NEFARIOUS [MOONKNIGHT]

EIGHTEEN

6 MONTHS LATER

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

"Vera Ivankov, kakoy syurpriz" (vera ivankov, what a surprise.) The ex- HYDRA agent said in Russian as he sat in his wheelchair staring up at Vera. She looked at him with a stoic expression on her face and she spoke.

"Ty znayesh',pochemu ya zdes'" (you know why i'm here.) She said as she took in the ex agent's appearance. His dark brown hair that was shaved close to his head had a nasty scar going straight down the middle as two scars littered his face on either side of his head, near his temples.

" I don't, actually." He said and Vera nodded and shook her head as she scoffed. She grabbed a knife that was in her boot and she brought it up to the guy's neck.

"I could give you matching scars again, if you'd like." She said and he blinked several times and she raised an eyebrow as she dug the blade into his neck. He hissed and spoke.

"Dreykov didn't tell me anything." He said and Vera pushed the blade hard enough to the point where blood came out a bit and he breathed out and spoke.

"D-Dreykov took two girls. They were both seven years old. I don't know where, or how he managed to take them, he never shared that information with me. All he did was give me what he was going to do to them." He said and Vera raised an eyebrow waiting for him to speak and he shook his head slightly and spoke.

"He wanted to bring back the Red Room, only this time it would have no flaws. It wouldn't be compromised." He said and Vera let out a humorless laugh and spoke.

"Drekov is dead." She said and the ex agent raised his eyebrows in worry and she spoke.

"I killed him. Six months ago. I want to know who is charge now that he's gone." She said and he shrugged and spoke.

"I-I don't know. He never told me anything." He said and Vera raised an eyebrow and nodded and took the arm rests of the wheelchair and she tipped the man over and he fell on his side, the wheelchair coming out from under him.

"That's for letting him kidnap innocent girls." She said and then she brought her knife up and dug it into his thigh and he let out a yell in pain.

"And that's for thinking you could lie to me." She said and then walked out of his home and walked out into the street.

"You really had to flip him over?" Nephthys asked to walk next to Vera as she walked to the car that was parked across the street  from the agent's home. She shrugged and spoke.

"He deserved what he got." She said, her Russian accent thick as she spoke with anger lacing her tone.

Nephthys smirked, proud of the red head before her and Vera walked to the driver's side and slid in. Her phone rang and she looked down at the contact and saw that it was Marc. She left it in the cup holder and began driving. It stopped ringing and then it began again.

"Ignoring Spector?" Nephthys asked and Vera blinked as the phone stopped ringing and she shrugged.

"I've just been busy-" She said and then the phone rang and Nephthys gave her a warning look and Vera rolled her eyes and picked up the phone.

"Hey." Vera said and Marc spoke almost immediatly.

"Are you alright? How'd it go?" He asked and Vera put the car in drive and began driving from the area.

"It didn't go anywhere. He didn't know anything about what was going on." She said and she drove down to the end of the street.

"Maybe it's time we start from the beginning." He said and Vera cringed at the word 'we'. Since Harrows fall, Vera, Marc, and Steven decided that they should try and test the waters with their relationship instead of picking up where it left off back in 2014. 

Vera was used to doing things on her own. She was used to fighting on her own, being alone, living alone, and now she shared an apartment with Marc and Steven. Since they established what they were trying to be, Steven brought up Easton, and since Dreykov's death Vera was busy not only finding and destroying Dreykov's work but she was also looking for the young brunette.

"Yeah, we could." She said and then Marc spoke as he stood and said,

"Maybe it's time you come home, then. If you take the hanger, you'll be here by 7. I just made dinner." He said and Vera winced once more. 'Home' was another thing she wasn't familiar with. After being taken by the Red Room at such a young age, and being thrown into her first mission when she was a toddler, Vera never knew what 'home' was. After all, even the idea of her parents, Melina and Alexei were staged.

"Uh, okay. Yeah I'll try and make it. I'll start from the beginning." She said and Marc hummed in agreement and spoke.

"Are you okay?" He asked and Vera glanced at Nephthys in the passenger's seat and then trained her eyes back on the road.

"Yeah." She said and she bit her lip at the lie, hoping he wouldn't say anything. He breathed in deep and she knew she was screwed.

"Vera." He said and Vera breathed out and spoke.

"I am. I'm just tired." She said and then she gripped her steering wheel and watched as a guy cut in front of her.

"And I miss you. And I forgot how terrible people drive in Russia." She said and Marc let out a little laugh and spoke.

"I miss you too. Just get home in time for dinner." He said and hung up Vera looked at Nephthys and the goddess spoke.

"You've gone soft." She said and Vera rolled her eyes and shook her head, annoyance rolling over her.

"Shut up."