepper.

"What?" Steve asked groggily. The sheets on the other bed rustled as Clint noisily untangled himself from them. 

"Shhhhhh," Clint said. "You've gotta rest." He quickly changed into fresher clothes and slipped out the door. Steve watched as he left, but as Clint had said, he was still tired and crippled by sadness, too unstable to get up. 

Clint walked down the hall to Thor and Bruce's room. He knocked quietly, so he didn't disturb anyone else down the hall, and the door opened a moment later. Thor stood in the doorway, looking questioningly at Clint, but gestured him to come in.

"Hello, Clint. What are you doing here?" Thor asked, sitting back on his bed. The other was empty but Clint could hear the shower running. 

Clint took a deep, deep breath. "I know how to find Natasha." 

"Well then why don't you want to help?" Pepper screamed. "Everyone else wants to, and they've known her shorter than you and I have??" 

"Because I'm aware of the risks, Pepper!" Tony yelled back, loudly. "Because I know that when we find her, someone will get hurt, and I can't do that to the team when we don't even know Natasha will get back." His voice slipped and quieted toward the end, and Tony sat on the edge of the chair, head downcast.

"Well, everyone knows the risks here, Tony. You're just too afraid to face them." Pepper left the room, slamming the door loudly behind her. 

Tony stared at the floor. "Because I'm the only one who knows exactly where she is," he said quietly, only no one heard.