𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐱

- ⧗ ZARIAH PETROVA ⧗ -

   THE WAY ZARIAH BECAME FOCUSED on things could be, by some, called obsessive. In truth, this was probably the correct term to be used, but the girl denied any of the allegations that followed it. She simply thought she was trying to do a good job, get the work done quickly and correctly, but to others, it would seem something much more consuming.

   Zariah had worn her crown of perfectionism with a high head her entire life. To her, there was nothing wrong with doing everything right, even if that meant overworking yourself. So with that mentality, and her newfound determination to help all of her friends that still remained in the red room, Zariah most definitely became obsessed with her work.

   The hours she spent cooped up in the office increased more and more each day. She had to finish retrieving SHIELD's files before she could begin to think about stealing the KGBs, something Maria had declared when her and Nat had propsed their idea to locate the red room once again. The brunette had been on board with the prospect almost immediately, determined to put a stop to the organization that had been hanging over Natasha's head her entire life, but she also had to think about SHIELD and their stolen files, still in charge of ensuring they were all returned safely.

   This wasn't too much of a bother to Zariah as she was also still rather determined to get back everything she had previously stolen, in line with the contract she had signed when joining SHIELD. But this did mean that the girl became rather obsessed with the concept in order to move on to the higher priority of locating her old home.

   The majority of her drive originated from the recent switch she had seen in her night terrors, ever since she'd had the discussion with Nat up on the roof. Instead of fearing the red room coming to drag her back, forcing her to hurt people once more, Zariah's nightmares began to switch to the topic of her friends and their safety. She watched each night as Mila wept into her pillow, crying over the fact Zari had left her behind. There were images of Yana and Annelise being hurt, interrogated into sharing the redhead's location which their captors believed they knew. What was worst, in these dreams, Zariah could do nothing to help. She'd try to scream and pull them away from her friends but to no avail. She was nothing more than a passive bystander to the downfall of the only girls she'd ever cared for.

   Most nights she still woke crying, a cold sweat dripping down her back. When she slept beside Nat, the older redhead would hold her close, whispering the same soft reassurances in her ear. But the young girl found when she woke alone, she didn't reach out for the woman the same as she once had, but instead for the laptop she kept tucked under her bed. In the darkness of the night, under the leaded jacket of guilt she wore, Zariah would work away at the only hope her friends ever had at freedom.

   Throughout the days, Natasha seemed to notice the way Zari had become engrossed with her work, sometimes to the point of addiction. There were times she would have to drag the girl away from her desk just to eat or even to use the bathroom. One day this landed them in an argument, Zariah claiming she was trying to help while Nat countered she wouldn't be able to if she completely burnt herself out. Like most times, their encounter had ended with Zari apologizing while Natasha held her tight in a hug, telling her she was okay and all was forgiven.

   After that, Nat set a limit on how many hours Zariah could spend at her laptop each day. Despite her hesitation, the redhead had agreed, only because Natasha had claimed they could spend their free time together reading some of the new books she had recently bought.

     As time went on, Zariah began to retrieve more and more of SHIELD's stolen files, handing them back to Maria on the drive almost faster than the director could process. She did take slight pride in boasting to Tony that she'd managed to clear their systems entirely of his data, everything returned safely without a trace. The billionaire had tried to jump back with a teasing quip but ended up thanking the girl smirking down at him, smiling softly as she walked proudly out of his workshop.