𝙸𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 & 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙲𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢¹

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Malia J

Red Room

I wake up in a chair with Melina standing right next to me.

"And she's awake," Dreykov chuckles and I froze. I grab Melina's hand.

"Please... no... not again..." I beg.

Dreykov rolls his eyes. "So, Melina, how was the family reunion?"

"Oh, it was awful." Melina scoffs. "They were clingy, and too emotional, and needy."

"Just like old times, huh? Yelena Belova, Emma Lance. What's the deal with them? They were the only one's affected, right?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Mama..." I stare at Melina, feeling betrayed. I should've expected this.

"These gasses and antidotes, it's a pain in my ass. It's a problem. You need to sort it."

"Hm, I have nine pigs that will require attending to in my absence."

"Don't give a shit about your pigs." He sits her down right next to me. "Cut her brain out... identify the weakness."

"What about her?" Melina looks at me.

Dreykov nods. "She will be placed back under our control, and she'll be getting her vocal lessons. I truly want to see the extent of her power. Perhaps, we can turn her into one of those supers... imagine that."

"And what about Romanova?"

"She's a traitor. She turned her back on her people. On her blood. She had nothing. I gave her home. I gave her love. Put that thing in her you do. You know, uh, chemicals. Turn her into one of your pigs. Can you imagine what I could do with a Guardian of the Globe under my control?"

"Wouldn't you like to speak to her first?"

"When you look into the eyes of a child you have raised, no mask in the world can hide that." Dreykov's brings his hand up to Melina's cheek but she slaps it away, he brings his hand back up and she does nothing. He taps her on the temple before removing her face, revealing it to be a mask, revealing Natalia to be the one instead of Melina. "Welcome home."

Natalia stands up and Taskmaster aims his gun at her.

"Now, now. Don't go breaking one of my new toys," Dreykov stops Taskmaster. "Is this your plan?" He asks Natalia.

"My plan is to kill you." Natalia answers.

"I'm alive. So, what do we do now?"

"What was my mother's name?"

"Ah... Where we buried her, there was a tree... um... A pink blossom. Beautiful. And there was a tombstone with her name engraved on it. What was her name?" He chuckles. "Unknown."

"You don't feel anything? You feel anything when I killed your daughter?"

"Is this your haunted past? Really?" He laughs. "Thank you, Natalia." He gets up and walks over to Taskmaster. "You gave me my greatest weapon. Say hello." 

Taskmaster removes his helmet, revealing herself to be Antonia. 

"Oh-" My eyes widen. 

"When your bomb exploded, it nearly killed my Antonia. I had to put a chip in the back of her neck. In the back of her neck. Look at her. You find it difficult to look at her? I do. She... she watches everything and she can do it. She's a perfect mimic. And she fights just like all of your friends."

"Can she hear me?" Natalia asks.

"What? You want to make her feel better? You want to tell her you're sorry? Well, you should have thought of that before you blew her face off. But enough of all this bullshit. Go to work. And drop my little Songbird off on your way there. And then go take care of the rats in the basement, go."