Red Room

RR46 Tabula Rasa

           

The snow filled earth was hard to walk through. There was smoke billowing up to his left as he walked so he skirted around it. His snow-white parka hid him from view of anyone scouting the area, though he doubted anyone else was left alive.

Stopping to rest after a while of walking, he leaned against a tree to try and form some sort of plan. This was so out of character for him but he knew he had to do it. Letting out a nervous laugh, a bird in the white canopy above startled and flapped its wings loudly to escape the danger it sensed.

He watched as it struggled to fly against the biting wind, its white feathers giving him a symbol of hope. The dove eventually flew too far to see through the dimness of the forest and the hastiness of the situation returned. Readjusting his jacket, he stepped back out of the trees cover and headed in the location of his old standard issued HYDRA truck. Once he found it, he blasted the heat and warmth flooded the cabin of the truck. Sighing in relief, he pulled away from the destruction behind him and headed to the only other person in the world he could truly trust.

Once he reached his destination, he sat in his truck for a few more minutes trying to find the words he would say to his best friend. He just couldn't think of any so he turned the engine off and stepped back into the cold. Whatever happened would happen but there was no way he would be turned away, they would see sense in the situation.

As he reached the front door to the house, he took a deep breath and turned the cold hard doorknob, knowing that his life would be changed from this moment on. A blast of cinnamon smells and warmth flooded his senses and he immediately relaxed. Closing the door behind him, he walked into the firelit living room and was ambushed into a worried hug.

"Anatoli! I was so worried something had happened to you in this storm! Why would HYDRA send you out into a storm like this? What could have been so important my love?"

Anatoli looked into the sweet, worried gaze of his wife and immediately felt all of his worries leave his body.

"Valentina, I'm sorry I had to go out. Something happened to the Red Room base and they needed me to see if I could get close enough to find out anything. I came across an incredible sight, but I will tell you of those events later. First..."

Suddenly he was nervous again. "Valentina, trust me to know that I had to do it. I promised I wouldn't ever again, especially after the miscarriage..."

"Anatoli what's going on?" She let go of him and stepped back. The hurt in her eyes as she remembered the miscarriage was heartbreaking. He couldn't bring their child back, it was just too early in the pregnancy to do anything.

She watched as he carefully unzipped his jacket and gently removed a golden bundle. He cradled it for a moment before handing it to his wife. Trusting him, she accepted it and was shocked to discover that it was a newborn baby.

"Anatoli Grekov what did you do!" she scolded as she went into mothering mode. She wrapped the baby tighter in the loose blanket and held it close to comfort it. The baby had started to whimper after it had been removed from the jacket and Valentina moved closer to the fire, kneeling with it on the soft rug.

Anatoli joined her and again was astonished when she opened her little eyes. The lilac colored orbs watered as she fitfully stared up at them.

"Oh, she is beautiful!" Valentina exclaimed, falling under the same spell Anatoli had.

"Val it was so horrible," he said as he finally broke. "It was the Black Widow who took down the Red Room and this... this is her child."

Valentina had heard of the Black Widow but not much. She wasn't a part of HYDRA but Anatoli frequently complained about the horrors he had heard from that cursed place, the Red Room.