Tony had let go of Natasha's hand a while ago, but she hadn't moved much since then.
She just lay there...
Processing.
Tony glanced at the holographic monitors, reading her vitals. Heart rate stable. Neural activity normal. Cellular regeneration complete. Everything checked out.
She was fine. Physically, at least.
But that wasn't what concerned him.
He pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "Alright, Nat. As much as I love sitting here in comfortable silence, we should probably talk."
Natasha's eyes flickered open, sharp as ever. "About what?"
Tony leaned back, gesturing lazily. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that you just had every enhancement stripped from your body and rewired at the cellular level? That's kind of a big deal. So, how do you feel?"
She took a deep breath, slowly flexing her fingers, testing her body again. She had done it a dozen times already as if confirming that she was really herself.
"Feels… different," she admitted.
Tony leaned forward, "Different how? Bad different? Good different?"
Natasha considered that for a moment. "Neither. Just… different."
Tony nodded, half expecting that answer. "Yeah, that tracks. Look, I don't expect you to just hop out of bed and start doing backflips. Your body's been running on enhancements and Red Room mods for decades. Now? You're normal. A regular normal human. And, it's gonna take time to adjust."
Natasha gave him a look. "You're telling me to rest."
"Wow. You do listen," Tony said dryly. "Yeah, rest. Take it easy. Eat some soup. Drink some juice. Your muscles need to relearn how to work without enhancements. Your reflexes will feel sluggish. You might even feel weaker than you remember. It's all in your head, but still, take the damn time to let your body adjust."
She frowned, shifting slightly, like she wanted to prove she could get up.
Tony sighed and held up a hand. "Look, I know you. If I turn my back, you'll probably try to walk out of here and act like nothing's changed. But trust me, Nat, you'll notice the difference. The fact that you're still lying there proves it."
Natasha exhaled slowly, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm fine." Her body felt sluggish.
Tony gave her a pointed look. "Uh-huh. And I'm the King of the seven seas."
She smirked slightly. "You'd look good in a jeweled coat and a crown."
"Obviously," Tony said, smirking back. Then his voice softened. "But seriously, Romanoff. You good?"
Natasha hesitated.
And that was rare.
She wasn't the kind of person to hesitate. But right now? She wasn't sure how to define what she was feeling.
Tony saw it, and his voice dropped lower. Gentler.
"Do you regret it?"
Natasha blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"Your decision," Tony clarified. "Do you regret it? Losing your enhancements. Becoming… this." He gestured vaguely toward her. "A regular human."
Natasha didn't answer right away.
She couldn't.
For so long, she had been something else—engineered, modified, honed into a perfect weapon. Faster, stronger, deadlier.
Now?
She was just Natasha Romanoff.
No enhancements. No genetic modifications.
Just her.
She pressed a hand against her stomach again. The same place where, for years, she had carried the permanent weight of what had been done to her. The weight of what was stolen.
Now?
For the first time since she was a child, that weight was gone.
And even if she felt weaker, even if she had to relearn herself, even if she was no longer what she used to be…
She was finally free.
Her fingers curled slightly.
"No," she said softly. Then, with more certainty: "No, I don't regret it."
Tony watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Good."
They sat in silence for a while.
Then, Natasha let out a quiet breath. "It's strange."
"What is?"
She shifted slightly, rolling her wrist. "For the first time in my life… I'm not someone's weapon."
Tony tilted his head, a slow smirk forming. "So what now, then? You gonna retire? Start a cat rescue? Take up yoga?"
Natasha gave him a tired smile. "As I've promised before, I belong to you. So... I don't know. You tell me."
Tony chuckled. "Fair enough. So, I want you to do whatever you want. No pressure."
She went quiet again, then murmured, "I think… I just want to figure out who I am. Without all of it."
Tony's smirk faded into something softer. "Then take the time to do that, Romanoff. No rush."
She nodded, letting her eyes drift shut. Her body still ached, and her muscles felt foreign, but for once… she wasn't afraid of what came next.
For once, she had time.
And she was going to use it.
Tony stretched his arms and stood up. "Alright, you rest. I'll be here monitoring things, making sure you don't spontaneously combust or something."
Natasha didn't open her eyes. "You'd miss me too much if I did."
Tony waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Just shut up and sleep, Widow."
She hummed in response, already half-asleep.
And for the first time in a long time, Natasha Romanoff slept without nightmares.
[Noon] [Training ground]
The Widows were sparring, running drills, and testing weapons.
Tony strolled onto the field, hands in his pockets, surveying the scene.
The Widows had come a long way.
Two years ago, most of them had only known how to kill. Now? Some had found purpose beyond combat—logistics, medicine, engineering, strategy. But for those who chose to stay in the fight, Tony had made sure they were better than ever.
As he approached, Melina noticed him and broke away from the group. She walked toward him, her posture as sharp as ever, but with an ease she never had before.
"Stark," she greeted, wiping sweat from her brow. "You're up early."
Tony smirked. "It's noon, Vostokoff. Hate to break it to you, but that's not early."
She rolled her eyes. "For you, it is."
"Fair point." Tony glanced around. "Looks like they're keeping busy."
Melina nodded, following his gaze. "They have to. Even with Red Room gone, the world isn't safe. They know that."
Tony crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, at least now they get to choose how they fight."
Melina studied him for a moment, then cut to the point. "How's Natasha?"
Tony exhaled. "She's good. Out cold for now, but everything went exactly as planned."
Melina's lips pressed together, a rare flicker of emotion in her otherwise unreadable expression. "She deserves this," she said after a moment.
Tony nodded. "Yeah. She does."
They stood in silence for a beat, watching the Widows move across the field.
Then, Melina turned to him, her voice careful. "If you can heal her… that means you can heal the others too."
Tony expected that question. He had been preparing for it.
"Yeah," he said. "If they want it, I can erase every single Red Room modification from their bodies. Put them back to full factory settings."
Melina's eyes narrowed. "And what would that mean for them?"
"They'd be human again," Tony said simply. "No enhancements, no chemical boosts, no artificial upgrades. Just… them."
Melina was quiet.
Then she shook her head. "That's not an option."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really? You sure about that? I thought you guys were all about breaking free from what the Red Room did to you."
Melina's jaw tightened. "Freedom isn't the same as weakness, Stark. We were made into weapons, yes. But those modifications make us capable of surviving a world that isn't fair. Humans have limits. And if we're going to follow your vision of a better world, then we need to be better."
Tony smirked. He had been waiting for this.
He leaned in slightly. "Good. Because I have a solution for that too."
Melina narrowed her eyes. "Go on."
Tony stepped back and stretched his arms dramatically. "So, here's the thing. You Widows were enhanced using garbage—bad science, watered-down formulas, and rushed procedures. The Red Room played with genetics like a kid with a chemistry set. That's why some of you got different results... some stronger, some faster, some breaking down sooner than others."
Melina crossed her arms. "And?"
"And," Tony continued, "I fixed it."
Melina blinked. "…What?"
Tony grinned. "Oh, come on. You knew I was gonna fix it. It's me. I don't like flawed tech, and right now, you are all running on outdated, bootleg enhancements."
Melina's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of intrigue in her eyes. "What did you do, Stark?"
Tony clapped his hands together. "Glad you asked! So, I took the best elements of the Super Soldier Serum, my special spice, and even some stuff from a certain mutant healing factor—blended them together, made a few tweaks, and created something better."
Melina's eyes narrowed. "You're saying you made your own version of the Red Room enhancements?"
Tony smirked. "No, I made something beyond them. Aegies 2.0. No side effects. No forced loyalty. No breakdowns over time. Just pure, stable enhancement. Better reflexes, better endurance, and most importantly? Your body stays yours."
Melina was silent, processing.
Tony's grin widened. "So, here's the deal. They can go back to being fully human and heal their body. Then I can give them the serum. The best possible version of themselves. No one will ever control them again. No strings attached."
Melina let out a slow breath. "And you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart?"
Tony gave her a look. "Come on, you know me. I don't do charity. I do strategy. The world is changing, Melina. Faster than anyone realizes. And if we want to stay ahead, we need to be better."
Melina held his gaze. Then, finally, she nodded. "Alright. I'll tell them."
Tony smirked. "You do that. And when they're ready… tell them to come see me."
Melina turned, heading back toward the others. Tony watched as she walked away, already thinking about what was coming next.
Because this?
This was just the beginning.
...
As Tony made his way to his suit lab his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID.
It was from his father.
"Hey, Dad. Please, don't tell me you got stuck on another meeting."
Howard chuckled. "Oh, no. Not this time. I am eager to see your progress in the last 3 years. I'm sure it's extraordinary."
Tony hummed in agreement. "Well, I do my best, and it pays off. And I hope you also remember what I said back then, right?"
"No government interference, war funding, or using your tech for war," Howard sighed. "Yes, I know. You were very clear. Though, I was hoping we could reconsider the latter. After all, there are still threats that require stronger defenses."
"We've already gone through this, Dad," Tony sighed. "My technology won't be available for the government or the war. If you or anyone else tries to steal... Yeah, I know steal is kinda rude to say but it's accurate... anyway, if you or anyone tries to take it, there will be consequences, regardless of who you are."
"I see," Howard replied with a sigh. "Well, you do you, son. Stick to your beliefs. I'm with you. On that note, considering how we are talking about this again... I am guessing you made something big that the government would like to get their hands on."
Tony smirked. "Let's just say, it's a surprise. You will see tomorrow."
"Alright. Oh, I almost forgot. Tony, I need your help with something... I've sent you a formula. See if you can fix it, or maybe upgrade it a bit. I'm sure you can."
Tony pulled out his phone and looked at his dad's message.
His eyes widened.
It was a new version of the Super Soldier Serum. But kinda water down version with multiple major flaws. His eyes fell on the hidden encrypted code. It was Hydra's SSS.
'Tsk. Another Hydra agent in SHIELD. Haaa...'
"Dad... How did you get this?"
Howard laughed. "It's a surprise. I can't tell that on the phone, Son. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Take care, Dad," Tony said.
...
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