Chapter: 1
Year: 1988.
Location: Stalingrad.
Time: 2:17a.m.
Something had startled her awake, like footsteps.
She'd gotten out of her bed to investigate the noises she'd heard below and found her older sister in the kitchen looking for something. She walked silently behind her sister. "Isabelle? Why are you up, mama and papa are asleep." The 4 year old questioned in her native Russian."
She turned suddenly and put her finger on her lips. "Shhh... I heard something down here and needed to check it out, it sounds like its coming from the stove." Her sister began searching the stove for the source of the noise. "Go back to bed Nat."
"I told you not to call me-" Young Natalia began walking back to her room, but turned as she smelt something strong in the air. What is that it smells really bad? "Isabelle, do you smell-" Before 3 year old Natalia could finish her sentence she was blown off her feet by large force that caught her right in the stomach, as she flew backwards through the air, she saw her sister slam hard against the wall opposite the stove and the flames covered the whole kitchen.
Her eyes were shut for what felt like a second, but was more like a couple of minutes. The fire had spread like crazy and before she could lift her throbbing head she was being scooped into what she recognized as her papa's arms, she clutched tightly to his chest for dear life, hoping he could make this hell go away.
Smoke clouded her vision, she could barely see straight from the explosion and her head ached like it was going to crack open. She was in her fathers arms only a second ago, until a sudden jolt had them both falling, he'd dropped her on the hard wood floor that was getting hotter and hotter by the second.
As she tried to search for him she could only hear him shout her name. "NATALIA!" he shouted her name until his lungs were full of the black smoke.
"Im here papa!"
Without warning the ceiling above her had come down, she curled onto the ground luckily avoiding any of the rubble from hitting her and sobbed to herself, she wanted her papa to take her away from here, she wanted him to hold her again and tell her it was ok, but she couldn't hear her papa, not anymore, his shouting had turned to silence and all that she could hear were the flames engulfing the place she'd known as home.
In a moment of utter fear and desperation she'd crawled out from the rubble and looked for her father.
She crawled around where she'd thought he'd dropped her, but all she could find was rubble, spread out all over the floor. She could smell something horrible in the air, something she was too young to recognize yet, but would come to associate with burnt flesh.
Still on her hands and knees she tried to leave the house in search of help, she needed someone, anyone to rescue her.
She walked past the stairs when she heard her mother's voice. But it wasn't how she'd heard ever before, it was filled with panic and fear. "HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!...*coughing* HEEEEEEELP!"
Natalia rushed over to her distressed mother, hoping she wasn't to late.
She'd had been pin down by the bottom half of her body when she had ran down the stairs. They must have given way due to the flames, and the rubble from the ceiling had all but crushed her.
"Natalia! Oh thank God you're alive." She was frantically coughing and crying. She looked just like her mother, with the same fiery red hair and piercing green eyes, they looked so alike it was unreal.
They held each others hands tightly and were both in tears at the devastation around them. "Don't worry mama, I'll pull you out, you'll see, I'm strong."
The little girl tried pulling on her mother's arm as hard as she could, but to no avail, the rubble was to heavy and even with her mother helping it didn't even budge. She pulled so hard that when they're hands slipped, she feel back on her ass. "It's ok mama, I'll just lift some of this!"
"Natalia no don't touc-" as soon as she had attempted to lift a large piece of rubble more of it fell on top of her mother's legs and sent new waves of pain through her lower body and made her let out an unholy scream of agony.
Natalia dropped the rubble immediately at hearing hearing mother's screams, she got down on her knees beside her and held her hand. "I'm sorry mama, I'm not strong enough, I'm sorry!" She cried
Her mother had a small pool of blood in her mouth and her grip was getting weaker. She felt the flames grow larger and the heat was getting closer to her. "Natalia, listen to me." She coughed the blood out of her mouth. "Leave the house, go and get help." She began crying again. "Mama will be fine, just go." She lied.
Natalia was shaking her head as her mother spoke. "no! no no no no NO! I'm not going!" but before she could argue any further a hand had wrapped around her wrist and began pulling her away from her mother. She gripped onto her mother to the point of pain and cried out for her. "NO! MAMA DON'T LET ME GO! MAMA!"
Her mother lost consciousness as her hand slipped away and Natalia's vision was covered in thick black smoke. She never stopped screaming for her mother, her father or her sister.
She never saw the face of who had saved her, but their hands were cold, so cold it sent a ripple through her body.
As she was trailed out of the house onto the snow outside and the first breath of fresh air hit her, her body went numb, her brain shut down and she past out, a large part of Natalia Romanova Died that night, under a full moon in the stench of her families charred corpses.
She didn't know it yet but today was the first day of the rest of her life.
The ground was hard and cold, made from concrete. She'd been striped naked and left on the floor, not that she knew that yet.
Her head was one big blur and all that was clear was that she was scared. No wait, I'm not scared, but I should be, why aren't I? She rubbed her head and felt nothing, all of her hair had been shaved off, her once fiery red locks had disappeared, but this didn't shock her, in-fact she barely mind was working like a machine, she took in her surroundings after her vision had cleared and she analysed ever inch of the room in the time she had.
The cell was old, painted green, no furniture, not even a stool. The walls were littered with marks and scrapes that one could only associate with torture and pain. The rest of the room was bare, only a large re-enforced steel door facing her, she couldn't tell since it was closed but she guessed that the door must have been 4 inches thick. How could I know that? Why is everything so clear to me but so confusing at the same time?
She placed her hands on her head and tried hard not to think but her mind was racing. What is wrong with me?
The large steel door began to move just as she lifted her head, she didn't scurry away or curl up, she stood up and waited for whoever was coming through the door.
A man dressed in a communist solider uniform slowly moved into the room with an AK-47 assault rifle aimed at Natalia. She didn't flinch, but she found it strange that she didn't.
"Clear sir, she's good to go." The man said in Russian as he lowered the assault rifle.
A second later, a larger man, at least 6 foot 5 and full of muscle with a wide grin on his face came through the door, he must have been in his mid thirties and had signs of grey hairs already on his head, he was dressed in very formal looking military clothes. "That'll be all private you may leave." he waved the solider off.
"But sir she is a high ris-" The younger of the two men argued before he was cut off.
"Are you questioning a direct order from your commanding officer?" The larger of the two mean replied very calmly and with still the same grin on his face.
The private began shaking his head. "n..no, no sir, I just-" he was cut off again.
"It's fine comrade, I can handle myself." He stared deep into the young man's eyes and whispered something in his ear that made the private shake slightly.
Natalia was completely in bewilderment.
"Now private, you should get going." as he turned and walked towards Natalia and stared at her he said "Oh and don't forget, it's colonel, not sir." He said to the private just before he left the room.
"Y-y-y-yes s...Colonel."
The large man towered over Natalia and she felt a little uncomfortable, he stared all over her exposed body making sure not to miss a spot by circling around the young red head. He stood in front to face her. "Name?" he asked with a stern expression.
She didn't look the man in the eyes and looked around the room like she had before, trying to find something that might help her think. What's my name?
He stepped close and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your name sweetheart, what's your name?" He asked a little softer.
She felt the warmth in his hand and some of her discomfort began to fade. She shook her head. "I-I don't...I don't remember? I think I don't remember."
The large man began unbuttoning his coat and put it on the young girl before him. "That's fine, you had us worried there., please let me get you a seat." he clicked his fingers and a different solider came in with a chair in hand and placed it down for her. "Sit, please."
She took the seat and smiled at the large man for being so nice to her. "Thank you, I wish I could rmemeber but I don't know where I am or who I am?"
The large man chuckled lightly. "It's ok, you're going to be ok, you had a very nasty accident, but you're safe here, with us." he smiled at her cheerfully.
She smiled and pulled the coat more firmly around her. "Can you help me remember?"
He nodded at her request. "I promise to you, on the flag of mother Russia that I will help you remember and that I will make you stronger than before."
She stared into his eyes at his last words. "Stronger?"
"Yes, don't you want to be stronger, for your country?"
His question was odd and out of place but it didn't faze her, she wanted to be stronger. "I do."
He smiled even wider now. He noticed her looking around. "What are you thinking of right now?"
The question caught her off guard and she suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed. "I was, planning a way to escape."
"Why do you want to escape." He replied in his still tone that made her hair stand on end.
"I don't know this place and I'm...well I'm."
"Scared?" he looked closer at her.
She looked confused, not by his question but because of her answer. "No." her answer interested him.
"Good."
She stared down. "I was considering using the badges on your coat to stab you then do the same to one of the guards outside and take his gun."
He reacted calmly. "Why were you thinking that.?"
She shook her head slowly. "I don't know."
He waited a moment and looked at the young girl. "Would you like to know your name?" he offered.
She slowly nodded. "Yes, please."
"Natalia."
She smiled. "I like my name."
"Good, now Natalia, I need to ask you a question, its very important and I need you to tell me the truth, because I told you the truth, understand?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you remember anything?"
She looked down and closed her eyes trying to remember. There was nothing, just blank. She shook her head and weakly replied. "No."
He embraced young Natalia. "Come with me, we'll get you some clothes and food, would you like that?"
She smiled and nodded her head at the sound of food, she was starving. "Yes please."
"Alright then." He placed his hand out for her to grab and she took it gratefully.
"Can I ask one favour, please?"
He looked back at her as he shut the steel door behind them. "What's that?"
She looked him up and down. "Who are you?"
He smiled and stood at attention like any solider. "I am Colonel Ivan Petrovich, at your service madam." He said with a bow.
She giggled at his presentation. "Thank you Ivan, for saving me."
He took her hand and they walked through the hall to the laundry room to find Natalia some clothes to wear. "My pleasure."
So just for a mix up I want to try two origin stories about my two favourite spies, just so I can give you a back story on the characters I want to write about. Btw these will get a lot more 'mature' as they go on so fair warning I'm not gonna leave much unsaid.
I'm starting with Natasha's origin but you'll definitely see a Clint origin before Sunday and I have got some big, big plans for these two. Keep reading and review when you can, I love to hear what you guys think! :)