As dawn's light slowly stretched across the countryside, Natasha Romanoff had just secretly arrived in Italy, her senses in high alert as she sneakily but swiftly made her way through the city.
As for why she was here? Well that goes back to 2 days prior, when she had just finished a high-stakes mission off the coast of West Africa, tasked with intercepting a notorious pirate named Malik Raheem who had made headlines for hijacking vessels using crude, cheap knock-offs of Stark tech.
It was an easy enough for such an advanced SuperSpy, she had easily infiltrated the ship, taken down all of the guards and defeated Raheem, allowing S.H.I.E.L.D to take them all away.
After that mission, Natasha had planned to just relax and take her time off until her next field mission, but she had gotten a call from Wanda, Maxim's ally.
She hadn't really been that close with Wanda, so she was rather confused as to why she had called him. Wanda's tone sounded very urgent, asking her to come to a particular safe-house in Italy, without telling her the specifics as to why.
After a decent bit of walking, Natasha finally arrived at the safe-house, making sure to keep her senses on high alert. She scanned the area, notice the dense vegetation and isolated location of the safe-house.
Wanda had been cryptic on the call, only stressing the importance of the meeting, which had immediately piqued Natasha's curiosity. Now that she was here, she was eager, and a little wary, to learn what was so urgent.
Natasha moved quietly toward the house, her eyes sweeping the surroundings. After verifying that everything seemed safe, she knocked lightly on the door.
A moment later, it opened to reveal Wanda, who looked very excited to see her arrive, a faint smile appearing on her lips, "Natasha, Thanks for coming."
Natasha stepped inside, her curiosity growing. "You didn't leave me much of a choice with how serious you sounded on the phone."
Wanda chuckled, but her expression quickly sobered, "You'll understand soon enough. There's someone here who wants to see you."
Curious, Natasha followed Wanda through a dimly lit corridor. The atmosphere in the safe-house was thick with a strange kind of tension that seemed to continue building up as she followed Wanda.
When they entered the back room, Natasha's breath hitched. There, standing amidst a small group of women, was someone she recognized very well.
A woman with a slender, athletic build, with blonde hair and green eyes that held a variety of emotions as they looked back at her. Anger, love, frustration, excitement all bubbled in those green eyes that looked back at her.
Yelena. Her younger sister's gaze locked onto hers, filled with a mix of vulnerability and fierceness. For a moment, the room fell silent, and everything else faded into the background.
The sisters stared at each other, each carrying years of separation, pain, and unspoken words in their eyes.Then, without a word, Natasha took a step forward, and Yelena met her halfway.
They embraced, a long and intense hug that spoke louder than anything they could have said. Natasha's hand trembled slightly as she held Yelena, grounding herself in the reality of the moment.
She could hardly believe her sister was standing there, safe and in her arms. Natasha had fully accepted the fact that she would potentially never see her again for the rest of her life, so this surprise was intense.
Finally, they pulled apart, and Natasha turned to Wanda, her face a mixture of gratitude and questions. "Wanda… How? And why?"
Wanda gave a soft smile, motioning for Natasha to sit, and Yelena remained by her side.
Wanda began to explain, revealing the continued existence of the Red Room and how they had survived all this time in the shadows.
Wanda explained the Red Room's most dangerous and hidden asset, the Floating Red Room, using A.N.G.E.L to show the schematics to Natasha. She explained how using the Red Room, Dreykov had been increasing his influence over International politics.
She also continued about the new and improved brutal brainwashing techniques used by Dreykov, and how Wanda was cracking it using her magic.
As Natasha listened, her expression turned grave, the weight of the revelation settling heavily on her shoulders, "I thought I had already destroyed the Red Room, but this… this is something else."
Yelena stepped forward, her voice tinged with both anger and determination as her memory of the past few years flew through her mind, "The Floating Red Room is the heart of Dreykov's empire. Wanda and Pietro… they've helped us break free of his control. Not just me, but the others."
She gestured to the other women in the room, who now looked at Natasha with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. She was the original Black Widow to escape, and she was a beacon of hope to all of them.
Wanda continued, "We've freed as many as we could find, but Dreykov's influence runs deep. The only way to end this for good is to take down the entire operation."
Natasha's gaze swept over the women in the room. They were young, some younger than she had been when she had escaped, but they shared a similar look, a fierce resolve to end the nightmare they had endured. She met Yelena's gaze, pride and resolve hardening in her own.
"You have a plan?" Natasha asked, her voice steady.
As Natasha asked, Oksana stepped forward, her jaw set with determination.
"We're going after 'The Cold Fortress,'" she said firmly, her tone brokering no argument. "It's where Dreykov sends the 'irredeemable' Widows, the ones he thinks are beyond saving, too rebellious, too damaged to control. He keeps them there under the harshest conditions imaginable, breaks them down so thoroughly that he believes there's no risk of defiance."
Natasha felt a surge of anger rise in her, memories of her own past within the Red Room threatening to surface. Her hands balled into fists as she imagined the tortures those women endured.
Oksana gestured to Wanda, who nodded, adding, "A.N.G.E.L. has already managed to get us the schematics of the place. It's heavily fortified, as expected, but we've identified weak points. And because it's isolated, it relies heavily on a single power source, which we can exploit."
A faint, holographic blueprint appeared in front of them, courtesy of A.N.G.E.L., who began outlining the specifics in a calm, precise voice, "The Cold Fortress is built into a mountain range in Siberia. The facility is concealed behind layers of natural rock and fortified walls, but it does have vulnerabilities. The main power grid has a single access point. If that's taken down, the security systems will drop, allowing us a window of time to infiltrate the inner compound undetected."
Wanda continued, her fingers tracing over the hologram as she explained, "We'll need to split into two teams. One team will handle disabling the power, while the other infiltrates and rescues the imprisoned Widows. Natasha, you'll lead the extraction team. You know Dreykov's tactics better than anyone, and with Yelena by your side, you'll be able to reach the Widows in the deepest levels."
Natasha's gaze shifted from Wanda to Oksana, then to the other women in the room, before nodding. She felt a swell of pride as she looked around the room, her heart heavy with both sorrow and resolve.
These women had suffered as she had, but they hadn't given up. They'd found strength in one another, in Wanda and Pietro's help, and now they were rallying to take down a common enemy.
"What's our timeline?" Natasha asked, her voice steady, masking the emotions that threatened to spill over.
A.N.G.E.L.'s voice chimed in once more. "The Cold Fortress's security runs on a four-week cycle. In two days, there will be a scheduled system update, during which the facility's defenses will briefly go offline. It's a small window, but it's the best chance we'll get."
Natasha turned to Wanda, her gaze intense, "You're risking a lot to help us. Thank you, for freeing Yelena and for standing with us now."
Wanda nodded, and exchanged a look with Yelena and Pietro, who had appeared in the doorway, a confident smirk on his face. "As soon as we're ready. We have some last-minute training and intel gathering, but in a few days, we'll be ready to make our move."
Yelena's eyes sparkled with determination, "We're done being weapons. It's time to take back our lives."