Black Widow: An Origin Story

Training

For right under three years, I lived with him in that building. I went where he went, watched what he did. He told me it was important for me to learn. He taught me Russian and began teaching me the basics for a few other languages as well. He was a great teacher and I saw him as a father-figure.

But when I turned six, I hardly saw him again.

I was put in a room with twenty-seven other girls, all older than me, and it made me nervous. They all seemed nervous too.

"It's time to begin your training," a woman says, walking into the room.

We scrambled from our beds, her presence intimidating.

"From this point on, there will be no disobedience. You will do what I say, when I say it, or else you will be punished. And from now on, I will be known as Madame B, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," we replied.

"Yes what?" she asked.

"Yes, Madame B," we said unanimously.

We learned quickly what disobedience would bring, and we all strived to avoid it.

When they handcuffed us to our beds the first night, I cried. I didn't like it and it hurt. I was slapped across the face for that and I quickly dried my tears, wanting to avoid something like that again.

In the mornings, we were awoken at six for an hour long ballet lesson. We we then released for half an hour for breakfast, resuming ballet lessons until noon, where we received another half hour break for lunch. We were then sent to the classroom where we would be taught different languages, mathematics, history, science. You name it, we learned it.

We would have half an hour for supper at five-thirty. After that we would work on combat training for two hours before a final hour of ballet. Curfew was at ten-thirty, where they would promptly come in and handcuff us to our beds. If we had to go to the bathroom during the night, we had to wait until morning. I'd found that out the hard way.

The schedule became routine after a few weeks, and I'd grown accustomed to the food schedule, as had the other girls. The rest of the schedule took another couple weeks to fully become natural.

I grew stronger and smarter, day by day, and saw the cruelties this place offered.

It was a year later, when I was seven that we set to spar for the first time. What no one told us then was it was to the death.

I was the first one to be chosen to fight. My opponent, a ten year old named Olga. She was larger and stronger than me. I wasn't sure how they expected me to win, but I would fight as hard as I could. One thing I did notice was that I was faster than she was so I used that to my advantage.

Olga had beaten me bloody, but I somehow managed to beat her. I placed her in a choke hold and looked to Madame B.

"Kill her," Madame B said.

My eyes went wide. She wanted me to what? I shook my head, releasing her from my grip. She collapsed on the floor.

"Restrain her," Madame B says.

Two guards grab hold of me, locking me in place. Madame B walked up to the girl, picking her up and placing her in her own hold.

"We do not allow weakness here, Natalia," she says as she cracks Olga's neck.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. The shock prevented that.

"Take her back to quarters, I'll punish her later."