𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓 ✘ 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐅𝐅

{3⁸} {CALM BEFORE THE METALLIC STORM}

"What is it exactly that you can do?" He asked in a measured voice as people began moving again, having frozen when Roxi had been in her pensive state, wondering about her thoughts. She thought over it for a split-second, taking a moment longer before answering.

"Control metal, I think. Crush it, bend it, throw it, probably more," She listed, trying to think of what she'd done.

"Is that how you picked up Thor's hammer?" Clint asked, smirking at her. That seemed to help put her at ease, because she smirked back and replied in turn,

"If that's what you need to believe to keep your ego in tact, then yes."

"On the contrary! I do not believe this would work on Mjölnir. Therefore, Lady Ryder must simply be worthier than the rest of you, like I," Thor denied, clearly trying to believe that his hammer couldn't be controlled by something so quaint as a mortal's power over metal. Roxi didn't mind though, widening her smirk at Clint before she stood up from her seat, file clenched tightly in her hand.

"Where did you say Ultron was?" She asked, keen to move off of the topic of her powers. Bruce took a moment to absorb what she'd said, before he spun around and faced his computer. A couple of minutes of typing later, he came up with a result. It made him frown slightly, confused.

"It's- it's an old salvage yard off the coast of Africa. He's still close to the mainland at the moment, but there are a lot of ships and wrecks there," Roxi wondered why Ultron was there of all places. She was sure she had his motives. She nodded after a short pause, before leaving the room to take a shower and get ready for the mission. 

{~}

THE WATER WAS as hot as any other time she'd showered, but now, strangely, she didn't seem to notice it as it rained down on her body and turned her skin red. All she could think about was the lack of control she'd had the last few days. If she didn't get a handle on herself, that scene in New York, the one that was imprinted fiercely into her mind, would become her reality. Again, and she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't prepared for the shock, the pain, the guilt, of simply wiping out a large group of opponents, crushing them in their own battle armour. She stepped out of the bathroom a few moments later, towel wrapped under her shoulders, covering her body, only to find Natasha sat patiently on her bed. The sudden chill of the air conditioned room made goose bumps rise on Roxi's skin, or maybe it was the fact that she was standing, pretty much naked, in front of Natasha Romanoff. That thought made her shiver slightly, as the redhead looked up. Her green eyes immediately went to the scarring on her shoulders, the three bullet wounds from her last mission in France. The sides of her burn would also be visible, reaching around the side of her upper arm in an angry network of white-pink lines and blotches.  The two womens' eyes met for a second before Roxi sat down next to Natasha, still slightly warm from the shower. The file was behind them on the bed, closed roughly, exactly where Roxi had left it.

"Did you read it?" Natasha knew exactly what the other meant and shook her head, listening to the faint sound of cars on the streets of New York below. Roxi seemed a little surprised, looking up at the redhead with slightly wide eyes.

"I didn't want to invade your privacy," the redhead explained, as quietly as Roxi had spoken in the lab.

"Oh. Thanks," Roxi replied in a similar voice, sounding resigned as she relaxed, her posture slipping slightly. Natasha looked at the other woman carefully. She looked so defeated, as if she'd surrendered to her emotions or thoughts, all ideas of Ultron going down the drain at that moment. The redhead considered what she was going to say, before deciding that she needed to tell the woman this. She swallowed the lump that came to her throat, and said what she needed to.