𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥- Marvel // Stranger Things // WWE (coming soon):
Marvel
Wanda Maximoff ᱬ
One Shots:
What’s The Big Deal?: Wanda Maximoff
Summary: Can you save your relationship with Wanda before it’s too late?
Own The Throne: Wanda Maximoff
Summary: Request- Wanda is next in line to become Queen of Sokovia.
Coming soon
Summary: There’s no better time than now to tell Wanda how you really feel about her- but at what cost?
The Scarlet Apprentice Series: ongoing
The Holy Grail: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 1: Your destiny awaits.
The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 2: Wanda must protect you.
Wow, She Looks Mad: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 3: Now, you’ve gone too far.
A Really Bad Idea: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 4: A visit to ‘The Nosy Neighbour’.
A Ticking Time Bomb: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 5: Wanda is worried about Agatha’s influence.
Whatever You Say, Beyoncé: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 6: Stephen Strange needs to act fast in order to stop you- The Scarlet Apprentice.
Dinner Reservation: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 7: Stephen and Wong need to put their plan into motion.
Dream Or Reality: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 8: You dream of a past life, but do those memories really belong to you?
The Kamar-Taj: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 9: You all need answers in regards to the Scarlet Apprentice, but who will find them first?
Old Friends: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 10: Has Wanda, Stephen and Wong found the perfect way to stop you and Agatha?
It Ends Now: The Scarlet Apprentice
Summary: Part 11: The time has come for Wanda to face The Scarlet Apprentice and put an end to their sinister ways.
Coming soon
Summary: Part 12: This is just the beginning of your story.
━━━━━━━━━ ᱬ ━━━━━━━━━━
⧗ Black Widow ⧗
The Unknown Widow Series: ongoing
The Unknown Widow: Yelena Belova
Summary: Part 1: This is your chance to escape, will you make it?
Promises, Promises: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 2: Doing whatever it takes to keep your promise.
Budapest: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 3: “We can send these to the ‘someone’ I know”- can they be trusted?
Hesitation: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 4: It’s time to pay Natasha a visit.
Natasha Romanoff: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 5: Natasha needs Lara’s help.
You’re Such A Mom: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 6: Natasha and Yelena reunite.
Family?: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 7: The girls construct a plan of action against the Red Room and Dreykov.
Prison Break: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 8: It’s time to break Alexei out of prison.
Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 9: It’s time to pay Melina a visit.
Betrayed: The Unknown Widow
Summary: Part 10: Will Melina give you the answers you’ve always wanted?
━━━━━━━━━ ⧗ ⧗ ━━━━━━━━━━
Kate Bishop ➳
One Shots:
Must Be Our Lucky Day: Kate Bishop
Summary: You and Kate meet at the park- but as you least expect it.
Lucky The Pizza Dog: Kate Bishop
Summary: Kate has no idea why Lucky is acting so strange.
I Knew You Loved Me: Kate Bishop
Part 2
Summary: You and Kate are sent on a mission, but you find what you least expected.
━━━━━━━━━ ➳ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Natasha Romanoff ⴵ
One Shots:
Responsibility: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: You’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Early Morning Surprise: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: You come back from a mission to find quite the surprise.
Stay: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- Natasha has the flu and you do everything you can to take care of her.
Nightmare: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- Natasha has a nightmare and comes to you for comfort.
Forest Stars: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- After returning from a Military Deployment, you spend Christmas with the Avengers.
Rogers: The Musical: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- You and the team go out to watch the new hit show- Rogers: The Musical.
Happy Birthday: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- Natasha and Tony plan a surprise Birthday party for you.
The Fourth Of July: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- The team celebrates the Fourth of July.
If You Love Her: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- Tony hosts a Karaoke night for the Team.
Drunk On Love: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- After a hectic party courtesy of Tony Stark, will a drunk Natasha reveal more than she intended to, to you?
Favourite Person: Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Request- As nightmares plague Natasha’s mind, will you be the comfort she needs?
Coming soon.
Summary: Request- Who knew Natasha Romanoff could have a sick day?
Coming soon.
Summary: Request- Natasha says something to you that she shouldn’t have, will you be able to forgive her?
━━━━━━━━━━ ⴵ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Stephen Strange ۞
One Shots:
The Sorcerer’s Daughter: Stephen Strange
Summary: Strange is eager to teach his young Daughter the power of a Sorcerer, but his Wife isn’t as enthusiastic.
━━━━━━━━━━ ۞ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Tony Stark ⎊
One shots:
Thunderstruck: Tony Stark
Summary: Request- You and Tony spend the day working in his lab.
Coming soon
Summary: Request- With Tony’s new wife-Pepper coming into the Avenger’s life, can you-his teenage daughter accept her into the family?
━━━━━━━━━━ ⎊ ━━━━━━━━━━
Avenger Reader Ⓐ
One shots:
Super Saiyan: Avenger Reader
Part 2
Summary: Request- Though your team perceive you as closed off and isolated, at their most desperate time they find themselves in need of your enhanced abilities- ‘Ki sense’ and all.
━━━━━━━━━━ Ⓐ ━━━━━━━━━━
STRANGER THINGS
Robin Buckley ✧
One Shots:
The Girl Of Her Dreams: Robin Buckley
Summary: Robin has a crush on you, but does she have the confidence to ask you out?
Madonna: The First Album: Robin Buckley
Summary: Request- You and Robin head to the Starcourt Mall, though your anxiety decides to accompany you.
Bumblebee: Robin Buckley
Summary: Request- Robin finally gets to know your car.
━━━━━━━━━━ ✧ ━━━━━━━━━━
Note: You do not have my permission to repost, copy or translate any of my works on here, or any other social media platform.
- I will indicate which posts that Minors are strictly requested to not interact with- you are responsible for your own media consumption. If I notice blank blogs or minors interacting with these said posts, you will be blocked: “18+ only- minors strictly DNI” will be included.
I will update the Masterlist as I go, so more characters will be added in the near future.
ⴵ My inbox is always open for any questions, comments or if you just want to talk ⴵ
If you would like to be added to a tag list on any of my works, just let me know and I’ll add you on.
*All licensed character’s rights belong to Marvel/Netflix, including dialogue used from their productions.
Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Yelena Belova x Reader (Platonic)
Warnings: Mentions of the Red Room, mentions of killing, mentions of violence, dark themes, mentions of weapons, mentions of drugs, angst, explicit language, mentions of blood. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 4553 words.
Summary: Will Melina give you the answers you’ve always wanted?
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
I held the door open for Yelena and Alexei as we entered Melina’s Farmhouse. I took everything in with interest, admiring the decor of this beautiful home. The serenity it serves almost makes me forget why we’re here.
“Welcome to my humble abode. Make yourself at home.” Melina says as she guides us through her house.
The group splits off throughout the house as Melina suggests we have a drink. Feeling completely out of my element, I stick close to Yelena, knowing out of everyone here she’s the one I trust the most.
We walk through to the living area, the soft rays of sunlight cast a vivid glow around the room. Every detail looks perfectly placed. When I was in the Red Room, I could only ever dream of living in a place like this. Having a safe area where I could be free to do as I choose, I still have that dream. Hopefully one day I will be able to make it a reality.
I hear a scraping sound next to me as I realise Yelena has pulled out a chair at the table situated next to the window. She has a blank expression on her face, indicating she is attempting to absorb everything that is happening- coming to terms with it at least.
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask her gently, knowing she can sometimes snap if her thoughts are disturbed.
“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s you I’m worried about.” She says as she bows her head to look down at her lap.
I move towards the window, looking out at the trees as I attempt to come up with a valid answer that won’t have Yelena asking too many questions.
“I’m fine, just a bit tired is all. It’s a nice place huh?” I say, attempting to change the topic.
Yelena scoffs, “Have you forgotten Lara, I know you better than anyone, so I know when you’re lying. What is wrong?” I turn to look at her, noticing her unamused expression- she hates it when I lie to her.
I release a sigh as I lean back against the window sill, “Not now Lena, I promise I’ll tell you, just not now okay. Please?” I don’t want to get into a heavy conversation within Melina’s home. Especially since we do not even know if we can trust her yet.
Yelena shakes her head slightly, “Whatever, Lara.”
My stomach drops at her tone, I know her feelings will be in overdrive with this whole situation we are in but she has never spoken to me like that before. Then again, I’ve never kept anything from her before.
“Excuse me.” I say as I make my way to Melina’s bathroom, trying to mask my hurt.
I go to turn the door handle when I hear grunting from within. I raise my eyebrows in response; giving the door a gentle knock, “Are you okay in there?”
I receive more frustrated grunts in response, “Just give me a minute, I’m just finishing up in here.” I hear Alexei shout through the door.
I take a step back from the door, wanting to be far away from the sounds of Alexei’s grunting.
I look back over at the table Yelena is occupying, noticing that Melina and Natasha have joined her.
My gaze returns to the door in front of me when Alexei releases loud groans of what can be assumed as discomfort. In all honesty I dread to think what he’s doing in there.
I lean my back against the wall behind me, folding my arms across my chest. I then glance around the area, not looking for anything in particular. Mostly something to distract me from the sounds still emerging from the bathroom.
“Let’s drink.” I hear Melina suggest from the table, I am tempted to join them until I hear the bathroom door open.
Alexei emerges from the bathroom in his signature Red Guardian attire. I study the suit in shock- I didn’t even know it still existed.
Alexei looks over at me and motions with his hands to the suit for me to admire, I give him an amused nod in response.
Alexei clears his throat to gather the attention of the others at the table, they all look over as he leans against the doorframe.
“Still fits.” He says rather proudly.
I push myself forwards from the wall and give him a pat on the back as I move into the bathroom, “Looking good Super Soldier.”
Once inside, I close and lock the door; releasing a heavy sigh now that I’m alone.
I move towards the sink, staring up in the mirror at my reflection as I grip the taps. I look exhausted, I feel it too. The lack of sleep from the travelling won’t be helping, and even then any sleep I get is plagued with nightmares.
I gently turn the cold water tap on to allow a steady stream of water to fill the sink. I cup my hands together and place them under the stream to collect enough to rub onto my face.
As I rub the water into my skin, I attempt to remove the stress present in it. Trying to get myself relaxed enough to go back out and join the others.
I take another glance in the mirror, focusing on the water droplets cascading down my face. With a gentle pat on my face with a towel located next to the sink, I move to leave the room. Releasing an exaggerated breath as I do.
As I round the corner I can see that the others are deep in conversation, so I use this as my opportunity to slip in unnoticed.
I move around the table to pull out the chair next to Natasha when Melina says ‘No’.
I freeze in my actions, looking at the others for an explanation- they look just as confused as I am.
“You’re not sitting at my table, I won’t allow it.” She says after a few seconds. I remove my hand from the chair.
Yelena shifts in her chair to look at Melina, glaring at her as Melina chooses to send her harsh glare towards me.
“Melina, let her-“ Alexei attempts to back me up until Melina raises her voice once more.
“I don’t want her at my table and that is final!”
Natasha looks down at her plate awkwardly, opting to stay out of the conversation.
“You can’t treat Lara this way, what is your problem?” Yelena asks Melina with a slight wave of her hands.
“It’s okay Yelena, I’m not going to overstep any boundaries in her own home. I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be down the hall if anyone needs me.” Before any of them could comment further, I walk away from the table, venturing further into Melina’s home.
I’m not completely aware as to why Melina has such hatred towards me, but all I know is the sooner we finish up here, the sooner we leave.
As I walk around, I notice a bookcase filled with dozens of books. I use my fingertips to follow the spines of each book, scanning the titles of each one. Melina must have all the classics, each one lines up the case in alphabetical order.
As I move along the books, I notice one of their bindings feels cold at the touch; almost metallic like. I lean up to pull it out, noticing it’s quite heavy, causing me to use both of my hands to manoeuvre it out of its slot.
As I place it down on the desk below, I notice it has the signature Black Widow 'hourglass’ symbol on it, causing my heart rate to pick up.
It's not a book, it’s a compact safe. Dreykov had them in his office in the Red Room. They’re used for high security files. The safe itself has a special way in which it opens, luckily for me I used to discreetly watch how the General opened them. If he had caught me looking, it would have been an instant punishment for sure.
I use my trembling finger to trace the outline of the Widow symbol, as the first step of accessing the safe. Then I place one finger on each point of the symbol, equally four fingers in total touching the safe. After a second I slowly use my fingers to turn the symbol clockwise until the positions of my fingers have swapped places from top to bottom. The symbol then produces a red light, causing me to return the symbol back to its original position. Once I remove my touch the symbol turns green and a small click can be heard as the mechanism is released.
If any of the steps are incorrectly followed, timings and all, the lock will never open. One of Dreykov’s special requests in order to protect the secrets of the Red Room.
I quickly look around to make sure no one is watching as I gently lift the lid of the safe. I know I shouldn't be looking at Melina’s private materials but at this point, I’m desperate for any clue that might lead us to taking down the Red Room.
To my surprise, there’s only one file in here- a large, brown envelope. Usually they contain more than one item.
I pick the file up and gently open it.
My eyes widen when I see a picture of myself clipped to the papers within- why would Melina have a file on me?
I quickly scan over the information provided on the pieces of paper secured together. It details every mission I have ever been on and my death count. That alone sends a twist in my stomach, it’s like they only cared about the number of lives I took in the name of the Red Room.
I flip through the pieces of paper until I see information of my early years listed.
‘Project ‘Lara’ is remaining successful. The subject seems to be enhancing every day. Constant monitoring is advised to ensure full potential is obtained before maturity is reached.’
I squint my eyes in curiosity, I’ve never seen evaluations such as these. I didn’t even know there were secret files on me from the Red Room.
The part that’s unsettling me most is the way I am referred to as a ‘project’, as though they made me. In a twisted way they did- into a monster.
I notice another piece of paper stuck in the file; which is smaller than the rest.
I place all the other materials down before I pull the piece of paper out. As I unfold it I notice it’s a handwritten letter.
ⴵ
‘I, Melina Vostokoff declare ‘Project Lara’ detrimental to the future of the Red Room. I greatly advise that the subject be terminated.
General Dreykov, I write to you to state that my previous findings and research into this project are not as accurate as one would have hoped. The Subject has taken on the desired traits, yes. However, the various rounds of chemical subjugation we have exposed the Subject to are failing.
I highly recommend that for the safety of our organisation we remove the issue before it becomes a colossal problem with unimaginable consequences.
I understand this reflects poorly on my own work, though I hope we can come to an agreement in which our next project is stronger than the current subject I wish to have terminated- immediately.
ⴵ
I throw the piece of paper down on the desk in anger. Refusing to read on. Melina has essentially made me a death warrant.
I try to regulate my breaths, taking a moment to close my eyes and gather my thoughts.
If this letter makes its way to Dreykov then he will release more Red Room kill squads to assassinate me- somehow more than the ones who are currently on my tail for working with Yelena and Natasha.
After all this time, Melina has been the one influencing my life in the Red Room. I know my control has been slipping over the last year or so, but I never realised it would equal my demise so quickly.
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a plate being placed in front of me with food on it.
I look towards the figure who placed it there to see Natasha smiling at me.
“I had to race Yelena over here to give you this- wait, are you okay?” She asks, presumably as she sees the tears invading my vision.
“Look, if it’s about Melina-“ As soon as her name is mentioned my anger returns. I move the plate from the file found in the safe and grab the handwritten note.
I storm past Natasha and head to the living area where the others are sitting.
I slam the piece of paper in front of Melina, “Do you care to explain?”
She looks towards the paper, taking a sip of her drink with a blank expression, “I don’t have to explain anything to you.”
Her lack of concern sends a wave of rage through me as I pick her up by her collar and drag her to the wall, pinning her up against it.
“Lara! Put her down!” Yelena says as she tries to make her way to me.
“I’m not in the mood for your shit, tell me why you have the file!”
Melina shoves her arms up between mine and spreads them to smack my grip from her clothing.
I quickly block her attacks as I grab onto her arm and shoulder to pin her against the wall once more.
“What does it matter? I never sent the letter.” She says as she breathes through the pain of the pressure I’m placing on her arm.
At this point I don’t think the others dare interfere.
“You produced the letter with the intention of my termination. I want to know why!”
Melina uses her other hand to strike my face, causing me to let her go. In an instant she swipes my legs from under me with her own and sends me onto the floor, harshly.
“To protect you. That letter was written to buy you time in order for you to escape, arrangements by myself were being made to ensure you left the Red Room on your termination day, safely. However, you decided to make your own plans of escape, hence why the letter remains in my possession.” She says as she takes a seat at the table again.
I slowly sit up, wincing from the pain and the room full of glares burning my way, “Why would you help me? You’re the reason I was being mind controlled-“
“To send you back to your family. Lara, I will not explain further to you. It is not my place to tell you why you were stuck in the Red Room in the first place. Now drop it.”
I look at Melina in despair, I was so convinced I didn’t have a family to return to. As I feel the tears run down my face, I quickly get up and make my way out of the door; in order to escape the conversation that would follow.
I walk through the overgrown area of Melina’s garden. Making a point to kick at every flower I come across to release some of my frustration.
Finally I make it to the edge of Melina’s property before I collapse onto the floor with my head in my hands.
After a minute or so I feel a hand being placed on my shoulder, I instantly know it’s Yelena so I gently guide her down to sit next to me on the grass.
A comfortable silence washes over us, every so often my sniffles fill the air. Yelena wraps an arm around me and pulls me close, knowing I only cry when I’m really hurting.
“Do you remember that time Dreykov sent me on a mission and I completely dissociated myself afterwards and you found me punching the sparring equipment till my knuckles bled?” I whisper sadly.
Yelena nods, “Yes, it took me twenty minutes to snap you out of it. You really worried me that day.” She says.
I take a deep breath in, “Well, it was Melina who patched me up after the mission.” I say as I look at Yelena’s face.
She snaps her gaze to me, “Are you sure?”
I nod, “It makes sense now, with the files and everything-“
“No, that’s a misunderstanding, I’m sure.” Yelena says as she stands up from the ground, shaking the dirt from her tactical suit.
I stand up in turn, “A misunderstanding? Yelena, you saw the letter. You heard what Melina said. Don’t you realise, this means I have a family out there somewhere, they could possibly be looking for me and I wouldn’t even know. All my life I’ve had no one, I’ve been a prisoner to the Red Room but now I have the chance to have a real family. To be part of something that really matters.”
Yelena scoffs, “Do you hear yourself Lara? You have me. You’ve always had me, and apparently that wasn’t enough. What, do I not matter?” She asks as she pouts.
“Of course you matter, Yelena! Why are you being like this? You know what I mean, you essentially had a family built for you Lena. I felt as though I had nothing, I mean even you can admit you hated me at first.” I attempt to defend myself against her.
Yelena shakes her head, “Oh so it’s my fault Dreykov assigned me to Alexei and Melina, oh how selfish of me to take away your chance of belonging to a family.”
I clench my jaw, “You know that’s not what I’m saying.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alexei making his way over to us, “Yelena, come inside, I need to talk to you.” He shouts over.
Yelena ignores him as she maintains eye contact with me, “What are you saying then Lara? Do you know what, fine, go and find your precious family. I hope they make you very happy!” Yelena turns to march across to Melina’s farmhouse, barging past Alexei in the process.
He looks over at me and gives me a sympathetic smile, before trailing after an infuriated Yelena.
Once they re-enter the house, I release a desperate sob. Yelena is right, she was all I had in the Red Room and I made her feel like she wasn’t worth anything.
I clutch at my chest, trying to work through the heaviness filling it. Each intake of breath feels like a struggle.
Yelena’s last words ring through my head, causing my heart to ache more.
I turn to take one last look at the Farmhouse before I make my decision to leave. I feel as though I’m causing more problems than I am solving here, maybe the team will progress better without me.
I start to make my way to the woodland surrounding Melina’s home, leaving the conflict behind me.
ⴵ ⴵ/./. ⴵ ⴵ
I haven’t been walking long, the house is still within a viewing distance.
I attempt to quickly make my way through the woodland area, cautiously stepping over exposed tree roots and rocks that litter the dirt lined floor.
The visibility is extremely low, mainly due to the sun setting, making it difficult to make my way through.
I take a moment to stop and think- what am I doing? I can’t leave them, we made a commitment to take down the Red Room together. It’s my responsibility too. I can’t let everyone down; whether Yelena likes it or not, I’m still part of this team.
After mentally scolding myself for even thinking about leaving, I turn back on myself and head back towards the Farmhouse. Until I hear an engine humming from up above.
I quickly take cover behind a tree as I watch it emerge from the clouds. It doesn’t take me long to register that it is in fact a Red Room Aircraft.
I don’t know how they’ve found us, but this really isn’t good. I instantly move out of the woods.
A shock of surprise is sent through my system once the aircraft turns on its ‘searchlight’, illuminating all of its surroundings.
“Shit.” I quietly mumble to myself, making my way discreetly back to the house to make sure at least Yelena and Natasha get out of there alive.
I use the outskirts of the land to run along, knowing the lighting system will not be shined over this way, since its focus is on the occupants inside the house.
As I near the house, I notice another aircraft come into view, hovering over the ground to release some Red Room guards.
They instantly move towards the building with their guns armed and ready.
Before they have a chance to get too close and spot me I instantly run to the back door in sight and open it as quietly and quickly as I can.
Once I’m inside I notice the blinding lights from the aircrafts flooding the rooms. I take my gun out of my holster and aim it in front of myself, not knowing what I’m going up against.
I use my training to move from post to post, avoiding detection. I lean around each corner to check I’m clear, which for the most part I am.
I move past Melina’s bedroom, I use my foot to move the door slightly.
That’s when I notice Alexei is passed out on the floor, the only reason I know he’s not dead is from the presence of several tranquilising darts lodged in his chest.
This just highlights that the Red Room isn’t here to kill us, but rather turn us in and I honestly don’t know which outcome is better suited.
I continue to take cover at each corner of the house, checking all my blind spots for possible attackers.
As I’m scanning my surroundings I spot Yelena on the floor unconscious. I sprint over to her and turn her over so she’s facing me, “Lena! Come on Lena, wake up for me.” I say as I desperately shake her.
As I attempt to wake Yelena up, I look to my side to see Natasha tucked away behind a doorway- unconscious.
Before I can even check on her I am pulled up by my hair and thrown backwards, causing me to crash into a piece of furniture. I yelp out in pain as I land, clutching my side as I try to get back up.
Though my effort is wasted as a brutal kick is delivered to my face, sending me down towards the floor again.
My vision blurs completely, as I hear muffled footsteps.
After a couple of eye squints and a moment to recover I see The Taskmaster towering over me.
My eyes widen as I scramble for my gun, though I am stopped once I hear a voice, “Stop. Move and I will shoot.” I put my hands up in surrender as I glance back at Melina, who is aiming my own gun at me.
“Take her to the aircraft.” With that, Taskmaster picks me up by the back of my suit, guiding me forward.
Melina holds her hand up to signal for The Taskmaster to stop.
“I knew we shouldn’t have trusted you.” I say bitterly.
Melina keeps her stoic expression, “Let’s not keep him waiting.”
ⴵ ⴵ/./. ⴵ ⴵ
Melina attempts to catch my eye, to which I refuse to do. I’m not giving her the satisfaction.
She’s up front piloting the aircraft with a few other guards, meanwhile I’m tied to a chair and gagged.
I look between Alexei, Natasha and Yelena as they remain unconscious, hoping one of them will awaken soon.
Luckily for me, Alexei begins to stir as the tranquilliser lessens its influence on him.
He slowly looks around towards Natasha and Yelena who are on the floor of the aircraft. Then he looks up at me, displaying a confused expression, assumingly wondering how we got into this mess.
I nod my head forward towards Melina, causing him to move his gaze to her location, “Request clearance for landing.” She asks- being given the all clear for landing.
“Melina?” Alexei lets out, causing me to look back towards him. Part of me sympathises for Alexei, to him Melina is everything, and when someone like that betrays you, it’s the worst kind of pain.
Melina barely gives him a glance, resuming her concentration on the journey ahead.
“We’re touching down in one minute.” She announces.
“Then why are we still going up?” Alexei mumbles, still feeling the effect of the drug administered.
That’s when I notice a large structure reveal itself from the clouds- the Red Room.
“Now you’ll know how Dreykov stayed above the radar all these years.”
My worst nightmare has come alive, we’re being sent directly back into the Red Room.
One of the guards administered more tranquilliser into Alexei, knocking him unconscious.
I start to move in my seat, hoping to somehow free myself enough to fight back. My efforts are noticed by Melina as she instructs one of the guards to blindfold me, so I cannot see the process of the entry of the Red Room.
ⴵ ⴵ/./. ⴵ ⴵ
Once we land, I am released from my seat and dragged off the aircraft.
“She stays with me. Take the others to the General’s desired locations.” I hear Melina instruct the guards.
I feel a hand wrap around my arm, causing me to shrug it off. Earning me a smack to the head.
When the hand returns to my arm, I choose to keep it there.
Having the blindfold on reduces my ability to escape, I don’t know how many guards surround me, meaning if I attack, I will most likely be killed within seconds.
We come to a brief halt, as we were walking I heard a collection of stomping, which has now stopped.
Before I had time to think, I was being dragged forwards again.
When we stop again, I hear a click, probably an elevator button. My suspicions are proven right when I hear a ding and the sound of doors opening.
Once I am shoved inside the elevator, Melina peels the blindfold from my eyes. Allowing me to glare at her, “Don’t look at me like that, this is necessary.” She says, causing me to raise my eyebrows in false amusement.
“I’m just glad you’re gagged so I don’t have to hear your insults.” Oh if only Melina knew that I was saving them for as soon as this gag is removed.
Once the doors open we move out of the elevator. I freeze when I realise where we are.
The signature decor hasn’t changed in all this time, we’re outside Dreykov’s office.
Melina senses my panic and moves in front of me, “You need to trust me Lara, I can only protect you if you trust me. Can you do that?”
I look around with panic stricken features, before landing my gaze on Melina. She places her hands either side of my shoulders, awaiting my answer.
With no other options available to me, I give her a nod.
After all this time, I have to face General Dreykov again.
All that runs through my head is, ‘This will be the day that I die’.
Warnings: The Red Room tactics are mentioned; mention of weapons including knives and bombs- therefore explosions; mentions of injury caused by knives; mentions of choking and fighting, slight mention of death. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 1313 words.
Summary: This is your chance to escape, will you make it?
A/N: This is the first piece of writing I have for Yelena, I do intend to make this a series concerning the ‘Black Widow’ movie, the name of the Fic will make sense along the way. This fic was inspired by the music “Yelena Belova” taken from the ‘Black Widow” movie’s soundtrack by Lorne Balfe, (I definitely recommend playing it as you read, it will be included down below). I hope you all enjoy!
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Translation: “идиот” - ‘idiot’.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
Slowly we make our way through the halls- exhibiting plain, white, tedious walls. Yet they still manage to carry a sense of terror within them. Terror felt and experienced by Widows of all ages. Yelena and myself not being any exception in that circumstance.
She knows what needs to happen today, we’ve been planning it for months; silently communicating throughout our training sessions- Morse code being our saviour. I know she’s nervous, I know she’s having her doubts about this scheme, but we need to escape. If not for ourselves, but for the family left behind in Ohio, well the idea of one at least. Me? I have no one but Yelena, never knowing the true meaning of family, she’s my best friend, my hero; I just wish she saw herself like that sometimes and not a monster of Dreykov’s creation.
After working so closely under General Dreykov’s watchful eye, you pick up some things. Whether that be classified information that you should be none the wiser to, or simple things like which Widow is next in line to be terminated- that one is the most unsettling, knowing that one of your own is about to have what little life they had to begin with ripped away by one push of a button.
Each twist and turn through the facility impacts my stomach in the same way, slowly twisting an overwhelming nauseous sensation within me. I even out my breaths, I can’t show any sign of hesitation to Yelena, she needs to know we’re in this together. Though I especially cannot show my hesitation to the guards escorting us to the General’s Office, one wrong move and we may be trapped in this prison forever- it’s now or never.
When you have been in ‘The Red Room’ for as long as I have, you know when you have to ‘walk the Green Mile’ as they say, though they won’t terminate anyone as valuable as Yelena and I, in the physical sense, they’ll find a way to do it mentally; you become a shell of yourself, a nobody with no empathy, no compassion- you become the ‘perfect soldier’.
The telltale signs are visible:
- Armed guards surrounding us, watching our every move.
- Lack of instruction, other than the occasional “walk” demanded by the puppets of The Red Room.
- Morning isolation from all other Widows, an intimidation tactic to enforce further control.
It can only mean one thing: Chemical Subjugation awaits us.
The plan is simple: Distract, Attack and Run.
Distract-
Being a trained Spy has its perks, like being able to deceive anyone you come into contact with. With this, I have a handy and dare I say it clever, miniature bomb pellet of my own making tucked into my sleeve. (It packs quite the punch, adding to my uneasiness slightly, I mean I said it was clever, not perfect, this little sucker could go off any second).
Through the weeks I marked out the weakest spot closest to Dreykov’s office for my device to work its magic, which is approximately in 5 steps.
5…4…3…2…1
Boom!
A thunderous rumble breaks its way through The Red Room. In its making, causing part of the flooring to collapse behind us… wait we’re in the air? No time to dwell, Yelena needs me.
Attack-
Four guards, two Widows, this should be easy.
Yelena is the first to move, she slides straight onto her knees, knife in hand slashing the leg of the first guard. Causing him to surge forward to assess his wound, she uses this to her advantage and punches straight up, impacting his face with an unforgiving force.
The sound of bullets fills the corridor, causing me to act on instinct. I reach a guard, grabbing onto his gun and twisting his wrist in one quick, decisive motion causing him to squeal in pain; using my other hand to strike his face. He’s temporarily dazed, so I use his body to stabilise myself as I kick one of my legs up to wrap tightly around his neck. Once secure, I push my body weight forward, causing the guard to slam down instantly.
As I stand to finish him off, a guard grips my throat from behind and puts me in a headlock. I’m about to retaliate when I feel the weight instantly release, I turn to investigate, when I witness the said guard flying towards the hole made in The Red Room’s flooring. He grips the edge, attempting to stay upon the Flying Fortress, I help him out by stomping on his fingertips, causing him to lose his grip and ultimately fall to his demise.
“I am taking credit for that one” Yelena muses.
“You can gloat when we’re out of here” I bite back, this is far from over.
The remaining, uninjured guard is missing, that can't be good.
The corridor is plunged into darkness, before I can react I am sent flying into a wall, having received a brutal kick to my stomach. Trying to regain my breath back, I look up to see the emergency generator has kicked in, illuminating the halls in a devilish red. That’s when I see the figure of nightmares staring at me- The Taskmaster.
Run- for one of us at least.
There’s no way we are both getting out of here, not with The Taskmaster standing in our way. I need to get Yelena to safety.
In a matter of seconds, Yelena advances towards Taskmaster. Every Widow knows the unlimited capabilities Taskmaster possesses, they’re practically invincible. She’s about to strike, but before she makes impact, Taskmaster blocks and pushes her arm away, using their other hand to grip Yelena’s throat, effortlessly lifting her from the ground.
Fury drives me forward, I am about to attack when Taskmaster kicks their leg out without hesitation. I barely dodge it.
Yelena is becoming weaker by the second, in desperation I perform a series of quick, hardened strikes across Taskmaster’s body. Taking an interest in my persistent attacks, they throw Yelena to the ground without a second thought.
I will myself to ignore the desperate gasps of air Yelena struggles to regain. She needs to leave, I don’t take my eyes from the looming figure, slowly making its way towards me when I address Yelena: “Lena go! I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
Taskmaster reaches behind themself, unveiling a hidden, deadly blade. They’re quick to make a swipe in my direction, inches from slashing my armour.
“идиот, I am not leaving you behind, just give me a minute-“. Yelena struggles to finish her sentence.
“Yelena, you’re running out of time, get out of here, do whatever it takes okay!” I huff out whilst actively avoiding the menacing, sharp strikes aimed in my direction.
I’m too focused on the Taskmaster to feel a grapple claw being attached to my right foot, I hear a click, then I’m floored and dragged across the ground rapidly. I slide off the edge of the broken flooring, just barely latching onto a broken pipe. My grip is loose, but enough.
“Yelena, what are you doing? Pull me up!” I shout to compensate for the disruption of the speeding air around me.
“I am doing whatever it takes, come back for me okay.” Yelena reaches for her knife and slashes the grapple rope still attached to my clothing.
“Lena, please don’t-'' I cry, but before I can finish my plea, Yelena pushes me off the pipe and I go spiralling down towards the ground. Barely gathering my surroundings, before activating my suit’s glide mechanic.
Before Yelena can move, Taskmaster takes one swipe across her head, knocking her to the ground. They’re about to impale her with the blade when they are stopped by a mature voice.
“Stop, the General requires her presence- alive. Go and clean up your mess, no one escapes The Red Room, not anymore”.
Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Yelena Belova x Reader (Platonic)
Warnings: Mentions of the Red Room tactics; mentions of blood; mentions of killing; dark themes; mention of injuries sustained from torture; trauma response described; mention of weapons. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 2628 words.
Summary: It’s time to pay Melina a visit, but will she have all the answers?
A/N: Part 9 of ‘The Unknown Widow’. One step closer to the end… also I wrote this at like 4 am so if it doesn’t make sense I apologise. Also when the reader has no recollection of what is happening- I’ve used it as a trauma response from the mission.
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
The aircraft makes a harsh landing in the middle of nowhere- having run out of fuel.
Yelena and I jolted forwards, both releasing grunts of pain from the restriction caused by the seatbelts tightening over our chests.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, struggling to take my seatbelt off.
“Never better,” She sarcastically replies as she slumps back in her chair, catching her breath from the impact.
I turn to look towards the back, “Are you two okay?” I ask, noticing how Natasha gets straight up and staggers to the door, opening it in frustration. Alexei on the other hand is struggling to his feet after having fallen from his seat- that will teach him to wear his seatbelt next time.
After taking a few seconds to gather our surroundings, we exit the aircraft with all of our supplies. I look around at the mixture of purple flowers and green details surrounding us- it’s beautiful, though simple it’s somewhat calming after the last few hours we’ve just endured.
I take a big breath in, filling my lungs with fresh air, I turn to look at Yelena who’s smirking at me. I release my breath, “What?”
“Oh nothing, you’re just acting like you’ve never been outside before.” She says.
“Well, after being in a confined space with Alexei for hours, you take all the fresh air you can get.” I jokingly remark.
Yelena releases a breath of amusement, seemingly agreeing that Alexei’s prison days have not treated him well.
I look over to see Natasha is squatting on the floor, glaring around as she processes the situation we’re in. The last thing we need is Natasha in a bad mood.
The irritating sound of the aircraft rattling from its damages disturbs the calming atmosphere, suddenly a wave of black smoke emerges from the structure- signalling that it is done for.
Alexei decides that this is the perfect opportunity to say, “You should’ve brought the Avengers’ superjet.”
I turn to him and display a look of amazement, surely he knows this type of comment will only annoy Natasha and Yelena further. He studies my face in confusion and mouths ‘What?’ to me as he shrugs his shoulders.
I just shake my head as I turn to see Natasha and Yelena venturing away from the scene.
“I swear, if I hear one more word from him, I will kick him in the face.” I hear Yelena say as I jog up alongside them.
“Now, now Yelena, we’ve talked about these urges.” I teasingly say.
“He’s the exception, he deserves it.” She bites back, allowing Alexei to get under her skin.
Alexei calls for Natasha, causing her to release an unamused sigh as we carry on walking through the naturally decorated track.
Alexei chases after us, repeating Natasha’s name in order to catch her attention.
“Come here, I want to ask you something.” He says in a desperate tone, Natasha looks at Yelena as they both mutually roll their eyes.
Yelena and myself decide to carry on walking as Natasha turns to him expectantly, she gives him a simple, ‘What?’ As he tries to think of his next words to her.
We make a short distance ahead, though barely being able to hear what Alexei and Natasha are discussing.
“What are you thinking?” Yelena suddenly asks me.
I look at her, shaking my head slightly, “It doesn’t matter.”- she knows me too well.
Yelena nudges her arm into me, causing me to veer off the path a bit before I reclaim my spot next to her, “Come on, we don’t keep secrets.”
I release a sigh, “It’s just what Alexei said on the aircraft- about me helping you two out and him being surprised. Also the stuff about Dreykov.”
“What about Dreykov?” She asks as she studies my face with concern.
“Something about him using me as ‘payback’, I don’t know Yelena. It just seems like an odd thing for him to say.” I look towards the ground, kicking the odd pebble I come across.
Yelena is about to reply before we hear Natasha raise her voice from behind us, “You haven’t seen Yelena or I in twenty years and you’re gonna ask me about you?” She says in a displeased tone.
Yelena and I turn around to see Alexei standing off to the side, “What is with this tension? Did I do something wrong?” He asks.
Yelena rubs at her forehead and releases a pitied laugh, “Is that a serious question?”
“Is he just referring to today or…” I add, wondering how Alexei could be so oblivious to his inappropriate ways.
“Oh because you’re so perfect, last I heard you were Dreykov’s most prized possession.” Alexei remarks.
“Ah, well he has a new toy he likes to send out on missions, I’m essentially worthless to him now.” I say, not wanting to get into the details of the Taskmaster.
Alexei raises an eyebrow at that piece of information, clearly being the first time he’s heard of this, “How the mighty fall” he says, causing me to shake my head in amusement.
He releases a sigh, before glancing between Natasha and Yelena, “I only ever loved you girls, I did my best to make sure you would succeed. To achieve your fullest potential; and everything worked out.” He proclaimed.
Natasha shook her head, tired of hearing Alexei’s words, “Everything worked out?” She questioned.
Alexei was quick to confirm this, highlighting that for Natasha something did work out for her in her life- however that was of her own making.
I decided to take a seat on the ground, knowing Alexei was going to go off on a tangent in concern with the past.
I start picking aimlessly at the grass whilst Alexei praises the efforts of Yelena for being one of the best assassins to come out of the Red Room and to Natasha for becoming an Avenger.
This causes me to wonder if this is what it’s like to have proud parents- another thing the Red Room deprived the Widows of.
I look up to see Alexei grabbing Natasha and Yelena’s arms, shaking them to emphasise his words, “Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red.” I smirk as I notice Yelena staring at her flopping arm in confusion.
Alexei finally pulls them both into a hug, telling them how proud he is of them.
However, Natasha firmly pushes away from him, looking at him in disgust- the things he’s most proud of are her worst nightmares about herself.
She scoffs as she storms straight past me, I watch her go past, wanting to comfort her but not really knowing how. I pick myself up as Alexei tightens his hold on Yelena, giving her a kiss on the head.
Yelena protests, “Okay, let go of me now, you smell really bad.” -Touching on the subject we discussed earlier.
I can’t help but smile as she makes her way over to me, causing her to playfully shove at my head before I can say anything. I link my arm through hers as we walk after Natasha.
ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ\\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ
After about ten minutes of walking, the group is divided. Alexei and Natasha are up ahead- Alexei is desperately trying to plead his case to Natasha, explaining why she should embrace her past and not fear it.
Yelena and I are slowly trailing behind, not really up for Natasha’s sour mood, all thanks to Alexei.
As we’re walking I can hear Yelena humming a tune, whilst adjusting the bag in her hand. It takes me a few seconds to register what it is but I decipher it enough to join in, “So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.” I sing softly.
This causes Yelena’s gaze to shoot over to me, “You remembered?” She says with a giddy smile.
“Of course I do, you used to sing it to me when I had a nightmare, it always calmed me down enough for me to go back to sleep.” I say as I shove my hands in my pockets, focusing on the ground in front.
Yelena looks away in sadness, knowing how hard those times were for the both of us.
I look over and see the serious look on her face, so I decide to change that. I know the song means a lot to Yelena, so now we can make a new, happier memory with it.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and continue the song, “Drove my Chevy to the levee-“
“But the levee was dry.” Yelena finishes as she hooks her arm around my waist.
By now we were both singing, “Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing ‘This will be the day that I die’. This will be the day that I die!” We finish off in a fit of laughter knowing our singing could use some work.
We finish the rest of the song skipping behind Alexei and Natasha.
We don’t notice how Natasha looks behind at us, smiling at the way we interact so carefree, making each other happy.
Natasha stands still for a moment, causing Alexei to stop, she nods her head to signal for him to carry on- he does, placing his hands in his pockets and admiring the scenery.
We walk closer to her as she addresses Yelena, “Lena, go walk with Alexei and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Yelena whines in protest, “Natasha-“
Natasha sends her a glare, causing her to huff in frustration and march her way towards Alexei.
I start to get nervous, wondering why Natasha wanted to get me alone. She matches my pace as she walks beside me, “You know, I never did thank you properly for saving her.” She says out of nowhere.
I look at her puzzled, hoping she’ll elaborate, “I always wanted to save Yelena, I thought about her every day I was out of the Red Room. She means more to me than life itself, I just have a funny way of showing it I guess.” She says as she smiles sadly at herself.
I use this as my moment to talk, “She loves you, you know. She talked about you every day when we were in the Red Room. Even when we were told to view you as the enemy she did nothing but praise you to me. Yes, she was hurt by your leaving but she thinks the world of you Natasha.” I look over to see her avoiding my gaze, she discreetly tries to cover her sniffles by clearing her throat in between.
“Well thank you for looking after her for me.” She says simply.
I smile gratefully at Natasha, “She’s like family to me, I’d do anything for her.”
Natasha looks at me with tear filled eyes, “I guess that makes you family to me too.”
My heart soars at this, not just from Natasha trusting me enough to open up but for her acknowledging her past ties to Yelena- If only she was this understanding at the gas station with Yelena.
We continue our journey in silence- well that is until Yelena and I have to swap places as she threatened to push Alexei down the hill if she had to walk one more step next to him.
ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ\\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ
“Melina’s farm should be just down here.” Alexei announces.
Unbeknownst to us, we were being stalked by a sniper.
I stop, allowing Yelena to jump off my back from giving her a piggyback- to which I jokingly offered, not expecting her to actually take advantage of it.
I glance down at the scene ahead, spotting a small pig farm. It blends in well, not easily found by civilians.
I look over at Yelena, noticing her displaying a pout as she looks on.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head, trying to rid the tears starting to form, “This is going to be really hard.”
Before I can comfort her she walks forward with Natasha and Alexei, causing me to follow also.
As we near closer I spot the fences surrounding the farm, as I look along them to view what is contained within them I notice a woman holding a rather impressive sniper in her hands staring at us in conflict.
She studies each of our faces rigorously. When her eyes meet mine her features seem to harden. Though I was convinced I hadn’t met Melina, there’s something awfully familiar about her now that I see her up close.
I find myself looking away from her gaze out of fear. I stare at the grass surrounding the fence as I hear Alexei announce, “Honey, we’re home.”
I come to the realisation that I blocked her out for a reason.
ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ\\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ
“Did anyone survive?” General Dreykov questioned me.
“No, General. I eliminated them all as per your request.” I reply in a monotone way.
“The files. Did you retrieve them?” He asks as he makes his way around the desk.
I nod, “Yes, I handed them over to a Guard as soon as I returned to base.”
General Dreykov claps his hands slowly, stopping in front of me, “Well done Lara, those files are vital to the next phase of our rise to power. Those worthless lives you took today, they were too naive to understand the power they had in their possession. We did them a favour. You’re dismissed, return to your chamber at once.”
“Thank you General.” I say as I salute him and make my way out of his office.
I march through the halls of the Red Room like a robot. My face shows no emotion, my mind is blank other than the screams of my victims replaying on a constant loop.
I am brought to a halt when a hand is placed on my shoulder.
I don’t dare look at who has stopped me, I just look forward, desperate to escape the reality I’m in.
I see the basic outline of a figure standing in front of me, tilting my jaw from side to side slightly to assess the damage from my mission.
“Come with me.” Is all I hear as I am guided to an unknown part of the facility.
By this point, I’m completely lost. I can’t register anything, not actions; not people; nothing. I put a mental, protective barrier up to process what I have just done to those innocent victims who were just trying to stop Dreykov from gaining more power than he already has.
Due to this, I don’t register as gentle hands rid me of my blood stained tactical suit, as they whisper several apologies for me having to go through this and wishing they could do more to help me. How those gentle hands run me a warm bath and help wash all the blood from my skin and hair- majority of the blood not being my own. The water now being tainted with blood of the victims of the Red Room. How the owner of these gentle hands cry as they trace the scars on my back from General Dreykov’s punishments.
I just sit there and stare at nothing.
Eventually they dry me off and dress me into a fresh, standard Widow suit- ready for training. As soon as they’re done, they inhale a deep breath of composure and state, “You’re dismissed Widow.”
The only part I do register is my salute and continuation of my march through the Red Room.
ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ\\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ \\\ ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ
I’m brought out of my daze when Yelena places a hand on me, causing me to flinch.
“Hey, hey Lara, we’re going inside. You okay?” She asks as she notices my panicked expression.
I nod wordlessly as I make my way towards the farmhouse.
My mind races with thoughts and questions, how will I tell Natasha and Yelena that Melina, their ‘Mother’ helped me in the Red Room in secret and it is only now that my mind is free that I have just realised it.
Warnings: The Red Room/ General Dreykov’s tactics are mentioned; mentions of mind control; sad Yelena (don’t worry she is comforted). If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 2345 words.
Summary: “We can send these to the ‘someone’ I know”- can they be trusted?
A/N: Part 3 of The Unknown Widow. Let’s just say this chapter is the ‘calm before the storm’. I hope you all are enjoying this series!
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
It was the early hours of the morning when we finally arrived in Budapest, having spent the last two days travelling and preparing for the road ahead. At that time, Yelena made a point to send the ‘Package’ to the person she refuses to name. It’s not that I don’t trust Yelena, I trust her with my life, but part of this situation is hurting me that she feels as though she cannot tell me.
Along the way, Yelena had suggested we ditch the initial getaway car and proceed on foot to a local airfield. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, having a few ‘loose ends’ on my tail as it is, the more I remain out of sight, the better.
It’s not difficult for a couple of ex-Red Room members to acquire some fake travel documents and fake IDs. During one of our pit stops to get some food/ supplies, I visited a past connection from my time in The Red Room, knowing their loyalty to myself outweighs that of Dreykov’s- after all I’ve saved their life countless times. That’s when I got our documents, alongside an update that I’m still the ‘Number one hit’ on The Red Room’s list, I guess they know how to hold a grudge.
When we made it to the airfield, I had full intentions of using our documents to board a flight, let’s just say Yelena had other plans, with one stolen Plane later, we were en route to where we are now.
▸ ⧗ ┈┈┈┈ ⧗ ┈┈┈┈ ⧗ ◂
When we pulled up to the building Yelena had suggested, I couldn’t believe how magnificent it was. We parked up a Motorcycle we picked up along the way; around the corner for a quick getaway if we needed it.
Walking through the building’s courtyard, I took my time admiring the building’s details. I don’t know how Yelena has ties to this place but I’m thankful, it certainly beats the cheap, dirty Hotel rooms I’ve inhabited along the way.
Yelena leads me up a lengthy staircase, I groan internally, wishing I’d opted for the lift- “It is only a few stairs”, -never trust Yelena Belova with approximations.
Eventually, we made it to the apartment door, that’s when I asked, “How do you know about this place?” Yelena counters with “You are not the only one with connections, Lara. Mine are much cooler than yours.” With a playful shove to her arm, she leads us through the door.
It’s perfect, spacious, neat and it has a sizable bed- which I have a long overdue appointment with.
We place the few belongings we have on the kitchen table, both collapsing into the chairs available, releasing breaths of exhaustion. I am about to reach into one of the bags when Yelena speaks up, “Where have you been all this time? No one could trace you, not even the entire Red Room, they even brought additional forces in you know, yet you remained ‘invisible’, untraceable”.
I pull my arm back to myself, slowly casting my gaze up to Yelena’s face, trying to figure out the best explanation I can give, “I was busy, avoiding Dreykov’s ‘Favourite Toy’, we both know how relentless The Taskmaster is. I assumed he put a hit out on me as soon as I escaped, so I’ve been on the run, searching for you along the way.”
Yelena absorbs my explanation, a slight smirk plays on her lips, “Yes, The Red Room was not best pleased when their ‘Golden Child’ turned against them…” I feel my heart rate pick up at that remark, my mind flooding with memories of my former life, a life I deeply regret and can only wish the memory of will fade over time.
Yelena can sense the change in the atmosphere, deciding it was best to change the conversation, “Do you remember when we first met?”
It’s my turn to smirk now, relishing at the memory, “How could I forget, it’s probably one of the highlights of my life. Wow, you were so stubborn.”
Yelena exhibits fake offence, mouth open and eyebrows scrunched, “Excuse me, I am not and never have been stubborn.” I release a breath of disbelief, “Well that is exactly how I remember it.”
I am making my way through one of the many corridors occupying The Red Room; every meeting I am forced to endure with General Dreykov makes my skin crawl. I have days like this where everything associated with The Red Room makes me sick to my stomach, the tactics, the schemes; it's all a nightmare. Other days, I live and breathe The Red Room, it’s like someone flips a switch in me, I need to figure out why this keeps happening, and how I stop it. I assume over time I will pick the most appropriate outcome. I am completely lost in thought until I hear a sound in the seemingly empty hall.
I put my guard up, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had an intruder within The Red Room. I take a moment to listen to the sound, in order to both identify and locate it. Though to my surprise it sounds like… crying?
A slight fear enters my system, we are not allowed to display emotions, anytime we are caught doing so we are sent to the ‘Conditioning Room’.
I pace my steps as I move closer to the source of the sound, I enter a darkened room, which must be an old training room- having never entered it before. I locate a light switch placed at the room’s entrance to turn it on and scan the room. At first I see nothing but disused sparring dummies and training mats. I am in the process of leaving the room, when I hear the sound again. After another glance around the room, I notice another Widow, in the far corner of the room.
I slowly make my way over to her, crouching down in front in order to get a better look at what I’m dealing with here. That’s when she notices my presence and freezes in surprise. She begins to shift away, I quickly act in order to calm her, “Hey, hey it is okay, I am not going to hurt you.”
She looks at me in both fear and surprise, probably not expecting my actions/ words. She starts to relax once she concludes I am not a threat. I sit down on the floor, in order to prepare myself, hoping she can trust me enough to tell me what is going on.
She doesn’t speak for a few minutes, awkwardly glancing around the room, I take this as my cue to start the conversation.
“What is your name?” I ask, her eyes shoot to look at my face, her face slowly desensitises, as she replies, “I am not telling you my name.”
Fair enough, I rack my brain for another question, hopefully one she’s willing to answer, that’s when I ask, “Are you okay?”. I cringe at that, to which the girl replies exactly what I’m thinking, “Does it look like I am okay?”
‘Well done Lara’, I internally scolded myself.
“Look, if you want to talk about-“ my sentence is put on hold when the girl raises her voice.
“Can you leave me alone? You would not like to be caught with me and punished would you, we cannot have the ‘Favourite’ having their name tarnished in any way.” She practically spits the statement at me, I grimace at the nickname, hating that General Dreykov shows a special interest in me- leading to me receiving constant training and mission privileges. In his eyes, I am ‘The One Who Will Lead The Red Room To Its Ultimate Glory’, to this day I still do not understand why he states that.
I feel as though I am causing more distress than I am solving, so I pick myself up and begin walking to the room’s exit. I turn at the last second before leaving, mumbling, “I know what you all think of me, I know it must seem like I enjoy being the centre of the General’s attention, but I can assure you I do not. If you ever want to talk, you can come to me, we can find a way to do it discreetly to avoid punishment… speaking of, the guards are due to make their rounds in 20 minutes, make sure you are out of here before then”. I take a step when I hear her voice again.
“Yelena, my name is Yelena.” I turn to see her looking straight at me, a regretful look on her face.
“I’m Lara.” I say as I slowly make my way back to her position. “I know” she lets out, whilst signalling for me to sit down next to her.
“That was the day I had to make my first kill, a fellow Widow, I was heartbroken, I felt like a monster. You stayed with me, listened and comforted me, right until the guards came and you showed me a way through the vents in order to escape a punishment.” Yelena muses, her eyes slightly glazing with tears as recalls the memory.
I sit there staring at the table, “Yeah well, I have always been cool, knowing all the tricks of the trade and all.” I attempt to lift the mood.
Yelena laughs at that, “You wish.”
I smile in response, glad that I was able to make Yelena somewhat happier. “As much as I love the throwback opportunity, we need to discuss the vials, Lena”. I hate that I have to bring the topic up, but time is not on our side right now.
Yelena shifts in her chair, attempting to straighten her already impeccable posture. “What is there to discuss, they have been sent, it will be handled.” Yelena displays a slight defensive tone.
“I am fully aware Yelena, but we cannot just sit here and wait to see what might happen, you know what’s at stake here.” I hate to seem like I am pushing Yelena but we have a job to do.
“It has only been two days, give them some time.” I can’t help but roll my eyes at that.
“It has nearly been three days, Yelena and we haven’t heard a thing, we haven’t seen any results. Who did you even send them to?” Yelena looks away, apparently more interested in the Kitchen’s decor than the conversation at hand. I use my foot to turn her chair, forcing her to look at me.
“I do not want to say,” she soon changes her mind when she sees the unimpressed expression on my face, “It is Natasha”.
I raise my one of my eyebrows in confusion, “Natasha? The one from-“ Yelena doesn’t let me finish when she lets out an eager ‘Yes’, obviously not wanting to go into the details.
“Why didn’t you just tell me.” I ask.
“I was not sure how you would react, you know the history, you know I have not seen her in many years.” Yelena stands up and walks towards the living area of the apartment, I choose to follow.
“How do you know where she even is?” I question, honestly shocked she considered Natasha as an option, having been separated from her since Natasha escaped The Red Room.
She continues through the apartment, actively trying to get away from the conversation, “Look, I am completely exhausted and I need to rest, just drop it.” At that she storms into the bedroom.
I sigh in defeat, making my way back to the living area, I take a seat on one of the chairs and begin to rub at my temples. I close my eyes trying to gather my thoughts, when I hear a door open and hesitant footsteps. I look up to see Yelena rejoining me; sitting across from me. I can tell she has been crying, which is no surprise to me with everything she has gone through these past few days, and now the involvement of her ‘sister’.
“I thought she would help us, I really did.” She bows her head, playing with the watch on her wrist.
“I don’t want to doubt her, Yelena, but this is too important. For all we know she doesn’t even have the vials, we can’t risk them falling into The Red Room’s hands again.” I hate the look of disappointment on Yelena’s face.
“I know, what are we going to do?” She looks at me, waiting for a plan of action to be presented.
“Well, you are going to have a rest, and I will go and retrieve the vials.” I stand and make my way to the supplies gathered, preparing for my task.
Yelena is quick to follow, “What? You cannot go on your own, I am coming with you.”
“Lena, I will not ask you to face Natasha, especially if she hasn’t even got the vials in the first place, it might be too painful for you. Honestly, you don’t need to come with me.” I zip up my bag, throwing it over my shoulder.
“You have not even rested, you do not need to go this instant.” Yelena tries to reason with me, but I’m not having it.
“I will sleep on the plane, plus it will let me put these fake documents to use” I give Yelena a playful nudge to try and cheer her up. She grabs my arm in response, knowing I am not going to change my mind.
“Just… come back as soon as you can, okay.” She moves to write down the last known location she has for Natasha, handing it to me. I pull her into a hug, “I will, let me know if anything happens okay, stay safe Lena”.
I leave the apartment before either one of us changes our mind. I know this is risky, but what part of this isn’t. I grab the piece of paper with Natasha’s location written on it, out of my pocket, “Norway, this is going to be fun”.
Warnings: Mentions of explosions/fire; descriptions of fighting, mentions of pain, explicit language. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 3585 words.
Summary: Natasha needs Lara’s help.
A/N: Part 5 of The Unknown Widow. Finally, we have Natasha Romanoff!! (The fic includes two POV’S, the main character’s and Natasha’s). The music that inspired this fic is from the ‘Black Widow’ Movie soundtrack, the sound included is ‘From the Shadows’ by Lorne Balfe. I recommend playing it alongside reading the fic, but it is completely up to you. I hope you enjoy!
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
I feel as though I can’t move. I know I should go and help but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’ve spent months trying to avoid a situation just like this one.
I don’t want to risk going head to head with The Taskmaster again- especially if I can avoid it, one wrong move and I’m trapped in The Red Room again.
Whoever is in the wreckage must be a high profile target, the ‘Taskmaster Protocol’ is only initiated as a last resort. Somehow I have avoided the attention, since Taskmaster is advancing towards the blazing car.
I start to grip the steering wheel, not knowing what else to do. When you imagine situations like this, you believe that you will be brave enough to fight, but with the nightmare I experienced on the plane looming over me still, I’m finding it extremely difficult to remain brave right now.
I’m here to see Natasha and to retrieve the vials, not get involved in another mess.
A surge of guilt fills my system as I turn on the car’s ignition, preparing to drive away.
I place my arm around the passenger seat’s headrest, turning slightly to get a better view behind me. I’m about to reverse the car when I take one last glance at the scene ahead.
“You’ve got to be kidding me” I let out.
Of all people to stagger out of the burning heap of metal, it just had to be Natasha Romanoff.
Well this changes everything.
If I turn around now, Yelena will quite literally kill me. Though that still doesn’t do anything about my earlier fears.
I can leave, can’t I? This is Natasha Romanoff we are talking about here, an ex-Widow and an Avenger. She can take care of herself, I’m sure of it. Since she is preoccupied, I could just head to where she’s staying and search for the vials myself.
The last thing I wanted to be doing tonight was to be driving out for more supplies. Ever since the ‘Sokovia Accords’ drama, I have had this uneasiness about travelling out alone. I feel like Ross is watching me everywhere I go. Hopefully I get to spend a few weeks at least in Norway before I have to move again. Thankfully he always seems to be many steps behind me, giving me a bit of time to move around before he’s too close for comfort.
I pull up to a T-intersection along the road, luckily the closest gas station is only a 10 minute drive away. I check both ways before slowly edging out, turning left-
*Bang*
It all happens so fast, one minute I’m driving along, the next my car is engulfed in flames, and sent flying across the bridge.
A few barrel rolls later, the car finally comes to a grinding halt; crashing into a section of the barrier lining the bridge. I feel all over the place, my vision is blurred; my ears are ringing; my entire body is shaking.
I try to reclaim my surroundings, taking a few steady breaths to work through the pain surging through my body. That’s when I realise the precarious situation I’m in- the car is dangling over the edge, a river runs below, I try to remain as still as possible to prevent it from falling.
I shoot a glance to my left, noticing a menacing figure making its way to my car. I forget all my efforts to remain as still as possible. If whoever is making their way over to me can cause this amount of destruction in one go, I highly doubt they’re just coming over here to talk. I scramble to unbuckle my seatbelt, allowing me room to move. I stop my action when the car suddenly tips forward, looming over the edge further. Broken shards of glass make their way past me, I grab onto the dashboard to steady myself.
The figure is getting closer, I make my way up the car, pushing my feet from the dashboard in front of me. I remember the gun I stashed in the car, I struggle, but I manage to reach it. I pull it close to me as I reach an open point from the back seat of the car, the window being absent from the blast.
I choose to address the presence walking over to me, “I’m pretty sure Ross has no jurisdiction here.” This has to be Ross’ doing, no one else would be that desperate to take me in, or worse, take me out.
I level myself into a shooting position, perching myself on the vacant seats, “And you should know I’m a better shot when I’m pissed off”.
I send a few shots their way from my gun, emptying my first clip. Out of nowhere they take hold of a shield to deflect every bullet. As I am reloading the gun, I take notice of how they peer around their shield, it’s borderline petrifying, where the hell did Ross pluck this one from?
I am about to resume my attack when their shield comes flying in my direction. I anticipate a hit causing me to flinch, but luckily it wedges itself in the metal frame of where the window once stood.
I take this as my cue to get out of the car, I clamber out and onto the road. I shuffle myself forward, on my knees, keeping my position set as I aim my weapon forward. I scan the scene in front of me, looking for my attacker… they’re not there. They can’t have just vanished. I look over my left shoulder, ensuring all of my surroundings are covered, until I hear a sound originating from my right. I turn instantly, seeing the figure lunge themself from the remnants of the car. They flip over me, I send shots their way throughout their jump, hoping to hit them with at least one bullet, but of course they dodge every shot with their reclaimed shield.
I continue my efforts, they land directly in front. They charge forward towards me, displaying their shield. Suddenly, they bring one of their feet up from the ground, kicking the gun from my hand as they perform a backwards manoeuvre. Being disarmed, I make a move to get behind them, I kick one of my legs up, lifting myself from the ground, using their body as a guide to allow myself to wrap both of my legs either side of their head. I throw my body weight forward, attempting to floor them; to which they grab my body and guide me back down to the ground.
To my surprise, they used this opportunity to repeat my move on me, exactly how I performed it on them. Only this time, they got my desired outcome, causing me to be floored instead. I roll away from them, confused with how they just replicated one of my signature moves so quickly and so accurately.
I turn to see them staring at me intently, almost as if they’re assessing my every move. I tilt my head in interest, having never experienced this type of situation before. I need to regain control of the situation, I ready myself to lunge back to my feet. One swift push from the ground I am directly eye level with- wait, what? Did they anticipate my move? This cannot be a coincidence, I don’t know if they are learning my tactics as I go, or if they have been watching me for longer than I have even realised. They’re mirroring everything I do.
I stare at my own reflection in their mask, trying to zone in on the data displayed in red on the glass. This must be how they’re copying my every move. I keep my attention focused on them, trying to gauge their next move. When they turn their gaze to the road behind them, I follow their line of sight.
They stand up and make their way over to where the car ruins are, it takes me a few seconds to realise what they’re walking over to.
“You’re not here for me”, I deduce, the only thing I can see that is worth taking is a package Rick Mason delivered to me at the trailer, I haven’t even taken the time to see what it is.
It must be of value for all this trouble to be caused for its retrieval. The question is, who’s after it.
I quickly swipe a concealed knife out of my shoe. I charge forward, attempting to stop the individual from getting to the package. As I go to swipe, they catch my hand, turning themselves around to block each swipe I take. I drop my blade, moving swiftly down to catch it to attempt a slice across their leg. They dodge each time I make an attempt, slowly spinning themselves away from my attacks, lifting each leg every time.
They bend one of their knees to catch my blade, sending me down to the ground as they lurch forward. Now kneeling, they use the time to pin my arm underneath them, I struggle to remove it from their hold. They grab tightly at my hair, lifting my head. I release a series of grunts, clutching at their hand to try and relieve the pressure. Once they have lifted me they send a punch straight to my stomach, the force sends me skidding across the road. I smack my head upon landing, causing my vision to blur once again. I attempt to refocus my sight as quickly as I can, several blinks allow me to regain some details back.
Just when I think the blurriness has faded, I see two silhouettes form… wait, one of them doesn’t belong to my attacker, someone else is here.
I must have hit my head hard, because I swear the two figures are fighting?
It took me longer than I anticipated to find something in my bag to resemble a mask- and the courage to help Natasha. I can’t have the Taskmaster see my face, if I have a chance of escaping this, I can’t have them following me again.
By the time I make it to the scene I see Taskmaster kicking Natasha across the bridge.
“Here goes nothing,” I give my arms a few shakes, and bounce lightly on the spot before sprinting forward.
Taskmaster’s back is to me, I use this to have the element of surprise. As I am running, I jump in the air ready to kick, until my leg is grabbed and I am sent flying towards the bridge’s railing. I crash into the wood, releasing a pained groan, I let myself fall forward onto my hands and knees. I look to my side and that’s when I see the package of vials. Natasha has them, does that mean she was willing to help us all along?
My thought process is interrupted when I feel a brutal kick to the side of my face. This sends me on my back, staring up at Dreykov’s new favourite. They raise their leg to kick again, I quickly roll away, avoiding any strike they attempt to send my way. After having many run-ins with Taskmaster, I know their speciality is to mimic fighting sequences- time to improvise.
I stomp on what I can assume to be wheel cover from Natasha’s car, flipping it up into my hands. I throw it at Taskmaster as a distraction, they move to block it, allowing me to drop to the ground and spin whilst kicking my leg out- flooring Taskmaster. I jump to land a punch to their form, but they move from under my desired landing location. I follow them up and send a range of rapid kicks their way. They block every kick I send, my usual move to follow would be to send a punch to my target’s face, but I need to be unpredictable.
I break my kicking sequences and perform a flip overhead, clearing Taskmaster. Once I land I grab at my holster with one hand and remove a knife strapped to my leg with the other. I turn on my spot to face Taskmaster and throw the knife directly at their thigh. They barely dodge it, skimming their suit. Instantly, I remove my gun from the holster and fire as many shots as I can. The Taskmaster makes quick work of dodging each bullet, twisting and turning with each shot. As I am shooting I notice in the distance that Natasha is slowly crawling towards the package.
‘What the hell is she doing’? Is the only thing I can think of as I watch her struggle over to the vials.
I bring myself into an upright position, slowly rubbing at my head trying to ease the ache. I take a moment to watch the two mystery figures fight. I can’t tell whether the new addition to the fight is on my side, or out for their own benefit but if they want to take on my attacker then I won’t stand in their way.
I try to take notice of their face, but they are wearing a black mask that conceals the majority of their face. Their tactical suit looks familiar though, like something I’d wear out on a mission. I’m losing track, I remember the black box the original figure was after, I search around and spot it across from me. I go to move but underestimate the amount of pain I am in, I yelp out, moving my hand to grab at my ribs. I slowly shift across the bridge towards the package, I need to see what’s inside.
After what seems like forever, I make it to the box, I am about to lift the lid when I am lifted by my jacket collar, I turn to defend myself when I realise it’s the newcomer, I expect them to hit me, but they don't. They just slowly drag me to the side and hold their hand up, pointing their finger to my spot, are they really trying to ‘stay’, what do they think I am a dog?
I can’t let Natasha just take the vials and leave, I need to talk to her.
I grab my grapple device from one of my suit’s pockets, I quickly shoot towards Taskmaster’s right foot and then using its advanced features, I send a second shot to the beams above, holding the bridge’s structure up. It creates a link between Taskmaster and the bridge, I click the release, flooring Taskmaster and sending them up into the air. I know it won’t hold them for long so I run towards Natasha. I grab the collar of her jacket, moving her to the side. She needs to rest, I lay her towards the side of the bridge and give her a hand signal to say ‘stay’, she displays an expression that can only be taken as ‘are you being serious’.
I am in the process of rolling my eyes when I am grabbed by my mask and forcefully pulled back. I quickly clutch at the hands pulling at my mask, but it doesn’t do me any favours, as it is removed completely. I am thrown to the floor, as I look up I see Taskmaster freeze.
Several seconds pass and neither one of us make a move, suddenly Taskmaster reaches behind themself and reveals their sword. Floods of memories hit me at once, especially of the time me and Yelena tried to escape The Red Room.
They take a step towards me, causing me to shuffle back. My mind has gone blank, I don’t know what to do, I can’t think of my next attack.
It seems that I don’t have to, Taskmaster is struck with a scrap piece of metal, resembling a pole by Natasha. She is about to strike again when Taskmaster sends one kick to her body, causing her to slam into what remains of the bridge’s railing and falls off the bridge.
My chest constricts as I watch the scene unfold, I don’t have time to dwell though, if I don’t leave now, I won’t get out of this alive.
Using Taskmaster’s change in priority, I quickly grapple up to one of the beams above, shuffling towards the shadows.
Taskmaster turns to see that I have retreated. They scan across the bridge, looking for any sign of my location. They place their weapon back into their suit’s storage mechanism. Seemingly not interested in another pursuit.
My eyes fixate on the vials’ package, everything I’ve worked to prevent is about to occur, I’ve failed to keep the vials away from The Red Room.
Before I can allow my emotions to get the better of me, I see Taskmaster open the box used to transport the vials, noticing that it’s… empty?
I move across the beam to get a better look and to confirm that the vials aren’t there. I try to think of an explanation to explain the whereabouts of the vials. That's when I notice Taskmaster looking out towards the water. I think for a few seconds, and I can’t help the smile of relief that spreads across my face.
There’s only one person who could have salvaged the vials- Natasha Romanoff.
-ⴵ-
I give it a good 10 minutes once The Taskmaster has left the area before I dismount the bride’s structure. I need to check on Natasha. I run to grab the rest of my supplies from the rental car before heading down to the water, knowing I have a first aid kit in there somewhere for Natasha if she needs it.
I slide down the banking looking out towards the water. It's dark so it’s making it difficult to see what’s going on in the river. I start to move down, I assume Natasha would head away from the scene, hoping she wasn’t followed by Taskmaster. After about 4 minutes of walking I decided to stop. I try to come up with a solution on how to find her. I'm about to call Yelena to update her on the situation and to see if she can give me any advice on how to locate her Sister. When I hear a splash in the water, accompanied by a desperate gasp.
I can see Natasha, limping her way out of the water before falling to the ground. She’s breathing heavily, clearly exhausted. I pace myself over to her, trying my best not to startle her.
She shoots up from her position, ready to attack.
“Easy, I’m not here to hurt you.” I hold my hands up in surrender, expecting her to relax at my words, she doesn’t, in fact she tenses more.
“What do you want?” She attempts to intimidate me with her tone, but knowing how much pain she is in, the last thing she will want is a fight. I think I am safe from her for now.
“I assume you got the package,” She shuffles in her place slightly, reaching into her jacket to take out the glowing red vials.
“What are they?” She questions as she inspects them, noticing a piece of paper tucked in the centre.
“That doesn’t matter, I’ve come to do you a favour, and take them off your hands, it seems like you’ve got enough trouble as it is.” I know Yelena wanted Natasha to help us with this one, but part of me doesn’t trust her, it isn’t anything personal, I just want to protect the vials, especially with what happened on the bridge.
She doesn’t reply or even acknowledge my answer. She’s too busy staring at the paper taken from the vials. I try to make out what’s on it. I can briefly see that it’s actually a set of pictures of two children, one with blonde hair and the other with blue. Natasha notices me looking and hides the pictures from my view, “Who sent you?”
I give an awkward smile, “A mutual connection of ours, Yelena.” I point to the pictures in Natasha’s hand, assuming it’s the two of them when they were younger. It must have been Yelena’s way of sending Natasha a message that she needed her help, well before I had to get involved.
She looks away, attempting to conceal her emotions.
“Where is she?” Natasha asked me.
“Budapest.”
Natasha turns to look at me, confused.
I hope I don’t regret this, but I need to think what’s best for Lena, she needs closure, “Look, we need your help. Yelena needs you, what you're holding in your hands is more important than you know. I know you don't know who I am, so you probably won’t believe a word I say. Just come and see Yelena, and let her tell you herself, I think she needs you, she needs her family.”
Natasha stares at the water in front of her, “How do I know you’re telling the truth, how do I know I can trust you?” She looks up at me once she asks this.
“You don’t, and you don’t have to. It’s Yelena that you should be worried about and that should be enough.”
I walk over to her holding my hand out. She stares at it, then taps it away as she gets up.
“I’ll go, but I am making my own way there, give me the address.”
I smirk in response, “Bold of you to assume that I was going to give you a lift anyway”.
Warnings: Mentions/descriptions of killing; mention of weapons; mentions of fighting; descriptions of torture-this includes whipping (16+ advised- you are responsible for your own media consumption); The Red Room and Dreykov’s tactics are mentioned; descriptions of injuries caused by punishment; mention of blood; mention of scars; mention of nightmares; mention of explosions. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.
Word Count: 2193 words.
Summary: It’s time to pay Natasha a visit.
A/N: Part 4 of The Unknown Widow. I wanted to give you all a flashback chapter to show the main character’s past in a better way and for you to understand the events leading up to their escape. It does get quite heavy towards the end, so I apologise in advance.
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
“Lara, do you have eyes on the target?” The Widow I have been partnered up with for this mission speaks to me via earpiece-I didn’t take the time to learn their name. The only concern on my mind is taking out The Red Room’s most current threat. It’s a simple task really; “Take out the Informant”. The American Organisation- ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’, have densely sent in one of their own as an undercover agent, posing as a guard for The Red Room.
It didn’t take long for The General to calculate their intentions, through eavesdropping on conversations and an observant eye, he realised the Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D was feeding back intel to their ‘Director’.
Which leads me to my current situation, scouting the streets of Russia, trying to find the Agent. They left our base an hour ago, thought to be retreating back to S.H.I.E.L.D, causing The General to send a team of two to stop them. I’m about to give a ‘negative’ to the question asked, until I notice a hooded figure make their way into a concealed alleyway. I choose to make my way to the other side of the alley to cut them off, yearning to complete the mission successfully. If it turns out to not be the Agent, I can simply walk away and continue my search.
“Lara, do-“ I remove my earpiece, tired of hearing the Widow’s voice.
I’ve made my way to the other side, I take a deep breath before entering the concealed passageway. I turn the corner, instantly meeting the eyes of the hooded figure; they halt their actions, distress spreading across their features. As I take another step forward, they turn and build themselves up into a sprint; causing me to do the same. Along the way, they grab abandoned boxes that decorate the walls and throw them in my direction, attempting to slow me down- unfortunately for them I dodge each attempt. It will take more than that to stop me from taking them out.
During the chase, they throw themselves at a fire escape and scale the ladder included. Only a few steps behind them, I’m quick to make my way up. As I finish the last few steps, I am instantly met with a kick to my face, causing me to lose my balance and slip. I make quick work of grabbing on to one of the bars, wiping my now bloody nose on my tactical suit’s sleeve. With a shake of my head, I resume the chase.
I am more cautious when I reach the top of the ladder this time, once I notice the Agent has made their way across to the other side of the rooftop, spurring me on to move as quickly as I can in order to catch up to them.
As I cover the delayed distance between the agent and myself, I place the earpiece back in my ear, reporting to the mission’s accompanying Widow, “They are on the rooftops lining the South side of the Marketplace, move to engage”.
The agent is using their endurance to their advantage, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to try and escape my line of sight. Their continued actions don’t give me much room for error, one wrong move and I might lose them. The distance between each building starts to increase as we move further away from the Marketplace’s centre.
The agent miscalculates the distance for one of their leaps, causing them to slip off a roof’s ledge, they managed to grasp on, straining to pull themselves back up.
This error allows me to regain some progress on the chase, by the time they finally pull themselves back up, I am taking a leap of my own. I land on the desired rooftop, allowing my landing to take the form of a forward roll to decrease the harshness of the impact. I cannot allow them to gain any more advantage, so as I am running I pull out my grapple gun and shoot a line to their back- allowing the hook to latch onto their clothing; giving it a harsh tug. This causes them to be thrown to the ground, ultimately flooring them. I make my way over, using their moment of vulnerability to pin them to the ground.
I perform a series of harsh blows to their face, attempting to subdue them-making my ultimate task much simpler in the process. As I am striking the agent, a recurring thought floods my mind. I attempt to punch my way through it, but it keeps coming back, getting louder each time- “stop, stop, Lara stop”.
I stand up, releasing my hold on the agent. I stand in bewilderment, it's not the first time I’ve had these thoughts, it's as though someone is trying to get through to me. It’s the same voice each time, but not one I can identify.
I can’t take this, my job is to carry out The Red Room’s tasks, it was what I was raised to do- what I am destined to do.
I turn my gaze to the now unrecognisable agent on the ground, covered in their own blood, my frustrations being the ultimate cause of this.
I activate my Widow’s Bite, charging it to its maximum setting, my wrist is decorated with a red glow. I lift my wrist to aim it at the individual in front of me.
I ready myself to release the lethal charge… but I can’t bring myself to do it. This suddenly feels wrong, like what I’m doing is immoral, cruel.
“Please… don’t do this.” The agent pleads to me, barely audible.
I stand there unmoving, staring directly into their pain filled eyes, this isn’t right- what am I even doing?
I cancel the Widow Bite charge, placing my arm back down to my side. The agent releases a breath of relief. I am about to move down to evaluate the damage I have caused, when the sound of gunfire fills the air.
I flinched at the sound, looking around to determine where the shot came from, that’s when I saw the other Widow standing at the far end of the rooftop, gun in hand. I look down to the S.H.I.E.L.D agent to see blood pouring from their skull-she killed them.
I am about to scold the Widow when a sinister smirk works its way on her face. I know exactly what she is thinking.
“You hesitated, The Red Room’s most prized Widow actually hesitated to carry out a kill.” She doesn’t even attempt to hide her amusement at the situation, no one is allowed to hesitate on a command, especially me- being The General’s highest ranking Widow.
“I did not hesitate-,”
“Do not even try to lie Lara, I know what I saw. The General will be hearing of this.” She turns to make her way back to our transport.
Leaving me alone, to stand and look at the corpse in front of me.- the mistake that might cost me my life in return.
-⧗-
“Did you, or did you not falter on the mission?” General Dreykov questions me.
“Yes, General.” I know better than to lie to him.
“Do you realise what this displays, this weakness does not just influence your reputation, but also the reputation of The Red Room and what we stand for. Do you want us to be perceived as weak?” I stand there for a few seconds to think of an answer that might make this situation somewhat better.
The seconds must have been longer than I anticipated as The General slams his fist onto his desk; making me jump at the sound- another mistake to add to the list.
“No, General. I can assure you, this will not happen again.” The General slowly makes his way around his desk, to stand directly in front of me. He gently grabs my chin, turning my head to the left, and then to the right as if to inspect it- what he’s looking for is beyond me. He lets go, allowing me to resume my original position; he raises his hand and strikes me across the face, causing me to fall to the ground- not expecting his action.
“You are right Lara, this will not happen again.” He clicks his fingers, two guards make their way over to me; dragging me up and guiding me to a kneeling position as they hold onto my arms and shoulders. I don’t even attempt to move out of their grasps.
“Let this be a reminder for if you ever waver on a kill again.” The General makes his way over to his desk, reaching into one of the drawers, he looks up to the guards, making a twirling motion with his finger to signal that they need to manoeuvre me around to face the other way. I allow them to, there’s no point fighting this.
I stare outside the windows, hoping to find something to focus on, knowing full well what’s about to happen. The light is blinding, making it difficult to focus.
I hear the desk drawer shut and The General’s measured footsteps gain closer.
The guards tighten their grip on my suit, causing me to tense.
The crack of a whip fills the room and an unbearable burning pain makes its way on to my body. I clench my jaw to try and deal with the harsh sting. After a few seconds another strike is placed on my back, making me clench my hands together tightly, into a fist formation to try and distract myself from the unforgiving sensation spreading across my body.
The General soon picks up a steady rhythm, slashing my body with the whip, slowly breaking down the material of my suit-leaving my skin red raw. My body goes limp, as I yelp out in pain, the constant torture displayed on my skin is too much to deal with. The guards roughly correct my position, allowing General Dreykov to resume the punishment.
He does not falter once, a display of how my actions should be in the field- quick, decisive- brutal even.
At one point, I can’t quite remember when the pain blends together, allowing my skin to undergo a sense of numbness, from the heat radiating from both the blood and the cuts covering my back.
I shoot up from my seat, gasping for air. I can feel a layer of sweat covering my skin, my heart rate is going at an extreme pace, it feels as though it's going to jump right out of my chest.
I feel a hand being placed on my shoulder, without thinking I grab it ready to potentially break it when I catch the eyes of a concerned Cabin Crew member staring down at me. I instantly release their hand, letting out a sincere apology as I relax back into my seat.
“Miss, is everything alright? Can I get you something?” I attempt to even out my breaths, preparing for a reply, “No thank you, I’m fine.” I look away, hoping they’ll take the hint to leave me alone; they do.
I put my hands on my face, rubbing away the remainder of the sweat. It's not uncommon for me to have nightmares from The Red Room, but each time they progress to a point where they feel real. As if I am reliving the pain all over again. I reach one of my hands down the neck of my shirt, gently caressing my back, feeling every raise and mark left behind by Dreykov. I like to think of them as my ‘survival marks’, showing that I made it through one of the toughest times of my life.
I glance over to the monitor displayed on the back of the seat in front of me, the flight time still indicates that I have 55 minutes until I land in Norway.
Before the plane begins to descend, I take this time to grab my bag from the overhead locker and head to the toilet cubicle to change into a more appropriate outfit, who knows what I’ll encounter in Norway- always best to be prepared.
I pull over on the side of the road to check the directions to Natasha’s location. I feel like I’m going around in circles, it’s pitch black and there’s no one around to ask for any assistance. I’m an ex-Widow for crying out loud, I was raised for these types of situations, though in my defence I am chasing another former Widow- I’ll keep telling myself that to make myself feel better. My entire thought process is interrupted when I hear a head-splitting explosion ahead.
My eyes snap up to the bridge in front, witnessing a car being thrown into the air by the impact. I am about to get out of my rental car to check on the driver when I notice another car coming up from behind me, I watch as it stops at the start of the bridge.
The figure that exits the car causes my body to shut down, it’s…
Hi can you please add me to the ‘the unknown widow’ taglist? I have loved reading it so far especially the plot with readers involvement and past I really am interested in reading how you build this story further (or you can add me to your general yelena taglist if you have one)
Hi!! Of course I can 😊
There’s a part going up shortly actually so I’ll be sure to tag you.
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!!
