Chapter Text
Something wasn't right.
It's hard to explain exactly how she knows this, she just does.
The front of the compound looks relatively normal; it's devoid of people, sure, but it looks the same otherwise.
Nothing that would indicate there was a problem, yet, she has this feeling. It's unsettling, and it sits at the pit of her stomach. Though of course, you'd never know it by just looking at her.
She sidles up to the side of the building, gun already removed from her thigh holster and held at the ready. Cautiously, she types in her access code.
The door opens without a moment's hesitation.
It should feel too easy, but she's too caught up in the spark of hope that's brought from knowing that Tony kept the doors open to her. Even after she betrayed his trust, he still made sure she had a place in the world.
For some reason, it makes her feel worse.
"Agent Romanoff!" Friday calls out, sounding relieved, if a bit hesitant, as if she's unsure of Natasha's intentions.
"Friday? What's wrong?" Though she's sure the AI would have warned her if she were in any immediate danger, she can't help but let her eyes scan the lobby. She may have been granted access, but old habits die hard.
"They took the Boss man! And Colonel Rhodes… he's upstairs, in Boss' office. Please hurry."
She wants to ask who 'they' is, but she's never heard Friday's voice reach such an urgent tone. She can get her answers later; she read between the lines enough to know that Tony is gone, and Rhodey needs her help. Quickly she makes her way to the already open elevator, gun still up and ready.
The doors shut behind her, and the lift rises with what she's sure is more speed than usual. Nonetheless, she finds herself tapping her foot impatiently as she watches the floor numbers change.
When they open again, she rushes out and starts making her way to Tony's office. So far, nothing looks particularly out of place, except that there's a wheelchair just outside the office door.
'An empty wheelchair,' her mind supplies.
She connects the dots with lightning speed, throwing open the door without a moment's hesitation.
"Oh, my god. Rhodes," she gasps, an uncommon thing for someone as masked as she. She's at his side in an instant, mindful of his legs and the trail of broken glass scattering the floor.
"Rhodes," she says again, returning her gun to its' holster and pulling his head into her lap, gently tapping at his cheek. When he doesn't respond, she checks his pulse, but finds it relatively normal.
She taps a bit harder until the man groans, blinking his eyes open, and she breathes a sigh of relief.
There's a bruise on his temple that extends just far enough to reach his cheek, along with a bit of dry blood, but not much else.
"N'tasha?" He slurs, blinking a few more times for good measure.
"Yeah, Jim, it's me. What happened here?" She looks frantically around the room, briefly scanning her surroundings as quickly and efficiently as she knows how. The window overlooking the back of the compound is shattered, along with what she can only assume was a bottle of scotch. There are papers scattered over the ground, things she remembers being on Tony's shelves knocked to the ground, and is that… Cap's shield up there? That certainly raises a few questions, but right now she has more important things to worry about.
Like the fact that Tony is truly nowhere to be seen.
She allows for one last glance around the room before turning back to the Colonel, "Where's Tony?"
That seems to snap him out of whatever confused state he's in, because the moment she says it, his eyes go wide and he's sitting up. He winces when he does, his right hand flying to his side.
'Possible bruised ribs,' She decides as she reaches a hand out to steady him. He's breathing heavily and muttering to himself, looking hopelessly around the room.
"No no no no no, Tony… oh god, Tony," He gasps and her heart break in two at the scene. She moves around him so they're face to face, only to reveal dark brown eyes that are full of fear and… guilt? "They took him."
Again with the 'they,' she thinks, but she doesn't ask just yet. In fact, she can't bring herself to ask, not when her heart seems to be sinking a million miles per hour.
"C'mon," she breathes, pushing her thoughts to the side for now, "Let's get you off the floor, okay?"
He nods quickly, swallowing hard while she moves into the hallway to grab his wheelchair. She sets it beside him and puts on the brake, then moves herself back behind him.
"I'm going to lift on three, okay?" He nods, and she slips her arms under his, "One… two… three," she grunts as she pulls him off the ground, supporting his weight with her own before she gently sets him in his chair.
xXx
Ten minutes later, they're sat in the living room; Rhodey with a cup of tea while Natasha patches him up.
"So," she begins as she dabs at the minor cut on his cheek with a clean cloth, "What happened?"
He winces when the cloth makes contact with the wound, but ignores it for the most part. She figures he has more important things to worry about, like finding his best friend- one of her best friends, too, whether he believes it or not.
"I don't know much more than you," Rhodes states, trying his best not to meet her eyes.
"Alright," she sighs, sticking a butterfly bandage to his face before moving to sit on the couch in front of him. She folds her hands in her lap as she studies him, except this time it's clear he's studying her right back. His glare is cold and calculating, and his hands seem to be itching for some kind of weapon to defend himself if need be.
"You don't trust me," she says, simply.
It's a statement.
He scoffs, "Got that right."
"It's fine," she nods, because it's true. "I wouldn't trust me either."
"Right," he nods back, and somehow the anger in his eyes increases ten-fold, "Well, that doesn't mean much coming from you. You don't trust anyone."
"That's not necessarily true. I trust you. I even trust Tony, believe it or not."
"Maybe you should rethink that list of yours, because if you don't tell me why you're here and where you've been, you're going to start trusting me a lot less."
She actually allows herself to half-heartedly chuckle at that, because she believes him. "See, that wasn't a bluff. I trust that you meant that."
He narrows his eyes, "Is this some kind of joke? Answer the damn question!"
"I disappeared. Tony warned me- that Ross was coming for me- so I left. Like I was never even there." She swallows and tucks her hair behind her ear, "You know, that's kind of why I trust him. The truth hurts, and yeah, he may come across as an asshole most of the time, but it's only because he cares."
Rhodey sighs, running a hand over his face, but he seems to relax a little.
"So… what? You think he warned you about Ross for a reason? Because as much as I hate to say it… he trusts you too, for whatever reason." He seemed a bit hesitant about admitting that at first, but that's fine. It's a start, and she'll take anything she get at this point.
She allows for the slightest grin at that, knowing that the trust is a mutual thing between Tony and herself, especially given the way they met. "I think Tony knows more than he's letting on, because- let's face it- he doesn't trust the government. Not with his suits, and definitely not with our lives."
"But he does believe in accountability," Rhodey points out.
"That's true, but we both know he already had plans to amend the accords. They aren't perfect, and all of us know that. He could have fixed them, I trust him with that completely, and it all probably would have worked out fine."
"...Unless you're Ross. Tony hates that guy- and we all know what happened with Bruce," he adds.
"Exactly," she nods, ignoring the part about Bruce for the time being, "He wants control over us, he wants power. But Tony knows that the only way he can change anything is from the inside..." She pauses, trying to put herself in the billionaire's shoes, "So... he works with Ross, but he needs our signatures, so now he needs to drag us into it- he doesn't have a choice. But maybe during that time, before all of this even, he finds something he wasn't supposed to."
"Right," he agrees, "So what does Ross know that Tony couldn't tell anyone about without risking our safety?"
She worries at her bottom lip for a moment, doing her best to recall the events of this past week, but nothing comes to mind that would answer that particular question. She sighs, running a hand through her hair in frustration.
"I guess we'll find out."