Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 13:

Trigger warnings. I updated the story to mature audience because of the violent and topics. I wasn’t sure if I should add archive warnings for rape/nonconsensual since all acts will be talked about as past tense and that will not happen in current times in the story. It is a heavy part of this story based on what the widows have gone through, and this chapter addresses these topics. If this bothers you, do not read. Leave a comment and I can tell you a summary of what happens that moves the plot along. There is also quite a bit of violence in the chapter, mostly at the end. 

Chapter 13:

Wanda stood in front of her brother’s grave just before sun set. The last jet with supplies was leaving as soon as the sun went down, and Wanda would be on it. The other widows had already left. Only her and Sasha would be on the last flight out, carrying the remainder of the Widows’ arsenal.

“Hello Brother. I will be going away for a while. I am sorry I haven’t been to see you as much I should be. I have good news though. We are moving out of the HYDRA base. I know you wouldn’t have liked me there.”

Wanda knelt by his headstone and placed her hand on top of it, then looked at hers next to it a shivered.

“I almost joined you in the ground not long ago. You know that though, don’t you? I remember hearing your bossy voice, telling me what to do. You told me not to give up. You said I was still needed. You were right but don’t let it go to your head.”

She straightened the flowers she had placed by his headstone.

“I’ve given my house to a couple and their daughter to live. I told them they could have it and the only condition is they keep fresh flowers by your grave. They promised. I read their minds. They are good people who will keep their promise.”

Wanda stood up and crossed her arms to hold herself then moved to the foot of his grave. The dirt had settled, and grass was growing over his burial spot. It saddened her to think how much time had gone by without him.

“I visited New York. I stayed in the hotel while Yelena had fun, but I did get out a bit. It was like we always imagined. Half-eaten food in the trash. Mile high buildings and rich people in their fancy cars, tourists walking without a care in the world, while homeless people in rags, lived on the streets, ignored as they were passed by. I saw so many bright lights and people who do not realize how good they have it. They take their happiness for granted. They talk of how horrible street crime is, but they have never worried about a bomb falling from the sky into their homes. They do not worry about stray bullets coming through the windows. They have no idea how good they have it. Stark Tower is just as we thought it would be. It is called Avenger’s Tower, but the Avengers no longer live there. Now there is just a big gleaming monument to him, a beacon of clean energy. Yet I saw no cars using this clean energy.”

Wanda shook her head and smiled. “You would have hated it. You would love the sneakers though. No replicas. Very real and hundreds of them, thousands even. I would never get you out of the shoe stores.

“Yelena and Kate are sickeningly cute to watch. I have seen Yelena cut a man’s throat slowly from ear to ear while making his friends watch, yet around Kate she is so tender. Perhaps one day I will find out why. Perhaps one day, I will find love. Stranger things have happened. If aliens came from a hole in the sky over Stark Tower, I could find someone to love.

“Who am I fooling? Me in love? I have more important things to do. Speaking of which, I must go, Pietro. I love you. I miss you every day, but I carry you with me. Goodbye, my protector.”

Wanda flew the short distance to the castle where the final jet waited. Sasha was at the controls when she entered the cockpit.

“Are you okay?” Sasha asked, noting immediately how sad she was. It was a common mood when she returned from visiting her brother.

Wanda nodded. “I miss him.”

“We all wish we could have known him.” Sasha told her.

“I do as well. He would have brought so many smiles to our home. He was a horrible flirt. Some of you girls would have been fighting each other for him and some of you would want to kill him.”

Sasha laughed as she lifted straight off into the sky high above the clouds and pushing Mach 2 within minutes of take-off.

“I believe after all our experiences with sex, few of us would look forward to another encounter. We likely won’t meet our true love like Yelena did. She is sickeningly sweet and gooey when asked about Kate but also sad. She knows it will never last. Kate is her escape. The future she imagines but knows will never happen.”

Wanda had thought the same often.

“What if it does though?”

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“What if that future happens? Maybe it happens for all of us? What if we free all the widows, shut down all the human trafficking pipelines, erase every trace the Red Room ever left on this world? Would you leave? Would you find that future, live a life without all this hiding, and violence and secrecy?”

Sasha was quiet for a while, the two sitting in silence in the cockpit. After fifteen minutes Sasha answered.

“No.”

“No?”

“No, I wouldn’t leave. There will always be those who those who are evil, who take and take because no one can or will stand up to them. I will. I will fight them to my dying day. I will never save everyone in the world, but I will not stop trying. What of you? Would you leave?”

Wanda shook her head. “No. It is too late for me. I hope some of us do though. I hope Yelena does one day. I hope for some of us, it isn’t too late.”

Sasha laughed. “I doubt it, Wanda. This is what we are. Victims making sure no one else ever has to suffer what we did. That will never change. It would be nice to find someone attractive, good at sex and doesn’t ask intimate questions.”

“What sort of intimate questions?”

“Like what’s your name . I am also fairly certain there are a few sexual relations going on amongst the group.” Sasha told her.

‘No!”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“You are the mind reader.” Sasha pointed out.

“I don’t read our sisters’ minds. Now tell me.”

When the two landed, Wanda knew everything Sasha knew though she suspected much of it was Sasha’s opinion rather than facts.

The widows were waiting in the landing area and began unloading. Wanda left them to it, walked into the mansion and stood in awe, taking in the luxury around them.

“I am an American now.” Wanda mumbled. Eleanor Bishop did not do things halfway. “Ava, what bed have I been assigned?”

“We put you on the third floor.”

Wanda winced. “I am good sleeping in the bunker. I would prefer it.”

“None of us are sleeping in the bunker. Beside, in an airstrike you are our first and only line of defense. It makes sense to put you in the highest room with a balcony.

Wanda shrugged. “Alright. Is Yelena in the room?”

“She has the room next to yours.” Ava told her.

Wanda smiled. “My own room? No more listening to her snoring. What convinced her to leave the nest?”

Ava grinned but said nothing, instead leading Wanda up the stairs. When they reached her room, Wanda thanked her.

The room was huge with a large bed in the middle. This would take getting used to. Dropping her bag, she went out and knocked on Yelena’s door.

She heard Yelena talking to someone then open the door and step out before Wanda could see inside.

“Are you talking to someone? I can come back later.”

“No! It is fine. How was your trip?”

“Long. After traveling first class, flying in our jet is not comfortable. We should find where the Avengers buy their cockpit seats and purchase them.

“You wanted your own room.”

Yelena nodded. “I thought I would give you a break. You shouldn’t have to comfort me every time I have a nightmare.”

“I have never minded, Yelena.” Wanda told her.

“I know. I just think I am doing better now and…”

Yelena stopped speaking when there was scratching on the door and a short bark.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “You got a puppy, didn’t you?”

“It was more like she got me. We were setting up cameras and motion sensors on the way in and then she came along. She had no collar and was dirty. I believe she was abandoned. Taking in those who are alone is one of our founding principles.”

“It is not.”

“It is now.”

“I didn’t know we had founding principles.”

“I know you didn’t. That’s why I wrote a few before you found out about her.”

“So anyone who comes along who needs a home, we must take, widow or not.”

Yelena shook her head. “You should read the founding principles. It only refers to cats and dogs.”

Yelena opened the door and the puppy jumped out and into her arms. It was slightly bigger than a normal puppy.

“What kind of dog is this?”

Yelena smiled and kissed the furball’s nose.

“She is an Akita. She will grow much, much larger. She is a powerful, fierce dog, an appropriate companion for a Red Widow.”

Wanda studied the white and grey furred tiny monster with black ears. She appeared to be friendly and eager for attention.

“Does she make your nightmares go away?” Wanda asked.

Yelena shrugged. “I only found her yesterday but I when I woke last night I liked her sleeping by me. It was nice. I was able to go back to sleep. She is cuddlier than you.”

“So long as she makes you happy, sister. What have you named her?”

Yelena grinned. “I call her Fanny. She likes it.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow at the odd name but let it go. As long as it made Yelena happy she was happy.

“Welcome to the Red Widows, Fanny.”

A week later, Wanda and Yelena stood in the newly minted control room, paying close attention to Maria. Fanny was by Yelena’s feet as she often was. The two were inseparable. Maria was giving the entire compound a lesson on how to operate the computers if necessary.

It was surprisingly easy thanks to Bishop Security software. The monitors were showing flashes of screens around the world. Some were security cameras and facial recognition from areas the widows were interested in. Others showed real time crime reports and trends that could indicate human trafficking rings.

It had been a week since they had become fully functional in their new home. The bulk of the base was under the mansion. Half the girls took the night shift and half the day shift, watching the screens for any hits on widows or handlers.

They had set up bunks, a training area, a firing range, the computer and monitoring area, an armory, and a medical bay.

All was peaceful until an alarm went off. Maria stopped her lecture and ran to the screen that was blaring.

“We got a hit on Miles Teller. He is in Germany… he has a mind controlled widow with him. Madison Franklin, age sixteen. He also has some muscle with him. Hired thugs since we have no Red Room records of them.”

“Thank you, Eleanor Bishop.” Wanda whispered, smiling widely. Months searching for the man and only days after hooking up their new software, they had a location of a widow and one of their most wanted handlers.

“Alpha 1 team, I, Antonia, and Wanda are going. Gather the antidote and load heavy. It looks like a strong residence. We will breach with explosives through multiple entry points. We only need Teller alive for interrogation. The rest, kill. Bring a tranq dart for our sister.” Yelena told the group.

The widows moved, those on Alpha 1 excited and those on Alpha 2 grumbling. Alpha 2 had been working the night shift and Yelena wanted the freshest team on the ground.

The movement was interrupted by a gunshot. Everyone stopped, not making a sound. No one should have been on the range and the sound came from the other direction.

It came from the med bay.

Yelena and Wanda rushed forward, all the other widows following. The scene they found was chilling. Oksana was backed up to a wall, glass, and liquid at her feet. Like any widow, Oksana was calm, her hands in the air, her eyes not leaving the gun aimed at her from six feet away.

The gun was held by the youngest on the team. Fourteen year old Stannic had a look of cold fury. Her eyes were locked onto Oksana’s. She was not shaking, instead holding the gun firmly using both hands.

Yelena approached her slowly. “Stannic, what is going on?” she asked in a soft voice.

“I caught her. She was preparing a drug to inject us. She is supposed to make antidotes and treat wounds, not give us injections. She wants us under control. I shot the beaker. She is next.”

Oksana lowered her hands. “Stannic, that was an immunity booster and a vaccine. Some of you have been getting minor colds from traveling to other countries and in some countries there are viruses that you may not be protected from.”

Stannic shook her head. “You think I would ever let one of you put any drug in my body? You want to control us because you are not one of us.”

Yelena moved closer to her. Stannic darted her eyes towards the blonde and squeezed tighter on the trigger.

“Back off, Yelena. I’m doing what should have already been done. You know it’s true. She served Dreykov willingly, just like the Iron Maiden. She is no better than Natasha Romanoff. She got out, took our name, and became a superhero. I see her on the deck of the Red Room, assessing us, pitying us. I see her everywhere on internet. She dressed like a superhero and now she judges us! She is no better than us. Neither are you, Oksana. None of you had to go through what we did. Do you know why I was at the Red Room?”

“No.” Oksana told her.

“Dreykov lost Yelena. Yelena was his favorite. Tell her Yelena. Tell her where you had to sleep every night between missions.”

Yelena’s face turned pale. “That is enough, Stannic. Put the gun down now.”

“Why don’t you want to talk about it? He told me how he used you!”

“Enough!” Yelena yelled. “That is my business!”

“I was pulled off mission after he thought you were dead! I was his new favorite! Did you know that?! This woman pretending to be a doctor wasn’t controlled! Everything Oksana did was for him! Do you think the Iron Maiden made all of those drugs herself? Everyone knows it. Everyone knows she isn’t one of us.”

Yelena took her eyes off the girl and looked at the surrounding widows for help. As she met their eyes, they all looked away. Yelena realized they agreed with the girl. Natasha’s words came back to her, the conversation in New York. Natasha had been right. She would never be accepted. They did not look to her as some kind of hero or example. They looked to Natasha as a potential enemy.

Stannic had gone through what she did. The thought made her want to cry, vomit and shout until her voice was raw.

Then Wanda stepped in front of Oksana and Yelena panicked.

Wanda raised her hands in a calming fashion.

“I am not one of you, Stannic. Do you fear me as well?”

‘No! You saved Yelena! You almost died for us! You could do anything, but you came for us! You are one of us. She did nothing!”

Wanda shook her head. “She made the antidote. She could have been killed by Dreykov if he ever found out.”

Stannic snorted disgustingly. “And how was she going to deliver it? Please move. We are all good medics. We don’t need her.”

“She saved my life. She saved all your lives.” Wanda reminded the girl. “I understand you have all been through a lot. I know. I know what it feels to have your heart ripped out, to die, to wish to be dead. I know what is like to be taken against your will. I don’t know what you went through, but I know it was worse than what I went through because I could at least try to fight back before I gave up. I know what it is to take my rage out on someone. When I did, it cost many good people their lives. It cost my brother’s life. This isn’t the answer. I read her mind when I met her. I had to be sure. She never worked on the drug. She only wanted to help. Stannic, I told you I would never use my powers on any of my sisters. Do you know what that means?”

Stannic shook her head as tears started to fall from her eyes.

“It means I can stop you, but I won’t. If you want to kill her, you must shoot through me.”

Yelena moved closer. “Stannic, if you do not lower that weapon, I will make you.” she said quietly.

“I’m not taking anything she wants to give me.” The girl said quietly, her voice breaking.

Antonia walked into the med bay and stood in front of Wanda.

“I was mind controlled longer than you. My father turned me into an experiment, put me through torture to make me better.” she told the girl then turned to Oksana.

“Do you have any more boosters?”

Oksana nodded and looked to her right. Antonia moved towards the vials and pulled a syringe.

“How much?”

“A quarter way of the syringe, stop at one hundred.” Oksana told her. “It goes in the muscle.”

Antonia walked up to Stannic and placed a hand on the gun, lowering it. She took the syringe and injected the drug into her own thigh through her pant leg.

“Never aim a gun at Wanda again. Maybe Natasha Romanoff isn’t one of us. The Iron Maiden is our enemy. There are many widows not under mind control and maybe they will be our enemies. Maybe they want to use us or kill us. But the people in here, we must trust! I trust everyone here with my life. If you don’t want vaccine and want to get sick, that is your choice. Oksana made a dust that gave me back my mind. She is one of us! She is a Red Widow now! Anyone who disagrees can meet me on the mat! Do you all understand?”

None of the widows talked.

“Answer me!”

The widows nodded.

Yelena wrapped her arms around Stannic, and Wanda took the gun from her hands.

“I’m sorry.” The young girl whispered.

“I know, little one.” Yelena told her. “I am so sorry you had to go through that. It is over though. We can’t let it define us. We must move on. I know it’s easier said than done but we must try.”

Stannic wiped her eyes. “Is the smell ever going to go away? It isn’t just the memories. I can smell his breath at night. It is so strong I think he is there, and I can’t sleep.”

Yelena held her closer. “It will go away. Listen to me. We must trust each other. You could have killed one of us. If your finger had slipped you could have shot Wanda. She has been shot enough, right? I know you are angry, but we do not take it out on one another like this. We have punching bags for that and targets or we talk about it. Now apologize to Oksana.”

Stannic looked up and then dropped her head again. “I’m sorry.”

Oksana walked up to her without hesitation and hugged the girl tightly. “I know, sweetie. It’s okay. I love you.”

Oksana looked at all of them.

“We were told love is for children. Widows are made of marble. We were lied to. I love all of you. I would die for all of you. I will never hurt any of you. I am not made of marble. None of us are.”

Stannic stepped back and Yelena grabbed her again. “We are going to rescue a sister. Soon you will go out with us. For now, I need someone to take care of Fanny. Take her for a walk, play fetch with her. She likes you. Can you do that for me?”

Stannic scowled. “Do you know how many kills I have? I have killed since I was ten. Why can I not fight?”

“Have you ever worked on a team?” Yelena asked. “Watch our live feeds, watch how it is done. When we return we will practice integrating you in a team. I promise.”

Stannic nodded and walked to the elevators. Yelena told Fanny to follow, and the dog did so, understanding Yelena already. Once she was on her way up, the tension in the bunker seemed to break.

“Prepare. We don’t know how long he will be there.” Yelena ordered.

The widows ran off to prepare and Yelena walked to one of the bunks away from the med bay. When Yelena was out of sight of her sisters she leaned against the wall then slid down and began crying. Stannic’s words had brought back memories she tried desperately to push down. All of them had suffered at the hands of Dreykov but Yelena was his favorite, and they all knew it. Somehow, the knowledge being spoken aloud made it more real and the others hearing it filled her with a shame she did not deserve but felt regardless.

Wanda came in sat next to her. She said nothing but did reach out her hand and grabbed Yelena’s.

“We knew it wouldn’t be easy.” Yelena told her. “I thought we had no secrets, Wanda. What you said about what happened to you, I had no idea.”

“It isn’t a secret I would keep from you. It was something I didn’t want to talk about, so I never brought it up. Like I said, compared to what you went through it was nothing. I knew Dreykov used you all. I didn’t know you were his favorite.”

Yelena shrugged. “It is not something I like to think about. Do not belittle what happened to you, just because you think we suffered worse. Who hurt you? Are they still alive?”

Wanda nodded. “Unless they were killed in Novi Grad. There were more than one and I can’t remember their names. I’m not sure I ever learned them. It was after our parents died. Pietro and I were in an orphanage. Orphanages were more like prisons without bars in Sokovia. He would often be baited into fights and be placed into a cell alone so the others could have their way with me. I didn’t tell him for the longest time. After trying to fight, I simply gave up. One day he was released early and found me with one of them. He grabbed a metal pipe and hurt them all, tried to kill them and started a riot. I knew he would be thrown in prison, so we took the opportunity to escape. We left the orphanage and never looked back. We were homeless, stayed in hostels when Pietro could steal enough to provide for us. We stayed with friends in abandoned buildings during the winter, lit fires in trash cans to stay warm. He never left my side again until we got our powers. He always felt he failed me. It wasn’t his fault. It was just life.”

Yelena shook her head, tears streaming down her face, then stood up. “Wanda?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t ever stand in front of a gun again. I can’t lose you. I can’t do this without you.”

Wanda nodded. “I won’t leave you.”

“Promise me.”

Wanda nodded and stood up as well. “I promise you. This day has been horrible. Want to go kill some people?”

“I thought you would never ask.”

Stuttgart, Germany

The Red Widows had arrived shortly after night fell. They surrounded the entire structure, memorized every exit point and entrance point, found potential weak spots, and searched it with infrared goggles, checking the location of everyone in the house and surrounding land.

They could not find a security system on any electronic device as far as the land went. The mansion must have had some security alarm but by the time it went off, it would be too late for the occupants inside. It was already too late for the four men walking the perimeter of the land.

The mansion itself would be easy to breach. Rather than an old castle like mansion, this one was modern likely built in the last five years. It was a simple, tall, one story that was split level inside. Their was a patio on top of the house that had a wonderful view of the city. In the back there was a large pool and hot tub.

At two AM, the widows struck. Two widows killed the guards in front. They never heard them coming. In the back, Yelena and Taskmaster slit throats, killing silently and cleanly. The remainder of the team, split into front and back sides, joined them, carrying explosives. Yelena took one of the explosive packs and used the cable in her widow bite to go to the top of the house followed by Antonia.

Two were in a bedroom below her. She suspected it would be Madison and Teller in bed. The thought lit a fire inside her, but she pushed it down. She had to contain her emotions. She could feel after the enemy had been defeated and the girl rescued.

On the floors below, multiple targets were moving about the house. No one was asleep except for Teller and Madison.

“I go through top, you go through window.” Yelena told Antonia.

The armored woman nodded and moved to the side. They needed to get Teller away from Madison. The widows would handle the guards on the first. Teller would run out the back and make his way to the garage. Yelena and Antonia would engage Madison, deliver the antidote, and then tranquilize her. It would be best to have her wake up at the base rather than explaining what was going on in the middle of a hostile situation. Their jet was a mile away, so Antonia would be carrying her out to the extraction point.

“Engage.” Yelena said into the com.

Multiple explosions went off, including hers, blowing a hole into the hallway outside the bedroom. Taskmaster swung through the window as Yelena entered the room. Teller was in a panic, but her attention was on Madison. The girl stood and went for a gun on the nightstand, but Yelena soared through the air and kicked her in the head.

Being a black widow, the kick did not send her to the ground, only slightly stunned her. Yelena had held back as well, not wanting to give the girl brain damage.

Before Madison could retaliate, Taskmaster had jumped over the bed and slammed her against a wall, then locked her arms in place. Madison tried to break the hold, but Taskmaster was too strong.

Yelena took the opportunity to spray the antidote into Madison’s face and the fight went out of her. She slumped in Antonia’s arms and her eyes began darting around.

“What is going on?” the young girl asked.

She never got an answer. Antonia pressed the syringe into her neck and within seconds she was unconscious.

“Madison is secured.” Yelena said.

“Targets are dead.” Sasha replied. “Teller has made his way to garage and is leaving. Do you want us to engage?”

Yelena chuckled. “Wanda would be quite upset if we took all her fun, no?”

Outside, a panicked Miles Teller grabbed the nearest set of keys on the wall and poured himself into an SUV. He didn’t wait for the garage door to open, instead driving through.

Those were black widows. Even worse, the way they moved, the organization, the timed explosions, told him they were a Black Widow strike team. He would rather face military special forces than those girls. His private black widow could not take all of them. He also saw the one he knew was Taskmaster.

Many thoughts went through his head. Was Dreykov still somehow alive and upset that he had began doing his own business, taking an asset for himself and instead of delivering the girls to the Red Room, he had found a customer who paid much better.

It was impossible. All attempts to contact Dreykov or any of his lieutenants were unsuccessful. His contacts told him the Russian government was still salvaging the remains of the base on the ground. It showed signs of being blown out of the sky, yet the only bodies found in the area were guards. No black widows bodies were found in the wreckage.

The mind controlled widows went somewhere. Nobody knew where.

Teller knew. They had broken their control. They were loose and very angry.

He hadn’t made it halfway down the drive, when the car suddenly stopped, causing him to jerk so fast, he hit the steering wheel with his chest.

He looked out the window and saw a red glow all around the vehicle. The SUV was at least twenty feet off the ground. When the front of the SUV tilted down, he saw a sight he prayed never to see. The Witch was on the ground with her glowing hands reaching towards his vehicle, lifting it off the ground. Before he fell out, he struggled to put his seatbelt on, thinking she couldn’t hold him indefinitely.

She was terrifying to behold. She was dressed in black from her neck down but wore that short red jacket. Her eyes were glowing red, and she had a smile that caused him to shiver.

Then the SUV broke apart. The doors, the wheels, even the body came off and hovered in the air. He was seated on the driver’s seat, only a seat belt holding him in place.

He began to float towards her. Teller kept his hand on the clasp of the belt, hoping once he was close to the ground, he could unlatch it and run past her somehow.

Her damn red eyes were more terrifying the closer he came to her.

When he neared the ground, he unclasped the belt and tried to run. Rather than having any success, he fell at her feet.

He refused to look up, staying on the ground and not moving.

Her boot lifted his chin up.

“Miles Teller. We have been looking for you for a while. Do you own this mansion? It is very nice, except for the holes my sisters blew in it and the dead bodies and pools of blood. That will probably drive the property value down. Is it yours?”

“Ye… yes.” The man stuttered.

He was lifted off the ground and hovered in front of her.

“How did one of Dreykov’s handlers afford something like this? The useless protection must have cost money as well. The Red Room is gone, Miles. Where are you getting your money?”

Wanda’s eyes stopped glowing, but she was no less terrifying to the man. He said nothing but after a few seconds felt a pressure on his throat and felt as if he were choking.

Wanda sighed, shook her head and Miles was unconscious.

He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when he woke, he was on the floor of an aircraft he recognized as one of the Red Room’s. He was surrounded by nine widows, Taskmaster, and the damn witch. The girls were glaring at him with murderous intent. Taskmaster was motionless, that terrifying helmet hiding it’s face.

The Witch was smiling. That felt the worst. She was smiling like a cat who had captured a mouse and was about to play with it.

He sat up slowly.

“Miles, we thought we would move the conversation somewhere more private.” One of the widows told him. He recognized her from a few past missions. He thought her name was Yelena or Helena.

She pulled a knife out.

Yelena. Defintely Yelena. The girl could do things with that knife that made him squirm.

“What do you want? You are obviously free. I never did what he did to any of you.”

“So Madison was in your bed of her own free will?” Wanda asked.

“She was my asset! She was under my control! Dreykov is gone so what do you expect me to do?!”

Wanda shook her head. “You should learn to read the room before you open your mouth. Tell me about the girls. You were in charge of Dreykov’s human trafficking pipeline. You and your men stole little girls. The last shipment we tracked were your men, shipping them to you at an unknown location. You are going to tell us all the details. I want to know where your men are, how they are choosing the girls, if their parents are alive and who you are selling them to now. They aren’t going to Dreykov, and they are too valuable to be killed. Someone is getting them, and I want to know who.”

Teller looked at the widows surrounding him. “You are going to kill me anyway. I’m valuable alive if I keep my mouth shut. The only thing I have to guarantee my life is information. You take me someplace in public and I…”

Teller shut up when Wanda placed a hand on his forehead.

He saw horrible visions. The widows were monsters, with large fangs. His skin was falling off his body. He tried to scream but he had no mouth. He saw the Witch in front of him, her eyes red and the tips of her fingers were black like shadows. She was looking at him, her head tilted to the right and a chilling grin on her face. She was no longer dressed in black. She wore a red crown and some sort of strange suit that hung behind her like a cape and a red suit covering her to her neck.

Snakes. Snakes were slithering onto him, making his skin fall off faster and biting him. He could feel the fangs sinking into him.

He screamed as loud as he could but all he heard was a muffled cry from where his mouth once was.

Then it was all gone. He was back in the jet, still surrounded by the women who would kill him.

“I could take it from your head, but it may cause you to go insane. I want you to know what is going on. You are going to tell me what I want to know.” Wanda told him. “I was once in Captain America’s head and saw his past. He is an impressive man. He always said something that I found funny.”

Wanda placed her hand back on his forehead. “I can do this all day.”

“Please no! Look I will tell you everything. Just don’t… don’t do that again. Cut me, beat me but not that.”

Teller began to talk. He told them where the cities the girls were often kidnapped from and where they were shipped to him. He told them about his pickup points. One of the widows recorded his voice, planning to use a voice modulator to set up meets. He told them the code words he used, the operations and the location of the sellers, including the price. He also told them the name for which they had searched.

“Advanced Idea Mechanics. They call themselves A.I.M.” Teller told them, giving up his customers. “They used to be a branch of HYDRA but split off on their own. Their whole thing is science including human experimentation. They had approached me a few years ago but I was too afraid of Dreykov. They must have heard he was dead because they approached me again and made an offer I couldn’t refuse. I don’t know here they are taking them. I always put them on a ship, a different dock in every seaside European country. So far they have bought thirty since the Red Room went down. My last shipment was two weeks ago.”

“Where is A.I.M. located?” Wanda asked.

“I’ve told you everything I know. I might remember more if given time and not in such a stressful situation.”

Wanda shook her head and reached out to him. He froze and felt her digging in his mind, fingers scraping his brain.

He felt his life leaving his mind, all his secrets exposed, including the one he hoped to bargain for his life with.

“He knows nothing else. He has done six drops, five girls each over the past four months. He meets them in different docks, and they take the girls on ship to another location.” Wanda explained.

“We can cut off the pipeline and then figure out a way to find their location.” Yelena told the group. “We set up a meet with them, they show up in a ship, he doesn’t. We track the ship. How many other handlers are selling girls, Teller?”

Teller shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve heard some of us found other customers, mostly organized crime in Europe. You know what they are used for. If they aren’t going to the Red Room they are going somewhere. Some of the handlers still have widows and are accepting hits. Some are selling their widows to mercenary groups. We don’t have poker nights and Dreykov never sent out a newsletter.”

Wanda lifted the man to his feet with her power.

“Dani where are we?” she shouted to the cockpit.

“Forty miles from the coast. Altitude is ten thousand feet.” The pilot shouted back.

“Open the back.”

The back entrance lowered down, opening the cargo area to the open air.

Yelena walked in front of Teller and ripped his shirt down. She placed a metal lead of some sort to his chest that stuck immediately.

“This will monitor your heart rate. I believe you will die from disembowelment before you hit the water. Wanda is convinced the impact will kill you. It seems like a lot of trouble, but you know the saying. A bet is a bet.”

Yelena stabbed her blade into his abdomen and pulled up. Wanda lifted him in the air and tossed him out the back door.

When the door closed, Wanda addressed the group.

“We have the means to cut off Teller’s flow from its source. We have a plan to find A.I.M. and end them. Overall, I would say it was a good day, sisters.”

The widows patted each other on the backs, until Yelena caught everyone’s attention by shouting with glee.

“He died five hundred meters before he hit sea level. You must take Fanny for walk every morning this week, Wanda. A bet is a bet.”

Wanda cursed herself, knowing Yelena was right. A bet was a bet.