Arachnoid (Yelena Belova)

The Betrayal

"Nuh-uh. Come inside. Come. We need to have a talk, little spider."

"Yes ma'am," Rory deflates.

Rory is extremely uncomfortable inside the apartment. Both women appear friendly but guarded, and Rory feels like she's in trouble with her mom.

"Why are you following Natasha and lurking outside my apartment? That is very creepy, little spider."

"Oh, I'm not—I'm not a perv or anything, I just—well, I was just making sure I was safe. After the Black Widow showed up at my workplace and everything, I just—I'm sorry ma'am. I really mean no harm."

"First of all, stop calling me ma'am. Second of all, Почему ты пошел к ней на работу?" She turns to Natasha. (Why did you go to her work?)

"Мне было любопытно. Фьюри заставляет меня расследовать ее." (I was curious. Fury has me investigating her.)

Rory watches with wide eyes as the two women speak rapidly in Russian.

"Она опасна?" (Is she dangerous?)

"Не для нас." (Not to us.)

Yelena finally turns to Rory with a sigh. She almost laughs at Rory's terrified expression. "Stop following us. You will find yourself in a pepper."

"A pepper? What? You mean in a pickle?"

"Yes, whatever. It means the same thing. Get out of my apartment. And I expect a new plant."

"Yes ma'am—Yelena—is it okay if I call you Yelena? I'm gonna leave. Just one last thing. What does SHIELD want with me?"

Natasha studies Rory for a moment. "You're a mystery to us, Rory. You could potentially be a threat. Or a very useful ally. It's my job to find out which."

"And if I don't want that?" Rory asks defensively.

"I don't recall giving you a choice. Do not get in the way of my investigation."

Rory looks pissed, Yelena notices.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know. Pick me up tomorrow at 10 and bring me someone secure. And then stay the hell out of my life." She pauses. "It's for your own good."

With that, Rory exits the apartment and dives off the balcony, swinging further into the night.

Natasha's eyebrows are furrowed, wondering what set the woman off.

"What the hell was that about?" Yelena asks.

"I don't know yet. But it appears there's more to your little spider than we thought."

At exactly 10:00 the next morning, there is a knock at Rory's apartment door. Rory stands from the couch and walks to the entrance, opening it for the redhead on the other side.

"Ready to go?" Natasha asks. Rory only nods.

They make their way silently to the car. Natasha is conflicted by the tension in Rory's body.

"You aren't wearing your suit."

"It's better to be seen with Rory than to be seen with Arachnoid."

"Why is that?"

Rory doesn't reply. Natasha is pretty sure she already knows the answer.

At SHIELD headquarters, Natasha leads them to a small conference room.

"This is as secure as it gets. No cameras. Soundproof walls. Transmitter-blocking technology."

Rory nods. "I'm gonna tell you what you need to know. You can assess if I'm a threat and report back to your boss. The details stay here." Rory isn't confident that Natasha will keep her secrets, but she hopes.

"Deal," the redhead agrees.

"I was born normal. I had a happy childhood. Really happy, actually. My parents loved each other and provided everything I needed. I had a little sister named Hailey. The year between high school and college, I interned at Oscorp. When working in a lab, I was bitten by a radioactive spider. Those same spiders later gave Spiderman his powers. It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I became Arachnoid. My girlfriend, Abby Smith, was killed by a man I was fighting named the Green Goblin. I couldn't save her. Two months later, I was badly injured in an ambush. My parents and sister were killed in a car accident on the way to the hospital. The cops said there was no foul play, but I've never believed that. I finished college with my head down. I kept up being Arachnoid whenever I could. Flash forward and here we are. You know where I live and work. You know my routine. You know everything there is to know about me. Will you leave me alone now?"

Natasha is silent, a sorrowful wrinkle between her brows. A one-eyed man enters the room with a wide smile, clearing having heard everything said before. Betrayal settles bitterly in Rory's throat.

"See now that wasn't so hard. We thank you for your cooperation. As director of this organization, I am offering you an official position as an agent of SHIELD, Rory. What do you say?"

Rory looks to Natasha with an angry frown. "You lied to me. I knew you probably would but I wanted to give you a chance." She then looks to Director Fury. "I will never work for someone like you. This place has no honor. I held up my end of the deal, so stay out of my life."

Rory leaves without waiting for a reply, making her way home on her own. When she gets there, there's a blonde woman sitting on her couch, sipping on a beer.

"What are you doing here, Yelena?" Rory asks with a defeated sigh.

"Wow, not even a 'hi, how are you?' So rude. Let me guess, they tried to recruit you?" Rory nods. "You said no?" Another nod. Rory grabs a beer and sits on the opposite end of the couch. "I knew you would. I even told Natasha you'd say no. They try to wrangle me in all the time."

"But you say no? Even though Natasha works for them?"

"It is not my thing. I've been ordered around for too long. My sister trusts Nick Fury. I do not."

"You don't trust him?"

"Correct. Keep up, little spider. Anyway, for what it's worth, I think you made the decision."

"Thank you, Yelena." There's a pause in the conversation. "She betrayed my trust. Natasha, I mean."

Yelena almost pouts at this revelation. "I would not do that to you."

Due to a lack of words, Rory clinks her bottle to Yelena's and puts on a trashy TV show, trying not to let the past few days overwhelm her.

"She seems to think that you like me," Yelena adds after a few minutes of silence.

Rory looks at her, almost studying the small assassin. "I do."

"Hm. I think I like you too, little spider."

They both turn back to the TV.