Avengers / DC crossover

Chapter 20

batcave

Same time, same day

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Natasha decided to hold off on her shower, she had heard all about the gyms in the other bases but she has yet to see the batcaves gym or training room. She overheard Stephanie talking to Duke about training a bit before supper. Natasha took this opportunity to secretly follow her to the gym. It might seem weird, why not just ask to join her? Well, Natasha felt being extra at the time.

She quickly hid in the shadows as she followed Stephanie up the stairs quietly. Little did she know, the blonde bat knew exactly who was following her. After all she wasn't trained by the Batman for nothing! Natasha was about to come out of the shadows as they reached their destination. The gym wasn't a closed off room like the cave or watchtower. It was just another platform like the other levels. 

In a blink of an eye Stephanie was gone. What? Natasha could've sworn that blonde teenager was right there a moment before. No.. She had to be hallucinating. Maybe a side effect of the zeta tubes? Suddenly a pair of arms were on her shoulders. Natasha was about to instinctively punch the person. Curtesy of her training from the red room. She shuddered at the thought of it.

"Boo!" 

Natasha identified the voice as Stephanie brown. How did she-? Her thoughts were cut off by a small laughter erupting from the blonde. "You really think I didn't know you were there?" Natasha was becoming more concerned, she has yet to find someone who could sneak up on her so easily. Who are these people? Sure, she knew their identities, but it's a face without a name. She knew nothing of them. 

Now she really needed to look into these people. She'd need the help of the other avengers though. Natasha stood there like an idiot (it's just context! Natasha is a queeeen!) as she watched Stephanie effortlessly lift a hundred pound weight. Sure it wasn't a lot but Stephanie couldn't be older than 18, right? 

She needed information.

****

"Hey kid, how long have you been doing this whole hero thing?" Natasha asked as casually as she could. She began to train next to Stephanie, watching her endurance and agility. Stephanie thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know, maybe 3 or 4 years now?" 

Natasha's eyes widened a bit, that would mean she was at least 13 maybe 14 to say the least when she started! "H-how?" Natasha scolded herself for stuttering. "What do you mean how?" The blonde teenager asked.

"I mean, why? Why would you start so young?-" Natasha was hit with a realization, "where you forced to?" She whispered harshly. Stephanie looked at her dumbfounded. She blinked once... Then twice. Suddenly, her soft giggles could be heard echoing throughout the cave. Natasha stared at her, waiting for an answer.

When Stephanie stopped laughing she wiped an imaginary tear from her face, when she looked up and saw Natasha staring dead serious at her she realized she wasn't joking. "Oh god no! Of course I wasn't forced!" 

A sigh of relief was heard coming from Natasha, "but shoot! They tried to force me to retire when I wasn't part of their bat cult." Stephanie continued. She mumbled something that Natasha couldn't quite hear. Natasha wasn't buying it though. Whoever trained her was highly skilled, Natasha couldn't suspect if she was lying or not. So she did the only logical thing to do, she didn't believe her. 

She had her doubts about these bat people. Maybe it was the paranoia from being away from home for only god knows how long, maybe it was her experience in the red room and seeing children on the front lines that struck a nerve in her, but whatever it was she had to find something about these people.

"So tell me about yourself." The blonde suddenly spoke. "What?" Natasha asked completely taken back from it.

"Well, I hardly know a thing about you other than your name!" She explained. Natasha began to think if it was reverse psychology or the universe was trying to bite at her. "Well, for starters I'm an agent for an organization called a SHIELD." Natasha wanted to leave out the fact she was an ex assassin. She didn't want to alarm them or have them turn their backs on her team.