The Budapest Objective

Eleven

Natasha woke up slowly, her head hurting as badly as it did the day they left for this stupid mission. She felt the dried blood on the side of her face. She was tied up in a chair. She began struggling almost instantly.

"Don't bother trying to get yourself out, Miss Romanoff. The bonds are not going to give way," Crossfire said.

"Are you going to torture me?" she asked.

Crossfire gave a small laugh. "You've been through the whole kidnapping thing before, have you? How many other people have taken you to get at Clint?"

Natasha smirked. "And why would I tell you that?"

"Because it may stop you from having to go through immense pain."

Natasha let out a cocky laugh that she saved for interrogations like this. "You honestly think that you can threaten me with pain? Please don't make the mistake of thinking I haven't been through far more than any human should be able to withstand."

"Oh, I know you have, Miss Romanoff. But... what about emotional pain?"

"I don't have emotions. They were beaten out of me in my training to become who I am now."

"Everyone has emotions, Miss Romanoff."

"Well," she said, with that slightly seductive look she used on her torturers. "I'm not everyone."

Cross smiled evilly. "Clint sure has his hands full with you, doesn't he?"

"I suppose he does."

"Tell me... how does he handle it? Working with the world's most renowned and feared assassin?"

"You'll have to ask him that. Now, tell me, what do you want me for? I can't possibly have any information for you. SHIELD doesn't trust me with the important things. What could a girl like me possibly do for a guy like you?"

"You can get me what I want," he replied.

"And what might that be?"

"Your partner."

She let out another laugh, although slightly less sure of herself now. "You really think Clint would just race in here to save me? Think again, because he won't."

"Oh, forgive me, but I disagree. He's probably on his way here right now..."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Clint asked, impatiently.

"Well... no, I don't. But you can't just go in there and give yourself up. You'll both be killed," Coulson stated.

Clint sighed. He wanted Natasha out of there as fast as possible. Cross was obviously holding her to lure him in, but the scary thing was he didn't care. Hadn't he always been willing to give his life for her? And if that's what this came down to...

"Hey, why don't you just cause a diversion? I'll go in and get Romanoff, and contact you when we're out. How about it?"

Barton sighed. It really was the best plan yet. "Alright, let's go with that one. I'll set time-bombs around the place while I'm at it. Let me know if you need any help. And... just make sure she gets out, alright?"

Natasha was left in the room chained to the wall several hours later. She had been right, they were going to torture her. Even by her standards, that had been severe torture. She could barely breathe, and every intake of breath hurt her. She hated this. It wasn't so much the torture, it was that they tortured her without any real reason. She hated it because it reminded her so much of herself.