Chapter 3 - Wiped

                                    

                                          
The Red Widow sat on her heels at the edge of the room while the others lounged on the sofas in front of her.
"We're a team you know Red," Dark star said glancing over at her, "you can sit with us."
The Red Widow didn't speak, she only shook her head.
Dark star shrugged and went back to sticking magnets to Vostok, the synthezoid of the Winter Guard, as discretely as possible.
"Red," Sidorov's voice made her head snap up, she stood instinctively as he addressed her, gaining her a slightly concerned look from Dark star. "Come with me please."
Red gave a nod and followed him out of the room, smacking Ursa's paw off of her cape as she passed him, there was already a stitch line in it from the last time he had ripped it.
As she walked through the door she scanned the room noting one other person standing in the room. Without need to address them, Red turned to Sidorov.
"This woman wants to know how you're doing," he told her, gesturing over to the dark haired woman who looked like she was waiting for something, "Do you know who she is?"
"Melina Vostokoff," Red told him, briefly glancing over to Melina.
"Can you take the mask off Vienna?" Melina asked, taking a step forward but stopped when Red stepped back.
"Why do people keep calling me that?" Red asked, turning away from Melina.
"It's a kind of nickname she used to use for you," Sidorov told her, sort of waddling around her to walk toward Melina, "in the experiment."
"Nicknames are for children," Red said sharply, making Melina betray her hidden hurt, "I have no official name, I don't need one."
"No you don't," Sidorov chuckled as he watched Melina's hurt expression harden.
"Isn't Red a nickname?" she asked, taking another step towards her daughter.
"It's a shortening of a title," Red opposed her argument, keeping a close eye on how close she got.
"So a nickname," Melina questioned her, hoping to find a glimpse of confusion in her that she could latch onto to find her child again, but it was hard when she couldn't see her face. "A silly thing for children?"
"It's efficient," Red countered again, certain of herself, "a radio call sign that was adopted."
"Take the mask off please," Melina said, her voice softening as she simply wanted to see her daughters face instead of staring into the soulless eyes of a mask, "can she, or have you welded it to her head?"
"She is capable," Sidorov laughed, walking over to them, "Do you want to take it off Red?"
Red shook her head.
"There we go," Sidorov said, raising his hands in a shrug, "free will and choice, everything you wanted for her. But, if I might put one more grain of salt in your wounds Melina. Red, who is Melina Vostokoff to you? What role did she play in your life?"
"Incubator," Red replied dryly, her eyes moving behind the mask as she glanced between them but the mask never moved.
"Your dismissed, well done," Sidorov said as he watched Melina try and calm herself down and straighten out her expression.
The Red Widow turned and exited the room, leaving Sidorov to gloat over Melina.
"She doesn't know you anymore," he said, closing the door behind Red, "she doesn't know any of you personally, she knows your names and who you are but, she doesn't know you. It's kinder this way, you know it too."
"She was happy," Melina said quietly, "she was moving passed all that pain we caused her, and she was starting to be happy."
"And I'm sure if you called her back in here," Sidorov chuckled, gesturing towards the door, "she would tell you she is happy now."
"She's not happy," Melina snapped at him, "she doesn't feel anything."
"Maybe not looking at you," Sidorov smiled, walking over to the door to the entrance hall to let Melina out, "but you should see her in action, the way she tortures people, that is true joy."
Melina walked past him in silence. She could barely keep herself together and she wouldn't be able to take the Winter Guard alone, even if Alexei stepped in to help her.
"Let her do her job Melina," Sidorov called after her, "she's good at it, and if you want to play happy families again there is always a spot for you in the motherland."
The door slammed without a word. Another creak made him turn around, Red popped her head through a tile in the ceiling, making Sidorov laugh as he saw her watching over him.