The light in the room cast long shadows as Natasha sat across from Yelena and Melina, her arms crossed, her face unreadable. The silence between them was thick, filled with unsaid words and years of unresolved emotions.
"You don't trust us?" Yelena finally broke the silence, her voice quieter than usual. "But you shouldn't trust SHIELD either."
Natasha let out a slow breath. "SHIELD isn't perfect, but they're trying to do the right thing."
Melina frowned, her gaze sharp. "That's what they tell you. That's what they need you to believe. But ask yourself, Natasha—how much do you really know about the organization you work for? How many secrets do they keep from you?"
"It is a spy agency, it's only normal." Natasha's fingers curled into a fist against the table. She hated how easily their words unsettled her. She had always been careful, always questioned everything, but she also believed in her ability to discern truth from manipulation.
Yelena leaned forward, eyes locked onto Natasha's. "You told me once when we were kids, back in the Red Room, that we had to make our own choices. That we couldn't let anyone control us anymore. But you're still following orders, still letting them decide what you get to know and what you don't."
Natasha exhaled sharply. "And what's your alternative? Joining this… Aegis Protocol? Who is even your boss? Stark?"
Melina's lips pressed into a thin line. "I am technically the head of this agency but we're under someone who's too busy to attend this meeting. Nevertheless, It's about seeing the truth and freedom. Do you really think SHIELD would let you leave if they thought you were questioning them?"
That gave Natasha pause. She knew how SHIELD operated. She knew how difficult it was to leave once you were in too deep. She had seen firsthand what happened to people who lost their usefulness. Even she wasn't sure if Clint's family would still have this kind of situation if Clint loses his ties to SHIELD.
Yelena studied her sister's hesitation and softened her tone. "I'm not telling you to walk away from everything overnight. But you need to open your eyes, Natasha. All of us here chose to be here while the others are now living as civilians, out of our own free will. And at Aegis Protocol, so far, we have autonomy since the boss is quite busy. At this point, I consider the boss just an investor most of the time."
"We're not saying that SHIELD has no positive effect in this world. No matter how sad it was, SHIELD was the best agency in this world. Well, until we came along." Melina added proudly. "No matter how much SHIELD touted on coming up with excuses for their actions, saying it's for the 'bigger picture', they don't even know where they're placed in that 'picture'.
"What do you mean?" Natasha asked in confusion.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you. You're not ready for that information, the same thing goes for SHIELD. For the meantime, you can stay here and bond with your sister, she can show you around. I'll have to be somewhere." Melina suggested as she received a short message from Tony.
Natasha stared at her adopted mother for a long moment before catching up with Yelena.
---
In the heart of Aegis Protocol's secret headquarters miles away, Tony Stark stood in a sleek, high-tech laboratory, arms crossed as he observed the collection of vials, chemical compounds, and monitors surrounding Dr. Zoric. The scientist, an older man with sharp eyes and years of experience in biochemical engineering, worked meticulously, adjusting formulas and running simulations.
"This is the problem," Dr. Zoric said, gesturing to a holographic display of the super-soldier serum's molecular structure. "Stability. The original serum required a catalyst, a transformation chamber to properly activate. Without it, the effects are inconsistent, sometimes catastrophic."
Tony leaned in, studying the data with an intense focus. "And your attempts to fix this?"
Zoric sighed, rubbing his temples. "Everything we've done keeps leading to degradation or rejection by the human body."
Tony smirked, already running through solutions in his mind. "You're looking at this too linearly. The problem isn't just the formula, it's how the body processes it."
He tapped on the holographic interface, pulling up additional layers of biometrics and neural integration models. "Instead of forcing the serum to adapt to the host, why not program it to sync with their biological rhythm?"
Zoric's eyes widened as Tony rapidly typed, altering the existing formula. "You… you're suggesting an adaptive delivery mechanism?"
Tony nodded. "Think nanite-like behavior, but biochemical. The serum shouldn't just inject, it should bind and reinforce as it moves. A self-stabilizing effect."
Zoric stared at the revised model, his mind racing. "My god… That's brilliant! That might solve every rejection issue I've encountered for the last decade!"
Tony grinned. "That's why you have me. Now, let's see if it works."
Together, they synthesized the modified serum, the once-unpredictable compound now showing promising stability. Zoric prepared a controlled testing environment as Tony oversaw the final details.
Tony and Dr. Zoric stood side by side in front of a reinforced glass enclosure, where a small white lab rat scurried inside, oblivious to the history about to be made. The room hummed with the low mechanical sounds of monitoring equipment, every sensor primed to capture even the smallest change.
"Alright, buddy," Tony murmured, adjusting the settings on a console. "You're about to be the most important rat in scientific history. No pressure."
Dr. Zoric smirked but remained focused. He carefully held the small vial of serum between gloved fingers, its liquid contents shimmering faintly under the sterile lab lights. "This is it, Stark. If this works—"
"We move on to human applications," Tony finished, his tone a mixture of confidence and caution. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Zoric nodded, inserting a syringe into the vial and drawing the serum with meticulous precision. He turned to the rat, which was gently restrained on a platform designed for minimal discomfort. With steady hands, he administered the serum, the tiny needle slipping into the rat's body with barely a twitch from the subject.
Seconds passed. Then a minute.
The monitors displayed a rapid but stable increase in metabolic activity. The rat's heartbeat strengthened, muscles twitched as if responding to some internal surge of energy, and its pupils dilated slightly before settling.
Then it moved.
Fast.
The once-normal lab rat darted across the enclosure, its movements unnaturally swift, its small frame now carrying a new, enhanced strength. It leapt onto a miniature obstacle course within the containment area, scaling surfaces it would have struggled with before. Each action was crisp, controlled. Efficient.
Tony let out a low whistle. "Well, look at that. Super-Rat."
Dr. Zoric exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the data streaming across the screens. "No rejection. No visible side effects. Cognitive function seems… improved."
Tony nodded, arms crossed. "That means the stabilization matrix worked. The serum's not just enhancing the body, it's syncing with the subject's natural biology instantly. No lag, no mutations, no burnout."
They watched for another few minutes as the rat continued to display its heightened agility and strength, adapting rapidly to its new abilities.
Dr. Zoric allowed himself a rare smile. "This is it, Stark. We did it."
Tony grinned, but his expression quickly turned serious. "Now comes the real test. Get everything prepped for the volunteer. We make sure this works on a human, safely. If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it."
Zoric nodded. "Agreed. No shortcuts."
As the scientist made his way to begin preparations for the human trials, Tony lingered for a moment, watching the rat as it perched confidently on a high platform, its tiny chest rising and falling steadily.
"Hope you like the new you, little guy," he muttered. "Because next, we're changing the world."
---