'Twins' - Alternate MCU - ON HOLD

34. Budapest... still

Yelena

"So, they're alright?" I asked, avoiding Natasha's question.

"Yelena, answer me," my sister ordered. "Why did you send these to me?"

I sighed and walked into the bedroom, Natasha behind.

"You're the only superhero I really trust," I said, pulling out a backpack. "Why not give it to one of your super scientist friends? Tony Stark, perhaps?"

Natasha picked out a clean shirt from the rack at the other end of the room.

"You know we're not on talking terms," she replied.

"Well you still could've asked him? It's not like he wouldn't care about the Red Room, training girls like you and me to be..."

Natasha pulled her shirt over her head and I trailed off, seeing the cuts and bruises decorating her back.

"What happened Nat?" I asked.

My sister quickly pulled the shirt over her head.

"Some guy... he wanted those vials, I thought maybe it was Ross-"

"They're from the Red Room."

"What?"

Natasha spun around.

"Tell me what those are," she ordered, pointing at the vials that were in my hand.

"What you experienced was psychological conditioning. Since we escaped, he developed a new formula that controls the brain's pathways. That gas is a synthetic gas, the counter-agent to chemical subjugation."

Natasha narrowed her eyes slightly.

"The gas immunises the brain's neural pathways from external manipulation."

"Maybe in English next time?"

"Это противоядие от контроля над разумом!" (it's an antidote to mind control)

"Настоящий зрелый." (real mature)

We walked down the hallway back into the kitchen.

"I kept checking the news, expecting to see Captain America taking down the Red Room," I said, pulling out some vodka from the fridge.

Natasha sighed.

"You know that won't happen," she said.

"Why not?" I asked. "Has he died or something?"

Nat stayed silent for a moment.

"We had a fight. A pretty big one. Steve and Bucky got away, but the others..."

I looked at her with concern.

"They got caught. Ross locked them up."

"Who?" I asked.

"Wanda, Pietro, Clint, Sam and Ant-man."

"Who's Ant-man?" I asked.

"I dunno, some shrinking guy who turned really big."

"Oh."

"Rhodey's potentially paralysed. So yeah, I can just get everyone back together!"

"What about you?" I asked.

"What about me?"

"Are you on the run too?"

"I mean if it wasn't that obvious, yes, I am."

"But you signed the Accords."

"I helped Steve escape and stopped T'Challa. That's enough to class me as a fugitive."

We fell silent for a moment as I took a shot of vodka.

"So it's just you then," I said. "The remaining Avenger."

"Us," Nat corrected.

I cocked my eyebrow.

"You were pretty much an Avenger," she explained. "Without getting involved in all the crap and avoiding the press."

"I thought those were defining qualities of an Avenger."

My sister sighed and sent me an irritated glare.

"Using that logic, Elise and Lexa are Avengers," I pointed out.

"They're 15."

"15?"

"Yeah, their birthday wasn't long ago. At least I think."

I felt guilty for not knowing. I should've known... right? Even if I wasn't able to say Happy Birthday, I could've at least known. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing. My eyes darted to the door into the living room, where the ceiling was collapsing.

"Dammit," I swore, grabbing the backpack from the table and throwing the vials inside.

Natasha fled down the corridor and I hid beside the doorframe. I saw the lean figures of two girls and knew instantly they were from the Red Room. I took a chance and darted to after Natasha, but the widows saw me. I ducked to avoid the bullets and when I'd managed to get away enough, I was pushed against the wall roughly. I noticed Nat's red hair and breathed out in relief slightly. Spotting the switch that would bust all the lights, I pulled it.

Hearing loud popping noises from the lights, neither of us heard the two widows approach us. Me and Nat instantly found ourselves under attack. Natasha kicked at one's knee, knocking her down and I pushed the second into the first. I ran off, Natasha behind.

"The twins are outside, yes?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

We reached the balcony and two widows waiting on the ground opened fire. I looked at what I could. I saw no blood or bodies, which hopefully meant the twins were okay.

There were now two widows shooting at us from below. I grabbed a smoke bomb and threw it down. Taking my chance, I grabbed Nat's wrist and pulled her with me as we ran towards the east side of the building. Jumping out of a window, we were on the roof. We slid down, a widow behind us.

"Nat, here!" I called, reaching a pole looking structure.

She came over and met my gaze at the bolts.

"Come on!" she muttered, as we tried desperately to undo the bolts.

We kicked the tube away from the edge of the building - just as the widow jumped. I was focused on not falling off myself, but I saw Natasha reach her hand out for the widow. She caught it and they both slid down the pole a bit, then I heard a cry of pain from my sister. The widow was plummeting to the waterlogged ground below us.

Before I could help Nat back up, we crashed into a window. I flew into the window, crashing against a wall. I heard banging outside - as if someone was falling.

"дерьмо," I muttered in pain. (Shit)

I sat up, wincing in pain, and noticed Natasha hadn't fallen through the same window as me.

"Nat?" I called fearfully, getting to my feet.