CHAPTER EIGHT; BLACK WIDOW

❝ risking it all in the name of revenge was all she had left ❞

･ ｡ﾟ☆

❝ st.petersburg [ melina's armory ] ❞

THEY WERE GOING TO FINISH what Alina and the others had begun. While she was waiting for Natasha and Melina to come back to the armory, she was staring at her contact list. Her thumb hovered over Peter's number debating on whether or not to warn him what she was about to do.

But she was scared of what panic that would bring him. She was heading directly into the one place she swore she'd never go back to once she had escaped. If things went wrong, she would never see him again. Or even worse, he might actually try to save her. That was something she could never risk, if Dreykov got ahold of Peter there was no telling what he'd do to him. 

Exiting her contact list, she clicked on her photo album and began scrolling through her pictures. Photos of Peter in his suit, and her hanging out with Gwen, pictures she'd taken of Ned and Peter. Seeing the more recent ones of Ned, Peter, and MJ made Alina inhale deeply.

The next ones made her smile a tight grin, Betty, MJ, and Ned appearing so serious while they were waiting for a museum in DC. And more pictures she'd snuck of Natasha and Steve while they were eating. 

The further she went the more Alina felt terrified, pictures of Natasha seemingly carefree made her long for her to return to that very moment. Or the moment where she and Sabrina had been getting ready for her party just a few nights earlier. Where did Sabrina think Alina had gone? What had Peter told them; what would he tell her and the others if she never returned?

That questioned echoed in her mind as she stared down at pictures of her and Malik or just one of just him. Suddenly, Alina froze fixed on the image of Connor. if she didn't come back, she'd never get to tell him she wasn't angry anymore. He was scared, he had no one but Gwen and every right to be afraid of Ross.

The longer she stayed away and remembered all the horrible things she'd been forced to do she wondered; how could she not forgive him? If she wanted to be forgiven her sins, how could she not forgive his. Seeing his smile starring back at her from their first lunch they'd gone to made her want to cry. She'd only just begun to like him when she became so angry with him, but now that she was gone, all she wanted to see his smile again.

And once more, a picture of Peter made her wonder what he would do without her. What would she do without him? He had become so seeped into who she was, without him, she knew she would be lost. They had been friends nearly a year and he had given her more hope for her future than anyone else had in her life.  In a world where she was stuck in that cage again, he would always be there in her mind, making her wish she was home. In fact, when Alina thought of home, it was Peter she thought of most of all.

Alina chuckled seeing the picture of him behind his milkshake they'd gotten together. He was looking down at his phone and hadn't noticed she'd even taken it, but it was still one of her favorites. The one of him brushing his teeth in his suit made her shake her head thinking back. And thinking back to the photos MJ and Peter had taken on her phone themselves. The last few of Malik and Gwen on her bed, Connor, Steve and Natasha playing video games left a sinking void in her.

It was becoming too much for her and just as she went to lock it, Connors name popped up calling her. Before she knew what she was doing, she answered it. Almost immediately she heard his nervous voice say, "Alina? Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," she returned her hand tracing the lines of her suit.

He paused a moment, "I'm kinda surprised you answered," he admitted. Alina could tell by the background he was in school; she could hear everyone's voices.

Clearing her throat Alina declared, "So am I to be honest. Which makes me wonder why you called to begin with?"

Connor chuckled a little as he leaned agaisnt his locker watching people pass him by, "Peter is a horrible liar and I was..."

"Worried about me," finished Alina knowingly.

"Yes, I was worried. You don't seem like the type to go on vacation with your 'uncle' Tony out of nowhere," Connor said answering Alina's earlier thought about what Peter had said to them about her. 

There was a brief silence before he added on, "Don't tell me where you are or what you're doing. It's probably safer that way." Alina was hit with the reminder what she was risking, it made the words catch in her throat. "But whatever it is, I can't wait to see you come home. You're coming home right, Lina," wondered Connor gripping his phone tightly in anticipation.

Alina shut her eyes telling him with fake certainty, "Yeah, I'll come back." Hearing footsteps approaching she quickly ended the call, "Maybe when I get back, you and I can...agree to call each other more or something. I don't know sounds silly," she stumbled.

Instantly Connor stood off the lockers stuttering, "N-no I would like that. I would like that a lot actually. Just do whatever it is you need to do, doesn't matter what it is."

"Okay, talk to you after then. I promise, tell Peter," Alina's words were too hard to say but she knew she would regret never saying anything at all. So, she decided to force herself to finish, "Tell Peter that I'll be okay, he doesn't have to worry about me. You either, I'll be home soon. G-goodbye Connor."

Before he could say anything, Alina ended the call. Left standing in the hallway of the school Connor starred at his phone his gut screaming at him. It sounded like she was telling him goodbye.

Just as she put her phone down Melina and Natasha entered the room. "So, once we're inside, I'll activate my tracker and Ross will come running," announced Natasha.

Melina, who was pulling up her utility belt said, "You are aware that you are still a global fugitive, yes?"

The Dranganov teen reached for her dagger making sure it was still secured to her. "Invisique," she said tapping the blade making it invisible to everyone else. "You know the facility. There must be some way to land it," suggested Alina to Melina.

Melina moved about the room saying, "Instruct them to confine us on level zero. Once I'm out, I can activate the landing protocol, we can descend within the hour. Ah, problem. I only have one earpiece set."

Natasha looked to Alina who nodded, "I'll give it to Yelena," said the red head knowing she and Alina would be together. Speaking directly to the young girl she warned, "You're going to have to let them drug you."

Adding on quickly Melina held out a needle, "But you'll have already taken this, an antidote to the serum. You'll get your abilities back fast, but it will take a minute for it to work. You'll know it has when you feel the cool burning under your skin."

"Until then, stall him, shouldn't be too hard," said Alina taking the dark injecting it into her forearm. Her arm twitched slightly at the feeling of it. Knowing they didn't have much more time left, the young teen threw her hands around Natasha. She didn't know how this would play out for either of them. "Thank you, for everything," Alina said softly before she pulled away rushing outside to walk straight into their trap.

As if nothing was wrong, she approached the garden allowing the men to get closer. She could hear them readying their guns, but as soon as the shot ran out, Alina tucked and rolled out of the way. "Target missed. She knows," one of the widows said.

Alina stood back to her feet to find herself surrounded by widows pointing guns. "Stand down," she was warned.

Scanning around Alina stated rather calmly, "There's 12 of you."

"Which means you're outnumbered," said another.

Hex grinned, "Actually it means you're greatly unprepared," Alina warned suddenly charging at them. They fired rapidly at her hoping one of the tranquilizers would take. But none of them did, once she was close Alina grabbed the barrel of the gun shoving it upwards before tossing the gun, and the girl holding it across the yard.

In that moment another shot their widow bites into her neck. Alina shouted pulling the connected electricity off her neck taking out her gun with her other hand. Her aim still perfect, she shot hitting two widows by shooting one through the other in their shoulders. 

But Alina knew she had to let them take her, so when she heard one behind her, she did nothing. She let the widow shoot more electricity into her forcing her to her knees. One after another they fired more electricity into her until she dropped her gun and way flat on her back writhing out in pain. Despite her clearly overwhelmed nature from the pain, the widows shoved darts into her arms. The familiar destructive burn filled her skin as she was cuffed and dragged to the jet.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

"Request clearance for landing," was the first thing Alina heard when she came to again. She could see she was on a plane and feel heavy metal chains on her wrist. Not only that but there was blades on her chains digging into her skin if she tried to move. 

In front of her she could see Melina piloting the plane. "Melina," she called out for her weakly.

"We're touching down in one minute," said the older widow.

Feeling the plane still going upwards she asked wincing as blood pooled on the ground below from her wrist, "Then why are we still going up?"

"Now you'll know how Dreykov stayed above the radar all these years," informed Melina as Alina was finally able to see in the clouds, a grand military base hovering.

Melina pulled the plane into the dock, coming up from behind her, Alina saw the soldier with the metal claws. She could see them examining her as they undid her restraints keeping her to the chair. Roughly, she passed her off to Melina allowing the older woman to take her the rest of the way.

The two walked silently down the halls to focused to stop, at least until the passed by a room of widows in training. Suddenly, both of them stopped to look in, feeling their eyes, the widows stopped looking to them. Alina wanted to free them now, but it wasn't time, not yet.

Melina tugged on Alina's arm pulling her forward yet again towards the elevator. They got inside pressing the button for the top floor, Dreykov's floor. Standing outside the door, Alina felt her breath becoming ragged. She was utterly petrified to see him again, but what choice did she have?

As the doors opened, the guards stopped Alina from following after Melina, "Wait here, she goes in first." Melina didn't even bother to stop, she kept walking into his office only for the doors to close behind her.

The whole time she stood there alone, Alina was remembering every other time she stood there. Her entire life she had been living there, until she was 15, and hydra let her escape. Every time she was at those doors, she was either about to do something horrible, or have it done to her. 

It was as if every horrible memory repeated over her mind like a movie before the doors opened again. Once they did, Alina was shoved forward through the doorway. They pulled the doors shut behind her and what was left before her was terrifying. With all the power of a monstrous Goddess, Alina was terrified of this man. This mortal man she would outlive was her nightmare. Melina sat at his desk her body turned towards the young girl.

Dreykov on the other hand was leaning against his desk in front of Melina. "My God. Look at you," he said approaching the silent witch. Dreykov slowly brought his hand toward her face, Alina tried moving away from his hand but her just followed her. He cupped each side of her face greeting, "Welcome home, Alina."