Memories of Winter

You Shouldn't Be Here.

Natalia stood watching the girl's spar, James, the Winter Soldier, sat muzzled in the shadows also watching. He would be the final test for those ready to join Natalia in the ranks of Widow. Anya was the most prominent candidate. She was a petite girl of about fifteen, though she could easily be older, in the Red Room there was no way to tell unless the individual remembered. Anya was petite, fast, and efficient with short dark hair and dark eyes. Currently, she was sparring with one of the older, taller girls. Natalia knew the older girl, Ida, she should've graduated years ago, but time after time younger girls were surpassing her in every skill, herself included. Anya had Ida in a headlock and Ida had given up immediately in attempting to beat her younger adversary. Natalia knew what was about to happen, and it wouldn't be as kind as when the Madame had chastised her when sparring with James. Ida had outlived her usefulness, with no hope of graduating she was a waste of time and resources. The Madame nodded at Anya, and Anya broke Ida's neck. Ida slumped to the floor.

"Well done Anya. You are ready. Natalia will oversee your continued training."

Natalia turned her head away from the dead girl's body, more shocked at what the Madame had said than the death before her; she'd done the same and worse to stand where Anya was.

"Madame, what of my missions?" Her eyes momentarily flickered to the soldier in the shadows, whose intense gaze was on the conversation.

"When you are not on a mission you will work with Anya, you both will. When you are on a mission, you're on a mission."

The Madame gave Natalia a stern look before turning on her heel and leaving the room. Two guards entered to remove the dead girl's body from the studio. An unmarked grave in the woods around the school was her fate. Natalia wondered how many girls lay out there buried and forgotten.

Anya stood and waited for their instructions. She didn't miss the glance between Agent Romanova and the metal-armed soldier who sat to the side. The Winter Soldier stood and stepped forward, "Let us begin!"

Natalia changed her stance and Anya changed hers to parry the more skilled Widow. Natalia didn't hold back on the new recruit, and it wasn't long before Anya was spitting blood onto the floor. She was certain something was broken, and her head throbbed.

"Don't get cocky! You'll need to work a lot harder to beat me, and remember he is your final test."

Romanova motioned to the muzzled soldier standing observing as Anya dragged herself from the floor. Anya observed the expression exchanged between them, the glint in those icy eyes suggesting a change of expression below the mask, and she saw the hint of a smile at the edge of Romanova's lips.

-X-

Natalia sat on her bed, frustrated. It felt like an eternity since she'd been alone with James or on a mission, and now they were having to train Anya. It had been weeks without a change in schedule. Would training Anya be similar to the months she'd endured, or even longer? Given the girl's evident defects, Natalia imagined longer. She should've known what had been a flourishing partnership with the Winter Soldier that had turned into so much more wasn't going to be easy. She and James were the Red Room's property the ability to have a life and love of their own was a dream, but, it wasn't one she was willing to give up.

The Madame had already chained her to the bed for the night, she eyed the cuffs with disdain and began the well-practised art of removal using the wire she kept in her mattress. Why did they insist on this nightly control when she was back in the Red Room? They knew how easy it was for her to break out of, so what was the point? No one came to open them in the morning, so it was expected she got herself out of them. The cuffs never changed, so it wasn't about learning new skills. What was the point? A noise at the window stopped her before she'd finished. She looked up and smiled; The Winter Soldier was at her window, silently picking the lock on her window. He was balanced on the tiny ledge like a bird of prey, snow settling on his hair. It didn't take him long before he succeeded and opened her window and clambered through.