Set the World on Fire
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and ocs. Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you thought of it so far.
Chapter 1
For the first three months, she traces the black words that wrap around the left side of her rib cage with light touches, memorizing the words because she knows in the future, they will be gone, or as close to gone as the Matron will be able to get them.
She listens to the whispers at night, after lights out when all of the girls are supposed to be sleeping because they never know when they'll be awoken by the Matron. She listens as they dream of their soulmates rescuing them from this god awful place that is stealing their innocence from them and turning them into weapons for their country because honestly, who would ever suspect young girls to be deadly assassins.
They don't have names, instead, they're numbered. One through twenty eight. And she is unlucky number thirteen. She isn't entirely sure if she is displeased with that or not. She could be Devil's six, the pretty red head all the other girls don't trust. The other girls give both a wide berth, not just because of their numbers. They are the Matron's favorites. And she doesn't pick favorites lightly. She and Devil's six are mirror images. Six is right handed, she is left. Six is a pretty red head with natural curls and green eyes, she possesses silver blonde pin straight strands and amber colored eyes. Six has porcelain like skin, she has olive. Six excels in hand to hand combat, Thirteen never misses her target, be it with a sniper, glock, pistol, or knife, she surpassed even the Winter solider.
Soon Twenty eight girls turns into just two. Six and Thirteen are the only ones left and the Matron can't decide which is her favorite. Both girls are skilled, both excel, both are worthy of the Black Widow title. She calls in the Winter Solider to help finish their training. Thirteen and Six had heard the other girls whisper about him, knew he was the Asset everyone feared. Training with him was... it was brutal. Thirteen knew Six was better when it came to hand to hand, and he proved that even the best can fail. By the end of each session both girls were sore and panting hard as he told the Matron to do away with both and start again. She would just click her tongue at him and tell him, "They have promise Winter, they are just a little rough around the edges," before turning on her heel and walking away.
One thing Thirteen had learned, if you wanted any information, you had to gather it yourself. At night, when she and six were supposed to be sleeping she would sneak out of her bunk and wander the never ending halls. One night, she found an office. Picking the lock had been no problem for her, and she looked around the dark room, her eyes easily seeing what others wouldn't have been able to. On the desk, next to a line of file cabinets were folders, files, hers and six's she was sure. Quietly she made her way and flipped the first one over. Slowly her eyes read the information presented to her.
Natalia Romonova, seventeen, Soulmarked, Russian. She closed that file and opened the next. Carefully she read over her information, every muscle in her body tense.
Catalina Petrova, seventeen, Soulmarked, French. She closed her file after reading the basics, feeling smug she had a name, not just a number. Quietly she escaped the office, ensuring everything looked as it did before her arrival and sneaking back into her bunk.
Six was waiting for her, a silent question in the way her eyebrow was raised as Thirteen climbed into bed.
"We have names," she finally whispered, watching as Six's green eyes widened fractionally, the only tell that she was surprised.
"Your name is Natalia Romonova. Mine is Catalina Petrova. We're seventeen," She watched the slight curve of Natalia's lips before she offered a sharp nod. Both girls laid back down, preparing for actual sleep because both knew, now with Winter gone one a mission, this would be their only chance.
In the early hours of dawn, they crept down the halls, slitting the throats of who ever tried to stop them as they made it through the doors to the outside world, looking everyone else inside. They silently watched as their entire world burned that day. Turning to each other they made a promise.
"You will always be the sister of my heart Natalia, but you are dead," Catalina whispered, closing her eyes as both girls grasped hands.
"As will you Catalina, but you are dead as well," with those parting words, both girls dropped each other's hands and went in different directions. They were seventeen, but they were both trained to be the Black Widow.
Catalina sat up, a cold sweat covering her body as every muscle tensed, her hand slipping under her pillow for the familiar feel of her glock that rested there. Her whiskey colored eyes quickly swept the area of her room before her body relaxed. Inhaling a deep breath, she released her grip on her gun, sliding her hand out from under her pillow and running her fingers through her tangled mass of silver blonde hair. It was no longer kept short as it had been in her early years on the run from the Red Room. She had grown the silvery strands out, allowing them to fall to her lower back. Heaving a heavy sigh, Catalina kicked the blankets from her body and swung her legs over the side of her bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep now that she was awake.
"Good Morning Thirteen. It has been awhile," the voice wasn't familiar, but the words were. Catalina's body tensed, her amber eyes scanning the space of her living room, looking for the threat as she felt along the wall for the entrance to her kitchen. Put as much space between herself and the enemy, find the closest weapon, dispatch threat. After years, her training from the Red Room was still second nature to her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, I would hate to see what would happen to this lovely little town you've found," the voice was obviously Russian, the only way to know her number, which meant he was Hydra.
"What would Hydra want with me after all these years? I'm no longer a threat. I've been living as a civilian for to long," her voice was husky, still clouded with sleep.
"It would seem with the fall of Hydra, we lost our asset. And, well, we're on the market for a new one. You seem to fit the bill nicely though Thirteen. Just a little reprogramming, and well, you'll be perfect once more," the voice informed her.
Catalina snorted, rolling her eyes at the man she could now see sitting at the head of her dining room table, six yards in front of her.
"Good luck with that," she commented, standing at the counter and pulling a knife from the butcher's block. He sighed, in obvious disappointment, shaking his head. He didn't read the file, she thought with a smirk before releasing the knife and listening as it embedded itself in his chest. Mentally, Catalina counted roughly two minutes before whatever reinforcements he had waiting entered the room. She had two minutes to find her stash of weapons, arm herself and fight. She could manage, and if they did capture her, it would take Shield roughly twenty four hours to realize she was missing, about four to make the connection to who took her, and roughly two to rescue her. She didn't like the odds of relying on Shield, but it was her only option at the moment since Peggy was officially gone. She could hold her own until the cavalry arrived to save her.
At that moment, the windows of her cabin exploded, telling her there were more men than she anticipated sent to capture her. Inhaling a breath, Cat began firing off rounds, watching the bodies begin to drop before something hit her in the neck and every thing went dark. Vaguely she could recall telling herself she had been drugged before she lost consciousness.
A/N: Chapter 1! I hope it caught your interest. Chapter 2 shall be up in the next few days. Hope you enjoyed, feel free to let me know what you thought.