Chapter Text
Watchtower (Formerly Avengers Tower): New York, Summer 2028
"So you know that old flash drive we found in the old safe in the hidden room...." said Yelena, turning excitedly to Ava.
"The safe you broke into? With what was it? Some kinda plastic explosives?!" chimed in John Walker. ]
"Shut up Walker! She wasn't talking to you!" said Ava "Yeah, what about it? Its so heavily encrypted we weren't able to read what's on it anyway!"
"That's where it gets better!" said Yelena again, putting aside her box of noodles. "I may have found someone who can help us!"
"Why are you so interested in that thing anyway?" asked Walker again.
Yelena gave him a withering stare: "because if it was that well hidden there's must be something on it that's interesting. Something the person that made it didn't anyone to see.."
"Bucky said to leave well alone" remarked Ava, finishing her food too. "He seemed worried"
"I know" said Yelena "but don't you want to at least look? What harm can it do? Its probably just Tony Stark's dirty videos or something"
The Following Day
Riri Williams took less than 2 hours to get past the first layer of decryption on the flash drive. Then all the files on it were encrypted too.
"Someone liked their security" she muttered, touching various items on a sceeen.
"You think you can open any of them?" asked Yelena, watching her in rapt fascination from behind her. She'd taken the Flash Drive to the garage the MIT student used as a lab, instead of having her come to the Tower.
"'Course I can" said Riri confidently, "but its gonna cost you more".
"Whatever you want" replied Yelena. She liked this girl. She knew what she wanted and had no problems getting it.
Half an hour later, Riri whooped in triumph : "I am so in! Which files d'you want? There's like hundreds of them here..."?
"How much will all of them cost?" grinned Yelena
"its gonna be $5000 at least... but because I like you I will do you a special deal...." began Riri
"How about I give you $12,000 for everything, You get the money in 10 minutes and I take home a new flash drive with all the decrypted files tonight?" said Yelena
Riri whistled. "Deal!" she exclaimed, rushing to transfer the contents of the original flash drive "but no money, no files.."
"Don't worry, I'll get it for you right now. Just let me make a call or two" Yelena reassured her, picking up the burner phone
Ten minutes later the money was in Williams bank account. A hour later Yelena had her brand new drive with all the copies of her files and the original one. She'd had no trouble getting the money. She hadn't expected to.
Valentina would give her any amount, no questions asked. In seconds. Extorting your boss had its perks.
"You can't hide from me anymore Stark" thought Yelena, secreting away both the tiny objects in her suit. She didn't tell anyone, but she hadn't really found the flash drive in the safe. That would have been too obvious. It contained only documents and a decoy flash drive. It took her ages, but she eventually found it hidden under the floor in another room altogether. It must've been *his* room. He wanted to keep his secrets close. Men like him always did. That's how she'd guessed where to look.
Stark. She almost spat thinking of him. She hated the bastard for what he'd done to her sister and to Bucky. If he wasn't dead, she'd probably have killed him herself.
Natasha told her how the first time she met the billionaire he'd leered at her like a peice of meat. Tried to touch her up. Made endless suggestive remarks. She had to take it because she was undercover. Until she didn't. When Nick Fury decided it was time to reveal her true identity, she made sure that creep never touched her again.
What was it with American men thinking they had a right to treat women like that? Well, not all. Walker had some delusion about getting his wife back. Bob probably didn't even know what sex was, and then there was Bucky. He was always respectful: then again he was also a dinosaur.
It wasn't just that though. Natasha said that even though she'd learned to work with Stark and maybe respect him, she'd never trusted him. Not like she trusted Steve Roger, Nick Fury and Clint Barton. He was slippery, and it seemed like she always had something to hide. And then, when the Sokovia Accords came into being, he'd stabbed her in the back.
She'd supported him, been on his side, even though it went against everything she believed in. For the sake of the team she'd even fought her own friends. Then the bastard had the audacity to accuse her of disloyalty: because she wouldn't allow him to have his own way. Because she wouldn't let Steve Rogers be killed for nothing. For a worthless peice of paper he couldn't even keep and got repealed anyway. Because she wouldn't let Bucky die for a crime he didn't even commit.
He'd torn his entire team apart. Injured his best friend: and his damned ego still wouldn't let him accept he was wrong. Wouldn't let him admit defeat. He's asked Natasha to find Bruce Banner. After all that, he assumed Bruce would help him and work for Ross. Ross! The man who ruined his life, hunted him like an animal. It was like asking her to work for Dreykov.
When Natasha had refused Stark and thrown her suffering in her face. Mocked her. Taunted her. He was using her all along.
Then they said *he* had died saving the world. He'd taken the credit even then. Ignoring what her sister did. How she'd died to bring back half the universe. She had to find that out from Clint Barton. Her sister had nothing. Not even a funeral. Stark and his family acted like Natasha never existed and her death meant nothing. If Stark could lie about that. what else had he lied about?
As she landed on the platform at the Watchtower, she hoped she was about to find out.