Black Swan Episode 5

A warning

This story covers dark themes and features things such as death, gore, and mental struggles. Below I will list what triggers are specific for the episodes, but be warned that this entire story will be darker than my other stories. Please be careful when you read this. I do not know what may trigger you, so here is the broad warning.

This story mostly takes place within the Red Room and what surrounds it, both comic and MCU based. If Red Room and its contents make you uncomfortable, this may not be the read for you.

Trigger warnings

Bodily horror (mild), drugs and drugged descriptions

“You need to calm down Overseer,” X expressed in a quiet voice. Staring at the frantic woman stood by the research desks. Her dark hair pulled back in a messy bun while her hands were glued to a screen each. Her eyes bloodshot from how much she had stared at the monitors. Her fingers desperately tapping away on the screens while looking at the bigger ones in front of her. The tablet in front of her being updated on the fly.

“... Miss Vostokoff-”

“I heard you, X,” she muttered. Halting her tapping across the screens. “But I haven’t found a way I trust to attempt!”

Her frustrated yell was paired with her shoving the two screens back up to the wall. Slamming her hands into the metal desk right afterwards. Grunting, before she crumbled to her knees and rested her head against the desk. Her fingers flexing and curling up into fists as she squeezed her eyes shut with a huff. Finally letting her mind the burning sensation within them.

“I understand, Overseer, but if you push too far you will not be able to perform a single one.” X expressed, walking over to her side. Where he hesitantly reached a hand over, only to pause half way and retract it instantly.

“You don’t think I know that?” she almost hissed his way, turning her head to look at him. “I don’t want to lose my daughters, X. And at this rate it feels as though Dreykov will take them all from me. Over this single relic!”

“I have never known you for being paranoid,” X pointed out, squinting as he folded his arms.

“I was never a mother who had everything to lose.” Vostokoff muttered.

“Overseer…” X started, but stopped himself as she threw him a glare that told him more than enough. He sighed, and walked aside, returning to his own research of the gauntlet. Now dubbed the Widow’s Cutlass based on what little text they had recovered about it.

As he returned to his work; silence once more fell upon the lab. Melina fully embraced the floor after a few seconds, sliding her legs out as she sank down from the desk. Dragging the tablet off the table as she did so. There she pushed herself back and leaned against one of the other central tables. She stared at the tablet, finding her eyes barely managed to focus on the blueprints. She could still read across the scans they had managed to get on the metal of the Cutlass so far. She swore that they were not all the way through. Something was obviously missing from here. No matter what they scanned it with; the gauntlet looked like pure metal. The small piece that they had managed to crack open had however revealed that there was something on the inside. Only the small bit of liquid she could draw before it closed up gave her any results. And they were less than ideal, because the substance was clearly not human made. Even if it was a combination of things from the periodic table.

“Theoretically…” she mumbled, hearing a quiet; “mhmm” from X at the other side of the room. “If I put a slightly diluted version of the liquid we managed to harvest into her bloodstream... it could read her as a lost section to attach to.”

“Is this not what you tried before?” X questioned, looking over at her with a slight raised eyebrow. Only able to see the side of her leg from where he stood.

“Yes and no. I used a replication of the liquid I had made myself. It was perfect, but perhaps the gauntlet is capable of telling that it wasn’t a part of it?”

“So… you wish to inject Swan One with a section of the sample you collected…” X hummed in thought, raising a hand to his chin. “To force a symbiotic bond…”

“Yes,” Melina murmured, staring down at the tablet she had grabbed. “It's idiotic to repeat the same thing with such a small difference. But everything else is only certain to have it eat her arm like it did before. Or worse.”

“It might be all we'll have time for.” X commented moments before Melina's tablet showed her. Making her eyes widen before she got up from the floor. She stared at the tablet for a moment, then slid it onto the table and turned to look at X.

“Ensure the gauntlet is dormant, I will fix the necessary precautions and the formula. I'll be needing sedatives this time as well. Just… standard equipment for a rogue widow.” she explained, sighing afterwards.

“Of course,” X nodded, then swiftly turned to walk away.

Melina’s eyes drifted to the tablet once more, finding her fist clenching as she stared at the warning that flashed across it. Dreykov’s men had sent the warning that Swan One was brought on board. The warning stating clearly that she was considered rogue and dangerous. Making her even more angry that Dreykov even wanted her to do this.

_____________________________________

Melina put down the syringes and paper towels she had prepared with a deep sigh. Everything was ready now, including the sedatives she never felt would be necessary. In fact, she had some on her table while X would have some on his own. Far too many that’d ever be necessary for a single person. But standard protocol was standard protocol.

“Everything is ready,” X chimed behind her, tapping away on one of the monitors while he held the cables connected to it. “All that's missing is Swan One.”

“Good…” Melina stared at the chair. Feeling her heart sink into her gut as she looked at it. Far more restraints than before, with shocks available at every aspect. Her mind briefly trailing back to when she was last in the chair. When her body was enhanced with the first samples of longevity. A futile attempt to ensure the Red Room would be around forever.

“Bringing the prisoner in.” The voice gargled from the speaker above the door before it slid open. In walked a guard followed by another, both wearing armour from head to toe with weapons drawn. Behind them a much bigger guard would carry in a heavily sedated Anastasia. Her feet dragging against the floor as she tumbled along to the steps. Arms restrained to her back, muzzled and stripped of any gadget within her suit.

“Lay her down here,” X instructed after he had pushed some of the restraints away.

“How much sedation is she under?” Melina asked as she watched the guard drop Anastasia onto the table. Swiftly stepping forwards to get rid of the restraints. Ensuring her arms were freed.

“As much as we can without it becoming lethal,” the first guard to enter gargled. “Whatever you’ve done to her; she’s incredibly resilient to sedation.”

“Understood, you may leave.” Melina grumbled partially in response, her eyes glued to Anastasia the whole time. As she moved to get rid of the muzzle. Where she gently cupped up the woman’s cheek, watching her not responding to any touch.

“You don’t have to tell us twice, let's go,” the man gargled once more, swirling a finger in the air, before the five of them left. Following the same line they had entered with.

“Lessening the effects of the sedatives now,” X expressed, injecting Anastasia’s upper arm swiftly before he’d start restraining her.

“Thank you, X,” Melina murmured while she quietly started hooking Anastasia up to the monitors. Listening for the beeping that eventually started. A steady pace, as always, despite everything that had happened.

“Mmm..” Anastasia's head slid to the side as she battled to open her eyes. Her pupils barely able to adjust as she stared up at Melina, her lips parting for just a moment. “ма… ма.”

Melina froze in response to the word uttered by the Swan. Looking down at the dark brown eyes that stared up at her. Struggling to focus on her face. A sight she had seen countless times before. It was the face Anastasia made after every procedure. A child that was annoyed they were woken up from their sleep. Plastered on the face of a soon to be thirty-year-old woman.

“Yes… my dear,” Melina whispered, slowly brushing her hand along the side of Anastasia’s face. Tucking her brown hair back behind her ear in the process.

“They… killed Lene…” she whispered, her tongue numb and slurring as she spoke.

“Who did?” she asked in response while she shifted her attention back to the monitors. Watching the lines steadily displaying everything. Nothing was out of the ordinary, which meant they could start soon.

“The... room. Sniped her… through my hair…” Anastasia mumbled with a quiet sob. Her eyes growing glossy with tears as she blinked and turned her head. Staring straight up at the spotlight that hovered above. Leaving her eyes exhausted, but they'd finally strain to see correctly. A sharp breath ing her lips as her shoulders eased against the restraints across her upper chest. Her legs shifting to be more comfortable, while her fingers relaxed.

“I… see,” Melina whispered, having paused almost completely as the news was given. She knew this was a probability, it was actually highly likely, but it still hurt to hear. “Are the sedatives out of her system by now?”

“Yes, ma’am. It should've dissipated by now. Though it will have lingering side effects for a while.” X explained while he turned to his side table. Eyeing the gauntlet that laid on top of it in a case.

“Then… let's get ready.” Melina mumbled while she pulled her side table closer. Sliding sit on a rolling chair as she looked at Anastasia. Quietly watching her Swan take deep breaths. She paused, then rolled herself closer. Where she gently brushed her hand along Anastasia's cheek, brushing a tear away in the process. “I'm sorry, my dear. I cannot keep you all safe anymore.”

“It's… okay… Overseer. We know you still care… that's all we need…” she whispered in response. Her eyes and head shifting; before she just nodded.

Melina was hesitant as she turned, glaring across the tools upon her table. A memory flashed of when she last worked upon Anastasia like this. The time she had promised her Swan that it would be the last time she would be operated on. The last time she would be strapped down to the chair. Her eyes sunk while she raised a shaking hand, struggling as her mind raced. This had to work. But even if it worked, he’d likely kill her to get the gauntlet back off of her. Both outcomes were painful, unless she could-

“Everything is ready, ma’am,” X’s words rang through her ears, “all we are waiting on is you.”

Melina turned her gaze towards him, nodding briefly before she lifted her head to stare at the observation seats above. To the figure behind the thick glass. Watching it lift a hand with a small gesture.

“Ready,” she mumbled as she lowered her gaze to Anastasia’s arm in front of her. Her right hand grabbing a hold of a syringe while her left one pushed the Swan’s sleeve up just enough. Where she felt her breath get caught in her throat, lining it up effortlessly with the most prominent of the blue veins. Using the table and her own thigh to ensure that the shaking present in her hand would not interfere with the injection.

“Three…” X started as Melina slid the needle in. “Two,” he continued while he started pushing the gauntlet over her fingers. “One,” Melina finished as the gauntlet got pulled all the way up; and the contents of the syringe entered.

Anastasia was quiet, her eyes shifting steadily between Melina and X while they started the procedure. Waiting as she felt a pulse of warmth travel up both her arms. Her eyes steadily closed after a bit while Melina and X shifted around her.

“Vitals are looking optimal,” X hummed as he glared across the screens. His cybernetics audibly whirred as they tightened to a brace. His mind counting down the seconds until the Widow's arm got mangled last time.

“Her body didn't reject the serum…” Melina mumbled while she looked up at Anastasia's face. Her hand gently slid into the Swan's, who slowly wrapped her fingers around it in response. Causing Melina to squeeze down gently. Her eyes drifting over Anastasia's face as she kept a firm hold. Watching the small twitches in the Swan's face as she laid there.

“No change…” X whispered as he looked over at Melina. “She is past the time of the Widow.”

“Has the gauntlet changed its shape?” Melina asked, unable to pry her eyes from Anastasia's face.

“It has… not. It's not shown any indication of being active,” X mumbled slightly, his eyes scanning across the gauntlet. His right hand raised as the palm of it opened to reveal a small green light. Doing a proper scan of the gauntlet which updated on the monitors by his side.

“It should adjust once its found a compatible wielder,” Melina explained, brushing her free hand along Anastatia’s arm. Her other hand remaining occupied with the other’s hand that she was not letting go of. Her eyes rapidly shifting between the Swan’s ones, to keep an eye out for any twitches or alike.

“I see…” X muttered, lifting his head towards the viewing stations above. “This method is showing promise. Do you want us to exchange Swan One for a Widow?”

“No,” Dreykov’s voice rang clear as day, “I have no use for it anymore. The scans and studies of it are more than enough. Ensure that it bonds successfully with the Swan. Take it as her redemption; part one of a mission she will complete.”

“What?” Melina muttered, but before she could get a response Dreykov’s communications cut with a static rumble. She looked to X after he had cut communications, watching the cyborg just shrug his shoulders. Almost a bit animated with his movements as his arms followed with a gesture at each side. Making Melina shake her head before she’d look to the monitors. “At least it is progressing-”

“Yes… I hear you…” Anastasia mumbled, her eyes finally opening again to look around.

“Ana?” Melina asked with a worried tone as she stood up from her chair.

“I hear it,” she responded before her head shifted. Her eyes looking down at the gauntlet on her left arm. “It’s speaking to me.”

“That… wasn’t in any of the texts, X-”

“No, it wasn’t. Just cross-referenced it for such a claim. Nothing mentions it.” X responded before Melina could finish. “It is a plausible theory, however.”

“Help… me? You want to… help.. me?” Anasasia mumbled, her eyes glued to the gauntlet. X and Melina were watching the monitors, ensuring she remained fine, but her eyes were on it. Watching as it shrank and adjusted to her hand perfectly. Steadily spreading up her arm, tearing sections of her sleeve apart on the path. Going straight towards her shoulder. “I… accept you.”

“Ana- oh my god!” Melina’s eyes widened as she watched, her hand waving at her side to signal X. Her breathing growing shallow as she watched the gauntlet’s metal twist and stretch in all directions. “Sedate her,” she instructed X through rushed breaths.

“On it,” X was swift to swirl around, grabbing a hold of one of the sedatives from his table. Just in time for Anastasia to scream in agony. The metal having spread up her neck and to her left eye. Where it burrowed into her eye socket. Coating her eye in the same metal, rendering it completely blind as tears streamed from her other eye.

“NOW X!”

It all went dark after she heard the demand from her Overseer, her mother. She barely felt as they lifted her, moved her floors and floors below. Yet throughout it all was the soothing hum of a lullaby. In a voice she had never heard before, but knew she could trust.

#BlackSwam