Chapter 115 – Terror

[2009 – September]

The calm and charming teen vanished, instead, Natasha felt as if she was facing some kind of inhuman monster. She felt as if something was pressing down on her chest while cold sweat started to appear on her back.

Elijah hadn't moved and his gaze was still calm but Natasha was nearly shaking in fright, feeling as if she was stared at by some ancient terror, the sheer malevolence he exuded without even moving a muscle nearly overwhelming her senses.

Her survival instincts screamed at her to not move, lest she attracted the attention and displeasure of the being in front of her, while the trained instincts of a killer told her to run as fast as she could as there was no chance of winning or even surviving when going against Elijah Frost.

Natasha had come across all manner of people during her life as a spy and assassin: killers, madmen, psychopaths, etc.

Amongst them, an enraged Logan had left the deepest impression on her due to the sheer bestial rage that had surrounded him like a dense invisible forcefield. His murderous intent had surprised her at that time but she had still been able to summon the will to fight back without much difficulty.

There had still been something human about Logan even when enraged, and that was something she could face and fight against.

Now though, no such thoughts could be found in her mind as her heart jumped in fright and her limbs were frozen stiff in fear.

With eyes that seemed to devour life itself, Elijah stared at her while her mind neared its breaking point.

"I am not Charles Xavier, Ms. Romanoff. I am not plagued by an excessive fondness for humanity.", Elijah Frost finally spoke up.

But it didn't lessen the fear that had surged into her heart, nor did his presence change into something more human. Instead, he seemed even more sinister and his words drove ice-cold spikes of terror into her mind and limbs.

Her hands trembling uncontrollably, Natasha could do nothing but stare at the young man that would haunt her dreams for years to come as he rose from his seat and approached with slow steps.

There wasn't even a desk between them that could act as a natural barrier, as it was easier for students to open up when sitting face-to-face without any obvious obstructions that might work to imply a certain distance between the student and the counselor.

"I have no qualms about using my gifts ruthlessly if your Director insists on bothering me.", he continued serenely, as if he didn't exude an aura so malicious and dark that it would put most demons to shame, "I have no interest in playing games with the likes of you, like Charles and Erik. I will live my life in peace if unprovoked."

Chills ran down her spine and her breath hitched when she heard those words as, despite the calm tone, she could sense the murderous, almost demonic intent in them. Though she didn't have time to give this any more thought as his voice rang out once more, this time right beside her ear as he leaned down.

"The training you received in the Red Room will not save you if you try to spy on me again, Natalia.", his voice took on a softer tone but it didn't help, on the contrary, Natasha's throat closed up and her pupils shrank while her eyes widened fearfully.

Her movements froze up completely as she felt cold all over, pure dread restricting her from moving even half an inch.

Clank.

Natasha hadn't even noticed when he had disappeared from her side and left the room but the sound of the door closing made her aware that she was alone again. She didn't feel relieved or safe though, the cold grip of terror still having her heart in its grasp.

It took her a long time to regain her movements and free herself enough from the panic that held her hostage to think straight again. With trembling limbs, she first realized that her clothes and hair stuck to her skin due to the cold sweat that had erupted from her form.

With shaky steps, she managed to get up and walk to her desk, grabbing her jacket and purse.

Putting on the piece of clothing with some difficulty as she was still not in the right state of mind, Natasha left the school as fast as possible, forcing herself to appear calm before others while trying to suppress the trembling of her limbs.

When she finally reached her car, she was glad that it was fitted with an autopilot function as she wasn't sure that she would have been able to drive in her current condition.

She tried to sit still on the drive back home though her eyes were unfocused and her hands were still shaking as she fought down the urge to curl up into a ball and cry. She knew that there were cameras installed in the car and she didn't want to show any weakness in front of her fellow agents that might come across these recordings.

Finally arriving in the underground parking lot of her temporary residence twenty minutes later, she took the elevator to her floor, and when the door of her apartment closed behind her three minutes later, she just fell apart.

Skinking down to the floor, Natasha didn't even try to keep up a facade as she just pulled her knees into her chest and allowed herself to break down in the safety of her home, silent crystal tears falling from her eyes as she did so.

She wanted to cry and sob out loud, even beg in the hopes that she would never have to feel so weak and fearful again. Merely trying to recall the few moments she had spent in Elijah Frost's presence had her start quivering again.

Elijah Frost.

She couldn't go back to her assignment. Natasha knew that even if she had to disobey a direct order, she couldn't go back.

…

I knew that my strengthened mind could affect the psionic energy around me, and I had been training to control it consciously with Emma. Three days ago though, a change occurred as if my little epiphany had mutated the connection that I had to the psionic energy around me.

When before, I had only been able to use it for simple things and couldn't even exert much force in comparison to what I could do with my barriers, I now felt this innate sense of connection to the psionic energy surrounding my form.

I knew that the strength of my mind should have been enough for me to use psionic energy for some rather incredible things, like basic telepathy, telekinesis, empathy, and even directly using it in destructive ways like Emma did with her psionic bolts.

Doing something like this would have normally taken years of practice but ever since three days ago, manipulating psionic energy came much easier for me. Naturally, I was still quite a distance away from using it as Emma or Jean did.

Still, one of the side effects of this newfound sense of connection was that the psionic energy around me reacted even more sensitively to my presence and emotions.

Having great control over myself and my mind normally, this wasn't something that usually came into play, though when facing someone like the Black Widow, it worked wonders.

Was it cruel of me to consciously use psionic energy to terrorize Natasha by exposing her to the most demonic parts of myself? Maybe it was.

But playing nice with Fury and his goons would get me nowhere as he would strike without hesitation if I showed any weakness. Fury wasn't a good guy, much less someone with a heroic heart.

He was a killer and spy that used every method to advance his mission.

So, I did what I did to send a message, that if he wanted to make me his mission or tool, he would have to pay the price. Natasha was just collateral damage, and seeing as she worked for Fury, her allegiance was clear which meant there was no reason to hold back.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

She made her choice when taking up the assignment to monitor me, and this was the consequence of her choice.