The second we’d lifted off, I put some work into the plane itself. I couldn’t do much since, despite Upgrade being able to live up to his name, I still needed to work damn hard to make sure my changes were permanent, and even that was optimization, repairs or other superficial stuff. Later I might work to get some more interesting stuff done, but based on what I could see of Coulson as he wandered around inside me, a new plane might be better. I also shut off several trackers that had been left inside the Antonov, repaired some smaller issues that would have been missed by a human mechanic, and added little things to make the plane more fuel efficient and faster. Not as good as Tony or Jury Rigg, but damn good for a few seconds of work.

Then May twisted the controls. I spun in a little daredevil maneuver in accordance with that. Curious, I sprouted my head in the cockpit. “Hey May. Everything okay?”

“Hm?” May looked at me idly, as though random heads sprouting out of the wall was an everyday thing. I swear, we’re all getting so jaded on this job. “Oh, sorry. I was just testing her out.”

“I get that,” I said thoughtfully. “Tell ya what. What about I manipulate the gravity in the rest of the plane so they don’t get affected, and I let you go nuts.”

“You can do that?” May asked in surprise.

“May, Upgrade is stupidly overpowered sometimes,” I said, my round green eye turning up in an Upgrade smile. “Seriously you wanna have some fun?”

She smirked. Then she pulled back on the controls, bringing the Antonov into an insanely fast climb, before spinning at high speed. I manipulated the gravity in every room except the cockpit to keep the others from feeling the sudden speed and spin, then let out a whoop of joy, May smirking just a bit wider.

“Mahmoud!” Someone yelled inside the section of the plane that could be called the lounge. I pulled my head from the cockpit and sprouted it in there. Coulson was standing in the center of the black and green space, while Skye and Fitz were sitting nearby.

Coulson looked at me as I rose out of the floor in front of him. “What’s up?”

“Are you responsible for that?” He pointed at the window. Outside, one could see just how much fun May was having.

“Uh… yeah?” I said with a small chuckle. “May wanted to go all out.”

“Can you at least change the view? Some of us are feeling a bit queasy seeing the world twist outside while we’re all standing still,” Coulson looked over at Simmons, who was holding a hand over her mouth as Fitz rubbed her back.

“Ohhhh, ohhhhh,” she said weakly.

“Sure thing!” I manipulated the windows to show a normal sky.

“Thank you very much,” Coulson smirked. “Now, can you check on our Russian guests? I’ll join you in a moment.”

I nodded my tendril head, then flowed through to the ship to where Mikhail and Fantasma were. Then I stopped when I realized they weren’t the only ones there.

Creel and Skye were with them, the foursome sitting around a large metal barrel with a spigot on the side. They all had some clear drinks in small shot glasses, apparently coming from the metal barrel.

“Where did that come from?” I asked as soon as I saw the barrel.

Mikhail cursed in surprise when he noticed my head popping from the floor, then looked me over. “Dial? What in god's name?”

I blinked a circular eye. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“You’re a head,” Fantasma said weakly. Mikhail tried to poke at me in fascination, recoiling when I shifted my form back.

“Don’t do that,” I said, twisting my eye to stimulate a frown.

“That is so… strange,” Mikhail mumbled.

“Yeah, he does this sometimes,” Skye sipped her drink, giving me a fond smile.

“Where did you guys get the vodka?” I asked, cocking my head tendril.

“This?” Mikhail looked down at it. “Oh. I requested it,” he tapped it with a chuckle. “I figured it would be a while before I got real Russian drink.”

“He means,” Fantasma grumbled. “He’s the drunkest bear in Russia and he loves proving it.”

“You want me to take that back?” Mikhail pointed at her drink. Fantasma took another lazy sip, smiling at him. “Also, what was that earlier?” he pointed at the window. “I know I didn’t drink that much-”

“Could have fooled me,” Creel mumbled.

“So why was the world twisting?” Mikhail continued.

“May wanted to have fun,” I tried my best to shrug, Fantasma and Mikhail staring at the odd image of a head ‘shrugging’.

“May?” Skye said in sheer disbelief.

“She can be pretty fun sometimes.”

“We aren’t talking about the same May, are we?” Skye said again.

Coulson came in right about then carrying a bunch of files. He stopped when he saw the barrel. “...I’m going to just assume that’s your fault,” he said to Mikhail. The part-time bear grinned, chugging back his drink and pouring himself another.

The leader of Team SHIELD smiled, walking up to join us. “First, pour me a glass,” Creel politely reached for a glass. “Second, I have your papers,” he held out the papers to Fantasma, who rose and took them.

“About that,” I said. “She’s an Avenger now?”

“Yeah, when were we getting the memo?” Creel added. He looked over at Fantasma. “I mean, I like you. And I’m the last person to judge how ready someone is to be an Avenger. But it’s unexpected, ya know?”

“Zat is understandable,” Fantasma said in slightly accented English. She was once again sitting as calmly as a queen in her court, one leg draped over the other as she lifted her lips just a bit. “It was a surprise to me as well.”

“Apparently, the Russian government was always planning on doing this,” Coulson added. “They weren’t sure of who would go, but the decision to send a Winter Guard member to BRIDGE was in motion for awhile. But recent events accelerated that.”

“Kragoff,” Fantasma needlessly explained.

“And you’re okay with that?” Skye asked incredulously. “Just being traded off like a baseball card or something?”

Fantasma glared at her. “Of course not! ...I finally found a home. And now I must leave it…” she looked over at Mikhail. He gave her a sad, but proud, smile. Skye looked over at Coulson, who I noticed gave her the same smile.

“However, it is for my country, and the world,” Fantasma continued firmly. “I will work as hard as any other Avenger, this I promise.”

“And spy on us on the side,” Coulson added wryly. While Fantasma looked offended at the insinuation, Mikhail nodded.

“That is side benefit, true.”

“Mikhail!” Fantasma seemed aghast.

The part-time bear chuckled. “Do not worry. It is a mark of respect among spymasters to acknowledge the fact we spy on one another. I imagine that you left a few bugs in our base?” he added to Coulson.

Coulson shrugged. “Felt rude not to,” was his shameless reply, the older man smirking.

“As well it would have,” Mikhail chuckled. “As well it would have!”

“...You guys are weird,” I said, at last, Creel, Skye, and Fantasma all nodding in agreement.

------

Phil Coulson

Coulson strode through the Antonov, trying to get used to the makeup of the plane. Despite Dial mixing together with the plane and making some changes to the interior, like SHIELD symbols on a few of the walls and a shiny black finish with green circuitry lines, the Upgrade trademark, the plane still didn’t feel right. Granted, he’d only been there for a couple of hours. But this little gift from the Russian government wouldn't feel like home for a while.

For one thing, it was ninety percent cargo bay. Felt like it, at least. There were some thin walls, sure, but there was still a lot less privacy here than there had been on the Bus.

And that was the crux of the matter. No matter how long he walked through the ship, he couldn’t help but remember his former home. Best to get used to it. The Bus wasn’t coming back. Better to move on.

Of course, the old plane hadn’t been the only casualty of the little war in Russia.

Coulson stopped near the back of the plane and eyed Lola for a moment before sighing. She’d been secured nice and tight toward the right. She was also still covered in pits from where plasma had melted the car across her surface. The wheels had also been melted, the windshield shattered, and the upholstery covered in bear fur and large scratches. She’d had much better days.

“I’m sorry about Lola, sir,” someone said behind Coulson. He turned to see Fitz standing there, the young man looking more than a little nervous.

“She’ll be all right,” Coulson said sadly. “You know, these old SHIELD vehicles… they were made to fight in an emergency. To save the day at the last minute,” he patted Lola’s red hood, careful to avoid one of the holes that had been burned into her. “I think she appreciated the chance to do it again.”

“We’ll get her up and running again soon, sir,” Fitz said kindly. “Just like new.”

“Thank you, Fitz,” Coulson looked over at him. “So, did you need to speak with me about something?”

Fitz winced. “Y-Yeah. It’s just… I’ve been thinking, I mean, Simmons and me were thinking, ever since we started this, we love working for you,” Fitz was now speaking a mile a minute, crossing his arms nervously. “So we wanted to talk to you, but then all that stuff with Kragoff and Russia, and we didn’t want to-”

“Fitz,” Coulson said kindly. He smiled at the way Fitz cut himself off immediately. “I already know.”

Fitz’s arms fell to his sides. His eyes widened as the rest of him stilled. “You do?”

“How could I not?” Coulson chuckled. “I’ve known you for this long, haven’t I? It’s not like I can blame you. You’ve been doing a lot of good work with Stark, of course you’d want to continue that. I want you to be happy, both you and Simmons. If you have to leave to do it, I don’t think I’d mind that too much.”

The British young man sighed in relief. “Thank you for understanding sir… Can we still come on missions with you, every once in a while?”

“Well, that’s up to the director,” Coulson shrugged. “But if it was up to me, absolutely.”

Fitz’s face lit up happily. “Thank you, sir!” Then he let out a little sound. “Oh, right! I uh, I have some recommendations for replacing us! Would you like to go over them with Simmons and I?”

“Sure thing,” Coulson said.

“Great!” Fitz rushed off, turning to run backwards so he could face Coulson. “I promise, the people we’ve picked are the best, perfect- oop,” he stumbled back into a crate and nearly feel, righting himself to continue his sentence. “They’ll be perfect replacements, I promise!”

Fitz ran further in excitedly. As he did, Coulson’s smile sank away. He turned to Lola, resting his palms against her. “I doubt that… I really doubt that.”

New plane, new team members, new organization… Phil Coulson was really tired of losing things.

------

Mahmoud Schahed/Dial

We got home in record time, considering our plane was late Soviet era tech. Wonders of alien nanotechnology enhancements. When we got there we landed on the Enterprise, the Helicarrier in it’s usual spot floating high above New York with her camouflage panels on.

The second that the front of the plane rose up, Director Maria Hill was there to greet us along Nick Fury, both dressed in their best clothes. As we walked down to greet them, Fury was the first to speak over the winds of the skies around us.

“I hear you broke my plane!” he said to Coulson.

“Take it up with Kragoff!” Coulson smirked.

“And whose fault was it that crazy monkey-fucker destroyed it?” Fury said grumpily. “Had a full superhero team and you couldn’t keep the damn plane intact? She had a bar!”

Director Maria rolled her eyes. “Fury, if we can get to the important part?” Fury gave Coulson another cyclops glare then nodded. Honestly, he looked sadder about the Bus than Coulson.

“Fantasma, Mr. Ursus, it’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she said with a smile. “Fantasma, I believe you already know about the rules that have been set in place for provisional members of the Avengers?”

“Yes, Director Hill,” Fantasma put her hands together in front of her and nodded with a serene smile. “I promise to follow all those rules for the duration of my time as an Avenger.”

Maria seemed satisfied with that. “Then I’ll have Dial show you and Mikhail to your rooms on the Tower for the time being. Welcome to America.”

------

After a quick trip to the roof involving Fantasma floating us down to the tower, I led my Russian friends into the elevator. As the doors closed, Mikhail hummed to himself thoughtfully. “Things have changed. Once there would have been many security checks before I would have been let on American soil. I had assumed some security protocols at least to make sure we are who we say we are.”

“What makes you think there aren’t?” I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Hey, X, you guys still at it?”

Over the speakers, X replied. “Yes, sir. It is good to see you, by the way.”

“X?” Fantasma asked curiously.

“One of my best friends,” I replied with a shrug. “Right now, the first thing he’s doing is reading the Omnitrix’s unique signature to make sure I’m me, while also comparing my weight, gait, DNA, and brain scans all match what we have on file. He’s also tracking any other energy signatures.”

“That I am, sir,” X said politely. “I wanted to mention that Fantasma has a strange energy around her. Her ‘magic’ perhaps?”

“You don’t believe in magic?” Fantasma asked as though the idea was no surprise to her.

“I have no opinion on the matter, ma’am,” X said politely. “I reckon trying to make assumptions without any proof would be a mistake on my part. Pleasure to meet you by the by.”

“See, yer making friends already,” I said to Fantasma with a grin while still facing the doors. “But yeah, this place has more safety protocols than most any building on Earth. We’ve been working on everything from Quantum physics to superhuman genetics, stuff lots of people would like to steal.”

“Don’t you get uncomfortable with that?” Fantasma asked while quirking her ruby red lips in a frown. “Being under constant watch?”

“I do. But then I think of all the assholes in the world who would want to sneak in here just to touch Black Widow’s hair or try to steal an Iron Man suit, and suddenly I’m a lot less worried about it,” I snarked.

“...her hair?” Fantasma asked worriedly. “You don’t think, now that I’m an Avenger-”

“No,” I said reflexively, narrowing my eyes. “You’re one of us now. I was mostly exaggerating, but if anyone thinks of messing with ya, we’re kicking their asses either literally or metaphorically in all the ways possible.”

“...That is comforting to hear,” Mikhail said softly. “I admit, I was-” the elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, all three of us were surprised to see who was standing there. “Natasha?”

“Nat?” I asked at the same time. Then I looked over at Mikhail, who was looking a little… I don’t know. You ever see someone you cared about years after the last time, but your last memories of them are connected to something you’d rather forget? The combination of sadness and fondness, where your eyes narrow but a smile comes to your face all the same?

That was the face Mikhail had.

And Natasha Romanov had the same look on her face. “Mikhail. It’s been a long time.”

“...yes, it has,” he said softly.

We all stepped aside to let Nat inside. As we did, I gave Fantasma a confused look. She returned it, apparently just as lost. The doors closed behind my redhead mentor. For a moment, Mikhail looked down at her with that look. “You look good, young one.”

“Not so young, these days,” Nat said with a smirk.

“Oh please,” I gave the buxom redhead a sarcastic look, the kind I’d learned from her. “You’ll outlive us all and look damn good doing it.”

Nat gave me a smile.

“So… you’ve taken on students?” Mikhail said, eyeing me.

“Yes,” her gaze on me became thoughtful as I started to wonder if there was something much deeper going on here. “Him and another.”

“That is good,” the rough man said. “The Red Room… it should be forgotten. But to see it’s teaching being used to help the world seems a fitting vengeance.”

“You know about the Red Room?” I asked in confusion.

Mikhail’s teeth showed, his eyes flashing the same color as his bear forms. “Oh yes… I destroyed them, in the end.”

Oh damn. There really was something way deeper going on here.

“You never talk about it,” Fantasma said softly.

“...It was a monstrous place,” Mikhail said softly.

Nat seemed to agree.

“You,” Mikhail eyed me again. “You have taken on a legacy that you may not have realized… I hope you are ready for it.”

I looked over at Nat. “I don’t know. I don’t think I mind taking on Nat’s legacy. After all,” I lifted the Omnitrix, the green hourglass symbol glowing. “We do have the same symbol.”

Nat’s Black Widow symbol, a red hourglass in a black circle, was resting in the center of her belt. She looked down at it and tapped at it, a little ‘clink-clink’ following the motion. “Yeah. Guess we do,” she said softly.

“Natasha,” Mikhail said. “There is something we must discuss in private.”

The doors opened then. I stepped out and gestured. “This is our stop. Who’s coming?”

Fantasma, Mikhail, and Natasha all filed out. Then Nat took a hold of my left arm with a grin. Before I could say anything, she twisted my arm and twisted around, sending me stumbling with a kick to the butt.

“Nat, what the hell!?” I yelped as she sent me through an open door. I stumbled into one of the empty conference rooms that were set up through the tower and turned to look at my grinning mentor/friend.

“Sorry, Mahmoud,” Nat chuckled. “But I doubt you’ll mind too much.”

I gave her a confused look as she shut the door, Mikhail and Fantasma looking just as startled behind her. Then I looked to my left. I suddenly realized what was happening.

“...Jen,” I said softly.

Jennifer Walters, the Incredible She-Hulk, was standing before me with her arms crossed. She walked up to stand very close, nearly a head taller than me, and smirked. “Hey. Heard you had a hell of a trip to Russia.”

I didn’t say anything. I just looked up at her for a moment. Her green hair was loose around her shoulders, her eyes flashing that familiar emerald. It’s weird, ya know? Trying to figure out if how gorgeous she was had to do with her in general, or if I just kept thinking of good moments we had together when she smiled.

“Nice shirt,” I said at last.

She uncrossed her arms and cocked a hip confidently, letting me get a good look at it. The Omnitrix symbol rested across her chest, the black shirt stretched very tightly across her form. “Thanks.”

Before I could say anything else, she rested a hand on my chest and pushed me back against the wall behind me, biting her bottom lip. I let her do it, still looking up at her. “You know, you’ve been getting pretty big. All that time in the gym has been working for ya.”

Her right hand flattened against my chest. For all her strength, the way she curled her fingers to stroke her palm against me was gentle. And possessive as well. I didn’t say anything as she stepped closer, stooping down toward me. She smiled just a bit as our foreheads touched. Her hand moved from my chest to my back.

I’d like to say I was confident and cool. That as Jen held me there, I managed to be as suave as Tony was around women. But I could feel my heartbeat speed up in my chest as my eyes widened, my palms getting sweaty. God, how sad that Jen being so close to me made more nervous than armies of HYDRA and super-apes ever had.

But there was more to it

She didn’t move any further, just keeping me against the wall. Her left hand wrapped up in mine. “So. You going to do anything?” she asked confidently. Her gaze was so steady on me that I almost didn’t catch the slight catch in her breath. She pulled me closer. “Or just keep waiting?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off hers. They were green with flecks of brown like chocolate chips floating in mint ice cream. Right up until my eyes closed and I leaned in, wrapping my arms around her waist, my brown skin resting against emerald. Our lips met slowly. She sank down towards me, pressing me against the wall.

We held each other close. After a long moment, she pulled back, panting heavily with a grin on her face. “Took ya long enough, you dummy.”

“Sorry,” I was breathing slowly. I leaned my head forward to touch my forehead back to hers. “I was… scared. Hard feeling like I was worthy of ya.”

“Isn’t that up to me?” she whispered softly.

I pressed a hand to her cheek and went for her lips again. She met me in the middle, and we slowly sank to the floor.

------

Natasha Romanov/Black Widow

“What was that about?” Fantasma asked curiously as Natasha led Mikhail and her away.

Natasha smirked. “Nothing too crazy. Just Dial working on the interpersonal relationships of the team.”

Fantasma didn’t seem to know what that meant, while Mikhail didn’t seem to care. Natasha led her fellow Russians down the halls of the Avengers Tower, ignoring the sound of something heavy falling behind her.

“I believe Dial already mentioned our security measures, so you can be assured of your safety while in the tower,” Natasha said. “Your room is going to be in-between Alloy and Hawkeye’s. And don’t worry. Tony Stark doesn’t skimp on rooms.”

Natasha stopped in front of a door and opened it.

“I am sure it will be-” Fantasma stopped short to stare in awe.

The room was massive, like the others in the tower, large enough to be a penthouse suite. The kitchen was well made and shone with new hardware, the living room had an entertainment system and couch all set up. The big surprise was the library set up in the near center, just behind the living room. Bookshelves made of some sort of wood that had a purple sheen surrounded the center, which had a soft looking carpet with Arabian style designs sewn across it. A large desk stood in the center as well and on it sat-

“Harry Potter,” Fantasma narrowed her eyes at the books that were stacked on the top of the desk. She strode across the room to glare down at the books as though they had personally offended her. Then she looked at the paraphernalia surrounding the books. “A fake wand. A ‘time turner’. A snitch. And wizarding robes…”

Natasha smirked at the annoyed look on Fantasma’s face. “I think he left a note.”

Fantasma lifted the piece of paper on the desk and read it silently. Then she burned it with a pulse of purple flames. “I have yet to meet Stark, but I do not like him.”

“He called you Hermione, didn’t he?” Mikhail said with a sigh.

The violet witch growled in a perfect imitation of Mikhail’s bear form.

Natasha, still hiding her amusement, gestured to the bedroom. “Go ahead and leave your bags in the bedroom so we can continue the tour. In the meantime, let me show you where you will be staying Mikhail and then some of the important areas.”

Fantasma, still scowling, went into the bedroom and left her bags, coming back out with another glare. “I prefer Dresden Files,” she grumbled under her breath.

Natasha led them to Mikhail’s room, which was more of a generic but very nice hotel room than anything, then toward the laboratories.

It was there that Fantasma met another Avenger.

“Bruce,” Natasha said as they met the scientist in the hall directly outside the various labs, which could be seen through the glass walls all around them.

Bruce, dressed in a lab coat and warm looking hoodie, gave Natasha a smile, then nodded toward Fantasma and Mikhail. “Hey Nat. You giving the tour?”

“I did pull the short straw,” she joked. “I believe I don’t need to make any introductions?”

That was true. All the Avengers had watched the Winter Guard’s introduction and read the files BRIDGE had immediately created on every member so that they could learn about their new ‘counterparts’.

“It’s good to meet you both,” Bruce said, eyes slightly wider than normal as he smiled just a bit crookedly.

“It is good to meet you as well,” Fantasma responded with a bit more enthusiasm. “I’ve heard good things about you.”

“That all you’ve heard?” Bruce asked, giving Natasha a bit of Deja Vu.

Fantasma paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip before speaking. “It was all that mattered.”

A chuckle from behind the Russians drew their attention. They turned to see Steve Rogers walk up to them with mirth in his eyes. “Now that sounds familiar.”

Bruce and Nat shared a pleased grin as Steve walked up to hold a hand out to Mikhail. “Good to meet you. I’m-”

“Steve, everyone on Earth knows who you are,” Nat interrupted. It was cute that Steve didn’t realize how famous he was, because he honestly looked a bit befuddled.

“She is right,” Mikhail shook Steve’s hand with a bit of an awed look on his face. “I am a fan of your work, Captain.”

“You are?” Fantasma, Nat, Bruce, and Steve said in surprised unison.

“Of course! I have his collectible cards!” Mikhail chuckled.

Well, Nat was getting some serious flashbacks now.

Fantasma gave the older man an odd look as she shook hands with Steve, who seemed both touched and slightly uncomfortable all at once.

“Well, I’m honored. And it’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Steve looked Fantasma in the eyes. “I’d also like to welcome you to the Avengers. While it might take some time for everyone to get used to the idea, I want you to know we’re at your disposal. If you need anything we’ll all pitch in. All we ask is that you fight alongside us honorably.”

Fantasma straightened up, her face firming with determination. “Do not worry. I will comport myself as a valued member of your team.”

Steve looked down at her a moment longer. He towered over the shorter girl, looking almost gigantic in front of her. Despite that, Fantasma continued to glare up at him with pride, not shifting her stance at all. Steve seemed to note this. He nodded firmly. “Great. Good to have you on the team.”

“Same here,” Bruce chuckled. “Well, half, anyway. The Other Guy might feel different down the road, but I’ll keep him as calm as I can,” he joked.

Nobody seemed to know how to take that. Bruce’s amusement faded at the awkward silence and he coughed awkwardly. “Well uh, I got to get back to work. It was uh, nice meeting you all.”

He turned and walked into his lab as fast as he could, Nat smiling at him. Bruce being able to joke about the Hulk was good, even if he wasn’t a natural comedian.

“Anyways, let me show you to the-” Nat stopped when a loud clanking sound drew nearer. They all turned to look.

Jarvis and X, both in their android forms, slowly approached them. Jarvis was still dressed in a suit, looking very dapper, while X was wearing a BRIDGE t-shirt and some blue jeans.

“Mornin,” X said politely, passing the group as they watched.

“Morning X, morning Jarvis,” Natasha responded calmly.

Jarvis’s eyes turned off and on in a simulation of a blink. “Good morning. Apologies for the briefness of our greeting, but we must attend to our duties. Mr. Uriokovitch, Mrs. Fantasma, welcome to the United States,” with that, Jarvis continued on, leaving Fantasma and Mikhail staring after X and Jarvis.

“...Are they in suits?” Fantasma asked.

“I don’t believe they are,” Mikhail looked over at Natasha.

“No, they’re androids,” Natasha said easily. “They built themselves bodies so they could help the team. Don’t worry, they’re officially employees and quite friendly.”

Mikhail and Fantasma didn’t seem to know what to think of that, while Steve rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Natasha hid her own feelings on the subject. She knew Tony had some countermeasures on the back burner just in case some non-friendly AI showed up, and she’d long since made him promise to share. She spun on her heel and started walking. “Come on. Let me show you the recreation area.”

------

After showing them around for the next few minutes, Mikhail and Nat finally got a chance to speak in private. Or at least as private as things could be in the Avengers Tower. While Natasha liked Mikhail all right, he was still technically a superhuman capable of turning into a massive bear that worked for a government that had pulled a rather duplicitous stunt recently. Hard to have complete trust without having the naivety of a child.

So they stood in a large and empty room made of black material with computer systems connected to X and Jarvis’ network, one set up to bring out automatic turrets in case brown fur started to fly.

“I was not lying earlier. You look good, Natasha. Happy,” Mikhail said fondly in Russian.

Natasha eyed him. She wasn’t exactly the cuddly type, so having Mikhail looking down at her like an uncle proud of his favorite niece was an odd experience. She didn’t like it much. Considering what they had gone through together, she was willing to let it go.

“Thank you, Mikhail,” she said magnanimously, using her home language as well.

He seemed to realize she wasn’t feeling it and changed tactics. “So… have you taken any other students?”

“Does that matter?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

To her surprise, he frowned. “...It might. The Red Room may be better off left in the past.”

“I’m not using their methods,” Natasha scowled. “Beyond the morality of it, it’s also damn wasteful.”

“Natasha, I know that,” Mikhail crossed his arms. “The problem isn’t you training them. I am not the only one who recognizes how Red Room recruits look in a fight. Dial has little to nothing of the instincts of a true killer and I still recognized it.”

She rolled her eyes. “You recognized it because you’ve seen it up close. He uses more boxing than anything else.”

To her displeasure. He was willing to learn everything else but he never seemed to absorb the more athletic moves that could have helped him in combat. Then again, she may have been biased in that regard.

“And the other students?”

Natasha thought of Ruby. The former HYDRA student was coming along very well, absorbing every lesson she was taught with impressive speed. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t shared a few of her skills with SHIELD operatives. But Ruby and Dial were the only ones she’d put real work into, and Ruby was the one who took to her lessons.

“Mikhail… what are you so worried about?” Natasha asked at last.

“I’m not sure… there have been some-” he cut himself off, worry creasing his brow. “Let me think on this for now. I don’t want to overly worry you.”

Mikhail turned around.

“Mikhail,” Natasha snapped.

He stopped immediately. “...Not today, Natasha. Today, my Fantasma is joining you. This is a good day. We have time for worries later.”

He left her with that.

Natasha crossed her arms and turned to look at the wall behind her. The Red Room… That place was never going to loosen its grip of her, was it?

She walked out of the room a few moments later, walking aimlessly toward the labs. As she passed, Bruce popped his head out. “Hey, Nat? Have you seen Jen?”

“...” Natasha felt a mischievous smile grow on her face. “Oh, yeah. She might still be busy. You want to see her?”

Bruce nodded, sighing in relief. “Yes, thank you. I just wanted to ask her about her dad coming over soon.”

Her smile widened a bit more. “Well, let me lead you to her!”

What do you know? Looked like the day was going to end on a high note!