black widow movie | dear violette romanoff,

chapter eighteen | miss american pie

I feel complete apathy. I let out a choked attempt to sob, but my antidepressants seem to be doing too good of a job, and I fail to cry at all.

Nat looks up, concerned and teary, wanting someone to comfort.

"We have to get out of here," I say. "Yelena, too."

Nat picks herself up upon my suggestion, aggressively knocking Melina's shoulder on the way to the bedroom, where Yelena and Alexei are talking. I hope they are doing it with civility.

"Wait."

Nat and I turn around to hear Melina's final, probably narcissistic, comment.

"You're right," Melina says to Nat, walking forward. It was not what I had been expecting.

I scoff in disbelief. It's pure idiocy.

"I'm not a mouse, and I want to stop the cycle," she announces. She's quiet for too long a time. "I didn't know what I was causing. Believe me, girls."

Natasha bounces her foot up and down in gentle contemplation.

I speak first, "I want to, Mom."

She seems relieved and lets out a delighted smile. "Oh," Melina says. It is hardly in a convincing, evil way. It is more of a desperate cry acting as an attempt at persuasion, which makes me hopeful. "I have a plan."

I look at Nat, who is looking at me, warily.

"Don't play with me," she warns. "Don't give me bullshit."

"I didn't raise my girls just to bullshit them," she repeats something from this afternoon, which strongly resonates with Nat, and she seems relieved.

"What's the plan?" Nat asks.

Melina raises an eyebrow.

The three of us rush around Melina's weaponry room.

"There is only one slight issue in the plan," Melina hastens to the technology area. "They'll want Violette in the surgery room, as well as Yelena. They'll find out that it's both of you who were affected by Oksana's counteragent before we land. Yelena will also need someone to inform her of the plan." She looks at me.

Nat understands. "Violette, I'm pretty sure this is your big hero queue, where you offer to let the Red Room surgically remove your brain."

"There is no way I'm voluntarily letting the Red Room operate on my brain," I laugh at her.

"Technically, you are voluntarily letting the Red Room operate on your brain, knowing that they won't get the opportunity to."

I give in. "Oh. Fine. Jesus."

"The preparation will take longer than the process. We will have landed before they have begun," Melina tries.

I nod.

"Remember, the Red Room's in the air," Melina tells us, zipping up Nat's suit, which she is now wearing. "We're going to have to land it. Somehow."

"Somehow?" Nat questions, uncertain. "You don't know how?"

"Violette," Melina shouts at me. "You'll need something to get you and Yelena out of the straps on the surgery table."

I start to look around. "Nat, where are the blades?"

"These are 4-inch." She hands one to me and keeps the other in her hand. "I'll slip it in Yelena's suit once we take off."

I hide the blade in my beltline. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell her?" I ask, frantically searching through Melina's stash of technology for comms.