Slight Black Widow spoiler warning. (Not really much, just a character mention and place and inside joke😂)
Norway
3rd person POV:
"I still think it's Budapest."
Natasha scoffed. "Rick seriously? You're starting this again?" Rick just shrugged his shoulders, directing his attention back to the small TV in Nat's trailer.
"Oh shit," He said, sitting up with his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes glued to the TV. His words managed to grab Nat's attention.
"What? What's going on?" She said from outside the open door.
"Uh, how long has it been since you talked to Katia, or heard from her?" He said, his tone weary and confused.
"Two years, why? What's happened?" She asked, quickly making her way over to the small couch next to him. The News played, a woman was talking with a photo of Katia on the screen and the headline 'BREAKING NEWS: Former Avenger and current fugitive Katia Alina Maximoff goes on a massacre'
"Former avenger and current fugitive Katia Maximoff was involved in combat against nineteen people at 12:15am this morning on Waymouth street in London. All nineteen dead were members of the Hydra terrorist organisation. The same organisation where her abilities manifested just under four years ago." The reporter lady began.
"Shit. Shit. Fuck." Nat cursed under her breath, not taking her eyes off of the TV as it continued. She tried to call Katia's burner phone but it went straight to voicemail.
"While the teen fugitive was in hiding it was believed she was staying with an ex-spy and a daughter of a high status Hydra member, both of who were found dead from bullets in the apartment along with three of the Hydra members. The bullets that caused their death were believed to be fired beforehand as witnesses were recorded to hear gun shot around fifteen minutes before the conflict broke out.
Many reports of front windows of the apartments being shattered at the same time followed by clear uses of Miss Maximoff's power. Many were awoken at the scene and began their videoing as evidence. Viewer discretion is advised for the following clip as it shows scenes of extreme violence and gore that may be disturbing for some viewers."
The lady reporting was replaced with a clip from someone's phone, clearly from an apartment across the street. Katia was tearing through the sixteen people quicker than was expected and too ruthlessly for her to be in control of what she is doing. The video zoomed in on her face. Her eyes were ablaze with an amethyst hue and her face was dripping in a mix of her own and others' blood. Her face showed nothing but pure rage and vengeance.
A small gasp left both their mouths as they watched her set someone on fire. Their faces were pure shock when they watched her rip bodies apart with vines like they were made of paper. "That's not Katia. Something has got to be in her head. The kid I knew would never do anything like that, even to Hydra. If so she would have hunted them down a long time ago." Nat's voice was small, she sat with her head in her hands as it continued. But was drawn back at her small yell that followed a crack. She winced at the sight of Katia holding her side before retaliating.
The footage ended and the reporter returned. "Katia Maximoff fled after the incident minutes after being recorded raiding through first aid boxes. She was last seen leaving a pharmacy just off of Waymouth street and heading north. Police and the government officials responsible for her arrest are carrying out a manhunt throughout London and surrounding areas, aswell as keeping their radiation trackers on to find her power and find her wherever she may go. Police guarantees a trial to be held for first degree murder and genocide. More News after the brea-"
Rick placed the remote back on the sofa between them. Natasha's head remained in her hands, her eyes glued to the floor in thought.
Buzz buzz buzz
"Hello?" Nat asked, bringing the phone to her ear.
"When were you going to mention that your daughter was a badass."
"Yelena, she just committed genocide two days before her seventeenth. Seriously, right now is not the time."
"Ok, I'm sorry. Have you tried calling her?" Yelena said through the phone.
Nat sighed, running her hand over her face. "Yeah, I did. Likely her phone was destroyed while she was taking care of them. I need to call Steve and Wanda. I'm just worried about her. She was never like this before. Occasionally a panic attack or something of the sort but never did I think she would do this."
"Nat, she has been on the run just like you. I think that would take a toll on even you at sixteen. Anyways, go get shit done. I got to go. Just make sure you let me meet my niece."
"You know, she is technically not my daughter." Nat chuckled slightly.
"Yeah, but you went into Momma Nat mode when you mentioned her back in Budapest."
"I'll see you later." Nat lowered the phone from her ear, hanging up.
Within seconds it rang again.
"Hello?"
"Hey Nat, It's Steve. I heard what happened. Do you know where she would have gone? I asked Wanda but she can't think of anywhere." By the sound of his voice, Steve could barely believe it either.
"I can't. Steve...the Kat we know wouldn't have done this." Nat said, convinced in her unfinished theory.
"There's a huge possibility that she isn't the same Kat as before. Nat, it's been two years. You heard what the news said. Esme and Jane were killed by Hydra bullets. The only normality she had left was them. And now she is somewhere probably barely avoiding the seven billion people that have been advised to look out for her."
There was a long pause before Natasha spoke again. "Maybe it's better if we don't look for her. Think about it, she has seven billion people who would happily turn her in. She hasn't already been found. She would only be found if she wanted to. The more you search for her the harder it becomes to find her. What if we don't look for her and just wait for her to find one of us. She clearly is smart enough to think where we would hide from our previous thoughts alone. She is a smart girl. If she wants to find one of us she will, but we can't be like everyone else."
"So you are saying, wait. She will find one of us or find somewhere she knows is safe? I hope you are right on this Romanoff."
"I hope so too."
***
Madripoor
Katia's POV:
Two days have passed, that's all. Two painstaking days that have been nothing but horrible. I have to keep out of the public eye completely before trying to find the Sanctum. Jumping from London to here was actually easier than I thought. 06:00 am on the day of my 'massacre' I managed to sneak on a cargo ship to Madripoor before the manhunt was called for my arrest.
If Nat saw me right now... god the thought could make me laugh. The view of me hanging out the side of a run down apartment waiting for her to arrive home so we can talk. I can't go to Steve or Nat. I know what they think; that this wasn't me, that I need help and that I'm not capable of handling the aftermath of my massacre.
They're wrong. I'm handling it perfectly fine. The only guilt I have for any of them is that it took Jane and Esme's deaths for them to meet their fate and face me.
My wounds are far from healed. I managed to grab a bandage for the gash on my side, cheekbone and forearm. The slice on my jaw is starting to scab over and scar already. The several bruises are black and blue, my eye was swollen and blue and my lip was split and raised. But the worst of all are my cracked ribs. They hurt like a bitch.
I ran out of Ibuprofen yesterday night so have spent the last few hours in near agony. A wheezing cough drew the attention of someone heading into the apartment, just the person I was here to see.
"Katia? What the hell are you doing here." Her hood fell off her head, revealing her blonde hair that was tied into a low bun like mine. Only half my hair was falling out of the loose knot.
"Hey Sharon, you wouldn't know anywhere where we can talk privately." My voice was raspy, clouded by the pain in my abdomen and my lack of sleep.
She looked around, making sure nobody was watching before opening the door of the apartment and leading me inside. "We have to make this quick. You got the world looking for you. No doubt someone has reported your sighting already since getting here."
While she was talking, Sharon rummaged through a draw of her kitchen before pulling out some ibuprofen and a bottle of water from the top cupboard. She handed me both before pulling up two chair as sitting down in one.
"Thanks." I said quietly, putting two tablets into my mouth and taking a swig of water to swallow them.
The two of us sat opposite for several minutes not talking. "I know what your thinking. I look like shit." I said with a humourless laugh.
"Well, kid. You took on nineteen Hydra members by yourself, not the easiest thing to do. Even for someone with your skills." She sounded almost impressed with it, but I was not, i held my head down in shame of the murders I committed. "You know they want you in a trial. Ross wants your arrest final and soon but I assume you already knew that or you wouldn't be here talking with someone you barely know apart from through Steve. You hungry?"
I shook my head slowly. Sharon leant forward in her seat, her elbows resting on her knees and her face calm, but full of sympathy. "Want to talk about what happened?"
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
she sighed, before leaning back in her seat. "Katia, you mean a lot to Steve. And Sam and definitely Nat. I'd hate for them and me to see you get locked up for doing what everyone else should be doing. Killing monsters doesn't make you a monster yourself. It just means you have the guts to do what others fear to do. But, I feel like it was more than just guts that got you to kill them. What happened."
"Um, for the past two years, I have been living with friend of Nat's. Esme, she was on the run with her adopted daughter Jane." I looked down once again, my gaze fixed to the floor. "Jane was the daughter of a Hydra member that Esme saved over ten years ago. The three of us stayed in hiding but I was losing control of my power slowly."
Don't tell her about me. And don't mention your new power.
I changed the subject.
"I put them in danger, especially since the nightmares continued."
"What did you dream about?" Sharon asked, but before I could reply, Void's voice rang in my head once again.
Don't tell her. We can't trust anyone.
"Oh, nothing. Just me being paranoid about all the shit thats happening." I lied; and I was good at it. I managed to fool Sharon and Nat into believing that everything was ok. Nobody alive knows about void. But I might need to talk to the dead if I can find out anything.
Thinks for reading this chapter of the story. I'm sorry its a little short but due to timing i think it will stay at this for a while. Don't forget to vote and comment.
See you later
SM xxx