[It felt so strange to hear Natasha say that. Pepper was capable of control? She closed her eyes, a bitter grin flashing across her features.] Really? Because I feel like I don't have control over anything anymore. Not even my own body. They--they put this in me, and I couldn't do anything--

[Absolutely nothing at all, except to endure the pain, to wait out whatever end came because of it.

She was caught up within her own thoughts, to the point that she almost missed that hesitation. Almost. But once that tiny pause sunk in, something so unusual from a woman Pepper always thought of as strong, she looked over to her, eyes wide with shock.]

You mean...you...? [Not Extremis, but something similar. Something done to Natasha against her will, just as had been done to Pepper.]