web of lies | kate bishop x yelena belova

twelve | old friends

|slight spoilers from echo|

A few hours previously

Kate walked down the bustling streets of New York City, the familiar sounds and sights of the urban landscape providing a temporary escape from the responsibilities weighing on her shoulders. Beside her, Lucky trotted along happily, his tail wagging as he enjoyed the walk with his favorite human. With each step, Kate felt the weight of the day slowly lifting off her shoulders. She glanced down at Lucky, who looked up at her with adoring eyes, his presence a source of comfort and companionship.

As Kate and Lucky made their way up to her apartment building, a subtle sense of unease began to creep over her. It was a feeling she couldn't quite shake, a nagging intuition that something was off, although she couldn't pinpoint the source of her unease.

Reaching the familiar door to her apartment, Kate's unease intensified slightly. It was then that she realized she didn't have any of her usual weapons on her. Her mind briefly raced through her usual arsenal, but tonight she had left everything behind, perhaps in a rush to escape the demands of the day. The only form of defense she had was the small pepper spray her mom had insisted she carry after the stalker incident. Kate couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle at the thought. As if a tiny can of pepper spray would be of much use in a real threat.

Nevertheless, she retrieved the pepper spray from her bag, feeling a sense of vulnerability she hadn't experienced in a while. The streets of New York could be unpredictable, and while she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, tonight she was reminded to always have a weapon on her.

As Kate entered her apartment, a sense of caution settled over. She closed the door behind her, locking it out of habit, and then began to search the bottom half of her apartment methodically. Glancing back at the door, she saw Lucky sitting there, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by a concerned look in his eyes. "Stay there, boy," Kate said softly to Lucky, acknowledging his worry as she continued her sweep of the apartment.

With the pepper spray clutched tightly in her hand, Kate moved from room to room, checking behind doors and in corners. The familiar surroundings of her apartment felt both comforting and foreign in this moment of heightened vigilance. As Kate finished checking her apartment, her senses still on high alert, she turned back towards the door where Lucky was waiting. However, before she could fully relax, a sudden movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. In an instant, her training kicked in, and she whirled around, ready to confront the unexpected intruder.

But her defensive stance faltered as she recognized the figure stepping out from behind a piece of furniture. "Maya?" Kate's voice carried a mix of surprise and confusion as she lowered her guard, her muscles tensed but not in attack mode anymore. "What are you doing here?" Simultaneously, Kate's hands moved in Sign Language forming the question "What are you doing here?" with fluid gestures.

Maya's response was swift as she signed back, her hands forming the words in Sign Language, "I need your help. Fisk is after me."

The gravity of Maya's words was evident in her signing, the urgency palpable even without spoken words. "Fisk?" Kate signed back, her brows furrowing in concern. "What happened? Why is Fisk after you?" she continued.

Maya's response carried a weight of anger and sorrow as she signed back with intensity, her facial expression reflecting her emotions. "He is responsible for my father's death," Maya signed, her eyes flashing with anger as she recalled the painful memories. There was a brief pause as she gathered her thoughts, the emotions still raw. Then she continued, "I tried to kill him, but it turns out he lived."