Chapter 8: Captive Shadows

The oppressive silence of the forest closed in around Natasha as she crouched beside Snake Eyes' unconscious form. The Red Room operatives moved swiftly, surrounding her and the fallen Tony Stark, whose Iron Man suit lay powerless on the ground, its arc reactor dim after the EMP blast. Natasha's heart pounded in her chest as she weighed her options. This wasn't a random strike—this was a meticulously planned ambush, and now they were all caught in the center of it.

She glanced at Snake Eyes. The dart lodged in his shoulder was undoubtedly laced with a powerful tranquilizer, one designed to take down even the most highly trained operatives. His breathing was steady, but he was out cold. The sight of him incapacitated stirred something deep in her—anger mixed with a sharp edge of fear. Snake Eyes had always been the unshakeable one, the silent warrior she could rely on in any situation. Seeing him vulnerable was a reminder of how serious their situation had become.

The Red Room operatives approached cautiously, their weapons raised but their movements precise, almost clinical. Natasha's instincts screamed at her to fight, to lash out and take them down before they could make a move, but she held herself back. The odds weren't in her favor, and without knowing the full extent of the Red Room's plan, charging in blindly would only get them all killed.

"Romanoff," one of the masked operatives said, his voice distorted through a voice modulator. He took a step forward, gun trained on her. "We've been expecting you."

Natasha narrowed her eyes, her mind racing. The Red Room was infamous for its ability to manipulate and control its assets, but this felt different. There was a cold precision to this operation, something more organized than the chaos she had grown up in. Whoever was leading this mission wasn't just another overseer from the Red Room—they had a plan, and that plan involved her.

"I've been out of the Red Room for years," Natasha said, her voice steady despite the tension in her muscles. "You really think dragging me back into this is going to work?"

The operative didn't respond. Instead, he motioned for his team to move in, two of them breaking off to grab Tony Stark's incapacitated form, while another pair approached Snake Eyes. Natasha's heart skipped a beat as they reached for Snake, their hands moving to lift him.

Before they could touch him, Natasha moved. She was a blur of motion, spinning into a low kick that swept the nearest operative's legs out from under him. She followed it up with a precise strike to the second one's throat, sending him stumbling back, gasping for air. The rest of the Red Room team reacted instantly, raising their weapons, but Natasha was already moving, her body twisting and turning with lethal precision. Her training took over, her fists and feet striking with devastating accuracy as she fought to protect her fallen comrades.

But there were too many of them. As skilled as she was, the numbers were overwhelming. She managed to disarm one of the operatives, but before she could finish him off, a stun baton struck her from behind, sending a jolt of electricity coursing through her body. Natasha gasped, her muscles seizing up as she collapsed to the ground, momentarily paralyzed by the shock.

The lead operative stepped forward, looking down at her as she struggled to get back to her feet. "Your fight is over, Romanoff. You've become predictable."

Natasha glared up at him, her body still twitching from the effects of the stun. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

The operative tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "We know exactly what we're dealing with."

With a sharp signal from the leader, two more operatives grabbed Natasha by the arms, lifting her to her feet. She struggled against them, but the stun had weakened her muscles, and she couldn't break free. Another pair of operatives moved to secure Snake Eyes, dragging his unconscious form toward a waiting transport vehicle hidden in the shadows of the trees. Stark was already being loaded into another vehicle, his suit still unresponsive.

Natasha's mind raced as she was forced toward the transport. She couldn't let this happen. If they were taken to a Red Room facility, it would be more than just a simple interrogation or extraction. The Red Room had no use for prisoners—they would break them, use them for whatever twisted purpose they had in mind, and discard them when they were no longer useful. She had escaped that life once, but being dragged back into it now would be worse than death.

As they reached the transport vehicle, the rear doors opened, revealing a sterile, reinforced interior. Natasha was shoved inside, landing hard on the cold metal floor. She gritted her teeth against the pain, pushing herself up onto her knees. The doors slammed shut behind her, sealing her inside the vehicle with a resounding thud.

Across from her, Snake Eyes lay motionless, his breathing steady but shallow. She crawled over to him, checking his pulse. It was strong, but the tranquilizer was still in his system, keeping him under. She needed to wake him up, but without the proper tools, that would be impossible. Time was running out.

The vehicle lurched forward, the engine rumbling as they began to move. Natasha looked around the interior of the transport, searching for anything she could use. The Red Room operatives had taken her weapons, but they hadn't stripped her of everything. She still had a small lockpick hidden in the seam of her jacket, along with a few other tricks she'd picked up over the years. They had underestimated her, and that would be their first mistake.

Working quickly, Natasha retrieved the lockpick from her jacket and began working on the restraints they had placed around her wrists. The metal cuffs were advanced, but not impossible to bypass. Within moments, she felt the lock give way, the cuffs loosening around her wrists. She smiled grimly to herself. The Red Room had taught her many things, but they had also underestimated her ability to adapt.

She tossed the cuffs aside and turned her attention back to Snake Eyes. She knelt beside him, gently shaking his shoulder. "Come on, Snake," she whispered. "I need you to wake up."

There was no response.

Frustration welled up inside her, but she couldn't afford to lose focus. She needed to find a way out before they reached their destination. Natasha moved to the rear of the transport, examining the doors. They were reinforced, but there was a small control panel to the side. If she could access it, she might be able to override the lock.

As she began working on the panel, the transport hit a rough patch of road, jolting her forward. She cursed under her breath but continued, her fingers working quickly to bypass the security system. Time was running out, and she knew that once they arrived at the facility, their chances of escape would diminish drastically.

Just as she was about to trigger the override, the transport came to an abrupt halt. Natasha froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Something was wrong. They shouldn't have stopped this soon.

The sound of footsteps echoed outside the vehicle, and Natasha quickly moved back to Snake Eyes' side, pretending to still be restrained. The rear doors swung open, and the silhouette of the lead operative appeared, backlit by the dim light of the forest. His cold, calculating eyes scanned the interior, locking onto Natasha's defiant gaze.

"We've arrived," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Natasha tensed as two more operatives climbed into the vehicle, grabbing her by the arms and hauling her to her feet once more. She glanced down at Snake Eyes, hoping he would wake soon. They were running out of time.

As she was dragged from the transport, Natasha's eyes widened. They weren't at a Red Room facility. In fact, they weren't anywhere she recognized. The clearing they had arrived in was surrounded by towering trees, and in the center stood a sleek, black helicopter. The Red Room operatives were moving quickly, loading Stark and Snake Eyes onto the helicopter while more armed men secured the perimeter.

Natasha's mind raced. This wasn't what she had expected. This was something else entirely.

And whatever it was, it wasn't going to end well for any of them.