Leon realized that Natasha was not joking and stopped smiling.
"...Okay, there's no need to be so serious. I was just joking, and I take back what I said disrespectfully just now."
He waved at Ben again. "Ben, bring this lady some more coffee."
Now it was Natasha's turn to be surprised.
"Are you apologizing to me? This... To be honest, your thinking is completely different from mine."
"Apologize? No, did you misunderstand something? I'm not apologizing, I'm just being polite. At the very least, I won't joke about that kind of thing in public." Leon defended himself.
Natasha's eyes were filled with confusion. "You actually said that... I mean, you are very different. You don't act like a Stark at all!"
"Maybe it's because I've had an education beyond just being a Stark?" Leon raised his glass and clinked it against Natasha's. "But no matter how much you praise me, it won't change anything."
"You broke in here and attacked me. I saved you despite our past grudges, and yet you still tried to plot something against me. A verbal apology isn't enough."
"...You're right." Natasha smiled and took a sip of the hot coffee. "But I really meant it as praise. That was the first time I've heard such words. It actually sounds cultured."
"Thank you for the compliment. It's part of how I present myself." Leon shrugged.
"That kind of image-building must be very attractive to young girls." Natasha's eyebrows arched playfully.
"Maybe..." Leon smirked. "Now, should we talk about you and the issue with the Red Room?"
"What do you want to know?" Natasha straightened up from the workbench. "If this is the compensation you want, I'll tell you everything I know."
"I have just one question. How did you end up under the Red Room's control again a year and a half ago?"
Leon had been puzzling over this for a long time. After all, this was directly related to his understanding of the universe he was living in. It was also why he had decided to help Natasha.
Natasha looked dazed as she held her coffee cup, struggling with the memories. To her, that time felt like a lifetime ago. Under their control, she had committed too many atrocities. Even her worst days before that seemed preferable.
Recalling those experiences felt like ripping open old wounds from the inside out. Facing gunfire in battle would have been easier.
But after a moment of silence, she slowly began to speak.
"I was trained and conditioned by the Red Room as a child. They brainwashed all the girls."
"But I resisted. I managed to keep my will intact."
"So when I got the chance, I tried to rebel. And I failed."
Natasha's gaze grew distant as she stared into her coffee, lost in the past.
"To prevent future uprisings, they went beyond brainwashing. They started using chemical control."
Leon caught the key detail. "You're highly skilled. How did your rebellion fail?"
In the original timeline, Natasha should have met Clint Barton around 2006, after which they targeted the leader of the Red Room in Budapest. That mission led to her successful defection to S.H.I.E.L.D.
But now, things had played out very differently.
"You can't imagine the Red Room's reach. Their Widows are everywhere. No one can fight them alone."
Natasha's shoulders sagged. "Almost two years ago, I was attacked by Hawkeye, who had been sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. That was my chance. I tried to use him as my way out."
She suddenly looked at Leon. "Speaking of which, this involves you too."
"Me?"
"In 2006, Stark Industries released a groundbreaking electronic product. The Red Room reverse-engineered the technology and used it to upgrade their internal systems."
Natasha sighed. "So when I contacted Hawkeye, they were monitoring me the entire time, and I had no idea."
"My equipment had basic anti-surveillance measures, but I never expected the Red Room's communication tech to advance so quickly."
Leon's expression twitched. So Black Widow had been compromised because of outdated tech?
In the Marvel world, civilian technology lagged far behind military advancements. In 2006, after Tony was inspired by him, he pushed multiple military-grade innovations into civilian markets, revolutionizing digital technology almost overnight.
Stark Industries had held press conferences almost daily for a month straight. In that time, consumer tech leaped forward by at least a decade. Smartphones replaced flip phones overnight. Even holographic projections had started appearing in the market.
Leon still remembered Obadiah Stane's complaints. Stane had argued that Stark Industries was exhausting its resources too quickly and should have staggered these advancements for greater profit.
"Well, modern technology moves fast… sometimes unpredictably." Leon took a sip of coffee, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Natasha looked at him resentfully. "If Stark Electronics had launched just six months later, I might have successfully escaped—or even taken down the Red Room."
"...You're right." Leon continued drinking. "Although it's pointless now, let's just blame Tony. Why did he create that subsidiary, anyway?"
It turned out the world itself wasn't broken.
His mere presence had triggered a butterfly effect large enough to alter Natasha's fate. A ripple from his actions had become a storm in Budapest.
And yet, despite this change in history, no one had come for him. Not the Time Variance Authority, not the Ancient One.
That was… unsettling.
Still, this was likely the MCU timeline he was familiar with. As long as it wasn't a comic book universe, things should be manageable.
"What happened next?" he asked.
"After my defection attempt was exposed, I was captured by other Widows and taken back."
"They imprisoned me for six months before using chemical conditioning to control me."
"I retained my thoughts, but I was no longer myself. For over a year, I was just another tool."
Natasha turned away, discreetly wiping her face. "In those months, I killed more people than I had in the past decade."
"Men. Women. Children. I killed them all."
Her voice was steady, but her fingers trembled against the coffee cup.
Leon wanted to offer some words of comfort, but he knew that wasn't what she needed. Natasha had a stronger will than most, but that only made her pain worse when her conscience condemned her.
Even in the Avengers, with teammates she considered family, she had never spoken of her time in the Red Room. Those memories were wounds she had buried deep.
Compared to reopening them, she might have preferred if Leon had simply demanded a physical price for his help.
"So what are you planning to do next?" Leon gestured for Benben to refill Natasha's coffee.
"Thank you." Natasha nodded before meeting his gaze. "If possible, I'd like your help."
"I don't want to drag you into this war, but… could you help me develop an inhibitor? Or at least the formula? I need to save the others. I'll find a way to repay you."
Leon stroked his chin. "An inhibitor? That's easy, but…"
"You're planning to rescue as many Widows as you can, build a force, and then take down the Red Room, right?"
To be honest, Leon wanted the Red Room gone too. Even before Tony had publicly revealed himself as Iron Man, they had already sent Black Widow to infiltrate Stark Industries.
Who knew what they would do next?
Since Natasha had the same goal, well… why not go with the flow?
Natasha straightened. "Yes, that's my plan, Mr. Stark—"
"Just call me Leon. You've shared so much already. We're friends now."
Natasha paused, then nodded. "Leon…"
"Good. Now listen carefully." Leon tapped the table. "Your plan is solid, but not practical."
He smirked. "Luckily for you, I have an idea. A win-win—no, a win-win-win solution!"
…
💎 Support this novel with Reviews & Power Stones! 💎
…
✅ Check out my Patreon for +30 extra chapters 📚 on all my fanfics! 🎉
🔗 [p@treon.com/LordMerlin]
🙏 Thank you for your support! ❤️