Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 36:

Wanda screamed when she opened her eyes. Wong and Agatha were staring at her inches from her face and Wong had a gold amulet swinging back and forth close to her nose. They jumped back at the noise and she tried to move away but didn’t get far. She was in the med bay strapped to a stretcher.

“Damn! Did you have to yell?” Wong asked.

Wanda worked to control her breathing and took a look around. Eleanor and Kate Bishop, Steve Rogers, Bucky and Natasha along with the rest of the Widows were in the hallway looking into the open room. Yelena was seated by her bedside, Oksana was unstrapping her and removing an I.V line and Agatha and Wong were looking at that golden amulet in his hand.

“Good news is you aren’t going to die.” Oksana told her. “Bad news is your going to be stiff and in pain for the next few days. You had three grand mal seizures over the past twelve hours. I had to give you an anti-convulsant. Your EEG was erratic during your seizures but you seem to have calmed down. How do your muscles feel?”

Wanda laid back and tried to relax after the scare she had when she first woke. She took stock of her body. Her arms, legs and back hurt. Her muscles felt as if she had an actual workout like the girls did in the morning. Her jaw was also sore.

“I feel good. Can I get up?”

Oksana shook her head. “Sorry but the I.V. port stays in case you have another seizure. Agatha thinks you will be fine but I want to make sure. You are stuck in this bed for a few days while I run EEGs and a million other tests. Your only job is to rest.”

Wong stepped up with a big smile and showed her the golden amulet he had been waving over her face. “The gold is still gold. Black would be bad. Your magic is not contaminated. You just broke several barriers. That was dumb.” he told her.

Agatha sighed and pulled him back. “You aren’t cursed, kid. Ross called us. Apparently you pulled a Darth Vader while in astral form. Not a smart move to use that much power in one go. It shorted circuited your system. Using your powers in astral form is like anything else. You start small and build your way up. Looks like your mind went a little haywire before you got back to your body.”

Wanda started to shake her head then realized her neck was sore as well. “I can’t use my powers in astral form. The only time I did was… after I unlocked…”

Agatha nodded. “Yeah, you absorbed some cosmic energy to kickstart your magic to Scarlet Witch levels. You visited the multiverse, the Dark Dimension, some purple goliath’s ship and you used your powers then. Since that time we have built up magical barriers around you, not only on your mind but your aura so you can relax during the day. You shattered a few of them. You saw him about to be ground up by bullets and you panicked. Understandable but you gotta be careful, Kid. You may be the Scarlet Witch but you still have a human body. I did three demons one time and found that out the hard way.”

Wong was impressed. “You fought three demons at once. Very impressive.”

Agatha smirked. “Two were incubi and one was a succubus. We can pretend I fought them if it makes you feel better. Sabrina, you are magically grounded for a few days. No astral projecting, no conjuring, no flying and when you are out of bed, use your hands to lift things and open doors. Then we can start working on powers in astral form.”

Wanda looked over at Yelena and met her red eyes. Yelena gave her a slight smile.

“Could Wanda and I have some privacy?” Yelena told the group.

The hallway outside was cleared and Wong and Agatha left them. Oksana shined a penlight into Wanda’s eyes, took her blood pressure and left as well.

“You want to yell at me?”

Yelena shook her head. “No, I want to apologize. I should have just gone to Wakanda with you. I pushed you into this astral thing because I thought you would just look around and then come back. I didn’t think of what could happen. I tell you not to take your powers for granted but I did it this time.”

Wanda reached out and took her hand. “This isn’t you, Yelena. We are still learning about this. Its new for both of us. We will get through it though. We learned something today. Or… yesterday… what time is it?”

“Midnight.”

“I learned that I could use my powers in astral form but I need practice. Another painful lesson learned. We never thought this was going to be easy.”

Yelena patted her hand. “Less pain maybe. Less brain damage. This is on me. I don’t like you to hurt. It makes me hurt. Eleanor is about to leave. She wants to say goodbye before she does. Then Bucky will be here. He has been fighting with Fanny to get into the bed with you. You have him wrapped already like the rest of your rings. Make him work for it, yes?”

Wanda laughed and Yelena kissed her on the forehead.

After a visit and a goodbye from Eleanor and an awkward conversation with Bucky who had no idea how to comfort anyone, Yelena brought a cot next to Wanda. Kate joined them holding Yelena and they all drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Yelena moved up to her room to shower and prepare for the day. Kate hadn’t slept well due to the poor bedding arrangement and planned to take a nap before spending the day with Antonia once more.

Yelena walked Kate to her bedroom and tucked her and Lucky under the covers. When she reached her own bedroom, Naomi, Sonia and Ingrid were waiting by her door.

“What is wrong?” Yelena asked.

Naomi looked towards her door. “We need to talk to you about something, in private.”

Yelena opened the door and Fanny rushed inside followed by the others.

A couple of hours later the intercom called for all widows to report to the control room. Once they assembled, Maria took the lead.

“This came across American news. San Francisco. An eighteen year old girl was arrested this morning on her front drive covered in blood and carrying a butcher knife. Police found her parents inside dead.

A picture of the blonde and her parents popped up.

“The girl is Widow 114, assigned name Chloe. She had been loaned to HYDRA agents two years before the Red Room was taken down. The photos of her parents match with Red Room records as known HYDRA agents.”

Yelena was intrigued. “Was she mind controlled?”

Maria showed her hands. “She was under. Something snapped.”

“They didn’t have the drug.” Oksana realized.

The widows all turned to her.

“What do you mean?” Yelena asked.

Oksana took a breath. “The mind control drug, when Wanda took it out of you Yelena, she said it turned your body black all over. There was a tremendous amount of the drug in all your blood streams. But your bodies still needed injections once every six months or less. Most handlers were given vials for the duration of the mission. Every six months, the widow would be injected again. My dust neutralized the drug in the blood stream immediately but even without the dust, the body would still burn the drug off naturally. If these agents weren’t given back up vials and stopped injecting her, the drug could have worn off.”

Yelena’s eyes widened. “Enough time has passed that there could be widows waking up all over the world?”

Oksana wasn’t sure. “In theory, yes. As I said, the Red Room records showed injections every six months. The drug did not have an expiration date. An agent would not only be able but be required to keep the widow dosed. If Dreykov didn’t trust the agents or handlers to do it he sent out techs to ensure it was done in the field. It was also the reason many widows were recirculated in and out of the Red Room. Being HYDRA agents, they would have only be given as much for the time period they had her. If they kept her because the Red Room fell, they would not have any more of the drug. If her last does was close to the time the Red Room was destroyed… she could be the first to find her way out.”

Yelena nodded. “And she wasn’t happy when she did. It would explain why she stood on the front drive rather than escaping. She is still confused. She doesn’t have the dust to eradicate the drug in seconds. Her body is slowly using it up.”

“I can get her out.” Wanda said, limping into the room.

“Go back to bed. You are no good to us if you have a seizure in field.” Yelena told her.

“If she is under arrest they will have her held somewhere. I can…”

Yelena walked up to her and placed hands on her shoulders. “Wanda, I trust you. Now trust me. We can handle this. Please, rest up. We need you healthy. There are more battles to come. Agatha needs to stay and keep watch over you. We can handle this.”

Wanda didn’t like the idea. Yelena and the others had undergone widow retrieval missions without her before, but this was something different. This was a jail break. Sure they had taken down an Iranian prison but she was there.

“Trust me.” Yelena told her.

Wanda sighed and nodded. “Do what you must but if you get in trouble I will rescue you, even if I have to suffer more seizures.”

Yelena smiled and patted her cheek. “Go to bed. Maybe Kate can keep you company later, yes?”

“Yay.” Wanda said. “Fill me in. What’s the plan Red 1?”

Yelena looked over the team.

“We are taking a small team. Like Wanda said if this goes sideways we made need rescue. Ingrid, I want you in nest. What pilot is best at extraction 6?”

Ava whistled. “I like where this is going.”

“I am!” Kristina and Angelica said at the same time.

Yelena looked at them doubtfully.

“She is.” Kristina sadly admitted, pointing to Angelica.

Yelena nodded. “Thank you. Bea, you and I are going in for extraction from custody. Sonia you are field operative and back up. Rachel this is good opportunity to watch how we run the operation with Mika here. Maria, I want you on the ground, handling the technical aspects of this mission. That is all. The rest of you continue to do whatever you want. Remember Disney next week so if you want to wear veils figure out a face you like.”

Nat listened to this with trepidation. She hadn’t minded going into an evil regime’s prison and taking out the guards. These were innocent police officers though. She wasn’t sure what the rules of engagement were but wanted to be there to make sure nothing got out of hand.

“I’d like to come to.” She offered.

Yelena nodded. “I expected you to come to Disney Land but you will defintely need a veil and wig.”

“I’d like to come on the mission.” Nat clarified.

Yelena shook her head dismissively. “I’ve already chosen a team.”

“One more won’t…”

Yelena scowled and her face turned red. “We need to have a talk, now! Alone! Strike team please gear up and prep jet. Wheels up in an hour. You, with me.” She finished pointing at Nat.

Yelena walked to the elevator and held it until Nat entered behind her. Nat tried to speak but Yelena ignored her. They walked to the library and Yelena closed the door behind them.

“I’m sorry. It’s hard for me…”

“I knew it would be hard for you! You must be big Avenger! You said you will take orders but all you do is question! That isn’t even my biggest problem! I was approached by three of our strike team leaders this morning. They are concerned. Do you know why?”

Natasha stayed silent, knowing it couldn’t be good.

“They want to know why Stannic is coming out of your room early every morning. Naomi asked her and she denied it. They have all seen it. Stannic doesn’t lie for no reason.”

“Yelena! You don’t think…” Nat began to protest, horrified.

“It doesn’t matter what I think! You think because they let you on mission and you help them learn to cook that you are one of them? They see older widow who was never brainwashed move in. Then Stannic is leaving your bedroom every morning. What do you expect them to think?!”

Nat crossed her arms and shook her head. Her eyes were already burning. She had forgotten who she was dealing with. She had gotten comfortable. She still couldn’t believe they thought that of her or even suspected.

“Stannic asked to go with you to find Harry Osborn. She has formed some attachment to you very quickly. That makes me very worried.” Yelena said. “Why has she formed this attachment to you?”

Nat took a deep breath to calm herself and talk this out reasonably. “I found Stannic on the roof one night, downing a bottle of bourbon because she couldn’t sleep. She was having a hard time getting Dreykov out of her mind. I took the bottle away from her and then told her to come to my room. I helped her through some relaxation exercises and told her she could sleep in my bed so she wouldn’t be alone. She slept better and has been doing it ever since. I think she is embarrassed. She didn’t want anyone to know.”

Nat stopped speaking when she saw the look of disbelief on Yelena’s face.

“You found her on the roof drinking.”

“Yes.”

“And you took the bottle from her?”

“She is fourteen!”

“Answer the question!” Yelena snapped.

Nat forced herself to remain calm. “Yes, I took the bottle from her and told her…”

“You told her?” Yelena interrupted.

Nat nodded. “Yes, I told her to follow me. She came to my room and I held her so she could sleep. The same way you and Wanda hold these girls…”

“You are not me or Wanda! Do you know what you did? Do you have any idea?” Yelena shouted.

“Yes, I stopped a kid from drinking and offered her some comfort.” Nat said trying to remain calm.

Yelena shook her head and pulled her hair with her hands. “You have no idea the lines I have to walk as leader! Women look to me for direction who are used to not having choices while I try to give them direction without making them slaves. When you came, I told you not to be a mother!”

“I’m not trying to be a mother but…” Nat defended but was cut off by Yelena once more when the blonde turned to face her again.

“You approached a formerly mind controlled fourteen year old widow. You took something from her without asking and threw it away. You then told her to follow you to your room and get into your bed. You didn’t ask, you told her!”

“She didn’t have to!”

“Do you think she knew that?!” Yelena shouted and began pacing. “It doesn’t matter if you comforted her! I understand now why she wanted to go with you to retrieve Osborn. You told her to stop a behavior and then to follow you. You say she didn’t have to but she did! It is beaten into all of us! The drug makes sure even if the beatings don’t. You became her handler, Natasha! You probably told her not to drink anymore and she agreed with no argument, right?”

Nat threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “What was I supposed to do! Leave her to get drunk on the roof until she rolled off! Yes I told her not to drink anymore but…”

“But nothing! You think you are her big sister or her mama? Congratulations, you are her handler now! Did you ever think you would be one? Do you see the line I walk? It is that easy to screw up! You wouldn’t know that! Instead you come into our home and question everything. You judge us. If I find Stannic or any of the young ones drinking I say, maybe you should think about how that can affect your combat readiness or ask them to talk to me or Wanda. I do not take from them and throw away! Then I become their handler! You have no idea how to deal with my sisters!”

Nat turned her back on her. “If she had a problem with it, why did she thank me the next morning? She just wanted comfort Yelena.”

Yelena laughed sharply. “She said thank you. Perfect! You know how many times I said thank you? Every time he grabbed the back of my head and forced me to my knees. After he finished I had to say thank you before I could stand again. It was automatic. I had no choice. I said thank you every time I was hit. He would beat me and when I stood up again I had to thank him for sparing my worthless life! Of course she says thank you! When a handler tells you to do something and they don’t hurt you, then you are very thankful! All you are ever allowed to say is thank you!

“You come and judge but you never understand! You let Madame B get into your head. Bad for you but you have no idea what it is like. You question and you push and when I choose team you tell me what you want. Every widow wants to come! But do they question? No, because we are a family and if they look to me for leadership in the field then I must walk the line between giving orders while not becoming a handler! You know nothing! You are no mama here!”

Natasha turned back to Yelena. “Maybe I’m not but you sure as hell aren’t helping them. Try leading by example. I see a lot of messed up kids that could use some guidance. I see kids drinking straight from bottles to forget their pain, or sleeping as close to Wanda as they can get so some of her magic can rub off! Oksana is too scared to say anything but I’m not! When Stannic was on the roof, it was because you and Wanda were so drunk you probably couldn’t walk. It happens a lot doesn’t it? These girls watch you and Wanda and they see…”

Natasha was cut off when Yelena’s fist shot out like a cobra hitting her in the mouth. Yelena punched her twice more before Nat began to block.

Blocking Yelena wasn’t enough. It became apparent that Yelena was every bit as good as Natasha and playing defense would get her very hurt. She had never seen that look in Yelena’s eyes but she suspected Melina might have. Yelena was in a rage. Unlike most people who fought sloppy when angry, Yelena only became that much more dangerous.

The two flew around the library throwing kicks and punches. Yelena hit Nat over the back with a wooden chair, shattering it. then hit her with the leg of the chair. Nat tackled Yelena and the two tossed and grappled, finally throwing each other into the doors and crashing through into the foyer.

The widows were watching with interest, forming a circle around the two. Kate had rushed down the stairs at the sound of fighting. Bucky and Steve were also wide eyed taking in the spectacle. Both girls were bloody but still fighting with intensity.

Steve moved to separate them but was hit by a widow bite. He shook off the sting and pulled the barb out then looked toward his attacker.

He saw Naomi with her arm raised towards him.

“Stay out of this, Captain America.” Naomi told him. “If you interfere, we all get involved. This can get very ugly, very quickly.”

Yelena ran up five stairs, jumped onto the railing and launched herself back to the ground landing a kick to the side of Natasha’s jaw, knocking her to the ground. Having the advantage, Yelena straddled her waist and grabbed her hair sending punch after punch into Nat who was struggling to keep her guard up and taking too many shots.

“Yelena please stop! You’re going to kill her!” Kate cried out in a panic.

The sound of Kate’s scared voice snapped Yelena out of her blind rage. She blinked a few times then stood up and backed away from Nat.

Natasha shakily got to one knee and wiped her bloody lips and nose with the back of her hand.

Yelena looked up at Kate sadly then addressed Natasha. “When I get back, I want you gone. Never come back. You say me and Wanda are no examples. At least we never left little sisters behind, hoping they will be taken care of by strangers. Ты для меня ничто. I don’t know why I give you chance. You were never my real sister. Your just a fake person. A fake hero. It was all fake. Family, you, everything was fake.”

Yelena spit on the ground and walked toward Kate.

“It was real to me.” Natasha told her with desperation in her voice “Мне жаль, что я не вернулся за тобой.”

Yelena paused but did not look back. Kate was shaking and trying to use her shirt to clean Yelena’s face.

The widows stood around Natasha in a circle and Natasha wondered if she would be in for another fight. They hadn’t reached for weapons but most of them were either scowling or had impassive faces.

“Don’t hurt her!” Stannic shouted, standing in front of Natasha. “It isn’t her fault! I’m sorry I lied but I didn’t want anyone to know… she helps me sleep and… it’s my fault. It isn’t her fault!”

Natasha raised a hand and placed it on the girl’s shoulder “It’s not you, Stannic. This isn’t about you. You didn’t do anything wrong. I did.”

Nat slowly stood up and walked to her room with Steve following quietly, not sure what had happened or why. He had never seen Yelena and Nat argue. The fight they had just made it seem as if they were mortal enemies. He thought he might have to become involved if Yelena hadn’t stopped because she had Nat in an indefensible position and looked like she was going to beat her to death. Visions of what she had done to Melina Vostokoff played in his mind.

Nat sat back on her bed and closed her eyes. When Steve sat next to her she leaned into his arms and cried harder than she had in years.

Kate led Yelena to the blonde’s room and rushed her to the bathroom. She wet a towel and began cleaning Yelena’s face. Yelena closed her eyes and slid down the wall to a sitting position and Kate followed her, kneeling on front of her.

“I’m sorry, beloved. I never wanted you to see that side of me.”

Kate touched her cheek gently. “The first time I met you, you killed a couple guys trying to hurt me. I’ve…”

Yelena shook her head. “You have never seen me like that. Only Wanda and Oksana have. I sometimes go to a very dark place. I must scare you. You are frightened of me.”

Kate pressed her forehead to Yelena’s. “You will never scare me. Do you want to talk about what started it?”

Yelena gritted her teeth and shook her head. “No. I just want you to know I would kill myself before I ever hurt you.”

“I know that, Yelena. “I’m not scared of you. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’ll actually stay quiet and listen.”

Yelena wiped her eyes and sniffed then smiled. “I have more important things to do than talk about her. A widow needs me. Maybe I am not perfect role model but I can give her freedom and family. I won’t leave her behind. When I come back and she is gone from my life I will tell you. I must get ready, my Kate Bishop. I am sorry you saw that. Spend time with Antonia today. I think her and Lerato want to take you hiking. Take Fanny with you please. I wont be able to take her for her walk today.”

---

San Francisco California 24 hours later

F.B.I Special Agent Jimmy Woo was not sure what to make of the girl sitting across from him. Her California birth certificate, driver’s license and Social Security identified her as Chloe Spencer, age eighteen who was preparing to enter her freshman year at San Francisco State University in the fall. She was 5’4” and 119 lbs with sandy blonde shoulder length wavy hair, light green eyes and a slight tan.

She didn’t appear as if she could hurt a fly.

Woo thought it must have made an eerie sight for the neighbors who saw her walk out onto the driveway, wearing grey shorts and an oversized sleep shirt, her entire body covered in blood, holding a very large butcher knife in her hand.

Chloe had lived at home with her parents, Jim Spencer, a private contractor and her mother Julia Spencer a housewife and business manager for her husband’s business. They had moved to San Francisco two years before and appeared to be the ideal family. When the neighbors saw her standing on the driveway with a blank expression, clutching the knife and refusing to speak, they immediately called the police. In the ten minutes it had taken the police to arrive, she had not moved. When the police demanded she drop the knife she didn’t even look at them. They tazed her, restrained her and moved her quickly into the back of a police car.

Inside the police found a bloody discovery. Her mother and father had been stabbed to death, including having their throats cut to the point of near decapitation.

The girl didn’t speak to the police or anyone. She did as she was told. She showered when directed. She changed into a prison jumpsuit so her clothes could be taken into evidence. She gave no resistance while being taken into the interrogation room.

By the neighbors’ accounts Chloe was a cheerful girl who had a good relationship with her parents.

Crimes like this, though tragic, were not unusual. The perfect home was not the perfect home behind closed doors. The cheerful girl hid trauma or mental instability. Chloe’s almost catatonic state was an indication of some sort of mental breakdown.

The reason Jimmy was assigned to this case was due to some interesting findings on her parents.

The first being that neither existed before two years ago. Checking into financials, tax records, bank statements and birth records it became quickly obvious that Jim and Julia Spencer were false identities as was their daughter.

Detectives opened a safe and found Jim Spencer’s business records along with other accounts that were encoded. A check into his banking accounts showed there were also large sums of money deposited in the past seven months to his business account and likely laundered. Jim Spencer’s income had tripled during the last seven months.

The source of the illegal income was a mystery. Suddenly the emotionally disturbed girl who butchered her parents was a federal matter. The F.B.I. had taken over the case and Jimmy Woo was the lead investigator. It was his first lead assignment since he had been hired after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had to get this right.

Chloe was seated upright with her wrists cuffed to the table. She didn’t appear as dazed and confused as earlier so Jimmy thought he would try to talk to her.

“Chloe, my name is Jimmy Woo. I’m an agent with the F.B.I. Do you think we could talk a little bit? I want to ask about your parents.”

Chloe’s eyes focused in on the man and showed a slight awareness.

“They aren’t my parents. I don’t have parents. I’m a weapon made of marble. Weapons are made, not born.” She said in a monotone voice.

Jimmy was happy she was talking at least but what she said chilled him. She was talking clearly at least, though she still sounded a bit lethargic.

“Who were the people who lived with you?”

Chloe frowned and looked as if she were giving thought to this. Jimmy was afraid she might clam up again before she shook her head and answered.

“They were my handlers. I did what they told me to do. They told me to call them mom and dad so I did. I do as I am told.”

“You always do as you are told?”

“Of course. I am a tool. I do what I am told. Or I did…”

Chloe’s face showed signs of greater confusion. Whatever had her in a fugue state was letting up but she could easily slip back into it so Jimmy had to keep her talking.

“What else did they tell you to do besides call them mom and dad?”

Chloe’s eyes seemed to clear then. She tilted her head and looked to the ceiling as if remembering. “They told me to kill people. They said who and where and how and I killed them. I did everything they told me to do. I trained when I was told to train. I ate when I was told, I went to school and became popular. I did what I was told to do. I was good… I think.”

Jimmy forced himself to control his breathing as the puzzle pieces started to fit. The large sums of money and increase in income made sense if the Spencers were involved in contract killing. Why would he send a girl posing as his daughter to carry out the hits though? And why were the sums of money larger recently than when they first arrived two years ago?

“What happened yesterday morning? Do you remember?”

Chloe nodded. “The man had sex with me and then told me take my punishment. I… I did as I was told but…” she shook her head. “When I walked into the kitchen the woman was angry with him. She did not want him to punish or have sex with me because she said I hadn’t taken my medicine and they couldn’t get any more. She was afraid I would no longer do as I was told if I was angered.”

Jimmy’s stomach began to sink.

“He forced you to have sex with him?”

“He told me to.”

“You didn’t have a choice.” Jimmy clarified.

Chloe shrugged. “We had sex when he told me to. I think every night. Sometimes he just like to hurt me. She did too. She never wanted sex but she liked to hurt me. They were fighting about me not taking my medicine and… my mind cleared for a moment… I remembered they hurt me.”

“You just remembered?”

Chloe nodded. “I think I always remembered but it didn’t matter. I did as I was told so memories didn’t matter. After morning punishment I started remembering. I remembered other punishments. I remembered a lot of things. I began to feel angry. When she said I hadn’t taken my medicine it was like…”

Jimmy waited, not saying anything.

“It was like a light came on. I actually felt angry. I don’t know if I ever felt anger. I pretended to feel every emotion but I’m not sure I ever did. I hadn’t had my medicine in a very long time. I had been remembering more of what they had done to me and I was feeling anger. I remembered when the woman gave me the brand mark on the inside of my right thigh. She wanted to test me. I had to stand still and not scream when she did it.

“I walked to the counter and grabbed the butcher knife while they argued. He saw me and told me to put it down but I didn’t. I didn’t have to. I didn’t have to do what he said. Then I remembered another very important thing. I was better.”

“Better at what?”

“I was a better killer than they were. I hurt them. I hurt them over and over. I took their legs out first so they couldn’t run. Then I punished them. I cut them and I cut them and liked their screams. I liked the terror on their faces. I tried to cut their heads off but the knife wasn’t sharp enough to slice through the vertebrae, so I stopped when I reached the spinal column. Then everything became cloudy again. I didn’t have handlers and didn’t know what to do so I walked outside.”

Jimmy swallowed hard and began sweating. His heart was pounding. She had been under some mind control drug that kept her in a hyper hypnotic state and these people had ran out of the drug.

“What kind of medicine did they give you?”

Chloe shrugged. “They injected it. It was black.”

“Do you know where they got the medicine?”

Chloe nodded. “They got it from my owners. The Red Room.”

Jimmy froze, taking a moment to be sure she had said what she did. It was a poorly kept secret among intelligence communities that the Red Widows were young Black Widows who had been chemically subjugated and controlled. Colonel Rhodes report of the liberation of the widows and the destruction of the Red Room made note of the mind control drug. He had spoken to former colleagues of S.H.I.E.L.D. now in other federal agencies and the story was the same. There were more widows in the world under mind control.

Jimmy had just found one. This one had been free from the drug long enough that its hold eroded and she unleashed all her anger on her tormentors.

“Chloe… is your name Chloe?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes. I have always been Chloe. General Dreykov named his weapons.”

“Chloe, Dreykov is dead. The Red Room is gone. I suspect those people who were using you were foreign agents of some sort. I need to step out for just a minute and make a call then maybe we could talk some more and figure out who these people were that hurt you. Does that sound all right?”

Chloe shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. I don’t know… I don’t know… I’m confused.”

“We will get it all sorted. I’ll be right back.”

Jimmy left the room. He needed to let his supervisor know. This was big. This was more than a common sleeper agent cell living under false identities. Dozens of unsolved homicides could be cleared and if she were a Black Widow the parents could have been members of any of a dozen organizations including HYDRA.

He wasn’t a fool. He knew what would likely be done with her. Her face was all over the news. The world knew about the fresh faced eighteen year old girl that brutally slaughtered her parents. She would be held, interrogated over and over by every agency and eventually placed in the Raft. She could never be allowed to speak to the public about what she knew. The world would be told she was sent to a psychiatric facility or committed suicide and the story would be gone from the news in weeks.

Jimmy didn’t want to see that happen but he had no control over it. She was an assassin. She wouldn’t be rehabilitated. Natasha Romanoff was given a chance to clear her record by serving with S.H.I.E.L.D. but the agency was dead. No other agency would take on a black widow assassin much less one with a now famous face.

Jimmy spoke to this F.B.I. colleagues briefly and then asked for the room so he could make the call to his supervisor.

Before he could dial his superior, his phone rang. Caller I.D. showed the call was coming from the F.B.I. field office in San Francisco.

“Special Agent Jimmy Woo.” he answered.

“Hello, Special Agent Jimmy Woo. My name is Yelena Belova. Have you heard of me?”

Woo froze, a chill running down his spine at the sound of the thick Russian accent and the name that was now as well known in the intelligence community as Wanda Maximoff.

“Yes… yes, I have heard of you. Are you at… my office?”

The woman chuckled pleasantly. “Oh no. Caller I.D. trick. I was afraid you would not pick up unknown caller and we need to have conversation before you make mistake.”

Then her humorous tone was gone. “The girl you have is one of us. You know that by now or at least suspect. Walk her to the back exit and tell her to go, then tell the world she escaped custody. I will take her from there. If you do as we ask, no one needs to get hurt.”

Jimmy took a deep breath to steady his voice. “I’m afraid that is impossible, Miss Belova. You are a very smart woman. You know I can’t just let her go. I am an officer of the law and she is in custody for a double murder.”

“I am a very smart woman. I have heard you are a very smart man. Look around you. You see people who just want to go about their day, protect and serve then go home and have nice dinner, maybe watch T.V. and play with kids. There is no need for this to become very bad day for them. Make smart decision Special Agent Woo. She is leaving with me. The choice is in your hands on how many people have to be hurt before she does.”

Jimmy motioned to his team in the hallway with his hand and placed the call on mute.

“The department is surrounded by Red Widows. Alert everyone.” he said quickly.

Woo cleared his throat and took the phone off mute.

“Miss…”

“That was very bad mistake, Special Agent Woo.” Yelena told him coldly and hung up.

Then the lights went out. Jimmy walked out and stood in front of the door that held Chloe. The emergency lights turned on and then those went out almost immediately. The front and back of the station had windows but the interior where most of the officers worked was blocked off from sunlight.

Those in precinct were beginning to panic, particularly the civilians. He heard some officers make calls and try to use the radio but had no luck. He looked at his phone and had no signal. The unit captain ran to him with a flashlight.

“Do you have signal?” he asked Woo. “Nothing is working. Radios, land lines, computers and cell phones are down.”

Woo grimaced. “Of course they are down. They have cell blockers, have cut wires and likely have control over the entire electrical grid. It would be the first move. I can’t believe they are doing this in the daytime. They must have an army out there. Follow my agents lead. Tell your officers to arm themselves and be ready. Lock the station down and send some outside to drive until they have radio signal and call nearby precincts for immediate back up. Tell them to look for snipers when they are outside. We are under siege.”

“From whom?” the Captain asked.

“The Red Widows.”

The Captain groaned. “Because of the girl? Let them have her! We are a small station. We are having trouble keeping the media at bay. We aren’t equipped for this.”

“We can’t let them have her, Captain.”

“They are going to get her anyway! I’m not an idiot! They took out a couple hundred of Iron Man’s robots in Germany. Damn it, do you think the witch is with them!? My officers aren’t ready to face that! You saw what she could do in New York! If the blonde killer is a Black Widow, let her go and say she escaped. I’m responsible for my officers’ safety!”

Woo shook her head. “You and your officers took oaths! Prepare your men for an attack. I’ll stay in front of her door as the last line of defense. Now move! There could be dozens of them on their way in!”

As Jimmy became used to the darkness, he heard a hissing sound. The dark became even thicker and breathing became difficult. He smelled smoke. It wasn’t from a fire but it was smoke all the same. It was making already obscure vision that much harder.

He heard screams. Officers were fighting and shouting, unable to see, but being taken down. He turned a flashlight on but it did not good. He couldn’t see through the smoke.

Maybe if he couldn’t see they couldn’t either.

If that were true the officers would not be screaming. If they weren’t relying on visual or night vision they were using infrared.

A body landed at his feet from his right. It was a police officer with a twisted broken arm. Another landed from his left on top of the one who had just fallen. This one was bleeding from his temple but appeared to be breathing. Both were unconscious.

“Turn lights back on in our section.” The accented voice of Yelena Belova called out.

Jimmy turned in her direction but another woman grabbed his arm and twisted, forcing him to drop his gun and fall to the floor.

Two widows were above him. It was difficult to make out their feature. They wore black combat suits, had electric batons in their hands and charge widow bites. Their heads were covered with filtered masks and their eyes were covered by red goggles.

“I told you this would be a bad day, Jimmy Woo.” Yelena told him. She kneed him in the jaw, knocking him out.

Yelena was happy but still on edge So far the plan was going well. Her and Bea had worked their way through the station and incapacitated and electrocuted nearly every officer quickly. They never expected a day time attack and the layout of the station showed they would be mostly in darkness when they cut off power.

Time was of the essence though. The smoke would only blow through the vents for so long.

An officer stumbled towards them and Bea took him out with an open palm to his sternum. She then stood guard by the door as Yelena entered.

“Who are you? Did Dreykov send you to kill me?” the girl asked, coughing a bit from the light smoke.

“No, Dreykov is dead. You sound lethargic. Take this. It will clear rest of the drug from your body.”

Yelena sprayed the red dust directly into Chloe’s nose then put a gas mask on her. She quickly unlocked the cuffs and lifted Chloe up from her seat.

“What was that? My head doesn’t feel as light.” Chloe asked, her voice sounding more alive.

“I’ll explain later. We must move. Back up is probably only minutes away and we have caused major scene. Escape will be fun.”

“Who are you?” the girl asked again.

“I am Yelena Belova of the Red Widows. We are your sisters. We have come to take you home. Follow me.”

The three made their way back through the station’s bullpen, Yelena and Bea working their way through the officers who had awoken once more and were putting up a token resistance.

When they reached the back, Bea ran to one of two shiny new black motorcycles and grabbed a black vest.

“Kevlar. Put it on.” She said tossing it to Chloe.

Chloe did as told and dropped her gas mask so she could wear the helmet Yelena gave her. She mounted the bike behind the blonde just as Jimmy Woo came out with his gun raised on unsteady feet.

Yelena chuckled. “Special Agent Jimmy Woo, do you wear body armor?”

Woo was surprised by the question. “Of course. It is required that very agent wears body armor. Now raise your hands in the air and step off the bike, Belova.”

Yelena shook her head and put her helmet on. “You are a very stupid but a very brave man, Jimmy Woo. You will be very sore tomorrow but you have my respect.”

Woo felt like a sledgehammer punched him in the chest. The bullet’s impact was jarring and he slammed into the wall behind him then sank to the ground.

“Thank you, Ingrid. Cover our exit then leave nest, Sonia will be waiting for you on ground.”

Maria ran out of an alley with a laptop bag hanging from her back and jumped on Bea’s bike.

The two bikes swung out onto the street. Cops who had crawled out of the station saw them leave and rushed to their cars. As soon as they reached the cars, gunshots from an unseen shooter took out the tires of every unit, and they dove for cover searching for a shooter they couldn’t see.

“Sonia, on my way to you.” Ingrid told her. She ran down the side of the building and jumped behind Sonia on her bike and they rushed to catch up to Bea, Maria and Yelena.

Through the streets of San Francisco, Yelena, Bea and their passengers broke many speed limits swerving in and out of traffic. Despite the danger of pulling off a widow rescue from a precinct in a large American City, the traffic around them and the sirens filling the air from all directions, Yelena was having the time of her life. She needed this. As much as she wanted to always be with Kate, Yelena needed this time. She didn’t have to think about anything but the mission.

“Mika, do you have control of traffic lights?” she asked into her com.

“I have control and I have already caused six different traffic jams. Police are blocked in by traffic from the west and south side. A few of the inner city precincts won’t care about red lights. You are coming up on Lombard Street. That will give you some distance from pursuing units and you can hit Route 101.”

“Copy.” Yelena told her. It was only twenty seconds later that two police cars pulled behind them and began pursuit.

Yelena and Bea kept driving straight ahead. Ingrid and Sonia drove between the two police cars from behind. Ingrid tossed a small disk onto the hood of each car and the electrical systems in the cars died. The cars fell back and blocked further traffic from the two lane road.

The three bikes fell into a line with Yelena in the lead as they came to Lombard.

She took the eight hair pin turns at a much slower speed but still three times what was recommended for this short stretch of road.

They came out of Lombard and hit U.S. Route 101. It was only a few minutes before they were found by state police following the directions of a police helicopter.

The helicopter swooped low and an officer was on a bullhorn telling them to pull over.

Then the helicopter stopped and dropped so low it nearly crashed on the side of the road. A Quinjet flew by, having nearly knocked it out of the sky.

The jet swooped low over the girls and then in front of them. The backdoor dropped until it was hanging only inches from the pavement. A hill was coming up quickly so they had to move.

“Say goodbye to the policemen girls!” Yelena told them.

Ingrid and Maria turned and shot the fingers at the pursuing officers. The bike drivers accelerated as Angelica slowed and the three motorcycles slid into the hold of the Quinjet, slamming on their brakes before they rode straight into the cockpit.

The back hatch closed and the widows quickly locked the bikes down then took the bench seats on the side and buckled in.

Within a minute, Angelica had them at ten thousand feet and climbing then hit supersonic.

Chloe took her helmet off and looked around the large cockpit. She looked up and down the bench at the girls to either side of her. Every one of them was laughing.

They were crazy.

“That… was… amazing!” Chloe shouted with joy for probably the first time in her life. “What a rush! I didn’t know how we were getting away, I just held on but then we made the turns and the jet almost knocked the helicopter out of the sky and… and… who are you!?”

“I told you, we are the Red Widows, Chloe. I am Yelena and this is Sonia, Ingrid, Maria, Bea and Angelica is flying. We were once like you. We were mind controlled black widows. I will tell you all about us. We have a long trip to France. First, let us enjoy the moment. Angelica, some music please?”

The sounds of Sweet Home Alabama began blaring through the jet.

Chloe watched with wide eyes as the girls began to dance, then stood up and joined them.

“I think this one may be my favorite already.” Maria said impressed by Chloe and how well she was taking it.

“I feel like I’m going insane.” Chloe admitted. “Or maybe I have been insane and I just didn’t realize it. I’m not sure but I want to scream! Are there more of you?” she shouted over the music.

“Oh yes.” Yelena told her. “And there will be more to come.”

When the song ended Ingrid turned the news on and they watched their exciting chase and escape. The Red Widows were making headlines once again. They had broken into a police station, taken a girl being held by the F.B.I. for questioning in a double murder and escaped. Many had broken bones and electrical burns. Only one F.B.I. agent had been shot but he had been wearing a vest. No lives were lost. The traffic jams they caused didn’t last long. Overall it was a smooth operation.

Yelena watched the girls enjoy a post mission adrenalin rush as they took turns talking to Chloe and explaining their history.

The blonde hoped she could take a nap soon. Though she was as wired as the others, she needed her rest, because when they returned Yelena would be breaking a rule she set in place.

She was going to Russia and she was going alone.