Der'mo

I look around frantically. Where is he? I wrack my brain and slam the doors. "He's gone," I yell to Natasha. She curses (loudly) and opens her door. "He must have gotten out while we were stopped in traffic," I tell her. He'll tell HYDRA I'm not theirs anymore. I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. Natasha drags herself towards me. Her sleeve is totally red, soaked through with blood. I grab her good arm. "We need to get inside. Do you have a card or something?" She shakes me off irritably, grimacing. "Yes, I have a card. I'm not totally stupid." She pulls it out, reaching across her body. It's nothing remarkable; a rectangle of silver with her photo, information, and the SHIELD insignia.

She takes it between her teeth and tries to staunch the flow of blood with her now free hand. "Come on," she tells me. "I'll send some interns to go get our car later." She begins walking to the front entrance, tears in her eyes. Pain is evident in her every movement, and my ear prickles sympathetically. The doors slide open automatically, and the secretary's face goes white when she sees Natasha. "Ohmigod," she gasps. "Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod." She picks up her phone and begins talking, panicked. "I need med units in the lobby, like, now!" The lobby is empty except for us until the three men with first-aid kits pour out of the elevator. They take Natasha back with them, unraveling bandages as they go.

I get on the next elevator up, greeted by Jarvis. "Hello, miss." I cut him off. "I need to check on Natasha," I tell him sharply. What is wrong with you, Charlotte? Don't get involved. "I wouldn't interrupt the med unit right now, if I were you," Jarvis says, maybe a little colder than usual. "Anyhow, the rest of the team is beginning a game. Clint and Steve have specially requested you play. Would you like to-" I cut him off again. "I'll play. What are they doing?" I ask. "I believe they're beginning hide and seek," Jarvis tells me. I bite my tongue as the doors open. I've played this game before; a twisted version from HYDRA. Clint nods to me before he begins counting to the people in last nights karaoke room. The rest of the team, bar Natasha, is present. Tony glares daggers at me as he vaults the couch, and my ear prickles again. I bolt back onto the elevator, but before it closes, the Captain gets on with me. "Do you need any help finding a spot?" He asks, seeming to genuinely want to help me. He's wearing civilian clothes: a white shirt, brown jacket, and jeans. I wordlessly shake my head as the elevator opens. I bolt off, looking for a supply closet, a cabinet- anything.

I finally find a closet filled with tablecloths on the dining floor. After closing the door, I push the fabric forward and squeeze myself behind it. "So how does this work?" I whisper to Jarvis. "Clint is going to search the floors. The last one found wins. Since the tower has so many floors, a game can last hours. I'm not allowed to tell you any more, so good luck," Jarvis tells me before clicking off. I rest my head against the metal shelf and close my eyes. I try to ignore the darkness that's pushing against my eyelids and entertain myself by tapping out rhythms against my leg. After a while, I remember the last time I played this game, and immediately try to push it away. It comes back a few minutes later though, and this time I can't keep it out. It keeps playing in my head as moments stretch into minutes, and the darkness slips away.

I'm pulled roughly off of my perch on top of the cryo chamber by my leg. I land on my knee my assailant yanks me up by the back of my shirt. I close my eyes and bite my tongue as Fritz pushes me against the wall. "Thought you'd you'd be smart, eh, snezhinka?" He hits my head at an angle so the bruise will be unnoticeable under my blond hair. "Well, you were wrong, weren't you? So do you want to admit that I found you, or are you going to try and be smart again?" I shake my head and open my eyes. "I'll go with you, you can have my rations, just please don't hurt me," I say quietly. Not again. He pushes me toward the door and I go quickly, trying hard to escape his heavy hands- though I'm far aware that Fritz can do more psychological damage than physical. He'll have one of our dinner rations, and I'm under no illusions he'll take a meal from someone besides me. I know he could've taken something far more than my food, but I skitter out quickly to report to the training officers as found. The rest of the evening is spent in cold hunger, and not even Racks' scraps can help me tonight. We both know he can't share food, but he drops as much as he can on the cell floor without being noticed.

I come back into myself: still on a metal shelf, still behind tablecloths, still in the tower, still safe. Safe- I'm not sure I know what that word means anymore. I hold my breath as the door creaks open. How long has it been? "Charlotte?" It's Clint. "Are you in here?" I hold my breath, something hot trickling down my cheek. Clint flicks on the light. "The game's over. You can come out now. I've found everyone else." I stay quiet: what if he's lying? I can hear the doctor behind him. "Have you found her yet?" Bruce asks worriedly. "Not yet. Look, man, you did the psych eval- is she okay? She seems a little, I don't know, fractured," Clint responds. I stay still, breaths coming slowly and quietly. The hot thing is gone. "She's got PTSD- frankly, I'm surprised it's more prevalent. There are those headaches she says she gets, which could be a symptom of something else, synesthesia... So yes, fractured is a good way to describe her," he finishes. Is he right? "We'll give her about ten more minutes until we use Jarvis," Clint decides, shutting the door behind him with a small click. I hear their footsteps grow fainter before fading away altogether.

The darkness presses against my eyes more harshly than ever. It feels constricting, like the moments when the cryo pod begins freezing. I don't want to leave until I'm found; I won't admit defeat. I close my eyes again. I wonder where everyone else hid? I almost laugh at the thought of Stark hiding in one of his suits before I start nodding off. It's so quiet in here... I blink, having been woken up by Jarvis. "Miss, you've been hiding for an hour and forty-seven minutes. You've won, and I've told Agent Barton your location. He'll be here shortly." I worm out from behind the tablecloths, whacking my head on the shelf above me only once or twice. I've finally extricated myself when the door opens to Clint's anxious face. "H-hey Charlotte," he says nervously. "Good job! Um, you won! So, uh, game's over!" I nod to him and brush past him on the way out. "So, uh, did you see me come in looking for you the first time?" He asks warily.

"No."