Functional

5. Between Progress and Decline

He sleeps a great deal.  It is not restful; strange images pass through his mind and leave him bewildered when he awakens.  He sees his handlers rarely, though food is always waiting in his room when he rises in the morning and before he goes to bed.  Most mornings, he goes to the firing range down the hall and practices for a few hours.  Then he teaches English and combat for the rest of the day.  He is uncertain why he has been tasked with instructing these women, but they learn quickly and have the aptitude to become great assets.  There are other soldiers in the facility, he knows, but he does not see them.  Though he can hear the firing range being used quite a bit, it is always empty when he goes by.  The training rooms are similar.  His schedule is not a secret, so it is unsurprising that his location would be anticipated and prepared for, but it is somewhat unsettling.

The Black Widows, as they are called, will be going into the field soon, in less than six weeks.  They have been working very hard, and have fully developed their covers.  He doesn’t know who they were before, but it doesn’t matter.  They are willing to give up everything for their country, and he supposes he must have been, too, though he can’t remember.  In any case, they have talents he does not possess and will make excellent spies.  One in particular, Natalia, has shown great prowess in her skills.  None of them have bested him in combat, but she has managed to knock him off his feet from time to time.  It would provide her a chance to escape an assailant of his size and skill in the field.  The others have occasionally proven themselves capable of escaping, but by a much narrower margin.

The chief officer comes to the sparring lessons every few days, and always seems pleased.  He hopes this means he will not have to be put on ice again anytime soon.  It may be necessary for him to keep his position, but it is not a pleasant experience, being frozen.  He has considered that pleasantness is not part of his job, and he should not get too attached, but is having a difficult time taking this advice to heart.  He supposes he would be justified in enjoying it while it lasts.  Soon enough, he will be awakened only to kill, and then sent back to sleep.  Once the Widows are trained, what purpose will he have?

One morning, while practicing his marksmanship, he is startled by the sound of the door behind him opening.  Thinking perhaps he has misjudged the time, he puts his weapon down and turns to assess the situation.  It is not one of his handlers, as he expects, or the Widows’ handler, which is also likely.  It is Natalia.  She walks in hesitantly, limping a little, watching him for a reaction.  He is aware that he gives her none.  Unintentional responses to stimuli are a weakness in an asset.

“I didn’t know you would be here,” she says quietly, in Russian.

“English,” he orders, and she repeats the statement in perfectly accented English.  “I usually am,” he responds to her implied question, raising an eyebrow at her.

“The dance this morning got a little out of hand.  They told me I could go practice shooting instead,” she explains, motioning toward her injured leg.

He frowns, questioning the truthfulness of her statement.  And how, if she is truthful, a dance could get out of hand.  “Carry on,” he replies, and turns back to shooting.

Perhaps it is because it has been his job for the past few months, but he soon stops his own practice to watch her.  Whoever has been coaching her was a soldier, not a sniper.  It is unlikely that she will be involved in any open warfare situations, and would require a more subtle method of shooting in her missions.

“Do the others stand like you do when they fire?” he asks abruptly.

She stops and turns to face him, looking surprised.  She hasn’t mastered that part of being an agent yet, he notes.  “I think so, sir.”