A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Natasha watches Thaddeus dismantle her nightmares in real time.

-x-X-x-

It's funny. The Red Room has been Natasha's boogeyman for as long as she can remember. And Dreykov has been the monster under her bed, in her closet, and breathing across the nape of her neck for just as long. If she were being completely honest with herself, the chance to kill him was a large part of why she'd been willing to defect to SHIELD in the first place.

Fuck knows it wasn't their competency that drew her in. Not when a single middle of the road Black Widow like her almost immediately became one of their Top Five Agents after her defection. No, SHIELD was… barely worth Natasha's time, even if she did like Barton and Coulson. But the opportunity they'd given her in Budapest… that was something she couldn't afford to pass up.

And yet, it hadn't even worked. Dreykov had lived up to the legend Natasha built of the man in her mind. He'd survived the bombing and kept leading the Red Room. Meanwhile, SHIELD had either been fed bad information or lied to her about Yelena's own status, leaving her in the dark all this time.

But… none of it mattered anymore. Because for all the terror that the Red Room induced, for all the fear that Dreykov's mere name could invoke in her… they were nothing compared to the people she'd tied herself to now. They didn't hold a candle to the resources and power of the Hellfire Club's White Queen or her protégé.

"The facility is completely under our control. Tessa and I have ahold of all problematic elements. All that's left is to decide how we want to shut this all down."

They'd reconvened in Dreykov's office, with the man himself unable to do so much as blink of his own accord. Natasha and Yelena had played their role as bait perfectly, giving the psychics more than enough time to take over the Red Room's latest academy, a mobile aerial platform that Natasha had to admit, was some of the most cutting edge technology that she'd ever seen.

Of course, the facility's defenses and extremely advanced tech meant nothing in the face of a telepath plucking control codes straight out of someone's mind and then taking control of that mind for good measure. Dreykov and his forces never stood a chance.

Yelena chuckles, arms crossed over her chest as she eyes Dreykov for a moment before looking back at all of them.

"You guys are scary. You know that? Terrifying, even."

Thaddeus offers a lopsided, sheepish grin in response.

"Heh… only to our enemies. And scum like this bastard deserves nothing less than the worst we can do to him."

Indeed, the look that Thaddeus throws Dreykov's way isn't just offended on Natasha and Yelena's behalf… no, it's personal at this point. Hatred can be seen in the young man's eyes, hatred that makes Natasha bites her lip as her heart soars.

God, she was pretty sure Thaddeus healing her was making her feel things she hadn't felt in years and years. At least, she didn't think this was pregnancy hormones yet. She couldn't even say for sure that she was pregnant at this point!

Yelena stares at Thaddeus for a long moment before cracking a grin.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Thaddeus just shakes his head in amusement before looking over to Emma.

"We need to shut this place down, but we also need to free the rest of the Widows from the chemical control Yelena was put under."

Tessa clears her throat at that, speaking up before Emma can do so.

"Already on it. The Red Room actually has the formula for what they've termed 'Red Dust', aka the agent that immunizes against the chemical control, in their databases. Actually…"

Suddenly, the raven-haired psychic's eyes narrow and she flicks her eyes towards Thaddeus and Emma alike. Both of whom stiffen up in response to what is clearly some sort of telepathically transmitted message. Natasha tenses as Thaddeus' eyes widen and Emma's eyes narrow. Finally, the blonde nods sharply.

"One moment, I'll bring her here."

Natasha exchanges a look with Yelena, who has questions in her eyes that she can't answer. Giving the other Widow a helpless little shrug, she can only watch alongside Yelena as Dreykov moves behind his desk and is forced to use his biometrics to allow greater access to the facility.

However, a few quiet minutes after they've put him to work, the doors to Dreykov's office open up and a familiar face causes Natasha's eyes to widen as she steps into the room. Melina Vostokoff, clearly controlled just like Dreykov and the rest of the Red Room's personnel, walks into the room wearing a lab coat of all things.

Natasha is reminded of the taunts Dreykov had thrown at her and Yelena back when he thought that he was in control of the situation. He'd mentioned that Melina Vostokoff was the Red Room's head scientist. He'd mentioned that she was instrumental to the creation of the 'modernized Red Room'.

He'd all but thrown it into their faces that Melina was the one who created the chemical control that all current Widows, new and old, were being forced to labor under.

Natasha's jaw clenches… but Yelena is the one who actually begins to move forward. She'd always been a bit more… volatile.

"You-!"

Only, before she can reach Melina and do whatever her first impulse was, Thaddeus steps in between them.

"Yelena, please wait. The situation isn't what you think."

That brings the blonde up short. It brings Natasha up short as well. The situation… wasn't what they thought? She doesn't understand. And from the way Yelena's face scrunches up even as she's trying to control her emotions, she doesn't get it either.

"I… I was three years old when they sent us to America. She may not be my blood mother, but she was the only mother I-I ever knew. Even if it was only for a few years. And now to f-find out she helped Dreykov control us… control ME?! She deserves to die just as much as he d-does for what she did to us!"

Natasha moves up behind Yelena, holding her by the shoulders in a silent show of support. Thaddeus grimaces but shakes his head.

"Just… give her a chance to explain herself alright? Just a chance, that's all I ask."

Her brow furrows at those words, Natasha still not understanding. But Yelena nods all the same, prompting Thaddeus to step aside and reveal Melina to them both again. After a moment, her body suddenly slumps ever so slightly and it's obvious she has control back.

For a prolonged second, they all just stare at each other. Melina at her and Yelena, and her and Yelena at Melina.

"Natasha… Yelena…"

Finally, the older woman (even if she doesn't look a day over thirty still) slowly sinks to her knees and bows her head.

"Do whatever you want to me. I deserve it."

… What? Natasha blinks, thrown for a loop by the older Widow's declaration. Yelena isn't so caught off guard. Instead, she surges forward out of Natasha's grasp, forcing Thaddeus to intercede again.

"Whoa! Whoa, just wait a second, for fuck's sake! I said explain yourself woman! Not beg for death!"

The exasperation in Thaddeus' voice is enough to bring Yelena up short, her confusion overcoming her raw fury for a moment as her gaze flicks between Melina's kneeling form and Thaddeus' panicked expression. Groaning, Thaddeus runs a hand over his face… and then points it accusingly at Melina.

"SHE'S the architect behind Red Dust and the Widow Rebellion! She's been trying to fight Dreykov from the inside ever since she first developed the chemical control!"

Natasha's jaw doesn't drop open, but it's a near thing. Her eyes definitely do widen and so do Yelena's as they both stare down at Melina, who has in turn gone completely stiff and is looking up at Thaddeus in stupefied silence.

"H-How do you know that?!"

Raising a brow, Thaddeus reaches up and taps the side of his head.

"We're psychic. We read your mind."

Melina shakes her head.

"That's not possible, I have training-!"

Emma cuts in then with a huff.

"Training doesn't mean quite so much when you reach our levels of power. You're in a room with three of the most powerful psychics on the planet by this point. And we were incentivized to probe your mind most of all, given your position. Now that the truth is out, maybe stop trying to get these two women to kill you. Especially since we know you still see them as daughters, even after all this time."

A shudder runs through Melina Vostokoff and she averts her gaze, looking entirely uncertain of how to react to… any of this? Yelena, as well, is frozen in place. Which leaves it to Natasha to step forward and crouch down in front of the older Widow as she kneels at their feet. Taking hold of Melina's chin, she forces the other woman to look her in the eyes.

"… Why?"

Melina shudders in despair, not needing to ask for clarification on what Natasha means by the question. Finally, realizing she's not going to get out of this, Melina shrugs.

"Why does a mouse born in a cage run on a little wheel, Natasha? I was cycled through the Red Room four times before you were even born. I was never given a choice… none of us were. But it wasn't until they made me complicit in taking away the choices of others that I finally realized what I had done… and what I had to do."

Taking a deep breath, Melina continues on.

"I knew I had to stay. I knew so long as I was here, I could sabotage Dreykov's attempts to create another version of the chemical control that would prove hardier against the 'Red Dust'. So I broke away some of the others. I sent them away to start up the resistance. And I remained behind to do all that I could."

There's a long pause… and then Natasha gives in to her own impulsive urges and surges forward. Wrapping her arms tightly around Melina, she drags the older woman back to her feet, all while embracing her in a bone-crushing hug. She can tell that Melina is shocked… and even more so when Yelena joins the hug a moment later.

Finally, after a long pause, Melina's arms hesitantly come up and wrap around the two of them, hugging them back. It feels like an eternity that they stay like that while also feeling paradoxically like no time at all. But eventually they do all pull apart, almost by unanimous realization that they still have things to do.

Looking over to Dreykov sat behind his computer, Melina shivers for a moment.

"I never thought it would be this easy. I don't know how I imagined this day arriving, but this… to have it taken out of my hands is both a relief and a frustration. Even still, there is nothing I can do now but comply. What next?"

Emma speaks up then, the White Queen commanding their attention as easily as breathing.

"Simple, really. We've already sent out the orders to recall every Black Widow currently out in the field. While we wait for them all to arrive, we'll use the chemical labs here in this facility to produce enough Red Dust to free everyone currently under the Red Room's control. Once that is dealt with, it will be time to destroy this place once and for all. Oh, and you lot can kill Dreykov first if you like."

Looking around them, the icy White Queen lets out a sigh.

"It is a shame to destroy such an expensive state-of-the-art facility, but I don't really see any way for us to keep it without inviting significant reprisal upon ourselves. Leaving it here in Russian Airspace just means they'll eventually want to know why its gone radio silent. Taking it anywhere else in the world will eventually lead to its discovery, our involvement in its theft, and some form of retribution."

Shaking her head, Emma speaks with a sense of finality.

"No… best to remove this place from existence with extreme prejudice. Let those who knew of its existence assume something catastrophic happened and that everyone went 'down with the ship' so to speak."

Only once she's done talking does she look around at all of them.

"Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Natasha half-expects Thaddeus to object to the part where they're allowed to kill Dreykov, but he doesn't say a word, signaling his tacit approval for such things. Instead, it's actually Melina who speaks up.

"I do have one concern, yes… what do we intend to do about Sleeping Beauty?"

Natasha blinks, even as the psychics in the room also look momentarily confused. Sleeping… Beauty?

-x-X-x-

Thaddeus finds himself standing over a blonde coma patient a few minutes later, having been brought here by Melina Vostokoff herself. The reason that he, Sage, and Emma hadn't noticed her originally was because of the general quiet of her mind compared to the rest of the people on the base.

The only thing was… her coma was far from natural, as evidenced by the numerous tubes hooked up to her, some of which were specifically designed to keep her under.

"She was part of Dreykov's latest initiative. A plan to turn mutant girls into even more powerful Black Widows than the previous generations. Only… the whole thing has been a bit of a mess. None more so than this one."

Thaddeus frowns while Emma furrows her brow. Melina sighs as she looks down at the unconscious young woman strapped to the bed.

"Her name is Illyana Rasputin. She was barely six. And then… she wasn't. All the cameras picked up was some sort of flash. She vanished from her dormitory bed in an instant. And then, a few seconds later… she came back like this. Aged almost two decades and wielding a massive sword made of energy."

Melina shakes her head.

"She was wearing quite a lot of spiky black leather, material which we've determined cannot be found on Earth. However, we still don't know where she went, because she got rather violent the moment she realized where she was. It took multiple security squads along with her own seeming reluctance to hurt her fellow trainees to take her down and sedate her. She's been here ever since."

With the explanation given, Melina looks at them, raising an eyebrow.

"So? What do you want done with her?"

Thaddeus exchanges a look with Emma as they silently communicate with one another for a moment before coming to a decision.

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Wake Illyana Rasputin up here and now - 39%

[X] Wait until they're done here and wake her up back in New York - 58%

[ ] Don't wake her up for the time being, they don't know what they're dealing with - 3%

-x-X-x-

If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!

If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian

Thanks for reading!