Widow's Shadow

V: Wednesday

January 16 2027

Istanbul, Turkey

The morning sun spilled through the balcony door and the curtain swayed in the touch of the warm breeze. The sounds and smells of life clashed against each other. Boats crashed on the crystal blue Golden Horn waters, the sound of stretching rope that tied vessels to the docks, the scent of salt and fish filling the coast; family and friends greeted each other as they passed by and the sweet and savory smell of tea and baked goods bound it all like a blue ribbon. Auburn hair gleamed in sunlight; golden highlights kissed her pale skin as her eyes began to open. Eyelashes tangled as her green irises flickered in the light, blinded by a brightness she can't consume. Natasha groaned as she sat up, her mess of hair covered her face. She turned her head to the source of light then covered her head deep under the pile of plush pillows.

Weight sunk into the mattress as she felt the pillows coming off of her. The soft touch of lips touched her cheek. "Good morning." James said with a smile on his face. Natasha groaned again, not ready to embrace the depressing thoughts of their mission.

James sat up on the bed. "Oh you're gonna be that way?" Natasha dug her face deeper into the pillow. "Well then, I'm gonna have to bring out the cavalry." He said with a smile tugging at his lips. Before she knew it his fingers found his way across her body, tickling wherever he could touch. Natasha's deep red hair spilled over the white blankets as she jerked and squirmed all over the bed. Laughter filled the room making the light feel brighter than it was before. James continued to tickle her until she jumped onto him and grabbed his wrists. She leaned in close, her hair brushed his cheeks and neck. "The cavalry has nothing" she leaned in closer; her lips now grazing his "on me." Her lips smacked into his, her body now relaxing on him. Bare arms and legs were tangled together, their body heat bounced off each other; a flame that was once an ember now blazed in the cage that confined them together.

Natasha pulled back before the lust intensified to the point of no return, a rope can only be tugged so much. She sat on top of him, their breathing long and heavy. Her hands rested on his chest, the muscle under her palms rose up and down. A spilt second later she got off the bed and walked to the bathroom. Her bare feet silent on the cream carpet. "Wakes you up better than coffee that's for sure." James watched her long legs until they disappeared from his view. Then he laid back down on the bed and grinned until face began to hurt. This, this is what he wanted. Her smile was the wood that kept his fire burning, it satisfied his hunger for happiness. The faucet squeaked from behind the wooden door and James sighed as he shut his eyes for a moment. Memories played in the back of his eyelids, rolling images in black and white of the times he had with her.

Rain poured against the windows in the dead of night. Lighting screamed and thunder moaned in the cursed Russian winter. The brick walls and barbed wire of the U.S.S.R.'s headquarters imprisoned the monsters they trained since their youth. Monsters that were trained as weapons of mass destruction, monsters that were once human. Monsters that were once familiar with the sensation of humanity, and that once had a heart. But that was all wiped from the code embedded in their system, you can't be a weapon and know how to feel. One cancels out the other, one kills you and one makes you the killer. Which would you choose?

Natasha watched the raindrops hit the glass and raced down its surface; she watched it turn from a drizzle to gushes of heavy rainfall. That's all she could do on those lonely nights, counting the sounds until she fell asleep. However, another sound caught her attention. The sound of her door opening.

"You're getting better at this." She paused, letting her guest take a step in. "I didn't even hear you fiddle with the locks this time." Her room was consumed by the shadows that took refuge in the corners on the light blue walls. His footsteps were silent, almost noiseless. His arm came into view as he stepped in the squares of light that stretched out from lampposts outside. It gleamed a silver hue, like starlight.