* the flaming widow.

THE ORIGINS.

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

kidnapping, mind games, borderline torture.

ivana volkova. the daughter of two parents she couldn't remember, only knowing that they gave her, her first name. czech origin, meaning light. the last name was a gift straight from her one on one instructor, or handler, viktoriya volkova.

orphaned girls were taken and put into the red room program, seeming to be the government's backup plan. pointed toes in worn ballet slippers, cold concrete, a pinch into the skin with the tip of a needle for super soldier injections, and the loud bangs were red room staples, not to mention the russian yelling and reminding to be the very best.

ivana was no natalia romanova, top of their class, but she was far from unskilled. she knew how to get what she wanted, as they all did and had no problem doing so, though she was almost considering the runt of them all. shockingly, she was excited to graduate unlike some of the girls who feared to lose their ability to have kids - though they'd never admit it; not excited to lose it, but eager to be in the field knowing she could do what had become her nature. she did what she was told, many years of the same missions - the thrill never leaving as she brought a man to his knees as she traveled the world for her country. though long game missions irked her, they were always more satisfying, which is exactly what she thought about infiltrating a hydra base located in sokovia, going straight for a high-level agent as she seduced him to the point of falling in love with her - wrapping him around her finger. the experience was humbling once he got a hold of her belongings and discovered mission reports she failed to bring with her to the post office.

the widow failed, as she skilled as she was with enhancements, she was outnumbered as soon as she returned. the serum flowing through her bloodstream making it easier to manipulate her cells, the perfect hydra experiment with less freedom than voluntary candidates. high-level threat meant she wasn't allowed outside, or near anything sharp, if not restrained - not even a zipper. the plots of an angry, killer robot left her with slim choices. she stayed and was poked and prodded at with little freedom, or she followed a robot's orders. she followed the robot's orders, it was what she had been doing all her life anyways. by the end of the attack and being one of the survivors after what happened to sokovia, she chose not to be an avenger after she had reunited with an old classmate. she had no morals, the good in her did not shine through; though because she had been inactive for so long, going home would lead to consequences. a bounty on her with a lovely warrant, nick fury saw an opportunity - making her an agent to wipe off her ledger. she was not for teamwork, but much to her dismay, she could not do it alone. not with non-stabilized abilities and no place to go.