Second Chance - Romanogers

10

Russia, 1998

Natalia Romanova and Vadim Yahantov were back on their journey.
Nobody had said anything about their previous actions and it didn't seem like anyone was going to.

Natalia kept a steady grip on the steering wheel, while making quick glances towards the passenger seat where Vadim sat. She hadn't had feelings like this before, living in the red room for most of her childhood and all. This was going to complicate things for when they got back to the red room and Vadim found out she'd lied, but Natalia trusted things to work out for the best.

"Natalia." Her name cut through the silence that surrounded them.

She turned to look at him again, and this time his eyes were already trained on her. "Yes?"

"My brother," He started to say, "how did you find him? Do you think he's going to make it?" His eyes grew sadder with every word, and Natalia's heart ached when she knew she'd have to dive even deeper into this lie.

"I was walking nearby and I heard his screams and the gunshot. I came as quick as I could and called an ambulance." The words came smoothly out of her mouth. Lying was like breathing to her. Of course, she was prepared for all sorts of questions he would ask. Or at least she was until they'd gotten personal.
"As soon as we'd gotten to the emergency room I asked questions and he gave me your name."

"How'd you find me?" Vadim asked.

That question. That one simple question was what stumped her. The red room refused to trust her with information about his work at that factory. She didn't know why they needed him.

3 minutes. Just 3 minutes and she wouldn't have to answer another question.

Vadim sat there and furrowed his brow at how quiet she became. There was something she wasn't telling him. Had his brother found out about his work?

"When I was little, I wanted to be a police officer." He laughed lightly at the thought. "I assumed it would be cool to work for the government and get to tell people what to do."

Natalia smiled at him. Why was he telling her this?

2 minutes.

"Then there was my brother. He wanted to be an astronaut." Vadim continued, "I never said anything, but I was scared of space. I was scared of losing him, and I wanted to protect him in any way I could."

1 minute.

They were about to enter the training facility. The secrets were about to come out. She wondered if he'd caught on that they weren't going to see his brother by now. She assumed he had.

Vadim's voice drifted off as he looked around him. Snow was falling in light flakes all around them.
His eye sight met a woman's. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and she stood tall with high posture and her arms connected behind her back.

Two large men walked out of the main doors as the gate opened and Natalia drove them inside.
The men stopped outside of Vadim's door and he gave Natalia a look.
This look send chills down her spine. His eyes were wide and fearful. A look that said I trusted you. How could you?

She opened her door and stepped out, nodding to the men in greeting. She then gestured for Vadim to follow her lead.

As soon as he'd stepped out of the car, the men were on him.

Natalia stumbled back in surprise as Vadim was thrown to the ground, and hit until he fell to unconsciousness.

She watched silently as the two men dragged Vadim inside, followed by the woman.

A million questions swam through her head, and she scrambled into the facility.

As soon as Natalia entered, she was stopped by more men, who towered above her. They moved her to where a group of girls stood. These girls were her fellow assassins that she knew so very well, including Yelena Belova.

"What's going on?" She whispered to her as she watched the men stand, blocking the hallway. Vadim Yahantov was nowhere in sight.

"That guy you brought back from your job," Yelena whispered back, keeping her eyes in front of her and barely moving a muscle. "They're torturing him for information."

"Information?" Natalia repeated. Probably this had something to do with the company he worked for. "Then what?"

"Nobody knows, they aren't saying a word." Yelena said, ending the sentence with a tone of voice that announced their conversation was finished.

After a while of pondering her conversations with Vadim, Natalia's voice was called from across the room.

Hurriedly, she followed the people who called her. Glancing back, she noticed the other girls were being led to a different place.

"Natalia Romanova." The tall woman said once they'd stopped walking. "You have been nearly successful on your mission. To complete it we have one last task for you. It will finish your initial training and lead you onto the path of becoming our most prized assassin."

Natalia didn't understand.

She was waved into a room. Vadim was tied to a post by his hands and his mouth was gagged. Natalia made eye contact with his black and blue face. His eyes were coated in fear.
Vadim's mouth mumbled words of despair. He pleaded as the men pulled a brown sack over his head and stepped away.

The woman nodded at Natalia and something clicked in her mind. She reached into her jacket and her hand surrounded the gun she'd brought on her task. She pulled it out of her pocket and pointed it out in front of her. Towards Vadim.

No. It wasn't Vadim. It wasn't. This was her mission. Her one purpose. She had to do it, but that's all it was. Vadim wasn't here. As far as she was concerned he'd never existed.
Memories of the day pushed themselves into her mind but she convinced herself they weren't there. That would make this harder. The man in front of her in the brown sack was simply her target. She'd shot target practice before, this wasn't any different. Natalia knew that if she didn't complete her task she'd be paying for it, and as they'd taught her in the red room, you can only look out for yourself.

And so, she squinted her eyes ever so slightly, adjusted her aim, and pulled the trigger.