Shadows of Red: The Lives of Two Assassins

Chapter 23: Black Widow

After the fallout from the Civil War and the disbandment of the Avengers, Natasha, and Kylar were living in the shadows, fugitives from a world that no longer trusted them. The weight of their pasts hung heavily on both of them—especially Kylar. Her time in the Red Room had left scars, not just from the brutal training she had endured, but from her time as Taskmaster, Dreykov's ultimate weapon. She had been controlled, forced to fight, kill, and mimic her opponents with deadly precision until Natasha helped free her from that life.

Now, they were on the run, trying to build some semblance of peace in a world that seemed determined to pull them back into the chaos.

One quiet morning in Norway, a message from Rick Mason shattered their fragile calm. The words sent a chill through both of them: "Natasha, Kylar, Dreykov is alive. The Red Room still exists."

Kylar's heart raced as she read the message, and the memories of her time in the Red Room and as Taskmaster came flooding back. She had thought she'd left that nightmare behind, but Dreykov's control still loomed large over her past, and now, it seemed, her present.

Natasha watched Kylar closely, seeing the fear and tension in her face. She felt it too, a deep and growing fear she couldn't shake—the fear of losing Kylar.

"We have to go back," Natasha said softly, trying to keep her voice steady despite the storm of emotions brewing inside her. "We have to stop Dreykov. For good."

Kylar nodded, but the thought of facing Dreykov again, of facing herself as she had once been, terrified her. She looked at Natasha, knowing what this mission meant for both of them.

"He'll come after me," Kylar said quietly, her voice tight. "He'll try to use me again, Nat. He'll try to make me Taskmaster."

Natasha's stomach twisted at Kylar's words. She had helped free Kylar from Dreykov once, but the fear of losing her—of seeing Kylar pulled back into that mindless, weaponized version of herself—was almost too much to bear.

"I won't let him," Natasha said firmly, stepping closer to Kylar and placing a hand on her arm. "You're not Taskmaster anymore. You're stronger than him. We'll face this together."

But as they prepared to leave, Natasha couldn't shake the gnawing fear that had lodged itself deep inside her—the fear of losing Kylar for good.

Their journey to Budapest brought with it memories that both Natasha and Kylar had tried to bury. It was in Budapest that Natasha had believed she killed Dreykov, sacrificing his daughter Antonia in the process. It was supposed to have been the end of the Red Room. But Mason's message made it clear: Dreykov was alive, and he had continued his work, building an even more powerful army of mind-controlled Widows.

In Budapest, they reunited with Yelena Belova, Natasha's younger sister from the Red Room. The reunion was cold and tense, especially between Natasha and Yelena, who harbored anger over Natasha's defection. But Yelena had important information: Dreykov had perfected the mind control technology, and the Red Room was now a floating fortress hidden in the sky.

Yelena's gaze was sharp as she laid out what they were up against. "He's got more Widows than ever, and he's got Taskmaster."

Kylar felt her stomach drop at the mention of Taskmaster. The title had been hers once, forced upon her by Dreykov to create the perfect assassin. She had been Dreykov's most dangerous weapon, able to mimic any opponent's moves and fight with cold, deadly precision. But now, Dreykov had passed that role to someone else—Antonia, his daughter, the girl Natasha thought she had killed years ago.

Natasha's hands clenched into fists at the mention of Antonia. She had thought the girl was dead, but the reality was far worse—Antonia was alive, trapped inside the body of Taskmaster, just as Kylar had once been. Natasha glanced at Kylar, who stood stiff and silent, and the fear twisted in her chest. Dreykov had nearly destroyed Kylar once—what if he succeeded this time?