A/N: Thanks for reviewing! One chapter left!

It's filled with peaks and twists and turns

Natasha became aware of herself; more importantly, she was aware that she was restrained to a bed. Silently shifting her weight proved that no maneuvering on her part would free her. Listening hard gave her the impression that she was in a large room; some water was dripping and echoing through the space. She could also tell that she was not alone, though likely only one or two people were standing nearby.

"I know you're awake, Natalia," Alexei murmured from somewhere to her right.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and saw that he was standing about two feet away with Ian McMasters. They were in a lab – her muscles tensed when she recognized it. Rather than be overwhelmed with the fear she could feel bubbling up, she focused on considering whether or not this was always part of Alexei's plan. He couldn't have known he'd meet with her today – could he?

"She seems a little dazed. Did you give her too much of the stuff?" McMasters asked gruffly, frowning at her. Looking at her like she was a specimen. She hadn't been looked at like that in years and it made her grit her teeth.

"I can assure you it was the correct dosage. She woke up right when I said she would, didn't she?" Alexei answered shortly.

McMasters huffed but didn't pursue the subject. "Well, let's get this over with so we can go back to work."

"Get what over with?" Natasha asked fearfully.

"Your husband here thinks he can fix your reproductive system so the two of you can have the fairytale ending you always wanted. While working for us, of course," he added arrogantly.

Natasha opened her eyes wider and struggled against the bonds a little. "Working for you?" she murmured querulously.

Alexei was busying himself with some implements on the table nearby while McMasters smiled coldly down at her. "Yes, dear. I'm sure you'll make a great team, getting rid of our competition."

"Competition?" she echoed.

"Like your sisters. Anyone who might want to reverse engineer our product. It will be important for the two of you to maintain your position by being the only ones. Otherwise you'll end up just like those little girls."

Glancing to Alexei, she could see he wasn't pleased with what McMasters was saying. Whether that was because of the facts or because he didn't like the other man running his mouth was difficult to determine. "You killed them?"

"Well, we had to test his serums on somebody before we got to you. There were some casualties; there always are in these situations," McMasters replied, waving a hand dismissively.

Natasha fought to keep the anger from her face. "Because we seven were the only people in the world who received the treatment before?"

"Exactly."

She smiled slightly. "Well, perhaps you should have kept better security on Volgograd if you wanted that to remain the case."

McMasters turned to Alexei sharply. "What is she talking about, boy?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. She's a spy, Ian. Misdirection is one of her talents." He tapped the side of the syringe he'd just finished filling. "Don't worry, Natalia. This shouldn't hurt," he promised, leaning forward.

Though she would prefer to have more of her questions answered, Natasha thought now was probably a good time to act. Twisting painfully, she managed to pull one of her legs out from the restraints and kicked the syringe out of Alexei's hands. She was aware of McMasters yelling something while she swung herself onto her feet, hospital bed strapped to her notwithstanding. The different angle provided her with the ability to remove herself from her bonds, and she threw the operating table at Alexei, judging him to be the bigger threat. Then she ran.

The place was familiar, but she certainly had not been given free rein to explore. Also, whatever drug she'd been given made her limbs stiff and running was a challenge. Still, she managed to outdistance the two men as she plunged haphazardly down the closest hallway. Her bare feet padded across the concrete floor as she listened for following footsteps. It didn't take long for her to hear her pursuers and she tried to get her scattered thoughts to focus on a solution to her predicament.

Slowing down to try to get her bearings, she controlled her breathing to keep it from echoing down the hallways. Some long-forgotten instinct took over and she moved forward confidently. When the footsteps were loud enough that she knew she'd be seen in a moment, she slipped inside one of the rooms she'd been passing. It was more of a cell, and she pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath, and waited. They did not pause and she let out her breath at last.

Uncertainly, she stepped out and went back the way she'd come. It was silent in that direction, and she was vaguely hopeful of finding a way out. Not that she was looking forward to running through the forest she remembering surrounding the place without any shoes. So maybe she could find her stuff, impractical as the heels she'd worn to dinner might have been. As she was nearing the operating room, she heard something – singing. The sound brought her up short as she listened.

The singing was coming from one of the cells that lined the hallway. It was locked. She didn't have the tools to pick it, and scanned around for another solution. "Hello?" she murmured into the door.

"Hello?" a vaguely familiar female voice responded.

"Do you know where the keys might be?" Natasha asked.

"Natalia?"

"Yes."

"Oh, bozhe moi, they got you, too? It's me, Irina," the woman added, despair evident in her tone.

Natasha felt a surprising measure of relief. There were four Widows left, at least. A seventh of the original number, but the thought filled her with hope. "I'm getting you out of here," she said resolutely. "I'll be right back." Ignoring Irina's response, Natasha ran back to the lab and searched for a tool that would help with the lock. The surgical implements briefly made her queasy, but she pushed the thought away. Finding something that would suffice, she returned to the door at a run. It took a few tries, but she got it open.

Irina's hair was matted and she looked pale, but the grin that spread across her face made her appearance much healthier. Like Natasha, she was just wearing a sort of hospital gown. No shoes for either of them, Natasha thought mournfully.

"I didn't think I'd ever get out of there," Irina said lightly, looking like she wanted to hug Natasha. The feeling was mutual, but she felt that could wait.

"Do you know how to get out here?"

Irina looked down at herself ruefully. "I'm not sure. But I was awake when they brought me in, so I can probably figure it out."

"Great, I was drugged. Let's go," Natasha replied with a smile.

Silently, the two made their way through the labyrinthine compound. It did not appear that Alexei and McMasters had brought anyone with them, as the women heard nothing to indicate another presence. That seemed like poor planning and Natasha couldn't imagine that they'd left Irina all alone for long, so she remained vigilant nonetheless.

"How long have you been here?" Natasha murmured as they walked.

"About two weeks. I got captured while under cover and couldn't notify my handler. They've been… doing stuff to me," Irina whispered, stopping and closing her eyes briefly.

Natasha put her hand on Irina's shoulder. "It's over now," she promised. Irina offered her a smile. They had never been close, and she wasn't sure what to say, so they continued in silence.

Finally, they reached an entrance. Unfortunately, they also found the other personnel about whom Natasha had been wondering. They fought hard, but it was just the two of them, and they were unarmed. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Natasha found herself on her knees with her hands being cuffed behind her. Still resoundingly disappointing, particularly when she saw the look of terror on Irina's face as she got the same treatment. Natasha tried to look reassuring as they waited there in the dirt for McMasters and Alexei.

"I thought you said this would be easy," McMasters growled to his partner as they left the compound and he took in how many of the men the women had managed to take down.

Alexei looked frustrated, and dropped to his knees in front of Natasha, ignoring what the action did to his suit. "Natalia, I just want what's best for you. For us. Please don't make this difficult," he implored.

Looking significantly at Irina before returning her attention to him, she raised her chin and fixed him with a defiant glare. A sound in the nearby forest pricked up her ears and she smiled when she caught sight of a couple familiar figures. "No, Alexei, you want what's best for you," she told him pityingly, then a distinctive popping sound could be heard as she dislocated her wrist to get out of her restraints.