Shadow Cadet: Rising Shadows

6 {Go from there}

When they arrived in Omsk, Siberia Anastasiya grew nervous. She had no clue what they could be walking into when they got to her apartment. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as they drove in silence. Aleksandr had a key if he realized she wasn't there...

No. I can't think like that. I agreed to this. There's no going back.

"When we get there I need to go in by myself first. If anyone is there they may try to kill you." Anastasiya said breaking the silence.

"Fine. But we're waiting outside the door and if you're not out in six minutes we're coming in." Natasha replied, her tone firm making Anastasiya roll her eyes.

"Don't-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't try to escape or call anyone." She grumbled interrupting Barton wh looked at her very unamusedly. "Trust me, if I tried to escape you guys would know. there's no easy or quiet way out of my apartment." She mumbled absentmindedly.

The rest of the car ride was silent before they pulled into the parking lot. Natasha rounded the car and pulled her from the driver's seat and unlocked her cuffs. Once she put in the security code to the front door they were in. The closer they got to her floor the more her heart pounded against her ribcage. She swore this had been the longest elevator ride of her life.

Natasha and Barton had shared several glances as Anastasiya adjusted the dagger on her right thigh. The second the doors slid open Natasha pushed her forward making Anastasiya roll her eyes, when she got to her door she reached for the spare key on top of the doorframe and pushed it into the lock, and entered by herself.

Quietly she crept through the apartment, waiting to hear the bell on Mysha's collar, when she didn't her heart dropped. "Mysha!" She called out clicking her tongue at the top of her mouth or making a 'pspsps' sound. When she didn't come she continued further into the apartment only to see two figures standing in her kitchen, one of them holding her cat.

"Aleksandr, Malcolm! What are you guys doing here?!" She asked, purposely making it obvious to Natasha and Barton she wasn't alone inside, hoping they would wait. "Also give me my cat!" She huffed taking Mysha from Aleksandr's arms and cradling the small tabby to her chest, making her purr and snuggle further into her grasp.

"Where were you? No one could get a hold of you for three days." Malcolm asked stepping forward and keeping his hands open.

"I was in Florida. I heard the beaches are lovely this time of year. Adrielle gave me the week off so-"

"When I got here it looked like you were taken, I mean the coffee table had been flipped over and poor Mysha seemed so scared," Aleksandr stated, his arms going across his chest as he leaned his back against the counter.

"Nope. I just left in a hurry. I had to get there fast I had a hotel reservation. Three days on Clearwater Beach was exactly what I needed. Especially after the last missions shitshow." She sighed, scratching under Mysha's chin.

"Then where's your suitcase?" Aleksandr asked making Anastasiya tense up.

"Like I said I left in a hurry. Didn't really pack a suitcase. I didn't even want Adrielle to know I left-"

"Anastasiya!" Barton called out making Anastasiya groan internally as Aleksandr pulled out his gun aiming it at the source of the sound.

"Couldn't have given me more time?!" She hissed, looking back at the two S.H.I.E.L.D agents.

"Ana who the hell are these two- And don't even think to say you met them in Florida. You hate the beach and you damn well know it!" Aleksandr yelled making Natasha grab her own gun and aim it at him.