"Dmitri Krushnic?" Artyom asks, eyes wide.
"You knew him?" I stagger back a step.
"Yeah, before he was eliminated."
"What do you know?"
"About him, or what he knew about you?"
"Both," I snarl, stepping closer and brandishing a second knife.
"Easy, now. No need to spill blood." Artyom leans as far back as he possibly can in his chair. "Dmitri was very determined, though often misguided. While most of us trained in underground gyms, pushing past the restraints of our consciences, remolding our minds to align with KGB values, he insisted on utilizing a more... hands-on approach. His ambition caught the attention of our unit supervisor, and before any of us realized it, Dmitri was receiving special assignments—things most of us had been dreaming about for years. No longer a simple cog in the machine, he took his new responsibilities very seriously. That is, until a couple of months ago, when he started to slip.
"He became an expert on all things Natalia Alianovna Romanova. You were his mission, and it was his responsibility to bring you back in. Rather than traveling halfway across the world to find you, he decided it would be more fun to lure you here. The question was, how would he do it?
"Then Katerina got sick. He snapped, started mercilessly killing people. Unintentionally, he did manage to draw you to him. When we realized he was on your radar, he devised a plan to use his intensive knowledge of your past to mess with you, to make it easier to bring you in. We're still not sure when or why he changed his plan, opting to keep you in a secondary facility. Maybe he was hoping he could brainwash you again so you'd come back willingly. Maybe he got greedy and wanted to be the one controlling the notorious Black Widow's fate. Whatever it was, it was his undoing."
"He was supposed to... recruit me?" I balk, not sure if I should laugh. "Yeah, that was never going to happen. Clearly the KGB knows very little about my personal life."
"I assure you, they know more than you think. Not all of us are well briefed on things, but as a whole, we know a lot."
"Then why didn't you know who I am?" Clint steps forward, arms crossed firmly across his chest.
"What can I say? I'm new. Dmitri's the reason I'm even in this mess. As soon as Natalia—or should I call you Natasha now?—said your name, it clicked, but honestly, you've been off our radars for a while. You were never one of us, and since you started fighting alongside the good guys, your threat level went down. I was stupid to forget you guys are married," Artyom shrugs to the best of his ability, the straps on the chair severely limiting his range of motion.
"What, just because I'm an Avenger you assume I'm above killing people? Please, the skills I learned as an outlaw will never fully leave me. Sure, I'm not as ruthless as Nat, but if it comes down to it, I'll definitely snap some necks."
"I'll gladly inform the KGB of your willingness to kill us."
"Oh, no, that implies you make it back to them." I switch out the straight blade for a razor-sharp curved knife. "What else do you know?"
"About what?"
"Oh, I don't know, let's try Культ Кинжал?"
"...The what?" Artyom's brow furrows slightly, his eyes darting back and forth between Clint and me. He lightly bites his bottom lip as sweat beads up along his hairline.
YOU ARE READING
Return to Russia
Fanfiction[Sequel to The Mission] Natasha's years of training never prepared her for the things she's experienced lately. Despite her initial resolve to stay home, she finds herself being called back to Russia, only this time, she won't be going alone. With a...
