~CRUNCH~CRUNCH~CRUNCH~!
The soft crunching of the snow echoed in the surrounding area beneath the boots of Natasha and the others as they collectively moved through the icy winds, hidden in the deep darkness that cloaked the Siberian mountainside.
The team tried their hardest to silently creep along the steep path towards the concealed entrance of The Cold Fortress. As they drew closer and closer towards the building, they began to enter the range of the Fortress' sensors.
Thankfully, A.N.G.E.L had been ready for this, already running interference by tapping into The Cold Fortress' extensive surveillance network and feeding it with endless loops of the same feed, empty landscapes and the static sound of icy winds howling.
At the same time, every thirty seconds, A.N.G.E.L sent a subtle but precise distortion to the motion sensors, causing momentary blips that masked the team's advances.
As they neared the entrance, A.N.G.E.L. gave a final report in Natasha's earpiece, her calm voice laced with confidence, "All exterior sensors are inoperative within a twenty-meter radius. You're clear to proceed. The scheduled system update will begin soon."
Natasha gave a firm nod and looked towards the twins and the former Black Widows, "Stay sharp. Once their systems are offline, we'll have only a few minutes to reach the cells and get the Widows out before the guards realize what's happening. Let's make them count."
As they neared the entrance, A.N.G.E.L. chimed in softly through their comms. "Access point located. System update will begin in three… two… one…"
A soft beep followed, and the hidden door clicked open. Natasha signaled to her team, and they slipped inside, moving swiftly as the dim emergency lights flickered, casting eerie, long shadows down the cold steel corridors.
The main power grid had been shut down for the system update, leaving only a faint, ghostly glow in the facility, enough for the team to see but not enough to give away their presence.
Thankfully, all of them were skilled in various kinds of operations, whether by the Red Room, or by Maxim, and thus seeing in the dark was very easy for them, allowing them to move without any inhibition.
With the facility's internal cameras and alarms temporarily disabled, Natasha signaled to split into two groups. She led the extraction team deeper into the heart of the fortress, where the cells held the Widows captive, while the others moved to secure the exit path and take down the various guards on the outskirts.
Soon, they all split apart, Natasha leading the extraction team of a group of Widows with Wanda & Yelena, while Pietro alongside a second group of Widows began to secure the exit path.
Soon, Natasha's group approached a tight bend in the corridor, and Wanda held up a clenched fist, signaling a full but silent stop. She motioned Natasha to her side as they peaked around the corner, spotting two guards stationed near the lower level entrance.
Wanda nodded to Natasha, then to the others, before making a decisive gesture. Instantly, Natasha lunged forward, silently taking down the first guard and snapping his neck while Yelena attacked the other, slicing his throat with a dagger.
In their minds, none of these guards deserved to live for daring to work on the atrocities that Dreykov was committing.
Wanda held up her hand to bring the others to a stop, and they all remained silent before Wanda sent out a pulsing barrage of Chaos Energy, catching two guards who were shifting, probably to swap positions with the guards their team had just killed.
Wanda immediately used her power to snap the necks of the guards and gently stopped them from causing a thud as they fell to the floor, not wanting to make even the slightest noise.
With the guards dead, the group bypassed the guard post and slipped into the stairwell leading to the lower levels, the air growing colder and staler as they descended, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood and bitter aroma of disinfectant.
They quickly arrived at the entrance of the Prison Block where the so called 'irredeemable' black widows were kept, and they could hear the faint murmurs and footsteps of the guards stationed there.
Natasha, with the most experience in scenarios like this, motioned for silence and assessed the situation. A reinforced door stood between them and the women they had come to save.
Natasha glanced at Wanda, who gave a confident nod. "I can handle it. Just give me a second."
With a quick wave of her fingers, Wanda sent out a thin stream of crimson energy that slithered along the door frame and reached the internal lock. She closed her eyes, focusing deeply, and the energy slipped through the electronic lock, softly fizzling until it overloaded the circuits.
With a click, the door released, and Natasha pushed it open, ushering the team inside. Before the guards could even react, Wanda had used her Chaos Magic to take control of all of them, crushing their brains and dropping them to the floor, dead!
Natasha and the others looked at Wanda with slight praise and fear in their eyes, reminding themselves to stay on her good side while the Scarlet Witch herself just smirked.
Meahwhile, inside these room, the cells stretched out in rows, barely lit, with the faint, desperate forms of captive women visible within. Their eyes widened as Natasha, Yelena, and the others came into view.
Some had been in there so long they looked dazed, but others pushed themselves to their feet, hope flickering to life in their eyes, some of who even recognized Natasha and Yelena, beginning to tap on the cell doors. to be released.
Natasha quickly stepped forward, trying to get their attention without startling them.
"Listen up," she said in a firm but low tone. "We're here to get you out. We need everyone to stay close and follow directions."
One of the women, her voice hoarse, spoke up, "How… how can we trust you?"
Yelena stepped forward, her face softening. "I was where you were once. I was part of this prison. Natasha saved me, and now we're here to save all of you. Trust us."
There was a moment of hesitation, then a few of the captives nodded. Many of the other captives were already on board, as they knew who Natasha was, the first one to escape, and thus trusted that she could lead them out of here.
Natasha moved to the first cell, quickly typing the override code A.N.G.E.L. had supplied them, and the door slid open with a low hiss.
One by one, they freed the captives, each woman's face hardening with resolve as she stepped out into the freedom of the dimly lit corridor.
Some of the women were unfortunately too injured to walk, and had to be carried using Wanda's magic, which made them admire the flexibility and uniqueness of Wanda's powers even more.
As they finished gathering the women, Natasha tapped her earpiece to check in with Pietro and his team, "We're almost through. Are you in position to clear the exit route?"
Pietro's voice came back, slightly breathless, "Yeah, we're in place."
Natasha's jaw tightened. "Understood. Hold the exit. We'll be there as soon as we can."
She turned to the women and quickly directed them toward the exit path. "Stay close, keep your heads down, and stay quiet."
Soon, the moved back where they came from. But this time, they encountered no resistance. All across the floor and walls of the pathway was the bodies and guts of various guards.
Blood was splattered everywhere, and the scent of death filled the entire building. It seemed as if Pietro and his team had quite the fun time slaughtering all of the guards in the building.
Soon, they exited the Cold Fortress, with Wanda placing a barrier around the building to stop any scent from escaping, and to also create an illusion that everything stayed the same.
All the while, the others moved through the icy, sharp winds of the frigid Siberian night that cut their faces as they moved to the extraction point where a ship Maxim had taken and modified for missions was awaiting them.
They arrived at the extraction point soon enough and loaded up all the women into the ship, many of whom stared and nodded at them with fierce gratitude for saving their lives. After one final check that everyone was secure, Pietro gave the order,
"Let's get out of here."
The engines roared to life, and the ship pulled away from the fortress, gliding up into the sky and moving swiftly under the cover of night and its cloaking technology
In the rearview mirror, Natasha watched as the lights of The Cold Fortress receded into the distance, the dark, cold place that had held so many lives in its grip now powerless in their wake.