Snake Eyes quickly moved through the narrow, utilitarian corridors of the hotel, his mind working at a rapid pace. The mercenaries he had taken down were merely one cell in a larger operation. Something much more significant was brewing, and he suspected it had connections that reached far beyond this one attack on Tony Stark. It was never simple in his line of work. There were always layers upon layers of deception, alliances that shifted like sand in the wind, and more often than not, enemies lurking in the least expected places.
As he reached the service elevator, Snake Eyes activated his comm unit again. The encrypted signal connected immediately, and the same robotic voice spoke in his ear. "Status?"
"Neutralized," Snake Eyes typed quickly on the small communicator strapped to his wrist. His vow of silence made verbal communication impossible, but he had long since mastered a system that allowed him to convey his messages silently and swiftly. "Group 1 down. Threat contained for now."
"Copy. We're tracking movements around the hotel. Stark is still in play. There's chatter about another attack during the race. Stay close."
Snake Eyes acknowledged the instructions with a subtle nod, though there was no one to see it. The mission was far from over, and he knew better than to assume the worst was behind him. There were always more threats, and Monaco was crawling with hidden enemies. He had learned to anticipate the worst and prepare for anything.
The elevator door slid open with a soft ding. Snake Eyes stepped inside, pressing the button for the top floor. From his reconnaissance, he knew Tony Stark was staying in the penthouse suite, along with his assistant Pepper Potts and his trusted bodyguard, Happy Hogan. They were surrounded by high-tech security, courtesy of Stark Industries, but Snake Eyes wasn't convinced that would be enough. Technology could be hacked, systems could be bypassed, and Snake Eyes had seen too many missions compromised by over-reliance on gadgets.
He preferred the old ways—his body, his instincts, and his weapons were his only real tools.
As the elevator ascended, Snake Eyes' thoughts wandered back to Natasha Romanoff. He hadn't seen her yet, but he knew she was here. She had been keeping a low profile, working under the alias "Natalie Rushman," posing as Stark's new assistant. It was a smart move—Stark was paranoid, always suspicious of anyone who got too close. But Natasha, with her disarming charm and flawless cover, had slipped right into his inner circle.
Snake Eyes knew better, though. He had spent too much time with Natasha not to recognize the way she worked. She was always one step ahead, always calculating her next move. And he couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those calm, green eyes of hers. What did she think of their reunion, after all these years? What had happened to the girl he once knew?
The elevator doors opened, pulling Snake Eyes out of his reverie. The hallway leading to Stark's suite was quiet, almost too quiet. He moved forward with cautious steps, his eyes scanning every inch of the corridor. He reached the suite's entrance and paused, listening for any signs of movement inside. All seemed calm.
Too calm.
Snake Eyes' hand hovered over the katana on his back, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. He approached the door's control panel and began to examine the security system. Stark's systems were notoriously difficult to breach, but Snake Eyes wasn't here to hack into the suite—he was here to make sure no one else had. After a few moments, he confirmed that the system hadn't been tampered with, at least not yet.
A soft clink of metal against metal caught his attention. Snake Eyes' hand moved instinctively to his katana, his body tensing as he stepped back into the shadows. A second later, the door to Stark's suite slid open, and out stepped Happy Hogan, muttering to himself about some security check. Behind him, Snake Eyes caught a glimpse of Tony Stark himself, lounging in front of a massive set of monitors, his usual carefree attitude in full display.
Snake Eyes remained in the shadows, watching Happy move down the hallway, oblivious to the threat that could be lurking around any corner. Tony Stark had no idea how close he had come to danger today, and Snake Eyes intended to keep it that way. He would stay hidden, operating in the background, just as he always did. Stark didn't need to know he was here, and neither did Happy.
As Happy turned the corner and disappeared from view, Snake Eyes shifted his focus back to the immediate area. He was about to move away from the suite when a familiar voice crackled in his ear.
"Looks like you're still as good as ever."
The voice was warm, slightly playful, and instantly recognizable. Natasha.
Snake Eyes froze for a moment, though it wasn't from shock. He had anticipated this moment, had known that she would find him sooner or later. His eyes narrowed as he looked down the hallway, searching for her.
And then, as if she had materialized out of thin air, there she was.
Natasha Romanoff stood at the end of the hall, her arms casually crossed over her chest. She wore a sleek black jumpsuit, her red hair falling over her shoulders in waves. There was a smile on her lips, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She was studying him, just as he was studying her.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The tension in the air was thick, though not in a hostile way. It was the kind of tension that comes from years of shared history, from battles fought side by side, and from memories that couldn't be erased.
Snake Eyes took a step forward, and Natasha's smile widened just a fraction. "I should have known you'd be involved in this," she said softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I thought I'd lost you after the Red Room."
He didn't respond. He couldn't, not in the way she wanted. Instead, he gave a subtle nod, a silent acknowledgment of her words. He had never been lost, not really. He had just… disappeared, like a ghost in the wind.
"You're here for Stark, aren't you?" Natasha continued, her eyes searching his masked face for any hint of emotion. "S.H.I.E.L.D. told me someone was operating in the area, but they didn't tell me it was you."
Another nod.
Natasha's expression softened. For a moment, it was like they were back in the Red Room, two young operatives fighting for survival in a world that had tried to break them. But those days were long gone, and so much had changed since then.
"I could use your help, you know," she said, taking a step closer to him. "Things are about to get complicated. Vanko isn't the only problem."
Snake Eyes tilted his head slightly, listening.
"The Red Room is involved," she added, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I don't have all the details yet, but I'm getting close. Stark's arc reactor technology is just a piece of the puzzle. There's something much bigger at play, and we need to figure out what it is."
Snake Eyes met her gaze, his mind processing her words. The Red Room. It was always the Red Room. No matter how far he ran, no matter how deep he buried himself in his missions, that place always found a way to resurface. And now, it was coming for Tony Stark.
For a moment, Snake Eyes felt something stir inside him—an old, familiar anger, one that he had learned to control over the years. But he pushed it down, focused on the mission at hand. There would be time to deal with the Red Room later.
For now, Tony Stark needed to be protected, and Natasha needed his help.
He nodded once more, a silent agreement.
Natasha smiled, this time a real smile, and reached out to touch his arm. "It's good to see you again, Snake."
With that, she turned and walked away, disappearing down the hallway as quickly as she had appeared, leaving Snake Eyes alone in the shadows once more.
The mission had just gotten a lot more complicated. But Snake Eyes was used to complications.
And this time, he wasn't working alone.