ROMANOGERS: PAST TO PRESENT

Chapter Forty Three

The scenes kept coming from more gas chambers and knife duels, to intense mission simulations, being on the receiving end of an interrogation, inflicting torture and receiving it, working until she was sick and shaking, going days without sleep, severe school courses, camping in dangerous weather, scaling mountains without safety harnesses, surviving capture the flag with real guns, deactivating real bombs, and much worse. By the end of the gruesome montage Natasha was thirteen.

She was standing over a man with a bag on his head. Natasha was positioned behind him her hands shaking, barely keeping the gun from falling to the floor.

"Kill him!" A voice ordered that I recognized as the Overseer.

"Do I have t-" Natasha started to protest before the Overseer shouted at her. Panic rocked through my core and I watched as Natasha's face scrunched up as she contemplated the pleading man. Closing her eyes she pulled the trigger and somehow I knew that was the first man she had ever killed. Next came flashing lights and a terrifying face. The operations were painful and excruciating. I could hardly watch what they were doing to her the way she screamed and writhed. She was being genetically enhanced, she had survived the program and been deemed the best candidate for the operations. The scene shifted and Natasha was sitting on the bench next to Ivan the two talking warmly to one another. Natasha's mannerisms were different. She was more lady like, putting on a show for Ivan's sake, while Ivan smiled kindly at her. They talked about her time at school and how she had performed well for a few years much longer than Ivan expected. He then went on to talk more before Natasha was gifted a locket. He stated that he had saved the picture she had given him, and saved his money to buy it for her. I recognized the locket as the one that had been in the blue box.

With another shift of location I saw Natasha heading back to a new building. The world was dark outside and I guessed that it was some sort of nature retreat. She walked to a building almost entirely separate from the other barracks. Etched on the door was a familiar set of numbers 2813x. She stepped inside the room with a relieved sigh but froze when she saw the gleam of someone else's eyes. She tensed and the person cocked their head to the side. Natasha reached back fumbling for the doorknob as the person approached. With a fluid motion their hand gripped Natasha's arm hard. She yelped but reacted with a quick punch. She caught the person in the nose and they snarled angrily tossing her aside and onto the bed. Whoever it was advanced on her and she readied for another punch. The shadowy figure had learned their lesson and as she went to punch they dodged and wrapped their arms around her waste. She was pinned down and a boyish laugh filled the space. Disgust filled me and I watched helplessly as young Natasha was being harassed. The boy pressed his lips to her neck eagerly and she squirmed to get free. This only made him antsier. Suddenly the door burst open and the lights were flicked on. Bucky stood in the middle of the room, walked over, and lifted the boy up. Fury covered Bucky's face and he squeezed the boys neck causing him to gag and choke. With a swift motion the kid was tossed outside and Bucky marched out after him.

This was the first time that happened. It happened once more only that time Natasha was prepared. Natasha was now fifteen and quiet the young lady. But she was different. Her gaze was hard and unmoving. She was a statue at all times and it hurt to see her like that. She had officially donned her uniform. She had hardened her emotions and built a wall. After all the pain I had seen her go through, even though I knew it was only a small portion, I understood why. She had been beaten and rebuilt multiple times. Used and thrown away only to be recycled and reused. All she had wanted to do was help people. Refocusing on the situation at hand I watched her as she stood readily in a meeting room with the Overseer.

"Your mission is to infiltrate the activist base. The activists are plotting to revolt against the Russian government and sieze control. If this happens poverty levels will increase and the war would be devastating. Not to mention the funds they could provide the enemy.Eliminate them and return. I will communicate via earpiece after all this is only your fourth mission." The Overseer ordered. Natasha bristled at this