A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back! I know it's been awhile since I last posted anything, but rest assured, I have been writing, it just hasn't been the next few stories but mostly ones much later in the series.
I don't own one of the babies, her parents, or the Widow, but the nurse and the first couple and their child are my creation.
Enjoy!
Widow PA-30546 strode purposefully down the dimly lit hall. Her aura of authority and purpose caused the hospital's staff to give her frightened looks and weaker willed citizens to flee as she approached, but most simply ducked their heads and hoped she was not coming to speak to them.
It was disheartening to see such cowardness from their citizens, but it did make it easier to get what she wanted. Not that anyone would dare deny her when she carried paperwork declaring her to be a member of the KGB.
It was a small building, worn-down and cramped, so it didn't take her long to reach her destination.
Widow PA-30546 entered the tiny room that had been prepared for her. Its interior was no more impressive than the rest of the hospital, though the walls were a peeling yellow rather than the dull gray of the halls. Not that PA-30546 cared much about decor. She wouldn't be here long; she just needed enough time to bribe or threaten four people, then she could be on her way again.
A nurse stepped forward to greet her, clutching her clipboard to her chest with white-knuckled hands.
"The girls you asked us to move to a separate room are here," she explained, gesturing behind her briefly before returning the limb to its place on the board. "And their parents have been held back as requested. Would you like them sent in now?"
"Have they been waiting long?" PA-30546 asked, ignoring her question.
"Yes, they arrived two hours ago," the woman replied. She didn't elaborate, but Widow PA-30546 heard the implied end of her sentence anyway.
They arrived two hours ago, when you said you would be here.
PA-30546 nodded. "Wait five more minutes then bring them in."
The nurse swallowed, then bobbed her head in agreement. Widow PA-30546 knew she didn't understand why PA-30546 would ask such a thing, but the nurse wouldn't argue. PA-30546 had known she wouldn't as soon as she laid eyes on her.
"Of course." She straightened and took a hesitant step forward. "If you'd like to quickly sign the paperwork transferring the children to your care-"
"No paperwork," PA-30546 ordered with a bored tone. "Destroy any you already have for them."
The nurse froze, the color draining from her face, and took two steps back. "Of course," she repeated. "Whatever you say."
"That will be all. No one else from the hospital's staff will be required."
"Yes, ma'am." Her voice was barely a whisper. She hurried out of the room, leaving PA-30546 alone with the two children she had come for.
She stepped forward, peering down into the cribs. They were small, barely a month old, but their government-mandated tests and screenings indicated they were in good health and would be promising candidates for the Red Room.
Widow PA-30546 didn't waste time looking at them for long. Even if they did graduate from the program, they would only be two faces in a sea of girls. They wouldn't matter in the long run.
PA-30546 turned and faced the door, patiently waiting for her five minutes to be up. It was a calculated move to only let the parents in after she'd entered. This way it was clear that the children were already her's, and none of them could do anything to stop her. They wouldn't be able to get between her and her targets.
Soon, the door opened again, admitting the two couples. Like everyone else in the building, it was clear they feared her. As they should. One man hugged his wife close, while she stared with red-stained eyes towards her daughter. The other man was looking down and fiddling with a watch restlessly, not even trying to look her way.
The second woman, however, was a surprise. She was still scared, that much was obvious, but PA-30546 could only tell due to her decades of training in body language. The woman's shoulders were back and her head held high. For the first time today, someone met PA-30546's eyes firmly without cowering away. If her daughter had inherited her strength of will, she could very well make it in the program.
"Good evening," PA-30546 said impassively. "I am a representative from the committee for the betterment of the Union. Your children's tests show an aptitude for mental and physical strength, and we feel they would make good candidates for the USSR's Olympic program."
The hugging couple perked up at that.
"The Olympic program?" the father asked hopefully in a horse voice.
"Aren't they a little young for that?" the more bold mother broke in before PA-30546 could reply. "Wouldn't it be better to recruit them when they can walk at least?"
Widow PA-30546 focused her attention on her. The rest didn't matter, it was the woman who would be a problem. Not that it was an issue if she didn't agree to hand over the child. It would be better to leave them all alive so that they could continue to serve the Union, but no one would shed a tear over a few commoners.
"In order to give them the best chance at making the cut for the program, we start their training as soon as possible. Waiting until they were older would hurt their chances," she explained coolly.
The woman didn't back down, continuing to stare at PA-30546.
PA-30546 realized suddenly that the woman hadn't looked at the children once. As if she could keep PA-30546's attention away from them by acting as if they weren't there. A wasted effort. Nothing could distract a black widow from her target once she was assigned one.
"She could be great, bringing glory to the nation as an Olympian, and will never want for food or anything else she needs."
That was a lie. Learning to handle starvation and how to fight the other widows was a prominent part of the training. But they didn't need to know that.
"What- what would we have to do?" the meek woman whispered.
"Simply allow us to raise your children so they can fulfill their highest potential."
They didn't really have a choice, PA-30546 would be leaving with the assets one way or another, but they would be less likely to cause a fuss if they thought they'd made the decision.
The pathetic woman made a soft noise in the back of her throat and clung to her husband, who was biting his lip and looking down. The girl was their only child, so PA-30546 could see why they might be reluctant to give her up. But they were young and it would be easy to have more. They had no reason to be weeping and carrying on.
"No," the shrewd woman said softly, but there was steel in her voice.
"You will be compensated, of course," Widow PA-30546 continued, undeterred. "You and your families will never go hungry again."
Another lie. They would be given a lump sum, a large one, but a limited amount of money nevertheless. In PA-30546's experience, most commoners used up the money fairly quickly and were just as bad off as they started. But greed was a powerful motivator, and PA-30546 knew they had several children already and could barely afford them. They needed the money she was offering.
The woman's husband perked up, eyes going wide at her words, and PA-30546 knew she had him.
The woman knew it too. She glanced at her husband, seeing the eager look in his eyes, and her face fell slightly. One look at the other couple confirmed she had no allies there either. She had lost.
"Would we be allowed to visit her?" she asked quietly after a moment.
"Naturally. They are still your children, after all. We are merely allowing them to reach their fullest potential," PA-30546 lied smoothly.
"Alright," the man agreed quickly. "As long as we can visit."
The woman grimaced. PA-30546 could see she was still thinking hard, trying to come up with a way to contradict her husband and say no without getting killed. But her battle was a hopeless one.
Finally, she squared her shoulders and straightened up, looking firmly in PA-30546's eyes. "We are honored to be able to serve our nation," she said, clearly not meaning her words. "May we say goodbye?"
"Of course."
Widow PA-30546 stepped to the side, allowing the woman to get to the cribs, but making it so that she would have to walk extremely close to PA-30546 to pass.
The woman acted like brushing by PA-30546 did not bother her, but her hands trembled slightly as she brushed a hair off her baby's head. She leaned over and kissed her softly on her sleeping head.
"Goodbye, little one. Stay strong. You're going to do great things," she whispered.
She lingered for a moment, then stepped back, letting her hand fall back to her side.
The other couple hurried forward and cried onto their baby as they said their goodbyes, but PA-30546 kept an eye on the strong woman. She knew if anyone were to try something, it would be her.
When they'd all finished, Widow PA-30546 spoke up. "Your sacrifice is noted. You have the respect of the Union."
None of them looked comforted, but they had already accepted. They would not protest now.
PA-30546 clasped her hands and gave them a cold smile. "I'm sure one of the nurses can see you out."
The weepy couple startled, looking at her with fear, and shifted as if they were about to leave, but the bold woman stepped forward.
"Do you have a number we can call?" she asked, her eyes hard.
PA-30546 didn't let her smile drop. "Of course." She pulled out a business card from her pocket. She wouldn't have handed it over if no one had asked, but she was prepared for this. "Do you have any other questions?"
They locked eyes for a long moment as the others looked on nervously, neither willing to back down.
"No," the woman said finally. "That's all. You can expect a call from me shortly."
PA-30546 inclined her head towards her, respectfully.
The other couple asked for a card as well, then they all left.
Widow PA-30546 quickly called in another widow, and they both grabbed a cradle and took the assets out to a car where they strapped them in and headed out.
Then they drove away, taking the assets to their new reality in the Red Room.
PA-30546 pulled open her phone and called her handler.
"The assets have been acquired," she informed him after her call finished encrypting. "Mission accomplished."
A/N: Friendly reminder that if you'd like to see some original stories and poems from me, I have a few on Wattpad and I'm currently working on a couple more!
Tune in next week for the companion piece to this work, "Found"