Natasha Romanoff

Natasha Romanoff the black widow mobile nav

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

“Well time for a party then.”  As good as Stark-made hearing-aids might be, they still had limits compared to natural hearing.   So he relied on Natasha for any auditory clues when they scouted.  His eyes, her hearing, they balanced each other out that way.  Not that she didn’t have good eyesight.  His was just spectacular for natural eyesight.

Slowly he moved forward easing up the stairwell.   He kept scanning ready for the first sign of movement.   Which really didn’t stop him from bantering with Tasha.   He could multi-task with the best of them.   Plus after that little fight they already knew the duo were here.    “Maybe the egg-heads can whip something special up in-case there is more of these buggers out there.”

A really creepy idea but they had to come from somewhere.  Who knows how many might be out there.  Evil scientists often couldn’t stop at just one.   Like potato chips they over indulged in their creations.  Which ended up causing their problems in the first place.

“I don’t see how this is a party,” she quipped, her tone dry and a smirk curving at her lips as she recalled saying a similar line back in New York the first time they fought off an alien invasion. Had someone told them back then that fighting aliens wasn’t going to be just a one time occurrence, and that they’d end up fighting far worse, she would have laughed in their face. They probably all would have. Now, aliens were practically child’s play, and she would far rather be facing them than the zombies they currently found themselves up against. 

“I’ll pitch the idea to them. Although if they succeed, I fully intend on claiming credit and royalties.” She shrugged, a chuckle sounding from her. “I mean, it’s only fair if we came up with the idea, right?” Not that she really cared about rewards; the only thing that mattered to her was getting the job done, and making sure she and her partner got home alive. 

[malenkaya-vdova]

pclarised:

Lorna recognised the way the woman looked her up and down. She’d looked at people like that before, sussing them out. She took no offence; especially not in this new world. When she used to say she wanted to build a new world, this wasn’t what Lorna had in mind.

“Yep. Passed with flying colours.” Zombies didn’t get a chance to get close to her; all she had to do was carry a couple knives and she could fight them off from afar. “Yeah, um.” She dug in her pocket for the scrap of paper. “Here. Hey, who should I ask about who’s here?”

“Good.” A single nod accompanied the response, her tone as matter-of-fact as if she was discussing something as mundane as the weather, rather than things to do with a zombie apocalypse. That was the thing, though; these days, the zombie apocalypse was a matter-of-fact subject; it was the reality they were facing.

Glancing down at the piece of paper, she gestured for the other to follow her as she started off in the direction they needed to go. “Bobbi Morse usually has a pretty good idea of who’s around.” Natasha certainly found herself heading to the blonde to find out the latest news. “I might be able to help, though. Depends who you’re looking for.”

[justanoldsoldier]

Good Friends

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

“Technically its not just about trying your best at the right thing.   Otherwise we are going to have people trying their best, at potentially destructive things.”  He couldn’t quite resist pointing that out.  “Not everyone has the same vision of what is the right thing to do.  We have to pull together, and not apart.”   There would always be those that preferred chaos to order.  To holding what they though right above anyone else.   When it oppressed others, you had to draw the line.

“Not that I think you are advocating anarchy.”   He grinned at Tasha.   “I hear what you are saying.   You know there are always going to be people that try to find a way to wiggle around things unless you lay it out clearly.”

“And this is why you’re a leader, and I’m not. You know how to phrase things so that people don’t go getting the wrong idea.” Natasha could use her words when she needed to, and she could lead a team into battle, but public speaking? Speeches? They weren’t her thing. Thankfully, Steve knew her well enough by now to have understood what she meant. 

“Anarchy might have been my go-to once,” she chuckled. “But it’s been a while since I’ve thought like that.” In truth though, anarchy wouldn’t have even been something she decided for herself; it would have been the people who controlled her. 

[malenkaya-vdova]

pclarised:

OPEN TO MULTIPLE REPLEIS

Lorna’s boots crunched underfoot as she trekked into camp, duffel bag slung over her shoulder, having passed the checks for infection. She looked around the camp, head held high as she went. But as she did, despite her outward confidence, her eyes scanned every person she saw, looking for those she’d been separated from. Family. Members of the Underground. Anyone from before.

“Excuse me,” she said, catching someone nearby’s attention. “I’m looking for the accomodation.” It had been a long hike here, and she was tired and hungry. A nap and a meal were her top priorities. That, and finding out who was here.

Natasha turned at the unfamiliar voice, her eyes immediately looking the woman up and down. It was an automatic reflex when faced with someone new, whether friend or foe. From her appearance, it was easy to figure out that she was a new arrival, something confirmed when she asked where the accommodation was.

“I assume you’ve already passed through the checks?” With everyone living in such close confines, they had to make sure no one entering was infected. “Did they give you a room number?”

[justanoldsoldier]

Good Friends

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

“You would think Shield already wrote the handbook on that one.”   He lifted his eyebrows looking over at Tasha with a mock serious look.  “Didn’t they have something they handed out to junior agents.  What to do or not to do in certain circumstances?   Pretty sure Fury had pictures of some of our antics to include with that.”

While he appreciated her attempts to reassure him Steve still nurtured some reservations.  He wouldn’t let it weight him down.   Just carry a reminder that he needed to pay attention to how his actions affected others.   He wouldn’t belabor the point with her.

“Enhanced, mutant, or baseline we are all human and should cut each other and ourselves some slack?”  Something he could agree with.   “A good philosophy for Haven I think.   Now can we actually get people to follow it.  Some of us may be better at it than others.”  Him being the prime example of being harder on himself than anyone else would be.

“True, but it’s probably only a rough guide,” she chuckled. “After all, who knows what to do when fighting aliens better than us?” That in itself was something she’d never thought she would say. The Red Room had trained her for a lot, but monsters and magic? Oddly enough, they hadn’t covered that.

“Exactly,” she nodded. “None of us are perfect, we weren’t designed that way. We have faults, and flaws.” And some, like her, had red in their ledgers. “All we can do is try our best to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is. We need to trust ourselves, and trust each other.” It was strange for her to be talking about trust, given that she was probably the last person to ever trust anyone, but even as she spoke, she knew the words were true. They didn’t have to trust each other enough to share their deepest, darkest secrets, but they had to trust that they were all working towards a common goal, and that they could rely on each other to do their part.

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

“Hey!”  Clint gave her the most offended expression he could manage.  “There are plenty of times I am injury free.   Okay that usually doesn’t last but it does happen.”  Neither of them really needed to point out the fact that he tended to check for band-aids whenever they would go on a scouting run.   It would be sad day when those were all gone.

“Well these guys are pretty big.  So it might take a lot of raid for however many are in here.”  Tenting the place wouldn’t work as these guys would be strong enough to force their way out.   Nothing immediately jumped out so he slowly moved forward.  

“Found some stairs Tasha.”

“Once or twice a year, maybe,” she grinned, chuckling to herself, still keeping all senses on high alert for anything that may be about to jump out at them. After so many years of practice, it was easy to multi-task the two things.

“Industrial strength raid, too.” They were messing around, yes, but part of her was growing somewhat tempted to bring a bottle next time they were on a mission. Perhaps in the meantime, she could commission someone back at Haven to make some alterations to it... shaking her head almost imperceptibly, she pushed the thought aside, shelving it for later. 

Joining him by the stairs, she peered up them, quietening her breathing as she listened out for anything that could be lurking. The stairwell itself seemed empty, at least from what she could make out, but things weren’t completely silent. “It sounds like there’s some more of them upstairs,” she muttered softly, expression grim. “Their movements are too irregular to try and get an idea of how many.”

[justanoldsoldier]

Good Friends

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

A faint smile flickered on his lips.  “I’m fully capable of letting people down Tasha, but, thanks.”   That she supported and encouraged him in that way didn’t surprise him.  That is what friends and teammates did for each other.   Natasha always someone he appreciated.   They watched each other’s backs.

“Point is, I need to make sure what I am doing is the right thing.  Not just blindly trust that I know what’s best without listening to other people.”   Sometimes you needed to stop and evaluate.   A good leader listened to the people around them.  It wasn’t about serving yourself, but serving the greater good.  Not that he was that much of a leader at the moment.   “So I’m listening when people say I’m needed around here more than out in the field.”

A mock serious look settled on his face.  “Although this means we absolutely get to write the guide on what to do in a zombie apocalypse.    It might even become a best seller.   You never know.”

“Well, enhanced and nearing a hundred years old or not, you’re only human,” she chuckled, the smile warm and reassuring. “Let me amend my previous statement to ‘of everyone here, you are the least likely to let people down’. Is that better?”

His next words had her giving him a pointed look, brows slightly raised. “Steve. None of us know what the right thing is in this situation. It’s the blind leading the blind, all of us just winging it and hoping for the best.” It was all they could do, given the circumstances. “If you think your time is best spent here for now, then I won’t be sorry to be able to see you more often. But if you think you’re needed in the field... just trust yourself.” 

A roll of her eyes followed then, but she couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at her lips as she chuckled. “Well if we’re writing that, we should also write a guide on what to do in an alien invasion. I think that book is long overdue!”

[justanoldsoldier]

Good Friends

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

“I suppose there isn’t much training for this particular scenario is there?”   A definite adapt to survive situation.  Those that didn’t, well, wouldn’t last in this new world.   Not right now when the threat had only been pushed back from their doorstep, not defeated.   

“Honestly I haven’t been back long.  Just catching my breath but you are right I should report in for a briefing.”  He’s quiet for a long moment watching people move across the grounds.   “I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been running away from things by taking all these scouting trips back to back.”

Turning back towards Natasha the question in his gaze.   “I don’t want to let people down.”  Everyone seemed so enthused to see him.   Difficult tot to feel a bit of guilt for staying out so long and so often.  Yet with his abilities how could he not do everything he could to protect everyone?

“That’s an understatement,” she chuckled, her smile taking on a wry edge. “Even the Red Room, for all their teachings, didn’t cover ‘what to do in a zombie apocalypse’.” Because at the end of the day, no one had ever thought that an event which was so popular in fiction would ever become their reality.

His comment had her brow furrowing, head tilting slightly as she eyed him curiously for a moment. She understood the need to get away from the confines of Haven. Not a day went past when she didn’t miss feeling free, but always she pushed the urge aside, knowing that her work was important. That would be running away; what Steve did, heading out and finding people in need of help or getting intel they could use to try and figure a way out of their situation? That wasn’t running away, at least not from where she was standing. 

“Steve, you could never let people down.” If there was one person they always seemed to believe in, it was him. “Everyone here knows you’re doing your best, trying to help us through what seems like an impossible situation.” 

[justanoldsoldier]

Good Friends

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

“Hi Natasha, its good to see you too.”   He gave her a warm smile as she settled on the bench next to him.   They’d worked together many times on the field and off.   A good person to work with and a even better friend.   It gladdened his heart to see her in good spirits.

“Is the rumor mill working so quickly?”  Steve raised both eyebrows at her still in good humor.   “I haven’t been back long.   Just got in yesterday.   Brought in more people and supplies.”   Scouting trips through enemy territory a familiar thing to him.   Easier than most of the battles they fought together.   A simple enemy with a simple solution.   Easier to tell him he was putting them out of their misery.

“So, how are things going around here?   Anything I should know about?”  One thing Natasha always had a talent for, gathering information.  So if there is something he should know, she could tell him.   

“Always, when it concerns you,” she chuckled, a teasing grin lighting up her face. “Everyone loves to know what good ol’ Captain America is up to!” Despite the jokey nature of the comment though, she knew there was some truth to it. While he was just Steve to her and their friends, he was still Captain America to so many. A symbol, especially in times such as this.

Her mood became a fraction more serious, but the smile remained as she nodded. “Sounds like a successful trip, then.” If only all their scouting missions could be that way. “You planning to stick around for a bit before heading back out there?”

Lips twisted thoughtfully at the question, a small shrug of her shoulders following. “I’m sure you got briefed on most of what’s been going on when you got back. Truth be told, I haven’t been on the ball as much as I usually am lately.”

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

While Tasha got the first, Clint recovered fast enough to pull off one of his guns and do a perfect head shot on the next two behind it.    “I really hate these guys.   I am tracking down every single can of Raid I can find next trip out.”   And any other bug spray and insect repellent he could get his hands on.  

“On the bright side we found the opening?”  Cautiously he poked his head through to check for more threats.   Always possible more lurked, either ahead or in other spots waiting to ambush them.   “Also I am injury free, always a good thing.”

"I wonder if that stuff would actually have any sort of effect on these guys...” she mused, making sure the creature she’d just finished with wasn’t going to be getting back up. “I mean we’ve been toying around with all this tech, but has anyone tried the basics?” Of course she was joking, at least for the most part; the chances of bug spray working on the creatures were slim to none.

“You? Injury free?” Natasha teased, stepping up behind him to make sure she would have his back for whatever happened next. “I guess there’s always a first time for everything!”

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

“Well you are the superior kind of spider.”   To give Tasha her due, she not only rolled with his jokes she joined in.   One of the reasons they flowed together so well.  “I think they need an entire cleaning crew here, not just one maid.”  No obvious entrance so he switched his bow for a knife to cut away the webbing.   “I am a man of many talents.  If its a weapon, I can handle it.”  Clint smirked.  “Any weapon.”

The next slash caused him to leap back as one of those things jumped out.    He managed a manly sound (definitely not a shriek) of surprise.   Clint trusted Tasha to have his back.  Or front as this case would be.

“You got that right,” she chuckled, grinning even as she searched round them for any sign of another creature. After so many years working with Clint, it was practically second nature to be able to joke around whilst still being on high alert for danger. “Well, I’ll be sure to let them know that in the house inspection report when I tell them we won’t be renewing their lease!” Turning briefly to him at his next comment, she arched a brow. “You know, you take a comment like that out of context...” she trailed off, leaving the rest of her sentence unspoken as she gave him a smirk of her own.

A moment later, she was thanking her quick reflexes as a creature leaped out. The surprised shriek, something she would definitely be teasing Clint for later, had barely left her partner’s mouth before she had aimed and fired a widow bite at it, a second following in quick succession for good measure.

[malenkaya-vdova]

justanoldsoldier:

Steve sat on a bench outside taking a break.   Not that he needed one the duties he took on this morning didn’t cause much strain.  Instead he enjoyed some time outside letting the sun warm him even though the air retained a chill.   Bad weather could be a real hindrance to anything outdoors these days.   So he enjoyed the calm moments outdoors as much as he could.

This morning he spent mostly as a living jungle gym.  Letting the kids climb over him before acting as a spotter as various age groups wanted to try different equipment.   It helped rotate kids out so the teachers didn’t have too big of groups for any single subject and got them some physical training.   Steve tried to make a game of it for them.  

Some of his games from his youth easy enough and didn’t require much in the way of tools.   Nice to see the kids physically playing and not just video games.  For now he enjoyed the bit of sunshine.

There were few people Natasha could honestly say she truly cared for and worried about, but of those few, Steve Rogers was definitely one of them, and therefore it had been a relief to hear he was back at Haven. The fact that she didn’t get to see him immediately didn’t bother her too much; she knew he was safe, and that was all that mattered. 

Of course, seeing him with her own eyes still provided her with a sense of relief, and the fact that he was sitting alone was a welcome surprise. It meant they might actually have the chance to talk. 

Heading over to join him, she smiled in greeting as she took a seat beside him on the bench. “I heard you were back.” Her tone was casual, but the subtle softness of her expression told of her relief in a way she would never voice. “It’s good to see you.”

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

“Well they are spiders, you do find them in the attic.   Or basement but yeah high places.”   Clint moved further into the room carefully watching around them.   “Just have to find the stairs.  This place is a mess.”  A slight understatement with the webbing that coated parts of the walls and ceiling.   Not having proper line of sight to potential windows and doorways put him on edge.

“I can make my own arrows and use other weapons.”   Clint couldn’t resist grinning.  “Remember the look on Cap’s face when I prove I could handle the shield just as good as him?”   A very sweet moment burned into his memory.   Hard won skill to handle pretty much any weapon he wanted to.

“You don’t fine me in an attic,” she quipped, shooting a quick smirk in his direction. Having a spider name as an alias did provide some form of amusement in such situations. His next comment had her shaking her head in amusement. “I know, it’s like those creatures don’t care about housekeeping. Maybe they should get a maid?” 

Stepping carefully through the room, brushing aside the cobwebs that hung down, she found her smirk changing into something a little softer and more genuine at the memory. “He was pretty shocked by that,” she chuckled. “I guess that’s what happens when people underestimate you.” 

[malenkaya-vdova]

Strike Team Delta

[malenkaya-vdova]

notjustadudewithabow:

“Pretty sure the eggheads have better things to do these days than work on fancy arrows for me.”   Clint switched over to the more traditional arrows easily.   It seemed that the net would slow them down a little.   Explosive arrows out of the question considering they actually wanted to use this building later on.  

“Like they have the whole expanding the compound, making everything else we need, keeping the vehicles running and all that fun stuff to do.   Not that I think they wouldn’t just, I can work on my arrows myself too.   And no I won’t shoot myself in the foot again doing that.”   He hadn’t actually shot himself in the foot.   Just a minor malfunction when the thing misfired.

Rapidly he dispatched the second one that escaped from the net.  Since Tasha took care of the first for him.    Then he moved forward to sweep the room to clear it.   “So any bets where the next ones are going to come from?”

Natasha shrugged, the first creature finally freeing itself momentarily delaying her answer as she started towards it, getting in a few quick hits before finally responding. “I suppose you’re right,” she agreed, dropping to the ground to kick her opponent’s feet out from under him, effectively knocking him to the ground. “In comparison to all that, I guess arrows aren’t really too high on their list of priorities.” 

The creature dispatched, she stood, taking a moment to glance around the room and make sure none of its friends were lurking in the corners. “The attic?” she suggested, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “I mean, that’s always where these things hide in horror movies, right?”

[icemelted-backto-life-blog]

A New Threat

[malenkaya-vdova]

icemelted-backto-life:

He looked up when the woman approached, blue eyes roaming her face as he tried to make sense of what she was saying and assess who she was. He couldn’t work it out but something in his gut told him she was familiar.

James let out a frustrated sigh when he heard about Steve. How typical of him. He didn’t expect anything else really. It was Steve after all.

“Do you get many survivors here?” he questioned. It was an odd set up, this camp was certainly elite. He’d seen other clusters of people bond together but it was far from anything like this. “When did you get here?”

He was always taught to assert his presence, it was drilled into him by HYDRA. Stay quiet, unseen and unheard, when noticed, become a threat.

She watched quietly as he seemed to search her face, waiting for whatever reaction was going to come from him. Over the years, they’d been both enemy and friend, depending on who he was at the time. 

When he spoke at last, Natasha felt sure he didn’t remember her. Well, at least that was better than one of the alternatives she had been imagining, which ended with one or both of them getting injured. 

“A few,” she nodded in confirmation, still not moving from the spot in front of him, not yet comfortable enough to let her guard down. “The numbers have definitely grown since this place was set up.” Which was why they were now having to look at options to expand. “I’ve been here a while, now. Got here a couple of months after Steve and Tony opened it.”

[icemelted-backto-life-blog]

A New Threat

[malenkaya-vdova]

icemelted-backto-life:

(Open Starter)

James had been used to living alone, travelling alone and fighting alone for what felt like forever now. Even before the infection took over he was his own company for most of the time. Unsociable was a good word to describe him.

Yet as he got to know someone, he warmed and some of that cocky, charming forties boy broke through the years of brainwashing and silence.

Arriving at the compound (as he designated it) left him with a sickly feeling in his stomach. He didn’t know what was behind those walls and from what he’d seen in his time of survival was that people could be worse than the infected.

Scouting out the camp from the outside for a few days until he’d slipped up and alerted himself to the guards. The process of them taking them in had initially started a little hostile. Throwing a punch at one of them hadn’t been his proudest moment but you learnt to instinctively defend yourself with biters around.

A sour look on his face as they went through the arrival checks. The blood test was something he kicked the most fuss over. The moment they tried to roll up his sleeve and expose the metal arm he’d retracted and put up a defence. It wasn’t easy to just willingly trust and it wasn’t going to earned quickly.

Silence was something he was far too familiar with. Refusing to say a word as he observed them all and made his own assessments on them. Looking at his right arm where they’d extracted the blood while he sat outside. Seeing someone walk past he finally lifted his head to meet their eye.

“Captain Steven Rogers… do you know where he is?” were the first words he’d managed to croak since they’d apprehended him outside the compound.

Usually, Natasha was one of the first to know of any new arrivals, owing both to her position as an Avenger and teammate of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, and her spy nature. Though she was far from stupid, her level of genius wasn’t quite on the same level as those working to create a cure for the virus, and so she did what she could in her own way, by keeping Haven safe, and that meant knowing exactly who was coming in and out of it’s walls.

It was no surprise, therefore, that one of the guards had come to alert her to a new arrival, and Natasha had quickly joined him in heading to see them. 

The figure sitting on the bench was one she was more than familiar with, and for the briefest of moments she hesitated in her steps, though not enough for anyone to notice. Striding forward, she caught the eye of the guard Bucky had addressed, silently telling him to leave along with the one who had escorted her. Then, once the two were alone, she moved to stand in front of him.

“He’s not here at the moment.” She didn’t like that anymore than Bucky would; Steve was like a brother to her, but she knew he was doing what was necessary. “He doesn’t really stick around here too long. Likes to play the selfless hero and go off to find whatever survivors he can to bring back.” 

[malenkaya-vdova]

Time to Apologise

[malenkaya-vdova]

themockingbirdsings:

“I’m operating under the assumption that we’re at DEFCON 1 and we can just maintain that level of preparedness.  With how fast and easily this spread, it wouldn’t surprise me if less than a billion people are alive and uninfected worldwide.”  The denser the population, the worse it would be.  

“Lucky we’ve got engineers and power, they’re working on drones and such to survey the real damage, at least over the next thousand miles or so.”  Drones didn’t get infected, after all.

“It’s gonna be a different world when we get out of here.” When, not if. The moment she started believing that this was it, that the sanctuary they had built inside these walls was more than just a temporary measure, was the moment she gave up.

“I suppose we could be stuck here with a worse group of people,” she chuckled. So, maybe not everyone inside Haven was a fighter or a genius, but a good portion of them were. It made things just a little more bearable. “After all, if anyone is going to figure a way out of this, it’s likely to be someone here.”