"Не в своей тарелке." 

There was once upon a time when things were different for Katarina Romanoff. She had once been born into the cold, felt the frosty fingertips of the ghost from her past. Once and while she would wake up with different songs in her head. Bach, Mozart, Tchovisky. She used to dream of stark white leotards and fluffy pink tutus. Thunderous sounds and soft whistles. Often when she didn't wake up with different symphonies then she would awaken to pale faces.

Work and then only think of yourself … Anastasiya.

Where had she heard those words before? It wasn't often that you would hear the words of what she thought were her parents. But she wouldn't admit that. Katarina wouldn’t admit that her birth parents left her out in the cold. That her parents hadn't wanted her at all. She couldn't admit that, couldn't find it in herself to care or admit she had cared or still cared for a minute. Or even admit she wanted to know why they had abandoned her. So, she didn't and continued what she had known and lived that way. She had things to live for, like her mother, and her work.

So when she had heard that same song she heard it so many times in her dreams. She simply froze.

Whirling around, she found nothing in the empty lobby. Except for the glare from the reflection of the large floor-length windows. The draftiness of the lobby had left her with goosebumps on her arms. Despite the cool atmosphere, beads of sweat began to gather at her temple. The faint heartbeat beating in her ears became a shallow rhythm as the cacophony of strings and bows became too loud.  Katarina blinked trying to calm her nerves. As her surroundings began to blur and the classical song became louder. Slowly, so painfully slowly, Katarina felt like her world was shifting and turning. Her surroundings continue to bleed and blend together. White wisps seemed to float by and the air became colder. Katarina’s breath became short puffs as the marble floor disappeared and was replaced by snow-covered streets. Every inhale of cold air would sting as she breathed in and out.

Katarina swallowed down the bile rising from and blocked out the throbbing sensation from the back of her head. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

This is not real. I am not back in Volgograd. I am not back in Russia. I am working.

This is not real.

She continued to chant the phrase until her heart felt like it wasn’t going to beat out of her chest and the pounding in her head slowed down. As she opened her eyes, her surroundings were starting to come back. The snow-covered streets turned back into polished marble floors. She blinked a few times, as the lobby appeared again. The overwhelming noise that had caught her off guard was being played by the secretary. Which was still a blur to her. Like, she was still hallucinating, her feet walking towards the noise. As she got closer, the song became louder but the secretary became more focused.

Yet, when her eyes had landed on them, she wished she had dreamed of her life before then to see what she had seen.

The secretary looked up from his paperwork, his hand stopped scribbling on the sheet of paper. When his gaze landed on her, thick black liquid slowly rolled out of the corner of the man’s eyes. The black liquid spread into the man’s eyes and out the whites of them. The red ring around the cornea faintly glows as a voice takes over. It’s low and booming and feels like it’s shattering, her eardrums.

         “My sweet, sweet Anastasiya.”

The voice thickened, the word ‘Anastasiya’ made Katarina feel like spiders were crawling up her arms. She recoiled as those monstrous pitch-black eyes continued staring at her and the creature’s mouth hung open revealing rotting teeth.

         “Anastasiya,” the thing whispered. The voice grew louder “Anastasiya.”

The thing roared and leaped forward from the desk and Katarina jerked away. Just when it was close enough to touch her, the thing wrinkled and cracked, turning into black dust and blowing away. 

Katarina stepped back, her breathing labor. She closed her eyes for a minute, trying to collect herself. A moment passed, and she heard a throat clearing and opened her eyes again.

The secretary.

The secretary with a very human face. Was now looking at her oddly.

Stamping each piece of paper off the towering pile on his desk. He looked up from his pile, slowing down the pace of his stamping, and raised his eyebrow at her. In front of him were the cups of coffee that Katarina had ordered, which is why she was even in the lobby, to begin with.

He inclined his head, his eyebrow still raised. “A bit too much caffeine already, don’t you think.”

Katarina didn’t say anything and the secretary watched Katarina gather herself.

How, did the illusion feel so real? Katarina thought.

Shaking her head, she mumbled a quiet thank you, the woman took the coffee tray from the desk, giving him a polite smile. She flashed him her badge and continued walking to the elevator.

Balancing the coffee tray in one hand, Katarina punched the 7th button. Leaning against the rail of the elevator and listening to the whir of it moving, she let out a tired sigh. She had been shaken, to say the least. There was one thing she didn't want to do and that was to be reminded of the past. Being reminded felt like a nightmare to Katarina.

Yet as she watched the top buttons light up and darken as she passed each floor, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had triggered it. She closed her eyes trying to block out the pale faces, and the cold touch of something pressing against the side of her temple. Katarina tries to remember the warm touch of her mother's hands as she tucked her into bed when she was a child. However, her mind flashes back to the jarring classical music and this time white coats dance in and out of her memories. Making her almost nauseous as she leans her head against the wall of the elevator. Katarina slowly opens her eyes as the elevator comes to a halt, besides the ragged breathing, she hears the ding, and the elevator doors slide open. As she exits the elevators, she stands to the side of the hallway. Leaning her head on the wall, the cold touch to the side of her head seems to loosen as she tries to control her breathing and get her thoughts back in order.

She had never been so disjointed in her life. It’s very rare for Katarina to lose her cool. Yet, when she had thought she saw the secretary turn into a creature and disappear into a black mist. She had lost it. Yet, something about the whole illusion was nagging at her. Things had been off about the whole ordeal.

Katarina composes herself again, she doesn't want others to know how she had lost her cool. So, she breathes in and out one more time and walks to the door of her lab. She slides her badge through the chip and waits for the door to slide open. She walks into the room and smiles at the person sitting in the middle of the room.

             "I assume the ride up was a joy. " Sigyn Thordotter says fixing a broken line to a repulsor beam.

Katarina continues going through the motion of getting her things ready. Completely ignoring the snark coming from the blonde woman. She shrugs off her jacket and puts it on the coat rack near her workstation. Katarina places the drinks on the corner of the workbench.

She turns back towards Sigyn, “I brought some coffee by the way.” 

Sigyn looks at her funny, "Aye, I can see. Back to work, I presume."

Katarina nods her head and sits down on her stool. She purses her lips looking at her workbench. Her desk is full of reports she had to finish and other blueprints. She wants to turn around and talk to Sigyn to calm her thoughts, she still feels skittish, but the other woman has her back to her. So Katarina turns back around and focuses on the different reports she had started and goes back to writing out the rest of them.

It’s about thirty minutes into working and Katarina rubs her temples. She signs the last report with her loopy handwriting and pushes the pile to the side. Katarina rolls her neck from side to side, trying to get all the kinks out. She places her hands under the chin and looks at all the different blueprints that are unrolled. Each is a different plan for a gadget invention. There are so many littered across her desk but nothing catches her eye except for the one sitting in the middle. The one in the center is impressive. The technology she knows is foreign and that excites her. She likes working on different things and so she writes notes in the margin of the blueprint. Her eyes scan the words she’s not familiar with and she makes a mental note to look them up later.

Next to her, Sigyn worked and tinkered on a broken repulsor arm beam. Katarina had offered to let her work in her lab since Sigyn's own lab is being repaired due to a broken pipe. They worked together in tandem from sorting out different mechanisms to fixing and improving different tech and even making plans for new tech to be developed.

            “Katarina, would you please pass me the screwdriver?” Sigyn asked. Her hand was already stretched out.

This is the first time Sigyn has said anything since she’s gotten back. Katarina moves the other paper off the left side of the desk and grabs the screwdriver off of it. She passes it to the other woman and goes back to looking at the new blueprints. The other woman mumbles a thank you and goes back to tinkering with the repairs.

Katarina taps the bottom of her pen against the desk, studying the blueprint. Her hand goes to and she covers a yawn behind it. Her, eyes land on the coffee tray in the corner.

Perfect, just what I needed. Katarina thinks.

She's about to ask Sigyn if she wants one when she hears the soft whoosh of the lab door sliding open. Hugh Stark waltzes in like he owns Katarina's lab when, technically, his dad does.

“What's up, Babushka, Powerpuff.” Hugh greets them smirking.

Sigyn takes a deep breath and Katarina ignores the nickname and waves back. Hugh makes himself at home looking over the plans they've been talking about. Hugh scans the blueprints and stands up straighter.

            “Woah, this looks cool.” Hugh sighs

Sigyn snatches the plans out from under his nose "They're not nearly finished."

Hugh holds his hands up "Woah there Powerpuff."

Sigyn moves back to her temporary workstation in the middle. Behind her, the papers flutter on Katarina’s desk. Sigyn rolls up her blueprint and makes sure she keeps eye contact with Hugh while doing it. Hugh blinks back and pulls a licorice stick out of his pants pocket.

            “Well, that was cool.” Hugh says chewing on the candy “Anyways, did you guys know about the cloned kids running around here?"

Sigyn sigh softly and moved over to the table with the different repulsor beams piled on them. Katarina smiled and turned around on her stool. 

           "Technically you wouldn't call them clones. They would be like variants, right." Katarina explained, "They are like if someone plucked them from different timelines of our parent's life and now they're stuck here with memories of a different version of their parents in a place they're forced to adapt to."

There's a knowing look that flickers across Hugh's face but then his eyebrows crease and his lips turn down into a frown. "Nope, they're clones."

Katarina laughs and shakes her head. She knows Hugh is being difficult for some reason. Wondering what it is, she is about to ask but Sigyn beats her to it.

  “He's just mad because a certain someone stole his glory last night.” Sigyn said, grabbing one of the repulsors off the table she was at.

Katarina raised an eyebrow, this was getting interesting.

                “Who might that be Mr. Billiondollar baby?”  Katarina asked biting her lip

                “A spitfire redhead and a tiny dancer.” Sigyn laughed "I couldn't help myself but pull up the security footage. You did a fantastic job at capturing the clown."

He rolled his eyes "As if you could do better, Ms. Wind Rider." Hugh wiggles his fingers and sticks his tongue out.

Sigyn raises her chin, a challenge in her eyes, "I would have handled the situation better than you."

Hugh crosses his arms over his chest "Yeah right."

Sigyn drops her tools and begins stalking over to the younger Stark. There is a gust of wind that lifts up Katarina’s papers and moves some of her tools from her workstation. She plants her feet on the floor below her as her chair slightly shakes. In front of her, she sees Hugh teeter to the side as he clutches the side of the desk.

Katarina watches the exchange, her eyes going back and forth between the two. She thinks of the coffee tray that now almost moves off the far right of her desk. She scoots her stool over and grabs the tray before it falls. Katarina is not trying to have her lab wreck because two people have gotten into a fight. Not on her watch and not in her place. She stands up and walks in between Hugh and Sigyn. She holds up the tray and smiles.

              "Look I brought coffee," Katarina says

For a moment Hugh and Sigyn's eyes flicker to the styrofoam cups that are in Katarina's hands. Sigyn wordlessly grabs one of the cups out of the paper tray and turns around going back to the station in the corner she has set up.

  “Maria has a better aim than you Stark.” Sigyn tosses over her shoulder.

Hugh sets his jaw and takes the last remaining coffee in the paper tray. Katarina bites her lip again, silently praying Hugh doesn't bite the bait Sigyn has set out. She really didn't want to break up a fight that would absolutely happen this time. She was already exhausted from the earlier scene in the lobby and doing lab work. Katarina watches Hugh walk the other way and over to Katarina's station.

                “I'm not stupid.”  Hugh says, narrowing his eyes “I don't miss, pink princess just caught me on a bad day.”

Katarina walks over to Hugh and claps his shoulder, “You sure wouldn't miss.”

Hugh looks over at her and smirks "Damn right."

author's note

Hi there and here is chapter three! I apologize for the long wait. Life has been really hectic. Anyways, I hope everyone had an amazing Holiday and Happy New Year.  

This chapter was supposed to be longer than what your guys have read but in order to get it out, I had to cut it off. This is why some characters are missing. However, Doutzen and Jackie will have Chapter Four in their point of view. So I hope you will look forward to that. Moving on, I tried to give this chapter a sort of intense beginning with Katarina and a little of her past showing up in it. But, I also wanted you guys to think, who did that to Katarina. Also, I hope you like the interaction between, Katarina, Sigyn, and Hugh. It was to make, the chapter basically end on a lighter note. Plus, I think it would be good for other characters to interact. I know, I explained in this chapter, how the other characters got here, who have the same last name as the main cast, but I took what we knew from 'Loki'. The formation of the Young Avengers will happen, haha, do not worry. I hope you guys like this chapter. Thank you Minnie (MinRin04), I hope I wrote your character well. 

Не в своей тарелке is a Russian idiom that translates to, '(to be) not in one’s own plate'. Basically, it means to be uncomfortable in a situation. Also, Katarina's birth name is Anastasiya, so that is what the illusion was calling her.

Alright, I hope you guys are staying well and healthy. Have a great day everyone!