Arthur felt as if he was now sitting on pins and needles!
He had never imagined that of all the cars available, this woman would choose the one he was hiding in! Was this on purpose or just bad luck?
Was she really out to make his life miserable?
Arthur couldn't help but think that it must be the will of the universe conspiring against him.
It was just like the time he and Lily were having a peaceful dinner in a restaurant, only to get caught up in a fight between the Hulk and a bald-headed idiot.
"I feel like the whole world is against me!"
Arthur grumbled to himself, but until the car left the research facility, there wasn't much he could do but wait.
Once they were out, though, he could do as he pleased, free as a bird!
However, Arthur had a nagging feeling that things wouldn't go so smoothly, that there would be more complications.
With a complex mix of emotions, Arthur waited in silence.
Black Widow's driving couldn't be called ordinary by any means. She drove with such intensity that it felt almost as if she had only one goal in her life - to push the pedal to the base metal!
Relying on her lightning-fast reflexes, she drove the car like it was a rocket.
As they passed the security checkpoint, she didn't even bother to stop, just zoomed right through.
But for some reason, after they passed the checkpoint, her speed began to slow.
Arthur used the Eye of Horus to scan the area. They were now some distance away from the research facility. He was just about to teleport away when he noticed that Black Widow's car had veered off from the rest of the convoy, heading in a different direction.
"What the heck?"
Arthur was confused.
But he didn't dwell on it - who cared what she was up to?
If he didn't leave now, when would he?
"If I were you, I wouldn't get out of the car just yet. The helicopters above haven't left yet and you could be spotted at any moment."
Black Widow spoke suddenly and without warning.
Arthur blinked. Was she talking to him?
Well, there was definitely no one else in the car.
Given the situation, Arthur decided to sit up, cleared his throat, but then wasn't sure what to say. After a brief pause, he awkwardly asked, "Does your butt still hurt?"
ROAR!!!!!!
The roar of the engine seemed to reflect Black Widow's anger.
Arthur quickly added, "Um, maybe you should just let me out of the car? I'm not sure this is the way to the kindergarten."
"Sit tight."
As she spoke, Black Widow threw a metal box at him. Arthur caught it and heard her say, "There's a tracking device on the box. I can fool them temporarily, but once we're out of range, the tracker will reactivate. Open the box, go to the second compartment, pry it open with a knife and remove the tracker. Put it in this box - it will block the signal perfectly.
Arthur opened the box without hesitation.
At this point, there was no reason for her to deceive him!
With a knife in his hand, he followed her instructions and pried open the compartment to find a highly intricate device inside.
Disabling it was simple, just pull it out.
After placing the tracker in the metal box, Arthur chuckled, "Er... what should I say now? Do I have to say thank you?"
"No, you need to apologise!"
Black Widow glanced at the rear view mirror, then pressed down on the radio, "This is Natasha. There's an unexpected situation... No, I can handle it!"
Having said that, she casually took off the communicator and threw it on the passenger seat.
At the same time, she suddenly slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel sharply, causing the car to spin several times before coming to a stop.
Arthur was nearly thrown into the front seat and stared at the Black Widow in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Get out of the car!"
Black Widow opened the door and motioned for him to step outside. "My mission was to help you, and I even sacrificed a hidden piece just to draw attention away from you."
Arthur got out of the car, feeling a little annoyed as he felt the tension emanating from her. "When did you figure out that I was in the car?"
"The weight difference was obvious at first glance."
Black Widow stretched her arms a little before suddenly swinging a kick at him.
Arthur's reflexes were lightning-fast. He blocked her kick with a slap and took two steps back. "What are you doing now?"
"I want you to apologise!"
Black Widow glared at him. "You actually kicked a lady's butt!"
As soon as she said that, she lunged forward and threw a punch straight at Arthur's forehead.
Arthur dodged and slid his hand onto her back, using her momentum to push her three metres away. "I think you might have misunderstood the concept of an apology!"
Though she stumbled slightly as she landed, Black Widow quickly regained her balance and turned to face Arthur again. "No misunderstanding. I'm going to make you apologise by beating you up!"
"There's a premise and a key issue here," Arthur said with some difficulty. "The premise is that you have to be able to beat me. The key issue is... you have to be able to hit me."
"What?"
Black Widow barely had time to react before Arthur vanished in an instant, only to reappear in the driver's seat of the car.
"You-!"
Black Widow was furious, but Arthur had already pushed her three metres away, leaving her out of reach.
Since she hadn't expected this before getting out of the car, she hadn't taken the keys with her.
By the time she ran back to the car, Arthur had already hit the accelerator... and sped off!
Just before he left, Arthur shouted, "I'm going to the kindergarten now!!!"
This sent Black Widow into a rage as she vented her frustration on the grass, cursing under her breath. Finally, she stood there dazed, muttering, "Kindergarten? Which one?"
...
Even after returning home, Arthur was still a little confused.
The events of the night had been bizarre, especially the part where the Black Widow helped him escape. It made him feel that life was just too unpredictable.
However, from what she had said, he realised that the 'Hero' who had appeared out of nowhere earlier wasn't just a coincidence.
"What does she mean by a 'hidden piece'?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Either it's someone they planted inside the research facility, or it's an enemy they knew was hiding there... Either way, it makes sense to call it a hidden piece. It's a pity that she insisted on fighting me, otherwise I might have learned more".
Glancing at the box on his bedside table, Arthur began to think.
Black Widow's help had clearly been given for a reason; she had mentioned that it was part of her mission...
Which meant that when she had confronted him earlier, it had been because of the situation at the time.
Had he been in her position, he would have done the same - show his full strength if necessary, notify the research facility to lock down after the opponent had temporarily escaped.
Use a hidden piece to divert attention during the process and ultimately allow the real target to escape.
It would have been a flawless plan from start to finish.
Considering the source of the research facility's layout, Black Widow's actions made sense.
"This is getting way too complicated."
Arthur put his hands behind his head, preparing to lie down, but suddenly sat up. He pulled the box closer and reached to open it...
***
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