Natasha’s POV

The Battle raged around me as I raced across the Compound. I had to get inside before HYDRA wiped their Computers.

“I’ve got your six, Tash,” Clint’s voice rang in my ear.

“Copy that,” I said, effortlessly taking out a HYDRA agent that had attempted to block my path. I took a moment to catch my breath, the gun still firing from my shoulder. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets rang out from the other side of the fence. I turned around and saw Cap crouched behind his shield. A half dozen HYDRA agents had him pinned down. 

I vaulted over the fence and rolled towards the sounds of gunfire. A HYDRA sniper had been hiding on top of the security building. I fired a few rounds into him. He screamed as one of the bullets hit him. His weapon ejected, and he crashed to the floor below. I grabbed a piece of pipe, and another HYDRA agent rushed towards me. I smashed him with the pipe, knocking him out cold. 

This gave Steve the opening he needed; he leapt to his feet and tossed his shield. Taking out three goons in one swoop, he punched the last one and threw him into the security fence. 

“Go Romanov,” He said, turning to me, “We’ve got this out here, but there’s no point if we lose the Data.”

I nodded, heading towards the door. 

Inside the perimeter of the security building, three HYDRA agents had managed to capture James. They’d used a trigger word to knock him out. 

“What’s the plan, Ms Romanov?” Spider-Man asked, 

I held up a finger to silence him as I watched what the HYDRA goons were up to. They were working on loading the gasses back into the portable canisters.

“I’ll take them out. You get James to safety,” I whispered, turning to the boy beside me.

“You got it.”

 I kicked down the door, startling the agents. One of them tossed a canister at me, I dodged it, but It exploded. The blast left a giant hole in the floor.

That was the opening I needed. 

Using my widow’s sting on the agents, I quickly incapacitated them. And as Spidey moved in and got James out, I dropped down through the hole in the floor. 

I was inside the Compound. 

Walking through, it seemed that all the compound occupants were outside getting their butts handed to them by the rest of the team. Reaching the Server room, I pulled a USB drive from my suit pocket and plugged it in.

“Alright, JARVIS,” I said, “Start the Download.”

“Straight away, Agent Romanov,” the AI replied. 

While I waited, I picked the lock on the filing cabinet and started digging through the paper records. I found the Winter Soldier Files but put them back without looking, That was too Personal. Something else caught my eye; A file marked Kinderkrieger.

Kinderkrieger? Why did that sound familiar? I opened the file and promptly shut it again, desperately trying to dispel nausea that had risen from what I’d seen inside. the team needed to know about this. 

As the download finished, I grabbed the USB drive and started to head out through a different exit. Walking down a dark, foreboding corridor. Lined with doors to what seemed like holding cells. Suddenly, my foot collided with something soft. 

I looked down; it was a teddy bear—a tattered, old, slightly disgusting teddy bear with a missing arm, ear and eye. 

Children, there had been children here. 

Maybe there still were. 

I broke open every door in the corridor. All of the holding cells were empty. The floors were stained with blood, vomit and other body fluids. And the walls had chains much too small for any adult. 

Cell after cell, empty, empty, empty. Like HYDRA had gotten them out when we’d shown up. 

And then, as I threw open the door to the last holding cell, I found a sight I’d never forget. 

It was a child! A little girl who couldn’t be older than ten huddled in the damp corner of the cell. She had messy platinum blonde hair that was long, unkempt and matted with filth. Scraps of tattered grey fabric that could barely be called a dress hung loosely off her far too thin body. Big heterochromatic eyes, Blueish green on the left and deep hazel brown on the right, stared up at me in fear. 

“Don’t be afraid,” I whispered, kneeling, “I won’t hurt you.”

The little girl looked at me as if she didn’t believe me. 

“You are safe now,” I told her, “you’re okay now, I promise. What’s your name?” 

“1 2 2 8 1 9 2 2.” She replied, almost robotically. 

“That’s your number. What’s your name?” I asked again. 

She remained silent and looked at the floor. 

“You don’t have a name... do you?” I guessed. 

She shook her head, Blood-stained pale locks falling in her face. 

“Well, I’m Natasha. Natasha Romanov.” 

The Little girl gasped and recoiled in fear, “You... You’re... You’re one of them! You’re an Avenger!”

“Yes, I am an Avenger. But I’m not going to hurt you. And neither will anybody else. We don`t hurt children.”

“So you`re not going to feed me to the Hulk?”

“Why would I do that?” I asked, appalled. 

“That’s what they said you’d do to us if we ever left.”

It didn’t take me long to understand why the little girl thought I was that kind of person. HYDRA tells people anything to keep them under their control. 

“How many of you are there?” I asked. 

The little girl hung her head and chewed her lip, “I... I... I don’t know... but... They stick us with needles then we become really sick. A lot of us don`t make it.”

Bile rose in my throat as I tried not to let my anger truly show. I’d only scare this little one who’d already been through so much. 

“How long have you been here?” I asked. 

The little girl shrugged. 

“Would you like to leave here? with me?” I asked, “We can keep you safe. I promise.”

The little girl looked away as if thinking about it. Then she turned back to me and nodded meekly. 

I offered my hand, and she hesitantly took it. Together, we left that dark, damp cell behind. 

“You know, I have to call you something,” I said, “You really don’t know If you have a name?”

The little girl shook her head again, “No. but... but I have dreams occasionally, someone’s in them, and they call me Mel.”

“Mel, huh? Well, I`ll call you that. Would you like that?”

she nodded.

I held Mel close to my side as we left the Compound and walked across the now-empty battlefield. Evidently, the Avengers had won the day yet again. 

Mel Stumbled as we passed through the mangled wire fence and headed for a large group of black SHIELD Vans. 

“M’sorry.” Mel said softly. 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” I replied, “It’s alright, just a few more steps.”

“Tash!” Clint called out to me. I felt Mel jump and try to make herself smaller. “There you are! Do you have any idea how worried we were?”

“Sorry, got a little... distracted,” I replied, gesturing towards Mel.

“S***!, Barnes was right... the orphans... the experiments, just like the twins.”

“I think she’s the only one left.”

“What’s your name kid?” Clint asked, kneeling to Mel’s height.

“I don’t really have one,” Mel responded shyly, “but Ms Romanov’s been calling me Mel.”

“Nice to meet you, Mel, I`m Clint Barton, Codename; Hawk-eye.”

“You should talk to Hill,” Clint said, turning back to me.

“That’s a given, here she comes now,” I replied. 

“Agent Romanoff, did you discover anything?” Hill asked.

“You could say that.”