Hydra's shadow

Chapter 11: Seventeen

*NATASHA'S POV*

Date: December 3rd 2001
Location: The Red Room (Russia)

Today marks the day of my seventeenth birthday. Normally you'd think of birthdays as a happy occasion, but this has never been the case for me. He says when you turn seventeen it's time for you to take your place in the world, truly prove yourself to be one of his 'widows'.

Just like any other morning, I am woken suddenly by the dazzling overhead lights flicked on by the guards, and pulled out of my cell as they unlock the padlocks chaining my wrists to the poles of my bed. I grip my wrists tightly as they make me walk down the hallways, rubbing my palm over the deepened red marks left by the chains, running my index finger along the scratches left behind. I start to feel nervous and uneasy as we walk past the training quarters. I never walk past them, the guards normally take me straight there. It's where I train to fight, where I train to kill. Leading me further down the hallway I now knew the only other place they could be taking me. The operating rooms.

As I'm shoved inside, the guards releasing me from their uncomfortable grip around my arms, I'm made aware of the lady standing directly in front of me. She's wearing a blue hospital gown stretching down to her calves, just next to her a table of instruments laid out in an orderly pattern, each one gleaming from the spotlight lamps above. I swallowed the lump in my throat as she advanced towards me, placing a gown the same as hers into my arms.

"Go into the room behind me and put this on. You can leave your clothes in there."

I didn't respond, only walking slowly past her towards the room. I did what she had asked me to, folding my clothes neatly into a pile and placing them on the bench beside me. As I made my way back into the operating room I discovered it wasn't just me her and the guards anymore. He was there too.

"My child, do not look so worried." he spoke, the sound of his voice hitting my ears making me cringe internally.

"Come, sit on the table here. There's something I need to tell you."

Now more nervous than ever, I made my way over to the table, sitting up on it and swinging my legs round, resting my head against the back of the headboard, my hands resting on my stomach as my fingers picked at the cotton string from my gown in distraction.

"I'm ready." I pronounced, trying my best to sound confident.

"Oh no child. Not just yet you're not."

"But, you said when we turn seventeen it's time. Time for us to prove ourselves to you and take our place in the world."

"It's different for you child. You have always been my favourite Natalia. The way you train, the way you fight, the way you kill, all seem so effortless to you, I couldn't just let that talent go to waste now could I?"

I glanced at him confused, still unaware of what he was trying to tell me, as the same guards from before stood either side of me with their hands pressing my arms against the table. I started to squirm beneath their grip, but it was no use as they each had a hand on each of my legs too. I was virtually trapped against the operating table.

"What are you going to do to me?!" I shouted as he turned back to face me, a needle filled halfway down the syringe barrel hanging beside him in his left hand.

"You will have your graduation ceremony in nine months Natalia. Today we are simply taking the next step towards the future, together your ruthless fighting skills and his DNA will create Hydra's next ultimate weapon. Your baby will become my own shadow widow. A perfect replica of you.

"A baby? I- I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand child, you only have to keep still." he hissed as he dug the needle from before deep into the side of my neck, my vision instantly blurring as the room began to spin out of control.