Chapter 88 – Natasha Romanoff

Assassin Brotherhood.

Inside Smith's office, Natalia Rushman knocked on the door before walking in.

"Boss, you wanted to see me?"

It was Natasha's first time in this office — in fact, her first time even visiting the Assassin Brotherhood headquarters. Even though she worked as Fox's secretary and had seen Smith's overwhelming power, she technically wasn't part of the Brotherhood.

Smith looked at Natasha as she entered and said:"Sit."

Once she was seated, he continued:

"So should I call you Natalia Rushman? Or Natasha Romanoff?"

"Or perhaps by your codename, Black Widow?"

Hearing her identity exposed, Natasha was deeply shocked. Just last night Coulson had sent her a warning, telling her that the Brotherhood was aware of SHIELD and to be careful about exposure — but she hadn't expected them to actually figure it out.

Still, despite the shock, Natasha showed no panic. She didn't make the foolish mistake of trying to bolt, either. She was well aware of the vast gap between her and Smith in terms of strength, and her only bet now was that he wouldn't kill her.

After all, he'd summoned her here to his office — if he intended to kill her, he wouldn't bother with all this.

With a faint smile, Natasha replied:"The Assassin Brotherhood's intelligence network is impressive. You uncovered me faster than I expected."

"Looks like I'm out of a job. So, what would you like from me, Mr. Smith?"

Smith, seeing how calm and poised she remained, spoke again:"Natasha Romanoff. Trained by the Soviet Red Room, codename Black Widow."

"Born in Stalingrad, USSR. Original name Natasha Romanoff. Before you joined SHIELD you worked for the Red Room. At age eleven you, Yelena, Melina, and Alexei infiltrated the U.S. under cover as a fake family in Ohio for three years before completing your mission and fleeing to Cuba. Afterward, you continued training at the Red Room until graduation, becoming a Black Widow and carrying out missions."

At this point, Natasha's calm was gone. She had assumed Smith only knew she was a SHIELD agent — not that he knew her entire history.

Smith didn't pause at her reaction, continuing:"In 2000, while on assignment in Budapest, you encountered your greatest opponent: SHIELD agent Clint Barton."

"He was originally sent to eliminate you, but seeing your skill, he didn't — instead, he invited you to join SHIELD."

Smith finally stopped speaking, and Natasha said with a wry smile:"Impressive. Truly impressive."

"I didn't think anyone had dug this deep. Makes me wonder if you have spies in SHIELD."

"Yes — that's my past. So what do you want from me?"

Smith smiled faintly and said:"No rush. That's what you already know. What you don't know — that's what we're really here to talk about."

Now Natasha's expression turned serious. She was curious what kind of secrets she didn't know yet, that would warrant a conversation like this.

"To secure your loyalty, SHIELD staged quite a play for you."

"The assassination of Dreykov. The destruction of the Red Room."

"And you and Barton were cast as the executioners."

Natasha's eyes narrowed and she muttered:"A play?"

Smith nodded."Do you really think the Red Room was destroyed?"

"That Dreykov is dead?"

"That his daughter — the one you feel so guilty about — is dead?"

Natasha snapped back, incredulous:"Impossible. I saw the bomb destroy his office myself."

"With that kind of explosion, Dreykov and his daughter couldn't have survived."

Smith let out a dismissive chuckle."Did you see their bodies?"

"I hear the sight of Dreykov's underage daughter haunts your nightmares to this day?"

Natasha's eyes widened."You really do have spies in SHIELD!"

This kind of detail was only known to SHIELD's psychological profiling division. Even Clint Barton had only suspected.

At that moment Natasha was nearly convinced the Brotherhood really had an agent inside SHIELD — though she also briefly wondered if Smith possessed some kind of power to read memories.

But as far as SHIELD records went, no such power had ever been documented.

Smith neither confirmed nor denied anything. After all — there hadn't been a spy before, but soon there might well be.

Natasha pressed further:"Then what proof do you have that Dreykov and his daughter are alive? That the Red Room still exists?"

"All these years, I've seen no trace of them."

"And why do you call it 'a play,' a performance to secure my loyalty?"

Natasha fired off her questions, her voice tight. The Red Room was a dark part of her past, while SHIELD was where she now sought refuge.

But as loyal as she'd tried to be to SHIELD, she knew deep down they didn't fully trust her — she wasn't a graduate of the SHIELD Academy, she wasn't one of their 'own.'

Smith answered calmly:"I'll show you the truth. And the evidence will be in your hands."

"After all, words alone won't convince someone like you."

He pulled open a drawer and placed two photos on the desk, pushing one toward her.

Natasha picked it up. The photo showed a man in a prison — overweight, worn down, but unmistakable.

It was Alexei, the man who'd played her father in that fake Ohio family all those years ago.

Though it had all been fake, that time had still been the brightest memory in her otherwise bleak childhood.

(End of Chapter)

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