Things Are Almost Perfect

Chapter 17 ~ What Do You Mean?

"You killed her?" Captain America asked, his tone wasn't sharp or demanding like she thought it would be.

Yelena paused. "I... I thought I did. But maybe..." she trailed off, thinking about the possibility.

"Yelena?" Natasha asked softly, "Do you want to explain?"

Not really.

Taking in a deep breath she looked up, "Two, maybe three, years before I was freed, Dreykov made a batch of Widows fight each other, to find which one was the strongest. There was no mercy, no giving up, no way out, it was kill or be killed.

"Inaya was the last one alive besides me," Yelena looked back down, "She had more injuries, and we fought for a long time before I killed her.... thought I killed her. If it wasn't for her injuries...."

"You would have been killed," Tony finished.

Yelena nodded, looking back down at her hands.

They know one more of the terrible things you've done. They're judging you for it! Hating you for it! The dark voice said.

Wanda rested her hand on Yelena's shoulder, making her attention snap back upwards, "Hey, it's alright. We don't blame you for what happened."

Bucky nodded, "If it's anyone's fault, it's the Red Room's, not yours."

Everyone voiced their agreement to the statement and Natasha smiled.

"We don't blame you for anything, Сестра."

Yelena smiled softly back, it fading when Sam spoke up.

"So we just have to get some of the antidote and boom! Problem solved! Right?"

Everyone turned to Yelena, and she found herself chewing on her lip nervously. She could just say yes, but that would be lying, and Natasha would catch on quickly. But if she told them the truth it would disappoint them.

She drew in a breath, "Not right."

"What?" Bruce asked.

"Not right," she repeated, "There is no more antidote."

"What?!" Tony exclaimed.

Natasha looked at Yelena, "Сестра?"

"We used the rest of it on Vikki and Rima," she said quietly, "We thought they were the last two widows. We barely had enough to free them."

"Can't Melina make more?" Natasha asked.

Yelena shook her head, "She doesn't have the supplies... And I don't know if she would be willing to."

"Is this Melina person a genius?" Tony asked.

"She was the one who made the mind control in the first place," Natasha replied.

"So, yes, basically," Wanda said with a smile.

"Pshh," Tony waved the comment away, "I can figure it out, with a bit of Bruce's help. That is, if you know what she used, Little Red."

Yelena once again shook her head, feeling useless, "I hate science, stay far away from it whenever I can."

"Understandable." Bucky deadpanned.

Tony whacked Bucky over the head with the nearest thing he could find.

Bruce shook his head, muttering, "I swear, no respect."

"So what's the plan going to be?" Captain America asked when everyone settled down, "Any ideas?"

"For which problem?" Wanda said, "The Inaya thing? Or the Natasha thing?"