Ch 11
The light shot from the man's hands in a flash of green light and knocked Natalia to the ground. She braced herself for another attack but none came. Instead, the man leaned over her with his hand out to help her up and said,
"My name is Loki, let's have a talk."
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Bruce and Clint were glad that Steve wasn't in the room when Natalia met the man with Ivan. They were sure it was Bucky and there was no telling how Steve would react. They were going to tell him when he got back but they were interrupted by their fellow team members arriving. Steve was walking into the room just as Natalia snuck out of the compound.
"Tony, what are you wearing?" Clint asked in regards to his outfit to blend in to Asgard.
Tony wasn't listening. He stripped off his suit and made his way over to Natasha to see how she was doing. He saw bandages and cuts littering her body. He then saw in the corner the bloody rags from previous injuries and surgeries. He had missed a lot, but he was determined to watch the footage to get up to date. He touched his hand to a cut on her cheek and then noticed a presence beside him. Loki.
As soon as the trio entered the room, Loki's eyes found Natasha. He was pissed that she was reliving all of this but he was also sad. He watched as Thor went over to Clint, Bruce, and Steve, to catch up on the recent events. He saw the glares coming his way. They still did not trust him. So Loki joined Natasha and Tony. He joined them just as Tony was touching a cut on her cheek. She looked bad. He then surveyed all of the machines and bloodied rags. They were trying to save her, but they were way over their heads. He was pulled from his trance by the archer.
"Hey, Loki, what's the plan?"
In truth, he didn't have one. At least not yet. He didn't have all of the information.
"I need to know what exactly is going on before I dare touch anything. What is this screen?"
Tony spoke up this time. "We see what she sees, thanks to that damned crystal. It also allows us to see her through reflections off of the surrounding surfaces, kind of like an awesome projector. We don't just see through her eyes. We see her just as we see you. See, now she's in the woods."
The color drained from Loki's face when he realized where she was going. He could just see the remnant trace of the portal he used to reach earth that night. She was about to meet him.
"What's with the frown green man?" Clint was really getting on his nerves.
"This is the night we first met." All eyes turned to him in bewilderment, except for Thor and Tony of course who obliviously heard him talk about them in the past when they were breaking him out of Asgard.
"Yeah," Tony said. "He kept mumbling something like I have to help her, and, she made me promise. Care to elaborate some more?"
"No, I'm sure you will see it eventually through this damned machine. She will have to relive the worst parts of her life, and it's all your fault."
Oww, that hurt. Tony wasn't prepared for that remark.
They all stood back to watch what would happen next on the screen. Tony noticed how grown up she looked, she had lost her baby face and now looked like a grown woman, just like the one that laid on the table in front of them. They watched how Natalia found her cave and Loki following behind a few minutes later. They watched as she picked up the rock and threw it into Loki, causing him to be thrown across the room. Clint and Thor got a laugh out of that one, but then scowled when Loki threw her off of him and across the cavern, making her forehead smash against the stone. They were still not used to watching how quick she healed but enjoyed the astonished look on Loki's face when he witnessed it. When she told him her name, the boys were still not used to it. When Loki introduced himself to her and helped her up, the Avengers realized that he used to have a softer side.
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"My name is Loki, let's have a talk."
"Why are you here?" Natalia asked as Loki helped her up from the cave floor.
"Same as you I presume, to get away. You're strong. Where are you from?" he asked.
"From? I'm from... here. A compound not too far from here."
"But why are you so strong? I've never met a human quite like you. You almost beat me, only my brother ever beat me in a battle."
"Sorry bud, can't tell you. Top secret. What about you? Where are you from and why are you so strong?"
He responded with, "Well, couldn't hurt I guess. I'm from another world, called Asgard. I'm... a God."
Natalia was amazed and intrigued. That explained the flash of green light he shot at her. She wanted to know more. This was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her.
"So why leave your world for mine?" She asked.
"I just had to get away for a while. I'm kind of a loner I guess you could say." Loki was surprised by how much he was sharing. Talking to her was easy, something he wasn't used to where he was from.
Natalia was also surprised by what all she had to say. She then started to realize that this was the first actual conversation she had with someone apart from Ivan and the others at the compound who only talked when needed. She was actually enjoying herself. An hour later, they were still chatting away as if they had been friends forever.
"So you mean your brother is Thor? Like from the stories?"
"The stories aren't stories dear Natalia. Every story had to of come from somewhere. Thor can be a bit much at times. He is careless and arrogant at times and it feels like I constantly babysit him. And as for mother? I love her but she hovers a great deal. She always know what you are thinking and it gets on my nerves sometimes. I have been coming here for the past month to relax."
"Hmm," she said. "You know this is my cave right?"
Loki smiled at her.
"I don't see your name on it," he said.
She looked around. "No, but I've been here longer, I live around here, and I was born here...On Earth."
Loki started laughing. He laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. He felt so carefree. He then noticed Natalia start to laugh.
They lay on the cavern floor staring at the ceiling sharing eachothers lives. Natalia didn't share all she wanted to, she couldn't. She didn't want him to judge her. But she thought he knew already.
"So what is troubling you tonight my dear? You said you only come here when you need to get away, just as I do."
Natalia frowned. "Just a hard day I guess. So how exactly did you sneak from your kingdom again?"
Loki frowned also at her change of subject. "I will only tell you when you tell me what's wrong."
She sat up before she began. Loki sat up also and faced her. "I had a mission today just like I have any day. I've killed people Loki, lots of people. Even children. But this time, there was a little girl and I don't know why but she affected me somehow. I lost my concentration. Ivan always says to show no mercy, leave no one alive, but I let her go. By the end of it all, I was so caught up in everything and she came looking for her father. All I heard was a little sigh and I turned and before I could stop myself, I threw my dagger and it planted itself into her chest. She died in my arms Loki, and I cried for her. Ivan would hurt me if he knew. I, I don't know if I want to do this anymore. Over the years, I guess I've lost my humanity and killing became normal for me. Tonight though, I felt a little piece creep back."
Loki just listened as she poured her heart out. He didn't judge, or offer her any kind words. And Natalia liked that. She didn't want to be shown pity, she just wanted to talk to someone.
"Then tonight Ivan told me there was another phase to the Black Widow program but I have no idea what it is. He introduced me to this guy with a metal arm. I think he's just like me, or similar or something. But he just looked so dead inside. He's supposed to take over for me when I can't any longer, whatever that means."
"Do you think Ivan is going to kill you?" Loki asked.
"He couldn't do that, he's invested too much into my training. Maybe he's going to chop off my arm and make me a metal one so James will continue Ivan's dirty work while I heal maybe. I don't really know."
They talked until the sun started to rise before they said their goodbyes. They didn't want to, but they didn't want to be found missing. Natalia isn't allowed out of the compound without being on a mission and Loki is forbidden to travel to Midgard.
"Next time you want to meet, just look for a weird light in the sky. It always hangs around a few minutes when the portal comes through." Loki said.
And with that they two parted ways and headed to their respected homes.
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Natalia had only laid down for an hour and a half before she had to get up. She quickly ate breakfast and spent an hour of training before she was to meet Ivan down in the lab. She hardly ever got nervous but she was pretty nervous now. Anything to do with the lab makes her cringe. She hated that place.
When she arrived, she passed James walking out. Their eyes met but no emotions were exchanged. She was going in blind. He grabbed her arm though and said "Ivan wants us training together after you are finished."
What he said was kind of a relief. That meant that she wasn't getting her arm chopped off or anything that required healing. But she still didn't know what was going to happen.
When she walked in, she saw Dr. Andrei by a surgical table pulling things from vials and mixing them. Ivan was there too but said nothing and nodded toward the table. She walked over, almost routine, without protest, and laid down. They didn't even strap her down this time. Dr. Andrei just lifted her shirt some and plunged the needle into her stomach. She didn't flinch, she was trained not to show pain, but man did that shit hurt. The liquid felt like fire but it quickly dissipated. Her vitals were then taken and Ivan then released her. As she walked from the room, she heard Dr. Andrei say to Ivan, "I hope your happy now." She heard Ivan punch him in the gut but she stayed out of it. Instead, she left to find James for training.
Walking down the hallways, she didn't feel any different. She lifted her shirt to see that the needle prick was already healed. She shrugged it off and opened the training room door. She looked up to see the familiar red stain she had put on the ceiling the night she killed her fellow comrades. She couldn't remember which girl it came from, but she knew it was her fault it flew up there during the massacre. In her own little world, she didn't see the glint of metal as it barely connected with her face.