Five

                                    

                                          
Natasha tried to concentrate on what Fury was saying- something about security protocols- but her mind kept drifting to the USB. Tony seemed the sort to save himself but if he was willing to give up his life, that USB must be important.
                          
"Agent Romanoff," she snapped back to attention at her name, "how is Stark?"
                          
He's got an important piece of data that he's willing to die for and he called me his girl. "Fine."
                          
"No problems?"
                          
Yes. "No. We're fine." Natasha kept the smile on her face until Fury looked away then let it fade away. She needed that USB. It would be heavily protected but she was smart. Not genius smart though. She needed a real genius. Someone like Bruce Banner would be good but he was in India somewhere, according to latest SHIELD surveillance files.
She sighed. She should have promised to protect it then handed it over to Fury. But then Tony wouldn't trust her. And was losing Tony's trust more important than gaining a few brownie points with Fury? 
                          
Ever since the incident in Moscow, he hadn't trusted her as much as he used to. No-one had but she had had to it. It was all for a good cause, in her eyes. Clint agreed with her but sometimes, when he thought she wasn't paying attention, he looked at her with a strange expression. It wasn't quite horror but it wasn't quite acceptance either. 
                          
"We'll meet again next week, agents. Everyone please go back to your assignments." Fury turned the hologram off. Natasha wondered what he'd been talking about. She'd catch up later. "Romanoff, can I have a word?"
                          
Damn. "Sure." She waited until everyone had left before walking to him, trying to look puzzled at what it might be about. 
                          
"You okay? You looked like you were thinking hard there." Fury's voice was as cold as stone. The barely contained disgust was evident and he couldn't look her in the eye. He knew the training of the Red Room, he should know why she had to kill...
                          
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about-" Moscow...Tony's mysterious USB...a possible national threat that she's not reporting because she doesn't want to lose his trust... "-things," she finished lamely. 
                          
"Well, these things better not get in the way of protecting Stark. With your life. You're dismissed, Agent."
                          
Natasha walked out of the meeting room and through the winding corridors until she reached Tony's labs. She opened the door. 
                          
"We have to go now, Stark," she said over the loud rock music. Tony clapped his hands and it turned off. Everything sounded too quiet although her ears were still ringing. Then she frowned. Too quiet. She couldn't hear anyone. Tony glanced at her and she could tell he also felt like something was up. 
                          
"It's really quiet," he said finally. 
                          
"Yeah. Everyone must be having a quiet day," she replied and took her gun out. He held up his hand and parts of his armour started connecting to him. When he was done, they both walked out to the corridor, slowly. 
                          
They turned the corner and saw a body on the floor, obviously dead, an agent Natasha had always thought sexist but she didn't want to see him dead. Another figure was crouched beside him. She thought it was a mourning agent then she saw the blood dripping from the figure's mouth and the gory chunks bitten out of the agent's torso. 
                          
Every instinct she had screamed at her to run. Fear was a cold dark feeling settling in her bones and she couldn't remember her training. She had never been taught to deal with monsters.
                          
"Tony," she whispered and felt a metal hand grip hers. "What should we do?"
                          
"We need to find survivors, Natasha," he whispered back and she looked at him. His mask was up. She had never seen him so worried. 
                          
"Survivors? You think nearly everyone is dead?" Natasha blinked away surprise tears. "Tony, what's happened?"
                          
"I don't know. I don't know."
                          
"I've been trained to tell when someone is lying," she said smoothly. Guilt flashed across his face and she wrenched her hand from his. "I'll go kill that monster and then we'll deal with whatever secret you're keeping."
                          
She ignored his protests and strode down the corridor. It looked up. Its eyes were dark and cold, its hair was messy and blood-stained, blood was dripping from its mouth. Behind her, she heard Tony start to scream. 
                          
"Pepper!" He screamed, running forward. Tears streamed down his cheeks and Natasha knew that he was seeing Pepper as the cannibal. It was a mirage. The cannibal was just an anonymous face. Then she blinked and the face changed. 
                          
Natasha froze in shock, fear overtaking her.This wasn't Pepper. 
                          
It was Clint.