The rise of the White Widow

"Alex?"

The area I'm in feels like a never-ending maze. No matter which way I turn, I can't seem to find an exit. Despite this, I remain calm, as there doesn't appear to be anyone here with intentions to harm me - or at least, that's what I hope.

After what feels like an eternity, I come across a door marked "Exit." With a sense of relief, I push the door open and am greeted by the glaring sunlight. Instinctively, I shield my eyes as they adjust to the sudden brightness.

As my vision clears, I begin looking around at my surroundings. My eyes widen in a mixture of horror and dark amusement when they fall upon numerous lifeless bodies strewn across the ground.

"Well, looks like I found the guards," I can't help but laugh nervously, unsure of what other surprises might be in store for me.

I cautiously navigate through the sea of lifeless bodies that lay before me, each belonging to either Hydra or Red Room operatives. A wave of confusion washes over me as I ponder who could have possibly killed them all. As I make my way past the seemingly endless rows of corpses, I find myself at the edge of a dense forest.

My attention is quickly drawn to a trail of blood on the ground which appears fresh. In a scenario reminiscent of every horror film cliché, I choose to follow the blood trail, even though my gut tells me to run in the opposite direction. The path takes me over fallen trees, across small creeks, and through rustling leaves.

Eventually, the trail leads me to a sleek jet with its door invitingly open. It seems like an ominous invitation from whoever was responsible for this carnage. I prepare myself for what may lay ahead by loading my gun and cautiously approach the craft. As I draw closer, faint voices begin to reach my ears; though they sound familiar, I can't quite place where I've heard them before. With caution, I inch forward, ready for whatever awaits me.

Just as I'm about to turn around and head back into the dense forest, I suddenly feel the cold, hard barrel of a gun pressing against the back of my head. My heart starts racing.

"Don't move," a gruff man's voice orders, making my muscles tense up immediately. I've always had a strong dislike for men. "Drop the gun and put your hands in the air."

With my pulse pounding in my ears, I slowly kneel down on the damp ground, gently placing my gun down before carefully kicking it away from me. As instructed, I raise my hands above my head, trying to keep them as steady as possible.

"Turn around, slowly," the man commands.

As I slowly turn to face him, I find myself staring right into the barrel of his gun. But just as quickly as our eyes meet, he lowers his weapon when he sees my face. There's a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Alex?" he says, clearly surprised to see someone he knows.

I take a deep breath and try to find any trace of familiarity in this man's face.

"Natasha! Get out here!" The man shouts urgently, his eyes locked on me as he stands his ground, "Nat!"

"I'm coming, jeez, hold your horses Clint!" A woman's voice calls out from within the nearby jet.

Within a few seconds, I hear the rustling of leaves and a set of heavy footsteps approaching from behind me. Curiosity piqued, I turn my head and catch sight of a tall, red-haired woman. There's something strangely familiar about her face and tone.

Upon noticing me, her eyes widen in surprise and her expression softens. "Alex?" she breathes out my name with a mix of shock and relief.

Why do all these people know my name? I wonder, trying to hide my confusion and unease. As she walks over to me with arms extended, ready to pull me into a hug, I instinctively lean back to avoid the embrace.