Chapter 17

A/N: I have a question for you all: If a chapter is short, would you prefer that I leave it as is and add more chapters to balance it out, or should I expand it by making it more detailed, perhaps by including some funny dialogues or other elements?

Neither this chapter nor the next one reaches a thousand words, so I'm asking you guys for advice.

Should I give ya all an additional chapter?

...

The pickup truck rolled down the road, and Wanda glanced at Natasha through the rearview mirror, noticing her pale face. She opened the glove compartment, pulling out some bread and milk.

"Eat something. I can tell you're hungry," Wanda said, turning to offer the food.

Natasha looked at the bread and milk, then at Wanda's kind, yet sharp face. She pursed her dry lips, whispered a quiet "thank you," and accepted the offer. She carefully unwrapped the bread, eating small bites, sipping the milk slowly.

This girl was strong and fast, seemingly able to read minds or memories. She was young—fifteen or sixteen—but kind.

The man next to her had a body temperature higher than normal, his strength and speed extraordinary. He seemed constantly on guard, his silence masking intense focus.

Then there was Leon, the driver, clearly the leader.

His presence was calm, his abilities mysterious, with heightened senses that could detect danger from far away. Though young, around seventeen, his maturity and composure made him seem much older.

Natasha continued eating, all the while forming a mental profile of the trio. Surprisingly, they seemed harmless, or at least not hostile toward her. Being with them, for now, didn't feel like a bad thing. It felt...safe.

"Are there many people like you?" Wanda asked, hugging her knees in the passenger seat as she looked at Natasha through the mirror.

Natasha hesitated, then nodded, a shadow of pain crossing her face as memories of the Red Room resurfaced.

The place where countless children her age perished, a brutal training ground where survival meant becoming a merciless machine. She was forged there, her hands stained with blood and sins she could never erase.

"It turns out you're just like us," Wanda remarked softly.

Wanda's expression softened considerably. She glanced at Leon, as if wanting to say something but holding back. Leon noticed her hesitation from the corner of his eye and could already guess what this kind-hearted girl was thinking.

"Where do you plan to go next?" Leon asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Wanda's eyes lit up at the question, and Sergei raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Me? I don't know," Natasha replied, her expression darkening. Dreykov's power was vast, stretching across Europe. She had no idea what her fate would be—whether she'd die in some dark corner or be assassinated by his forces.

The cost of freedom had left her feeling like there was no place for her in the world.

"In that case, maybe I can offer you a place to stay," Leon said casually.

Natasha's body tensed at his words. She looked at Leon, who kept his eyes on the road. One hand gripped the steering wheel, while his other arm rested on the car door, his chin propped on his fist, as if what he said was of little consequence.

Her heart, once cold and stagnant, stirred slightly. She felt a flicker of hope but also a wave of caution.

"Do you trust me so easily after such a short time?" she asked, her voice laced with doubt.

"It's not that I trust you—I trust Wanda," Leon replied without looking back, his tone a mix of seriousness and playfulness. "If you had any ill intentions, she'd see right through you." Then, in a quieter tone, he added, "Besides, your story is much like ours—a group of people abandoned by the world, just trying to survive."

Natasha fell silent for a moment before her lips moved slightly. "Dreykov's power is vast," she said, the implication clear.

But both Wanda and Sergei showed no signs of concern. Their body language and expressions conveyed indifference, as if Dreykov's power didn't intimidate them in the slightest. After all, Baron Strucker had been no match for them. Leon could infiltrate and destroy Strucker's bases all by himself—if it weren't for the self-destruct systems, Wanda and Sergei could have easily breached them too.

"This is nothing," Leon shrugged casually, his confidence palpable.

Natasha hesitated. She felt like a lioness lost in the jungle, desperate to find a place of safety. She studied Leon's profile as he drove, his calm demeanor adding to her uncertainty.

After a moment, she made her decision. "If you're truly that confident…"

"Time will tell," Leon replied with a smile, inwardly satisfied that he had won over the infamous Black Widow.

While Natasha might not match Leon's raw power, her skills as one of the world's top spies made her invaluable. Her experience and abilities were assets Leon could certainly use.

Wanda, too, seemed to feel a deep empathy toward Natasha, and that connection alone made her presence worthwhile. Besides, strength could always be built. With a training method like the breathing technique, Natasha could be completely transformed.