fortress | kate bishop

seven.

2020
Manhattan, New York

Two years after the blip, Anya's nightmares begin.

She wakes with a start and even with her eyes open, she can still see it. The image of Yelena turning into dust. She looks over at Kate who was sleeping soundly beside her and was happy that her sudden start didn't wake Kate.

Careful, Anya slid out of bed and headed over to her desk, grabbing her laptop. She then headed over to Kate's side of the room, grabbing a hoodie before heading down the hallway. In recent weeks, Anya had discovered a way to get to the roof of their dorm. Was she supposed to be up there? Certainly not. But she went up there anyway.

She pushed open the door that led to the roof and was instantly hit with the sounds of New York. The Columbia campus wasn't safe from the sounds of the city that never slept. She headed over to the edge and looked down with a sigh before setting up her laptop and tying out a quick email and sending it off.

She hadn't even checked the time when she woke, all she knew was that it was still dark outside so when she looked in the corner of her screen and saw that it was three in the morning, Anya wasn't surprised.

The thing was that Anya had bad dreams before. After her escape from the Red Room, Anya still couldn't get a full night of rest despite knowing Dreykov was dead and couldn't hurt her. She'd been sixteen, an assassin, a killer and yet she found herself being held at night by Melina as she sobbed.

Those dreams had ceased over the years, but since the new year, it seemed that there was another to take its place and that was the nightmare of watching those she cared about fade away into nothing but dust.

So she had developed a routine. She'd wake in the night and sneak off to the roof to ensure that she didn't wake Kate from her slumber and while she sat on the roof, she sent emails to Karina and the two caught up about life after the Red Room. Karina had told her about her family and how she and a couple of other Widows were working together to track down Widows that were still under Dreykov's control.

Yelena started the mission, we're just trying to finish it. You could always join us. With your help we could have all the Widows freed in time for Christmas.

Anya laughs as she reads the message.

I would, but I have class.

Karina's response comes a moment later.

Right, forgot you're a college sorority girl now. The West has changed you Anya Nikolaeva. Or maybe it isn't the West, maybe it's that girl. What was her name again?

Anya rolls her eyes but responds.

Kate

Kate is such a boring name. Don't tell me you've gone and fallen in love with some boring girl. You could have at least gone for someone more exciting like Natalia did.

Kate is exciting! She's like popular and she's an amazing archer and she can play the guitar and sing, and she's got an amazing heart.

Have you told her the truth?

Anya stares at the screen and glances at the keyboard. She hadn't told Kate. She was scared to. They were finally together, and they were so happy, and she didn't want to ruin that. Not if she didn't have to.

No

Anya

I know

Kate sounds amazing though and you sound like you're happy