Bab 175: Chapter 175
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At that moment, Barton seemed to recall something, mumbling, "Natasha, how many agents did I...?"
Before he could finish, Natasha cut him off, reassuring him with a few words.
"Don't dwell on it. Don't add to your guilt. It was all Loki's doing. They're monsters, and we haven't been trained to handle this."
Whether Barton took her words to heart or not, he suddenly asked, "Loki... did he escape?"
"Yes," Natasha nodded, then looked at Barton intently. "Do you know where he went?"
Barton shook his head. "No, he never tells me, and I don't ask."
After a brief pause, he added, "He's probably about to execute his plan soon—today."
"We need to stop him," Natasha said, her brow furrowed.
"Who else is there besides us?" Barton asked.
"I don't know. Whoever's left."
"Alright." Barton then reflected on the lives lost because of him, muttering, "If I could just put an arrow in Loki's eye, maybe I'd be able to sleep."
Hearing his words and seeing that he was slowly returning to his senses, Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "You're finally back to normal."
But as soon as she said that, Barton remarked, "But you're not."
"You're a spy, not a soldier. That's not who you used to be. Now you want to be on the front lines?"
"Why?"
"What did Loki do to you?"
He recalled how Natasha had charged into battle against him while he was under Loki's control, a behavior that was unlike her usual self.
Natasha fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "He didn't do anything to me, it's just..."
"Natasha?"
Natasha stared into the void ahead. "I'm a bit shaken."
"Because I've got too much blood on my hands..."
"I want to make amends..."
Natasha remained quiet.
The reason she was known as the Black Widow was because of her deadly skills, like the most lethal spider—always slipping past unnoticed until it was too late. Once people realized her presence, it was often already too late.
Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., or rather, the Avengers, she had been trained in a special facility, where she had committed numerous heinous acts with cold-blooded precision.
Natasha couldn't help but recall her final graduation test at the Red Room, the facility that trained elite female spies. They were placed in a desolate wilderness and told that only one of them could return to graduate. The test provided only enough resources for one person.
In the end, only she returned.
In Natasha's mind, she saw herself as a monster, whether in the Red Room or after she left it...
She believed she needed to atone for her past sins, to make up for the wrongs she had committed.
This was why, not long ago, even though she was a spy by trade, she had thrown herself into the front lines of battle. She felt compelled to do something to make amends for her past mistakes.
In fact, things were unfolding as Natasha feared. If nothing changed, and no other variables intervened, in the battle against Thanos, she would ultimately sacrifice herself to obtain the Soul Stone.
For the Soul Stone, and to ensure Tony Stark and the others could gather the stones to resurrect those lost in the Snap, she would willingly throw herself off a cliff.
In the end, everyone else would be resurrected—everyone except her, who had been sacrificed for the stone, leaving her as nothing more than a memory among the Avengers.
Her actions of atonement perfectly aligned with the hidden criteria for lifting Thor's hammer.
If, during that moment when Thor invited the Avengers to try lifting Mjolnir, Natasha hadn't declined, there was a high chance she would have succeeded in lifting the hammer.
Compared to Jane Foster, who lifted Mjolnir due to her relationship with Thor, Natasha was far more deserving of that honor.
At that moment, Barton, having heard Natasha's words, seemed to understand something and fell silent.
Clearly, he knew some of Natasha's history.
While they conversed, Captain America approached Tony Stark, asking about Coulson.
"Was he married?" Steve Rogers inquired.
Tony Stark replied, "No, but he had a girlfriend who played the cello."
"I'm sorry for your loss. He seemed like a good man..." Steve said quietly.
Tony shook his head. "He was too damn loyal. He went up against Loki alone. He did his duty, but he was in over his head. He should've waited for backup!"
Steve noticed something and asked, "Is this the first time you've seen a soldier die?"
Tony, with a serious expression, quickly denied, "But we're not soldiers!"
After a moment of silence, Tony continued, "I don't plan to follow Fury's orders."
Steve, thinking of something, said, "Neither do I. Fury and Loki are both responsible for Coulson's death. But right now, we have to focus on the bigger picture."
"Loki needs a power source. If we could fabricate one..."
Steve was about to suggest a plan to lure Loki into a trap when Tony interrupted, having had a sudden realization about Loki.
"Loki... he's an attention-seeker."
"That's not important..." Steve didn't understand what Tony was getting at.
But Tony continued, "It's crucial. That's his personality. He knows all about our backgrounds."
"Why do you think that is?"
"To make us fight each other?" Steve asked, still puzzled.
Tony nodded, "Exactly. Divide and conquer. It's brilliant. He knows that to win, he has to defeat us all."
"He wants to beat us, and he wants an audience to see it!"
"He wants spectators..."
"Last time, in front of the whole crowd..."
The more Tony spoke, the more certain he became.
Steve also remembered the scene at the plaza, where Loki had stood high above, demanding the crowd kneel before him.
Tony continued, "That was just a preview. Today is the main event!"
"Loki is a textbook egomaniac. He wants the flowers, the applause..."
"He needs a prominent building to stand atop so his name can be glorified..."
As Tony's voice trailed off, he and Steve exchanged glances, both realizing what Loki was planning.
In New York, the building that fit that description was Stark Tower.
They instantly knew Loki's next move.
"That bastard!" Tony cursed.
...
While Tony and Steve discussed, up on the rooftop of Stark Tower, numerous devices had been set up, and Dr. Selvig was busy with final preparations.
It was clear that these were the tools needed to activate the Tesseract, and the portal to another dimension was about to open above Stark Tower.
Not far away, hidden in the shadows of a nearby building, a group of yellow-robed sorcerers observed Dr. Selvig's actions.
"Is the Lord's prophecy about to be fulfilled?"
"What prophecy?"
Kaecilius and a dozen other sorcerers gazed intently, both expectant and confused.
(End of Chapter)
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