228. The Fall Before the Fall. (Patreon)

General Dreykov POV:

I used to believe I was untouchable.

That wasn't arrogance, that was fact proven, reinforced and carved into the bones of the world through decades of careful manipulation.

I commanded more than five thousand souls.

No… not commanded.

Owned.

I was the puppeteer of nations, the whisper behind assassinations, the unseen hand that toppled regimes and rewrote borders without ever stepping into the light. Kings, presidents, men with armies and titles danced to strings they didn’t even know existed.

Those strings led to me, General Dreykov.

Architect of the Red Room.

Dictator of a million fates.

…

And now? Now I was a cornered, bleeding rat and worst of all I was helpless.

I stared at the display in front of me, my fingers trembling ever so slightly as the numbers updated.

5,987.

That had been my empire.

My masterpiece.

My legacy.

Now?

500 Widows remained within the Red Room facility while the rest were just.... whisked away.

Five hundred unproven girls who were just children, barely forged into weapons are what remained under my command.

The rest? Freed from their shackles, broken from my control by that… thing Parker had unleashed.

Mist.

A colorless, odorless abomination that stripped away decades of conditioning with surgical precision. It didn’t just free them, it took them from me and worse, they would never return.

Because Parker didn’t just free them. He claimed them through rehabilitation facilities, psychological reevaluation and integration. The hand that feeds is always more appealing to the hand that beats and to the dogs Peter's hand was the feeding hand.

He wasn’t simply dismantling my empire he was assimilating it, turning my Widows into his assets.

I was angry but all I could do is clench my palms into fists.

“What would it take…” I muttered under my breath, pacing slowly across the control room. “What would it take to bring down Parker Industries?”

Bombs?

Useless.

Spies?

Laughable.

Super soldiers?

Obsolete.

Aliens?

Gods?…

I stopped as my reflection stared back at me from the darkened glass.

For the first time in decades, I didn’t have an answer to a problem.

The fax machine whirred to life. A deliberately chosen because Parker’s reach didn't extend to analog systems as easily as it did to digital ones.

I walked over slowly. Picked up the paper and read the contents.

A smile formed on my lips. “Melina…”

One of my most loyal assets and one of the few who understood, who accepted their fate and thrived within the cage.

"Natasha Alianovna Romanoff and Yelena Belova unguarded. Avengers withdrawn at their request. They plan to capture you and turn you in to Parker Industries."

I read it again. Then again.

Good news and bad news is perfectly balanced. Just the way the world liked it.

Too much good and the universe would punish you. Too much bad and it would crush you.

This is opportunity.

I chuckled softly. “They think they are hunting me…”

My lips curled into something darker. “But they are delivering themselves to me.”

Natasha Romanoff. An Avenger and a symbol.

And Yelena… a defective product that was returning willingly into my domain.

I looked up toward the ceiling, toward the massive structure that housed my empire.

“For a creature raised in a cage…” I murmured, thinking of Melina, “the cage is not a prison, it is home."

And in my home, I was still king.

“Prepare the inner sectors,” I ordered calmly into the intercom. “Let them come.”

My eyes gleamed. “Let them believe they have already won.”

Because when they stepped inside, I would remind them why monsters like me were never truly defeated.

Tony Stark POV:

I leaned back against the table, arms crossed, watching the world’s most dangerous group of people casually plan a suicide mission.

“Let me get this straight,” I said slowly, dragging the words out. “Your grand plan to take down the emperor of a global child-slavery empire… is to bruise his ego, walk into his house and then improvise?”

Natasha didn’t even look at me. “Why look so surprised, Tony?”

I blinked. “I'm sorry. I think I missed the file where you guys have a Felix Felicis potion running through your veins?”

She finally turned, one eyebrow raised. “You say that like it hasn’t worked before. Also, what's Felix Felicis?”

I pointed at her. “That’s exactly why I’m concerned. You guys don't even know Felix Felicis which is a lucky potion from Harry Potter!!”

Yelena snorted from the side. “Relax, Stark. We make chaos look good.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” I shot back. “But usually when I hear ‘plan,’ it involves something more than vibes and emotional damage. Even Peter who's entire playbook is 'Find out before fucking around' isn't as reckless as you all.”

Peter didn’t even look up from his console.

“Statistically,” he said calmly, “Natasha’s success rate with ego-based infiltration strategies is above ninety-two percent.”

I stared at him. “You’re encouraging this.”

“I’m acknowledging data.” Replied Peter.

“Same thing!” I shot back.

Natasha stretched slightly, rolling her shoulders.

“Believe it or not,” she said, “I do take vacations.”

I raised an eyebrow. “This is your version of a vacation?”

She smirked.“No, my vacation usually involves massages.”

Yelena perked up. “Good ones.”

“Of course.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m surrounded by lunatics.” “And another thing,” I continued, gesturing at their gear. “You have access to the most advanced technology on the planet no, scratch that, in the solar system and you’re going in with what? Two stun batons and glorified wrist tasers?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “They’re not tasers.”

“They look like tasers, act like tasers. They are Tasers.”

Natasha replied, “They also fire hardlight projectiles hotter than the surface of the sun.”

I paused. “…Okay, that’s mildly better.”

“Mildly?” Gwen cut in, raising an eyebrow as she shifted out of her Iron Spider Mk. III suit. “She described cutting-edge nanotech and energy systems as if it's a Minecraft mod.”

Yelena shrugged. “Our understanding of science is… how do you say… dog shit.”

I snorted. “Finally, something we agree on.”

“Alright,” Steve said, stepping forward, voice firm. “Let’s go over the plan one more time.”

Even I straightened slightly because when Captain America spoke you listened.

“Yelena,” he began, turning to her, “you will be captured. Your gear will be confiscated except your suit.”

Yelena grinned. “Surprise present.”

“They’ll attempt to examine your brain by cutting out your skull,” Steve continued. “That’s when you strike. Neutralize the scientists and deploy Mist throughout the facility.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

“Tony, Thor, Gwen and Rhodey, you’ll engage high-value target Antonia Dreykov and extract her.”

Thor cracked his knuckles. “She will be freed from her chains.”

Natasha stepped forward. “I’ll pose as Melina,” she said. “Get close to Dreykov. Extract the location of his database.”

Peter spoke without looking up. “Two seconds less work is still less work.”

I rolled my eyes. “Efficiency demon.”

Steve ignored us. “Dreykov is to be captured alive,” he added. “Peter needs him.”

I raised an eyebrow. “For what, exactly?”

Peter finally looked up. “Human trials.”

“…You’re kidding.” I said.

“I'm not.”

Yelena blinked. “That’s dark.”

“Rapists, child traffickers and similar individuals are running out,” Peter added calmly. “I require new test subjects and also I need to begin importing them from other countries. Of course, they'll be evaluated psychologically to ensure that they're actual criminals.”

I stared at him. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“You already are.”

“Fair.”

“The real Melina and Alexei,” Steve continued, “will extract Mary Parker and Teresa Parker.”

That part, felt heavier just for a fraction of a second.

Then, he moved on like it doesn't matter which in his dictionary probably doesn't.

Behind us, the Prowler descended.

“Point Blank Class Command Prowler. Fresh off the Europa Shipyard.” Peter said.

Natasha frowned. “Europa Shipyard?”

“Wait, San Francisco, Hormuz, Lanka, Kanagawa—you have shipyards everywhere. What the hell is Europa?”

Peter just smiled and that smile told me everything.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I muttered.

“It’s in Europa!!!” I said aloud.

Natasha froze. “The moon of Jupiter?”

Peter said nothing, that was answer enough.

I let out a slow breath. “You’ve been building FTL ships.”

“Among other things.”

I laughed softly. “Of course you have.”

Then the alert hit our comms. “A massive flying object will enter St. Petersburg airspace in ten minutes.”

I looked at Peter and he was already moving.

“Showtime.” I said with glee.

We boarded the Prowler. Every system came alive and as we lifted into the sky.

I glanced back once at Natasha and Yelena, the two women walking willingly into hell.

“Good luck.” I said dismissively because they won't even need it... probably.