Tricked

"If she is under someone else's control, what should we do? Is there a way to restore her?"

Concern leads to confusion, and Natasha was unusually tense when it came to Yelena.

"It depends on her luck. There are two ways to control a person. One is rather crude: continuous brainwashing and hypnosis, along with specific commands composed of certain words."

"This method of control is costly but surprisingly effective. It's very difficult to fully break free from it. The other way is physical, like implanting a chip in the brain or using some sort of neuro-agent. This is simpler — you just need to remove the chip or develop an antidote."

Tony said confidently, as long as it was a physical issue, he could think of a way to solve it.

"Blake, put Yelena on the machine. Damn, don't tell me I have to do everything myself. I'm only here to help out of friendship!"

Tony started the machine and began slowly scanning Yelena's brain.

Natasha looked at her sister with concern.

Blake, on the other hand, remained much more composed.

"We knocked her out earlier. Although we can blame it on your armor malfunctioning, if she wakes up halfway through and we can't break the control today, it will affect the rest of our plan."

"Don't worry!" Tony said confidently.

"I added a small device to the machine. If her brainwaves start to get active, it will automatically inject her with a sedative."

"Relax, it's very safe. It won't harm her brain; it'll just make sure she sleeps soundly." 

Tony explained to a grim-faced Natasha.

"Sir, the scan is complete!" Jarvis's voice chimed in.

"Well done! Create a 3D projection so we can get a good look at what's really going on inside Natasha's sister's brain!"

As Tony spoke, Jarvis projected a brain model onto the modified floor.

Tony walked over, stretched out his arms, and the projection instantly expanded to room size.

Inside, little points of light sparkled, making it look like a starry sky.

"Let me see... Every neuron looks normal, meaning they have adequate thinking capacity and logical behavior. But..."

Tony zoomed in on a particular area. Unlike the rest, this section had a mist-like substance around each bright point.

"It seems the problem lies here. Jarvis, what do you think this looks like?"

"It appears to be some kind of inhibitor, able to control certain parts of a person's consciousness, much like the lines of code you programmed into me to ensure I always serve you, sir."

"Exactly! Natasha, you're in luck. The thing controlling your sister is a neuro-agent. I think I can figure out a solution."

There are plenty of biologists at Stark Industries, so developing a complete antidote for this neuro-agent might take some time. But if it's just using machines and drugs to temporarily free Yelena from the neuro-agent's control, that won't be much of a challenge for Tony.

…

A few days later…

In Blake's New York apartment, a pink mist suddenly filled the living room.

Blake and Natasha, sitting on the couch watching TV, wobbled a bit before collapsing.

Yelena, expressionless, picked up the phone and reported to Dreykov.

"Well done, child. In ten minutes, two Widows will come to pick you up. Leave everything to them. I'll be waiting to meet you."

"Understood." Yelena hung up decisively.

She then moved to a position facing away from the window and blinked at the unconscious Blake and Natasha on the floor.

Outside New York, at the farm where Francis was staying.

What was once an empty farm was now brightly lit.

Not only were there four or five cars parked in front of the house, but a jet was also quietly stationed nearby.

Francis looked at Dreykov's two super-soldiers standing behind him, along with several emotionless Widows.

His voice was tinged with jealousy.

"Two super-soldiers like Captain America, and those pitiful little widows behind you, General Dreykov, right now you look even more impressive than the President of the United States."

Dreykov laughed heartily.

He grabbed Francis's hand and comforted him.

"Look ahead, my friend. Our partnership has only just begun. This is nothing. In the not-so-distant future, we can join hands and trample the world underfoot, can't we?"

Just as Francis was about to say something, the distant roar of a car engine could be heard, and an inconspicuous black SUV approached the farm.

The headlights of the vehicle flashed three times toward the farm — one long, two short.

"It's our people. Look, our future has arrived!"

This time, Francis genuinely laughed. As soon as the car stopped, he rushed toward it, ignoring Dreykov.

Several of his men, along with the super-soldier, followed closely behind.

But what he didn't notice was that Dreykov quietly took a few steps back.

As soon as the car came to a halt, two Widows, along with Yelena, opened the back door and roughly threw the pretending-to-be-unconscious Blake and Natasha onto the ground.

"Blake!"

Francis grinned triumphantly.

"Last time, you ruined my plan. I didn't get the Arc Reactor, and Ivan Vanko was blown to pieces. But none of that matters, because I found something better. You are the best gift God could have given me, ha!"

Just as he finished speaking, several silenced gunshots rang out.

If Francis's dynamic vision had been sharp enough, he would have seen a few transparent bullets, filled with liquid, cutting through the night air and shattering upon impact with Blake's body.

A thick cloud of pink mist spread out, covering a radius of several meters.

"Hahahahaha!"

Dreykov's triumphant laughter echoed from the edge of the pink mist.

"I personally raised these children. I can tell even if their tone of voice is slightly off. Did you really think you could use this little trick to lure me out? Natasha, Yelena, you've seriously underestimated the master of the Red Room."

Dreykov was beyond delighted. He had Blake, the traitorous Natasha, and now, even a Hydra leader in his grasp.

It was a massive victory.

From the moment Yelena's control was broken and she reported to him, Dreykov knew there was something wrong with her.

Since the enemy wanted to deceive him, he decided to play along.

He had several Widows lying in ambush here from the start.

As soon as Blake and the others got out of the car, snipers simultaneously fired special bullets infused with a neuro-agent.

This was Dreykov's ultimate move, meant to take control of everyone present.