Earth-717 Special #1: Project Origin
Chapter 6: Red Room
"You have one new message."
"Hello, Chuck? It's Genevieve. Just wanted to shoot you a quick thank you message for sending that music box up to my office. It um . . . . it really means a lot to me, so I appreciate it immensely. Have a good day, okay?"
"What's the first thing you remember?"
The bleeding man then put a finger up to his lips, making a silencing gesture.
"On second thought, no more questions. Let's just spin the wheel . . . . and see what happens."
1:21 AM
Natalia's eyes opened. Shaking her head to get rid of her grogginess, she then stood up and looked forward to see Genevieve, who was standing with her arms held up in the air. It took Natalia a moment to see that both of Genevieve's wrists were handcuffed to the wall. Alma's orb was still in the same place, and she was still watching.
A man then started walking out of the darkness. At first Natalia thought it was the bleeding man, but it wasn't.
It was Marshall.
"Marshall?"
Natalia motioned as if she was going to take a step forward. Marshall held up his palm, gesturing for her to stop.
"Will you please stand still?"
Natalia found her muscles instantly frozen. She was no longer trying to move, but instead felt compelled to obey Marshall's direction.
"Good girl."
Natalia's eyes darted around as she tried to understand what was happening to her. She felt completely detached from her body.
"What is . . . . what's happening?"
"Will you please," said Marshall, as he started pacing around Natalia, his hands held behind his back. "Three very powerful words, Natalia. Very powerful indeed. I honestly didn't know if they would still work when you waltzed into my office. Had to, ah . . . . check."
Natalia's breathing slowed down as she remembered her previous conversations with Marshall.
"Security protocol. Put in place to ensure that certain subjects complied. Obviously the code words only work when uttered by specific personnel. To be quite honest, Natalia, you were an excellent sport. I didn't really need to do more than give you a gentle nudge every now and then."
Natalia then looked to the side to see a pile of bodies. All of them were ArmaCham Security Force officers.
"Those men . . . . they're not the mercenaries from before."
"Ah yes. The mercenaries. I had wondered if you would figure that out in time."
"What?"
"There never were any mercenaries, Natalia," said Marshall. "There was only the ArmaCham Security Force. Alma . . . . she has the ability to change the way you see things. She used some of them to secure the building at first . . . . and then had you wipe out the rest."
Natalia started breathing heavily as she tried to process the information she had just been given.
"What's . . . . who are you?"
"Who am I? Now, that . . . . that is a very interesting question, coming from you."
Marshall looked up at Alma, who continued to stare at Natalia with her unbreakable orange gaze.
"Tell me, Natalia . . . . what's the first thing you remember?"
Several of the images started to flash in her mind again. A screaming baby being held by a doctor. A woman in a black uniform picking a scalpel off a medical table. Three identical music boxes sitting on a shelf. A bloodied hand reaching forward from the darkness until it covered her face.
Natalia winced as the memories faded. Genevieve looked at her with concern.
"Difficult, isn't it? Feels somewhat jumbled, right? You've been seeing the pieces of the puzzle float around, and as a courtesy, I'll put them in place for you."
Marshall resumed his pacing. He marched with cold confidence, as if he knew that he controlled all of the variables.
"My name actually is Marshall Disler, I didn't lie about that. I was recruited by the Soviet Union in 1962 as part of a secret weapons program, codenamed the Red Room. The goal was to create a new line of super soldiers, similar to America's own Project Pythagoras back in the forties. We had managed to get our hands . . . . via some, rather unscrupulous means . . . . on an imperfect version of Abraham Erskine's super soldier serum. Captain America may have been a success, in the short term anyway, but we wanted to do it better. We wanted to do it right."
Genevieve shook her head, but seemed to be unable to speak.
"You see the problem with the serum, especially in the, unfinished state that it was, was that there were specific genetic markers that made it viable only in certain candidates. Eventually we realized that the best way to create viable serum subjects wasn't through injection but through . . . . genetic engineering."
"What are you talking about?" asked Natalia.
"Direct manipulation of the offspring of a viable candidate to ensure maximum serum potential. Quite an intriguing and, frankly, very difficult science. We wanted to make not just perfect soldiers, but also maintainable ones. A special gene was inserted that would ensure that the serum's chemistry changed once the subjects became adults, that would keep them in perfect working order for decades to come. No aging after the age of twenty; a natural lifespan of possibly a hundred years past that. Took quite a while before we really managed to get it right. We found a woman who matched the serum, and we were able to impregnate her with two offspring from a suitable donor."
Natalia felt as if Alma's gaze was about to pierce her skull.
"Twin baby girls."
"Twins?"
"Yes. You were the second one to come out," said Marshall. "You were eight minutes behind your sister."
"Sister? Wha . . . . What sister? Who is she?"
Marshall inhaled before speaking.
"You know her as Yelena Belova."
Natalia's eyes widened as an image of a younger Yelena walked up to her, holding out her hand.
"Yelena?"
"You grew up together in the Red Room facility. You two were the first of your kind, and you were given codenames. She was the White Widow, and you . . . . you were the Black Widow. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, including the security protocols I previously mentioned, Yelena was always a . . . . trouble child. Difficult to control. Difficult to deal with. Always trying to . . . . skirt the boundaries of what she was created for."
An image flashed in Natalia's mind of a burning church.
"But then something happened that we were not expecting. As you two were reaching your fifteenth birthdays, a third Widow came into our lives. It seems that the golden goose . . . . had one final egg to give."
Marshall then looked over at Genevieve, who cringed. Natalia looked at Alma and then back at Genevieve.
"Muh . . . . m-mother?"
"Ding, ding, ding, ding!" whispered Marshall. "Say hello to the Widowmaker. The one and only, Genevieve Aristide."
Alma then stared at Genevieve, who remained silent.
"She quite literally gave the project life," continued Marshall. "Unlike with you and your twin sister, the third child was not grown in the lab. We never found out the father. Genevieve refused to give his name. But honestly, it mattered little. Because the child that would come . . . . the Red Widow . . . . would be the most fascinating one of all."
Marshall held out his arms in front of Alma's orb.
"Alma Wade. A mutant. The first human telepath. A remarkable achievement, Genevieve, truly. She doesn't have the serum inside her. She's not really a product of the original intent of the Red Room, but she is remarkable, isn't she?"
Natalia closed her eyes as she heard the screams of Alma in her mind. She was the screaming baby being held by the doctor.
"Stay away from her!"
The doctor ignored her, walking away with the wailing infant.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
Natalia opened her eyes and looked at Alma, who was staring at Marshall.
"Say hello to your baby sister, Natalia."
Natalia started crying as she kept her eyes on Alma. She then saw the three identical music boxes on the shelf, except this time she could read the labels.
Yelena.
Natalia.
Alma.
"Unfortunately, the rest of the Red Room staff disagreed on what we should do with little Alma. Once we knew what we were dealing with . . . . not just any mutant, but a real, live, telepath . . . . they wanted to get hasty. See the effects of psychic energy, see if they could turn it into a weapon. Genevieve of course, wanted none of it, so they threw her out. I've done some terrible things in my time, but even I wanted to draw the line."
Alma was still staring at Marshall, her empty gaze seething with rage. Marshall went back to his pacing routine.
"They . . . . we . . . . did things that I'm not proud of. We started to . . . . lose our way. Our directing officer believed that the Widows needed to have modified memories . . . . inserted memories . . . . so that they would be emotionally detached, unable to form connections. That this would make them more efficient assassins. Easier to control. The things you remember . . . . may not have been real. We didn't know what we were getting into. The field was all new. We . . . . made mistakes."
Marshall licked his lower lip for a moment, taking pause to carefully consider his next words.
"Eventually, I realized that I needed to end what was happening. And so I set you and Yelena free. You ran . . . . and what happened from there until now is your doing. I took Alma . . . . I figured that I could find somewhere better for her . . . . until Genevieve found me. She told me about this place, somewhere that she had earned a reputation. Somewhere that might be able to keep Alma safe."
Marshall then turned to look at Genevieve.
"Isn't that right, Genevieve?"
Genevieve didn't respond.
"I said . . . ."
"I don't need to explain myself to you, Disler!" shouted Genevieve. "You ruined my life!"
"But I saved your children! All of them! And then you had the chance to give Alma a better life . . . . and what did you do? You took her away from me! You stuffed her into that orb so you could profit off her! You're no better than we were!"
"Is it true?"
Marshall and Genevieve turned their heads to look at Natalia.
"Is it true?" Natalia repeated. "You did this to her?"
Genevieve furrowed her brow as she glared at Natalia.
"You were our mother!" shouted Natalia. "Why didn't you help us?! Help her?"
"I'm not your mother," responded Genevieve. "Those filthy Red Room scientists rented out my womb so that they could build you, you, their perfect little toy. You and that brat, Yelena. Brought me nothing but misery and pain. You're no daughter to me. You're just a fully grown lab experiment that used my body as the test tube."
Natalia scowled at Genevieve, who scoffed in return.
"Genevieve here thought that she could find a way to monetize Alma's powers," said Marshall. "So she stuck me in a small position in the building, thinking that she could control me. I agreed . . . . so that I could keep an eye on Alma."
The lines of Natalia's face softened as she listened to the next part of Marshall's story.
"I'll admit . . . . I came to care about her. Here she was . . . . a vulnerable little girl. No father. A mother who didn't give a shit about her. Always someone else's plaything, someone else's bargaining chip. I stayed . . . . I took the crap pay . . . . I let Genevieve control me, so long as I got to keep an eye on her. Help her out when I could. Little things."
Marshall gulped before continuing.
"I'd been waiting so long for this moment. When I could finally bring the family back together."
"How?" asked Natalia. "How did you bring us here? Me?"
"Alma always wanted to know you. Even though she was a newborn, your attempt to save her imprinted itself on her mind. She told me . . . . in visions . . . . that she wanted you. I think she has a way of changing things . . . . the signals she puts out . . . . I was Fury's inside source at ArmaCham. I made sure SHIELD was aware of what was happening here. And when you arrived . . . . I knew that I was finally going to get the reunion she always wanted. The reunion . . . . with the only person who did nothing but love her."
Alma slowly turned her head to look at Natalia.
"And now that all the cards have been laid out . . . . it's time for some housekeeping."
Marshall walked next to Natalia. He folded his arms and stared at Genevieve.
"Will you please aim your gun at Genevieve?"
Natalia instantly held out her pistol, pointing it directly at Genevieve, who started hyperventilating.
"Marshall, you little shit! You don't get to walk away from this!"
"Will you please pull the trigger?"
"Marshall!"
Natalia fired a single shot, directly into the heart of her mother. Genevieve gasped at the impact, and then went limp. Marshall then grabbed Natalia's pistol out of her hand, holding it at his side.
"You're right, Genevieve," said Marshall. "I don't get to walk away from this. None of us do."
Marshall then placed the gun inside his mouth and fired a shot, splattering his brains onto the back wall. The gun fell to the floor next to his body. Natalia instantly felt herself in control of her limbs again. She then looked up at Alma, who was staring at her. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, knowing what needed to happen next.
The orb then exploded.
Natalia strode up the hill. It was covered in a comforting and colourful blanket of flowers. A single cherry orchard rested at the peak of the hill, with two thin ropes tied to one of the lower branches. The bottom ends of the ropes were fastened to a tiny wooden plank, forming a swing.
Alma was sitting on the plank, gently rocking back and forth.
Natalia stopped just behind Alma, taking a few seconds to just look at the girl in silence.
"I have to go away now, don't I?"
Natalia didn't need to respond.
"Will you stay here with me? For a few minutes?"
"Of course."
Alma hopped off the swing, landing on the ground with her bare feet. She then took a couple steps forward and sat down, crossing her legs and placing her elbows on her knees. Natalia walked up and sat down beside her, taking the same pose.
For a few precious minutes, they just sat together, staring out at the gorgeous meadow and the setting sun.
"Thank you," said Alma.
Natalia wrapped her right arm around Alma's shoulders, resting her hand just under her chin. Tears in her eyes, Natalia then placed her left hand on the top of Alma's head.
"You're welcome."
Natalia walked out of the ArmaCham Technology Corporation building. Her com link then activated.
"Natalia?" asked Rodney. "Is that you?"
"I'm here."
"What the fuck happened? I lost your signal for almost an hour!"
"The mission's complete."
"What do you mean?"
"It's over. I'll explain when I get back."
A few days later, Natalia found herself back in the Siberian forest. She walked along the path that was next to the lake, feeling the frigid breeze massage her skin. The breeze was accompanied by the slow, gorgeous dance of the falling deciduous leaves. All of the memories came flooding back to her, but she focused hard on tuning them out. She had to see for herself.
She walked at a very slow pace, taking all the time she needed. She arrived at the same place in the forest that was in her memory. Looking at the place where her and Alexi's tent had been, she then retraced her steps until she arrived at the tree he had carved at.
She felt a terrible pain in her heart to see that the tree's bark was completely smooth. For a few minutes, she stood there, mourning the love she believed she might never have had. Wiping away her tears, she then started walking back the way she came.
A few metres away, on the back of a tree she hadn't looked at, was a carving.
Natalia & Alexi.
THE END
Epilogue
Kicking back her feet, Yelena looked at the computer monitor in front of her. She was inside of a penthouse apartment, with an open window looking out over the Mediterranean. She was wearing nothing but an elegant, white bath robe, holding a coffee cup in her left hand. The computer had the data drive from Genevieve's office plugged into it.
ALMA WADE FILES SENT TO: TWO RECIPIENTS.
DATA RECEIVED.
FIRST RECIPIENT.
TRANSFERRING PAYMENT FROM: DOCTOR NATHANIEL ESSEX.
DATA RECEIVED.
SECOND RECIPIENT.
TRANSFERRING PAYMENT FROM: ADVANCED IDEA MECHANICS.
Yelena smirked as she took a sip of her coffee.