Black Widow: An Origin Story

If You're Not Dead, I'll Kill You Myself

A/N: I'm back! Man...I've missed this story, but I finally got past the writers block, and with school out of the way, I can actually focus on a storyline. Sorry for such a long wait on this chapter! Hopefully I can get updates out on a fairly regular basis now.

Happy reading!!

The cool air was refreshing on my wounded skin, but I couldn't sit and enjoy the view. I had a job to finish.

And unsurprisingly, he was easy for me to locate.

Hydra was practically glowing with the fact they'd managed to capture the "Great Captain America."

There had been several false leads over the past week, but after the first couple failures, I picked up on them and steered clear.

So when I found the real one, I could barely contain my excitement. I'd missed him terribly, which infuriated me, but at this point, I just had to stop fighting it.

He'd definitely be getting an earful from me after this. If I managed to find him alive, that is.

I silently crept up on the large facility. There were guards everywhere, but I didn't care. I would be getting him out of here, whether I was with him or not.

I waited for the cover of darkness before I made my way inside, avoiding all the guards. The hallways would be hard to maneuver, as they were well lit. Guess I'd need to take out a guard or two, which was no problem considering the excess amount of them.

Fully dressed in Hydra gear, I listened in on their conversations, finding he was, of course, all the way at the other end of the facility. Why shouldn't that surprise me? And knowing how much they wanted to keep him, there wouldn't be an exit anywhere near him. Which means I'd have to get him all the way back through the facility and out.

I was going to kill him myself.

The closer I got to his location, the larger the presence of the soldiers became. They didn't seem to question my presence, so my disguise was enough to fool them.

I quickly found his room, and at the moment, there were very few guards, so I saluted them and made my way inside with no problem.

My eyes widened as I took him in. He'd been fighting for sure, if the bruises along his jaw and torso were any indicator. He was connected to several different machines, and it reminded me of some of what I'd been through. I had to shake those thoughts from my head. I had to have a clear mind to get him out of here.

I calmly walk over to his side, double checking I hadn't missed any guards. It seems that besides the two at the door, we were alone. I knelt down in front of him and check for a pulse. He had one. He was alive. And conscious. Barely.

He mumbles something that I can't quite make out.

"Steve?" I place my hands on his cheeks. "Steve, it's me. It's Natasha. I'm going to get you out of here."

I start studying the machines he was connected to. I knew them well. Too well. I had all of the machines shut down and unhooked in minutes. He falls to the floor at my feet. I kneel down beside him and shake him gently, hoping it will be enough to wake him.

"Steve, you have to stay with me. We have to move now."

"Natasha?" He rasps.

"I'm here. You're free, but you have to get up."

"Hurt. Bad." He groans again.

Shit. This was going to be difficult. I rack my brain for a few seconds, then come up with a plan. I drag Steve back to the machine and set him up against it.