"This is your new teammate," Natasha said. "Ian, come in here."
The boy stepped cautiously into the room.
Barbara looked the new arrival up and down. He was on the tall side, with blond hair and brown eyes. He had a strong face.
He contrasted sharply with Barbara's black hair and green eyes. While he was built, she was slender. He looked to be about 6 feet, and she was 5'6. She finished looking him over and nodded curtly.
"I am one of the Black Widows," she said simply. He nodded.
"Does it get confusing? Both of you being Black Widows?" he asked.
"No," Natasha told him. "I'm Agent Romanoff, she's my niece. The title means little."
"Oh." Ian extended a hand. "Good to meet you…other Black Widow."
Barbara shook it solemnly. "You have permission to call me Barbara."
"Thank you," Ian said.
"What is your code name?" Barbara asked.
"Tarantula," he answered. A beep sounded through the room. Natasha looked down sheepishly.
"It's my comm," she explained. She left the room to answer it. Tarantula and the other Black Widow were left awkwardly looking at each other.
"So….how are you feeling today?" Ian made an attempt to make conversation.
"It is of little matter," Barbara said grumpily.
"Ah. I see….." Ian trailed off. His eyes wandered the room, which happened to be a lab. "What do you do in here?"
"Experiment. I like science, and I help with some of the products Stark Industries puts out."
"They let you do that?" Ian asked in disbelief.
"Look, my aunt is Black Widow. I doubt Mr. Stark is going to argue with her. How long have you been training?"
"About three years."
"Three years, and she didn't tell me about you?!" Barbara asked. Ian shrugged.
"No, I guess not. Why are you so skeptical of me?"
"Well, I don't trust people. I trust my aunt, and I trust myself. Adding anyone else is a problem. She used to be an assassin; she is not the most open person either. I don't understand why she trusts you." Barbara shook her head.
"I suppose you're supposed to find out," Ian said. "When is our first mission?"
"I don't know," Barbara began. Natasha walked back in the room with a serious face.
"This is it," she told them. "Your first mission."
"Alright!" Ian rubbed his hands together. "Let's get down to business!"
"What is it?" Barbara asked doubtfully.
"A shipment of Stark Industries weapons has disappeared on its way to the Maxwell Air Force Base. We have to go get them back. It's a relatively small mission, and they think it's only me, but I think it's time you two went on a mission together."
Ian and Barbara looked at each other grimly.