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[redrooms]

"You've reached Natasha Romanov. Please leave a message."

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[definingfuture]

Who are you talking to?

[redrooms]

[There's another pause.]

I'm talking to you.

[definingfuture]

You were talking to me.

[Uh. Right. That doesn't make sense.]

[redrooms]

Who else would I be talking to?

[definingfuture]

I don't know. You know who I am, but you called me Stark.

[redrooms]

[Oh. Great.]

And who are you?

[definingfuture]

[The chill comes back and this time it hurts. It hurts enough to feel like a momentary heart pain, and Tony breathes in sharply with a curse.]

I'm... I'm Iron Man.

[redrooms]

[Oh. Great.]

Stark's bodyguard.

[definingfuture]

Don't sound so disappointed. Look, I'm going to keep going north. The plan is what? Reconvene and rescue Barnes from himself?

[redrooms]

[Natasha lets out a quiet, frustrated sigh.]

Knock it off, Tony. That was a terrible cover from the beginning.

[definingfuture]

Stop. I don't plan on going by the boss's name just because I happen to represent him.

[redrooms]

Cut the shit, Stark.

[She's in a bad mood and assuming he just lost his memories of the last few years. Oops.]

[definingfuture]

Stop calling me that!

[He actually gets rough for once. He doesn't have the voice modulator, but it's clear he's talking like he is used to having it.]

[redrooms]

[What... the fuck...]

What's the last thing you remember before arriving here?

[definingfuture]

Before getting here?

[He takes a moment.]

Working for SHIELD. Getting put on every shit list in the superhero community and then getting called out by the Hulk. The last thing I remember was a mission I was on. Pretty small time in comparison, to be honest. It was almost like a vacation.

[redrooms]

What mission?

[definingfuture]

That's classified.

[He's clearly joking. It's a terrible joke.]

[redrooms]

Classified. You know my rank. Tell me.

[definingfuture]

[He gives her a very put-upon sigh. It's so hard being the help.]

I was visiting Kirkhistan. The target was Nasim Rahimov. He was apparently collecting miniature nuclear weapons. Something he'd been working on for years along with a grudge after his wife was killed. Pretty straightforward all things considered.

[redrooms]

[So... From the same time. Which makes no sense.]

And what do you do for Mr. Stark?

[definingfuture]

What? You know what I do. I fly and provide security. World security lately, but it's not something we haven't done before. It's not that big of a step.

You about to tell me you think we were wrong?

[redrooms]

Wrong about what? The Initiative? No, I don't think we were wrong.

[definingfuture]

Then what's with the interrogation all of a sudden? It's really me.

[redrooms]

You were revived. What did they take from you?

[definingfuture]

[He falls silent. Okay, she got him.]

I don't know. I feel fine.