How it really begun | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 24 | Sierra Oscar Sierra

Raven's head hang low, her chin on her chest, her arms and wrist ache, her head throb, she can feel the blood dripping from the wound on the back of her head, where Claire knocked her out with the baseball bat. She can't move her arms or legs, and her left shoulder is painful, her bruise turning black. Doctor Fraser is not going to appreciate that.

The ex racer slowly bring her head up, looking around completely disoriented, thinking she was in the kitchen or her living room but now looking around she realize she's in her barn tied to a chair with rope and zip ties, still shirtless.

"Wakey, wakey. There you are, sorry for all the discomfort but we wanted to make sure you weren't going away." Raven squint her eyes a bit, her eyesight still a bit foggy, but she manage to make out three figures in front of her, and she's a hundred percent sure that the fourth figure on the ground next to the door is Evangeline. She blink a few times to get her eyesight back, and her assumptions are right because, it is Evangeline on the ground her wrists and ankles bound together with zip ties and her mouth has duck tape on it. She's pretty sure the blonde woman was not wearing her oversize baby blue shirt, and certainly not wearing shorts when she left her in bed. 

In front of her, outstanding her are Claire on Barbara's left and Tahra on Barbara's right, the blonde of course in the middle, her gun hanging loosely in her hand while she's standing in a nonchalant position. Claire still got her baseball bat in hands, and Tahra has a C15-M203 machine gun in her hands.

"So what now ?" Raven ask taunting them.

Barbara approach the tied up girl, she stop in front of her for a second, waiting for Raven to look up at her which she does, and strike her across the face, the brunette's head following Barbara's hand on the left. She spit a bit of blood on the dirty floor, her cheek stinging from the slap but still, she start to chuckle, her eyes setting back on the blonde in front of her.

"Come on, I can take more, especially if you keep slapping me like a bitch honey."

Barbara's pissed off expression did nothing to reassure Raven for what really comes next. She knows the woman, heard about her methods. Sure, the ex mercenary survived more, but she's still weak from the fight against the aliens and unfortunately, after all, she's only human.

"You know, you should really shut that smart mouth of yours sweetheart. Tahra and I spent a year in a federal prison, and Claire in juvie so, we kinda want to kill the person responsible. Thanks to you, I lost probably millions if not billions of profit from my business, and because I know you're not able to pay me this amount, even if your pal with Stark now, I'm going to get your life in exchange. How does that sound ?"

Raven doesn't let fear show, she doesn't even feel threaten, she was a soldier, and according to the media, they're starting to call this mysterious woman a hero so, if dying in the next hours to come before SHIELD can get here then, she's okay with it.

"Oh I'm thrill !" Of course disguised sarcasm. If the women where shock or even more pissed by her answer they didn't let it show either. They might even be angrier now, but Barbara still keep her neutral jovial tone. "Great, then let's get started."

None of them move, Barbara regained her place in between both brunettes, the three of them are studying Raven very carefully, contemplating what to do to her first.

"Before any of you kill me, could you make sure the blonde over there gets home safe ? She's not my girlfriend if you want to know, I met her last night."

Barbara look at her mockingly yet squinting her eyes like she doesn't believe her. "I thought you were done being someone like that ? At least that's what you told me a year ago, with that redheaded bitch. I saw her at the SHIELD building I'm sure of it. And she's part of the Avengers now isn't she ?"