Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Pretending to get Neutralized.
"Everything? Even the sewers? Has anyone bypassed you today?"
"I've been operating continuously. No logs of system breaches. As for the sewer… technically, it's not an entrance," Jarvis replied, momentarily stumped.
Even Stark's AI was confused. Who in their right mind would break into a mansion through the sewer?
Yet judging by Natasha's soaked appearance under Tony's bed, she had to have come in through somewhere unorthodox.
"I bet Tony's going to notice the scent of perfume tonight," Malrick muttered dryly.
The thought of sewer stench made him laugh—but the situation itself wasn't so amusing. Letting Tony stumble upon a hidden Black Widow wasn't ideal.
Malrick wasn't going to let her stay under there. Whatever she was planning, secrecy meant it probably wasn't good.
"Jarvis, has anyone entered the house since I left?"
"No, Master Malrick. All entry points were sealed once you departed."
"Even the sewers?"
"As stated, not recognized as standard entrances. Shall I update parameters?"
"No. Not yet."
Malrick paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "There's a woman under Tony's bed. Eyes closed. Resting."
Jarvis didn't miss a beat. "You mean someone infiltrated Mr. Stark's bedroom?"
"Exactly," Malrick said with growing interest. "Let's see what this top-tier spy is trying to pull."
"Understood, Master Malrick."
He slipped an earpiece in and made his way toward Tony's room, deliberately exaggerating his footsteps as he opened the door.
"Jarvis, are you sure about the odor anomaly in here? It makes no sense. Tony hasn't had anyone over recently. Where's this smell coming from?"
"Yes, Master. The air filtration system detected a foreign compound."
"Unless Tony's been solving his own problems in weird ways, there shouldn't be any odd scents... sniff, sniff... Ugh!"
Malrick reeled back, gagging and clutching the doorframe. This wasn't just an act—his enhanced senses were genuinely assaulted by something vile.
"What is that stench!? It's like rotten fish marinated in dumpster juice and sealed in a jar of pickles for three days!"
Malrick immediately dampened his super-smell. "Jarvis," he said through gritted teeth, "I take back what I said about your sensors being off."
"Understood, Master Malrick. Your performance nearly bypassed my logic. Impressive."
Malrick rubbed his nose and whispered, "Keep up the act. This is getting interesting."
He walked toward the bed, nose still covered. "So the source of the smell is under the bed, huh?"
"Yes, beneath the frame. Would you like me to deploy a cleaning drone?"
"No need."
Malrick crouched beside the bed. "Wouldn't want to risk damaging a life-sized Tony replica. Better if I take care of it manually."
He reached under the bed—only to be caught off guard.
Whip!
A black tendril shot out, coiling around his arm three times like a snake.
It yanked hard. Malrick gauged the force—about 2.5 times Tony's normal arm strength. Dangerous for anyone without superhuman durability.
His eyes narrowed. That wasn't just espionage—this was an attack.
Could SHIELD actually be targeting Tony?
He decided to continue the charade, letting himself be dragged and crashing to the floor with a shout.
"Ahhh!"
Natasha exploded from under the bed like a snake from a hole—no hesitation, no wasted motion.
She kicked off the bedframe and slid across the floor, wrapping her legs around Malrick's waist with precision. Then, using the momentum and her core strength, she flipped him through the air and slammed him to the ground.
Bang!
Malrick groaned, landing with a thud and playing unconscious. His head hit the floor with a satisfying crack—but he faked going limp.
Natasha landed smoothly, breathing evenly. She checked his vitals with a glance, convinced she'd neutralized her target.
"Nice chest," she muttered, giving him a quick pat before standing up.
"Ma'am," Jarvis interjected over the speakers, "you are violating Mr. Stark's private residence and endangering his family. Leave immediately or I will alert authorities."
"Oh, really?" she said coolly, dragging a black tactical bag from under the bed.
She pulled out rope and a sidearm, cocked it, and pointed it toward the nearest sensor. "Call anyone, and your master gets shot."
Without hesitation, she fired several rounds at surveillance devices around the room. Sparks flew. The earpiece in Malrick's ear was among the destroyed equipment.
She flipped Malrick's body, bound his arms and legs with practiced ease, then activated a secure comm link.
"General Dreykov, this is Agent Romanoff."
There was a pause. A male voice replied evenly, "Proceed."
"Unexpected complication," she reported. "Target's younger brother, Malrick Stark, discovered my presence through AI surveillance. Requesting change of plans. Suggest using Malrick to coerce Tony into surrendering his arc reactor tech."
"Change approved," Dreykov responded.
"Understood."
She removed her earpiece and turned to execute the plan—only to freeze.
Malrick's eyes were wide open, staring directly at her.
"So," he said calmly, "you're not with SHIELD anymore, huh? That's... interesting."
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