Death Widow

Chapter 2: Fractured Bonds

Rain still hammered the rooftop, its relentless rhythm a reminder of the war that churned inside Y/N as she slipped through the darkness, away from Clint. The thunder rolling above seemed to mimic her own heartbeat, pounding in her ears. She wanted to shake off the encounter, the hope Clint's words had sparked, but his face—etched with both sympathy and sorrow—clung to her mind.

The underground Hydra base she'd taken over was silent, but the walls whispered to her as she walked down the long, sterile corridor. She’d made this her hideout after escaping Hydra’s clutches, yet she still felt trapped. The memories had a way of clawing at her whenever she was alone, and Clint’s words tonight had only stirred them up. “The little girl… she's still in there.”

Y/N clenched her fists, feeling a sharp ache in her chest. That girl was a weakness. *Death Widow* didn’t have weaknesses, she reminded herself.

She entered the cold, dimly lit room that served as her sanctuary. Weapons lined the walls, each one an artifact of her training, her pain, her resolve. Y/N reached for her favorite blade, spinning it in her hand with precision before holding it steady, the cool steel reflecting her hardened expression. The girl Clint had described, the one who snuck out with her sisters, was as good as dead. Hydra had stripped away her innocence, leaving behind a weapon built to destroy, not to laugh or love.

She took a deep breath, recalling the times she’d watched Natasha from the shadows. She’d kept tabs on her sisters, fueled by a mix of anger and longing, yet she’d always kept her distance. *They didn’t come back for me,* she reminded herself, trying to rekindle the fire of rage within her. But the memories wouldn’t obey. Instead, Natasha’s face drifted into her mind, her older sister’s eyes filled with fierce determination, a look she’d once admired.

“Don’t soften now,” she muttered under her breath, clenching the knife harder.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the piercing beep of an alert. The screen in front of her lit up with a red flashing light: someone was breaching her hideout. She narrowed her eyes, adrenaline surging as her mind raced through her options. She knew who would be coming—there was only one group of people with enough nerve to track her down.

The Avengers.

A sly grin tugged at her lips as she slipped the knife back into its sheath. "Well, looks like I won’t have to go hunting after all."

Moving swiftly, Y/N activated a few security monitors, watching the Avengers split up and make their way through her maze of traps. She spotted Clint leading the charge, followed closely by Steve Rogers and Natasha herself. Her heart skipped, a flicker of uncertainty briefly surfacing. Then she buried it. This was her chance to show them what she'd become—a force to be reckoned with, not a sister left behind.

Y/N positioned herself in the shadows, waiting. When she heard footsteps, she launched forward, her speed enhanced, a blur of movement as she landed directly in their path.

“Hello, big sister,” she drawled, her voice carrying a mockery that stung even as she said it.

Natasha froze, her face a blend of shock and sorrow. Y/N’s heart twisted as she took in the small scar above Natasha’s brow, one that hadn’t been there the last time she’d seen her sister. It reminded her of their time as kids, when they would compare scrapes and bruises like badges of honor.

"Y/N…" Natasha’s voice was barely a whisper, a mixture of disbelief and regret.

“Still with the wrong name, Nat,” Y/N sneered, though it was a weak attempt to hide her true feelings. “You’re looking at *Death Widow* now. Hydra’s favorite toy.” She spun around, arms spread wide as if presenting herself like a prize.

Natasha’s gaze softened, but her shoulders remained square. “I know what they did to you,” she said quietly, her tone careful, almost pleading. “And I’m sorry. I should have been there. But you don’t have to keep running. You don’t have to keep fighting alone.”

Y/N clenched her jaw, fighting against the wave of emotion her sister’s words stirred. “Easy for you to say, with your perfect little team. Your *family*,” she spat. “I was alone while you built a life, Nat. And now you want to play big sister?”

Steve took a cautious step forward, hands raised in a non-threatening gesture. “Y/N, we’re here to help. You don’t have to be what Hydra made you.”

She scoffed, throwing her arms out again as if in mock celebration. “Help? You’re here to capture me, aren’t you? Or were you just planning to take a quick family photo before locking me away?”

Clint looked at her, his face set in that same expression of sorrow and regret that he’d worn earlier. “We’re here to bring you back, Y/N. Natasha’s spent years looking for you. And now we finally have you here. Please… just come with us. We can find a way to make things right.”

Y/N’s face twisted with frustration, the vulnerability threatening to crack through her armor. She wanted to shout at them, to make them feel the hurt she’d carried all these years. But as she looked at her sister, at the flicker of hope in her eyes, her resolve faltered.

For a moment, she let the idea of forgiveness sink in, of reclaiming the life Hydra had taken from her. She imagined laughing with Natasha again, training with Yelena, becoming someone other than *Death Widow*.

But then her gaze hardened. Hydra had made her a weapon, and the world needed to see the consequences of its cruelty. If she couldn’t have a life beyond that, then she’d become a force so powerful, they couldn’t ignore her.

Her face twisted back into a smirk, and she shook her head. “No thanks, Nat. I have my own plans.”

Before they could react, she lifted her hands, a surge of energy crackling at her fingertips. She launched a powerful telekinetic blast that sent them stumbling back, the walls around them shuddering from the impact.

“See you around,” she whispered, disappearing into the shadows once more.

As she left, her heart weighed heavy with the choices she’d made. She was *Death Widow,* and there was no going back. Not yet, not while she still had scores to settle.