Poisoned Youth | Marvel616

Joker

Author's Note: I'm sorry I was gone so long, but I'm back now. I'm hoping to update every two weeks or so. And yes this is the same story as A.C.E.S., I just changed the story and the cover to look more "aesthetic."

Brown eyes stared back at Lyudmila in the smudged mirror of the hotel. Her wavy and wild hair, often in a braid or put up, was straightened and meticulously tamed. Sun kissed freckles were covered with a layer of foundation. Her red lips reflected her mother's when she would go on missions. She erased the age and hardness of her eyes and made them innocent and naive. James' sharp jaw was rounded with make-up making herself look meek. Luda didn't recognize the women standing in front of her.
A loud knock interrupted Luda's staring, "Are you almost done in there?" Aurore loudly huffed outside the door.
"Yeah hold on," she mumbled in reply and quickly slipped out the bathroom door.
Brown box dye sat on the white, plastic counter looking untouchable. With shaking hands, Aurore applied the bleach to her hair.
"Do you think just because they let you live that you can wear those colors? No one cares that you're the top of your class. That you're of of the precious few who survived," an older man with cold eyes and wrinkled lining his face yelled. He pulled her tight against her scalp and balled it into his fist. Scissors cut out the patchy green at the end of her hair. The man grew closer to her ear and breathed down her neck, "Anyone can live Aurore, but you have to prove that you love for hydra. And if you can't, well, you're going to wish I let them sell you off like cattle."
"Yes Kraken," Aurore has muttered those words since she was 13. No thought or emotion was behind them just the will to survive.
Auore let out a calming breath as she covered her hair with the dye. The honey brown reminded her of her youth. The days when everything could be fixed with a simple request to her father and pouty lips. She took it for granted back then, something she became painfully aware of as she aged. The anger she felt towards herself for acting out and pushing her mother away never seemed to leave her.
"Look at you. You almost look normal," Lyudmila smirked as Aurore came out of the bathroom. She only earned a sneer in reply.
Luda held a thin gold bracelet in her hands, and securely attached it to Aurore's wrist. "What's that?" Aurore asked.
"It's security. Just a way to ensure you won't be betraying us anytime soon. With a click on my bracelet," Luda put up her arm to show a golden gauntlet teeming with activity, "you will be injected with enough poison to stop your heart, and unfortunately, I don't usually keep the antidote on me. "
"What? You don't trust me?" Aurore said innocently.
"You have to earn my trust, and that's a near impossible task." Luda made her way to the window where she saw their target, Eric Davenport, walking into the building clearly distracted by his phone, "He has three guards by the look of it. Muscular, but not the smart type."
"Didn't know you could read people so well, Red." Aurore answered now standing beside her partner.
"I don't have to. They left several spots open to attack. They don't pay attention to the possibilities just what's right in front of them."
"Who can blame them? They're probably minimum wage," Auore joked.
The pharmaceutical convention was packed full with small stands and large demonstrations from big companies. The hotel hall was rather generic with it's white walls and dark wood flooring. Large panel lights emitted harsh, bright light.
"I'm going to go mingle and try to draw attention to myself. Stay on look out." Luda was wearing a thick green suit-like dress that barely covered her legs.
"You have to be kidding me," Auore huffed. A black skirt hugged her thighs tightly and a white, corset shirt was tucked into it.
Luda made her way throughout the convention, blending in with the crowds and starting conversations that would lead to her name being in everyone's mouth.
Lyudmila haphazardly picked up a small vile and twiddled it between her fingers. "What's it for?" She asked, laying it back down on the counter.
"It's the next innovation for Alzheimer's. It slows down the progression of the disease by about 20 percent."
"What are the side effects?"
The man gave a half-hearted smile, "Seizures, total paralyzation. The chances are very low, and it's relatively safe."
"I'm sure my daddy, CEO of Volkov Industries, would be very interested in your product," Luda emphasized her Russian accent instead of softening it like she does in her day-to-day life, "Volkov Industries is a huge chemical company in Europe and we're looking to expand into pharmaceuticals. Of course, there's no better place for that than on American soil."
A charming smile and a fake business card was enough for sellers to remember two important details: Russian and pharmaceuticals. Luda made small talk with investors and went to every demonstration. Her name was whispered between businessmen and scientists alike, but curious eyes never seemed to be able to track her as she snaked through the crowd.
"He's approaching you, do you want me to distract the guards?" Aurore quietly asked over the mics as she sipped on some water.
"Sure might as well make my life easier," Luda responded nonchalantly. She continued to move through the crowd acting oblivious to the man.
A firm hand placed itself on Luda's shoulder. "You must be from Volkov industries. Miss-?," he said with a Nixon smile apparent in his face.
"Miss Marianna Barinov. And you are?" Luda asked naively
"Eric Davenport. Owner of Davenport industries." He shook Luda's hand proudly.
"I didn't realize owners took such a hands on interest in their companies investments."
"I do. I would hate for my father's company to be in the hands of someone incompetent. Someone not trained well enough might miss such an amazing opportunity." Eric grabbed Luda's wrist, "why don't we go somewhere more private. I can show you the kind of company you want to be in bed with." His eyes were filled with a hunger that made Luda's stomach shrink.
"Your offer will have to be pretty substantial. I already have enough information to please my father."
"Well, I can offer the best whiskey in the states in my hotel room."
The guard behind him scowled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think that's a good idea sir. We barely know anything about her or her company."
Watching the events transpire, Aurore put her plan in action. A quick shriek escaped from her lips as she, distraught and inconsolable, ran over to the guards. "Sir, are you the security here? Someone stole my bag and everything in it. What if someone tries to get into my hotel room." Her words were rushed and interrupted with small gasps.
"No ma'm, I'm no-," Eric quickly cut his guard off, "Jake just go help the poor women. She could be in serious danger, and take your helpers with you." With a flip of his hand, the guards followed his orders and went with Aurore.
"Now. Where were we?" A revolting smile passed across his lips.
The parking lot was filled with cars and people walking in and out of the hotel. "I swear he went this way. His car might be parked right around the corner." The guard let out a large sigh and pushed ran his hands through his short black hair. Aurore followed him around the corner with her needles hid in the palm of her hand. With a quick flick of her wrist, Aurore sent tranquilizers to the pressure point on his neck. The other guards stood in shock as Aurore reacted in a split second and knocked out the rest. "They've been dealt with," she said through the coms as she brushed the dirt off her skirt.
Eric Davenport's suite was the best available. He had a living room, where Luda was comfortably perched on the white couch, and a bedroom which was shut off with a sliding door. The walls were porcelain white with several paintings hung on them. It smelled of liquor and expensive cigarettes.
"Thank you," she whispered in the comms as Eric prepared them two glasses of whiskey.
"I hope you like it on ice," he said as he handed the glass to her, "so what is a young girl like you doing with all these business sharks."
"I don't know how you do it here, but in Russia you have to learn young. These Americans don't really scare me, I've dealt with worse. I'm sure you can understand what it's like in Russian business, Mr.Davenport." Luda batted her eyes and sipped on her whiskey gingerly.
"I can't say I do. I've tried to expand in Eastern Europe, but I'm afraid the risk won't be worth the reward." He shrugged his shoulders.
Luda picked up both glasses and sauntered her way over to his alcohol. She poured a metabolism depressor into his drink, just enough to loosen him up faster.
"You must tell me Eric, what made me change your mind if Russia just scares you so much?"
Davenport put his hands roughly around her thigh, "I know a good investment when I see one. Truthfully, it's due to my father. He never quite left the Mcarthy era."
Another glass was emptied and Eric's words were starting to slow. Without any dissent, Lyudmila poured him another glass. "Does your father still take apart in the company?"
"No he died a few years back. A major heart attack. I always did tell him to slow down on the steaks. It's left in my name officially, but I'm not the one who runs it," his words started to slur together as he clumsily leaned over his guest, "Please don't think any less of me. Someone needs to keep the appearances up. Butter up the future deals and pretty women." A sloppy kiss missed Luda's lips and landed on her neck. His hands worked their way up her dress as he fell into her body.
Luda gently pushed him off as she stood up. "Mr. Davenport, will you show me your office? I want to see all the important deals you make. I'd hate to be second place." Luda showed off her large, brown eyes and lowered her eyelashes. Her lips stayed in a child-like pout. The same face she would pull on her father was her secret trick used on men twice her age. It worked for obviously different reasons and marked the ending of the sad excuse of Lyudmila's childhood.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're the company's top priority," he offered her his unsteady hand and loudly whispered, "with those guards gone we'll have plenty of company."
Luda feigned a smile, grabbed his car keys and led him to his car like a toddler following behind their mother. "Aurore, he's taking me to his office. He doesn't know much, but I'm tapping his computer. Will you be able to get into it?"
"I'm sure they can't have any better security then the pitiful guards they hired," she responded over the coms. Her computer was already in her lap.
The red head shook her head in amusement as she climbed into the front seat. His office was a couple of hours away, but Luda was able to make it there in an hour.
"Marianna, may I say I don't think I've ever seen a woman with such a lead foot. I like them wild though, makes them more of a challenge to tame in bed" he hiccuped.
Eric was starting to sober up and Luda knew she had to get more alcohol into him if she was going to increase the length of her time frame, "You know, I always like to keep the party going." She pulled out a small flask out of her purse and handed it to him.
"You and I are cut from the same cloth, my dear."
Luda fought to not roll her eyes. Unlike her mother, she still had yet to perfect the ability to spend hours and days with sleazy men. Her patience was as short as her temper. The pair walked their way up to his office and passed many security guards. Luda took note of every security camera and exit she passed. The office was large with a whole wall made out of tall glass windows. A mahogany desk was home to piled up files and a laptop. Lyudmila sat on his dark, leather couch and accepted a glass of bourbon which she pretended to sip on. She giggled at every joke he made, making him feel confident while also seeming affected by the alcohol.
"I suppose I should give you the financial reports, but we all know you're not here to talk business," he said sitting beside her. Eric reached for Luda's blazer and slowly unbuttoned it as she laid wet kisses all over her chest. She looked up at the ceiling and studied its texture. She tried to breath, but it became solid in her throat and choked her.
A tall man in a suit hovered over Lyudmila's bed. "Watchers", as she would call them in her youth, would often visit the facility to check on her progression. It wasn't uncommon for her to find eyes staring at her developing, preteen body. She would simply pretend not to notice, knowing better to speak without permission.
"I told the doctor he should've started your seduction trainer sooner." His breath reeked of vodka and his eyes were glazed over like a rabid dog. He pinned Luda's arms down to the bed and held himself on top of her. "So pretty. Just like your mother," he drunkenly crooned as he stroked her hair.
Luda fought against his grip and yanked her arm free. Her mind darted between her many options and the consequences. Punishment be damned, Luda wouldn't let this man touch her. She quickly grabbed the knife under her pillow and slit his throat.
The screams echoing from her throat felt like it belonged to someone else as she was beaten bloody and left in the snow. The threats yelled at her sounded like a different language she couldn't possibly learn. Her skin turned a sickly white that night, almost making her blend in to the snow if only for her red hair and blue lips.
As Eric leaned down to her stomach, Lyudmila stuck her gauntlet against his neck. A small amount of the chemical will render someone unconscious, easily explained as carried away drinking. On the other hand, a full dose will stop the nervous system, killing its victim in moments. Luda earned the title Brown Recluse with her own spilt blood, and she will own it in her own ways.
"Finally. It took you long enough, I've been in this hotel room for two hours, do you know that?" Aurore complained in Luda's ear.
"I know. I know. I'm sorry." Luda entered the chip and corrupted the system. "Did you get everything?" She asked
"Yeah I think so. See you in an hour, red?"
"Maybe sooner. Weren't a lot of cops out tonight," Lyudmila smirked.