When Natasha asked her question, Smith Dole's smile faded, his expression turning serious as he answered:"There's a problem."
"And not a small one."
He wasn't lying — the issues within S.H.I.E.L.D. were anything but minor. At this point it was practically Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D. already.
And then there was Nick Fury — always stirring things up. Between his shady decisions and the knowledge Smith had from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Smith knew full well what kind of dark experiments, surveillance, imprisonments, and even secret invasions S.H.I.E.L.D. was capable of.
Natasha looked shocked that he would say S.H.I.E.L.D. was such a problem. What secrets were hidden within?Seeing her curious gaze, Smith continued:"Maybe it's because you were never fully absorbed into their inner circle that you didn't notice the rot."
"But now that you're back there after this mission, observe and investigate for yourself. You might just find a very different S.H.I.E.L.D. than the one you thought you knew."
"As for the details — I won't hand you all the answers. You need to see for yourself."
Natasha nodded slowly — there was a certain allure in uncovering the truth herself.
"Who should I report to on the inside? Someone I can trust?"
Evidently, she assumed the Assassin Alliance already had more people embedded there — and wanted to know who her handler was.
Smith chuckled inwardly at the assumption and said:"We keep it single-line — just you and me. For your own protection."
"You can only fully trust yourself. Others — you'll have to judge on your own."
"As for intelligence, feel free to pass it along as you see fit. If you're unsure about anything, check with Fox or with me directly."
Natasha nodded."I understand. I won't let you down. I'll root out the rot within S.H.I.E.L.D."
Smith's eyes lingered on her. Then he said:"Return to Fox and resume your infiltration."
Natasha stood, heading for the door. At the threshold she turned back and asked:"Will S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually be purged like the Red Room?"
Smith didn't answer directly — just smiled faintly and replied:"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
Natasha seemed to understand. A thought flashed through her mind — and maybe Nick Fury's skin won't save him after all… after all, the Hunter of N**s nickname isn't just for show.
…
After Natasha left, Smith took out the Black Widow control platform and the authentication ring, contemplating what to do with them.
Dreykov was dead. The Red Room base was destroyed. But the Widows already seeded across the globe were still bound to his neurotoxin — with the platform he could make them all kill themselves in an instant.
But that would be wasteful.
Better to recall them in an orderly way, cure them, and redeploy them — the Assassin Brotherhood and the hotels around the world all needed more manpower. His intel network could use reinforcements as well.
For now he'd wait for Bulma to finish developing the antidote. Once that was ready, he could begin retrieval.
Having decided, Smith put the platform and ring away and left the meeting room.
…
Evening.
Smith returned to the lab. Seeing Bulma at work, he said:"Bulma, the genius scientist I mentioned earlier wants to meet. Let's go."
Bulma froze mid-task, then dropped everything and bolted:"Ah! Already? Wait for me!"
She dashed off to her room to get ready.
Watching her leave, Smith chuckled. Apparently he hadn't given her enough time to prepare. Guess he'd be waiting.
He strolled around the lab while he waited — the place had expanded with a lot of new equipment. Yelena was still resting inside what looked like a stasis pod.
Over an hour later, Bulma reappeared — vibrant and glowing.
She hooked her arm through his and beamed:"Let's go, Smith-oniisan!"
Dressed in a pink dress with a lavender scarf, she was full of youthful energy.
Smith patted her head and smiled:"Let's head out."
Bulma leaned against him and chimed:"Off we go!"
The two of them set out in Smith's red Ferrari, heading toward Tony Stark's seaside villa.
As Bulma gazed out at the scenery, she kept remarking on how different the two worlds were. Smith listened, occasionally replying, and thought to himself he really should take her out more often. Such precious youth…
Though, he reminded himself, I'm only eighteen too.
An hour later they arrived at Stark's villa, where Tony himself came out to greet them.
As Smith got out with Bulma, Tony raised a brow at the sight of the young woman by his side.
"Well well, you never cease to surprise me, pal."
He gave Smith a hug, then whispered:"So this is the 'friend' you mentioned? She looks awfully young."
Then he froze, punched Smith lightly on the arm, and muttered:"Damn, I keep forgetting you're only eighteen."
He turned to Bulma and introduced himself:"Hi, I'm Tony Stark. This kid's… friend."
Noticing his change in tone, Bulma grinned and replied sweetly:"Hello, mister. I'm Bulma."
…
(End of Chapter)
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