In the Baxter Building's lab, Reed Richards hunched over the GeoCore Stabilizer, his elongated arms stretching across the console to adjust a series of calibration dials, the device itself a small cylinder of reinforced alloy and glowing conduits that vibratedd faintly under his palms. Franklin Storm stood nearby, arms crossed as he monitored the readouts on a secondary screen, while Sue positioned herself at the safety controls, her fingers hovering over the emergency shutdown sequence. The air buzzed with the low whine causing Reed to make a few adjustments. The GeoCore's potential immense but volatile, they were dealing with something that could alter tectonic forces, and one misstep could turn the room into a magnetic storm.
"Alright, initiating test phase two," Reed announced as he input the final commando. "Field generation at 20 percent, keeping it low to test containment. Sue, stand if we spike."
"Ready," Sue replied, her eyes fixed on the gauges.
Franklin nodded approvingly. "Proceed Reed, this could be the breakthrough. If we stabilize the MHD rotation."
Reed tapped enter, and the GeoCore whirred to life, blue arcs flickering along its surface as the electromagnetic field engaged. The readouts climbed steadily... 10 percent... 15 percent... until a glitch in the feedback loop caused a surge, the field spiking to 40 percent in an instant. Metal objects in the room—tools, a wrench on the bench, loose screws from the floor—jerked upward like marionettes, rattling toward the core.
"Reed shut it down!" Sue shouted, her hands snapping forward as a shimmering force field bloomed around them, the invisible barrier catching the flying debris mid-air with dull thuds and clangs. A heavy vise clamped against the edge, vibrating violently, while a metal stool skidded across the floor before slamming into the field and bouncing off harmlessly.
Reed's fingers flew over the keys, sweat beading on his forehead as he overrode the sequence. "Hold it! manual abort initiating now!" The field destabilized with a whine, the core dimming as the pull reversed, and the metal objects dropped in a clattering heap around the room.
The sound faded, leaving only their heavy breathing. Reed pulled back from the console, rubbing his temples. "Damn it that was my fault. I miscalibrated the damping resistor; it fed back into the primary coil. Sorry, everyone."
Franklin placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice calm but firm. "No harm done, Reed, but let's not tempt fate again. That thing's got enough juice to magnetize the whole city if we push it, let's take a break for today."
Sue dropped her force field with a exhale, the air rippling faintly as it dissipated, and flexed her fingers. "Good call on the break, Dad. My head's ringing from that surge."
Franklin nodded. "Take the afternoon, clear your heads. We'll reconvene tomorrow with fresh eyes."
Sue agreed with a quick breath, wiping her brow as she headed for the door. The hallway felt cooler, a relief after the contained heat of the test chamber. She turned the corner toward the elevators when a familiar voice called out.
"Sue you okay? That looked pretty bad from the observation feed."
She turned and smiled, spotting Natasha leaning against the wall with a water bottle in hand, her red hair tied back in a ponytail. "Yeah, Nat... I'm fine. Just a little too close for comfort."
Natasha handed her the bottle, her green eyes concerned. "Here hydrate. The device looks like it makes you all sweat buckets, how is everything going so far?"
Sue accepted it gratefully, twisting the cap off for a long sip, the cool water soothing her dry throat. "Thanks. And yeah, the GeoCore's a beast, it's way more complex than the specs SHIELD sent over. The MHD field's supposed to rotate at precise intervals to disperse seismic stress, but the feedback loops are fighting us every step. And it doesn't help that SHIELD is rushing us like we can flip a switch and save the world tomorrow."
Natasha nodded understandingly, falling into step beside her as they walked toward the lounge. "I get it, pressure from above never makes science easier. I'll talk to Coulson, see if I can get him to lay off a bit. Buy you some breathing room."
Sue glanced at her feeling a little relieved. "That'd mean a lot, Nat… really. Coulson's decent, but he's got that by-the-book vibe that makes everything feel like a deadline."
Nearly a month had passed since SHIELD lifted the lockdown, freeing them from the isolation that had felt like a cage, but Coulson had wasted no time assigning Natasha Romanoff as their official liaison—a "representative," he called it, to handle requests, flag issues, and ensure "smooth collaboration." Sue and Nat had clicked almost immediately, bonding over shared frustrations with bureaucracy. Johnny was happy that she was assigned too, which he made clear when he flirted with her relentlessly, of course, but Nat took it in stride with a good-natured deflection that made Sue laugh.
Sue had done her own digging on Nat early on, curiosity overriding caution as she hacked into SHIELD's servers—which was surprisingly easy. Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, was a legend in covert ops: highly skilled in espionage, combat, and infiltration, with a file full of redacted missions. It surprised Sue that someone of her caliber was playing babysitter to a bunch of accidental supers, but when she asked over drinks one night, Nat shrugged it off with a wry smile. "Director Fury thinks my last mission compromised me so he's got me on easy duty as a courtesy. Beats desk work, I guess." That conversation had led to them getting drunk in the lounge, trading stories about bosses before it devolved into rants about men in general. It was cathartic, the kind of friendship Sue hadn't realized she craved, different from the intellectual circles she grew up in with her father.
Sue smiled as she drank from the bottle Nat had given her, the cool water steadying her. It was nice having another female friend so different from her, they balanced each other. "Speaking of easy duty," Sue said, "you still coming to the out tonight?"
Nat shrugged, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Wouldn't miss it."
"Good, it's more fun with you there. Johnny's been begging to come, but I think we know why he wants to join."
Nat laughed softly.
They reached the lounge on the 35th floor, the door sliding open to reveal Johnny sprawled on the couch in front of the TV, feet kicked up on the coffee table as he channel-surfed with the remote. He perked up the second Nat walked in, sitting bolt upright and flashing his trademark grin. "Nat! Hey, looking fierce as always. You know, I was just thinking about you."
Natasha took it good-naturedly, her expression amused but distant as she grabbed a water from the mini-fridge. "Hello Johnny, always a pleasure to see you again."
Johnny laughed, undeterred, leaning forward. "So I was thinking how about we go out together, you know a night on the town? I'll show you how to destress."
Sue watched from the doorway, rolling her eyes as she moved to the couch, sinking into the opposite end. The TV screen flickered with a news report; a bank robbery in Queens. She frowned, leaning in closer, her heart picking up when Invincible streaked into frame, his blue-and-white form diving between the robbers and cops, disarming one with a punch that sent the gun flying and scooping up a fallen officer before the crossfire hit.
It was Mark... always Mark, showing up exactly when people needed him, no fanfare, just action. She hadn't been able to contact him since the Marriott, despite her best efforts. She'd scoured news archives, fan forums, even tried cross-referencing the name "Mark" with superhero sightings, but New York had too many Marks—plumbers, teachers, stockbrokers. It was like finding a needle in a stack of needles, and that needle could also just up up and away whenever it wanted.
Nat's phone buzzed at that moment, vibrating on the coffee table. She picked it up, glancing at the screen before stepping toward the window for privacy. "Romanoff here." Her voice dropped to a professional tone as she started speaking.
Sue kept her eyes on the TV, watching Mark haul the last robber into a police van, the crowd cheering faintly in the background. He nodded to the officers, then shot into the sky without a word, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. She bit her lip. The news cut to commercials, and she leaned back, frustration simmering inside her.
After a moment, Nat hung up and turned back to the room, her expression neutral but her posture a touch tighter. "Bad timing can't do lunch today. I've been called back to headquarters."
Sue looked up, concerned. "Everything okay?"
Nat nodded, forcing a smile. "Just a routine update, nothing major. I'll meet you later though."
Sue nodded, standing. "Sounds good. See you there."
"Goodbye," Nat said, giving a quick wave before heading out, her boots echoing down the hall.
The door clicked shut, and Johnny immediately grabbed Sue's shoulder, spinning her toward him with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Sis! Come on, hook a brother up, tell Nat I'm perfect for her. I'm charming, I can light up a room, literally. What's not to love?"
Sue brushed his hand off, rolling her eyes as she shrugged out of his grip. "Go away Johnny you're being a pest. Nat's too good for you; she'd eat you alive, and not in the fun way, in the black widow way."
He pouted, flopping back onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. "You're such a buzzkill, always ruining my shot. One date, that's all I ask."
She headed for the door, shaking her head. "Find your own match. I'm going out Ineed some air." The door swung shut behind her, leaving Johnny muttering to the empty room as she stepped into the elevator.
...
Natasha strode into SHIELD headquarters, the sleek corridors filled with agents who nodded or offered quick greetings as she passed. "Morning, Clint," she said to Hawkeye as he jogged by with a gear bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey Nat, can't speak I'm off to Kate's netball game, Fury's waiting for you," he called back. She waved without slowing, the Black Widow persona in place as she headed for the director's office.
Inside, Nick Fury leaned against his desk, arms crossed, his eye scanning a tablet while Coulson stood nearby, flipping through a stack of reports. Maria Hill sat at the conference table. Natasha closed the door behind her, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, what's so urgent I had to skip lunch for this?"
Fury glanced up, gesturing to a chair. "Thanks for coming in, Romanoff. Have a seat, we've got a situation."
Coulson nodded. "We appreciate you making time, Natasha. It's about the recent attacks on our facilities."
She sat, crossing her legs. "Who are they?"
Coulson set his reports down. "They're a group calling themselves the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto. He's a mutant with the ability to manipulate magnetic fields and metal—extremely powerful, extremely dangerous. The Brotherhood's been hitting our bases, targeting specific tech and data."
Fury took over, his gravelly voice cutting through. "We planted false information trails at the last base they hit, pointing them to dead ends, but Lehnsherr's too smart to stay fooled for long. He'll realize he's been played soon enough, and they'll widen their search."
Natasha leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "What are they after?"
"The GeoCore Stabilizer," Fury replied without hesitation.
"Why?" she pressed.
Coulson hesitated, glancing at Fury before answering. "Unknown, but speculation points to Lehnsherr's powers. The GeoCore manipulates magnetohydrodynamic fields deep in the Earth's crust—similar principles to how he controls metal. It could amplify his abilities, or worse, be repurposed into something catastrophic, we aren't too sure."
Natasha nodded, processing the information. "What's the plan? Are we moving the GeoCore and the team at Baxter?"
"Negative," Fury said.
She tilted her head, suspicion creeping in. "Why not?
The Baxter building isn't secure, if they attacked they'd easily break through."
Fury met her gaze unflinchingly. "Moving it now would make it more likely to be detected. It stays where it is."
Natasha's eyes narrowed further, her voice dropping to a dangerous edge as she stood. "You're using them as bait, aren't you? The Storms, Reed, Ben, you're dangling them to draw Magneto out."
The room fell silent for a moment, the tension thick. Coulson cleared his throat, trying to smooth it over. "It's a controlled operation Natasha, we're monitoring the situation closely, ensuring their safety while we track the Brotherhood's movements."
Fury didn't bother softening it. "Whatever Lehnsherr's planning, it's not good, and we can't keep counting on Invincible to pull our asses out of the fire. This is how we flush them out. The Baxter team won't be in danger we've got layers of security, agents on standby."
Natasha's anger flared, her fists clenching as she stepped forward. "You're gambling with their lives, Director! People I know, people who don't deserve to be pawns in your chess game." Her voice rose, but as she moved, a wave of nausea hit hard, her vision blurring with a dizzy spin that made her stumble. She clutched the table for support, her knees buckling.
"Natasha!" Coulson was at her side in an instant, grabbing her arm, while Hill rushed over, concern etched on her face.
"Romanoff, you okay?" Fury asked, a little worry in his voice.
She tried to wave them off, her breathing shallow. "I'm fine... just..." Her words slurred, the room tilting as darkness crept in, and she collapsed, their voices fading into a muffled haze as they shouted for a doctor.
...
When Natasha woke, she was in a medical bay, lying on a bed in a patient gown. Her head throbbed, but the dizziness had eased. She sat up slowly, groaning, which caught the attention of a doctor; a middle-aged woman with a clipboard who hurried over with a cup of water.
"Take it easy, Agent Romanoff," the doctor said, handing her the cup. "You had a pretty bad fall there, gave everyone a scare."
Natasha sipped the water, her throat dry. "I'm fine really. Just got lightheaded."
The doctor nodded, jotting notes. "Have you felt nauseous or sick before this? Any dizzy spells recently?"
Natasha hesitated, then admitted, "Only in the last few months, on and off. Nothing major."
The doctor scribbled more, her expression neutral. "Any fatigue? Mood swings? Changes in appetite?"
Natasha frowned, setting the cup down. "Some, yeah. What's the problem? Flu or something?" she joked.
The doctor handed her a small bottle of tablets. "These will help with the nausea, it's to be expected and should subside in a few weeks."
Natasha's confusion deepened. "Expected? What are you talking about, what's the problem?"
The doctor chuckled softly, adjusting her glasses. "I wouldn't really call it a problem."
Natasha's brow furrowed, her patience thinning. "What's going on? Spell it out."
The doctor's smile faded, replaced by a slight frown. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" Natasha asked a little angrily.
The doctor met her eyes. "Miss Romanoff, you're pregnant."
(AN: Damnnnnn cliffhanger, and before anyone tells me oh that's not possible actually she's had her uterus removed. I know, I am fully aware of what happened to her. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
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