Chapter Text
I became aware as something was sprayed into my face. I coughed and sputtered, as a red gas filled my nostrils and throat. It burned my eyes, but my mind cleared, the more I was exposed to it. It was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. The clarity of my own thoughts. I blinked up into the dim light of the warehouse around me. It was only then that I noticed the girl sitting on my chest, holding my arms down with her knees. There was blood streaming out of her nose, but she didn’t seem to care. She was more focused on watching me. I was shocked to my senses when I recognized her.
“Yelena?” I asked.
Yelena smiled at me and threw the canister aside.
“Teresa,” She said. She took her knees off of my elbows and allowed me to sit up. I was helped to sit by Emilia, another widow. I looked between the two of them, and then down at my own hands. They were covered with blood. I don’t remember how they got that way.
I looked up at Yelena and Emilia.
“This isn’t yours, is it?” I asked.
Yelena and Emilia quickly shook their heads, as Yelena wiped the blood away from her nose.
“No,” She said. “That’s not from us. The only blood you got out of me was from my nose, when you hit me with your head.”
“Oh,” I said. I felt the back of my head, where there was a slight ache. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Yelena said, placing her hands on my cheeks and forcing me to look up at her. “Teresa, you have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault.”
I stared at Yelena and nodded. I felt my hand sticking to her’s and forced my powers to abate. This wasn’t the time to lose control and panic. I was supposed to only use my powers on missions. And I had stuck to that my entire existence, as far back as I could remember.
Yelena asked me if I could stand and when I said yes, she helped me to my feet. Emilia held onto my left hand, and Yelena clutched my right. They lead me away from the warehouse they had found me in. I felt confusion setting in, as I realized I had no recent memories. I tried to think back. What did I remember? The last thing I could remember was being called into Dreykov’s office. Dreykov…now him I could never forget. Especially not a visit like the last ones, those unfortunate events that happened every few weeks, when Dreykov was bored and wanted someone to play with. The terms of my sale from H.Y.D.R.A to the Red Room stated that I couldn’t be sterilized. And Dreykov wanted another daughter to replace the one that Natasha Romanov had killed.
“What happened to me?” I asked Yelena, as she and Emilia lead me outside. We were somewhere cold. It was snowing and the bite in the air attack my nose and cheeks. I blinked against the sudden bright light outside. I must have been desperate to get my target if I was outside during the day. Widows were trained to kill under the cloak of darkness. Only in the light of day if it was the last resort.
“Sh,” Yelena said, silencing my protests. “There will be time for all of that later. Right now, let’s just focus on getting you somewhere safe.”
Yelena and Emilia lead me down a path and after a few miles of hiking, we arrived at a car. Yelena helped me into the back seat, and Emilia slid in on the other side. Yelena climbed into the front and started the car. The warm air hit me almost instantly, but although my body was registering it, I was shivering with the cold. Emilia grabbed a blanket from the ground and wrapped it around my shoulders. She was trying to comfort me, but I already felt the panic and shock setting in. Where was I? What had I done? And why were they here to save me?
I trembled as my body settled into a panic attack, trying to swallow the fear in the back of my throat. Widows weren’t supposed to break down like this. But I’d never been a normal Widow.