Natasha lay with her back propped up against an air vent on the roof. She had taken to coming up here recently; the stillness calmed her mind and allowed her to get a better handle on her thoughts. She had made progress, she thought, since the night she broke down to Wanda. She had purged her soul that night and felt she had nothing left to give. Natasha was still keeping her distance from everyone in the house, Wanda especially, but she was managing to slowly reorder her unusually chaotic mind.
Sitting on the roof and contemplating the world was her mediation she supposed.
The air was warm around her and she contentedly watched as birds danced through the baby blue sky. The scent of autumn was in the air but the weather suggested it was still summer and Natasha was grateful for the sun.
Natasha felt more relaxed on the roof than she did in the compound as there was less chance of someone bothering her up here. She focused on her breathing, closing her eyes and tilting her face towards the sun.
"Miss Romanoff"
Natasha's eyes snapped open and she leapt to her feet.
"Vision! What the fuck!" She hissed at him, not expecting to be startled by the microwave.
"My apologies Miss Romanoff, I didn't think I would scare you" The android replied apologetically.
"You didn't expect to scare me? I know I'm a spy Vision but I didn't exactly expect you to fly onto the roof!" She replied incredulously.
"I did try to find the entrance, but the ladder appears to be located in the cleaning cupboard and it seemed more efficient to simply fly." He shrugged.
Natasha took a calming breath. She liked Vision, she truly did, but sometimes he annoyed her and now was no exception.
"Is there something I can do for you or were you just coming up to admire the view?" Natasha asked sarcastically, noting Vision had a brown paper bag in his hand.
"I actually came to bring you some lunch" Vision answered innocently.
"Lunch?" Natasha repeated, confused.
Vision nodded and sat down on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the ledge as his watery blue eyes scanned the view.
"Lunch." He confirmed, gesturing for Natasha to join him.
Natasha huffed but sat on the ledge anyway. Vision handed her the bag and she cautiously looked at the contents.
A cheeseburger, waffle fries and a chocolate milkshake.
"I didn't know you took such interest in my food preferences Vision" She said, raising a challenging eyebrow at him.
If Vision wasn't already red, Natasha was sure she would have seen him blushing.
"I just guessed" He said, avoiding eye contact with the redhead.
"Mmm-hmm. Did you happen to go with anyone to get this or did you go alone? I would find it strange if you went alone, considering you don't eat." She commented nonchalantly, enjoying the flustered look on Vision's face.
Vision was rather lucky that Natasha was in a semi decent mood, otherwise this little stunt could have resulted in him and the food being flung off the roof.
"I didn't go alone Miss Romanoff"
"Call me Nat for God's sake Vision." She said, rolling her eyes.
"So, which member of the house accompanied you on this fast food mission?"
"She wanted to make sure you were eating" Vision said quietly.
Natasha didn't need to be a spy to know who he was referring to.
"Well, it seems you and Miss Maximoff are in luck Vision. As it happens I am famished" She said, chuckling as the tension left the android's shoulders and he relaxed slightly.
She tucked into her food with relish, enjoying the comfortable silence they were sharing.
"Wanda is missing you Natasha" Vision said suddenly.
Natasha was silent for a moment as she contemplated her answer. It was not unusual for Vision to talk to her about Wanda but she didn't expect him to reference their personal relationship.
"I'm sure she will be fine, she has you and the guys love having her around." She said lightly.
"She is very resilient, not too dissimilar to you Agent Romanoff."
Natasha nodded.
"She is much more resilient than I was at her age. That's a good thing. She has learned to turn her misfortune into something positive. She's still so very young." Natasha kept her voice steady.
If she had to talk about Wanda then she would keep the conversation on just that, without allowing her personal feelings to be drawn into it.
"Oh, I don't think she is quite that young Natasha. She has an old, wise mind. One that can only come by being forced to grow up too quickly. She is a woman, an adult, and should be treated as such. Trauma and grief breeds maturity." Vision stated.
Natasha stayed silent, unable to find fault with Vision's words.
They sat in companionable silence for a while before Vision stood up to leave.
"Agent Romanoff, I don't wish to overstep any boundaries-" he began.
"Then don't" Natasha said, also rising.
"In the short time I have been aware of my surroundings I have been consistently intrigued by humans and their emotions. By love. I have seen you all experience happiness, laughter, pain, sadness and grief. I have witnessed the love you feel for one another and how you all express it in very different ways. I am beginning to understand these feelings because I can feel them too, for all of you and they are growing. I have a much deeper understanding of these complex emotions because of Wanda. She helps me name and understand what I am feeling; she talks me through the why's and the how's. She even explained to me that when you care for people, Agent Romanoff, you push them away to protect them from yourself."
"Vision" Natasha warned.
He held up a hand in response.
"Miss Romanoff, all I ask is that you treat Miss Maximoff as your equal. Allow her to make her own choices about what or who she wants in her life. She has dealt with Villains and evil people all her life and she knows you are not one of them. She knows you are good. As we all do, otherwise you would not be here."
"Thanks for the burger Vision" Natasha said, her voice void of emotion.
She watched as Vision stepped off the roof and glided to other side of the compound, reaching the floor safely.
Natasha thought about Vision's words as she climbed down the ladder that would lead her back into the building. He was correct, of course, in that Wanda should be free to make her own choices. He was also correct when he implied Natasha should stop treating her like a child when it suited her own agenda. She was well aware that Wanda was an adult and had never seen her as anything else. Did she patronise and invalidate Wanda's emotions to mask her own? Yes. Did she call Wanda naive and innocent to avoid facing the truth? Also yes. Natasha shook her head, there was no point going over all of this again.
Natasha walked silently into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, spotting Sam and Wanda on the sofa by the balcony. She didn't feel the need to announce her presence and couldn't bring herself to thank Wanda for the food. She'd just pretend it was from Vision.
Steve suddenly banged into the room and stopped in front of Natasha. Sam and Wanda looked up at the commotion and the two women locked eyes briefly.
"Turn on the TV. Now." Steve commanded.
Sam flicked on the TV and put the news on.
The four avengers watched as the screen showed multiple men and women smashing into a research facility in New York City. Armed police fired at them and they dodged the bullets with ease. Civilians were being caught in the crossfire as the assailants fired back, one even managing to pick up a car and throw it towards the emergency services.
The headline on the bottom of the screen read: "UNKNOWN TERRORISTS BREAK INTO RESEARCH LAB IN NYC. 12 CONFIRMED DEAD"
"Nat is that?" Natasha glanced at Wanda and followed her eyes to the corner of the screen.
She saw the tall, blonde German stood at the entrance to the lab, directing his troops into the building and coordinating their attack.
"Muller" she said, nodding.
"So, it’s confirmed then, this is Hydra. Nat, contact Tony and Nick. I'll grab Clint. You two, get suited up, get Vision and meet us at the jet. I want everyone together in ten minutes, tops. Clint is in the city so hopefully he's making his way over here already."
Everyone in the room nodded and started to move, other than Wanda. Natasha had already reached the door before she turned and spotted Wanda staring at the TV, motionless.
"Maximoff, move, now."
They were the first words Natasha had spoken directly to Wanda since their emotive display on the balcony a week or two before.
Wanda glanced up and Natasha could see the fear in her eyes.
She softened slightly, shifting seamlessly from demanding trainer to supportive mentor.
"Hey. It’s gonna be ok, OK? We're a team and we've got your back. Plus, you're the strongest one out of all of us Kid" Natasha said gently. She was sincere in her words though, she knew the extent of Wanda's powers and the Sokovian would only get stronger.
"OK. You're right. It's gonna be fine" Wanda agreed, taking a deep breath and heading towards the door.
She turned back towards Natasha.
"Romanoff? Don't call me kid again" She said, smirking at the older woman as she disappeared down the hall.
Natasha smiled and shook her head, taking out her phone and calling Fury.
"Fury? It's Romanoff. Have you seen the news?"
"Yeah ok. 20 minutes max. Steve's just gathering everyone and I need to find Tony. OK, bye."
The conversation was short, sweet and to the point. Just how she liked it.
"No need to come find me Miss Romanoff" Tony said, appearing in the doorway, already fully suited.
"Just in time. I need to go and change, see you on the Jet"
They were all present when Natasha arrived on the Jet. Steve, Tony, Sam and Vision were gathered around a TV monitor discussing the options of attack. Clint was on the pilot's seat and Wanda was stood slightly back from the group, quietly talking with none other than Peter Parker.
"Isn't he a little young Stark?" She asked as the joined the group.
"He got more than enough ability. Plus, his only directions are to stay high and round up the bad guys. I designed his suit myself so he's protected enough." He explained.
Natasha nodded, not bothering to question Stark any further over his new protégé.
"Wanda, Parker, gather round" Steve said.
Natasha's eyes trailed over Wanda properly for the first time and her mouth went dry. She had a new suit. Her long dark hair had a slight wave to it and fanned out over the calf length, deep scarlet, leather jacket she wore. Underneath the coat were knee-high boots, skin tight trousers and a sinfully low cut corset in a matching red. Wanda cocked her head quizzically and she knew she had been caught staring. Luckily, the Black Widow didn't blush.
"Like the suit Agent Romanoff?" Wanda whispered innocently.
"It seems a bit impractical." Natasha shrugged.
"I think you mean distracting. For you." Wanda hit back confidently, moving from Natasha's side to stand by Tony.
Natasha wasn't sure whether to laugh at Wanda's feigned arrogance or knock the smug look off her face. She chose neither and decided to try and listen to Steve.
"We have no plan of attack. We don't know their motives. We don't know their powers. We don't know how many we're up against. So we're going to have to go and fight. Our main priority is to protect civilians." Steve said seriously.
"Good pep talk" Tony said sarcastically earning a glare from Steve and a smirk from Natasha.
Within 10 minutes they were hovering about the city, all of them caught up in their own thoughts and fears.
Clint began to lower the jet and the team gathered around the doors.
"Parker, Sam and Vision, try and disable as many of them as you from the skies. Tony, we need to know what's inside that lab and how many of them there are. Judging from the one that lifted a car on the news, some of them are going to be super soldiers. Nat, Clint, Wanda and I will stay on the ground. I'll liaise with law enforcement and we'll hold Hydra at bay while they evacuate civilians from the area. Tony, if there are hostages inside the building you and I will need to go in." Steve said.
The group nodded in unison and waited for the jet to land.
"Stay close." Natasha murmured to Wanda who grasped her hand. Natasha resisted the urge to tear her hand away and gave Wanda a gentle squeeze back; the personal issues could wait, Wanda needed reassurance for now.
Natasha scanned the utter pandemonium before her; civilians were bleeding, screaming and running in different directions, cars were on fire and debris blocked the roads. The air was already pungent with the stench of smoke and destruction. 12 cop cars formed a barrier between the lab and where the jet had landed but they didn't seem to be having an impact; they were intermittently shooting at the offenders who were taking little notice of them. Natasha counted at least 30 Hydra members in total; some of them stood guard with Muller, some fought with cops, some were loading boxes from the lab into a multitude of vans parked outside.
Natasha watched as Steve started to communicate with the officers and they sprang into action; entering buildings and directing citizens away from the chaos.
Peter Parker quietly scaled the wall of a tall building the right of them and immediately began slinging webs causing their enemies to all look to the skies. At the same time Sam began firing tiny missiles at their feet and Vision began a fierce attack with the mind stone.
All of the Hydra members were preoccupied with the attack from the skies which allowed Clint to begin firing arrows at the ones loading the trucks.
A hair-raising screech of metal could be heard as Vision's stone split one of the trucks down the middle, preventing them from making off with anything from the lab.
"Now!" Steve shouted to Wanda and Natasha who all moved forward quickly as a unit; Steve leading, Natasha and Wanda just behind him on either side.
Steve and Nat battled in unison, punching and kicking and tasering through unnamed Hydra agents. Wanda didn't get close enough for hand to hand combat and instead sent out rapid bursts of power, taking down 2 or 3 bad guys at a time.
Natasha looked around for Muller but couldn't see him.
"These guys are strong, but they're not super soldiers Steve. Unless their testing wasn't successful." She shouted to him over the noise as she punched a short, skinny man in the head.
Cap nodded in agreement and looked around as more men piled out of one of the destroyed trucks.
"Nat, duck!" He shouted as he flung his shield towards the group approaching them.
Natasha looked mildly surprised when the Shield sliced through its target, exposing metal and wires instead of blood and gore.
"Androids, not super soldiers then. " She said, shrugging, as she shot one in the head without flinching.
"Tony do you have anything yet?" Steve asked, slightly breathless as he grappled with three of the human like robots.
"There's a big device in there. It's radiating a whole lot of energy. I can't tell if it's a bomb or not. No hostages as far as I can see but damn there's a lot of people in there." Tony remarked.
"Tony we need to know if it's a bomb! How many people?" Steve asked, annoyed.
"At least 50."
Natasha fought two androids at once when she felt a third wrap its arm around her neck from behind. She bent her knees slightly and used her weight to throw it over her head, stamping on its neck with her boot as she tasered her other two assailants.
Natasha took a split second to cast her eyes over the rest of the team; Vision, Sam and Peter were still in the skies, rounding up rogue androids, Tony was on the roof of the lab and Steve was grappling with 4 or 5 bots on his own. Better go help him.
Natasha ran past Clint, who was rapidly firing arrows, towards Steve as he threw his Shield towards another Hydra bot. Steve was being over powered by multiple androids now and she picked up her pace.
Natasha’s run faltered as she saw his Shield circle back from where he had thrown it, enclosed in a scarlet mist, and take out each attacker, one after another. She looked up and saw Wanda's face frowning in concentration, her knees bent and her body arched backwards slightly as she manipulated Cap's Shield with apparent ease.
The two women walked over to Steve and took a second to get their breath as the others held the small army off.
"Thanks Wanda, you saved me there kid" Steve said, flashing her a dazzling grin.
Wanda smiled back at him and helped him to his feet, despite the fact he looked no more worse for wear than usual.
"Yeah, not bad Maximoff." Natasha gave her the back handed compliment and laughed inwardly when Wanda began to blush. As usual.
"How are there so many of them?" Natasha asked Steve incredulously.
"I have no idea, but they're trying to stall us so they can finish whatever it is they're doing in that lab." Steve said, his eyes hard.
"Rogers, it’s a fucking bomb. I can’t distinguish the power source. But it's big, at least military grade." Tony came through their comms unit.
"Fuck" Natasha said unhelpfully.
"We need to go in and disable it."
"I can do it" Wanda volunteered.
Natasha whipped her head around to face Wanda.
"Not a fucking chance Maximoff." She said harshly.
"Natasha, you don't make my decisions for me. I can do it. I can ensure it doesn't go off and that means everyone can go home safely."
"And what about you Wanda? What if you don't go home safely?" Natasha asked sharply.
"I can do this Nat. Trust my judgement for once." Wanda said pleadingly.
Steve interjected before she could respond.
"Wanda, I have faith in your abilities and I know you can do this. But you're not going in alone. Nat, Tony and I will go with you. OK?"
"Ok" Wanda said taking a very deep breath.
Natasha could hardly breathe at all but nodded anyway as she prepared to accompany Wanda.
Natasha felt a dull pain in her stomach and managed to recognise it as fear. She was scared for Wanda. Terrified, in fact.
She made herself a promise then, that if they all returned to the compound safely, she would strangle Wanda Maximoff for turning her into a fearful idiot.