A.N: I'm sorry about the wait, this has been impossible to write and it's more of a filler than anything
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Ivan's absence left the five widows in a stunned silence. Seven was trying not to feel overwhelmed and out of place, but among the other four she was feeling rather displaced. The door finally stopped swaying but the silence pursued and Seven observed how Anya's shoulders eased to match Viktoria's relaxed stance. Sofia remained stiff and Seven began wondering if she was some sort of robot.
Seven wondered about where she stood with the serum now, how was she supposed to work adaptively on missions if she was under complete mind control. Then again her job as a widow wasn't to think. However, she did enjoy being in her own head and she wanted to appreciate it for however long it would last.
Only then did she snap out of her thoughts and realize that the other four had engaged in conversation. She didn't know whether to walk over or stay where she was. If she could choose, then she would want the earth to swallow her up right where she was standing.
Seven was used to being the most skilled in the room based on ability alone and now she wasn't, she needed to stop standing there like an idiot.
"so," She spoke loudly, causing the others to stop their conversation and look over. Sofia looked annoyed that she had even opened her mouth. "What now?"
"I guess we get acquainted" Viktoria said, shrugging.
"I already know you three as much as I want to" Anya groaned and Seven was surprised at her slightly husky voice. Yelena smiled at the comment and pulled her sleeves over her hand.
Seven envied the fact that they got jumpers and she didn't, subconsciously rubbing at her goose-bumps that had appeared on her arms.
"I guess that just leaves you then squirt." Viktoria said, walking over. Seven assumed she wasn't trying to be patronizing.
Then again, she didn't know these people.
Seven shrugged, she was overwhelmed.
Anya sighed and started walking away, tugging on Sofia's arm until they were both moving and were out of Seven's peripheral. Seven assumed they were bored and therefore leaving, the other two would probably follow any minute now. Where would she go? How would she find her way back? Did she even want to?
Seven was lost in the depth of her thoughts until she heard a loud slam of something hitting the floor, and against her wishes she turned to look. Sofia was pushing three crash mats across the room while Anya carried a bundle of fabric in her arms. Seven couldn't fathom where these thing had come from.
"Come on then" The brunette was saying and Seven was walking, following absent-mindedly.
Dread pooled in her stomach, was this the serum, taking effect? She willed her legs to stop working and she came to an abrupt stop, sending her body sprawling to the ground with the grace of a newborn deer. "Are you alright?" Viktoria turned and looked at her with great concern, offering a hand.
Seven stared at the outstretched hand, every fibre of her being was screaming at her to push the hand away and get up herself, how a widow should behave. Instead, she accepted being pulled to her feet, a huge smile spreading over her face.
She needed to be open to the teamwork if they were going to complete their mission.
"what are you grinning at?" Viktoria asked, eyeing her with suspicion.
"nothing, nothing." She was acting out of her own volition, it felt amazing, to her it was everything.
She sank down into an empty space on the crash mat, folding her legs beneath her and observing the other four. Anya was sprawled out on her mat, head resting in her hands, eyes resting on Seven. Sofia's posture was rigid still, back straight and legs out in front of her. Viktoria seemed perfectly comfortable with Sofia, not bothered by her stiffness, back against the wall and legs in Sofia's lap. Yelena was sitting next to Anya, similarly to Seven.
Seven's gaze hit the blonde and she studied the expression she was met with. Yelena was staring at her as if she recognised her face and was trying to figure out where from. Seven knew they'd never met but the look unnerved her nonetheless.
Seven cleared her throat but as her mind was empty and she didn't know what to ask. How do you get to know people in this circumstance?
"so, is your first name Subject?" Viktoria joked, breaking the suffocating silence and the others laughed. Seven suppressed a smile and shook her head.
"Kid, if you want this to work then you'll need to actually talk to us" Anya said with what Seven inferred as kindness.
"Sorry," She apologised sheepishly, "No, it's not subject, it's Seven"
"You're funny" Viktoria smiled, but her face changed when she caught Seven's confused look. "oh, you're not joking? I assumed you had a number and a name"
"Seven is both" Seven said, matter-of-factly. "My family called me it so that's my name"
"Your parents named you Seven?" Anya asked, intrigued.
"No" Seven shook her head, "I was born here, in the facility, Ivan named me"
The other exchanged a glance. Seven wasn't bothered by it, she tried to harness some of who she had been in the other half of the red room.
"How old are you all?" She asked, waiting for an answer.
"25" Anya answered first, Seven figured that she was the oldest, and definitely the most welcoming.
"24" Viktoria said, pointing at her and Sofia.
All four turned to Yelena, the conversation warranting her answer.
"Lena?" Viktoria urged, and the girl snapped out of her state.
"what was the question?" She looked at Anya.
"How old are you"
"oh. 23"
Seven came to the conclusion that maybe she just wasn't a people person, and that her staring was just something she did.
"Anyway, how old are you?" Anya asked, inviting her to join the conversation.
"16. I think" Seven responded, thinking.
"you think?"
"i'm not too sure. My memory gets sort of hazy sometimes" Seven shrugged and Anya shared a look with Sofia.
"Hymenoepimecis?" Sofia asked and Seven wasn't surprised by the thick Russian accent that escaped her lips, wrapping around her words like a heavy blanket.
"What?" Seven asked, baffled.
"Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga" Sofia stated, "it's a type of wasp."
"It's a nickname." Anya continued, shooting Sofia a look for being so blunt. Sofia shrugged.
"for what?
"the red serum." Seven leaned forward, desperate for more.
"The Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga is a type of female wasp which lays its eggs on the abdomens of spiders. The egg hatches and the wasp lives off the spider like a parasite. Then it injects a chemical which makes the spider build super strong webs." Anya explains.
"Yup, and then the wasp kills and eats the spider and builds it's cocoon in the web." Viktoria finishes.
Seven tried to connect this random new information with everything else she knew. She was failing.
"It's a metaphor," Anya continued, "we're the spiders and Ivan's the wasp"
"oh." Seven nodded. She understood what they were saying but she didn't want to think about it too much. "How did you get that scar?"
Anya's eyebrows raised and Seven panicked. "You don't have to answer that. You know, if it's personal or whatever."
"No, it's funny actually." She smiled, "Sofia slashed my face with a blade and it scarred." She traced the scar with her fingers.
"And now you're friends?"
"Not friends," Sofia argued. "Widows don't make friends"
Seven had forgotten where she was, who she was taking to. She took a moment to collect herself. Her eyes ghosted inevitably back to Yelena, who was still staring, brows furrowed.
"We should go" Viktoria said, sending the awkward atmosphere which had descended. "Show you to your new room" She winked and Seven was immediately apprehensive.
Seven pushed herself off the mat and rubbed her cold arms. Sofia pushed Viktoria's legs off her lap despite the groan she was met with and Seven realised how much shorter she was than these other girls. She had already started walking away before Sofia caught up.
"What's this talent of yours then?" The accent again, Sofia was talking.
"Um," Seven swallowed, deciding whether to tell them. She remembered what she had thought earlier, about being more open.
She swirled her ring finger around beside her, out of sight, and listened as the faint sound of wind started to get louder, whipping Sofia's hair around. Seven turned and directed the wind towards the other three who looked around in surprise.
"Where do the mats go?" She called over the wind and Anya pointed at the far side of the room where two others were stacked. Seven directed the wind under the mats and lifted them, sending them barrelling towards the pile. She hadn't used her powers in a while and reminded herself to practice.
"Was that you?" Viktoria asked, mouth agape.
"Yeah, need anything else moving?" Seven grinned.
Viktoria bounded over like a large dog, smiling.
"Can you do anything else?"
"It's the elements, so yes." She explained, "I didn't fancy making it rain though, or starting a fire."
"That's so cool," her eyes were still wide, "Sof did you see that?" She asked, ignoring the look the blonde was giving her.
"Yes тупица, i did see" The words were said sharply but Seven could see a softness in her eyes.
"Where does it come from?" Anya questioned, having caught up. "How did you get them?"
"I'm not sure where it comes from, the air and earth is already around us, but i think the water and fire come from me. I've never been sure." She explained, not being able to help loving the awestruck looks on their faces. "and experiments. Lots of experiments"
"Really? that sounds brutal" Viktoria shuddered. "When?"
"Five or Six years ago," She answered. "They were doing the black widow recreation project."
The teenager missed the way that the youngest of the four's eyes snapped over at the mention of the project, analysing every word out of the redhead's mouth.
The other three hissed at the mention, they had heard about what that had done to other kids younger than them. As far as they had known, there had never been a success. Not until now.
"Who was she, anyway?" Seven questioned,
"Who?" Anya asked, looking over.
"The black widow."