CHAPTER FOUR; BLACK WIDOW

❝ the past can be a good motivator, or something that destroys you. there's no in between sadly. ❞




























･ ｡ﾟ☆ 

❝ gas station outside budaspest ❞

ALINA AND OTHERS MANAGED TO ESCAPE the train station without incident and make it to a gas station on the edge of the city. They needed a moment to decide their next moves. "The Red Room's still active. Where is it," Natasha asked wondering how she could've missed it.

To the best of her memory Yelena who was examining some of the chips on the shelf, answered, "I have no idea. He moves location constantly. And every widow is sedated on entry and exit for maximum security."

In disbelief still the older widow moved around the two saying, "I'm just finding it hard to believe that he could stay off my radar."

"Well, it's not smart to attack an Avenger if you want to stay hidden. I mean, the clue is in the name. Dreykov kills you, one of the big ones comes to avenge you," Yelena reasoned simply.

Curious Alina wondered, "Wait, what are the big ones?"

Yelena starred at the girl dumbfounded, "Well, I doubt the god from space has to take an ibuprofen after a fight. Or, that the tiny rage monster Alina would need one."

"Oh you're hilarious," said the enhanced teen rolling her eyes as Yelena chuckled amused with herself. "Wait," Alina haunted putting pieces together looking to Natasha, "They didn't stay away from you."

"What do you mean," asked Natasha.

Kicking herself for not knowing it sooner Alina shook her head telling her, "They sent me after you, but they timed it perfectly so even if I got caught, it would send you back to hydra, not them. But they screwed themselves...once you saw me you didn't stop looking for me."

"And it was better to let you go rather than getting caught. They let you go because they had no choice," Natasha finished not even noticing the hurt that came across her sisters face. She'd never knew Alina but one meeting made Natasha restlessly search for her, but never looked for Yelena.

Unable to resist asking, she began, "Where did you think I was all this time?"

Natasha couldn't meet her eyes as she moved to grab food off the shelf, "I thought that you got out and were living a normal life."

Standing between them Alina could feel the way both of them tried to burry all their pain and rage. Right beneath the surface of both of them was an unrelenting hurt. Yelena frowned cross examining, "And you just never made contact again?"

"Honestly, I thought you didn't wanna see me," Natasha said honestly. After everything that been taken from Yelena, Natasha failed her and she though Yelena would never move past it.

Scoffing the blonde argued, "Bullshit. You just didn't want your baby sister to tag along, whilst you saved the world with the cool kids."

Passing her Natasha callously said, "You weren't really my sister."

Just as Alina tried to say different, Yelena took another shot as her sister telling her, "And the Avengers aren't really your family." Inadvertently, Yelenas words struck a nerve with Alina. Both her and Nat had no family, the avengers were their family now they had nothing. Seeing how it had affected the younger girl, Yelena switched her topics. Placing her items on the counter she asked her sister, "Why do you always do that thing?"

"Do what?"

"The thing you do when you're fighting." Yelena lowered herself touching her fist to ground while her legs took up most the small space on the floor. "The... Like, the... This thing that you do when you whip your hair when you're fighting with the arm and the hair. And you do, like, a fighting pose."

Realizing what she was talking about Alina broke out into laughter telling Natasha, "You totally do that!"

Between her own laughter Yelena said, "It's a...It's a fighting pose. You're a total poser."

Paying for all their items Natasha shook her head, "I'm not a poser," she denied.

Still laughing Yelena told her, "Oh, come on. I mean, they're great poses, but it does look like you think everyone's looking at you, like, all the time."

Somewhat defensive the widow replied, "All that time that I spent posing, I was trying to actually do something good to make up for all the pain and suffering that we caused. Trying to be more than just a trained killer."

Her words once again shot Yelena in the heart, Alina could see it plain as day. "Well, then you were fooling yourself because pain and suffering is every day and we are both still a trained killer. Except I'm not the one that's on the cover of a magazine. I'm not the killer that little girls call their hero."

Both sisters tried walking out but seeing the look on Alina's face they realized how their shots at each other, were also shots at her. "Alina," Natasha tried.

Shaking her head Alina assured them both, "We are trained killers and that isn't going away, but doesn't mean we have to stay that way." The youngest of them finally moved from the doorway leaving the women alone.
——

Alina truly wasn't sure what they were even doing at this point. They were still being chased but they had no idea where they were running to. Giving the sisters a moment alone, Alina snuck off to the pay phone. It barely rang before Peter picked up, "Alina? Is this you?"

Enjoining the sound of his voice Alina smiled saying, "Of course it is, I told you I'd be fine Parker."

There was a sound of relief, "Thank god, are you alright? Are you coming home? Is it over?"

"Not exactly," she winced leaning against the phone booth. "We found who were looking for, rather she found us and we may have left a very messy trail of cars and people in our attempts not to get caught..."

"May have," he challenged, "Alina, it's all over the news. How long do you think you have before Ross realizes you were there too?"

Not nearly as concerned with that as she was with Dreykov she said, "I'm not sure and I don't care what Ross knows or does. Im not stopping until all of them are dead."

Terrified she'd get caught Peter tried, "And what's that worth if you end up back in a cage again?"

Despite not wanting to, Alina shouted, "I don't care! Dreykov abused me, tortured me, stole my childhood from me, my parents. He took EVERYTHING and I not stopping until I am covered in his blood. Not until I use everything he taught me to make him suffer. He's not getting away with this."

"And he shouldn't, but you shouldn't lose your life to get revenge," he attempted knowing the more mad she got the more likely she'd be to get caught.

"You don't get it Peter, and I'm glad you don't," she said calming her voice, "It means your life was better...I can't let this go."

"And I don't want you to, I just want you to be able to come home when it's done," said the teenager desperate to have her come home to him.

A tight-lipped smile formed across her face, "I'll come back home Spidey, I promise. Goodbye, I'll contact you soon." Before he could stop her, Alina put the pay phone down exiting the booth. "You know, for a woman who prides herself on her ability to sneak up on someone -- you sure have loud footsteps."

Standing outside waiting for her Natasha said, "In all fairness people I sneak up on usually don't have enhanced hearing." Alina chuckled softly as the older woman asked, "Was that Peter?"

"Yeah, didn't want him thinking I was dead or something," she reasoned resting against the wall of the gas station. "Can I ask you something?"

Sitting down beside her on the ground the red head said, "You just did but because I like you I'll give you a freebie."

"If you didn't want to be involved, why'd you come for us? You could've sent it off to the next person, but you didn't. You tracked us down, why," Alina wondered twiddling her fingers as she spoke.

"I knew only one person could've told Yelena where I was. One person she'd be able to guarantee would get my attention. I had to make sure you were okay," Natasha explained to the girl she had saved all those years ago. Adding on her own question she posed, "How are your powers? Did those darts wear off?"

Holding out the palm of her hand this time with ease a blue orb formed, "Think so."

"Good, then you can use them to go back home," Natasha said her words instantly shooting Alina up to her feet.

Backing away from the widow as she stood up as well the brunette asked, "What? Why the hell would I do that."

Gesturing to the phone booth she replied, "Peter for starters."

With narrowed eyes Alina snapped, "What the fuck does Peter have to do with this?"

In an attempt to soothe Alina, Natasha stepped forward only for the girl to take a step back. "You sound so happy back in New York, with him. Yelena and I can take care of this," Natasha attempted.

Putting her hands up forcing distance between them the younger girl shouted, "No! That's not what I need."

"Then what do you need," asked the Romanoff gently.

"I need Dreykov dead," Alina stated furiously her eyes wide with blinded rage. "I need everything connected to red room to burn; I need revenge!"

"Take it from someone who knows," Natasha began, "Revenge isn't going to fill the void they left you with, and it's not going to change the people you killed."

Alina balled her fist arguing, "Maybe it didn't change anything for you, but knowing I killed him will change things for me. He made me and thousands of other little girls like me, or you, and Yelena into killers and I will make sure I am one of those killers that destroy him if it is the last thing I do. I don't want my normal life." The Dranganov teen paused taking a shallow breath before asking, "Do you honestly think I can be in bio labs thinking about Friday night football games while he is still breathing!? If you truly believe that than you don't understand what he did to me. You may have gotten me out of there just before my graduation ceremony but that doesn't mean I was saved! Doesn't I was spared; I need to see this through."

"There's a chance if you do that you will lose everything you were building back in New York. You won't see Peter, he won't find you," Natasha cautioned wanting the girl to know what she was risking.

As much as the thought of it hurt, Alina calmed herself enough to explain, "And I don't want that, I don't want to lose him or my friends." 

Some tears threatened to spill but Alina wouldn't let them as she said, "You know, Peter is the only person who knows all of me, every part. I can even be silly around him, I can laugh effortlessly. He's the only one who doesn't see me laughing and joking and think it's weird; he makes my life seem fun. Even my powers, he sees beauty in it. I don't want to lose that; it honestly might kill me to. But if saving all the widows left behind, if killing Dreykov means losing him...I don't have a choice. And if I know Peter, he wouldn't want me to."

Natasha didn't say anything, she pulled the young girl in knowing Alina truly did need to do this. She wrapped her arms around her holding her head close, maybe it was what little motherly instinct she had left to give, but Natasha just wanted to protect her. However, she knew an undeniable truth, nothing was going to change her need to finish things.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

Alina sat eating her burger when Natasha approached with three beers placing on down even before the younger girl. Seeing the hesitant look on her face the red head explained, "You've committed adult crimes who am I to say you can't have one, especially with the day we have. Just, don't go crazy with it alright."

"I mean that's fair, it's not my first drink so point understood," muttered the teen.

Yelena change topics by explaining to her sister and companion, "That gas, the counteragent, it was synthesized in secret by an older widow from Melina's generation. I was on the mission to retrieve it, and she exposed me, and I killed the widow that freed me."

"Did you have a choice," questioned the avenger misjudging the nature of Yelena's mistake.

"It's not like that," Alina interjected before taking a sip of her beer.

Elaborating the blonde said, "What you experienced was psychological conditioning. I'm talking about chemically altering brain functions. They're two completely different things. You're fully conscious, but you don't know which part is you. I'm still not sure."

Natasha's eyes looked to Alina who confirmed, "Alot of days I wake up and think that they still are making the decisions. I wait to get this signal to wake up, to shower, to fight, to feed. To not care, and I thought I was controlling my emotions I wasn't. I wasn't numb to them. I still felt everything, the guilt, the horror, the sadistic joy, I just...put a wall up. It was so deep I really thought I wasn't feeling anything until I was free, and I realized I always was. I think because it was my own blood used to make it the affect wear off for me. That's why I was stabbed with needles before bed every night."

Looking at the bag containing the cure, Natasha asked, "Is that all there is left?"

Yelena hummed answering, "It's the only thing that can stop Dreykov and his network of widows." Leaning back in her chair huffing the blonde added, "He takes more every day. Children who don't have anyone to protect them. Just like us when we were small. Maybe one in 20 survives the training, becomes a widow. The rest, he kills. To him, we are just things. Weapons with no face that he can just throw away. Because there is always more. And no one's even looking for him, thanks to you and Alexei."

"Alexei," questioned Alina not knowing the name.

She could tell by the regretful look on Natasha's face she knew him. Explaining just how Yelena clarified, "Dad." There was a moment of silence as she looked off into the distance at a family playing soccer. "Did you ever look for your parents? Your real ones," she asked the two of them.

"Couldn't handle more heartache, best to leave hope alive," admitted Alina. Maybe she would look for them more thoroughly than she ever tried before, but not now. 

Natasha took a sip of her drink before telling her own sad story, "Well, my mom abandoned me in the street like garbage. What about you?"

"They destroyed my birth certificate, so I reinvented it. My parents still live in Ohio. My sister moved out west," said the Belova woman with a bittersweet smile.

The older widow couldn't help but share the same smile, "Is that right?"

Yelena nodded answering, "You're a science teacher. You're working part-time, though, especially after you had your son. Your husband, he renovates houses."

"That is not my story," Natasha said sadly with a tight smile.

Laughing swallowing her food Alina asked, "What is your story?"

"I never let myself be alone long enough to think about it," admitted Natasha.

Never being rescued before her graduation Yelena asked her sister, "Did you ever wish for kids? I want a dog."

Natasha didn't answer asking her, "Where you gonna go?"

"I don't know. I don't really have anywhere to go back to, so I guess anywhere," responded the blonde woman. Seeing the suggestive stare between the Dranganov and Natasha, she warned them, "Don't."

Playing coy Alina questioned, "Don't what?"

Chuckling she told them, "You're going to give me some big hero speech, I can feel it."

"Speeches aren't really my thing," defended Natasha.

"She's totally lying about that," whispered the teen leaning in towards the blonde.

Ignoring the statement, the older woman carried on, "It was more like an invitation."

Already knowing the pitch, she confirmed, "To go to the Red Room and kill Dreykov?"

"Yeah."

"Even though the Red Room is impossible to find and Dreykov is too slippery to kill," Yelena followed up with.

Nodding sipping her drink Alina acknowledged, "Yeah."

"That sounds like a shitload of work," reasoned the blonde widow.

Knowing the exact odds Natasha affirmed, "Yup." Leaning up she released a sigh adding, "Could be fun, though."

Yelena couldn't resist smiling, "Yup," she said.

"I saw where he put the keys."

"Top drawer, green cabinet," said Yelena as they clicked their beers.

"No need," Alina said closing her fist blowing air into her hands for a brief moment. When she opened them, the keys were in her hands, "I got the keys so I'm not driving."

Taking the keys from her Natasha said, "You weren't driving to begin with."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝ stolen camero ❞

"You know, this is the first piece of clothing I've ever bought for myself," Yelena said pulling on her olive-green vest.

Leaning up between the seat form the back Alina said, "I did the same thing, happily for me I had a Stark credit card for it."

Looking briefly between the road and the outfit the oldest of them countered, "That?"

"Yeah," she said happily before she realized the tone of her sister's voice, "You don't like it?"

"I like it, the color suits you," said Alina.

Disagreeing the oldest of them said, "Is that like a... Is it army surplus, or..."

"Okay, it has a lot of pockets," Yelena said chuckling, "But I use them all the time, and I made some of my own modifications."

Thinking it was adorable how she talked about it, Alina giggled, "Oh, yeah?"

Waving them off with her hand the blonde replied, "Whatever. Shut up. The point is, I've never... I've never had control over my own life before, and now I do. I want to do things."

Natasha hummed leaving a moment of pause before she admitted, "I like your vest."

Yelena instantly lit up saying, "I knew it. I knew you did. It's so cool, right?"

Alina laughed falling back against the seat as Natasha confirmed, "It's good. Yes. I like it."

"And you can put so much stuff in there. You wouldn't even know," rambled Yelena before the silence made her add, "I really don't know where the Red Room is, though. I'm sorry,"

"I know. But I think I know somebody who does," said Natasha.

Curiously Alina asked, "Oh, yeah? Who?"

Vague as ever the red head said, "We're gonna need a jet."

alina's outfit next chapter