Hello! So this is the first chapter of a fan fiction that I’ve written, taken down, uploaded again, edited etc. I have finally edited it to a point where I am happy to have it out on the internet again! I have 23 chapters already written that I just need to edit again before I put it out! If you like this one please let me know and if you want to follow it, message me and I’ll make a taglist!
The Red Room hid so many secrets, its years of producing underground espionage experts in the form of deadly women has made the institute hungry. The Black Widow program very quickly isn’t enough and so the Scorpion program is developed.
But no one is viable, not one young girl is born with the active Kree gene. Until Elena Marakova is born.
Slight AU starting from Avengers Assemble and through to Endgame. Is pre and post events to this period of my own ideas. Mainly follows MCU however will be some small deviations.
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Nikolai Marakova stared, expressionless, at white knuckles as they clutched the steering wheel of his stationery car, grinding against the leather as his grip rocked back and forth. Despite the persistent and invasive ringing in his ears, the susurration of the falling snow onto the car roof was almost deafening. His hat, a symbol of military power and respect, rested on the biscuit leather next to him and as his gaze washed over it and up to his home, discontent rose in his chest and bile in his throat.
Smoke was billowing from the chimney of his home and Nikolai, despite never being there to witness it, was familiar with his wives routine. Alyona would have lit the fireplace as soon as she had woken. Like she did everyday, she would have muttered to herself about how the cold caught her bones in the winter and she could barely shake the feeling in the summer. She would often define her life as nothing more than a year-long battle to keep warm. Nikolai knew his wife was not completely unjustified in her admissions, the sun never rose high over St. Petersburg. It failed daily to burn away even the fine top layer of snow under its feeble heat. Instead, its light reflected off the blanket of white that always coated the city. Alyona was born in Sochi and still hadn’t adjusted to the difference in climate despite moving to St Petersburg five years ago as Nikolai’s new wife. Yet, upon being presented with her own home and not an apartment that the hundreds that stretched above the city skylines, she knew that they were both incredibly lucky.
Nikolai sighed for the countless time since he’d left work, it did little to quell his mood as he pulled himself from his car and placed his hat back atop his head. Though the house was identical to the other nineteen on the street, being small and compact, it was still a place they could call their own. As much as you could call anything your own in Soviet Russia. The reality of life beyond the Iron Curtain was not as lost on the general public as the government would have liked to think. It was widely accepted that yes, the government were great in that they gave you a home to raise your children and a job with which to feed them, but it could easily take away anything it gave.
Nikolai’s feet felt heavy as he walked up the small path to his front door, snow crunching under foot. He couldn’t help but think about how it had felt when he had returned from the Afghan War to a new and unplanned to greet him. He had been terrified from the moment the letter had been delivered to him on the frontline but as soon as he saw his daughter, a tiny, perfect combination of him and Alyona, all hesitation vanished as if it had never been there at all. But an honourable discharge was not as ‘honourable’ as they tried it make it sound. Yes, Nikolai had walked away from major conflict relatively unscathed, a privilege passed down to few others. Yes, he had been awarded with the Order of the Red Banner to adorn his chest and yes, he was grateful that he had taken the opportunity to fight for the motherland and do her proud. But army pensions were not generous so when the KGB had approached him with a distinguished job offer, a job that without question should have gone to a man much more qualified than himself, Nikolai had few other options. From the months he had worked there he couldn’t deny that the job had it perks; it paid well, and he was respected throughout his community. A respect that extended to both his wife and child.
But events could change their course with little warning, he had learnt that before on the frontline and again today.
Alyona greeted her husband the same way she did every other evening, but her kiss to his cheek was not reciprocated and instead of the usual dashing smile she had fallen in love with seven years ago, she was met with a sombre look that caused unease to rise in her stomach. Her questioning eyes didn’t leave her husbands face as he stared over her shoulder and down the hall to the small redheaded girl that was propped up in her highchair in the kitchen, babbling to herself as she played in her own make believe land with her arctic wolf toy.
Nikolai said nothing but guided his wife into the living room, softly closing the door behind them. As soon as they could be seen by no one, their own child included, Nikolai’s agitation became clear. He began to pace the room, stopping briefly to explain his concerns to his wife before his feet continued their repetitive distressed movements.
“But she’s just a baby. What could they possibly want with her?” Alyona quizzed her husband. Her voice was strained as a delicate hand rested on the only photograph of the small family, it had been taken in the hospital the day Elena had been born fifteen months ago. Nikolai could only shrug in response as Alyona’s concern grew from not only fearing for her child but for her whole family. If Elena’s safety was at risk so was theirs, she found her grip tightening on the wooden mantlepiece. Alyona remained silent as her husband removed his hat and callously tossed it to the floor, a clear display of disrespect.
“I don’t know.” He finally replied, “But they have a file on her. It was her name that caught my eye, photographs, since she was born right up until about a week ago. It looks like they’ve been following us for a while. They’ve got her date of birth, our names. Your whole family tree. I wasn’t meant to be in the secure records hall but…across the front of the file it was stamped ‘VIABLE’.
“Viable?” Alyona questioned. “What does that mean? Viable for what? Is that why they promoted you so quickly? Is that why you got the job at all? So they could get to Elena?” Prior to this very evening, Alyona had disregarded the hushed rumours she’d heard about her husband; that he wasn’t deserving of his title, that better men had missed out on the opportunity so he could have it. Now, she would give anything to let another family have this calamity in their home.
Nikolai once again shrugged in response to her questions, unable to find any answer that would soothe his wife. The weight of his jacket quickly became too much to bear so he harshly pulled it from his shoulders before letting it drop to the floor, alongside his hat. The Red Star emblem contrasting heavily against the khaki green of the fabric.
“I didn’t get to look at it properly. I don’t think it was even supposed to be there. There was so much crammed into it. But your family tree…there was a word in English ‘Kree’ I think? Kree Positive. What does that mean?”
Alyona watched cautiously as her husband pulled his fingers through his now thinning hair. She couldn’t help but remember how much thicker it had been when they’d met and how he had been so full of life. Even upon his return from the Afghan War, there had been more sparkle in his eyes. Yet, his job had taken a lot out of him over the year or so since he’d been recruited. There were often evenings when he refused to discuss what he had done during the days he had been gone. Alyona knew this night marked her husband’s breaking point when he approached the living room door and silently opened it, watching as their daughter mumbled to her wolf in the kitchen, patiently waiting in her own fantasy world, completely unaware of the imbroglio unfolding around her.
“What are we going to do?” Alyona questioned, tears beginning to sting her eyes as she noticed her throat was suddenly dry. Neither had discussed Nikolai’s work in too much detail but they knew that what the KGB wanted, it got. Families had often gone missing before and whilst the community would fabricate stories to explain the strange disappearances to themselves, everyone’s thoughts were the same - though no one ever dared to voice them.
A few moments of thick apprehension passed whilst Alyona waited for her husband to make his decision. Whilst unsure of what it would be, she knew that things were going to change very drastically. Eventually, he turned to her, a silent but steely determination on his face.
“We leave.” He answered, barely above a whisper. “Tonight.”
Alyona scraped her long blonde tresses back into a ponytail as she began to rifle through her wardrobe, searching for the lightest and yet warmest clothes to travel in. As she stuffed them into her suitcase without much care for folding them properly, she spotted Elena in the reflection of the wardrobe door mirror, silent confusion etched into her child’s face. Nikolai hadn’t said much as he’d marched out of the front door to make plans for their getaway, only leaving her with instructions to pack the essentials. As she closed her wardrobe door, knowing it was unlikely she would ever sleep in her own bed again, Alyona turned to her daughter, eager to quell any fear her baby could potentially be feeling.
“Papa has surprised us with a holiday. Isn’t that exciting?” Elena nodded enthusiastically as she was lifted into her mothers arms and was carried downstairs and back into the kitchen where a pot of Solyanka was had been bubbling all afternoon.
“Supper?” Elena asked, and Alyona nodded again, placing her daughter at the kitchen table before beginning to take family photographs from their glass frames and wrapping them between layers of newspaper. She didn’t see Elena’s eyebrows furrow in confusion at the odd choice of holiday packing.
The sun had dropped below the horizon and a heavy darkness had engulfed the outside world when Nikolai returned, a consuming gloominess, howling wind and a flurry of snowflakes accompanying him through the door.
Dinner was eaten in relative silence that night. Only the low hum of the refrigerator and the static from the radio as it faded between stations invaded the strained silence as Elena’s gaze shifted between her parents, each of them smiling falsely when they caught her questioning blue eyes.
“Papa?” Elena finally asked, pulling er Father from the far - away place where his thoughts were running riot. Alyona gripped her fork tightly as she glanced hesitantly between her husband and daughter.
“Yes?” Nikolai answered, his voice cracking from being quiet for so long. Elena pulled a stack of drawings from her lap and held them out for her Father to examine. For such a young child, Elena’s motor skills had always been developed beyond that of her age and prior to now, Nikolai had been proud that his child was steps in front of others, now he wished that what ever it was that made her so desirable to the KGB didn’t exist.
“Are you excited for our holiday?” Nikolai asked as Alonya set desert down in front of them. Elena nodded eagerly, her mouth full of Ptichye Moloko. Alyona and her husband shared silent looks of trepidation with determination as they began to clear their dishes for what would be the last time.
It was always a risk, travelling at night. Riots had been erupting in the countries under Soviet Rule in the recent decade and the government had responded by enforcing strict curfews. Nikolai and Alyona were relieved that St. Petersburg had remained relatively claim during the outbursts, allowing them to pack their essential items and slip their only child, tightly wrapped in a blanket, into the backseat of their car. As Nikolai turned the key in the ignition, Alyona glances over her shoulder to their still - lit home. A dim glow came from the couple’s bedroom. Their plates from dinner would still be drying on the rack and Elena’s colourful scribbles were still on the coffee table. Nikolai had said leaving the lights on would attract less attention, it would look like the were still at home and Alyona could only agree. She knew they needed to get as far away as possible before anyone noticed something was amiss.
The roads of St. Petersburg were relatively empty, much to the relief of the couple as they both glanced to the backseat where their child still slept, her teddy still firmly in her grip. Working women and soldiers stumbling from bars to use their services were the only bodies that stood in the cold night. Eventually they left the city and the roads began to thin into bleak countryside.
“Who is this man you’re entrusting to get us out?” Alyona asked, her voice cracking slightly.
“An old friend from the Army. We fought together in Afghanistan. He was given an honourable discharge soon after me and we kept in contact.” Nikolai answered quietly, paying more attention to the road than was necessary. “He has an old plane, a decommissioned WWII bomber. He says he can get us to France and he has a contact there who will get us seen by the US embassy.”
Alyona’s hands were clenched in fists in her lap. Defectors were executed, everyone knew that. Few people had ever successfully left the motherland, and none of those that did were carrying a small child. But Alyona refuse to let the KGB take her only daughter and use her for their own sick gains. She had often overheard the wives of other high -ranking officers discussing the international operations their husbands were assigned to and it was the stuff of nightmares.
The drive was not a short one and before long, Alyona had succumbed to the soothing reverberation of the car engine. Resting her forehead against the cool glass of the window, she was unable to fend off sleep. Nikolai was left alone in silence to contemplate the severity of what they were doing. They were already too far gone to return - if a neighbour had seen them leave they had probably already reported them. It was highly likely they home was already crawling with KGB officers looking for clues as to the families whereabouts. As Nikolai glanced in his wing mirror, the lights of St. Petersburg were nothing more than tiny specs in the distance. He knew that his old friend would live off the grid, but he hadn’t anticipated for Matvei to live so rurally and alone. It was clear a lifestyle of seclusion had taken a toll on his friend as Nikolai finally arrived and switched off the car engine.
Matvei Ivanakov was a tall, gaunt man. His mother had dies when he was a baby, one of the many fatalities of the famine Stalin had enforced on Ukraine. She left Matvei and his Father no choice but to move to Moscow where her child’s grandparents lived. Matvei’s Father had died not long after the erection of the Berlin Wall, his final military services were spent guarding it. He had served his country for the entirety of the Second World War and would often brag at how he had been one of the troops to storm Hitler’s bunker during when the Red Army had finally broken Berlin. Yet his final act of service to his country was to shoot a fifteen-year-old boy trying to jump the dividing wall to be reunited with his mother.
When Matvei had received news of his father’s death. He was ‘gifted’ the small shed he now called home, the Soviet governments sign of appreciation for over ten years of military service.
Nikolai was glad for the lack of lighting on Matvei’s property. His friends eyesight had been deteriorating even in Afghanistan and Nikolai knew he wasn’t doing a good job of hiding the look of pity upon his face. It was clear to see that Matvei didn’t have much.
“You are either extremely brace, or extremely stupid.” Matvei grimaced as the two shook hands. Nikolai gently encouraged his wife awake who then quickly lifted a still-sleeping Elena from the back seat. Alyona cast a cautious glance at Matvei, untrusting him herself, but respecting her husbands decision that this stranger was their best hope of leaving Russia alive. Nikolai retrieved their bags from the boot and loaded them into the small plane as Matvei climbed into the cockpit and began to go through his take-off procedure. Alyona rested Elena in her car seat, in the belly of the small plane. It was an aircraft designed to carry weaponry, not people - the journey was going to be uncomfortable.
Nikolai handed his wife a can of petrol as she joined him back at their car and the two of them splashed it over the outside and drenched the interior before leading a trail away from the vehicle. Nikolai scratched the sulphur layer away from a match and dropped it to the floor. The fumes ignited with a metallic sheen that gave way to burning orange heat - the pair watched as the flames engulfed the vehicle. For a few moments, they watched the car disintegrate, orange flames breaking the darkness of the wilderness and offering them momentary escape from the bitter cold.
“No going back.” Alyona reminded her husband quietly. Nikolai sighed as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder.
“There never was.” He assured her. “As soon as I saw her name…I knew we were getting out. I love our county, and I’ve given so much. But they can’t have our daughter.”
Alyona nodded in silent agreement and no more words were exchanged as they both climbed into the plane and took to the skies. Soviet Russia was dark, as were the countries that had joined the expanding empire. She recalled that some Western politician had referred to the divide through Europe as the ‘Iron Curtain’ and it was easy to see why. She only knew they had reached Germany when she saw a single line separating the darkness from the streetlights on the other side of the wall. Elena remained fast asleep whilst Alyona stroked her hair in a soothing fashion - reminiscent of the way her own mother had comforted her in times of trouble. She was prepared for her baby to be scared when she woke, she had fallen asleep in her own bedroom in her own home, a place she would never see again.
The landing was a bumpy one, and the youngest passenger was finally beginning to stir from her sleep. As the plane for opened Alyona welcomed the warmer air, despite it being 3.30am, They were on a small airstrip, only a few landing lights on a strip of tarmac that was surrounded by mesh wire fencing. A sleek black car waited at the edge of the tarmac and when the propellors of the plane stopped rotating, a man in a tailored black suit stepped out and approached the small family. Elena stirred awake in her Father’s arms and her eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar location.
“Welcome to Paris. Mr & Mrs Marakova.” The man smiled. Elena pushed herself up, so she could see the source of the voice and watched closely as her father shook hands with man before he ticked her under the chin. She scowled heavily at him, and buried her face in her fathers collar, inhaling the smell of his cologne.
“My name is Senator Warren.” The suited man introduced, chuckling at Elena’s display of unhappiness. “I have been informed of your situation and understand you wish to officially sever your ties from the United Soviet States of Russia, and the KGB. You also request that US Citizenship be granted to yourself, your wife and child. Is that correct?” Nikolai nodded as he passed Elena over to Alyona. He retrieved their tree passports from his coat alongside his KGB Identity card. The senator took all four documents and examined them closely before tucking them in an internal pocket of his coat.
“You are aware, that if my government agrees to offer you refuge in our country, and give you each a new identity, something will be expected in return.” Nikolai nodded without hesitation.
“Yes. I understand. Whatever they - you want, I will tell you. We can’t go back. They want our daughter.” Senator Warren cast a speculative glance at the fifteen month old drifting back off to sleep in her mothers embrace.
“What on earth would the Soviet Government and the KGB want with a harmless baby girl?”
“We do not plan to find out Senator.” Alyona staled sternly, causing both men to look at her, Senator Warren with an air of surprise. “We will you everything you wish to know.”
The American nodded slowly and gestured to the family to get into the backseat of the car whilst he joined the driver in the front. Nikolai nodded in silent thanks to Matvei as his friend returned the gesture - starting his engined and taxying down the airstrip.
As the car glided through the streets of Paris, heading for the US embassy, Senator Warren turned in his seat.
“I can’t make any promises. At the end of the day, the information you provide must be deemed useful tot he U.S. Government. If it’s not…we will not accept you.”
“I understand.” Nikolai replied.
Elena gazed out of the window of the small plane that they had all to themselves. Alyona had told her it belonged to the man in the suit and so she had to make sure she didn’t put her feet on the chairs. Elena had been getting far too much attention from the secretaries to pay any attention to another boring man in an another boring suit. She had started a whole new collection of drawings with the pencils she had been given at the embassy and her Father had given her a brown satchel to keep them all in.
Her attention was diverted from the clouds as she heard Senator Warren speak to her Father.
“These will be your new passports.” He handed them three small blue books. “If you don’t hold up your end of the deal, these will be revoked, and you will be removed from U.S. soil.”
“Senator, do you have children?” Nikolai asked, as he accepted the documents. Warren sat back in his seat and nodded.
“Four girls. I always wanted a boy, but it just hasn’t happened. My wife is pregnant with our fifth and I’m just hoping I get a son this time round.”
“Is there anything you wouldn’t do for them?”
“Then you know I will hold up my end of the deal.”
“Leyna, come here.” Alyona held out her hand for her daughter as she pulled her onto her lap. She pointed out the window and as a cloud drifted away, Elena saw a huge statue standing in the water, holding a book under one arm and a flamed torch in the other. She had seen statues in St. Petersburg, honouring the dead and fallen from past conflicts, but nothing like this.
“What?” Elena questioned simply, her hands pressed against the glass as her eyes widened at the sight before her.
“Lady Liberty.” Senator Warren answered as he began to put his paperwork in his briefcase. “Welcome to New York, young lady.”
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