Chapter 32

                                    

                                          
⋈ THE CRIMSON WIDOW ⋈

Natasha stood up from the chair and levelled with Dreykov without fear.
    From where Natasha was resided the Taskmaster heeled it's gun, the sound pulling her attention to across the office. Dreykov threw his hand up toward the Taskmaster who had their gun trained on Natasha. The Taskmaster halted, waiting for further instruction.
"Now, now." Dreykov cooed turning his focus to the Taskmaster before continuing his deliverance. "Don't go breaking my new toy." 
From his warning, the Taskmaster withdrew the gun and slotted it back into the gun snug, following order.
    Back with Alexei and 'Natasha', Alexei was still crying out in his cell hoping to be heard, but most likely still not seen. Alexei had both hands pressed against the glass cell door and started talking to 'Natasha' in her cell next to him. 
"Natasha,"
'Natasha' who was sitting on the bench, turned to her right as she heard Alexei calling for her, on the other side of the wall.
    "I can't save us." Alexei breathed in shortly. "I need you to know that I'm sorry," 'Natasha' huffed out softly, having enough of his bullshit whining and been locked up for awhile with his company. "-I pledged my life to a cause. You know, I thought I was being very brave. Possibly the bravest. But I wasn't being brave." 
'Natasha' slightly shifted.
    To add to Alexei' dramatics, he placed his forehead against the glass with his eyes closed. "I was coward." What then seemed to be a held - in cry and forceful breath out, Alexei fogged up the glass and slid down lethargically to one knee with his hands still pressed on the glass.
"In Cuba, when they came and took you away from me." 'Natasha stood up hastily from the bench. Alexei once again breathed on the glass and fogged it up. "No cause is worth that."
     "You should only sacrifice yourself-" Alexei took another breathe. "-for something." Alexei was cut from his dramatic dialogue due to the glass door he was leaning on to be opened and him watching in awe.
"How did you do that?" Alexei questioned 'Natasha' that was adjacent to him.
    "I designed these cells myself." 'Natasha' waved her head and hands as if it was obvious, but, then again she was with Alexei. 'Natasha' voice also seemed a lot heavier and now held an accent.
'Natasha's ' right hand travelled up to the top of her forehead and pulled the prosthetic veil down from her face.
It was actually Melina hidden under the prosthetic veil the whole time.
"What?" Alexei was in disbelief that Melina was right in front of him. Melina had then removed the wig from her head that she had used for here disguise as Natasha.
    "What?" Alexei repeated his first question as he was still trying to come to terms that it was Melina and that Natasha was not with him. "I bared my soul to you and it was just you the whole time?" He crossed a few heavy steps over to meet Melina over by her side of the room.
Alexei did sound disappointed that he shared his heart to heart with the wrong person. To him, it sounded sincere and heartfelt, if he got to continue; but it was meant for his daughter, Natasha.