Natasha spoke up first.
"This is John Wick."
John nodded solemnly, his face devoid of emotion.
"And this is Smith Doyle—he's the one who rescued Alexei."
Melina extended a hand in gratitude.
"Thank you for getting this fool out."
Smith Doyle smiled and shook her hand.
Melina looked at the group and said,
"Come on in, have a drink."
She led them into the house, Natasha following closely behind, while Alexei entered and began inspecting the layout.
Smith Doyle and John Wick sat down at the dining table in the living room. Meanwhile, Natasha watched as Melina opened a hidden compartment and stashed her weapon.
"I'd advise against trying anything funny," Natasha warned.
"I'm just putting the weapon away," Melina replied.
Natasha pressed on,
"Are there traps around here?"
"Anything we need to know about?"
Melina came out, looking at Natasha.
"I raised my daughter so she wouldn't fall into any traps."
Natasha turned away and walked into the living room. The place was laid out exactly like the house in Ohio from her childhood memories.
Meanwhile, Alexei had rushed to another room and was struggling to put on his old Red Guardian suit.
Melina returned with snacks and two bottles of vodka, setting everything down on the table before taking a seat.
"Let's have a drink," she offered.
Just then, Alexei emerged from the room in his full Red Guardian uniform.
"Still fits," he declared proudly.
Melina gave a low whistle in approval. John Wick, however, deadpanned,
"That body? You think it can compete with Captain America?"
Melina laughed and clapped.
"I never washed that suit, not once in all these years."
"Come on, drink up."
After a few rounds, Melina leaned back and said,
"Natasha, even though our family was fake, we spent three whole years together."
"So now that you've rescued Alexei and come here, what is it you really want?"
Alexei chimed in,
"It may have been fake, but it was warm. I still remember how beautiful you looked in a wedding dress."
"But even in that warm little family, someone was missing, wasn't she?"
Melina paused for a moment before asking,
"You want to rescue Yelena?"
Natasha nodded.
"We're not just rescuing Yelena. We're going to kill Dreykov and destroy the Red Room for good."
Melina shook her head.
"You can't beat someone who can control others' minds."
"You never saw what we built in America—what we achieved."
"Even with Alexei, you don't stand a chance. I know you're working with S.H.I.E.L.D."
Natasha understood the warning—having the Red Guardian and S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't enough. Especially since, in her eyes, S.H.I.E.L.D. had long since lost its integrity.
"It's called S.H.I.E.L.D. now," she replied.
"But with Mr. Smith on our side, we'll manage."
Melina gave Smith Doyle a surprised glance. Just what kind of man was he, to make Natasha so confident? A top-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?
Instead of arguing, Melina decided to show them something. She stood up, picked up a tablet, and tapped a few commands.
"Come in."
The front door opened—and a pig walked inside.
"Did that pig just open the door?" Natasha asked.
Melina nodded.
"Sure did."
She fed the pig and cooed,
"Good boy, Alexei. Good boy."
Alexei's expression soured.
"You named the pig after me?"
Melina smirked.
"You don't see the resemblance?"
Smith Doyle chuckled—he couldn't deny the Red Guardian's current physique did resemble a pig's.
Alexei groaned,
"After this mission, I'm losing weight. I'll show you—my butt will rival America's finest."
Melina continued her demonstration.
"Watch this. He can sit like a dog. Isn't that impressive?"
John Wick spoke up.
"You can control animals?"
Melina gave another command:
"Stop breathing."
She tapped the tablet. Instantly, the pig—Alexei—froze, breathless.
"This is what science can do now," she said.
"We infiltrated a research facility in northern Ohio—actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. base."
"They weren't building weapons—they were dissecting the human brain."
"They created the first and only blueprint for the basal ganglia, the center of cognition, self-operation, and programmatic learning."
Turning to Alexei, she added,
"We didn't steal weapons. We stole the key to unlocking free will."
The pig suddenly collapsed, out of breath.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.
"I'm demonstrating the precision of modern science," Melina explained.
"When an experiment subject is told to stop breathing, there's no choice but to obey."
Only now did Natasha realize—she'd been involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. since she was eleven, and now she finally understood why the Red Room had become so powerful.
"Okay… You've made your point."
"Don't worry," Melina said.
"Alexei can survive without oxygen for eleven seconds."
She tapped the tablet again, and the pig resumed breathing.
John Wick was visibly stunned. This level of technology—it was something else entirely. Following the BOSS really was the only way to see the truth of the world.
Melina smiled at the recovering pig.
"Good boy. Now go on—back to your safe space."
The pig slowly walked out of the room.
Melina turned to the others.
"When the world is under control, it functions on a higher level."
"Dreykov has chemically enslaved agents all around the globe."
Natasha asked,
"Is that how Yelena's being controlled?"
"I don't handle that part," Melina replied.
"But anyone with a brain can see how Dreykov operates. Do you think Yelena could've escaped it?"
"This is the Red Room now. Do you really think you can take it down?"
······
—End of chapter—
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