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Ever since one of the foremost young assassins in the world disappeared from her handlers, in X-23, the KGB had a vested interest in locating her and measure the feasibility of attaining her as a prime asset. But it was never a prime objective, what with X-23 being quite elusive, combined with many other concerns after the ACT-F taskforce crumbled to oblivion. Fortunately, while Black Widow was infiltrating SHIELD and looking at their files, she found some potential leads in the X-23 matter, which brings her to investigate this abandoned Terminal.
Dressed in black, in a largely dark area, she's not very easy to spot. The fact she's actually lurking on the ceiling while waiting for her target, makes it even harder to consider her being there.
Laura, however, doesn't rely upon vision to find things. She enters Black Widow's field of view from one of the crumbled tunnels, creepng among the weeds and dead tracks. The girl keeps low to the grounf. She is far smaller than Natasha would expect, a hair over five feet tall and extremely slender. it might be hard to believe she has the reputation she does for brutal close up violence.
The girl seems unaware of her observer… At first. After a moment she looks up and slowlyy inhales through her nose, nostrils flaring. She turns away from Black Widow for a moment and starts to walk along one of the tracks, as calmly as anyone might be. The girl's somewhat dusty and her clothes are a bit ragged. She's probably been down here awhile.
As a graduate of the Red Room, there's nothing that the Black Widow wouldn't believe about the capabilities of children to perform. It is usually the SHIELD agents who do not expect the unexpected. Red Room agents ARE the unexpected. All it takes as a minute gesture for the Widow to realize her target is suspicious, and so knowing what she does from the X-23 file, she decides to reveal herself. "Up here, honey," she says, "I just want to talk." She doesn't quite go down there before X-23 will show a willingness to talk, she knows how dangerous the girl is one on one, and though she might have the skills to take her, she's not about to take an unnecessary test.
Laura turns slowly, brown eyes turning upward until they settle onto Black Widow's form. Clearly she knew exactly where the woman was hiding, however she might have been behaving the moment before. "Then talk." The statement is made flatly and without inflection. There's no threat there but the tension is obvious to someone with the right training. She's ready for a fight but it doesn't seem as though X-23 intends to start one, at least. "How did you find me?"
"I was looking for you," Black Widow answers the question in the simplest of ways, "like you are famous for eliminating your target, so too, I am famous for finding what I look for. Mind if I come down?" The Widow offers, for now still remaining on all four against the ceiling. "I promise I won't hurt you, I'm nothing like your handlers at…what was it? Weapon X?"
"I know you won't hurt me," Laura responds somewhat flatly but then she takes a deep breath and holds it for a few steps. There's a pause while the girl considers Black Widow for a moment before giving a slow nod. She shifts her weight from left ot right before turning halfway to look down one of the tunnels. "You know about the program. Did they send you here to find me?" She doesn't really emote but the way her muscles flex says a lot aobut her frame of mind.
A little flip, and Black Widow detaches from the ceiling, coming to a clean silent landing not too far from Laura. They're not quite face to face, but close enough to be within an arm's reach. Widow sets her blue eyes on Laura, and spreads her arms sideways to show she has no weapons wielded, now that she's much more visible to X-23. "I have nothing to do with that program," Widow answers, "you know they wouldn't want to talk to you, don't you? They would ensnare you, cage you, and use you like an animal…wouldn't they?" If anything, X-23 can certainly assuage any suspicions about others waiting out of sight, based on her sensory reading Black Widow is there by her lonesome.
"They might have devised a trap," Laura responds slowly but her expression suggests that Black Widow hit the nail on the head with her comment. Laura crosses her arms over her chest. She isn't visibly armed either, not that this is much reassurance in the case of X-23. "What do you want to do then?" The girl fixes her gaze on Black Wdiow while she awaits the answer. "You shouldn't be following me. It isn't safe." Crossed arms is something of a paradox, both visibly more confrontational and less ready for confrontation than before.
"I would like to help you…" Black Widow offers, after all, anyone coming up to X-23 asking for her services isn't likely to get anywhere. "You're new to living on your own, am I right?" Black Widow guesses, "I think I'm one of the few people who can honestly understand it. I want to help you blend in, help you pretend to be one of many, this will make it harder for the program to trace you. I never had anyone looking after me, I'd like to look after you…if you'd let me. Tell me, do you have family? A friend? It's not that fun being all alone in the world."
She does chuckle at the mention of safety, "I often tread where it is least safe, it's okay, I understand the danger."
"…I don't have friends," Laura responds automaticcally, though she glances away briefly as she does. Her eyes soon return to the redhead in front of her. She takes a deep breath. "I'm getting by on my own just fine. I don't = need your help. I already know how to blend in when I want to." Which clearly means right now she doesn't want to. She looks as if she might say more but soon stops herself.