"Natasha, for the sake of team coordination and cooperation, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to make this sacrifice."
Steve stood straight in front of her, then lowered his head in a rare gesture of humility. His voice carried sincerity, even a trace of pleading that he didn't bother to hide, and it made the room feel strangely heavy.
As the symbolic embodiment of freedom, Steve didn't bow easily, and that alone made the moment carry weight. Anyone else might have been shaken by that level of earnestness, might have felt compelled to respond in kind.
But Natasha didn't.
The woman with long, wavy hair merely watched him with a steady gaze, her expression barely shifting. If anything, a faint frown crept onto her face, the only sign that his words had even registered.
She understood Liam far better than Steve did.
Ever since Nick Fury had kicked him out of S.H.I.E.L.D., whatever connection existed between them had been cut clean. There were no lingering ties, no emotional bridges left intact, no fragile sense of belonging waiting to be reignited.
What team? What comradeship?
That kind of talk was meaningless.
Steve kept repeating the same ideas, insisting they were partners, that they once stood shoulder to shoulder, that there was a bond between them. To Natasha, it sounded almost naive.
"Are you serious right now?"
She didn't raise her voice, but the disbelief in it was unmistakable. Years of survival had stripped away any illusions she might have once had about loyalty and sentiment.
Having lived through the later stages of World War II, she had seen too much to believe in that kind of simple narrative. Words didn't rebuild trust, and they certainly didn't undo betrayal.
Trying to persuade the Butcher with the same logic Steve used would be pointless. The chances of success were practically nonexistent.
But if she approached it differently…
If she made herself the bargaining chip…
"…then maybe there's still a chance."
Her eyes darkened slightly, calculating, her thoughts moving with quiet precision. This was her domain, the kind of situation she had been trained for from the very beginning.
She was a product of the Red Room, shaped into something far sharper than any ordinary agent.
Deception, manipulation, seduction—those weren't tools she learned later. They were part of her.
A spider that lured, entangled, and ended its prey.
Black Widow.
At this moment, she had no idea how much Liam had changed.
In her mind, he was still the same man who had been expelled from S.H.I.E.L.D., still someone who could be approached, influenced, guided if handled correctly.
She didn't know that he had already stepped beyond that.
That he now stood at the center of something far larger, something that no longer needed persuasion.
He didn't need to act.
Others acted for him.
"Touch our master? You'll have to get through us first."
The four turtles stood ready, their stances firm, their loyalty absolute. They didn't hesitate or question; they simply prepared to fight.
"Just another delusional woman."
Doctor Octopus flexed his mechanical arms slightly, the metal limbs humming with suppressed power. Steel would melt under his grip, and hesitation wasn't part of his nature.
And then there were the others—those who didn't speak much, but whose presence alone made the air heavier.
Ruthless.
Decisive.
Dangerous.
Natasha didn't know any of this.
Instead, she adjusted her posture slightly and responded in a calm, cooperative tone.
"We're a team. We'll bring our lost companion back."
Her words sounded sincere, almost convincing, as if she truly believed them.
Steve's face lit up immediately.
"Natasha, I'm proud of you."
He clapped his hands together lightly, genuinely pleased by what he saw as her renewed sense of purpose. In his eyes, this was exactly what the Avengers stood for—unity, trust, and shared responsibility.
This was how it was supposed to be.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The sudden sound of hurried footsteps broke the moment.
A figure rushed in from outside, breathing unevenly, his expression tense.
Hawkeye.
"Something's wrong," he said, his voice slightly unsteady. "Tony's already gone to cause trouble for the Butcher."
"What?!"
Steve's reaction was immediate, his face draining of color as the situation hit him.
"When did this happen?"
"Just now," Hawkeye replied quickly. "He's already at the Milcom Industries press conference."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Steve's expression darkened, frustration surfacing as he processed the timing.
"Of all times…"
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.
"If he wanted to pick a fight, couldn't he wait?"
Liam had just turned public opinion around, riding a wave of support that was stronger than anything they'd seen before. It was the hottest topic in the city, and everyone was watching.
And Tony chose now to show up and start trouble?
"That's like asking for trouble in the worst way possible."
Steve muttered under his breath, the frustration obvious.
Hawkeye stayed silent, knowing there was nothing to add.
"We need to stop this before it gets worse."
Natasha stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension with quiet authority.
Steve didn't hesitate.
"Avengers…"
His voice rose, familiar and resolute.
"Assemble!"
——
At the Milcom Industries press conference, the energy surged again as a silver-white figure dropped from the sky.
The arrival of Iron Man instantly reignited the frenzy.
Cameras snapped wildly, reporters shouting over one another as the situation escalated from dramatic to explosive in seconds.
At the center of it all, Ivan stood firm.
His voice carried sharp contempt as he openly accused Stark Industries of theft and exploitation, words that struck directly at Tony's pride.
That alone was enough to set Tony off.
The helmet retracted, revealing his face as he pointed directly at Ivan.
"You shameless thief!"
His voice rang out, filled with anger and certainty.
"You stole Stark technology and then tried to frame my father for it!"
The intensity in his tone made it sound convincing, authoritative even. Anyone who didn't know the full story might have believed him without question.
But Ivan wasn't one of those people.
Every word felt like a blade scraping against old wounds.
His blood surged, anger rising uncontrollably as the accusations piled on.
If he let this continue, if he allowed Tony to twist the narrative again, then everything his father suffered would remain buried forever.
There would be no justice.
No redemption.
Only silence.
"I won't let this happen."
His voice came out low at first, but each word carried growing weight.
"I will not let this happen!"
"Go ahead."
Doctor Octopus stepped forward slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"We've got your back."
Ivan glanced sideways, taking in the support around him. When his eyes met Liam's, he saw it clearly—encouragement, steady and unwavering.
That was enough.
He stopped holding back.
His hand moved to his chest, pressing the control as the reactor flared to life. Energy surged through the system instantly, the whip igniting with a violent crackle.
"If you say this technology belongs to Stark…"
He raised the glowing whip, the air around it distorting with heat.
"Then let's settle it the simple way."
"Let's see who the real fraud is."
The words lit the crowd up immediately.
Even the reporters, who were supposed to remain neutral, couldn't help themselves.
"Yeah! Let's see it!"
"Iron Man, you gonna back that up?"
"Winner proves the truth!"
"If Stark tech is real, it shouldn't lose to some knockoff!"
Tony's jaw tightened, but the challenge had already been accepted in his mind.
"Fine."
He stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll take that bet."
His armor gleamed under the lights, every component refined, every system optimized. This wasn't some outdated suit—it was a culmination of everything Stark Industries had built.
Close combat. Long-range firepower. Adaptive systems.
It had everything.
And in front of him?
Just a crude exoskeleton.
The difference was obvious.
Tony felt a flicker of contempt.
"With that kind of gear, you think you can fight me?"
The thought barely had time to settle before—
"Whoosh!"
The whip lashed out.
It moved faster than expected, the energy crackling violently as it cut through the air.
Tony's eyes widened just slightly.
Then—
Impact.
The force slammed into him head-on, sending his armored body skidding backward several meters.
The ground scraped beneath him as he struggled to stabilize, the shock of it lingering.
For a brief moment, everything went quiet.
Then the murmurs started.
"That armor didn't look so impressive just now."
"That whip hit hard."
"Guess you can't judge by appearances."
Tony heard every word.
Each one stung.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
He had come here expecting to dominate, to crush his opponent and walk away with the narrative firmly in his grasp.
Instead, he was the one being questioned.
Mocked.
The frustration twisted into anger almost instantly.
"I'm ending this."
He straightened, tilting his head slightly.
"Jarvis."
His voice sharpened.
"Activate symbiote combat mode."
A brief pause.
Then—
"I want total domination."
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/Sonic_Spectre
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon