Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters. That all belongs to Disney and the talented late Stan Lee. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way. Enjoy!
"People find it difficult to let go of their pain. They prefer familiar suffering because they fear the unknown" – Thich Nhat Hanh
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Game of Survival
Part I: Recruited
The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the dark sky.
The night was deafeningly quiet until shrieks of terror and red flames lit up the sky.
What was once tranquillity had devolved into chaos.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the narrow streets as children paused in their play and dashed to their mothers.
Soldiers marched through the village wearing black uniforms and helmets that obscured their faces.
Mothers tried to shield their children as they knew what was about to come.
Men dressed in heavy armour frequently wreaked havoc, with one man in the centre of it all.
He chose who would accompany them and become a victim of his organisation.
Nobody knew what happened to the young girls, but they never returned.
"Momma!"
Screams erupted from the little village in Russia as children and mothers fled their small houses.
Six year old, Anastasia Feodorovna, was separated from her mother during the raid.
Her own footsteps echoed in her ears as Anastasia scampered to go hide behind a flipped-over wheelbarrow.
She knew her efforts were futile, but the fact that they couldn't see her gave her some solace.
She waited with baited breath, covering her mouth to remain silent.
As she crouched down to keep herself hidden, the dirt imbedded itself under her nails.
The smell of smoke was unbearable and caused her to eyes water.
However, the sound of gunshots was far worse.
Each bang made her jump and cause her to suppress a whimper.
The broken cries of mothers separated from their children would forever haunt Anastasia, but her main focus was on finding her own mother.
She felt responsible for her mother's safety, ever since her father left them penniless and beaten.
Despite the fact that her mother, Tanya, never was able to provide enough for her, Anastasia still loved her, even if it was difficult for her to show it.
So the prospect of her mother potentially falling victim to the ruthless organisation fuelled Anastasia's determination to find her.
However, the hand that was wrapped around her arm prevented her from doing so.
Their grip was tight which most likely resulted in bruises on her skin as the guard's nails dug into her skin.
Her body was frozen as she lifted her head and met a man's black heartless eyes.
But it was the figure behind him that drew her attention.
Her mother stood there, a remorseful expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, Annie."Her mother whispered.
Anastasia couldn't hear her, but it wasn't hard to figure out what she had done.
"What have you done?"Anastasia hissed as if the words were poison in her mouth. "Why are you doing this?"
But there was no response.
She struggled against the guard's tight grip, but her efforts were in vain.
Her struggle was met with a hard smack to the face.
Anastasia gasped and gently held her cheek as tears welled up in her eyes, but she was able to hold them back.
The thought of the man, guard, or her mother seeing her frailty made her feel sick.
"You have fire, little one."the man chuckled.
But Anastasia didn't want or need his praise.
He had an unsettling look in his eyes when he looked at her as if she were his new toy.
"Hello, my name is Dreykov."
Third Person's POV
A bit of sweat poured down Anna's forehead as she woke up from her slumber.
Her hazel green eyes gazed at her surroundings and saw she was in her bedroom within her apartment.
Anna laid on her bed as she moved her hand over her silky chocolate cherry coloured hair.
Instil.
Fear.
Pain.
Her body felt lethargic and her mind was a jumbled mess.
Panic began to set in when she remembered being separated from her mother.
Her chest tightened and a pit formed in her stomach, making her feel ill with fear.
The Red Room.
The Black Widow Program.
A secret Soviet-Russian training program that involved taking young women and turning them into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows.
Initially using psychological conditioning to make the Widows obedient by the 2000s the program had shifted to using mind control.
Like the other girls in the program, Anna was forced to believe that there was no one but the organisation to care about.
The training had been ruthless.
She had received bruises and a cut lip, but she managed to survive.
Even if she had a lot of red in her ledger.
As for the graduation ceremony?
The tests were torturous, leaving them fatigued all the time.
Anna was fully capable of handling the physical exams because that was what she had been training for since the beginning.
The mental tests, on the other hand, tore her apart.
As the words 'Instil. Fear. Pain' circled her mind, it was as if they ripped the feelings and emotions from her.
However, she had been able to escape the hell she was living by a turn of fate which clearly saved her from getting an involuntary hysterectomy.
She made herself fail on purpose and was ordered to be killed by the sadistic psychopath, who had her taken from her mother and ruined her life.
Анастасия Фёдоровна
Anastasia Feodorovna.
A master spy.
One of the world's greatest assassins.
Now she went by the alias 'Anna Fitzgerald'.
An Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
She was now a being fighting to make a difference.
Though that didn't wipe away the blood in her hands or the scars of the past.
Anna snapped out of her thoughts at the sounding of her phone ringing, making her go off her bed to answer it.
The 24 year old woman placed a pale periwinkle robe around her slender yet voluptuous body to cover her white nightgown before picking up her phone and pressed the button to answer her caller.
"Hello?"Anna questioned.
"Anna?"A male voice said.
Anna smiled upon realising the one calling her was Agent Phil Coulson; a high-ranking member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and her father figure.
"Phil? Hi. It's been a while."Anna responded with a casual friendly tone which immediately became replaced by one of concern."Has something happened?"
"You could say that."Agent Coulson answered."But I can tell you that Director Fury would like to take you in. Without force if possible."
Anna went to check the view of her apartment and saw it was still night time in Amsterdam.
The street lamps and neon signs cast reflections on the slick streets.
She then glanced at her alarm clock and saw it was 02:49 am.
"If you're calling me this late, it must be urgent?"Anna guessed.
"I'm afraid so."Agent Coulson declared."I'll explain things on your way back to S.H.I.E.L.D."
Anna simply nodded at her father figure.
She knew better than to question orders.
If Director Fury needed her, she would have to go to her boss and hear about the mission he had for her.
"Pick me up at the main international airport of the Netherlands."Anna insisted.
"See you soon."Agent Coulson answered.
Anna then added her call with Agent Coulson to go and get changed for the mission ahead.
Completely unaware who and what awaited for her back in S.H.I.E.L.D.