This is mostly a filler chapter, but it does set up an important plot point down the line. For now, enjoy.

Italics are in Russian.

Green Hal37: Yes, yes they do. But since most recruits are killers and criminals, it makes sense.

GIJose: Yeah, the Bratva plot was great because it shaped Oliver into who he was, minus the 'I like killing' crap in 5x17. Dragon is not Diaz from the show, no. I hated Diaz, what an awful villain.

SHIELD safe house

Mid-morning

In a bathroom, Bobbi retched into a toilet. She had eaten the remaining eggs Dragon had made and had gone to her room to grab her Battle Shaves, planning on heading to the gym for training. Only, halfway there, she had started to feel nauseous. She'd made a beeline for the closest bathroom and was now puking her breakfast up.

Must have been some bad eggs, she thought as she felt some vomit in her hair. Wincing, she sighed. Looks like she was taking a shower early.

In the gym of the safe house, Dragon was unleashing his skills on a practice dummy when he heard his phone ringing on the bench. Stopping, Dragon walked over and picked it up. Seeing the number flashing across the screen, he quickly answered.

"Queen, what's your status?" Dragon demanded.

"I'm in the process of becoming a member of the Bratva," Oliver said but Dragon could tell that Oliver was unsettled by something.

"Have you been compromised?" Dragon demanded.

"No, it's just…a lot harder than I thought it would be," Oliver admitted. "I have to go. I'll get in contact when I can."

Bratva hideout

Same time

Oliver hung up his phone and pocketed it. Oliver sighed as he looked in the mirror of the bathroom he was in. It was strange, he mused as he looked at his reflection. People usually looked in the mirror to check their appearance. Oliver hadn't bothered since waking up in Hong Kong, even though he had plenty of opportunities to do so. He supposed he was just afraid of what he might see. The face in the mirror was that of a stranger. He no longer recognized the face looking back at him. Would he ever be able to look in the mirror and recognize himself again, he wondered. He hoped so.

Oliver exited the bathroom and found Anatoly waiting for him. Suddenly, he found himself overcome with rage.

"Why Anatoly? Why kill them?" Oliver demanded angrily.

"You rang bell, they did not," Anatoly said simply.

"I only rang the bell because of them, I couldn't have done it alone," Oliver protested.

"But using team was your idea. You use them to win, intelligent, Bratva wants that. Bratva needs that," Anatoly explained.

"I never would have done it if I'd known it was going to cost them their lives," Oliver almost growled but Anatoly was unfazed.

"First part of initiation: Only person you can trust is yourself," Anatoly said and Oliver was silent for a moment.

"Maybe this whole thing was a mistake," Oliver said doubtfully.

"You still wish to find out if Kovar is behind attack on your family, yes? I told you, Bratva is only way," Anatoly pointed out.

"Well I'm sorry Anatoly, but how can I trust the Bratva after I watched them execute three innocent men?" Oliver asked hotly and Anatoly's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ah, there has been miscommunication," Anatoly said and Oliver stared at him incredulously. "You want to leave, leave. But come with me first, I have something I need to show you."

SHIELD safe house

Late morning

Bobbi was reading a book in the living room when Dragon walked in.

"I thought I'd let you know your boyfriend made contact," Dragon said and Bobbi looked up at him sharply.

"Is he okay? What happened?" Bobbi asked as he closed her book.

"All he said is that he's begun the process of joining the Bratva. He seemed a little shaken up but whatever it is, I have no doubt Oliver can handle it," Dragon said before eying her oddly. "Did you change?"

Bobbi quickly realized that he hadn't had any issues with the eggs. Which meant either that she was sick or that her eggs had been different somehow. However, she knew she couldn't tell him that. Dragon was only focused on the mission. If he thought she was compromised, for any reason, he'd request she be sent back to America and someone else be sent over.

"I spilled something on me, I had to take a shower," Bobbi lied with ease.

Dagon eyed her, clearly not believing her. But still, he nodded and walked. Bobbi then put her book down and grabbed her jacket, knowing she needed to head out. If she was sick, there was only one person in Russia she could trust.

Russia

Afternoon

Anatoly had taken Oliver to a rather modest apartment building. Oliver looked around, wondering what Anatoly had brought him here to show him. It didn't make sense. Oliver saw a middle aged woman putting clothes on a clothing line when Anatoly called out to her in Russian.

"Mrs. Volodarsky?" Anatoly called out.

She looked up at the sound of Anatoly's voice, looking not quite happy to see him. It was more like she had a sense of urgency about her.

"Any news about my son?" she asked urgently.

"Da," Anatoly said as he pulled something out of his jacket pocket.

Oliver saw it was a picture of one of the potential Bratva recruits that had been killed when Oliver rang the bell. Anatoly handed the picture to Mrs. Volodarsky.

"You will not see him again," Anatoly assured her.

Mrs. Volodarsky looked at the picture for a moment before she looked at Anatoly and smiled.

"Thank you," she said as she hugged Anatoly. "Thank you. You are an angel. Thank you for bringing my son's killer to justice."

"Your son's killer?" Oliver asked in surprise.

"This monster took my son's life for eight hundred rubles," she told Oliver before looking back at Anatoly. "Let me go tell my husband."

As she walked off, Anatoly turned around to face Oliver and Oliver crossed his arm.

"Bratva recruit was a murderer," Oliver muttered and Anatoly nodded.

"Police catch him but he was son to friend of Kovar. He goes free, Bratva step in to deliver justice," Anatoly explained.

"How is recruiting him into the Bratva justice?" Oliver demanded.

"But he was not recruited, was he?" Anatoly pointed out.

"What if I wasn't the one to ring the bell Anatoly?" Oliver demanded.

"We still bring justice," Anatoly said simply and Oliver laughed humorlessly.

"If you are trying to convince me to trust the Bratva, you are not doing a very good job," Oliver said sarcastically.

"You must trust process. To defeat Kovar, you need army. Bratva army," Anatoly pointed out. "You have come this far. Why stop now?"

As much as Oliver didn't want to admit it, Anatoly was right. Besides, he still needed to figure out who was Kovar's mole in the Bratva. He couldn't do that if he walked away. For his family, he would stay.

At the same time, in one of the more seeder parts of Russia, Bobbi walked into a clinic. Closing the door behind her, she saw a dark haired woman at the front desk. As she lowered her hood, the dark haired woman saw her and gasped.

"Lindsey, I didn't expect to see you again!" she exclaimed.

"I need your help Taiana," Bobbi told her.

Taiana was a doctor who ran her own clinic here in the slums of Russia. A few weeks after they had come to Russia, Bobbi had saved her from some men that were getting aggressive with her. Bobbi had lied; telling her that her name was Lindsey but she had been checking up on Taiana ever since, making sure that she was okay.

"What's wrong?" Taiana asked concerned as she saw the look on Bobbi's face.

"I think I'm sick. I threw up this morning. If I'm sick, I need to know now, before it gets worse," Bobbi said and Taiana nodded in understanding.

"Come on, I'll run some tests, we should be able to figure out what the problem is," Taiana said as she led Bobbi inside.

Bratva hideout

Later in the afternoon

Anatoly led Oliver into a dimly lit room, where several men in sunglasses were standing by a table with a box on it.

"Bratva. Do you know what this word means?" Anatoly asked Oliver.

"Brotherhood," Oliver said wearily as he eyed the men uncertainly.

"Da," Anatoly confirmed. "If you are hungry, brothers will feed you. If you are hurt, brothers will bring ten times pain to those responsible. If one brother succeeds, all brothers are rich. If one brother fails, all brothers…suffer," Anatoly had moved from Oliver's side until he now stood behind the table, in front of the box. "Your brothers would kill for you, die for you. As you would kill and die for them.

Anatoly then opened the box to reveal six daggers inside. More than capable of killing Oliver.

"If these men are supposed to be my brothers, why would I fight them?" Oliver demanded.

"They are not here to fight you," Anatoly assured him.

"Most of these men have tried to kill me," Oliver argued.

"And with these knives, they could," Anatoly told him. "You must trust they will not. Do you trust your brothers?"

'No' was the honest answer. Oliver didn't trust any of them, except Anatoly. But if he said that, Oliver knew he would never get into the Bratva, would never find out who Kovar's mole was. He would never get any closer to Kovar.

"I trust my brothers," Oliver lied with such ease that he almost fooled himself.

"Take off jacket, turn around," Anatoly ordered.

Trusting that Anatoly would not allow any lasting harm to befall him, Oliver complied. He placed his duffle bag on the ground, removed his jack and tossed it down on the floor, next to his bag. Oliver then turned around as each of the six men grabbed one of the daggers out of the box and walked up behind Oliver. One by one, they each slashed him across the shoulder, creating a clean cut. It took all of Oliver's willpower not to cry out. But when he became a member of the Bratva and found out who was Kovar's mole, it would all be worth it.