Venomous

53. A Seat at the Table

It wasn't the sound of animals – pigs specifically – that caught my attention when I crossed a ridge, giving us a bird's eye view into the canyon below where Melina's compound was situated. It was the glint of metal off something in that valley, indicating that a rifle was pointing in our direction, and we were at least being observed if not directly targeted. I hissed quietly, catching Natasha's hand, and pulling her back for a moment while Alexei and Yelena continued, engaged in some form of argument. I stopped listening to the sound of his voice shortly into the walk, not only for my own sanity, but also for his survival.

"I saw it too," Natasha murmured as soon as we were a few paces behind.

"I want to go down there out of sight and make sure that no one's going to be firing unexpectedly," I murmured back. Natasha nodded. She kept ahold of my wrist as the symbiote skin slid over my body, rendering me practically invisible.

"I'm still not used to holding onto something I can't see," she chuckled, squeezing my wrist before letting go. We bounded down the hill, careful to avoid any dry brush or loose dirt that may tip whoever was down there off to our approach.

She put it down.

AV grumbled in what sounded almost like disappointment, and I smirked to myself. Both of us were extra on edge, and ready for a fight. We made the clearing in front of the compound, and I also noted that the rifle had been lowered. The glint I had caught from the top of the hill appeared to be from the scope. Melina had seen us, most likely identified us, and determined that we were not a threat. It was mind blowing to me – two trained assassins and a slightly out of shape super soldier, along with me, and it wasn't deemed a threat. Who was this woman that played their mother? We scowled, remembering our conversation from the jet. This woman was still working for Dreykov and the red room present day. Regardless of what the widows may say, she was certainly a threat in my perspective, and I was going to treat her as such until she demonstrated otherwise.

Melina kept her eyes trained on the trio making their way down the side of the hill behind me. If she had any indication of me and AV's presence, she made no move to give it away. We continued moving forward, crouching slightly as the other three began to approach. I watched Melina's eyes narrow into a frown as she looked between each of her three 'Family' members, and she looked past them. She knew that someone else had been with them, and she was now wondering where I had gone. Melena and Alexei stared at each other through a chain link fence for what seemed like eternity. Then she deliberately took her eyes off Alexei to focus instead on the two widows. She stared at them with a kind of familiarity, laced with something else. Not fear. Determination. Resolve. A very fierce will. I frowned to myself. This didn't bode well.

"Honey, we're home." Alexei's voice was both wistful and hopeful – sentiments that were certainly not reflected on the faces of those around me. Melina strode though the gate, rifle still clutched securely in-hand as she walked past Natahsa, examining our motley crew.

"Where's the other one?" Her voice was not exactly what I expected. It was harsh and distinctly Russian, but there was a softness beneath it as well. Natasha looked over to our general direction – it was uncanny how she could almost...sense...us...and nodded to me. I sighed, becoming visible gradually to avoid the likelihood of that rifle suddenly being pointed at me. Once visible, AV's white goop started retreating, leaving my normal-looking skin behind. Both Melina and Alexei blinked at me. Melina approached me, her eyes roaming over my body, and her lips were moving like she was talking to herself. "What is this?" It was a question but her voice was flat. She was too busy staring. We tensed as she walked closer, moving the rifle to one hand and reaching out almost like she was going to touch us. Before AV could growl, Natasha shook her head violently.