Red Room

RR56 Evanescence

Natasha was stunned; upon hearing the man talking with Yuri compare himself to being a ghost, she realized that it was Dove. But why? He had helped them so much, or had he? Doubts flooded Natasha's mind and helped push away the pain. She was always better at controlling pain when she was mad. Could he have been relaying information to Yuri the entire time he had been with them? There was just something deep within him that had told her he could be trusted. Maybe it was her minds way of sending a silent apology to Arina, her sister and Dove's relative, that she was forced to kill many years ago.

She had no way of warning the rest of the Avengers. He would be able to walk back into the tower and take the baby, bringing her to Yuri and giving him everything he needed to run Phase 3 of the program. She started struggling against the restraints then, knowing that in her weakened state that she wouldn't be able to break free; but maybe it would draw Dove in there and based on what he said about Bobbi, she may be able to see him through the link. She was silently thanking Loki for whatever he did to her to make this happen and then she came to a realization...Loki would find her. No matter how upset he was with her, she knew that he would do everything in his power to find her and get her out of this messed up situation; but wait, Yuri had said something about building this place to keep him out. She had so many questions, so many deep, burning questions that she knew Yuri could answer, but only if she cooperated.

Never, she vowed as the door finally opened and Yuri stepped in with Dove nowhere in sight. "Where is he," she spat through gritted teeth and stopped struggling, straining to see past the man she hated most in the world. Natasha caught a flash of concern sweep across his expression before the malice seeped back in.

"You were supposed to still be out," he muttered as he walked closer and towered above her small frame. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked dangerously, searching her facial expression for an answer.

She gave him nothing, but he continued anyway, threatening her with what she now desired most as he undid her restraints. "If you so much as mutter his name before he takes care of Agent Morse, I promise you, you won't be the one laying broken on that cold stone floor next time. It will be Thea, and I will not hold back this time. And when I'm done with her, it will be Mr. Barnes that ends up broken. And how hard do you think it would be for me to draw out Ms. Darcy Lewis? Don't test me sister, I always win."

Cold fury swept through Natasha body as the venom of what she wanted to say to him threatened to spill from her lips. She prepared to pounce once her last arm was free but the chance danced away when Yuri grabbed her by the throat and lifter her from the exam table before throwing her across the room like she weighed next to nothing. The pain came back all at once and right before the blackness took over once again, she caught the last of Yuri's little speech.

"I said, don't test me. I know you like I know my own self. I know your every move before you even make it."

His boots walked right past her and out of the room just before the darkness took her once more.

Back at Avengers tower, things were still tense but at least it was a little lighter than before. The team knew at least that Natasha was still alive and had received medical attention of some sort. Darcy filled Loki in with all the events that had happened in his absence and he felt a little more relieved that the blonde could sort of keep tabs on Natasha, even if she couldn't control it herself. He was able to see the child also, when Darcy brought her over to his cell. Tony and Clint were furious with her but the death glare she had shot them put them right back in their place. With this closer look, the resemblance to Thea and even Natasha was unmistaken and Loki could see how hard it was for everyone else on the original Avengers team. They had only just recently found out the truth while Natasha's team had known for a while. Loki watched as they slowly came to terms with everything and he became a little jealous of the way they could just accept the secrets Natasha had kept from them. He even caught Tony making faces at the child at one point to try and make her smile.