Chapter Text
A blood bath. That had been Natasha’s first thought as she entered the main room of the Hydra base that she, Steve, and Bucky were suppose to be infiltrating. Suppose to is key because it seemed to Natasha as though someone had already done the job for them. Bodies littered the room, some killed in rather creative ways. She frowned suspiciously at this because some of the techniques obviously used eerily mirrored her own methods. She shook her head, it was impossible, all the other red room girls were dead.
“What the fuck?” Bucky murmured softly behind her.
Natasha turned around and saw a more intense version of the disappointment she felt flickering in the man’s eyes. She understood completely. These were the people that stole seventy years of his life, took his mind, and used his body. Natasha knew firsthand how good it felt to tear the fuckers apart piece by piece.
“We need to go deeper in.” Steve stated resolutely. “Whoever did this might still be here and we have no idea if the job is done completely, despite how… thorough it seems here.”
“In a moment” Natasha admonished.
She went to one of the computers and inserted the flash drive she brought. The firewalls on the computer were extremely difficult to bypass and Natasha suddenly wished they had thought to bring Agent Johnson with them. When she was finally in the system she downloaded all the possibly relevant files and grabbed the drive. She tucked it into her bra for safekeeping and turned around. Bucky and Steve were looking at her weird and she rolled her eyes, muttering “men”.
The trio continued out of the room in formation down the hallway, after a minute of so they could hear the telltale sounds of fighting. They quickened their pace and entered a room to find a small but very feisty looking woman taking on three hydra agents at once. Her short but curly chestnut hair flew in every direction as she ducked blows and fought with the grace of a dancer. Natasha couldn't see her full face as she was wearing what looked like a kevlar mask around her mouth and nose.
Natasha was about to step in and help when she saw the woman knock two of the guy’s heads together and shoot the third in the neck. The redhead stepped forward and the girl looked up and lunged forward, catching natasha off guard. She was slammed into the wall closest to her and had a knife to her neck in seconds.
Natasha could hear Steve and Bucky yell and raise their weapons. She ignored them and looked up into the startling brown eyes of her opponent. Shock crashed over her body in a wave, memories flashing to the forefront of her mind. Those doe eyes looking at her an inch away, during one of the small moments they had been able to steal as teenagers. Taking comfort in each other’s bodies.
Said doe eyes widened in shock and horror. The knife was lowered and she backed away slightly.
“Natalia?” The woman, Nat knew her name was Jelena, breathed. She looked like she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“This isn’t possible.” Natasha’s eyes were the size of craters “You’re dead.”
Jelena gestured to her body and cocked an eyebrow. “See it and believe kotik”
Natasha rolled her eyes at the old nickname before confusion settled back in.
“What are you doing here?” Natasha demanded.
Jelena scoffed “After the KGB fell they sent people to kill me, they failed but i knew they wouldn’t stop trying. So I faked my death. Now I'm cleaning house, the Red Room’s gone but Hydra always worked closely with them.”
Natasha heard a loud sigh and looked up to see Bucky’s face filled with incredible sadness, it was obvious that he recognized the smaller Black Widow as well. Jelena whipped around and took in Bucky’s face for a split second, before pulling out her gun at a lightning pace.
“What the fuck are you doing here” She snarled, face suddenly viccious.
Steve flung himself in front of Bucky and held his hands up.
“Stop!” Natasha yelled. “Jelena listen to me. It’s not what you think.”
“What I think,” Jelena snarled. “Is that this man tortured us. He killed Yana.”
“Jelena look at me.” Natasha snapped, drawing the eyes of the brunette. “He’s not the same man. What the red room did to us, Hydra did a hundred times worse to him. They used him like a machine, he had no control over what he did. He’s here seeking revenge just like the rest of us.”
Jelena still looked suspicious and kept her gun aimed. Bucky gently shoved Steve out of the way and looked sorrowfully at the woman poised to kill him.
“I have his memories.” Bucky grimaced. “From when he-I was the asset. I remember you. You were never scared of me. I remember that tiny tiny part of me that was still me being proud of you for that. I’m so sorry.”
Jelena laughed, “Oh I was scared shitless. But I never showed it because I was scared you’d kill me for being ‘weak’”
Bucky massaged his temples, looking in considerable emotional distress.
“But.” Jelena continued. “I believe you. You’re not the man I used to know. I would be dead by now if you were. And i wouldn’t put it past Hydra to brainwash someone.” She slowly lowered and hostered her weapon.
“Let’s start over.” Jelena gave a small smile. “I’m Jelena.. Or I was. I go by Nicole now. Much more American, helps me stay invisible.”
“I’m James Barnes… Otherwise known as Bucky.”
“Wait.” Nicole looked at him and then over to Steve before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Buck-Oh fuck me i’m such an idiot. It all makes sense now”
“As touching as this is..” Natasha broke the moment “We’re in the middle of a Hydra base. We need to eliminate all the hostiles and get the fuck out of here so we can blow this place up.”
“Oh!” Nicole called out cheerfully. “This was the last of them!”
A groan was heard from the other side of the room, Nicole barely looked up before pulling out her gun again and shooting the still alive agent directly between the eyes.
“Or, that was.” She smirked.
Bucky and Steve looked dumbfounded at her. It was like looking at a smaller, sassier version of Natasha.
“Can we keep her?” Bucky breathed out.
Nicole laughed blatantly. “Good luck with that. I work fine on my own thank you very much.”
“At least consider it.” Natasha added much to quickly “We could always use another Black Widow.”
Nicole cocked her head to the side and stared right into Natasha’s eyes. Natasha hoped Nicole couldn’t detect how very much Natasha wanted her to accept.
“I’ll think about it.” Nicole smirked. “I’ll get back to you on that. Don’t follow me.”
And just like that Nicole was gone, and Natasha watched the only woman she had ever loved leave her life for the second time.