AN: This very special chapter is dedicated to @LittleDarkReader, one of the most awesome readers I have. Thank you so much for all of the votes and comments. You truly make my day every time you comment. <3

So many suspects.

None of them knew anything.

They spouted names of people intended to be used as scapegoats or point back to the Hellfire Club. Big wig mutants were above her paygrade, and those were most likely the ones in the Inner Circle. Didn't want to cause a mutant war, considering how many resources these people had. Who knows what they have their hands into. That club is probably riddled with politics and most likely destruction.

Red Onslaught.

Overcompensating for something, that's for sure. Whatever his plans were, it must've been scary and powerful enough for the Hellfire Club to decline. War. Experimentation. Assassinations. Sabotage? It could have been anything. Something much more than pulling strings.

Natasha stared at the cork board in front of her, eyeing each and every one of the pictures and notes on there. The cogs in her brain worked and creaked, funneling energy into thinking of possibilities. Something. Anything to get a lead on where Omega Red was. She killed Saturna, but Big Red took Peter's arm and Iceman's life. He helped traumatize her loved ones. Who helped him, and why?

But something nagged at her.

Her green eyes drifted down to the phone clenched in her hand. If Red Onslaught was such a threat, should she inform everyone else? Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?

Natasha flipped up the top of the burner phone, causing the screen to light up. One new voicemail. Great. Her fingers hovered over the buttons. Usually they'd blow up her voicemail box, but this time, there was just one. Maybe they had finally given up on her.

The dog began to whine, stirring from his slumber. Natasha crouched beside him to pet him for a short moment. If not for his dirty golden fur, his bones would show prominently through his skin. His dark eyes opened as he opened his mouth to pant. Natasha stood up and got some soft food ready for when the dog got up.

Natasha's eyes wandered around the room until she realized Bucky was awake. His eyes locked onto the ceiling, waiting for something. Perhaps, looking for something? Who knows what went on in that destroyed head. Natasha spoke up, "There's cereal on the table if you want it. Clean change of clothes in the bathroom."

Bucky remained silent for a long moment. He fiddled with his fingers before placing them on the worn mattress below him. His eyebrows knit together as he spoke up, "What are you doing here, anyway? What is that?" Bucky pointed towards the cork board.

What did it look like? A board with names and pictures littered all over it. But...even with a mystery hunch, he wouldn't know what happened to any of them during the past years. The nuke, the run, the last battle...it was a lot to take in. She can't even imagine how the media covered it, or how it's getting talked about in schools. Nat mulled it over, eyes stuck back to the board. "Trying to find two people. Ended up with this name," she pointed at the big bolded letters. "People seem to be afraid of what Red Onslaught is planning, and I need to find out why."

"Why are you hunting them?" There had only been certain times in the past where they had to put together an investigation to locate someone. Even then, it was a high valued target that slipped into too many places easily.

Without missing a beat, Natasha responded, "Because they hurt us."

Bucky sat up in bed and brushed his hair out of his face. His blue eyes watched her for a moment. To finally open up and work with a team had been a huge accomplishment for Natasha in Bucky's eyes. To suddenly close off and be alone again seemed...off. "Is that why you aren't with the group?"

She remained silent. What was this? An interrogation? Her stomach twisted in knots at the memories. At the feelings flooding through her system. At the way her mind gnawed at her for thinking James would try to talk her out of her mission. Revenge was a slippery slope to the broken path both of them used to walk. When she finally responded, she flipped the script, "I can help you get home, if you want. No sense in being homeless when Steve would be more than happy to take you in."

"I-I can't." He took a shaky breath and forced himself to stand up. "I'm not ready."

That's when Natasha finally tore her eyes away from the wall and looked at him. Tired and broken James Barnes stood there, who had nothing but the clothes on his back and a dog he couldn't let starve alone. Nat let her arms drop to her sides. "You can stay here for a while. I have a week left, but I can always buy you more time."

His eyes traced over her expression, looking for a hint of whatever she may be thinking. Her hostility lost its edge, and only sympathy replaced it. Maybe not even sympathy. Empathy? Spies do love refraining from showing emotion. A soft smile finally tugged at his lips after a moment. "Thank you."

She nodded and averted her eyes. Her mind wandered over to her cell phone, which she really needed to start using. With the few contacts she had, there was one that stuck out. If anyone knew anything or heard anything about Red Onslaught, it would have gotten to her contact. Natasha sure as hell had to find out.

It took a few dials, but her contact finally, and reluctantly, picked up. Gave her a name. Andrea Pavlovna. Low totem pole gang member that specialized in making technology. Upon first glance, the gang seemed pretty outstanding. Gave back to the community. Started selling technology cheap into the market. Helped a bunch of homeless. But a gang is a gang. Something was hidden in the shadows. If they helped Red Onslaught in any way, Natasha would find out.

And they would not like that outcome.

Even with the information, it took a bit of research to get through. The group seriously did not want anyone digging into their business. Front page, pasted smiles and cute acts. Fake. Fake. And fake. Mostly. There had to be some humanity in there.

Natasha glanced to her side every once in a while. Bucky had picked up one of her books and started to read. Fantasy. Something with a flashy cover and swords. It was a gift from you know who. God. Has she really resorted to calling him that?

Ugh.

She had pestered Bucky and joked about it. Bucky had done the same to her for even keeping a book like that. Yet it was good. Felt good. So good. To just tease and laugh lightly. Jeez, when was the last time she actually laughed?

The dog lay on her other side, already staring at her with big brown eyes by the time she looked over. His tail wagged, softly at first, then to full blown speed when Natasha wouldn't look away. Her lips twitched up into a small smile as she pet him. The dog huffed after a bit and stretched out, slowly allowing himself to sleep.

It took a while to find an address. No real address in the phone book, and her contact sure as hell didn't have one. She was lucky they had a name. It eventually connected to a deceased family member's house, who conveniently was still making payments. No other name on the house, and definitely no other known family members in the area. Smart.

Smart wasn't going to save her.

James Barnes refused to let Natasha go alone on the next hunt. She couldn't figure out whether it was because he was nosy, or simply too bored staying at the flat. Either way, with the size he was, he seemed intimidating enough. Not that she needed the help. It was just...nice to have some real company and not the one torturing her in her head.

And it was especially nice when she knocked Andrea Pavlovna out using a choke hold and didn't have to drag her into a chair. Bucky did the heavy lifting. Quick and quiet. Caught her while she just got home. Too bad she didn't check for the bogey monsters in the dark before shutting and locking the front door behind her.

The home was quaint. Old, really. Gray walls. Old, yellowed furniture decorated in flowers. The carpet was brown and flattened from years of use. A hint of...sugar? Drifted in the air. At first glance, it seemed like the house could have belonged to Andrea's grandma. Doilies, books, cute collectibles and all. There were mechanical parts lying around, even some blueprints. Nothing interesting or useful, though.

Unfortunately.

By the time Andrea regained consciousness, she sat straight in a chair, arms and legs tied up using thin beige bed sheets. She peered around, her bright blue eyes still squinting as if she were blinded by light. Some strands of blonde hair fell loose from her ponytail and framed her slender face. She winced when she moved. No doubt it was from the pain in her neck. There was no screaming, not a peep erupting from her throat. The other men had screamed.

How intriguing.

Natasha watched her intently, analyzing her every move. Every direction her eyes went. The little struggles she made. Andrea was assessing her situation. Smart. Perhaps she'd cooperate. "I'd like to get this over with. Quickly. Unless you want to be persuaded." Nat grabbed a hold of a pocket knife. Small. Lightweight. Easy to maneuver. She flipped it around between her fingers a few times before letting the woman examine it a little too close to her eyes. "Who is Red Onslaught?"

"How do you know that name?" It sputtered out past her lips with a heavy dose of confusion. Maybe even a little fear, with the way her blue eyes widened for a short second and the slight mismatched breathing.

Answers the question with a question. Huh. Pretty ballsy, at least. It wasn't going to be enough to spare her pain. Natasha dragged the knife through Andrea's skin, opening a nice bloody river up the side of her arm. It was small. She should be fine, as long as she kept this quick. "Who. Is. He?"

Andrea winced and hissed to take her attention away from the pain. Her eyes flickered upward to meet Nat's. Her heart was racing faster and color had flooded her cheeks. "Some new guy that tried to hustle us a few weeks back. He was looking for some tech."

"What kind?"

"I-I don't know. I don't remember." Natasha moved forward with the blade before Andrea stammered, "W-wait! I can tell you what he looks like!"

Natasha eased off. Bucky looked at Nat while he stood leaning against a wall, out of Andrea's sight. His arms were crossed and he narrowed his eyes for just a second. Maybe trying to analyze how far Nat would go. Nat didn't care.

Quiet took over for a few fleeting moments. Andrea's limbs began to shake subtly, either looking for some wiggle room in her restraints or actually shaking from fear. Andrea thought about her next answer really hard as she eyed Natasha. "When he came in, he could barely fit through the door. He's a big guy. Red skin. H-had a German accent."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. It indicated enough to show his intrigue. His question, even though he had said no words out loud. Didn't need to. Natasha didn't bother to send any expression or words back. It would only break the tension she created.

"You're bluffing." The words came out stark and deadly to the point. Truth is, Natasha didn't know what to think. The only guy with red skin was Red Skull. Surely, it couldn't be him. Could it? They had all assumed he had died in the nuclear blast in Chicago. There had to be some other red skinned German out there. Maybe...Or not. The heroes never got a true break.

The woman's eyes were as wide as saucers. Her lip trembled as fresh tears glistened in her eyes. She stuttered, the volume of her voice rising with every word, "I'm n-not! I-I swear!"

Games. Nat was playing games. Anything to stall and scare the shit out of her. What was the point of torture if it was fun and cheery? Fear got the adrenaline pumping. Natasha put the knife against her throat. "Is that it?"

"Yes. P-please don't kill me." Andrea sobbed to herself, soft hysterical cries that emanated from her chest.

"Who would know his location?"

She was met with silence.

Tsk. Tsk. With how cooperative this woman was, it was such a shame to see her not answer. Natasha used the knife to pinch at the skin on her chest, revealing a small amount of crimson. "Don't make me ask again."

In a defeated, and broken tone, Andrea finally spoke, "Paul Kinovsky."

Paul Kinovsky. Interesting. Sounded familiar. Maybe he had some affiliation with the Hellfire Club? Maybe not. Didn't matter. What mattered was she had a new name.

Natasha slid the knife gently along the poor woman's skin, from the dip of her collar bone down to her fingertips. It was a fluttery sensation, like raking nails along the skin. It caused Andrea to shiver. Natasha took a long pause, pretending to think about it. Pretending to think on what she should do. In reality, she knew she was going to let her go. No point in killing everyone. Plus the gang was doing some good. Some. Maybe this interview would help shape the future into something better. Natasha dropped the knife onto the ground and walked away.

"W-wait! Please let me go!"

If Natasha strained her ears enough, she could have sworn she heard Andrea's heart drop. Her heart rate pulsing against her throat. Smell the stench of overwhelming fear and relief. Natasha didn't look back. "You got an extra chance at life. Don't make me take it back."

Andrea Pavlovna immediately shut up and took a moment to breathe. Deep inhales and exhales. She grunted and started to struggle. She would tire herself out in...five minutes. It was a good guess, anyway.

Bucky followed Natasha out, his strides longer than hers. He caught up in no time and stuck his hands in his jacket pocket. Once they were out of earshot, he questioned, "Why are you so hell bent on these guys? And no vague answers this time, please."

Oh boy. What a question. So filled with answers to the brim that it would take too long to explain. Has he not watched the news? Would that news even make it out this far, detail by gruesome detail? Natasha contemplated. She could trust him. No doubt about that. How much was she willing to give, was the question. Natasha did the same, shoving her hands in her jacket pocket as she stared straight ahead. "They killed someone close to me." The sorrow in her gentle voice was easily replaced by a hint of hot red malice, "Red Onslaught is a new development I've been uncovering. Sounds really dangerous."

"I'm sorry." Short. To the point. Natasha hadn't expected anything else. Most people would drop the subject, and she'd be glad they did. Bucky hesitated, words just on the tip of his tongue. He glanced over at her for a sheer second before speaking up again, "I know something that might cheer you up, even for just a moment."

Natasha took a minute to look at him. Really look at him. Confused. Not dumbfounded. Intrigued. He seemed a lot like his older self. The one that shined through in between the brainwashing. She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise, Natalia." James smiled. A real, genuine, melt every girl nearby kind of smile. It almost brought her back to the times out of sight of prying eyes in the Red Room. Almost.

Either way, this was bound to be trouble in some form or another.