Chapter 163: Respite

Natasha moved to sit beside Yelena, dressing the wound on her right arm.
"Is this all that's left?" Natasha asked, looking at the red gas vials in Yelena's backpack.
"Yes. Only this can stop Dreykov and his Widow network. They train rigorously every day, just like we did when we were kids. Maybe only one in twenty survives the training to become a Widow; for the rest, there is only death," Yelena said.
"To Dreykov, we are merely objects, faceless weapons that he can discard at a moment's notice because he always has more," Yelena continued, pausing briefly.
"No one goes after him anymore, thanks to you and Alexei," Yelena added.
"Alexei?" It had been a long time since Natasha last heard that name.
"Yeah, Dad," Yelena said, using the title from the past.
Natasha finished bandaging Yelena's arm, then moved back to sit opposite her, picking up a bottle of wine from the table and taking a sip.
"Have you ever looked for your parents? Your real parents?" Yelena asked Natasha, glancing at a cozy father-son pair working across the way in the auto repair shop.
"My mother threw me away on the streets like garbage. Why would I look for her? What about you?" Natasha asked wistfully.
"They destroyed my birth certificate, so I reinvented it. My parents still live in Ohio, and my sister moved out West," Yelena replied, taking a sip of wine as well.
"Is that so?" Natasha asked with a smile.
"You're a science teacher, but you work part-time, especially now that you have kids. And your husband, he handles the house renovations," Yelena invented a cozy persona for Natasha.
"Haha, that's not my story," Natasha replied with a smile.
"Then what is your story?" Yelena asked.
"...I've never allowed myself to sit alone and think about those things," Natasha couldn't say what she would do in the future, nor had she ever considered it.
"Have you ever thought about having kids? I want a dog," Yelena said.
"Where are you heading next?" Natasha asked.
"I don't know. I honestly have nowhere left to go, so I'll just go wherever," Yelena replied.
Natasha looked at Yelena and straightened up...
"Don't!" Yelena said suddenly.
"Don't what?" Natasha asked in confusion.
"You're about to give me some grand hero speech. I can feel it," Yelena said.
"I'm not great at speeches. This is more of an invitation," Natasha said, shaking her head with a smile.
"To come with you to the Red Room and kill Dreykov?" Yelena asked.

"Yes." Natasha nodded.
"Even though the Red Room is almost impossible to find? Dreykov is too cunning, and ordinary people can't kill him. We're still going?" Yelena asked again.
"Yes," Natasha replied.
"Sounds like a lot of work..." Yelena said.
"It should be fun, though!" Natasha said with a smile.
"Yeah! I think it sounds fun too," Yelena agreed.
Both knew what the other was thinking; they now shared a new objective: to completely destroy the Red Room.
"I saw where he keeps the keys," Natasha said, looking at Yelena, referring to the car keys belonging to the repair shop owner.
"Top drawer, in the green cabinet," Yelena said, reading her mind as she had noticed it too.
The two shared a knowing, subtle smile and clinked their wine bottles together in a toast. They stole the repair shop owner's car, and Natasha drove Yelena toward the airstrip where her plane was parked.
"You know what? This is the best gift I've ever bought myself," Yelena said from the passenger seat, stroking the dark green tactical vest she was wearing.
"This?" Natasha glanced over.
"Yeah. What? You don't like it?" Yelena asked.
"Isn't it like... surplus from an army warehouse, or something..." Natasha said hesitatingly, looking at the dark green vest.
"Well, it has a lot of pockets, I wear it all the time, and I even made a few modifications myself," Yelena interrupted, explaining defensively.
"Whatever you say," Natasha laughed, unable to decode Yelena's aesthetic.
"Shut up. The point is I never... I never had control over my own life before, and now I do! These are things I actually chose to do," Yelena continued to explain.
"Um... well, I like your vest," Natasha said, finally catching Yelena's drift.
"I knew it, I knew it! It's cool, right?" Yelena grew more animated, like a child showing off a new outfit.
"It's great, yeah, I love it!" Natasha played along to keep her happy.
"Though I genuinely have no idea where the Red Room is, sorry!" Yelena said, calming down a bit.
"I don't either, but I think I know someone who does," Natasha said.
"Really? Who?" Yelena asked in surprise.
"We need to go get my plane," Natasha replied.
"Fine," Yelena nodded.

"And about that gas of yours... actually, I have a friend who's even more formidable than this stuff. We could ask him for help," Natasha continued.
"Really? Which of your superhero friends?" Yelena asked, piqued with curiosity.
"The one you suspected needed to chug tons of gallons of water after a fight!" Natasha replied.
"Aquaman? Would he help us?" Yelena asked.
"Let me try contacting him..." Natasha connected the car's Bluetooth and dialed Arthur's number.
"Beep... beep... beep... beep..." It rang for a long time with no answer.
"Looks like we can't count on him," Yelena said, listening to the monotonous tone.
"He's probably asleep; he generally likes to sleep a lot," Natasha dialed again. It was already two in the morning.
"Beep... beep... beep... Hello? Natasha, what do you want at this hour?" Arthur's lazy voice came through the phone.
"Uh, I need your help with something," Natasha said.
"I'm trying to sleep... not interested!" Arthur refused impatiently, unbothered.
"Wait! If you help me, I'll owe you a favor, how about that?" Fearing Arthur would hang up, Natasha offered immediately.
"Stubborn... fine. It's rare for you to ask me for a favor. Spill it—where and when?" Arthur thought about it. Natasha rarely asked for assistance, so this must be important, and he had nothing better to do lately anyway. He might as well help out.
"Tomorrow morning, come to Budapest. I'll send you the location later," Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. With Arthur's help, her chances of winning would increase exponentially.
"Okay, just text me the coordinates, I can get there in a second..." Arthur's voice trailed off, clearly exhausted beyond belief.
"Alright, thanks then, good night!" Not wanting to disturb his rest further, Natasha said.
"Night..." Arthur replied before hanging up.
"I never took you for someone with such clout. Now I finally see the perks of you joining the Avengers," Yelena remarked from the side.
"They're kind of like family to me..." Natasha said with a touch of emotion.