Red Thorn

Chapter 30

October 2014

They arrived just in time for all hell to break loose in the prison below as Alexei started a fight amongst the inmates, putting his super soldier strength to good use as he climbed the wall.

"He's never going to make it," Yelena said, all three of them watching as Alexei was hit by some kind of stun bullet, sending him tumbling back down to the ground.

Natasha undid her belt. "Get me closer." Yelena cocked an eyebrow and even though she couldn't see Red from her seat, Natasha knew she was displeased with the idea. "You got a better idea?"

There was no better idea and Natasha was soon swinging down to the bridge below, lending Alexei a hand in his bid for freedom.

"Such a poser," Yelena said. Just the day before she had made fun of Natasha for her constant need to land in a pose and when Red had smirked, or at least she guessed she had from the crinkle that peaked out from above her mask, just next to her eye, Yelena made sure to point out that from the rare footage she had seen of the Red Thorn, she appeared to be one too.

It wasn't long before the guards turned their attention to the chopper, bullets raining in through its rickety shell. She swerved as they hit the glass in front of her, a movement that made her cut it a bit close to Natasha. "Sorry!"

"What are you doing? Are you kidding me?" The redhead asked, brandishing her battons. That was another thing her contact had given her, a duffle bag with few of her old suits and some gear, along with a cereal bar that Yelena had tried and said was dry. Really dry. "Back up!"

Yelena did as she was told, mumbling a "We're all doing a really great job" as she did. It was a small comment, a small sarcastic comment that brought a smile to Red's face. She felt like, given the chance, her and Yelena could be good friends, though she doubted that she would be given such an opportunity, her fellow assassin taking an instant disliking to her.

Another spree of bullets hit the chopper, setting off one of the warning lights. "Okay. Enough of this." Yelena waved her hand, beckoning Red to join her in the cockpit. "Sister stealer, come here and make yourself yourself."

Red appeared next to her in an instant, a silent question lingering in her eyes.

"I will never hear the end of it if you are seen down there, so sit here and keep this thing steady," Yelena explained, unbuckling herself.

Not bothering to argue, Red took a seat allowing Yelena to let go of the controls and make her way towards the back of the helicopter. There, she shouldered the rocket launcher and slid open the door. Smoke filled the chopper when she fired, hitting one of the towers at the back of the prison compound; she didn't hit the guards firing on them, but it was enough to rattle them. "Ha!"

Shooing Red and taking over the controls once more, Yelena got back into her seat just in time for a deafening crackling sound to fill the valley, snow tumbling from the rock faces in the distance. "Whoa...This would be a cool way to die."

"Get us out of here!" Natasha yelled, a sudden panic to her voice.

Red felt the panic too, her heart racing as Yelena swerved the bouldering snow, desperate to get to her sister and father before it was too late. Red lowered the rope once more for Natasha to hold grab and for a moment she considered pulling it up, leaving Alexei to his fate, the only thing stopping her from doing so was that he might hold the key to ending the Red Room for good.

Seconds felt like an eternity as Yelena pulled up and out from the blanket of white that had coated the valley, waiting to see if the two below had survived, which thank Thor they had.