Widow of Siberia

Chapter 7

Face changing technology had been used in the Red Room for years and came in very handy often. While Vienna had no interest in disguising herself as another person, Anya had sent her one of the masks so she could work in public without hindrance. Her scars made her easily recognised and even those without the need to hide got stared at for their scars in public. It was just the way people were. Abnormalities draw the eye. 

While everyone else in the small New York coffee shop went about their day as normal, Laynia’s eyes stared at Vienna's face. Seeing her face without the scars for the first time was strange. It almost didn't look like her. Vienna looked younger, frozen in the year she had been injected with the Super Soldier Serum. She couldn't have been far out of her teens when it happened from the youthfulness in her features. 

“Laynia,” Vienna said, a smooth American accent on her words so no one noticed the Russians sitting amongst them. 

The sound made Laynia grimace. Nothing about this cover was like Vienna. It was good for the disguise but jarring to watch. 

“You're staring,” Vienna continued despite the look she was getting, “and we should probably talk about something.”

“Maybe we could be on a date,” Laynia suggested, giving a little shrug as the American accent that came out of her mouth made Vienna blink, “then me looking at you would not look strange.”

“Why make it complicated?” Vienna mumbled, leaning down towards the coffee cup in front of her and turning her nose up at the smell. 

Darkstar rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her own drink. She was getting to be able to tease Vienna occasionally without getting snapped at, she took it as progress. 

“Do you not like coffee?” Laynia asked, watching Vienna as her eyes scanned the room but the smell of her cup was clearly bothering her. 

“The smell is… unpleasant,” Vienna sighed, sitting back in her chair as they sat at a small table in the corner of the room. 

“You've never tried it before?” Laynia asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“It has very little value,” Vienna told her, shrugging as she pushed the cup away from her, “an addictive drug like caffeine is a hindrance and it can even result in significant cardiovascular issues.”

“Wakes you up though,” Laynia smirked, taking another sip as she looked at Vienna over the rim of her cup. 

“So does adrenaline.” Vienna spoke simply as her eyes drifted past Laynia’s shoulder to watch the young woman with dark hair across the room as she stood from her table. 

“Sidorov injected you with adrenaline when you were tired?” Laynia grimaced, her face contorting into a frown as Vienna stood quickly. 

“I'm going to get you a napkin,” Vienna said, making Laynia frown and then shiver slightly in surprise when she touched her shoulder on the way past. 

The blonde's head turned and spotted their target at the counter. “Don't make a scene.”

“I would never,” Vienna said with the ghost of a smirk at the edge of lips. 

One thing that supplied endless satisfaction and entertainment to the Red Widow, was being able to look her target in the eye and have them know nothing of the danger they were in. Even as she walked right up to Kate Bishop, Vienna could feel her heart beating a little faster. She kept her shoulders loose and posture casual as she picked up napkins and the little pods of milk. To her luck, the obvious nervousness in Kate shook her hands and she dropped a packet of sugar for Vienna to catch. 

“Careful there,” Vienna smiled, handing the little packet back to the archer. 

“God,” Kate chuckled a little breathlessly, her anxiety clear in her every movement, “I'm so clumsy today.”

“We all get that sometimes,” Vienna said, picking up some wooden stirrers to give herself something to do for a little longer, “You having a rough day?”

“Something like that,” Kate laughed like Vienna had no idea what she meant. And a stranger wouldn't but the Red Widow definitely did. 

If Kate was that nervous, it meant her photo had worked and the threat had been heard and understood. 

“Nothing a little coffee can't fix,” Vienna joked, shaking the little pod of milk in her hand as she backed away from the counter before her presence felt forced. 

“Hits just the spot,” Kate smiled back, going on her own way back to the table she was sitting at with Clint Barton. 

The Red Widow walked back to Laynia, dropping the things she had picked up in the bin on the way past. Another tap on Laynia’s shoulder got her attention. 

“We should go,” Vienna said, slotting her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She had tried to hand Laynia her jacket back days ago but Darkstar insisted that she keep it. 

“What did you do?” Laynia asked, turning as she stood up from her seat. 

“Nothing,” Vienna said, walking towards the door as Laynia followed, “we're done here.”

With a light frown, Laynia risked a glance across the room and met the eyes of Clint Barton. He knew who she was, it was clear in his eyes. He stiffened and turned back in his seat, speaking quietly to Kate. 

“Is this all you wanted?” Laynia asked, pushing open the door and holding it as Vienna walked out of the coffee shop with her usual expressionless look. “Fear?”

“The picture worked,” Vienna told her, slowing to let Laynia catch up as they began to walk down the street, “Natasha will at least know about it, and she's smart enough to know that we're here.”

“Why would she walk into such an obvious trap?” Laynia asked, the wind sweeping her hair over her shoulders as she kept with the fast stride of the Red Widow. “The Black Widow wouldn't be so stupid.”

“But she would be so self-righteous,”. Vienna told her, easily slipping into the crowds and out of sight of any archers that might have followed them. “What kind of hero would she be if she left her friends to die?”

“What kind of heroes would we be if we killed innocent people?” Laynia countered, frowning slightly as she watched Vienna pull a ringing phone from her pocket. 

“Their lives don't matter, only Natasha does,” Vienna said, looking down at the screen and seeing The Headmistress displayed on it. 

“You said this was about justice for the motherland,” Laynia said sharply, glaring at the phone in Vienna's hand. 

“It is.” Vienna's voice was cold as she stepped away from Laynia to answer her Commander's call.