We're Even
Natasha and Yelena had left and Maria had no idea where they were or what they were doing. Maria didn’t even fight Natasha on it. Instead, she caught up with some of the agents (including the skrulls who hide among them) who had been working that weapons case regarding Arina and other bad actors for Fury, basically to tell them what happened after her ‘ear piece cut out.’ They were able to confirm that Igor had been poisoned from an external poison he picked up from the glass he was drinking from. Who poisoned him and why? No one was quite sure, but Igor was easily willing to sell out any information on Dreykov so Maria had to guess there was a connection there. One good thing was that Maria had given the agents all the financial documents Igor sent to her, although they were unable to get all of them. They had enough to really go after these corrupt weapons traders and dealers. The skrulls and the agents working the event and case were trying to make sure no one actually saw Maria there, and so far it seems like she made it out just in time to avoid detection, for now at least.
After a full debriefing of the event and Igor’s death ended Maria returned to the safe house that was still empty. She had yet to hear a word from Natasha of Yelena. Did they just ditch her after that fiasco? Maria wouldn’t blame them to be honest.
The safe house was obnoxiously quiet and Yelena and Natasha’s absence — and Maria like quiet, but she was a tad bit paranoid. Maria made herself instant noodles, the kind you have to cook on the stove not in the microwave—big upgrade— and she was sitting alone on the couch, with her feet pulled up under her as she held her bowl of noodles and turned on the news on her tablet device to see what was going on. Then Maria got a text from Fury.
**prisoner break out from Seventh Circle Prison in Siberia, got anything on this?** Fury’s text read and Maria paused as she read it. There was absolutely no way that Natasha Romanoff, a globally wanted fugitive was breaking people out of prison in SIBERIA. Why would Natasha even be near Siberia? Who would she even know there. That was completely unrelated to what she and Natasha were doing. No question. Everything they were doing was under the radar, not very much on the radar like something like a prison break.
Maria put her noodles down on the end table.
**not a thing.** Maria typed back quickly, but she leaned back a little bit further against the couch thinking about it before she sent it back to Fury.
“No, right?” Maria asked herself in unsure terms thinking about it. Maria deleted her response to Fury because although she doubted Natasha would do something so reckless she couldn’t officially rule it out, and she would never want Fury to think she lied to him even if she was keeping him out of the loop for his own safety. “She wouldn’t dare.” Maria shook her head to herself.
**Do you know who got out?** Maria responded not answering the question and then picking up her noodles to read up more on global events and the prison break.
Maria had barely finished her noodles when she heard something outside. She grabbed her gun from the end table drawer and went near a window but she did not see anyone outside. She heard some rummaging int he basement and she sighed to herself as she went toward the cellar door. Just as she moved toward it, Natasha pushed it open and Maria pulled her gun on her.
“It’s me!” Natasha warned.
“Jesus Christ.” Maria sighed.
Then Maria heard a male voice with a heavy Russian accent in the basement an she tilted her head at Natasha.
“Me and Yelena….” Natasha said with a little pause that even Nat would be skeptical of and then Maria heard a man really laugh and she stared so visibly intensely at Natasha that Natasha could feel it burning her skin.
“And… someone who knows where Dreykov is….” Natasha rubbed the back of her head slightly anxiously as she saw Maria’s face.
“And you brought him here!” Maria yelled at her and Natasha grimaced.
“Yes.. because… I … need your help.” Natasha said like she made it up on the spot and Maria looked unimpressed with that. “I need you get ask him where the Red Room is and or Dreykov.”
“For what possible reason could you not do that?” Maria asked in a fake nice but obviously annoyed voice.
“He likes to brag. So, I need you to make him feel important… but also afraid.” Natasha said to Maria.
“Why would he be more afraid of me than you? You’re an Avenger?” Maria furrowed her brows at Natasha.
“Trust me, I know what I am doing. Go full on scary US Agent interrogation mode.”
“Great.” Maria looked down at her t-shirt and jeans and then faked a smile at Natasha because if she had kept her in the loop she could have been prepared for this. “and you guys got this man from… where exactly?” Maria asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” Natasha suppressed a smirk.
“Too bad you don’t have your sexy pant suit anymore.” Yelena snickered and Maria shot her a look.
“I mean, she’s right.” Natasha agreed with Yelena and Maria sighed.
“Also you smell like noodles, do you have a more threatening scent?” Yelena added in.
“You don’t even want to know what you two smell like.” Maria rolled her eyes.
“Why do you smell like noodles?” Yelena asked.
“Because I was eating them….” Maria responded with an obvious tone.
“Are there any left?” Yelena asked and Maria stared at her.
Natasha ran over and grabbed her black leather jacket and gave it to Maria and Maria put it on quickly, so at least she looked.. ‘cool’ and not like she was skipping school for the day in her at home clothes.
Yelena sniffed again. “You still smell like noodles.”
Maria sighed and then Natasha and Yelena exchanged a quick glance with one another and they nodded to themselves as they both closed in on Maria.
“What are you doing!” Maria huffed at them as they both crowded her in ‘hugging’ her but more like rubbing their stinky clothes on her.
“Stop it! Oh my god.” Maria groaned her face looked pained like she was being tortured and Natasha was laughing.
Yelena sniffed the air again.
“Okay, no you smell” “disgusting.” Maria cut Yelena off with absolute distaste in her voice.
“That’s scarier than noodles…” Yelena shrugged and Natasha had a big smirk on her face and Maria’s jaw was agape.
“Oh for the love of god, it’s my jacket.” Natasha rolled her eyes at Maria’s over dramatic reaction to a little filth smell.
“How am I supposed to go ask this man questions if I don’t know who he is or where he’s from or anything? Fill me in already.” Maria growled at the two of them with an exasperated sigh.
“His name is Alexei Shostakov, he’s the first and only super soldier for the Soviet Union.” Natasha started.
“Red Guardian ally of General Dreykov?” Maria cut her off.
“Right, and in 1992 to 1995 he was sent undercover to Ohio…” Natasha started.
“Where the North Institute was?” Maria again cut Natasha off again.
“Yes.”
“Did he?” Maria didn’t even finish her sentence and Natasha nodded.
“Okay. Got it.” Maria seemed content as she put what Natasha just said together with the information that Fury and she had days ago.
“Was that a conversation?” Yelena looked confused.
“How did you two abduct a super soldier?” Maria looked at Natasha and Yelena.
“Don’t worry about it.” Natasha said again.
Maria walked down the wooden creaky stairs to the basement where she saw Red Guardian sitting at ping pong table in a metal folder chair his feet were up on the faded table and he was trying to lean backward but he looked very uncomfortable.
“My girls! My two wonderful amazing girls, came back for me. They knew I needed them, they remembered me!” He shouted semi praising Yelena and Natasha but mostly talking about himself but his head turned as he saw this unrecognized woman come down the stairs. She was clearly American. Alexei could sense and American from miles away.
Maria walked down the stairs with her confident important government woman swagger she sometimes had, and it did cast an air of authority in the musky basement.
“Introduce yourself!” Alexei demanded as Maria made her way to the other side of the ping pong table.
“No.” She answered shortly and unbothered.
“Typical American woman, no manners.” Alexei huffed.
“Do you know a lot of American women Mr. Shastakov?” Maria asked in a serious interrogation style tone that was a drastic change from moments ago when she was upstairs with Natasha and Yelena.
Alexei was quiet as he pursed his lips to one side, who was this woman? She was so serious and yet she was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a motto jacket. It was kind of cool, he thought to himself, like she made her own rules or something.
“I know a few.” Alexei answered with a little less confidence.
“Yeah? From over 20 years ago when you were living in Ohio?” Maria asked tilting her head and Alexei laughed he really chuckled.
“You finally caught me!” He laughed eagerly and impressed with himself.
“21 years later and the United States has just come to terms that they were bested by the Red Guardian!” Alexei smiled looking up to the ceiling so proud of himself. “Tell me, does it usually take you over two decades to solve your cases, because that is not a great turn around time.”
“No, it doesn’t, but your case is exceptional.” Maria lied.
“Of course it is.” He smirked and let out a laugh under his breath. “Of course it is, I am the best hero ever known to this world.” Alexei grinned. Maria was quiet for a minute.
“Actually, I agree.” She sat down across the ping pong table from him. “And I work with heroes, professionally, full-time all around the globe.” Maria enhanced her role just a little—-it wasn’t really a lie.
Alexei gasped to himself.
“The Avengers?” He asked in a loud astonished whisper.
“That’s right.”
“Is that why she brought me here?” He asked under his breath again, disillusioned with himself. “Natasha! Natasha!” He yelled for her.
“My other daughter, Yelena, her too, she should be an Avenger too, she was the best child assassin in the whole word.”
Maria tried not cringe at the words ‘child assassin’ especially used this proudly.
“Together, they’ve killed so, so many people!” He cheered. “Yelena, Natasha!” He yelled again.
“Well, we’re actually in the business of saving people.” Maria reminded.
“Right, but skills are skills, and one persons’ good guy is another’s bad guy, c’mon lady, you know that.” Alexei grinned.
“So you know Captain America, then?” Alexei asked Maria.
“I do indeed.” Maria said in a flat tone.
“Does he talk about me?”
“He does not.” Maria answered without thinking and Alexei made a face “because he doesn’t want to admit his defeat…” Maria added in realizing she should keep him talking.
“That sounds right.” Alexei nodded as Natasha and Yelena came back down into the basement.
“Girls, my girls! I am so proud of you, this lady, she wants to make us Avengers, all of us, not just Natasha, the whole family.”
Maria and Natasha exchanged a glance and Yelena and Natasha sat down next to Maria across from Alexei.
“Who do I talk to about a costume? Is that you? Is that what you do?” Alexei asked Maria.
“Costume?” Maria tilted her head.
“You know like the little outfits so I can do my pose, I have a pose, just like Natasha.”
“I do not do poses.” Natasha rolled her eyes.
“I love the poses, I also used to pose, I know you got it from me.” Alexei said affectionately.
“Mr. Shostakov, in order to join the Avengers, you need to have a successful initiation.” Maria worded carefully.
“You want me to put kitty liter in hulk’s sandwich?” Alexei shrugged and Natasha mildly laughed under her breath.
“No.” Maria answered seriously.
“We’re looking for a place and a person.”
“And I can find anything and any person.” Alexei said cheerfully.
“Where’s the Red Room.” Maria demanded and Alexei’s cheer immediately faded.
“No idea.” He answered quickly and quietly and everyone was silent for a minute.
“Where’s your friend General Dreykov?” Maria tried again.
“No clue.” Alexei shrugged.
Maria slowly licked her bottom lip and she turned her head in a slow manner to Natasha who was sitting next to her and Natasha was staring straight ahead because she knew this was coming and she could feel Maria’s stare at her.
“He doesn’t know where Dreykov or the Red Room are.” Maria repeated to Natasha.
“I did.. hear that… yep.” Natasha said quietly.
“Why would I know those things?” Alexei asked and Maria turned her head back to Alexei.
“What do you mean? I was assured you did know those things.” Maria scowled and Natasha pressed her lips together.
“I mean, how I would I know those things, I’ve been in Siberian prison for years….” Alexei looked at Maria like she had to have known that with this whole operation and Maria whipped her head around at Natasha.
“Are you kidding me!” Maria yelled at Natasha.
Natasha grimaced and shuddered at Maria’s reaction.
“I was really hoping that part wouldn’t come up.” Nat muttered to herself.
“Natasha!” Maria yelled at her.
“Wait, what’s happening?” Alexei asked looking at Yelena and Yelena made a face.
“You’re supposed to be in hiding and you are out here busting people out of Siberian prisons and it’s all over the god damn news and media and all over the security back channels. Are you insane! You are supposed to be keeping a low profile not adding another fugitive to your crew!”
“This is why you weren’t invited.” Natasha grumbled crossing her arms.
“And he doesn’t even know where the god damn Red Room is!?” Maria howled at Natasha.
“Well, I admit that part is an oversight.” Natasha shrugged and Maria rolled her eyes at Natasha.
“We did your thing that got no results, if you recall.” Natasha pointed out with annoyance in her voice.
“ ‘My thing’ didn’t involve anyone even noticing we were there, and my guy was willing to talk about where Dreykov was he just happened to die first! Your thing involved breaking someone out of jail who doesn’t even know anything!” Maria shot back at Natasha.
“So, you agree that we’re even.” Natasha shrugged.
“Now what are we going to do with him!?” Maria asked in a huffy voice.
“Uh, I’m an Avenger now, remember?” Alexei cut in an Yelena, Natasha, and Maria stared at him.
“Please.” Natasha rolled her eyes at Alexei. “Where is Dreykov!” Natasha yelled at Alexei. “This is why I got you out, to tell us where he is, so where is he!” Natasha growled at Alexei.
“You tried to trick me into thinking I was going to be an Avenger?” Alexei whined at Natasha and Natasha stared back at Maria.
“I just ran with the flow of the conversation.” Maria admitted a little under her breath.
“You were dumb enough to believe it?” Yelena asked Alexei.
“I am owed it!” Alexei yelled. “I am the Soviet Unions first and ONLY super soldier. Captain America is afraid of me, she said it herself. I could have been more famous than him.”
“Dreykov is your best god damn friend so where the hell is he? I am sick of this.” Natasha scowled at Alexei.
“My friend? MY FRIEND? My best friend Dreykov, he forces me on that three year nightmare mission with you and Yelena — no offense, you two are my pride aside from my own potential I mean— I do everything for him, I burn down the institute I steal the data, I get it to him, and you know what he does? He puts me in prison for the rest of my life, and not nice country club prison where the rich people go, ice cold, bitter cold, colder than all of Russia cold, Siberian prison. Where no one can find me. I am a superhero, I want to party I want to live I don’t want to do his boring work all the time. He locks me up and then he runs off and hides and I’m not even the one who killed his daughter.” Alexei huffed back at Natasha.
Yelena pushed at the ping pong table forcibly.
“What? Everyone knows, everyone knows Natasha killed Dreykov’s daughter.” Alexei shrugged like this was no big deal or news flash.
“She died in the bombing.” Yelena explained even though she knew more of the story.
“But Natasha, you knew she was there, you had to know, she visited him there every day. You had to know. And look, they still let you become an Avenger.” Alexei shrugged.
Natasha was silent, because only Clint knew that part and now Maria did too.
“I don’t know why you are wasting all of this effort asking me about Dreykov, when you should be asking Melina.” Alexei added.
“Wait, mom Melina?” Yelena tilted her head and Natasha also looked surprised at that.
“She’s dead.” Natasha shook her head.
“Wow, you really need to work on your research skills, Natasha, you cannot kill a woman like that.” Alexei said lookup in into the sunlight that peered in through a cellar window that illuminated all the dust in the air and all three of the women made a face at his reaction.
“Actually, you kind of remind me of her.” Alexei said to Maria.
“I told you!” Yelena shouted to Natasha and Natasha rolled her eyes.
“Who is Melina?”
“Oh, Melina, Melina, my Melina, a fox like no other.”
Natasha and Yelena groaned.
“She’s a genius, a scientist, a strategist, a mind like no other. She works directly for Dreykov, far more than I ever did.” Alexei sighed recalling Melina, gosh he loved her. She was so smart and beautiful, skilled in so many ways.
“Works? Like she works for him now?” Maria asked.
“Yeah, remotely outside of St. Petersburg.” Alexei shrugged.
Natasha and Yelena looked skeptical at that.
“God, that’s hours from here.” Maria sighed.
“Avenger Lady— if that’s who you really are— then why don’t you just get us a jet, and it could be minutes.” Alexei shrugged like that should be easy for Maria and Maria rolled her eyes.
“You think proprietary U.S. technology should be used to fly around two fugitives in a hostile nation?” Maria snarked.
“It was worth a try.” Alexei shrugged to Yelena and Natasha with a sigh. “So I’m really not going to be an Avenger? You know Captain America and I, we have a mutual respect for one another, we actually could even be friends.”
“Captain America is currently also a fugitive right now.” Maria mumbled.
“Then we must help him!” Alexei said with valor and the three women just stared at him.
“What? We’re adversaries, not enemies. He must’ve told you lots of war stories about me when you told him you were Red Guardian’s daughter, didn’t he Natasha?” Alexei looked hopeful.
“This guy hasn’t seen me or Yelena in over twenty years, and all he wants to know about is himself.” Natasha muttered.
“Well, you haven’t seen me in twenty years and all you want to know about is Dreykov…” Alexei mumbled back.
“I just risked a lot busting your ass out of prison!” Natasha yelled.
“Because you know I was wrongfully detained.”
“No, you moron, and if it wasn’t going to cost me a whole lot I’d ship you right back there.” Natasha sighed.
“I helped you, I told you where to go.” Alexei defended.
“Alright, let’s go.” Maria motioned with her finger to wrap this up.
“We’re taking a road trip!?” Alexei asked excited.
“We?” The three women all said in unison and Alexei’s excitement faded a bit.
“I know this is a strange request, but before we go can we get some noodles? It’s like all I can think about right now.” Alexei said tilting his head as the smell of instant noodles started to invade his brain.