Black Widow

NATALIA ALWAYS KNEW SHE WAS SPECIAL. However, she didn't like that she was special. It made it hard for her to survive in the red room. It gave her more attention, which wasn't a good thing from where she was raised. If you were better than any of the girls, they just pushed you harder, gave you less food and more visits with the scientists.

Although, she guessed being special had some quirks. Like the voice in her head who always knew what was going on, and always made sure to warn her. She liked the voice in her head. He was nice and was very charming. He had a different accent compared to her own and had very funny slang.

Not that she was ever allowed to laugh about it, but still. She liked the voice in her head, who would tell her stories of his childhood when she was hurt, and would always comfort her when another friend of hers' died--usually killed by her.

He also told her about magic. He was able to teach her how to control her magic, while not suppressing it. She would only use her magic to do simple things like, heal her wounds faster or get extra food and water for herself. No one ever caught her doing it, and for that, she thanked the Gods every night.

She might not have a lot in life, but she had Tom. She had a friend who would always stay with her, and would never leave her. She would make sure he would never leave her, no matter what.

She wasn't going to let the one thing that made her happy leave.

"AGAIN!"

Blinking, she spun around as she repeated the same routine that she had been doing for the past hour. Her feet ached, but she had to keep going. Kicking her leg up into the air, she began the routine once more. She didn't know what other young girls her age would be doing, but she doubted it would be this.

Sometimes, when she was asleep, she would dream of a happy family. A goofy man, who loved his friends and family more than anything. A fiery-redheaded woman, who would do anything for the little family they had. And the small girl, who had a tuff of red hair growing on her head, and was quite the mischievous little girl. She always asked Tom about her dreams, but he never answered her, always changing the subject.

Tom? She questioned as she continued her routine.

"Yes, Dear?"  He replied.

Honestly, she didn't know what to say. Earlier today she had heard the guards talking about sending her on a mission. Her first-ever mission. Tom, She said urgently in her head, Tom, they're going to send me on a mission today. What should I do? I'm... I'm scared, Tom.

He was quiet for a moment, probably thinking over what he could say to the 10-year-old. "This could be your chance to escape this place. Do you know what your mission is?"

No, she replied, chewing the inside of her cheek. All I heard is that they wanted the best out of the best. I think they're just sending me. Do you have an idea of what I could do?

"I do," he paused for a second, almost as if he was considering his words, "however, I would need your permission to do so."

She felt nerves build up in her stomach, glancing around the room discreetly. 'What is it, Tom?' She asked quickly. She heard him sigh inside her mind, feeling as he was pacing back and forth within her mind. "I would need you to give me control for a bit. I have a plan, and I believe it would be better if I did it. I'll tell you when, dear."

"Natalia!" Madame Red shouted, interrupting the class. She gestured for the girl to follow her with her head and walked down the hall at a fast pace. "We have come to the conclusion that you are best for this job. You will assassinate this man and his family; he has betrayed us. However, bring in his daughter, she's young enough to be trained to be a Black Widow. Understand, Natalia?" She narrowed her eyes down at the young girl, who looked down at the ground in submission.

She nodded quickly, uttering a quick, "Yes, Madame Red." Wincing slightly as one of the guards grabbed her arm tightly, she looked down at her feet as the man dragged her away to the dressing room. Shoving her into the room and slamming the door shut, she walked over to the rack of clothes in her size and began shoving them into a duffle bag.

...Tom? She gripped the leather catsuit in her hands tightly. What is it you plan to do?

She felt as if almost the man inside her head was grinning madly, a mad look in his eyes. "Don't worry, darling. I have everything under control."

Checking her weapons, she watched the house in front of her, shifting on the tree branch she was currently hiding out on. Watching the lights turn off, she climbed down the tree and jumped off the last branch, sneaking her way into the backyard. Clicking the remote, she watched as the cameras circuited and she made her way up to the back porch.

 
Taking out her lockpick, she glanced around before unlocking the door and making her way in quietly. Tip-toeing her way up to the parent's bedroom, she slipped the silencer onto her gun and creaked open the door, seeing the parents fast asleep.

Quickly shooting the parents in the head, she turned around to head out only to stop and stare at the girl in front of her in shock. In her pink pajamas, stood a small girl, half of her body being consumed by her hair. She had pretty caramel skin and had rather large teeth.

She seemed to be around the same age as Natalia -- maybe a little bit older.

"You killed my parents." She said, almost as if she couldn't believe the scene in front of her. "Why? Why did you kill my mother and father?"

She blinked, trying to come up with an excuse on why she killed this girl's parents. It's not like she can just say, 'Hey! Your parents actually worked for an anti-freedom, nazi organization! And my boss sent me here to kill you and your family because you betrayed them!' Well, she could but... that's not really a nice way to break it.

Tom! She hissed at the boy, who seemed awfully quiet at the moment. Help me out here! However, he never responded and she had to quickly roll out of the way from the girl who was coming straight at her with a lamp. Standing up quickly, she grabbed her baton. "Look, I don't wanna hurt you. But I will." She told the girl, who seemed to think about it before quickly coming after the assassin once more.

Blocking the lamp from hitting her face, she stomped on the girl's foot and kicked her backwards, who fell onto the floor. She watched as tears welled up in her first. "Please... P-Please don't kill me!" She sobbed, and almost as if it was working with her emotions, some force pushed Natalia back from the girl.

"Fascinating..." Tom muttered, the first thing he said all night. She couldn't help herself and rolled her eyes. Fascinating? I just killed this girl's parents and she's pushing me away like she has the force from star wars! Help me out here! She exclaimed.

He scoffed and it seemed like she was pushed to the back of her mind. She watched through her eyes as Tom marched forward in her body and kneeled down, locking eyes with the young girl. "You won't tell anyone of this night. You will say you were asleep when the attacker came in and shot your parents. If you even utter a word of this night, you will die a slow and painful death. Got it-- Oh, what's your name, dear?"

It felt weird watching her speak words that weren't even her own. Hermione looked as if she was almost hypnotized in a way like she was being compelled to do whatever they want.

"Hermione." She replied without any emotion or awareness in her voice.

She felt her lips twitching in a way too sharp of a smile. "What a beautiful name. However, if you ever speak of this ever again, I will find you and kill you myself, Hermione." She felt her legs stand up, and she brushed off her suit as if it had dirt or sand on it. "Have a good night, Hermione. Oh, and don't call the police until morning. Makes it more believable."

Turning around, she walked down the stairs as she felt the control return to her body once more. Stumbling on the last step, she regained her balance and walked throughout the house. Grabbing any item that caught her eye, she broke the back door and made her way out of the house. She felt her earpiece turn on, and she rolled her eyes for a second.

"Natalia. Did you complete your mission?"

She took in a deep breath and reached up for the earpiece. "Natalia." Madame Red gritted out. "Did you complete your assignment?" Grabbing it and ripping it off her ear, she grabbed her gun and shot the thing, before deciding that wasn't enough and stomping on it until it was nothing but smithereens

She felt her lips quirk up into a smile, a small chuckle erupting from her chest before it got louder and louder, and before she knew it, she was in a random alleyway laying on the ground and full out cackling.

She was free! Free! Free! She was finally free from that hell she had called home for the last ten years of her life. Of course, it was never really home, more like a place she stayed at. But, now that she's left them... she's never going to be able to have a normal life. She won't be able to get a cute house, with a white picket fence and five cats. She'll be on the run for the rest of her life, never being able to rest, never being able to stop. She wouldn't be able to stay in a place longer than a month before having to leave and change her identity once more.

Her laughing slowly died down and she breathed heavily. She stared up at the dark sky, smiling slightly at the stars in the sky. She had never really seen stars before, and now, she won't let anyone take her away from them. "Tom?" She asked out loud, her accent coming out hard and heavy. "What did you do to that girl? What did you do to me?"

Silence filled her head, feeling as if everything had stopped, before he spoke up, "Natalia... Can I try something?" He almost sounded unsure, as if what he was asking to do wouldn't work. Nodding, she felt something pull on her magic. She gasped, grasping her core in shock and pain.

Before her eyes, she watched as feet formed at the bottom of her vision. Slowly moving her head upwards, she watched as the body of a man formed in front of her. In front of her stood a tall man, who stood as graceful as a Lord, and with the presence of a King. He had a sharp jawline and a straight nose. It was hard to tell what age he was, almost as he was a teenager and an adult at the same time. He had wavy, dark brown hair that fell onto his head perfectly. He wore a black suit, with a green tie and some type of robe. A wide grin formed on his face, seemingly satisfied with himself. He kneeled down and offered his hand for Natalia to take. Grabbing his hand, she pulled herself and stared at the man in front of her in confusion. Suddenly, the dots connected and she breathed out in shock,

"Tom?.."

"Hello, Natalia." He greeted her softly, releasing his hand from hers'. "So nice to finally meet you face to face." He smirked, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her eyebrows furrowed, licking her dry lips in confusion. How did this even happen? How did he get a physical form? Ever since she was young, all he was... was just a voice in her head.

Locking eyes with him, she tried to decipher his body language. But, he was very guarded, seeming very relaxed at the moment. Shaking her head, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"How is this even possible? You're just a voice in my head... How do you have a physical form?"

His smile widened even further, looking quite insane when the streetlight lit up his face. "Why, you, of course. It's because of you, my little Horcrux, that I can contain this form. From the day I became one with you, I have been slowly siphoning on your magic, and strengthening my own. I had a theory, and with you escaping that horrid place, pretty much proved it. You see, Natalia, I believe the red room knew you had magic, and somehow put up runes that pretty much sealed your magical core from performing too much magic. Of course, with me there, it was able to still perform a few things here and there. When you allowed me to take over your body to deal with the young girl, I pretty much knew then... But this," He gestured to himself, a laugh making its way out of her mouth. "This pretty much confirmed it."

She blinked slowly, before throwing her arms around Tom. He tensed, confused about what to do. But, she didn't care. He was there and was real. He wasn't just a voice in her head, he was a person! Her arms tightened around him, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She was free, and the one person she cared about was here, in real life. She felt his body relaxed, and he returned the hug, petting her head.

"You're actually here..." She whispered, snuggling into him as she felt her eyes begin to drop, the night finally catching up with her. She felt him pick up her body and felt him start walking.

"Yes, Dear. I'm here."

Natalia sighed as she walked down the crowded street, keeping her head down low. Of course, someone had to be following her. She couldn't have one peaceful day, eating her tacos. She didn't even get to finish her first one!

She felt sharp eyes following her, eyes that were as sharp as a Hawk's. Glancing around discreetly, she made her way up to some stairs, hoping to see if she could get a better view of her stalker. Reaching the top, she leaned up against the railing, acting casual.

Grasping her fingers around the gun in her pocket, she glanced around. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of purple move past her and quickly shot at the moving figure. She watched the figure jump out of the way, the bullet skimming his arm.

Her attacker was a boy who was in his early teen years, maybe 14 or 15. He had short, cropped blonde hair, and she noticed he wore a hearing aid in one ear. He grinned cheekily, his finger ready to pull the string if she so much as moved a muscle. "Boss Man was right; you do have a good shot." He pointed out.

Narrowing her eyes, she watched his movements carefully. He was very confident and seemed comfortable with where they were at, which most likely means he was comfortable in high places and was probably watching her from building tops. However, while his upper body was protected, his lower body was not. She quickly swept him off his feet and kicked the bow away from him.

However, that didn't stop him and he quickly rolled them over, holding down her arms. Kicking her knee up, she kicked him in the groin and that gave her enough time to get up and point her gun at his head. "Who are you? Who sent you?" She questioned, her finger ready at a moment's notice to pull the trigger; her gun pointed at his temple. 

He glanced up at the gun, before locking eyes with her and taking in a deep breath. "My name is Clint Barton. I work with SHIELD and my boss sent me here to take you out." He explained slowly. "Said you were too dangerous to be out there all alone."

Clenching her jaw, she felt both hers' and Tom's anger combined, the man clearly listening in on the conversation but not speaking up. She knew this was going to happen, she knew people were going to be sent out to kill her but... she didn't want to hurt people anymore! She just wanted to live her life! "I wasn't planning on killing anybody." She replied coolly, "I... I wasn't going to... I have no place in the world. I'm just a weapon to be used, I'm just another piece on a chessboard for people to use to better their goals..." She trailed off, dropping the gun down from his temple. Dropping down onto her knees, she scolded herself for ever thinking anything but that. That she could be something better.

Closing her eyes, she felt a tear fall down her cheek and her lips began to shake. God, she was such a fool! She could never be a hero! She meant to be the villain, and no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she could never be better. That's all she will ever be. A Villain. A Bad Guy. A Monster.

That's all she was ever meant to be. There's no happily ever after for her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for her death. However, what she got instead was a hug. Tensing up, she opened her watery eyes and locked eyes with Clint, who looked at her with such kindness and trust. How could anybody trust her? She sold out her friends in the RedRoom just so she could live. "Why?" She breathed out.

He gave her a warm smile and held her tighter. "Because you deserve better, Natalia. You're not a monster; you're a little girl who's been through too much. But I know you can be a better person. You deserve a second chance." He hushed her as she shook her head wildly. "Yes, you do. You did what you had to do to survive. Please, let me help you."

Closing her eyes, she nodded and stood up, holding a hand out for Clint to take. "Where are you going to take me?"

Clint grinned and adjusted his shirt. "Well, first you gotta meet my boss. I think he'd like you as an Agent. This could be a fresh, new start." He explained, walking down the stairs before looking back at her. "You coming?"

Giving him a small smile, she joined him.

"Welcome to SHIELD, Agent Romanoff."