Volume 1: The K.G.B. Years
Issue 2: Entering of the Hand Part 1
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its rightful owners.
12 years later…
Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhou had his moments. One moment he is Natasha's older brother, always joking around with her with that pleasant smile. Another moment, though, Ivan is acting as her father, giving her less to no freedom, scolding her for the decisions she makes, and basically controlling her life. Right now he was in father mode.
"Natasha, are you sure you want to do this?"
Natasha Alianovana Romanova rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. He has been asking her that same question since she turned nineteen. Signing up for the K.G.B. was the whole reason she lived with the man and now he is acting as if he doesn't agree with it! The more she thought about it, the more she got angry.
"Ivan! Why are you asking me this? I thought we agreed to this when I was just seven years old!" Natasha screamed.
"That's exactly my point! You made the decision when you were just seven years old! Don't you think you were a little too young to make that decision?" He yelled back. He was obviously getting agitated.
"No, because you went along with it!"
This took Ivan aback. He did go along with it. But only to protect Natasha.
"I did. I'll admit that. But you don't understand the trails and suffering you'll face in the field. As a soldier I know firsthand-"
"But," Natasha interrupted, "Didn't you train me for this?"
Natasha started training when she was just thirteen years old. Commissar Bruskin was a trainer that she and Ivan shared. He taught her all he knew about fighting and weapon combat. She was now fluent in seven languages, including English. Stealth had come easy to her. Planning and thinking under critical situations was something she needed to work on. Being a ballerina has also helped her to master the skills of balance, agility, and flexibility. Just thinking about this made her feel more than ready to sign up for the K.G.B. But, of course, Ivan still didn't agree.
"I-I know that. I'm just concerned for your safety."
Natasha rolled her eyes again and walked over to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of juice.
"But that's the problem! You are so overprotective!" Natasha yelled as she poured grape juice.
"Only because I have to be." Ivan murmured too quietly.
Natasha sat down at the six person table. She never understood why they had it because its only them living here.
Ivan sat next to Natasha.
"Look, I know sometimes I can be a pain in the butt-"
"Which you are." Natasha commented.
"-I'm just asking you because I want you to have the most out of life. You just graduated high school and you are an excellent ballerina. You can make a living out of that." Ivan finished.
""You are still missing the point! This is something I've wanted to do since the opportunity was presented to me. Why can't you just back me up on it?"
Natasha stared into those ice blue eyes, the same eyes that let her know that she was safe when she was just seven years old. She knew that all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. But sometimes you just have to let go.
Ivan let out a sigh and stared back. He reached across the table and laid a protective hand over Natasha's. She felt like resenting, but she gave in.
"Fine, I'll back you up. If this is something that you really want to do then I will be there with you every stop of the way." Ivan said with sympathy.
Natasha tried to suppress a happy smile, but she couldn't do it. She jumped up out of the chair and ran to give Ivan a heart-warming hug.
"Finally!" was all she could manage to say.
Natasha pulled back. "Okay, now that's established, I'm needed to go to the K.G.B base for an exam. They said it's a field test."
Natasha could see Ivan tense at those last words. She tried her best to ignore it.
"Do you want me to come?" Ivan asked with a dash of begging.
Natasha felt slightly agitated because she wanted to do something by herself for a change. But it is hard to say no to a man who calls you every fifteen minutes if you're not in his alight.
"Sure, why not." said Natasha dully.
Ivan jumped up like a little child.
"Let me just get my coat real quick!" he hollered as he ran upstairs.
Natasha smiled and made her way to the front door.
Getting into the base's premises was one thing. Going through literally twenty different security protocols just to get into the actual building was a mega pain. Natasha has gone through everything from body scans to spit swabs before she entered the K.G.B. building. She could've sworn she saw Ivan giggle as she went through torture.
Natasha and Ivan were sitting in a massive room, filled with activities when Commissar Bruskin walked up to them.
"Hey! How have you guys been?" he said with a welcoming hug.
Commissar Bruskin has not changed except for his now fully bald head and that Natasha is now taller than him.
"So are you ready to begin the field test?" he asked excitingly. Natasha nodded her head.
"Okay, you are to meet Colonel Irma Klausvichnova in the office down there. She'll explain everything from there. If you pass, consider yourself a K.G.B. agent."
"I'll show her the way." Ivan said.
Natasha followed Ivan through the massive office space. They reached a door that had her examiner's name on it.
"Okay, here we are." Ivan said quietly.
"I'll be fine." Natasha said, sensing that he felt miserable.
Ivan then pulled Natasha close to him and gave her a huge hug.
"You do well in there squirt. Remember all the training you taught." he whispered.
They pulled back.
"You do good out there, squirt." he said, rubbing his hand through her hair.
Natasha smiled. "Thanks."
She then turned from him and step into the room. She was standing in a room that had a long, polished table with wooden chairs in the center of the room. On the opposite side of the room was a massive window that showed a view of Russia's city area. At the end of the table was a beautiful woman with long flowing brown hair. The woman got up and made her way to Natasha. She was wearing a simple blouse and shirt that showed her muscular legs. The woman reached Natasha and held out her hand. Natasha shook it.
"You must be Natalia Alianovana Romanova." She said pleasantly. Natasha expected the greeting to be harsher, giving her army-type posture.
"You can call me Natasha. Are you Irma Klausvichnova?"
"Yes ma'am" Irma nodded.
Irma turned and motioned Natasha to follow. They sat at the end of the table where Irma was at previously.
"So Natasha, are you ready for the field test?" asked Irma.
"Yes," Natasha said anxiously. Irma sensed her mood and smiled to herself.
"Well, here is what your test is going to be. You are going to be thrown into a stealth simulation. You are to break into a museum and steal a highly guarded artifact and return it to base. This is a simulation so your weapon is an electronic gun. But the bad thing is it sounds like a real gun once you press the trigger so you don't want to use it unless you have to, since it's a stealth assignment. Guards will be surrounding the building, to test your fighting abilities. Don't go easy on them. They will back down once you hurt them to the point of pain. You'll also be thrown into situations throughout the test, in which you'll have to think quickly and choose the best option. Finally, you'll have two hours to complete the task. Do you have any questions?"
Natasha shook her head. Even though that was a mouthful, she took in every detail of the test.
"Good. I wish you best of luck and hope that you succeed."
"Thank you."
"Bruskin will get you geared and ready to go after this. He'll bring you to the museum as well."
"Wait, this is a real museum, with real people in it?" Natasha asked.
"Oh no, it used to be a museum but it was destroyed years ago. We built it back up and use it now for test just like the one you are taking now."
"Okay. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Don't fail."
Natasha was in the back of a truck, sitting beside Ivan and Irma. Commissar Bruskin was in front of her. She was already suited up in a simple jumpsuit that covered her completely. She was given her "gun" and other special gadgets, as well as a picture of the artificat. They said the jumpsuit would guide her in flexibility, but so far it made her feel stiff and uncomfortable.
They arrived at the museum less than what Natasha expected. And it took her less than five minutes for her to get the rest of her gadgets and get dropped off at the front of the building. Before they left, Ivan gave Natasha a quick hug and ran back into the truck. She was left to stand there, thinking about how she going to accomplish her task.
Natasha gazed at the massive building before her. From the mahogany front doors to the windows that were outlined in gold and the marble pillars, the museum was luxurious. It had to be at least seven stories high. The thought of trying to find an artifact in this maze gave her butterflies.
She scanned the area. To the left of the museum was a huge wide space of field of grass. To the right was a parking lot space that wrapped around the building into the back. She figured she would be less concealed if she went around back. Natasha walked around to the side of the building. She reached the corner and peeked around it. She noticed a guard standing by a staircase that lead up to a door. He was facing the staircase. She took the opportunity.
With silent steps, she walked up to the guard. She then took her arms and grabbed hold of his neck, pulling him down to the ground. The guard took her arms and pulled at it but couldn't. He then fell down into unconsciousness. Natasha noticed a security pass wrapped around his neck. She took it, figuring that she might have to use it. She then ran up the metal stairs. It was lucky that she did take the pass because she couldn't open the door without a pass. She opened the door and was now standing inside the museum.
Natasha was standing in at am intersection of two hallways, one in front of her and another one to her right. She took out the map of the museum that Irma was at. She chose the right spot to begin at because she was standing at the third level of the museum. The artifact was at the fifth level. She was already halfway there. This was going to be easier than she thought.
Looking at the map, she figured that going to the right, closet to the elevator was best. Natasha turned to the right and made her way down the hallway. It was at the twentieth step that a pair of lasers appeared out of nowhere. If she would have taken a tiny step, she would have set on the alarm and failed the mission.
Natasha took a step back. There were still spaces where she could slither her way through the lasers. She took a leg through a space, an arm, and another arm while twisting her body to make sure she doesn't touch the lasers. The jumpsuit actually helped because she felt light as a feather. It took less than a minute, with pure concentration, before she was standing on the other side of the lasers. She took a silent but deep breath and made her way down the hallway.
She reached a corner and peered over it. This time it was two guards standing in front of a double door. The map showed her that behind that door was a staircase leading to levels five and six. This was better than taking an elevator.
She took out smoke bombs located behind her belt and threw them out in the hallway. She heard heavy footsteps coming her way. Natasha reacted very quickly.
With a deadly lunge, she pounded on the first guard thought the smoke. The guard fell down to the floor. She felt the second guard grab at her from behind. Natasha threw her head backwards, hitting the guard into his head in the process. The first guard managed to get up and made an attempt to grab at her but was met with a deadly roundhouse kick. She then finished the second guard off with a punched into his face and a hard hit with her knee into his gut. He crumbled onto the floor.
With smoke to still hide her, she ran to the double doors. She opened it and ran up the stairs until she reached the door that read level five. She opened it. Natasha was now standing in a wide room with a long table that held the artifact that she was looking for. She was about to grab it before she was stopped by a sound in the room. Then two knifes flew at her direction. Natasha instinctively ducked. Then she saw two shadowy figures dressed in burgundy outfits emerged out of nowhere. She was sure this had nothing to do with the mission because they were holding swords coming to her way. One ninja jumped forward to her. She dodged his attack and swung at her. The ninja caught her hand and kneed her in her chin. She stumbled backwards. The second just stood there and watched as the two fought each other, until Natasha was now on her knees. The ninja gave her a final knockout blow which made her black out. The final thing she heard was the ninja saying, "We finally got her."
To be continued…