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.CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR.
[44]. Black Widow.
[PART THREE]
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❝ ɪ'ᴍ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱʜɪᴇʟᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ. ❞
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SHORTY AFTER RUNNING AWAY both James and Natasha found Yelena who had been by all the motorbikes. Yelena and Natasha sat with one another on a bike while James managed to steal another motorbike. As they were driving away they were being chased by someone in a tank. Not only that, but more women began to follow behind them.
Eventually, James gave up on the bike, he jumps off of it and throws a man out of his car right before getting it.
"You can't just steal someone's car."
Yelena scoffs. "Do you want him to go chase him down and un-steal it?"
James laughs before he reverses the car only to crash into the car behind them.
"Okay. Anytime now, please."
"Shut up." Both Natasha and James say in unison.
More bullets go shot into the car. One of them hitting James in the shoulder. James takes that as a sign to press onto the gas pedal and then he speeds away. Hitting several cars as he tries to hide from the woman.
"And why can't we just kill them?" James questions.
Natasha slightly scoffs. "They can be saved. The whole point is to try and save them—"
"Well if another person shoots me, I'm throwing this shield at their head."
And as if worst timing possible, the girl shoots at James. The two women glance at one another before looking at James. James ignores their stares and throws the shield right at her head, knocking her off of the bike. The shield then flies back to his hands like a boomerang.
"I'm a man of my word." The man says as he continues to drive away from now the man who had been chasing them down in the tank.
"Shit, he's back."
Natasha looks through the windows before looking back at the others. "Put your seatbelts on."
Yelena groans. "You're such a mom."
As those words came out of her mouth, a beeping noise had been heard and the car blows up. James who was the first to recover wakes both of the women up. With that, the three of them began to run away. James jumps off the escalator as he waits for Natasha and Yelena.
That's when he sees the shield flying towards him, both Natasha and Yelena duck. Seeing that it was flying straight towards him, James manages to catch the shield. Everyone around them gasps. Once Yelena and Natasha were off the escalators. James, with full force, throws the shield right back at the man who catches it.
They both run away once again, Natasha leads them to some secret room. Yelena was lying on the ground, patching herself up. James on the other hand was rubbing his hand from the impact of catching the shield.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Great plan." Yelena says as she sits up. "I love the part where I almost bled to death."
Natasha makes a face. "I was talking to Jaime... but you too I guess."
James nods, laughing. "Yeah... I'm fine."
"Where the hell is this place?" Yelena asks.
"Barton and I spent two days hiding out here."
Yelena observes the room, seeing a bunch of tic-tac-toe games. "That must've been fun."
Natasha changes the subject. "Who the hell was that guy?"
James nods. "Seriously... it felt like I was fighting myself. Shield and all..." he huffs.
"Dreykov's special project," Yelena replies. "He can mimic anyone he's ever seen. It's like fighting a mirror. Dreykov only deploys him for top-priority missions."
"This doesn't make any sense."
Yelena sighs. "Well, the truth rarely makes sense when you omit key details."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You didn't say one word about Dreykov's daughter," Yelena tells her, recalling their conversation from earlier. "You killed her."
"No... I killed her." James says under his breath earning a look from Yelena. "His daughter was just there... she was collateral damage. She was my..." he takes a deep breath in. "While I was kept hostage I guess you'd say... his daughter would sneak into the cellar room to keep my company. One day I snuck out to school with her. When I was out... mom found me. She told me to follow her back home to Dreykov which I did. But..uh, after she found out mom found me. She grew mad. She made these threats. She claimed that her dad had cameras and bombs on mom and Barton. So, I slit her throat. Told mom Dreykov was with us... and I got out just in time before the building went to pieces. She was my first kill."
Both Yelena and Natasha look at James with unreadable expressions. Natasha always knew the story... but hearing it out of James's mouth. It felt like she was going through it all over again. It made her think— realize how much shit she put him through just as a kid. Natasha's eyes teared up, James didn't bother looking at her.
"I think he's gone... we should uh find some supplies to get that cleaned up," James says looking at Yelena's wound which had still been bleeding.
And that's exactly what they did. They snuck out of the tiny room they had been in and then made their way to a small gas station. Yelena and James had been in deep conversation while James got bandages and other things to clean up Yelena's wound.
"Why do you always do that thing?"
"Do what?"
"That thing that you always do when you're fighting."
James who was at the register looks at Yelena confused. Yelena sighs she bands down and splits her legs as she puts her hand onto the floor mimicking Natasha's fighting stance. James snorts noticing what she was trying to say.
But Natasha didn't laugh.
"Come on it's a fighting pose. You're a total loser."
"I'm not a poser."
James laughs. "You're definitely a poser."
Natasha hums. "Yeah well, that time I was doing all that posing... I was actually doing something good to make up for all the pain and suffering that we caused. Trying to be more than just a trained killer."
"Hate to say it... but you'll always still be a trained killer." James hands the man at the register a 50 dollar bill before walking out of the store.
Once he was out, James pulls his phone out of his pocket. "How the hell did you survive that all.." he whispers to himself as he dials in Wanda's number.
Wanda instantly picked up. "James! Oh my god— I have been trying to contact you all day. Wh-where are you? Why didn't you come back home?"
James sighs, he frowns. "I'm sorry... darling. I had no type of service... but I'm with mom. Something came up."
"What do you mean something?"
"A mission I guess," James says.
"James, please tell me you're okay."
The man smiles. "I'm okay. I promise. We're all okay."
"I'm not okay," Yelena says as she walks out of the store and stands beside James.
"Who was that?" Wanda questions.
James lets out a heavy sigh. "Yelena. Mom's sort of sister. Anyway, Wanda, I'll be back soon, okay? Just in time for the wedding."
"You better." Wanda sighs. "I'd rather not attend a funeral than a wedding."
"I love you, Wanda." James laughs.
"I love you."
With that, he hangs up. He puts his phone into his pocket before looking over at Yelena who had been smirking.
"What?"
"Do I have a seat at the wedding?"
"You wish." James throws the bandages and alcohol or wipes at her.
James could only hope that he'd make it out of this mission alive.