faith
Natalia’s surprised when Yelena informs her she’s going out on a small mission because she had a previous relationship with a hacker they needed to track down.
She’s hesitant about letting her little sister go but it’s not her choice. Yelena would do it with or without her permission. Natalia knew that Yelena needed to feel important. Needed. That her little sister was getting agitated just standing around and doing nothing but training.
That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t track down Yelena’s partner for the mission, Barbara Morse, and pull her aside to speak to her.
“I hear Yelena’s going out,” Natalia comments and Bobbi jumps at her appearance.
“Jesus, I swear that we gotta put bells on you and Yelena. You creep around like shadows,” Bobbi said, resting a hand on her racing heart. “And yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry, she’ll be with me. I’ll look after her.”
“If things go to shit then you worry about getting yourself out first,” Natalia said and Bobbi pauses, glancing down at her in confusion.
“What? Shouldn’t you tell me to put your sister’s safety first?” Bobbi asked and Natalia folds her arms to lean against the doorway.
“If things go sideways then you worry about yourself. If you worry about Yelena and stick behind then she’s going to get hurt trying to help you in return. If you leave first then she’ll follow,” Natalia shrugs slightly as she explained.
“Huh… yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Bobbi nods her head. “Okay. I’ll change our strategy.”
Natalia pushes off the doorway and turns to leave.
“And Natalia?” Bobbi calls out and Natalia paused in the doorway to listen. “She’s safe with me.”
“I know,” Natalia said simply before leaving.
“Do you usually send minors out on missions without their guardian’s permission?” Natalia comments as she slides up next to Maria in the command deck.
Without looking up from her tablet, Maria answers. “No, but your sister is the only minor aboard.” She paused before glancing up. “If you have an issue with it then I can--”
“No need,” Natalia replies, interrupting Maria. “She’ll be fine. I was just wondering.”
Natalia turns on her foot to leave but Maria stops her. “Aren’t you worried?”
Why was everyone asking her that? She shrugs in response, spinning back to look at the commander. “I worry every time we’re apart. But I have full confidence in her abilities.”
“There’s always the possibility that something could go wrong,” Maria reminds her and Natalia lets out a little huff.
“They don’t call Yelena the best child assassin ever just because it's a fun nickname,” Natalia comments and Maria blinks in surprise.
“They actually call her that?” Maria questioned and Natalia nods. “Is she?”
Natalia approaches Maria once again. “To my knowledge. She was picked at the age of three and her skills were cultivated until the age of six when she had enough coordination to start training. She rapidly rose the ranks and she’s the last surviving Widow in her group.”
“Better than you?” Maria challenged, raising an eyebrow.
“In some ways,” Natalia admits. “She’s better with a knife and sniping but I’m better with close-range guns and hand-to-hand combat.”
Natalia inspects Maria for a few moments.
“Is there something on my face?” Maria tilts her head to the side and Natalia glances away after a few more moments.
“No. Did Yelena do your hair?” She questioned. She recognized the methodical style of a Widow in the way Maria’s hair was perfectly pinned back.
Maria raised a hand to brush along the hair collected out of her face. “Yeah. She did this morning.” She smiles slightly and Natalia catches herself looking again.
“It looks nice.” Natalia finds herself saying and Maria glances back down at her tablet, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Thank you.” Maria then clears her throat. “Bobbi turned in a changed extraction plan.”
“She mentioned doing that,” Natalia comments. “I told her too.”
Maria’s head snapped up from looking at her tablet. “You suggested Bobbi leave Yelena should things get tough?”
Natalia inclines her head. “I did.”
“Why?” Maria shakes her head. “We don’t leave a man behind.”
Natalia eyes her before shrugging. “It was every man for themselves in the Red Room. But Yelena likes Bobbi. If she thinks she’s in danger then she will endanger herself for her. If Bobbi gets out then Yelena will follow.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Maria challenges and Natalia raised an eyebrow.
“She will. I know my sister,” Natalia had full confidence in Yelena’s abilities. “You make it an order and she’ll follow it.”
“Does staying safe have to be an order?” Maria genuinely questioned.
“Yes.” For Yelena, it does. She’d sacrifice herself in order to complete the mission. Failure was unacceptable.
Maria frowns and makes a note on her tablet. “Do you… do you need that to be an order?” She asked.
At one point in her life, Natalia may have needed it to be an order. But not anymore. “No.” She had her sister to worry about returning to, she knew her safety was important.
“Despite that, Yelena needs to learn that we don’t leave men behind. If Bobbi leaves her when things get tough then that would cause a whole slew of problems,” Maria said.
Natalia resists the urge to sigh. “This is just one mission. You don’t plan on putting her on regular missions, right?” She needs to know that they weren’t going to be actively sending her sister out on ops now.
“No. This is just because she has previous ties with our mark,” Maria reassures Natalia.
“Good. Then trust me to know what’s best for my sister.” Maria might be her superior but Yelena was her sister. Maria can’t make decisions about Yelena without running them by her first.
Maria looks like she has more than she wants to say but clenches her jaw. Natalia wonders just what she wanted to say.
Not only does Natalia see her sister off but she’s also the first to greet her when they come back. She notices immediately that the supposed dangerous hacker they brought in was a girl even younger than Yelena.
When Yelena and the hacker follow after Maria and the Director, Natalia stays behind to talk with Bobbi.
“Did you know the Director gave my sister a gun?” She questioned, watching Bobbi closely.
“She disclosed the weapon on her while on the way to the diner,” Bobbi nods her head before looking at her. “She did great.”
“I know,” Natalia had no doubt in her sister’s skill or ability to complete the assignment. “You should tell her.”
Bobbi peers over at Natalia. “You have a lot of faith in your sister.” She comments although it’s not an accusation, merely a statement.
“She survived over ten years without me. She doesn’t need me to hold her hand. She didn’t rise to the top ranks of the Red Room by being babied,” As much as Natalia needs to look after and care for her sister, Yelena would take insult to the constant worry as distrust in her abilities.
That didn’t mean Natalia wouldn’t hold her sister close tonight because each time one of them left there was always the chance they wouldn’t come back.
“I’m gonna go debrief,” Bobbi tells Natalia. “You’re welcome to come with me and see what’s going on with Yelena.”
Yelena had been there for Natalia’s debriefings a few times, mainly when she was shaken up over the absence of her sister and just wanted to hold her close. “Sure. Okay.”
Natalia falls into step with Bobbi as they head back inside.