Retnikopf: Widow Of Siberia (old Version)

Chapter 11 - The Final Betrayal

Still walking, but pushing the boundary on running, Yelena made her way back to Vienna's room. Her sister tended to only lie for a purpose, when she deemed it necessary. The question of why she would hide the fact that she was more or less back to full health only gave Yelena one answer. She wanted to be underestimated, ignored, invisible. But if she wanted to hide that probably meant she was going to go after Sidorov, while Yelena wouldn't mind her killing him, she didn't want Vienna to get herself into trouble again. She was already on thin ice.

Yelena slammed through her sisters door, her anxiety had only risen as she approached the door. Scanning the room, Vienna was no where to be found. Only a black case lay empty on a table, what had been in it, Yelena had no idea.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, turning and sprinting down the corridor.

She had to reach Sidorov's cell before Vienna killed him.

---

Yelena skidded to a halt as she reached the open door. Red hood and cape standing in front of the chair, completely covering it, a long handled katana in her hand.

"Vienna don't," Yelena said firmly but not going close enough to interfere, "let Fury deal with him. It'll do you more harm than good, just like last time."

Without answering, Vienna turned as she helped Sidorov out of his chair.

"Now, why would she kill me?" Sidorov smiled at Yelena as her face fell in realisation, "I have kept her safer than anyone else, and she has performed at her best when she's by my side."

"Vienna," Yelena said softly in a desperate attempt to reason with her, "just take off the mask, you get to choose. Don't let that mask decide for you."

"She has chosen," Sidorov told Yelena as he stood behind Vienna, "this temporary lapse in judgement fueled by a delusion supported by people like you, had only confused her for a short time. But she sees the truth now, don't you Red?"

"Nothing can change who I was built to be," Vienna said, her voice void of feeling as she turned to look at Yelena.

"You can," Yelena told her, hoping to get through to her but that mask was thick, and hard to break.

"Tebe nuzhno vytashchit' nas otsyuda, Krasnyy," (you need to get us out of here, Red) Sidorov said, turning to Vienna as he brushed his shirt flat, "YA veryu, chto ty sdelayesh' vse, chto potrebuyetsya." (I trust you to do whatever it takes)

"Spasibo, ser," (thank you sir) Vienna nodded solemnly as she reached into her cape and pulled out a hand gun and fired twice at Yelena.

In a quick duck and roll, Yelena leaped into an adjacent corridor out of the Red Widow's way. With her back against the wall she waited until she heard Vienna walk past. Luckily, Vienna doesn't miss, not that close, if she had wanted to hit or kill Yelena, she would have. She doesn't want to hurt her.

---

Sidorov stuck to Vienna's shoulder, he knew she would protect him while she was inside that suit at least. In an attempt to focus her while they were bringing her up, Sidorov had conditioned her to associate the Red Widow persona with the mask and the suit. She was the Red Widow while in that suit and nothing else, she had never been anything else until she took it off.

Now that he had her back in his grasp, he could recondition her without the distractions. He could erase Vienna Retnikopf, Task Master, and Red Skies. The Red Widow would be everything she is.

Making her hate her family clearly hadn't worked, she had been too forgiving. She would have to forget them.

"Ser, prodolzhay idti, ya pozabochus' o nem," (sir, keep walking, I'll take care of him) she told him as she split off from him after pointing across to the exit.

Sidorov turned to see Doctor Strange flying above them, he would have to trust her to protect him.

Strange went to move his hand to do a spell but as soon as he lifted them a bullet flew through both his hands. The pain erupted and he clenched them closed, ruining the spell. He tried to reopen them to try again but with the pain and more shots coming towards him, he had to retreat, at least for now.

End of part 7