Hydra's shadow

Chapter 20: Five

*NATASHA'S POV*

I don't think I've left this room for days, trying to keep up to date with missions reports and other things has kept my mind busy, constantly checking surveillance cameras, security footage and any signs of Dreykov, but it all feels hopeless having made no progress since the day she was taken. I keep praying for just one hint or something that will give us hope of finding Echo soon, but it's looking increasingly likely that it could be a while before we get a lead, if we ever get one that is.

The pressure of it all makes me feel as though the world is crushing beneath my feet, yet for everyone else it's still spinning unchanged, the fact that people are moving on like nothing ever happened when my world is falling apart angers me more than anything. As much as the rest of the team try to sympathise they never know what to say to me, if it's not about Echo I don't want to hear it, I just don't care anymore. I stare on at the screen in front of me, rewatching the footage of the surveillance cameras in the park from the day she was taken. I hold my head up trying to focus, trying to find any clue they may have left behind. But nothing. Staring at the screen has given me a headache, my head now feeling heavy in my hands, letting it drop slowly to rest against the desk for a moment of relief.

"Auntie Nat?"

I whip my head round to the faint sound of her voice behind me, finding a young girl standing in the doorway holding a plate of cookies in her hands.

"Hey Rosie." I try to respond cheerfully, but I'm so tired my speech is almost slurred so my lips barely turn up to form a smile.

"Me and mama made you some cookies I thought it might make you feel better?"

"Chocolate chip?"

"Always." she replied with a beaming smile plastered across her face, as she walked towards me settling the plate down just to the right of the stack of papers splayed out on the desk in front of me.

I grab one of the cookies from the top of the pile and bite into it, not realising until now how hungry I was.

"Mhmm, Rosie these are amazing!"

"I know right, it's mamas special recipe." she grinned back as she began scanning the room, clearly observing the chaos but choosing to ignore it.

"Hey how was your trip?"

"It was okay, but I'm glad to be back. I missed everyone more than I thought I would to be honest."

The sound of those words should've brought me comfort, but instead the deep wounding pain dull in my stomach was back just as I thought of how much I missed Echo, how much I wished I could be with her right this second.

I hadn't even realised I was crying until I felt two arms snake their way around my neck as Rosie's head came down to rest against my left shoulder. Since she'd been away for a little while I'd forgotten how much I loved her hugs.

"I'm sorry Auntie Nat I know we'll find her soon."

I just let out a long but relieved sigh as I let her hug me tightly, tipping my head gently so it can rest against hers, trying to steady my breathing as I sat there.

"Thank you." I smiled up at her as she released her grip.

"Anytime Natty, are you gonna be okay in here or should I get someone?"

"I'll be fine don't worry about me sweetheart. I'll see you later for dinner?"

"Yeah I think Tony's cooking tonight."

"Maybe I won't see you for dinner then." I joked as she giggled back, turning away towards the hallway.

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*ECHO'S POV*

Just like routine they'd burst into my room, harshly unlocking the chains tying my wrists down, forcing me down the corridor, my bare feet frozen against the metal flooring. I'd get to the training rooms as I always had before, ready to fight and sometimes to kill. It had only been 3 days since I was back, noticing the lines etched into the wall as I marked them off each day before they'd shoved me out of my cell. These past couple of days I've been routine training one-on-one sessions with Dreykov's team, he's eager to get me back up to speed like I'd never even left. I'd never thought about the pure hatred and anger I felt towards him until I'd gotten out last week, now I had an idea of what my life could look like, of what it should look like, it infuriates me to think that he feels so much control over me even when he has no right to.

I finally stop thinking as the guards push me into the training room, but instead of a single team member greeting me as I stood up, there were five girls lined up against the far wall, he was standing just to the left of me watching my every move.

"девочки, вы все помните Echo"
("Girls, you all remember Echo.)

"Come forward child, I didn't teach you to lower your guard you must always be ready for a fight."

"I don't understand you want me to fight them?"

"Oh no child I don't want you to fight them."

I stared at him in confusion as I glanced around the room watching as the girls in front of me begun to shake in fear slightly, stood plastered against the back wall.

"I want you to kill them."

I felt a lump forming in my throat as I quickly swallowed it away, regaining composure as I turned once again to face him.

"I- I, I don't-"

"не смягчайся со мной, дитя, разве ты не помнишь, кто ты, кем я тебя сделал?"
("Don't go soft on me now child, don't you remember who you are, who I made you to be?")

I spoke no more words to him as I could tell he wasn't letting me out of here until I'd completed the mission. I'd done this so many times before why how was it so hard for me to concentrate and kill the girls in front of me. He'd also given me easy targets so there was no excuse for failure. I pushed all the thoughts of mama and my life from last week to the back of my head, if I wanted to get out of here I needed him to trust me, and if that meant I had to kill then I wouldn't stop to think about it in a heartbeat.

I took a few deep breaths as I begun circling the room advancing on the girl closest to me. She had so much terror hidden behind her eyes, so much so I almost felt guilt, but this was who I was always made to be, just a trained killer.

Behind me I noticed as a guard wheeled in a cart of instruments all laid out precisely and gleaming under the lights of the training room. I turned my attention back to the girl just as she landed a soft blow to my stomach. I didn't flinch, only swung my leg to knock her to the ground, placing my hands either side of her neck as she tried to wriggle away from my grasp, but before she could move I twisted my hands in opposite directions as a snapping sound resonated throughout the room, her body falling limp to the floor. As I stared down, her lifeless eyes only staring back at me, I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder, wincing out as I grabbed it in anger. I ripped the blade from my back as I turned round to face the girl who'd stabbed me, lunging at her as she lunged forward, swiping the blade clean across her neck as she fell to the ground choking and gasping for air. I kicked her down as I swung my leg around another girls neck, bringing her down with the snap of her neck in one fluid motion. From my view I could only see one girl in the corner of the room, turning to face the one behind me just in time as she went to wrap some sort of rope around my neck. I grabbed the end of it before she could even react, wrapping it tightly around her neck, holding it like that as she writhed around in my grip before her whole face begun to turn blue and the breath slipped from her lifeless body. As I wiped away the dripping blood from my stab wound pooled on my lower back, I could still see the last girl hovering in the same corner, unable to move frozen in a state of pure terror. I advanced towards her just as she darted for the door even though she knew it to be bolted shut from the outside. But she was too slow as I clasped her neck in between my arm and my chest, closing her airway as I lifted her feet off above the ground. I took no notice as she clawed away at my arms in despair, only noticing when her body became limp and heavy, releasing my grip as she slumped to the floor.

"See my child, that wasn't so hard now was it?"