⤷ april 28, 2015
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Irina paces.
God, she hadn't paced in awhile, but here she was, doing it all over again.
Back and forth she goes, a repetitive pattern in the Quinjet, the Avengers' latest means of transportation across the globe during their HYDRA raids.
And Natasha watches.
"Baron Strucker is the last major thug in HYDRA," Steve explains to the group as they huddle around in the Quinjet. Tony turns around in his chair in the cockpit, leaving the flying to J.A.R.V.I.S., who had been programmed into the jet right after it was built.
"Once we get him out, the last of our problems with them will finally be over, especially if Loki's scepter is here. The base is surrounded by a forest that we'll be charging through," he says as a holographic mapping of the terrain appears in front of him, and he zooms in on the array of trees at the base of the HYDRA facility.
"It's the only way to get in as a group. Stark, Sam, I want you both on air support. Barton, Romanoff, you're on the ground with me. We take out as many agents as we can. Banner," he looks over at the fidgeting doctor, who looks up at the call, and grimaces softly, "we're gonna call in a Code Green. Strucker has been slipping through the cracks for years now, based on Irina's intel. We need to get him here and now. No more stalling."
Banner sighs, nodding. "Right. I've got it," he murmurs.
"Irina," said woman stops in her tracks, looking over at Steve, who regards her with concern simmering in his eyes, "will you be fine laying low until we can get in the base? Keep the jet on standby?"
Irina lets out a relieved breath. No direct contact with the base? Great. Perfection, even. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that for you."
Steve nods, Captain America mode all in. "Good," he takes one last look around the Quinjet. "Let's get 'em."
A collective nod sets the air, and then everyone is bustling to get ready. Clint stocks up his arrows, Sam cocks guns and sets them in his holsters, the prospect of a fight with them always exciting to the newest member.
And Natasha somehow manages to sneak up to Irina as she taps away on a Starkpad in a tucked away corner of the jet.
"Irina," she addresses her.
Irina glances up at her, pausing. "What's up, Natasha?"
Natasha looks at her, poker face on, green eyes calculating and watching...inquiring. Like she's gauging her reactions and solving a puzzle. "You know this base, don't you," she says. "You've been in it before."
Immediately, she's tensing up, regarding the agent with a guarded look, despite their camaraderie in the recent months. Her lips purse. "...I know Strucker from my time with HYDRA, is all. He's a familiar face that I'd prefer not to face. But I'll be fine," she says.
But the redhead knows her better, it seems, by the way her eyes glitter with suspicion. "No, I don't think you will," says Natasha. "I think you know Baron Strucker more than you say, and by the way you were pacing just earlier, he's not someone you were friendly with."
"I wasn't friendly with anyone in HYDRA," Irina bites out, then shuts her eyes in regret. "Sorry - I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap, I just..." she sighs deeply, gripping the tablet in her hands more tightly.
"Irina," Natasha carefully sits beside her, resting a hand on her knee while her eyes dig into the side of her head, "I need you to tell me now why you're close to breaking down, because you weren't like this with all the other bases. I need to know if you're able to go through with this or not," she says. "So tell me. A word won't get out to anyone else. Just you and me."
Irina squeezes her eyes shut so tight she sees colours. Gently, she sets the Starkpad aside, and rests her elbows on her thighs to hide her face with her hands, inhaling and exhaling deeply through her nose.
Natasha waits patiently, face as thoughtful and calculating as ever.
Finally, with a sharp inhale, she sets her hands down, clasping them anxiously together as she peers ahead at their team.
Steve tightens his gloves to his hands, asking Tony to check up on the Tower, on Barnes. Clint and Sam smirk at one another as they converse while stocking up on arrows and bullets. Banner shuts the flip phone he was looking at in his hands, tucking it away and looking up sadly.
"Baron von Strucker...was my handler at HYDRA," she says quietly.
Natasha stiffens beside her, but gives no other indication of any reaction. "This castle is where I was taken shortly after...after I was separated from Tony. It's where I was kept, and trained, and...and experimented on using old HYDRA weapons from World War II," she forces out, shutting her eyes again as the old nightmares came flooding back.
"Please, please, please! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to! Please, Mr. Strucker! Don't put me in the chair again! Don't - I'll be good, I promise! Please, please!"
"You've disappointed us, Asset. Disappointment must be paid in discipline. And we both know the best ways to discipline you."
"N - No! No, please! I'll be good! Let me - Let me try again! Let me - I can do it this time! I can! Please, please, please, Mr. Strucker! Mr. Strucker!!"
Her bottom lip wobbles, and Irina sniffs, wiping at her nose and opening her eyes again. Natasha grips her wrist gently, thumbing the inside of it soothingly. It helps Irina calm down, and blink away her tears. "It's just bad memories. They don't - I'm better now. I've been better for so long. And I'll be fine today," she assures, finally looking over and meeting Natasha's eyes.
"I will be. I just can't see him, Natasha. No matter what, I cannot look Baron Strucker in the eye, or else I think I might break all over again."
"Okay," Natasha whispers, not looking away. "Okay, Irina. I believe you. I trust in your judgement," she says. "I'll make sure you don't even hear his voice, you hear me? I swear it."
Irina nods, exhaling a trembling breath. "Thank you, Nat," she says earnestly. "Thank you."
Natasha lifts an eyebrow at her, red lips quirking up in dry amusement. "Don't think I ever told you you could nickname me, Stark."
She blinks. "Oh - shit, sorry. Barton always calls you it. Caught on, I guess," she shrugs, looking away sheepishly.
Natasha's smirk grows. "Nah, I'll allow it for you. You're special enough, I guess," she says. Irina's lips twitch up, and the agents expression falls back to seriousness. "You'll really be okay?"
The brunette sighs, nodding her head once in finality. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I will be," she murmurs.
Natasha nods after a moment, thumbing Irina's wrist once more before getting up and heading over to her supply of guns, a dangerous light in her eyes as she examines her array of weapons.
Perhaps Baron von Strucker wouldn't mind a surprise visit from the Black Widow.
The hatch doors open once they land, HYDRA agents already having taken notice to them, and reigning fire on the Quinjet with weapons other HYDRA bases didn't have. Irina narrows her eyes as Tony and the Hulk immediately race out to attack the nearest agents, stalling the gunfire.
Steve passes her, shoving the comm in his ear and activating it. Irina watches him, anxiety sending her heart leaping into her throat, and she reaches out blindly, grasping his wrist. "Hey," she blurts out.
He stops, looking at her curiously. Irina's mouth opens and closes for a few seconds as she tries to form words, something to say...
They're different here.
They hurt me.
I don't want them to hurt you, too.
"Be... Be safe," she manages. "Please?"
Steve looks frozen, baby blues darting between her eyes. He seems to be completely lost in thought, before he clears his throat and jolts out of whatever daze he'd been in. His expression softens, and Steve nods. "I will," he promises, placing his hand over hers. "You, too, okay?"
Irina nods. "I will."
They gaze at one another a moment more, the time spent together causing the captain and her to grow closer in recent years. Closer than she thinks she's ever been with someone in a long time.
Sometimes, it scares her. It terrifies her, even.
But most times, she knows that it's Steve whom she's closest with, and that's one of the best things in the world for her.
"Be safe," is repeated somewhere else, and the two of them collectively look over at Sam and Clint, the latter clapping the former on the shoulder and gazing into his eyes.
"Oh, man," Sam says, gazing dreamily into Clint's eyes as he claps the archer on the other shoulder, "I'll be so safe for you."
"Okay, assholes," drawls Natasha as she passes them, cocking her pistol while she walks down the ramp of the Quinjet and onto the field, "stop horsing around and get shooting."
Clint rolls his eyes, the two of them detaching from one another. "Party pooper," he grunts, jogging into the firefight with his friend. Sam snorts, nodding at Steve and her before following the two agents out, spreading his wings once he's out in the open and disappearing above the trees.
Steve looks back at her, smiling tenderly. "Keep in touch, okay?"
"Yeah," nods Irina. "Get 'em, Captain." She pats his bicep, briefly reminded of their shower incident earlier that day, and clears her throat softly, withdrawing her hand.
The captain clears his throat softly, too, looking slightly pink beneath his helmet. He nods at her, and runs out into the fire, shield in hand, and Irina watches, pride swelling in her chest at the group she's surrounded with.
Perhaps Fury had made a good call.
...Not that she'd ever admit that out loud. Ever. Because even "dead", she was sure the man had eyes and ears everywhere.
Irina shuts the rear hatch door, walking up from in the empty Quinjet and taking her seat in the cockpit. Familiar with the controls, she takes the jet up and away from any damages from the fire fight going on down below.
Steadying, she reaches down to a packet beside her and takes out a comm, activating it and pressing it to her ears. "Comm check," she says.
"Check," says Steve.
"Check," follows Natasha.
"Roger," grunts Clint, right as something explodes in the background for him.
"Yes?" Steve speaks up again, all business and stern.
Irina snorts as Clint almost does the same, but holds back his laughter. "No - No I said "Roger", Cap."
"...Oh."
Irina devolves into a fit of chuckles, covering her mouth softly as she snickers. Steve's voice comes in again. "Lay off, Roberts," he says, before grunting. "People get distracted when they're fighting, if you didn't know."
"Oh, I know," hums Irina idly, scrunching her nose softly. "Still doesn't mean it's not funny, though."
Steve sighs deeply, and she chuckles once again, but now isn't the time to joke and jest.
Now, she had to be at attention. They all did.
She turns the jet until the base is in sight. A screen pops up on the glass front of the Quinjet, zooming in on the structure. Irina peers at it. "I'm seeing a ton of top-quality weapons coming from the base, guys," she says. "Meaning more trouble for you."
"Stark, take them out for us," commands Steve.
"Gimme a minute," Tony replies. "Busy blasting ass here."
Irina taps away on the dashboard, bringing up scans, statistics, anything she can get her hands on. She looks up just as Tony flies up and at the base, before he bounces off a barrier surrounding the building.
"Shit!" He curses.
"Language!" admonishes Steve. Irina freezes. "J.A.R.V.I.S., what's the view from upstairs?"
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken," responds the artificial intelligence.
"Loki's scepter must be here!" Thor grunts. Irina hears his hammer returning to him faintly. "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last..."
""At long last" is lasting a little long, boys," Natasha speaks up.
"Yeah," says Clint. "I think we've lost the element of surprise."
"That element is overrated, anyways," says Sam.
"Wait a second," pipes in Tony. "No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said "Language"?" He asks.
Irina throws her hands into her air. "Finally!" She exclaims. "Jesus, I thought I was the only one!"
"I know," sighs Steve. There's grunts from his end before he speaks again. "Just slipped out."
Irina grins. "Tony, you need to get that barrier down if we're getting inside that base. Can you figure out a way?"
"Sure can. Just let me focus on avoiding bullets first, 'kay?"
"Asshole," she mutters, rolling her eyes with reluctant fondness.
"Miss Irina, it has come to my attention that the city is under fire," J.A.R.V.I.S. pipes up.
Irina taps away at the dashboard, the AI sending her camera footage of panicking civilians. She grimaces. "Right. Strucker never cared about collateral damage..." she murmurs with bitterness. "Send in the Iron Legion."
The command bleeps through, and Irina watches the screen in front of her as the droids deploy.
A pained grunt comes from Clint, and next, Natasha is crying out for him.
"We have an Enhanced in the field," informs Steve.
"Clint's hit!" Natasha says. "Somebody wanna deal with that bunker?"
"Hold on," Irina goes back to what Steve had said. "An Enhanced? You mean -"
Someone like her?
"Whoever they are, they're fast. A blur," says Steve. "Stark, we really need to get inside."
"I'm closing in," Tony says. "J.A.R.V.I.S., am I...closing in? Do you see a power source for that shield?"
"There's a particle wave below the north tower," provides J.A.R.V.I.S.
"Great, I wanna poke it with something."
"Tony," Irina reaches up, flipping the switches on the control board while she peers over at the distant figure of the Iron Man suit flying about the skies of Sokovia, "do you need me to come in?" She asks hesitantly.
Tony sends something under the structure, and she watches as it hits whatever it had targeted, for the energy barrier was down.
"Drawbridge is down, people," says Tony. "Not to worry, Nina. I've hacked these systems dozens of times. Contact Clean-Up and get them down here."
"But the Enhanced -" she begins, worry swirling around in her stomach.
"Still out in the field, no doubt," Steve pipes in. "Stay with the jet, Irina. Contact Clean-Up like Tony said and get them down here."
Irina sighs, dropping her head and cursing under her breath. "Shit...fine. Contacting them now." She reaches over the dashboard, swiping the streaming footage of Strucker's base away in favour of opening up a line to Avengers Tower. "Hill, are you there?"
It takes a moment, before the poker face of one Maria Hill comes on screen. "Clean-Up is already prepped and ready to come detain the agents," she informs Irina. "Just give the word."
"Giving it to you now," Irina says. Hill nods once, then disappears, the phone line ending. A blip from J.A.R.V.I.S. informs her of a secondary jet leaving the Tower a second later. She turns back to the comm channel. "Clean-Up is on the way. How are things down there?"
"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys," Natasha's voice comes in. "We're gonna need evac."
"I can get Barton to the jet," informs Thor. "The sooner we're gone the better."
"I'll come down and help with the rest of the agents," says Irina. "Steve, can I meet you?"
"You sure you wanna do that, Irina?" Natasha asks.
She nods, then realizes no one can see her, and clears her throat softly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be fine. I'll be with Steve."
A scoff. "God, you make me sick. Deviants," Tony huffs.
"Asshole," mutters Irina.
"Find the scepter," Thor instructs.
"And for gosh sake, watch your language!"
Steve sighs. "That's not going away anytime soon."
Irina gives a roll of her eyes, getting up from the seat. "I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. set the jet down near you and Barton, Natasha. Sam, can you bring me down?"
"Sure, just give me the signal," says Sam.
She sets in the coordinates for J.A.R.V.I.S., waiting until confirmation from him before she leaves the cockpit. Striding to the rear hatch, she opens it, peering down at the snowy forest below. The high winds send a shiver through her, but it doesn't deter her.
With a smirk, Irina leaps from the jet, free-falling down. "Just did!" She yells.
"Jesus Christ!" is heard faintly over the roaring winds, before two arms grab her from her armpits and steady her mid-air. "Can't believe you're letting Cap rub off on you," grumbles Sam as he guides her to the ground.
Steve meets them at the foot of the base. Sam drops her beside him, and Irina smirks proudly at the exasperated look on his face as he sets down beside them, wings folding into his back. Steve checks her once over, before meeting her eyes. "Alright?" He asks.
She nods. "Fine. Just winded," she jokes, snickering at the light groan the captain gives. Sam punches her shoulder lightly as he passes, returning her amused smirk.
They make their way up into the base before Natasha's voice crackles through the comms network. "We're locked down out here," she says.
Steve takes off his helmet, panting in exhaustion while he reaches up a hand to his ear. "Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby."
The "lullaby" being the way they managed to calm the Hulk's ever-burning rage. And it was something Natasha seemed to specialize in performing without much difficulty at all. Irina had her suspicions as to why, but never dwelled on it much. Just to keep at least some level of professionalism when it came to the team.
"Nina, I might...need you down here," Tony's uncertain voice comes through.
Immediately, Irina is stopping, a hand flying up to her ear as her brow sets in urgency. "Where are you?" She asks.
"Uh... J.A.R.V.I.S., lead her here?"
"Of course, sir."
Irina looks up at Sam and Steve, the latter nodding in confirmation at her. "Go. We'll handle bringing in Strucker," he says.
She purses her lips, feeling some tension seep from her shoulders at the news, and nods in return. "Alright. Be safe, Steve," she looks at Sam, "Sam."
Sam nods back, and Irina turns, heading the opposite way. Through her earpiece, J.A.R.V.I.S. instructs her through the base and down to Tony.
"Take a right here, Miss Irina. Through the corridor is where Sir is."
"Thanks, J," she mutters, stepping warily into the room. The Iron Man suit turns to face her, but when the face plate opens, Tony isn't there. "Tony?" She calls.
"Down the stairwell," J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice comes from the suit, looking in the direction of what looked to be a hidden stairwell Tony had discovered.
Inhaling warily, Irina makes her way down. This...this was new to her. This stairwell, these new halls. She'd never been down here before. Never, even when...
"Put her in lockdown. Three days. No food, water. Not even a bathroom break."
"I'll do better, Mr. Strucker! Please! I'll be better, I can!"
"Learn from your mistakes, Metatron. Take the time to think over yourself. And I do hope you think right thoughts."
"...Y - Yes, Mr. Strucker... I - I will..."
Darkness. No windows. Just a single door. Four walls.
Darkness.
Tears.
Soft, gentle weeping.
"I wanna go home... I wanna go... Toby... Toby, I wanna go home..."
She gasps sharply, the fresh memory, something she'd never recalled before, casting a migraine that had her mind screaming with pain.
She grunts, stumbling against the wall and clutching at her head. It hurt - no, it burned with the feeling of something new entering it - or re-entering it.
"I can't - I can't - " she gasps, panic flooding her.
What was that.
Who was that.
That couldn't be her.
Could it?
"Irina - " Someone takes hold of her, holding her up, keeping her steady. "Irina - Jesus, you're heavy..."
Her hands fly out, holding onto something - onto someone. Who?
"Easy, Nina, easy..."
"Tony?" She gasps softly, peering up and meeting eyes that were just like hers, like a reflection of them, only darker with what looked like fear...
...Fear of something great, something she couldn't even think of.
"There you are," Tony sighs, easing her back into standing position. Her eyes dart around them, to the Iron Man suit holding the scepter, Loki's scepter. They had it. They'd gotten it. And she -
"What just - " she murmurs, cradling her forehead with one hand, the other still clutching onto her brother for dear life. And he lets her, grimacing at her in concern. "What happened to me... What did I - "
Tony watches her carefully. "J.A.R.V.I.S., give me a scan?" He asks.
A blue line shines upon her for a quick moment, something whirring in the suit, before it beeps. "No poisoning or anything physically damaged in the slightest, Sir. It seems Miss Irina only experienced a major distress in her mental state. Something just short of a panic attack."
"Right, of course," Tony huffs. "Knew you shouldn't have come along. Not that I don't mind you, Nina. Really, I love you, but you were totally not ready to deal with this head on," he says.
Irina's brow furrows, hardly even registering the words "I love you" coming from his mouth so casually, yet so full of meaning. She continues to hold her head, groaning. "No... No, I - I remembered... Something happened to me that I - Did you - Did the scepter...? I don't - I don't - " she stammered over her words, beginning to grow hasty and panicked in her words, before Tony hushes her.
"Calm, calm," he urges, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You're fine, you hear me? Safe. Come on. We got the scepter, got Strucker. Let's get the hell out of here, alright?"
Irina doesn't answer, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to draw answers. Never, never had that happened before. So suddenly, so...so painfully. Something had been done to her, right? Something had to have been done.
"Hey, hey!" Tony snaps his fingers, gaining her attention again. "Come on, Nina. Stay with me. We're getting the hell out of here, alright?" He repeats, eyeing her sternly.
A trembling breath leaves her lips, and after a moment, Irina nods. "Alright."
"Good. Someone get the jet around to the base. I doubt Irina can make it through the entire forest like this."
""Like this" - Like what?" Steve's voice comes through. "Is she hurt? Stark, was she -"
"God - relax, Cap! She's fine. Just a bit of a...well, a bit of a... Let's just say she looks greener than the Hulk, right now."
Irina grimaces softly as Tony begins to carefully help her back up the stairs, taking her step-by-step. She feels sick to her stomach, like something had come into her mind and - and purposefully ripped that memory out by force, letting it torture her.
Only it wasn't like Loki's scepter.
It was something far worse.
And Irina didn't think she wanted to find out what it was.
Or who.