Issue 1 Downtime

Mars knocks on Natalya's door, "Ms. Romanov? Are you in, ma'am?"

"I'm in," she said, "Come on in. And just Natalya is fine."

"Sure thing, Natalya," Mars says, "What did you need?"

"Well, here's the paperwork that admissions had for you, just some information stuff to fill out. I also wanted to check and make sure you were doing alright."

"I'm okay," Mars says, taking the papers, "Just trying to get caught up."

"Turns out that I didn't learn much...anything back home. Academic wise, I mean. I can shoot a bow, pick a pocket, or fly from a trapeze, but I don't know much about math or history or any of that stuff."

"I can imagine your parents weren't really big on the basics. Why don't we do this? You can come by my apartment at Dower House. I'll cook dinner and help you out with anything you're having trouble with. Sound good?"

"Sure," Mars says, sounding happy, "That'd be awesome."

"Anything you need? Like clothes or school supplies?"

"I couldn't possibly ask for anything..." Mars says, "You guys are already doing so much for me. I'll be fine."

"Well... if you need anything, let me know. Your situation is tough and I sort of know what it's like."

"Your parents were supervillains too?" Mars asks, sounding honestly curious and a little bit surprised.

"Father was former KGB, though they defected to the US." She fished up a picture. It looked like a much younger version of Natalya and was obviously a mugshot. "Old memento of my high school years."

"Glad that I'm not the only one here that's been arrested," Mars says.

"I don't know that I qualified as a super-villain. It was complicated."

"Were you, like, a spy?"

"I fell in with a bad crowd, some of whom could be considered super villains. We attacked the Institute in Westchester. That's what got me arrested. I spent some time in jail and then went to work for SHIELD as a work release. That was the first time I worked for SHIELD." She paused and then said, "Some of the faculty knows about this, but I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us."

"Don't worry," Mars says, "I can keep a secret."

"Thanks. When I said I understand not wanting your past to color your future, I really meant it. Not just a platitude here."

"I get that," Mars says, "Thank you. It means a lot."

"How's tomorrow night sound for tutoring? Any kind of food you like particularly?"

"Oh, I'm really easy," Mars says, "I like everything. You pretty much have to when you're on the road all the time."

"If you can make a good sauce, I do enjoy pasta," Mars offers.

"I think I can fake it," Natalya said with a smile. "6:00 work?"

"I think I can fit it into my schedule somehow."

She jotted down her apartment number. "You know where Dower House is on campus, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Cool, see you there, then."