Одиннадцать (Eleven)

Once again, spoilers ahead!

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The first signs of Natalia being close by were the clicking of the lock - she was trying to break her way in.

"I know you're out there," Yelena called from her position deep inside the flat, her voice echoing through the space.

"I know you know I'm out here," came Natalia's reply.

"Then why are you skulking about like it's a minefield?"

She was inside the flat now. "'Cause I don't know if I can trust you."

Yelena chuckled. "Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

"So, are we gonna talk like grown ups? Or are you gonna run away like children again?"

"Is that what we are?"

"You tell me."

Now the sisters faced each other - and each other's guns.

"Put it down, before I make you," Yelena ordered.

"You put yours down - watch your step," Natalia added when Yelena stumbled slightly.

Soon enough the flat was filled with bumps and crashes as they tore at each other, slamming each other into walls and doorframes.

"Stand down!" Natalia cried in a strangled voice. But Yelena would not. In fact, this only spurred her on harder.

Guns down, Yelena grabbed a knife from the knife block and lunged at the redhead with it, luring her into the living room.

"Okay Sascha - come out come out wherever you are," Natalia urged her on. Wherever Yelena was, Sascha was never far, and vice versa.

That was when they noticed - they paused briefly to look at Sascha, who sat lounging on the couch, feet kicked up on the coffee table, shot of vodka in hand. SHe gave them an innocent smile.

Then she downed the vodka in one gulp before hurling the glass at the redhead. Nat ducked and it shattered into hundreds of tiny shards against the wall.

Nat didn't have time to rise from her crouched position for Sascha was already lunging at her and throwing her to the ground, hand around her throat.

"Okay, okay! Truce! Truce!" she choked out. "God you two are so hostile." She caught her breath, rolling over to look at both women, her gaze settling on Yelena, the only one who had changed out of the two. "You're so grown up," she said, almost in disbelief.

Yelena scrunched up her nose at the comment. "No shit." Then she turned and stalked into the kitchen, Sascha following.

Natalia followed them. "You had to come to Budapest, didn't you?"

"We came here because we thought you wouldn't. But since you're here-" Yelena pointed to three holes in the wall behind them. "What bullet does that?"

"Not bullets, arrows."

"Ah, right."

"What the hell is this?" Natalia slapped down a bunch of about a dozen of the red vials, the same as Sascha and Yelena had received.

The girlfriends exchanged a glance. "You know what this is," Nat noted.

"You got some too, huh?"

"Yeah, what is it? Where'd it come from?"

"Well we didn't send it."

"Well my contact said it came from Budapest."

"Maybe, but not from us. And who's your contact?"

"Looks like our Masked Woman brought us back together, or wanted to," Sascha noted.

"What masked woman?" But the two were already on their way out of the room again - Yelena was stuffing the vials into a backpack. "Look, I'm not here trying to be your friend but you need to tell me what that is."

"It's a synthetic gas. A counteragent to chemical subjugation. The gas immunizes the brain's neuropathways from external manipulation."

"Maybe in English next time." Yelena shot back in Russian. "Oh, very mature."

"Why don't you take it to one of your super-scientist friends? They can explain it to you. Tony Stark, maybe."

"Ha, what a character," scoffed Sascha.

"Yeah, well we're not really talking right now, so..."

"Great, perfect timing. Where's an Avenger when you need one?"

"Hey, what am I? And I don't want to be here. I'm on the run, you could have gotten me killed."

"Hey, we didn't send you these."

"I kept checking the news, expecting to see Captain America bringing down the Red Room," Yelena said mockingly.

"What?" Natalia demanded. "Taking down the Red Room? What are you talking about? It's been gone for years - Dreykov's dead. I killed him.

"You don't actually believe that do you." Yelena's expression turned more serious when she realized. "You do actually believe that.

"Dreykov's dead," Nat insisted. "It took almost destroying the entire city just to get to him."

"If you're so sure then tell us what happened, tell us exactly."

"We rigged bombs."

"Oh, very specific," said Sascha. Nat snapped back in Russian.

"Who's we?" Yelena pressed.

"Clint Barton and I. Killing Dreykov was the final step in my defection to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So simple as that?"

"Yeah, sure, 'simple'. That's what I'd call imploding a five-story building and then shooting it out with the Hungarian Special Forces. Took ten days in hiding before we could even get out of Budapest."

"And you checked the body? Confirmed the kill."

"There was no body left to check." But she paused before saying this.

"You're forgetting Dreykov's daughter." This stopped her, just as she was turning away.

But there wasn't any time to continue this conversation - or interrogation - or whatever. There were footsteps on the roof. They weren't alone.

Widows.

And lots of them.

"You go, meet at the car. I'll cover you," Sascha cried.

"But no, Sasch, you can't kill them!"

"Don't worry, sting gun. It'll stun not kill them. Got to do something - otherwise I'm worried they'll miss you and hit Yelena." She nodded at Natalia.

"Fair point."

"Now go! You run, I cover - go, get the hell out of here! Hey-" She stopped Natalia. "Anything happens to her, I kill you." And they were gone.

The Widows were inside the building now, entering the flat. Through the dust and smoke, Sascha lashed out. Seeing the shadows reminded her of another title she had received from many foreign countries: the Slavic Shadow.

As Yelena and Natalia fled, Sascha swung herself out of the window and up onto the roof of the building. She would have the perfect shot from up here.

Seeing a flash of orange from down below, she could just make out Natalia and Yelena. Good, they were still on the move.

From her newfound sniper position, she could see that they were being chased by various Widows on motorbikes. Sascha sprinted and jumped across the rooftops and began stunning them with her gun. "Damn, after all these years I've still got it!"

The blonde and redhead had now transferred to an SUV - the car they were now fleeing in swung around sharply - the door on Yelena's side swinging open and smashing off, taking out the last Widow in pursuit on a bike.

Sascha chuckled. "Ha ha! That's my girl!"

But the Widows weren't alone out there, as quickly became strikingly clear, so it was only a short-lived victory.

"Holy shit-"

An armoured vehicle was tearing up the streets - literally. It mowed down anything in its path in pursuit of the two ex-Widows. Staring through the magnifier on her gun, Sascha could just make out an armoured figure at the front of the tank:

Taskmaster.

"Боже мой-" She watched as the tank smashed its way through the streets. However, it slowed, then stopped, and Taskmaster stomped out. Sascha breathed a sigh of relief - Yelena and Natalia were safe - Yelena was safe. They had evaded the threat - at least for the time being.

She'd better head for the rendezvous point.

The car, the rendezvous place, was a sleek red car that the couple often saw while going about the city, and both had commented on how much they liked it. It was always parked in the same place - a random meeting place, with significance only to them. Perfect.

"Боже мой-" She noticed Yelena's state right away: a long, deep cut seeping blood on her arm.

"Yeah, great plan. My favourite part was when I almost bled to death," Yelena sassed.

"But it worked, didn't it?" Nat shot back.

Sascha shot her a glare. "I will deliver full on my promise." Anything happens to her, I kill you.

"I never doubted for a second you would."

Russian Translations

Боже мой - Oh my God

Whew, that was a heart-pounding chapter! I'll try to keep updating as regularly as I can!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)