Director Ethan Voss's grand production had concluded perfectly.
He and Natasha returned separately by plane to Melina's farm outside St. Petersburg, maintaining the illusion that everything had unfolded naturally. When the aircraft landed and the chaos finally settled, Yelena and the other widows gradually began to recover their senses.
For a moment it felt as if they had awakened from a long dream.
Their expressions slowly cleared as the mind control faded, and their awareness returned piece by piece. Seeing this relieved much of the doubt that had initially lingered in Natasha's heart.
After discussing their situation, the girls ultimately decided to remain at the farmhouse for the time being. They needed time to think, to heal, and to figure out what kind of lives they wanted to live now that the Red Room's control was gone.
Satisfied with this outcome, Natasha eventually left with Ethan and returned to New York.
After everything that had happened between them, she naturally did not return to Typhon Corporation. Instead, she went straight back to S.H.I.E.L.D., resuming her role as an agent.
What she could never have imagined was that not long after she and Ethan departed the farm, a Red Room aircraft quietly arrived.
It collected Yelena, Melina, and the others before transporting them away again.
Ethan's instructions for the revived Red Room were extremely simple.
Gather intelligence.
Make money.
Anything else was forbidden.
Dreykov, despite his many flaws, had always been a master at generating revenue. Not only had he built the enormous flying Red Room fortress, but he had also supported thousands of trained operatives for years.
His network of connections was equally impressive.
Coincidentally, Ethan had recently invented a fictional Middle Eastern arms tycoon during his negotiations with Congressman Stern. At the time he had planned to hire someone to play the role convincingly.
Now that problem had solved itself.
Dreykov could easily handle it.
As Ethan thought further about the possibilities, his ideas began expanding rapidly.
Dreykov already possessed considerable hidden influence throughout the Middle East. Meanwhile, the United States had always loved inserting itself into that region, deploying large numbers of troops and resources.
That combination created many interesting opportunities.
For example, if a terrorist group suddenly obtained an extremely dangerous weapon, the American military could face serious trouble.
At that moment, someone could conveniently offer a solution.
A weapon designed specifically to counter that threat.
Or imagine a situation where an American consulate was attacked and important officials were taken hostage. In a crisis like that, someone with reliable connections in the Middle East could suddenly appear to resolve the situation.
Compared to sending Black Widow agents into firefights and assassinations, this approach would be far faster and far safer.
The idea had enormous potential.
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Dark Energy Research Center, the situation had already descended into chaos.
The Tesseract had begun emitting strange energy fluctuations.
Those abnormal readings placed the entire facility on high alert.
Nick Fury arrived quickly by helicopter, stepping out before the rotors had even fully stopped spinning. As he walked briskly toward the interior corridors, he immediately began questioning Agent Coulson.
"How serious is the situation?"
"The problem is we don't know yet, sir," Coulson replied.
"Did Dr. Selvig do something?"
"No, sir. He has remained under observation the entire time."
Dr. Erik Selvig was Jane Foster's mentor and a trusted scientist whose research happened to intersect with the strange properties of the Tesseract. Fury had invited him to assist with studying the artifact.
Inside the base, the atmosphere was tense as personnel prepared evacuation procedures.
Fury eventually reached the underground chamber where the Tesseract was being stored.
While he was discussing the situation with Clint Barton, the cube suddenly reacted again.
A violent burst of energy erupted from its surface.
Then a figure appeared beside it.
Loki.
The god of mischief had returned.
Even with Barton present, Loki cut down several agents effortlessly. Using the Mind Scepter in his hand, he quickly seized control of Barton, Dr. Selvig, and several elite S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.
Fury narrowly escaped death by pretending to be incapacitated.
Once Loki and his new servants departed with the Tesseract, Fury immediately ordered a pursuit.
Some agents believed the situation was genuine and attempted to stop Loki, losing their lives in the process. Others recognized the hopelessness of the situation and hesitated, thereby saving themselves.
Fury was furious.
To him, this was nothing less than a declaration of war.
The arrogant, ignorant, foolish, and self-important god Loki had openly declared war against him.
"Call everyone," Fury ordered.
With that command, S.H.I.E.L.D. began mobilizing every available resource.
Coulson departed for Stark Tower.
Black Widow received a mission that sent her to Las Vegas.
Fury himself headed somewhere else entirely.
He arrived at one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most secret prisons.
There was a man imprisoned there whom Fury had long admired. He had visited many times before, hoping to recruit him, but until now the man had always refused.
Deep inside the heavily guarded facility stood a unique containment chamber.
Unlike ordinary prison cells, this room contained a massive block of iron in its center that resembled an enormous coffin.
A man was sealed inside it.
Fury approached the door and spoke calmly.
"Cain Marko. I'm back again."
The man inside the iron block glanced toward him but said nothing.
Fury stepped closer.
"I still don't understand why you keep refusing my offers," he said quietly. "This place isn't exactly comfortable."
Marko's voice finally echoed from inside.
"What happened?" he asked curiously. "Why are you suddenly so desperate?"
Fury hesitated for a moment before deciding honesty might work better this time.
"The world is facing a real threat," he said slowly.
Marko chuckled.
"When has this world ever been free of danger?"
"This is different," Fury replied.
"This is something tangible. Something we can actually see and fight."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I have a feeling that if we don't stop it, the world will become something neither you nor I could imagine."
Marko fell silent for a moment.
"What would that world look like?"
Fury's expression hardened.
"Either we die," he said quietly, "or we become slaves."
He stared at the sealed prisoner.
"Tell me something, Marko. Do you want to live as someone else's dog?"
"This offer I'm giving you may be your only chance."
Fury's voice lowered.
"I don't know if this will be the last time I come here. If we win, maybe we'll meet again someday. If we lose… I doubt you'll enjoy the alternative."
Marko suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Haha! You really are persuasive."
After laughing for a while, he finally calmed down.
"Alright," he said.
"You can release me now. I'll go with you."
Fury remained motionless.
The man inside that iron block was extremely dangerous and had left a long trail of blood behind him.
"You don't trust me?" Marko asked.
Fury understood the implication immediately.
"That's not it," he said. "I'm just glad you finally agreed."
He clenched his teeth slightly before signaling the guards to open the containment unit.
When the massive figure known as the Juggernaut stepped out beside him, Fury felt his eyelids twitch involuntarily.
"Director Fury," Marko said calmly, "we've reached an agreement. The compensation I want won't be small."
"Of course," Fury replied.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Natasha Romanoff was carrying out her assignment.
At a casino table filled with flashing lights and the constant sound of chips clattering against felt, a man named Remy Étienne LeBeau noticed a beautiful red-haired woman.
In that single instant, it felt as though spring had arrived.
Plum blossoms blooming, peach flowers opening, ice melting beneath warm sunlight.
Remy was convinced he had finally found true love.
To his even greater delight, the woman appeared to be watching him with equal interest.
He deliberately walked past her several times, each time turning slightly so she could admire what he believed was his most handsome profile.
Finally, he stopped and stared thoughtfully at the extra hotel room key resting in his palm.
A deep philosophical struggle began inside his mind.
Is this what I truly want?
No.
This is absolutely not what I want.
What do I want?
I want love!
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
In a burst of frustration, he threw the room key onto the floor and stomped on it.
Yet after pacing around the hallway for a while, he still couldn't bring himself to leave.
Once again he fell into deep thought.
Perhaps… love should come first.
Then affection afterward.
But would that stain something pure?
Was his dream of perfect romance nothing more than wishful thinking?
Eventually, he picked up the key again with a sigh.
Looking thoroughly conflicted, he entered the elevator.
When he stepped out on the hotel floor, he still looked just as lost.
A soft beep sounded as he unlocked the door.
Inside the room, the beautiful red-haired woman sat casually on the sofa, sipping a glass of red wine.
Her voice was smooth and slightly husky.
"I knew you would come."
As she spoke, she suddenly frowned slightly.
"Excuse me for a moment," she said apologetically while setting down her glass. "I need to use the restroom."
Remy sighed deeply once she disappeared into the bathroom.
He understood perfectly well what that meant.
Filled with emotional turmoil and confusion about the nature of love, he slowly reached for his belt.
Inside the bathroom, Natasha felt a slight pang of guilt.
It was technically her first meeting with a future teammate, and starting things this way seemed rather rude.
However, she was absolutely certain that something was wrong with that bottle of red wine.
She pushed the bathroom door open again and began speaking.
"I'm really sorry about earlier, I just needed to—"
She froze mid-sentence.
"Wait."
Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"Why did you take your pants off?"
.....
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