Girl At War

Boredom to Action - 37

**For Strangergirlwrites. Thank you so much for all the amazing comments! They made this so much more fun! ~ Annie**

"Nat, how long will that door hold them?" Bucky eyed the door in the wall with concern. The ominious, steady pounding coming from it was enough to unnerve the super-soldier. He turned and paced another lap around the room, steering clear of the bombs. Natasha didn't anwer his question. She suddenly banged her fist on the table with frustrated growl. Bucky flinched at the sudden noise.

"What's the matter?" Eloyse propped herself up on her elbows. Bucky and Natasha whipped around. Bucky's eyes were comically wide.

"Are you ok?" Bucky hurried over. Natasha spun her chair back to the computer. Bucky trotted over to Eloyse, crouching next to her. She was sitting up.

"I'm fine." She gently pushed aside his hand. "What happened?"

Bucky scowled. "You got stabbed with an unknown substance, so now you may or may not be on HYDRA's side." Eloyse raised her eyebrows.

Without turning around, Natasha explained. "They gave you a shot."

Eloyse was on her feet in an instant. "They what?" she cried in panic. Bucky scrambled up. He reached out a hand to steady her, but hesitated when her eyes flashed dangerously at him. They were flickering between blue and brown. She began pacing back and forth, mumbling incoherently. Bucky watched in concern. Natasha ignored them both. 

Eloyse suddenly glanced at Natasha. "What's the matter?"

"I'm fine!" The redhead glared at Eloyse, then realized what she was doing and softened her expression. "Not really. I can't hack their system. I've never not been able to hack something." She was plainly puzzled with herself. Eloyse tipped her head sideways. Natasha violently pushed back from the table and stood up, sending the chair skidding across the floor. "Why were you so panicked about that shot?"

Bucky widened his eyes even farther. "Seriously, Nat! Why was she panicked? Isn't that obvious?"

Natasha didn't respond, her eyes boring into Eloyse. "You know something." She held up a hand, "Don't deny it. My specialty is reading people. What's wrong?"

Eloyse ran a hand over her dark hair. "That shot was the last in the series they were doing. They said I had one more to go, then I would a complete weapon. Their weapon. They made me. They intent to use me. And now that they've finished, I'm afraid they'll work even harder to get me back." She shifted to face the two, her face contorted with worry and fear.

Natasha left her computer, padding over to Eloyse. She slipped an arm around the younger girl, giving her a squeeze. "Take it easy. Nobody is gonna take you back. You're one of ours now. We don't give up parts of our team. Whatever you gain from that, and whatever thing you think is a curse, think of it like a blessing. Eventually you'll start to treat it like one, then before you know it, it is a blessing."

Eloyse accepted the hug, fighting back tears as she buried her head in Natasha's shoulder. After a few minutes of silence, Natasha pulled back. She looked Eloyse up and down, giving her a small smile of encouragement. Then she left, mumbling, "Those missiles won't reroute themselves."

Bucky came over. He eyed Eloyse. She appeared shaken, but was calming down. She sat down against the wall, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Bucky plopped down near a bomb and began studying it. He wondered what would happen if he smacked it with his metal arm. Quiet was in the room, the only noise a very disruptive pounding on the door and Natasha grumbling under her breath.