Dawn quickly began to break over the quiet and peaceful countryside as Pietro and Wanda arrived at the secluded safe-house A.N.G.E.L. had indicated.
The safe-house was a modest, single-story building shrouded by tall trees and dense vegetation, hidden well from the prying eyes of any potential pursuers.
The twins worked swiftly, quietly bringing the unconscious bodies of Yelena and her team inside and laying them carefully in a large, bare room toward the back of the house.
Pietro closed and locked the front door, then he did a quick sweep around the perimeter to ensure they hadn't been followed and everything was clear.
Meanwhile, Wanda was inside focusing on preparing the room. She was using her Chaos Magic to alter the room's lighting, creating a dim, comforting glow.
The training Maxim had put her under was not for nothing, Wanda's control of her magic was absolutely exquisite at this point, and she was constantly increasing her maximum power over time as she grew her knowledge and trained more.
This current situation was just another way for Wanda to train her power. She knew the importance of a creating a gentle and stable environment, especially considering the mental trauma they were about to uncover and undo.
Each of these agents had been ruthlessly brainwashed and conditioned by Dreykov, and had completely lost their free will, and now she needed to undo that, whilst not scarring them.
Each agent, unconscious and restrained, lay side by side on the floor. She glanced over them, seeing the toll that years of conditioning had taken—the tense muscles, the restless faces even in sleep.
"They're like those Hydra agents, the Winter Soldiers Maxim told us about" Pietro said quietly as he watched Wanda assessing the various agents, "Trained, brainwashed and controlled. They are weapons, not people."
"Not anymore..." Wanda said with a snappy voice, "Not anymore, with our help, they won't be weapons. We'll give them a future, a home away from the destruction Dreykov caused."
A strange silence descended on the room as Wanda finished speaking. Oksana stood to the side quietly just assessing the twins. Coming from a world of relative normalcy, seeing Wanda and Pietro's supernatural powers shocked her.
Yet, it also improved her confidence. With those twins helping, she and all the other Black Widows could truly get revenge against Dreykov and the Red Room.
A.N.G.E.L.'s voice broke the silence, sounding clear and composed in their earpieces, "The neural conditioning used by the Red Room runs deep. Wanda, to break the conditioning, you'll need to penetrate through several layers of psychological barriers."
Wanda took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I'm ready."
A.N.G.E.L. continued, "Good. You must peel back each layer carefully to avoid overwhelming their systems. Begin with Yelena Belova. She has shown signs of resistance, indicating a higher tolerance to mental intrusion."
Wanda knelt beside Yelena, her hand hovering above the unconscious agent's forehead. She hesitated, her fingers trembling slightly. For a moment, the faces of her and Pietro's tormentors flashed in her mind, dredging up old pain and anger.
She pushed the memories aside, focusing on Yelena, the soldier beneath her, who was as much a victim as she had once been. She knew Yelena was the sister of S.H.I.E.L.D's Black Widow from the file A.N.G.E.L had provided.
With a nod, she placed her fingers gently on Yelena's temples, her Chaos Magic seeping into the woman's mind. Wanda's own consciousness slid past Yelena's defenses, and immediately, she was met with resistance, a jagged, cold wall of mental conditioning, fortified by years of training.
Wanda remained calm and proceeded slowly. She imagined peeling back the layers of an onion, and began to gently dissolve each barrier in Yelena's mind, moving deeper into her subconscious with each and every step.
Wanda could feel a mixture of forceful loyalty and deeply embedded fear, anger and memories of pain in Yelena's mind. Wanda continued to crack the barriers of Yelena's mind.
As the conditioning barriers weakened, Yelena's body began to react. Her hands clenched into fists, her breathing grew rapid and shallow as she began to wake up and react to the mental intrusion.
In the fractured landscape of Yelena's mind, Wanda sensed the raw fear that had forcefully driven Yelena to submit to the Red Room's control.
Wanda gritted her teeth as she sensed it, her resolve hardening. No one should have to live like this. No-one should be forced to experience this.
She reached out, infusing her magic with gentle warmth, letting Yelena feel a foreign but comforting presence. A crack formed in the icy wall around Yelena's mind, a small opening that allowed Wanda's energy to seep through.
With that, Wanda pushed deeper, isolating a core memory, one of the primary anchors to Yelena's conditioning.
It was a memory of Yelena, no more than ten years old, her face bruised and streaked with tears as she fought through an intense sparring session. Her mentor loomed over her, barking orders with a detached brutality.
"You are nothing without us. Weak without us. We own you. You will do as you're told, or you will be discarded."
Wanda's chest tightened as she absorbed the memory, feeling Yelena's pain and desperation. Gently, she began to dismantle the emotional bonds tethered to this memory, infusing her Chaos Magic into it, dissolving the painful associations.
As Wanda's power pulsed through Yelena's mind, she replaced the fear and dependence in Yelena's mind with a sense of freedom, of self-worth and determination.
Very quickly, Yelena's mind began to open up, the mental conditioning removed as she began accepting the possibilities of life beyond the Red Room's control. With a soft gasp, Yelena's eyes fluttered open, unfocused and wide with confusion. She looked up at Wanda, disoriented.
"You…" she began, her voice rough. "What…what did you do?"
Wanda withdrew her hand, her eyes kind and steady. Before she could speak, Oksana stole the spotlight, walking in front of Yelena.
Yelena's eyes widened as she recognized her fellow Black Widow, the memories of hunting her quickly flooding her mind, but before she could apologize, Oksana rested her hand on Yelena's shoulder and spoke, "She gave you back your mind. You're free from their control."
Yelena's expression twisted with disbelief, suspicion flickering in her gaze as she struggled to process the weight of Wanda's words. She swallowed, glancing at the other agents still unconscious on the floor. "The others…" Her voice was barely a whisper. "They're still…like I was."
Wanda nodded, "We'll help them too. Just like we helped you."
Pietro leaned in with a smile. "Welcome to the rebellion."
With that, Wanda turned to the next agent, repeating the process with Pietro close by. Each mind brought its unique challenges, but Wanda could easily dispatch them, and freed the Black Widows one after another with relative ease.
Finally, as the last agent blinked awake, Wanda sank back, exhausted but victorious. Around her, the freed agents stirred, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Thankfully, Yelena and Oksana were there to help the other agents adjust to the scenario and fill them in on what happened. Once everyone was free, Yelena took a step forward, a newfound determination in her eyes, "Thank you…both of you, from all of us."
"You don't owe us anything," Wanda replied, her tone firm. "This is your life now. What you do with it is up to you."
The agents exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them as they began to process the enormity of their situation.
Yelena looked down, her gaze steady and contemplative, "I think…some of us are ready to fight. This isn't over—not until the Red Room is gone."
Wanda's eyes sparkled with understanding. "If you're serious about fighting back, we'll be here to help. But remember, this is a choice. You can walk away from all of this and live your life free. You don't need to help us take down the Red Room."
Wanda's words simmered across the room and a deafening silence echoed throughout the room. All the Black Widow's sinking in thought, but after a couple minutes, they all looked to each-other, fierce determination in their eyes.
Yelena stepped forward as a leader, her expression hardened, "We've spent our whole lives being controlled, manipulated. We're done running. If there's a way to stop the Red Room, we all want in."
One by one, the other agents nodded, expressions resolute. Wanda exchanged a look with Pietro, a feeling of satisfaction and pride swelling within her.
"Looks like Maxim's going to have some new friends to meet." Pietro said with a smirk on his lips.
Wanda chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "Let's hope he's ready."