The Unleashed (Continued)

Stark's voice came through the comms again, more urgent this time. "I'm cutting the power to the chamber, but it's going to take a minute. You're going to have to hold them off until I can get it fully disabled."

Natasha clenched her fists, her heart pounding. They didn't have a minute. The enhanced soldiers were beginning to stir in their pods, their eyes flickering open, their bodies shifting beneath the restraints. The hum of machinery intensified, signaling the soldiers were nearing full activation.

Snake Eyes moved to one of the nearest pods, examining the control panel built into the base. He began working swiftly, using his combat knife to pry open the panel and manually shut down the stasis system. Natasha moved beside him, doing the same for another pod. But as they worked, she could feel the tension rising. The room felt like a ticking time bomb, and every second counted.

The Overseer's voice crackled through the speaker system again, dripping with smugness. "You see? You can't stop what's inevitable. These soldiers are the future. The world will belong to those strong enough to take it."

Natasha gritted her teeth, her fingers flying over the panel as she attempted to disable another pod. "Shut up," she muttered under her breath, her frustration mounting.

Suddenly, one of the pods emitted a sharp hiss, and the restraints holding the soldier inside released. The enhanced soldier stepped out, his eyes cold and mechanical, his body bristling with unnatural strength. He was fully activated.

"Snake!" Natasha called out as the soldier lunged forward.

Snake Eyes was already moving. In one fluid motion, he drew his katana, his body a blur as he intercepted the soldier's attack. The clash was intense—the soldier's enhanced speed and strength made him a formidable opponent, but Snake Eyes' precision and skill allowed him to hold his own. The soldier swung with bone-crushing force, but Snake Eyes dodged each blow, countering with swift, precise strikes.

Natasha watched the battle unfold for a split second before turning her attention back to the other pods. More soldiers were beginning to stir, and they didn't have much time before the entire chamber was filled with enhanced enemies. She moved to another control panel, ripping it open and disabling it as quickly as she could. One by one, she shut down the pods, but it wasn't enough.

Two more soldiers emerged from their pods, their eyes glowing faintly as they stepped toward Natasha. She reached for her pistol, raising it just in time to fire at the nearest soldier. The bullets struck him squarely in the chest, but he barely flinched. His enhanced body was resistant, able to absorb the damage with ease.

Natasha cursed under her breath and rolled to the side as the soldier charged at her, his fist slamming into the ground where she had been standing moments before. She fired again, aiming for his legs this time, hoping to slow him down. The bullets hit their mark, but the soldier only stumbled for a second before continuing his relentless pursuit.

"Stark, I need that power cut now!" Natasha shouted into the comms, her voice edged with desperation.

"I'm working on it!" Stark's voice crackled back, the sound of rapid typing in the background. "Just hold them off a little longer!"

Natasha ducked behind one of the stasis pods, narrowly avoiding a brutal punch from the soldier. The ground shook beneath her as the enhanced soldier's fist collided with the metal floor. She used the momentary distraction to leap onto his back, wrapping her legs around his shoulders and locking her arms around his neck in a chokehold. The soldier thrashed wildly, trying to throw her off, but Natasha held on tight, her grip tightening as she squeezed with all her strength.

"Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath, her muscles straining as the soldier struggled against her hold.

Meanwhile, Snake Eyes continued to battle the first soldier, their movements almost too fast to track. His katana flashed in the dim light, cutting through the air with deadly precision as he deflected blow after blow. But the enhanced soldier was relentless, using his augmented strength to press the attack. Snake Eyes remained calm, his focus unshakable, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The soldier lunged again, and Snake Eyes sidestepped the attack, bringing his katana down in a swift arc. The blade sliced through the soldier's arm, severing the enhanced limb. The soldier staggered back, momentarily stunned, but Snake Eyes didn't hesitate. He followed up with a devastating strike to the soldier's torso, cutting deep into the enhanced armor.

The soldier collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Just as Snake Eyes finished off the first soldier, Natasha managed to bring her attacker to the ground, using her momentum to flip him over and pin him down. She drove her elbow into his throat, cutting off his airflow as she slammed his head against the floor. The enhanced soldier's struggles slowed, and finally, he went limp.

Breathing heavily, Natasha stood up, her eyes scanning the chamber. Two soldiers down, but more were still waking up. They needed to get out of here.

"Stark!" Natasha shouted, glancing at the still-active pods. "Now would be a good time!"

"Done!" Stark's voice came through triumphantly. A second later, the power in the chamber flickered and then went out completely. The hum of the stasis pods fell silent, and the soldiers who had not yet fully awakened remained locked in their pods, their activation halted.

Natasha exhaled in relief, stepping back from the nearest pod. Snake Eyes moved to her side, his katana still drawn, his eyes scanning the room for any remaining threats. They had stopped the immediate danger, but Natasha knew this was only a temporary victory.

"Good work, Stark," Natasha said, her voice still edged with tension. "But we're not done yet."

"Tell me about it," Stark replied. "I'm reading a lot of movement outside the facility. Looks like you've got more company on the way."

Natasha exchanged a glance with Snake Eyes. Reinforcements were coming. They had taken down the enhanced soldiers in the chamber, but the Overseer's network was vast, and the fight was far from over.

"We need to get out of here," Natasha said, already moving toward the exit. "We've slowed them down, but we can't take on an entire army."

Snake Eyes nodded, following her lead. Together, they sprinted back through the facility, navigating the corridors they had fought through only minutes before. The alarms had finally quieted, but the danger was far from gone. They needed to regroup, come up with a new plan, and strike again before the Overseer could regroup.

As they burst out of the facility and into the cool night air, Natasha allowed herself a brief moment of relief. They had survived, and they had dealt a blow to the Overseer's plans. But the war was just beginning.

The jet hovered nearby, its engines ready to whisk them away to safety. Natasha and Snake Eyes boarded quickly, the doors sealing shut as they lifted off the ground. Stark's face appeared on one of the screens inside the cabin, his expression grim.

"That was too close," he said. "But you did it. We've crippled this facility."

Natasha nodded, catching her breath. "But it's not over. There are more facilities, more enhanced soldiers. We need to take them all down."

Snake Eyes remained silent, but his presence was a reminder that they would face whatever came next together.

The Overseer had made his move, but Natasha and Snake Eyes weren't finished yet.

The fight was far from over.