Chapter 5
“There’s been a string of murders killing high profile targets for the past five years,” Maria holds out the files for their next mission. Natasha reaches out to take it from her, flipping it open. “We don’t usually get involved in serial killings like this but this one in particular captured our attention.”
There were some photographs of the dead bodies and their injuries in the file.
“Notice anything?” Maria asked and Clint frowns.
“This looks like Nat’s work,” He murmurs before glancing at Natasha. “Before you defected, I mean.”
He’s right. Natasha can see the violence etched in the way this person killed. They wanted to prolong it and make it hurt. “You think it’s a Widow.” Natasha states, glancing up at Maria.
“I do.” The commander nods her head. “That’s why I’m putting you two on this. It is odd that the killings were happening before the Red Room was destroyed and continued until after. My guess is maybe a Widow who doesn’t realize that they’re freed or a rogue Widow.”
Natasha looks down at the files. “No photographs of our mystery killer?”
“No. Camera footage had either been wiped clean, broken, or covered in some kind of grainy film. Based on how they’ve entered and exited the buildings we’ve estimated that they’re just a smidge taller than you and with a little more muscle.” Maria points out the points covered in the file. “Almost definitely a female.”
Natasha peers down at the file with a frown. Something about it didn’t feel quite right.
“There’s an intruder,” Khonshu warns her as Yelena walks up the gravel pathway to her safehouse.
“Just one?” Yelena murmurs, reaching into her pocket to pull out her gun.
“Just one. He’s not due to die. No killing,” Khonshu tells her and Yelena frowns. “Unless necessary.” He adds on.
Yelena slips through the door that had been left cracked and followed the sound of a voice to her bedroom.
“--I think they know you personally and they’ve got quite a grudge,” The man spoke into what she assumed was an earpiece.
“A grudge you say?” Yelena pressed the gun against the back of his head. “Put the bow down.”
The man paused before he slowly set the bow onto the floor and then raised his hands.
“Turn around,” Yelena demands and the man spins around. She certainly wasn’t expecting Hawkeye, member of the Avengers, in her room. “Who are you?” She demands, ignoring Khonshu’s voice telling her to stay calm.
“Clint Barton. Hawkeye.” He inclines his head. “You’re a Widow.”
Yelena narrows her eyes at him. “Perhaps. What are you doing here?” She demands.
Hawkeye glances at the wall she made of images of her sister. “Got a grudge?”
“Perhaps.” She retorts, moving toward him. “I asked what you were doing here.”
“I followed along a string of murders with your handiwork written all over them. You kill in a specific way. You make them suffer. Innocents--” Hawkeye starts.
“None of them were innocent!” Yelena snarls at him, unable to help herself. Hawkeye goes quiet in surprise at her shout. “They were all monsters and are serving a fate worse than death.”
“He has an earpiece.” Khonshu reminds her and Yelena holds out the hand that wasn’t aiming a gun at him.
“Earpiece. Now.” She demands. Hawkeye reaches up and pulls the earpiece from his ear and holds it out. “Kneel.”
Yelena smashes it under her boot, briefly glancing at Khonshu to see if Hawkeye had any more weapons or devices on him that she could not see from her position. Hawkeye had knelt, watching her carefully.
Khonshu shakes his head, tapping his staff onto the floor. It makes a noise only Yelena could hear.
She wasn’t sure what to do with Hawkeye. He could have already called for backup. Her safe house was compromised. She couldn’t kill him…
“Put your hands behind your back,” Yelena demands and Hawkeye slowly moves his hands behind him. Yelena moves toward her bed, keeping the gun trained on him as she snags the handcuffs she slept with from the nightstand. She moves toward him and handcuffed him. She snags one of her shirts that was on the ground and looped it around his eyes, tying it off behind his head to blindfold him.
While he kneels there, Yelena grabs the bag that she took with her on hits. She started shoving everything she could into it, tearing down her wall of pictures of her sister and stuffing them into the bag also. Finally, she grabbed the back of his shirt. “Stand and move.” She orders, pressing the gun against the back of his head.
He was easy and compliant, something that Yelena didn’t like. He lets her take her outside where Yelena proceeds to loop his cuffed hands over a tree branch, twisting them until the chains were taut.
She had no doubt that since he found her then he could get out. She just needed enough time to get away.
“I’m not gonna kill you,” Yelena finally tells him. “You’re gonna be a good boy and stay here. You’ll count to five hundred before freeing yourself. You come after me again then I cannot guarantee your life.” She warns him, starting to back up.
“Wait!” Hawkeye calls out. “What is your name? What should I call you?”
Yelena paused, glancing at Khonshu before peering at Hawkeye. “Call me White Knight.” She tells him before she turns on her foot and flees.
She was Khonshu’s Moon Knight. But she was also the White Widow that the Red Room made her.
“White Knight.” Khonshu repeats as Yelena yanks her motorcycle helmet on. “It suits you, child.”
“Of course it does,” Yelena retorts, revving her bike.
She doesn’t mention how much his approval meant to her.