Retnikopf: Widow Of Siberia (old Version)

Chapter 10 - Classical Conditioning

With an arm over her sister's shoulders, Vienna was lowered onto her bed. She smiled weakly up at Yelena as she sat on the side of the bed, not wanting to lay back down after sleeping for so long.

"You shouldn't be walking on your leg, it's still broken," Yelena sighed, sitting next to her on her right side not to hurt her sister's leg.

"I'll be alright," Vienna told her, turning her head to look at her, "I need to push myself if I'm going to get moving again."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Yelena said gently, her face sympathetic as she looked at Vienna's tired face, "We're not in the red room anymore, no one is going to force you."

"Okay," Vienna smiled softly, leaning onto Yelena's shoulder, "I'll take it slow."

"Thank you," Yelena stroked the hair that was falling in front of Vienna's face behind her ear. "I'll let you rest, try not to go wandering again until I can be there to carry you back."

"Okay." Vienna sat up and let Yelena stand back up. She pushed herself back a little as Yelena left the room, looking as though she was going back to bed but she stopped when Yelena closed the door.

Vienna turned her head to look at the black case that sat underneath the table at the side of the room.

------

As Yelena got part way across the compound, she walked into Stephen Strange.

"Hey, have you seen Vienna today?" he asked, stopping her at a door way, "is she doing okay?"

"She's alright, a little restless," Yelena told him, laughing a little as she spoke, "she tried to walk around on a broken leg, I've tried to tell her but she probably won't listen to me. Are you going to see her now?"

"Vienna's leg isn't broken," Strange said with a frown, thinking that Yelena would be caught up with her sister's medical status, "with her accelerated healing her bones healed really quickly. It's her nerves and muscle that need resting, I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't lose any mobility but she should be more or less fine now."

"But why... Why would she let me think she wasn't?" Yelena asked, trying to think about why Vienna would keep something so simple from her.

-----

The thick, tight material encased her body, toe to neck, her gloves tucked underneath the sleeves. Not one part of her body would show, she would be completely held in red. A cape wrapped around her body, neatly held at her right shoulder, it's collar up but the hood down for now. She held the red mask in her hands, finally feeling held together for the first time since she had taken it off.

Vienna pulled the mask over her head, flattening it over the braids in her hair and tucking it under the collar of the suit. With just one more part to go, Vienna's head had never felt so quiet, so focused. The last piece was a hard section of mask that cover her lower face to protect her jaw and nose when she was hit, it also held the mic for the coms system inside the suit. With everything in place, Vienna pulled the hood of the cape up and over her head as she heared the ear piece crackle slightly as it connected.

"Dobro pozhalovat' domoy krasnyy." (Welcome home Red) the voice in her ear said as she lifted her head to see herself in the mirror.

"Khorosho byt' doma, ser," (it is good to be home sir) Vienna replied, turning away from the mirror.

The image at the top is a clip from the Avengers by Jason Aaron comic of the Red Widow just for a better idea of what the suit looks like