3
Everyone tensed and watched the tv apprehensively. It was an old one, and static filled the screen. A wiring sound echoed in the room and a countdown showed on the screen.
1 minute, 59 sec, 58, sec,
Natasha felt herself stiffen. Instinctively, she slightly moved so she was placed in front of Maria, making a barrier between the girl and whatever danger was ahead of them. This didn't go unnoticed by some of the Avengers. Stark frowned, wondering what that was about and Clint smirked.
A man that Natasha didn't know looked around nervously.
“Uhh, guys? Why is there a countdown on the screen? Normally a countdown means trouble.” The man real nervous, and the people around him looked at each other with something like worry in their eyes.
“Deep breaths, Brucey, we don't want a green catastrophe on top of all of this,” said Stark, looking slightly concerned.
Natasha catalogued the new name in her head. Bruce, Bruce... Where had she heard that name before? She felt Maria tap her shoulder in rhythm. Morse code.
Hulk. 2005 incident.
Natasha vaguely remembered that. A scientist had tried to recreate the super soldier syrup made to enhance Captain America, only to end up failing and turning himself into an angry green giant when angry. She was still in the Red Room at the time, but she clearly remembered her handlers telling her of the threat that he imposed.
This made her wary of the seemingly harmless man. He was basically a ticking bomb.
47 sec, 46 sec, 45 sec…
Suddenly, a voice broke through the tense atmosphere of the room.
“Uhum, is this thing on?”
Natasha twirled and released the knife that had been concealed in the sleeve of her sweater in the direction that the voice came from. It emblem itself on the wall. Everyone was startled except Maria, Clint and Fury. Tony let an “oh shit” slip out to which Cap responded with a “Language “. Clint snickered and Natasha raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Bunch of newbies.
“Ooook, let’s refrain from throwing any knives from now on, ok? I really don't want to have to take them.”
“Who are you? And why have you brought us here?” demanded Fury.
“Who I am is not important. And as to the why well it's very simple.”
They heard a giggle and then a shushing noise.
“I'm selfish! And wanted to make you guys watch my favourite movie. So yeah. And I know what you are going to ask, so let me make some things clear.”
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say. I mean, what could you respond to that, right?
“No fighting is allowed. You are just here to watch the movie, and probably gain some useful intel that will hopefully help you in... Future conflicts.”
Everyone was listening carefully, not missing a thing. They were pretty interested in the intel that was proposed but still had some worries. And the countdown had 15 seconds left.
“When the countdown reaches 0, you will be transported to a cinema room, so you can be more comfortable while watching the movie. You will be able to leave when the movie is done and don't worry, no time will have passed in your world.”
The Avengers prepared as well as they could for the upcoming transportation and chatted among themselves. Natasha found out the names of Sam, Wanda, Rhodey and Pietro. She had to figure out the names of the enormous man with dirty blond hair and armour, and the red guy. Was he really red?
There were a few seconds left, and Natasha made her way towards Maria and reached out to grab the girl’s hand in her own, surprising them both. They usually didn't show affection in public. It was just a second, but Maria felt the meaning of the gesture and blushed slightly. God, what was happening to her? She did not have time to really think about it because moments later, a flash of light dazzled them, and they were gone.
It was a very pretty room, to be fair. The seats looked comfortable, and there were aligned so they all had a good view of the screen. A minibar was in the corner, as well as a whole cupboard full of snacks. The screen was huge, taking up the whole wall. But that didn't change the sinking feeling that Natasha felt in her stomach. Because on the TV, In big, black and white letters stood the title of the movie. ‘Black Widow’ it read and Natasha felt like the movie was going to be far less enjoyable than she had thought. Maria sent her a worried look that Natasha tried hard to ignore. She couldn’t afford to display weaknesses. She slipped a blank mask on and composed herself. She was the Black Widow. This was a piece of cake.
“Are we going to finally find out more about our favourite spy’s origin story? This is my lucky day!” Tony said, sipping on a martini that had somehow found its way into his hand. He was making himself comfortable, with a mountain of snacks at his side.
“What? I thought I was your favourite spy,” pouted Clint. He was trying to lighten the mood, and the redhead was grateful for that. He shot a glance at her and she gave him the slightest nod, signalling that she was okay.
They chose their seats and fetched their snacks. Natasha didn’t really know where to sit, so she plopped down on the seat between Maria and Clint.
“Ok, so before we start, I want to introduce you to some people. Just… try not to kill each other.” The voice said with a sheepish tone.
______________________________________
Maria glanced once again towards the girl at her side. She looked calm and collected, but Maria wasn’t fooled by that facade. The slight clench of the jaw now and then, and the tensed shoulders let her know just how nervous she really was. She wasn’t sure how to act at all. She wanted to hug Natasha close and confort her. But at the same time, she knew how much the girl hated to show weakness. And besides, even though the Avengers, as they called themselves, said they knew them, they were still strangers to the two women. The brunette settled for a slight bump of shoulders, letting the redhead know she was there. The spy turned to look at her with gratefulness in her eyes.
“Ok, so before we start, I want to introduce you to some people. Just… try not to kill each other.” The voice said with a sheepish tone.
‘That doesn’t sound good’ thought Maria.
She prepared herself, expecting a fight. A portal burst opens on the ceiling. They heard a yell and a figure fell into the hardly lighted room. A string of swears in what sounded like Russian was heard. Natasha’s breath hitched almost unnoticeably. A tuff of blond hair was visible from this distance. Blond hair. Oh. Shit.
“What? What is happening? Where am I ?” The girl said with a heavily accented voice. She was wearing a grey vest with a white tank top underneath. Black jeans and boots. Her hair was expertly tucked in a double ponytail. She looked around wildly and her gaze hardened when she saw that she wasn’t alone. In an instant, she was on her feet, arms up, ready. Maria recognized years of training, and her guess was confirmed by a shivering breath intake from Natasha. That girl meant trouble. She scanned the room with a calculated look. Maria could only watch as Nat forged her way forward with caution, almost hesitantly. The blond girl noticed her immediately. Her gaze softened for a second, and she looked confused and scared. But the mask was put back on almost immediately.
“Long time no seen, sister,” the blond girl said.
“You could say that,” replied Natasha with huff.
They stared at each other for a moment, completely aware of the confused looks The Avengers where giving them. A second later, they were pointing each other with their guns. The movement was so fast that most of them took a minute to figure out what was happening. The two girls started circling each other, not even daring to blink. The whole group was hesitant to make a move, they weren’t sure if it would help or make the situation worse. Steve looked at Maria with questions in his eyes. Maria shock her head almost imperceptibly.
“Put your gun down before I make you,” threatened the redhead.
“You put yours down,” was the replie.
They were closer now, guns almost touching.
But they were interrupted by another portal opening right above their heads. Immediately, they jumped out of the way just in time. Two figures plopped out of it, one landing in a crouch, gracefully standing up while the other crashed on the floor with a thud. A middle aged woman with dark braided hair and a big man with long, tangled hair and what looked like prison clothes.
“Melina? What… you’re alive?”
Natasha sounded bewildered.
Melina looked at the two girls with a mixture of sadness and regret. She didn’t answer.
“Ok, time out! I’m confused. You guys know each other?” Fury inquired. He thought the newcomers looked familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.
“Don’t worry, everything will be explained in the movie.” The voice said, startling everyone.
“What the hell was that?” Bellowed the man, with a thick Russian accent.
The voice explained what it had already explained to the others and everyone took their places. Natasha was still shaken up, Maria could tell. But she regained her seat next to the brunette, and took her hand in the cover of darkness. Maria gave her a squeeze of support and Nat reciprocated. Whatever would happen, they would be okay. As long as they had each other, they could surpass any obstacle.