It was nearly four in the morning local time when Sandy One finally arrived at the Widows' new base of operations. Nick Fury was waiting in the garage as Sandy rolled in. The relief on his face was palpable as he saw all five team members exit wearily from the vehicle. Maria had radioed ahead that everyone was safe and well. But Fury needed to see for himself.
Sharon gathered Wanda into her arms.
"I'm going to take Wanda upstairs to the infirmary," she said to Natasha. "Take a couple of quick x-rays. Should only be a few minutes. I'll ping you as soon as I know anything definite."
Natasha smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sharon." She turned to Sam and Maria. "I can't thank you guys enough, for what you did tonight."
"Just doing our jobs. This is our gig now," Sam shrugged, and then he frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Uhh, we are getting paid for this, right?" he joked.
"Thanks to Pepper, yes, we are," Natasha assured him with a smile. "Go home. Clean yourselves up and get some shuteye. We'll meet back here day after tomorrow, and decide what we're going to do about Ross and his big box full of monsters."
"I'm not sure we'll have to do anything," Sharon interjected, and she quickly related what she had seen while observing the guards. "Whatever Ross thinks he has, the process he's using is neither safe nor reliable," she concluded. "My guess is, if he were ever to deploy those soldiers in combat, their bodies would start to break down almost immediately."
"So that's why I saw that one react the way he did." Natasha shuddered involuntarily; it was almost too horrible to think about. Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner had survived their experiences by the grace of God. The ones who followed were obviously not going to be so lucky.
"Do you think Ross knows?" Maria asked.
"Maybe," Natasha answered wearily. "But even if this first trial group isn't a success, I don't think that's going to deter him. He's found his mission and he's going to stick with it."
Sharon led Wanda away, towards the elevators. The young woman was out on her feet, and Natasha felt a deep twinge of sympathetic pain.
"Go home," Natasha repeated to Sam and Maria. "Call me whenever you wake up."
"I really need to shower first," Maria regarded herself with a moue of distaste. "Even my grime has grime on it. Ugh."
"I know what you mean," Natasha sighed sympathetically. "My skin is just crawling. I can't wait to clean myself up." She gave them both a weary smile. "Goodnight, you guys."
"Goodnight."
As they left the garage together, Maria turned to Sam.
"That was amazing, what you did tonight," she said admiringly.
"Yeah, well, I'm used to pulling off that stunt with a pair of wings," he admitted ruefully. "Been a while since I did a rescue with a drop cable." He gallantly made no mention of his bruised ribs.
"I didn't mean saving Natasha."
Sam frowned in puzzlement. "Then what did you mean?"
"What you did for Wanda."
"Oh..."
"Sam, you ran nearly three kilometers on a mountain plateau, carrying an injured girl in your arms, in the middle of a storm, at night, with next to zero visibility. And not once did you break stride, or even slow down."
"I... wasn't thinking about it," Sam answered, flustered. "Just doing what had to be done."
"I think that's the hottest thing I've ever seen." Maria's admiring smile changed slightly, now having a distinctly carnal undertone. If Sam wasn't flustered before, he certainly was now.
"Oh... I... uhh..."
"Take you home?" Maria asked shyly.
Sam hesitated for only a moment, gauging the subtext of Maria's invitation. He realized he would be only too happy to accept, and responded with a shy smile of his own. "Sure. I'd like that. Thanks."
Back in the garage, Natasha walked over to where Nick Fury was standing.
"Had yourself a little adventure, did you?" he asked mildly.
"You could say that," Natasha smiled ruefully. "I wasn't sure I was going to see you here," she admitted.
"I'm the security operations officer. It's my job to be onsite when the away teams return, and conduct the debrief," Fury reminded her.
"Well, then, let's see. The debrief is: we lost Sandy Two. She got 'hulked'. Wanda has a broken elbow. Everyone on the team has a fresh batch of scrapes, scratches and bruises, and we've all been covered head to toe in mud. That's everything in the minus column," Natasha informed him.
"And Banner?"
"He wasn't there. But General Ross was. And he's almost managed it, Nick. He has a platoon of enhanced soldiers stationed out there in your old base. He doesn't have all the bugs worked out yet, but he's close. Very close."
"Damn," Fury swore softly.
"Ross tried to hold Wanda captive. He was going to use her for some of his so-called experiments. We basically had to fight our way out of a US military base. No soldiers were seriously injured, but there's definitely going to be fallout from that little fiasco."
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll get on it right away."
Natasha smiled wearily. "I think it can wait until morning, Nick."
"It is morning, Romanoff. There's only an hour left before sunrise."
"I meant, we can worry about it after you and I have both had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep." She gave the old man a look of abject contrition. "Nick, I am so sorry about this morning," she apologized. "I really flew off the handle. That was absolutely the wrong way to deal with that situation. I'm sorry."
"It's your prerogative as team leader to come down on your people, if you don't think they're on the same page with you," Fury reminded her gently.
"Still. I could have handled that better. A lot better," Natasha admitted. "Please accept my apologies."
"Accepted. Now forget about it."
Natasha smiled gratefully. "I need you, Nick," she confessed openly. "If this is going to work, this team, this mission, then I literally can't do it without you. I need you even more than I need Maria - and I consider her indispensable. I know you've got my back. I just forget sometimes, we used to be spies. And spies have lots of secrets."
"I wish I could tell you this was last dumpster fire you'll have to put out from the break-up of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury said sadly. "But I doubt it. I can only promise you one thing, Natasha. When something like this comes up again, anything I know, you'll know."
"That's all I can ask." She paused. "I don't know what finally convinced you to come work with us, Nick, but I am very, very glad you did."
Fury snorted humorlessly. "Yeah, well... I had a lot of time to think, while I was recovering in the hospital. And I was going to do it, you know. Walk away. Retire. Wash my hands of everything."
"What made you change your mind?"
"You did."
"Me?"
"You came to me, looking for help putting a team together," Fury reminded her. "And once that first mission was over, you and Maria decided to keep it going." He paused. "I'm not always proud of every op I approved while I was Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he confided. "But every op was done with the hope of leaving the world a better and safer place afterwards. You and Maria are on a similar mission. You're not trying to take over the world. You just want to protect the people living on it. That's a mission worth putting off retirement for."
As Natasha smiled gratefully at the gruff old man, her personal intercom beeped. Bemused that it was still working, she touched the intercom button.
"Hey, Sharon."
"I've confirmed Wanda has a simple fracture at the base of her elbow," Sharon reported. "She'll need to wear a sling for several weeks, and I can guide her through some physical therapy that will speed healing. But no surgery needed, and no complications."
"That's wonderful news!"
"I've given her something for the pain, and now I'm going to take her down to the gym showers, help her get cleaned up. You can take her home in about fifteen minutes."
"I'll come join you," Natasha replied. "I reek so badly I can't stand myself. Thanks, Sharon. Thanks for everything."
"You're very welcome. See you downstairs."
Natasha turned back to Fury. "Well, I think that's definitely enough mischief for one night," she decided. "I'll check in with you tomorrow?"
"Sounds good."
"Oh, one other thing." Natasha was just about to turn away when she suddenly remembered something. "Give Tony Stark a call. Tell him..." she paused. "Tell him we're in."
"Wilco," Fury nodded.
"Good night, Nick. And - thank you."
"You're welcome. And goodnight... boss," Fury grinned at her.
A short time later, Natasha and Wanda arrived at their new home, and Natasha helped her injured teammate with putting on a nightdress and clambering into bed.
"I really didn't think I needed help getting tucked in," Wanda Maximoff sighed disconsolately. "But I guess I do."
Natasha carefully supported the young woman's back as Wanda gingerly laid herself down onto her bed. "Well, you didn't just break your arm, Wanda. You're nothing but one big bruise, head to toe. It will get easier for you in a couple days, but in the meantime, you need to rest."
Wanda made a face. "Sharon says I have to keep my arm in a sling for six weeks," she complained.
"It won't take that long," Natasha assured her, pulling up the bedcovers and then taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You follow all the PT instructions she gives you, to the letter, and I promise, that sling will be gone in no time." She reached over to stroke Wanda's dark red hair. "We're widows. We heal fast."
Wanda looked up Natasha, her eyes filled with adoration. "You fought off a Hulk with your bare hands," she said in an awed whisper.
"Yeah. I sure did," Natasha agreed ruefully. She could feel her battered body beginning to swell even now. Tomorrow, she would be sporting a particularly nasty set of bruises of her own. "Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done," she admitted.
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Wanda gushed, and then her eyes began to well with tears. "You saved my life."
"Well, you save mine, every day," Natasha answered in all sincerity. "I think we're even." She clasped Wanda's hand tightly. "I would fight off an army of Hulks with my bare hands every day, to keep you safe," she vowed solemnly. She leaned over and left a tender kiss on Wanda's forehead. "I love you, Wanda Maximoff," she whispered. "With all my heart."
"I love you too, Natalia Alianovna," Wanda answered, her speech slightly slurred as she finally began to succumb to a combination of exhaustion and painkillers.
"Get some sleep." Natasha got up from the bedside, turned out the light and headed for the door. "I'll see you in the morning."
Barely awake herself, Natasha more or less stumbled into her own bedroom, slipped out of her blouse and slacks, kicked off her shoes and collapsed in a heap onto her bed. She just managed to get the bedcovers pulled up over herself before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Despite her exhaustion, Natasha woke shortly after 10 AM. Wanting to sleep longer, but feeling she should at least check in with Fury, she quickly showered and dressed, then looked in on Wanda. The girl was still sleeping soundly. Natasha left a fresh glass of water and a note saying where she'd gone on Wanda's nightstand, then left the house.
It was a short drive from Natasha's new home to the new headquarters. We should call this place the Web, she thought with sudden inspiration. The Widow's Web. We just need to come up with some goofy acronym using the letters w,e,b.
She glared at herself in the rear view mirror. "I must be more tired than I thought," she grumbled irritably.
As she entered the lobby, she found she had a visitor. Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, still recovering from his injuries, was seated in a wheelchair in front of the security desk. He smiled warmly as she entered.
"Morning, Natasha. Fury said I could wait for you here. He was just about to call you."
Natasha froze as she saw him. Rhodes held up his hands in a placating gesture.
"Before you say anything, nobody's coming for you," he declared. "You're safe, Natasha. And Wanda is safe. And you're free to go about your business."
Natasha sighed with relief. Rhodes said exactly what she needed to hear, right off the bat. But she was still wary. "Why are you here, Rhodey?"
"I'm here at the direct order of the joint chiefs. They thought you might be willing to listen to a friendly face."
Natasha thought that over. She sat down on one of the lobby benches nearest to him.
"Okay," she said. "I'm listening."
"First of all, no charges will be filed against you or your team for your trespass on a military base."
"Our trespass?"
"We understand that you had no idea the site was in use by the US military when you arrived there yesterday. The incident has been classified as an accident. General Ross called the joint chiefs himself to clarify the mistake, and to recommend that no further action be taken."
"More likely to cover his own ass," Natasha snorted in disgust. "He tried to kidnap Wanda, and experiment on her against her will. Did he also mention that?"
"And had he been successful, the Pentagon would have backed him on it," Rhodes countered. He sighed. "You have to understand, Natasha, the political and military landscape around the world has changed drastically since Thanos. And not for the better. Any government still functioning is considering placing their nation under more or less permanent martial law, including the United States. You have no idea how close we are to a complete lockdown."
"Meaning what, exactly?"
"Meaning, up to and including an indefinite suspension of the Constitution. Military curfews. Detention centers. The works. There are a lot of very frightened people in high places right now."
Natasha thought that over for a moment, and decided she wasn't sympathetic.
"Have you seen what goes on at that horror show he calls a military base?" Natasha asked angrily. "Some of those kids are really damaged, Rhodey."
"Every marine who volunteers for the program is told the risks right up front," he answered. "And they're willing to take those risks. To serve the greater good."
Natasha couldn't hide her complete revulsion, and Rhodes regarded her frame of mind with concern. "Look. Ross isn't wrong about the threat. And he has the full backing of the Pentagon and the White House behind him," he said. "Despite any setbacks in the program, Operation Greenskin is going to continue and likely will be accelerated. And believe me, that's not the only program of its kind out there."
"It's ghoulish," Natasha shuddered.
"It's a war for our survival," Rhodes said simply. "Anyway, your little field trip onto a secret military base means you've very much caught the attention of all the top brass at the Pentagon. Not to mention most of the US intelligence agencies."
"Oh, swell," Natasha groaned.
"This doesn't have to be a bad thing, Natasha. A covert response team such as yours was going to draw a lot of interest anyway, especially since your team includes several former Avengers, not to mention one of the few women left alive who has honest-to-God super powers."
"We're not putting this team together, just to hand it over to the US military or anybody else," Natasha said firmly. "We are not going to be any one country's private response team to further their political or military interests over another."
"That's understood," Rhodes assured her. "But all the top brass at the Pentagon would be very interested in pursuing a working partnership with you and your team, where our security interests intersect - say, for example, Thanos decides he wants an encore and threatens the entire world again."
"And I'm supposed to believe they have no intention of compromising our autonomy?"
"The joint chiefs consider what happened in Central America to be a missed opportunity. They don't want to throw any of you in jail, far from it. Frankly, we could use your help. And the consensus view is, we'd have much better chance of securing your buy-in, if we offered you a carrot instead of a stick."
"So, what's the carrot?"
"Me. I'm the carrot."
Natasha raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"The DoD is formally requesting your permission to let me join you here - not as a member of your team, but as your official liaison to the Pentagon," Rhodes clarified. "No strings attached."
"Why? So you can spy on us?"
"I have to report to my superiors, yes. But the goal here isn't to co-opt your team, Natasha. A lot of people in high places are scared. Really scared. When there's another event like the Chitauri, or Thanos, and one will happen eventually, we'd really like to be able to call you in for help. And that help goes both ways. If you have an op where it might be prudent to have a SEAL team backing you up, or if you need air, sea or land transport, the military would be willing to consider all requests for aid on a case-by-case basis. And those requests would be run through me."
"What if I don't want to play?"
"Nobody's going to throw you in jail, if that's what you're asking. Unless you decide to go rogue and start threatening US citizens, or blowing up buildings, or something like that."
Natasha thought that over.
"I trust you, Rhodey, but I can't say the same for your bosses," she said finally. "I need time to think about this."
"Understood. Take all the time you need. And feel free to call me anytime." He offered her a somber smile. "Hell. Doesn't even have to be about work. It's been a while since we talked for real. You're free to call if you just want to go out for a beer."
Natasha finally managed a sincere, welcoming smile for her old friend. "It really is good to see you, Rhodey," she said sincerely.
"Same here, Natasha. You take care. I'll be seeing you soon." He started to turn his wheelchair away. "There is one favor I'd like to ask," he said. "Something personal."
"Sure."
"Please tell Sam for me, no hard feelings."
Natasha felt another twinge of pain tugging at her heart. "I'll tell him," she promised.
"Great. Until later, then."
After Rhodes exited the building, Natasha stood in the empty lobby for a moment, considering the implications of their conversation. Finally, she sighed with exasperation, and then rattled off an impressively long string of expletives, first in English, then repeating the entire series of phrases in Russian. It solved nothing, but it made her feel somewhat better afterwards.
Later that afternoon, Natasha found Maria on her back porch, relaxing contentedly in one of her deck chairs. She was as casually dressed as Natasha had ever seen her: t-shirt, jean shorts and flip-flops. Her long, bare legs were stretched across a patio ottoman, and there was a half-finished beer beside her chair and a small cooler between the chairs. She was the perfect picture of languid repose.
"You look comfortable," Natasha grinned, taking the seat beside her.
"I am comfortable," Maria declared, not opening her eyes. "Help yourself to a beer in the cooler. Or grab anything you like out of the fridge."
"I think I will. Thanks." Natasha reached into the cooler and pulled out a beer bottle. She twisted off the cap and took a long swig. The icy cold liquid felt good going down her throat. Although the sun was behind the trees at this point in the afternoon, and the patio was shaded, the air was still warm enough to make someone drowsy almost immediately. Natasha settled herself into her chair, feeling relaxed and content. "I could get used to this," she sighed happily.
"So, how's our rookie and her broken wing?" Maria asked.
"Grumpy. Trying to figure out how to do everything with one hand. She's already pestering me about coming back to work."
"Tell her to relax. She fought an army of Hulks yesterday. I think she deserves a day off."
"That's exactly what I told her."
"Uh-huh. And how are you doing?"
"Me? I'm fine."
"I figured you'd say something like that. For the record, I'm calling shenanigans." Maria's bantering tone became slightly more serious. "I had to ask, though. I know this was a tough op for you. I just want to be sure that you're okay."
"I appreciate that, Maria. Very much. Thank you." Natasha grinned mischievously. "So, what time did Sam leave?"
Maria didn't react immediately. She finally turned her head to one side and gave her friend a reproving look. "You really don't miss a thing, do you?"
"It was kind of hard not to notice," Natasha teased gently. "You weren't exactly subtle."
"I don't have time for subtle," Maria answered, somewhat defensively.
Natasha gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Relax, partner. It's like Steve used to say. Nobody's breaking any by-laws. Whatever works for you guys, works for me."
Maria regarded Natasha for a long moment. Her friend was obviously sincere about not passing any judgment about the potential overlap between her private and professional lives. She relaxed.
"I really appreciate that. Thanks."
"Do you want to keep this quiet?"
"Please," Maria answered gratefully. "At least for now. We, ahh, didn't exactly plan for last night," she admitted. "I want to see if this turns into something, before sharing it with the rest of the team."
"Fair enough." After a moment's awkward silence, Natasha prodded gently, "So?"
"So, what?"
"Do you like him?"
"Natasha!" Maria remonstrated.
"Hey, I'm just asking."
Maria hesitated for a moment. "Sam is... he's amazing," she allowed.
"What, that's it? That's all you're giving me?" Natasha declared in mock indignation.
"For now," Maria retorted.
"Oh, my," Natasha grinned. "I've never known you to be this shy about anyone. He must be special."
"Hey, I don't have to invite you over to my house, you know," Maria growled.
"Okay, okay," Natasha decided it was best to stop tormenting her friend. "I'm just happy for you," she said sincerely. "And for what it's worth, I think you and Sam would make a great couple."
Maria thought that over for a moment. "That's crossed my mind, too," she confided in a quiet voice, and then, anxious to change the subject, added, "I'm sorry we didn't find Doctor Banner."
"Yeah," Natasha agreed sadly. "So am I."
"Just because he wasn't in Central America doesn't mean he's gone," Maria pointed out. "If he's alive, and on earth, we'll find him, Natasha. I give you my word."
Natasha couldn't help but be touched by Maria's gesture. "You're a very good friend to me, Maria, have I told you that?"
"You may have mentioned it a couple of times," Maria deadpanned.
"Well, it's true," Natasha answered in all sincerity. "I wouldn't even be able to think about doing all this without you. Thank you."
"Yeah, right back at ya, Fearless Leader. So, are you ever gonna tell me what Rhodey wanted to see you about?"
"And you talk about me not missing anything," Natasha retorted playfully.
"Come on, we used to be in spy business," Maria shot back.
"Well, we're not in the spy business any more," Natasha declared firmly. "I'll never keep secrets from you, Maria."
"Well, in that case..." the corners of Maria's mouth turned up in a wicked grin. "I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours."
"I'm going to do way better than just tell you," Natasha declared. "I'm going to give you all the explicit details."
"Oh, I like explicit details," Maria laughed.
Natasha tilted her beer bottle towards Maria. "To the Black Widows," she toasted.
Maria picked up her beer, and they crossed their bottlenecks with a musical clink. "To the Black Widows."
The two women took long swigs from their beer bottles, then sat back and began to talk together, in the relaxed, easy way that only the closest of friends do; and they were still talking several hours later, as the first full moon of summer slowly began to rise over the tops of the nearest trees.
