"Y/n Y/ln, heir to Y/ln industries has been celebrated in Ohio for, what would be, her twentieth birthday. If you're new to the story, Y/n Y/ln went missing three years ago today and has been presumed dead-"
"Mission report."
My head raised when the television was cut off and the suit walked into the room. I didn't remember names, it became too many to remember and attachment wasn't an option. So, I called them by what they wore.
"I'm from Ohio?" I said, looking at the television and seeing the black screen staring back at me, my reflection not familiar but also... I knew it was me. I'm from Ohio? I looked back at him.
"Again, mission report." I continued to stare at him as I felt my skin boil more and more until my hand started to clench. His gaze dropped to my hands and they squinted, his lips parting for a second to take in a breath.
I raised. "I said, am I from Ohio?" The corners of my eyes became a blur as I focused on him and only the look on his face. He didn't look scared but he would be once I used what he gaze at me.
"And I said," Comply. My knees collapsed from beneath me when a searing pain left me flattened on the floor, a guttural noise ripping from my throat but I couldn't control it. Not with the shocking waves hitting my head repeatedly and only growing worse.
It was like the feeling of static fire that started from my head and grew in every muscle, in every joint until I could only mutter back.
"Я готов отвечить," I said through gritted teeth. The pain stopped and I looked up when his boots stopped just in front of my head, his eyebrows raised.
"I'm not your Russian owner. In English."
I nodded slightly and raised when he flicked his hand in an upward motion. Raising to my knees, I inhaled deeply before pushing myself to my feet, trying to stable my shaky knees. Then, I repeated myself in English. "Ready to comply."
He smiled. "Great. Here's your assignment."
I was currently in Russia, a place I've been kept for the past two years training to become, what they call, The Winter Wolf.
But this mission wasn't normally what I would be handed. I was always tasked to shadow The Winter Soldier, follow in his lead, and steal sensitive material while he dealt with the dirty work.
This mission report only had three words written. Black Widow Academy.
-
Black Widow Academy
"Red Room"
Location Undisclosed
I walked along the halls of the new location while focusing on the head of the lady in front of me. She told me her name, I didn't retain it. We'll stick with Bun, regarding her head full of gray hair pulled into a sleek high bun.
"You will be required to wear your mask to preserve your identity but also to allow no distractions for the Widows."
I nodded down. "Distractions?"
"Yes. Distractions. We've been made aware of your.." she turned to look back at me. "Abilities and the knowledge that you are still learning to control them. Correct?"
I shrugged. "I suppose." As I grabbed the lenses from my backpack, simple black frames to cover my eyes, I watched Bun stop in front of a set of double doors. The sound of heavy boots marching about inside gauged my interest but before we walked in, her head turned to me once again.
"Your objective is to help with combat training. Nothing more, nothing less, understood?" I stared at the lady in front of me before I simply nodded down again. "Good."
The doors were pushed open and a group of about fifteen girls stopped marching, their actions simultaneous as they spun around to face Bun. They were all dressed in black with sleek hairstyles, either buns or ponytails, and a look of void ran across their faces... but also curiosity.
"Widows," Bun started while walking down the line. "This is your new combat teacher. You will follow under her authority and teachings until you have passed the class with flying colors. She will go by Wolf and Wolf only, understood?"
"Understood, Madame B!"
She then nodded to me to walk ahead so I did, slowly eyeing each girl behind the glasses.
Relaxed.
Calm.
They all had a different feeling behind their eyes that I could read instantly. It was close to reading their mind, but less work.
Sleepy.
Calm.
Bored...
I stopped, my head tilting when green eyes looked back at me calmly. Her demeanor showed her confidence but the more I stared at them, the deeper her thoughts filtered into mine.
I'd rather be in bed- why is she standing here for so damn long?
I smirked and looked behind me at Bun who was already looking at us. "Natalia Romanova. The best student we've ever had. I think you'll be satisfied." She said without me having to ask.
I hummed lowly as I jutted a thumb in Natalia's direction. "Наталья скучает," I said, reiterating the Widow's thoughts. "I have a cure for boredom." Without letting on my next moves, I quickly swung around and raised my fist, it flying forward quickly into the girl's direction but she was quick, her right arm coming up to grab ahold of my fist.
I used that to my advantage as I grabbed her extended arm that held my fist and turned my back to her, my hand simultaneously using her arm to lift her up and over my body, then back first to the ground.
My smirk grew gradually at her wide eyes which now showed a drop of fear as she stared up at me. But just a drop. "Are you still bored, Natalia?" She didn't respond as she breathed out a huff. I turned to the group. "Complacency is death. I don't care if you're the best. Be better. Who is the next best?"
One by one, I fought against the Widow's and humbled them with their training. It was a method used on me. You break them down into nothing, then force them to build themselves up to a fighter, an animal, the head of the pack. A wolf.
By the time we finished, there was more blood and broken bones than a Tarantino film. My job was done for the day. "I will see you all tomorrow. For those that make it through the night." Without breaking a stride, I walked out of the training quarters and followed a guard down the hall to meet my new 'boss' I suppose. At least until I was told to start another mission.
"Sir, she's here." The guard said, pressing on a button on the wall that transmitted another voice.
"Let her in."
A buzzing echoed the halls as the door opened and I walked into the office that was large in stature and only held a single desk directly in the middle. No windows, no paintings, nothing but that single desk. And on the other side of it was a man bigger than I'd ever seen.
He wore a suit, a pair of black seeing glasses, and a wide smile. "The Winter Wolf." He raised and walked toward me, his stature large and bulging with authority. I kept my face neutral. "I'm very pleased to have you here with us. It took a bit of a fight but to have a winter soldier.. wow." He raised his hand to my face and I watched him cautiously, my hands on guard, but I didn't move.
He took my mask and glasses off before sitting them on his desk. "There we go, now that's better." His dark eyes held mine with the same sick smile that would've made me feel sick and uncomfortable if I could feel anything. "Our Widows are close to graduation but we need to weed out the last few defects. Four weeks. That's all." He turned to walk back to the desk where he sorted through papers. "I am told that.." he looked up. "You're an advanced enhancement than the first Winter Soldier, correct?"
"I'm not only strong and fast if that's what you're asking.." A smirk crossed his lips while dropping his gaze back to the desk.
"I'm aware- Ah here it is." He pulled up a folder and waved it toward me. "All fifteen Widows that are eligible for graduation. Study them, figure out their strengths and weaknesses, then break them." I looked down at the folder as he held it out, beckoning me to grab it but when I reached my hand out, he pulled back. I looked up at him to see the smirk was now gone and a serious expression rested on his face. "I'm sure your training made it aware but I don't allow any connections to be made. No interactions beyond lessons."
"I'm aware," I said, my hand jutting out again until he rested the folder within my grasp. "May I go to my quarter now." He nodded and I nodded back before turning around, the door opening when the guard saw me coming.
The room I was set up in was basic, just as I've been used to. It was a four gray walled room with a twin bed with a black covering, a gray desk with a black chair, and a wardrobe that already had my uniforms set up.
I dropped the folder onto the desk and decided to spend the reading on time doing my mission, studying.
These girls all ranged between twenty-one and twenty-three, only one twenty-year-old. Natalia Romanova, the bored one.
There were two pictures. One with a younger girl, her hair blue, and the other with how her hair was now with its natural redness and bangs. I studied both pictures, hummed, then flipped the other side to read about her.
Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Age: 20
Brought into the Black Widow programme at year thirteen.
Excels in combat, ballet, linguistics
If she was truly the best at what she does, as Madame Bun said, then it won't be much to send her on her way to graduation but I'd have to break down her thinking. She claims to be bored, obviously not given a true challenge and that might be because everyone caters to her being the best. But to be the best, you have to never feel settled or 'bored' as she thought.
That wouldn't be a problem once I was done.
-
The next morning, I was up at four and preparing myself for the day. The Widows would be ready for training at five-thirty which left me with just enough time to get my warm-ups in.
My wardrobe was filled with the same clothing for three rows. Black cargo pants, black T-shirt, black utility chest rig. I opened out of the chest rig today, knowing everything would be hand-to-hand combat.
After sliding on my black boots, I walked out of my room and down the hall to the training quarters. Using the code I was given, I typed in the four digits and watched the keypad then green, allowing me to enter the room.
It was empty, much different from yesterday but I didn't mind the silence. It's how my mind was the last two years. Silent and mission-driven.
Taking off my mask and the glasses, I moved to the punching back and pulled it forward along the line on the ceiling to the middle of the room. Then, I started practicing my punches but not hitting too hard so they wouldn't fly across the room.
I spent the next thirty minutes on the bag; practicing my punches and then my kicks. Front kicks, sidekicks, back kicks, spinning kicks. Anything I could master.
"You're pretty good."
My head snapped to the door but once I saw the red strands, I quickly looked away and reached for my mask and glasses. "Natalia," I said, looking up to see if she could've seen my face.
I didn't see your face... if you're doing your weird mind-reading thing.
I breathed out in relief before walking to her with my hands by my side. "You have a code to access the training rooms?" She shrugged, her arms crossing across her chest as her eyes ran over the front of my glasses, but I was sure she could only see her reflection looking back at her.
"I know of the code." She retorted, a side smirk coming across her lips when I hummed, turning back to the bag.
"So you stole the access codes. Got it." I began to push the bag back to the corner of the wall, then leaned down to pick up a baton. "Why are you here before the other Widows? Aren't you all on a strict schedule?"
"You don't become the best by following everyone's schedule. Let me have one." I eyed her silently before grabbing a baton and tossing it to her. Without glancing in her direction, I moved across the room to practice my striking.
Big man's words rang loud and clear in my ear while I kept my distance. No connections built and no interactions without training involved. This wouldn't be any different. I could feel Natalia staring at me, most likely trying to gauge who I was.
Another note that was written in her folder was the master of psychology. She was good at reading one's body language, facial expressions, how a person said what they said and why they reacted that way. She was at the top of her class in that field.. but so was I. I didn't have fancy training grounds but I went through every single test that they did. But I was better.
"So, Wolf," she was starting. "Is that your real name?" I paused my next swing as my eyes found the wall. Real name? My head turned to face her, my confusion is most likely apparent as she leaned against the baton with both hands, her head tilting which made a strand of hair fall into her eyes. "Or it is like, some cold name?"
"I don't know what you mean," I mumbled, my eyebrows pulling together. "I'm... the Winter Wolf." Her lips fell open with a soft intake of air, then she closed her mouth and nodded once.
"Right but I mean, I don't think your parent's named you Winter Wolf- but it's cool if they did." She said just as quickly when I turned to face her quickly, her hands raising. "Don't shoot the cat. I'm just curious."
Parents? Real name? What is she going on about? What does that even... what does any of that mean to me? My hand raised to my head when I felt a headache starting to brew, and not the kind that meant The Suits were trying to get me to obey, it was a dull throb that seemed to grow the more I tried to figure out what those words meant to me.
Parents, like guardians? The suits are my guardians. They've taken care of me for the past two years and gave me the title of Winter Wolf.
"Are you alright? Your eyes are getting a little," I raised my gaze to her when she waved her hand, her eyes sizing me up. "There's a red glow behind your glasses and there's enough red in here already."
I closed my eyes and compelled myself to relax, to stop thinking, and simply be.
"Natalia." Another voice boomed across the room, followed by several sets of boots. "And Wolf. What is the meaning of this?"
I reopened my eyes to see the Buns' daunting eyes locked on me, then flickering to Natalia who stood silently beside me. When did she move next to me?
"Oh," Green eyes found mine but when I didn't make a move to speak, she spoke for the both of us. "I saw Miss Wolf in here training early and I wanted to get extra work in. I hope that's okay, Madame B."
The opposing teacher glanced at me but I kept my chin up, my arms by my side without making a move to respond. In situations with my guardians, I was told not to speak unless spoken to, and only if I had a direct answer. If not, you stay silent.
I stayed silent.
"Very well." She said, her arms crossing behind her back while moving as the other Widows flooded into the room. "We will pick up where we left off yesterday. Sasha and Nomi are unable to continue with us due to injury, but we will still train. Partner up."
As the girls found their partners, Natalia glanced at me while holding up the baton that she hadn't even used. I grabbed it, watching as her eyes peered at me from behind my lenses but I kept myself in check as I glanced away.
With two Widows down, that left thirteen girls to train for graduation in four weeks.
Mission report, get this done easily and smoothly.
____/
But will it be easy and smoothly thoooooo?
I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story!!
🖤🤍🤎