Natasha Romanoff couldn't take her eyes off the picture in front of her. There, on the screen, the face that had haunted her for years finally appeared.
A face she thought she'd never see again. It was grainy, captured from so news footage taken just outside the barricades of Calot, but there was no mistaking it.
Yelena.
Her sister in all but blood.
Natasha's breath caught in her throat as she leaned closer, studying every pixel of the image. The younger woman was stepping off a bus, flanked by others—won in black combat suits and children huddled together.
They all looked tired, wary, but there was no mistaking that stance, that sharpness in Yelena's gaze.
"She's alive," Natasha whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and hope.
It had been years since she last saw her. Years since she made her escape from the Red Room, years since she killed Dreykov.
After that, she had hoped Yelena would show up, that once the Red Room was dismantled, she could finally find and help those she had left behind when she escaped.
Yet, there had been nothing, even SHIELD hadn't been able to find anything, every location of a Red Room facility she had given them had turned up nothing.
On one hand that had likely ant that the organization was done for, but on the other it ant she couldn't find those who had been freed, those who had escaped.
And now, out of nowhere, Yelena appeared in Calot of all places.
Natasha's fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. Her heart raced, a flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Relief, guilt, hope, and confusion—all tangled into one.
However, now the question remained: what was she and what seed like all the other widows and forr captures of the Red Room now doing in Calot?
That place was a political powder keg—a situation waiting to happen, and now, those she cared for had sohow beco a part of it.
"Romanoff," ca the familiar, gravelly voice of Nick Fury, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Natasha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again and looked at her boss. "Yes, sir, I can confirm that this is Yelena, and this here is Helen." She began pointing at the other pictures and naming the widows she rembered.
Nick Fury stepped closer, his one good eye narrowing as he studied the images on Natasha's screen. "So, it's not just Yelena," he muttered, his voice low. "It's the entire Red Room alumni association making a surprise appearance in Calot."
Natasha nodded, her jaw tightening. "It looks that way. These won... I recognize so of them. They were part of the program when I was there. Helen, Viktoria, Sofia… and those kids—they're the next generation. Or, at least, they were supposed to be."
Fury straightened, folding his arms. "And now they're all holed up in the middle of Calot. Hell of a place to stage a reunion."
Natasha's eyes stayed locked on the screen, her mind racing. "This doesn't make sense. The widows wouldn't just walk into a situation like this without a reason. Yelena, especially—she's too smart for that."
"Unless they didn't have a choice," Fury said, his tone sharp. "We have tried to contact those chosen to participate in the upcoming interview, but have been blocked. By these won."
Natasha's eyes snapped to Fury, her brows furrowing. "Blocked? You're telling they're controlling access to the people Calot chose for the interview?"
Fury nodded, his expression grim. "That's right. Every attempt we've made to reach out to those eight civilians has been intercepted. ssages rerouted, responses delayed, and when we send agents to talk to them, they get turned away before even getting close."
Natasha leaned back in her chair, processing the implications. "So they're acting as Calot's arms outside of the city, likely even as spies and informants, giving Calot what it lacks, information."
Fury's expression darkened. "Exactly. They've beco Calot's eyes and ears. The kingdom's only been back for a short ti, and they've already established a network that rivals so of the best intelligence agencies."
Natasha exhaled slowly, her mind racing. "But how did they find them? Even SHIELD couldn't do that. Not to ntion, why would they all agree? What did Calot offer them?"
Fury leaned forward, his voice low and deliberate. "We suspected the Red Room had been disbanded with Dreykov's death, but what if it wasn't?"
Natasha's breath hitched, her fists clenching tighter. "No… no, that can't be. I killed Dreykov. There shouldn't be anyone able to continue it without him."
Fury's gaze didn't waver. "It's a possibility I'm not willing to turn down, it would make sense, why we couldn't find them, why they all appeared together, like if they had never been separated before."
Her chest tightened, the weight of her guilt pressing down like a vice. "All those won… those kids… I thought I'd freed them. I thought it was done." Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the storm brewing inside her.
Fury leaned forward, his tone steady but firm. "Look, Romanoff. This is not ti for self-bla; even if they survived you, it sure seems like Calot finished the job."
Natasha looked down at her hands, trembling slightly as she clenched them into fists. "Yes, you are right, there is no way the Red Room would have allowed even the next generation to leave them, so its impossible they let them go wiling."
Fury's expression remained hard, but his tone softened just slightly. "And it explains what Calot offered them: freedom, protection, a place to call ho. It's a win-win situation for them both."
Natasha let out a shaky breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "Freedom… sothing none of us ever really had. If Calot truly gave them that, then maybe it's not as bad as it seems."
Fury shook his head. "It might not be bad for them now, but it's a problem for us, Calot just got a lot more dangerous, and we still don't know the full picture."
Natasha straightened slightly, her gaze sharp despite the turmoil beneath. "Dangerous or not, Fury, they deserve that freedom. They've earned it after everything they've been through."
Fury crossed his arms, his expression grim. "I agree, but with Calot's actions, they are inviting conflict, and those won are caught up in it, we need information."
Natasha's eyes narrowed, her voice steady despite the turmoil beneath. "This isn't about using them. If they've found a chance to rebuild their lives, I'm not going to take that away from them."
Fury held her gaze, his tone cautious. "I'm not suggesting we disrupt anything, Romanoff. But we need to know what's happening inside Calot. If those won trust you, you might be the only one who can reach them."
Natasha exhaled deeply, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "If they trust … it's been years, Fury. I don't even know if Yelena would still see as soone she could trust."
"She'll listen," Fury said firmly. "You've got history. If nothing else, she'll hear you out."
Natasha nodded slowly, her mind racing with possibilities. "How do I make contact? I don't exactly have their number or anything."
Fury leaned back, his expression softening slightly. "We expect that Calot will open its gates again after the interview; you will simply enter the city and talk with them; no need to hide, no gas, just you going there for a chat."
Natasha blinked, taken aback. "You're suggesting I just walk into Calot? No cover, no backup?"
Fury nodded, his expression firm. "That's right. No cloak and dagger this ti. If they're working with Calot, the last thing we want is to spook them. You go as yourself—open, honest. You've got a better chance of them listening that way."
Natasha's brows furrowed as she processed his words. "And if Calot decides I'm a threat? What then?"
"You'll have to trust they won't," Fury replied evenly. "They've shown restraint so far. If those won have really aligned themselves with Calot, they'll vouch for you. If not, well… you've faced worse odds."
Natasha let out a slow breath, her jaw tightening. "I'll do it. But not for SHIELD—this is for them. For Yelena."
Fury inclined his head. "Understood. Just keep your eyes open, Romanoff. Calot might not be as idyllic as it looks from the outside."
Natasha smirked faintly, a shadow of her usual confidence creeping back. "When is anything ever what it seems?"
-----
"Allow to welco everyone at ho who has just tuned in. We are rely minutes away from the event of the century, right here live at BBC, The first ever interview with King Arthur, the legendary king of knights himself."
"Indeed, after months of the governnt having kept a tight lid on things, we will finally have a chance to hear what this living legend has to say. And I know that everyone has been looking forward to just that."
"Indeed, since the announcent of this interview just over a month ago, it has been the hottest news, even overshadowing that of Tony Stark's continued disappearance."
"That's right, compared to this, Stark is nothing; numbers don't lie; we currently have more than a billion people watching this, which just goes to show how much people desire to know more about Calot."
"More people are watching along here than watched the man step foot on the moon, and I can't bla them; this is stepping back in ti, talking with a legendary person from history! I didn't beco much bigger than this."
"But before we begin, let's take a mont to walk through what we can expect tonight. Over the next two hours, we'll be witnessing a conversation with the King of Knights, as well as questions posed by a carefully chosen panel of individuals."
"As many of you know, two seats were reserved for the British governnt and royal family, represented by Pri Brown and Prince Edward. But the remaining eight spots went to everyday citizens, each selected to represent the voices of modern Britain."
"And what an eclectic mix it is—nurses, teachers, even a retired blacksmith. Each of them carries unique questions and perspectives into this once-in-a-lifeti opportunity."
"Tonight isn't just about history; it's about the future. What does King Arthur have to say about Calot's return? What role does he envision for this kingdom in the modern world? And perhaps the biggest question of all: what happens next?"
"It's a night for answers, David, but also a night for questions we've never thought to ask. So stay with us, because the mont we've all been waiting for is just minutes away."
Here, I would like to say that this happens a days, even a week or two after the widows arrived in Calot, which is why the Widows already are out there working as secret agents. as for how they made it out without getting spotted? well don't you want to know.
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