black widow movie | dear violette romanoff,

chapter twelve | avalanche

I walk out from the helicopter's make-shift bathroom. The suit that Nat has given me is so tight that I'm almost certain you can see every bump and line on my body.

"Alexei's got the package," Nat reports to me as I sit down.

I groan. "I can't breathe, Natasha."

"Stop complaining."

Yelena looks. "I don't see a problem. The old men might really like it."

"Thanks, Yelena."

"Today is your lucky day, Alexei." Nat adjusts her earpiece and gives me mine.

Yelena hands Nat a 3D image of the prison.

"Move to the door on the south wall," Nat tells him, observing the print. "Go left. Just don't make a scene."

The helicopter whirrs as we approach the building 10,000 feet below us. It's covered, almost to the point of burial, in snow, and hidden behind some of the largest mountains I've seen.

You can hear inmates clamoring through the earpiece.

"You made a scene, didn't you?" Nat groans.

"He's there," I say, pointing nowhere in particular. He's in the middle of the outdoor area, surrounded by frozen gym equipment. "What's the plan?"

"We drop the rope," Nat says. "If that doesn't work, we throw you down to get him."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What?"

"What now?" Alexei asks.

"We're getting you out of here."

We close in on the building, trying to get low enough that the rope would reach but not low enough that we could be shot down.

Alexei looks up and becomes aware of the helicopter.

Inmates and soldiers start to close in on him from either direction, and a deafening alarm starts to blare. Guards line up at the top of the building with guns directed at us.

"Go to the upper level," Nat orders, remaining calm. "Move your ass, super soldier."

Alexei starts climbing up the wall, using railing and engravements to help him get higher up. An electric rod pokes him in the arm, and he drops back to ground level.

"He's never going to make it," Yelena says.

We go quiet.

"Okay," I mutter. "Just get me closer."

"You're serious?" Yelena asks, and I nod, standing up. "I thought that was a joke."

"You got a better idea?" Nat hits the accelerator.

I go to open the sliding door and start frantically wrapping the rope around my waist. The helicopter holds in place.

"No plan C?" I ask quickly, with no response.

I jump, letting the rope tug at my waist until I land on a metal bridge, where four guards are circling the building. I use the rope to pull myself back and swing into the guards, knocking them off of the bridge.

Shots start firing at the helicopter, and Yelena inhales sharply.

I look right: Natasha lands onto the bridge, too. The remaining guards, she throws off the bridge.

Above, bullets clang against the windows loudly. At one point, Yelena loses control of the helicopter, and the tail drops, almost knocking Nat and me off the bridge.

Natasha grunts, "Seriously?"

"Whoo! Sorry!"

I start running for the ground level as Nat attempts to deal with Yelena.

"What are you doing?" she shouts, and the helicopter comes further toward the bridge. "Are you kidding me? Back up!"

Yelena gives Nat a thumbs up. "You're both doing a really good job!"

The ground level is crowded with guards. I use the rope to propel myself onto a group of them, knocking them into a brick wall behind and using Natasha's gun to wipe out those who haven't already passed out. I release the rope and turn around: dozens more charging at me.

"Natasha, I need you down here," I shout, sending shots rapidly.

Nat jumps in front of me. "I'll deal with this. You get to Alexei."

The tower in the east end of the building is firing shots constantly at our helicopter.

"Do you want me to do something about that?" I shout at Yelena.

"Nope. I'll take care of it," she responds in anger.

I start running West. "Alexei, move to the West wing on the second floor. We're stuck."

I stop when suddenly, Yelena literally blows up the east tower.

"You took care of it, did you?" I ask.

A rumbling in the mountains thinks not.

"Woah," Yelena mutters. She'd created an avalanche. "This would be a cool way to die."

"Tell me that's a good sign for us!" Alexei shouts.

"Move your ass!" Nat shouts at him, racing around the building to meet me. "Get us out of here!" She watches the avalanche intensely.

Yelena moves the helicopter around, going backward and then finally forward, letting the rope swing below the helicopter.

Nat jumps from the bridge and catches onto the end of the rope. "Give me your hand!" She turns sideways and I hold onto her torso.

Alexei makes it to the bridge as I make it onto the rope.

"Wait!" he screams.

I climb up the rope and let my legs rest on Natasha's shoulders. "The rope isn't going to hold the three of us," I tell her.

"I know. I'm going to grab him," she explains.

I think she's joking for a moment, but time is too short for her to be joking.

We return to the bridge, where Alexei is waiting impatiently.

As the snow covers us in a sheet of cold, Natasha gives him her hand, and she pulls him up around her torso.

I start coughing, trying to shield myself from the snowstorm thrown at me as Yelena starts hauling up the rope. I'm the first to get inside.

I help Nat up and she rolls onto the floor in defeat, shaking her arm to soothe the pain of carrying a 240-pound man by the hand.

Alexei barely makes it inside before he can start laughing with pure excitement.

"I need some help up here!" Yelena shouts, and Nat rushes to her aid.

Alexei cackles, "Прощай ублюдки!" ("Farewell, douchebags!")