6x6 Black Widow

     As Spider-Man and the Black Cat departed for a night of crime fighting, three sets of eyes watched them go. Just as the black-clad pair disappeared around a corner, the largest and most colorful of the three spoke up. "So, can you explain to me again why this is a good idea? Sir?"

     Sighing, General Nicholas Fury looked up and to the right, regarding the world's first super-soldier with a critical eye. Steve Rogers, better known to the world as Captain America, had a mind like a steel trap when it came to all matters military, capable of memorizing a seemingly endless amount of information about weapons, technology, enemy dossiers, and tactical training for modern warfare. Basic principles of economics, however, were evidently something he couldn't quite wrap his mind around. "Simple, son. We want the technology from Project: Ant-Man and Project: Giant-Man for ourselves for the Avengers Initiative. However, we're still stuck footing the bill for two versions of Project: Resurrection that were started before we found you that haven't been dismantled yet, along with several other projects plus spending for our conventional soldiers. Even SHIELD's resources aren't unlimited. Therefore, if Lang and Foster use the money they earn through 'Giants Among Men Inc.' to bring one or both projects to an operational stage…"

     "Then we can swoop in and purchase the goods from them, or even recruit them for the Avengers Initiative, at minimal cost to SHIELD." From his left, Natalia Romanova finished his thoughts, once again leaving Nick wondering if she should be allowed to step into the leadership role for the team he was putting together. Sure she was a black ops operative, but they'd yet to run a standard operation yet - save for Steve's nationwide wave 'n smile tour - so that wasn't really a factor, and she did far better than Steve at handling things like psychological warfare, infiltration, cyber operations, and the economics of the military-industrial complex. "And they earn their money from supplying local heroes, which creates a better class of hero in New York City and lowers the crime rate. Da?"

     Nick nodded, looking over at the statuesque redhead. She was also a fair sight prettier than America's original super-soldier; if he had to sit in lengthy briefings with one of the two, he knew which one he'd pick any day. That and the two of them just plain got along better. "You know, Lang just threw together a fairly complex cybernetic tail that interfaces with Miss Hardy's nervous system using nothing but off-the-shelf components." One of Natalia's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose at the seeming non sequitur and Nick gestured back down at the door the two local heroes had stepped out of. "I know you don't like any of the cyberneticists at the Triskelion. Maybe you'd get along better with Lang? SHIELD would pay for any services rendered, just like if it was any other medical treatment."

     Lifting her right foot, Natalia placed it on the edge of the roof in front of Nick and ran her hand up and down her shapely leg before stopping with it resting on her thigh. "Perhaps I should visit them soon. One of my implants has been bothering me ever since we broke up that Skrull infiltrator cell last month. My neural conduction through my right thigh is off by point one eight percent and it's destroying my balance."

     Eyeing her chest, where the top of a blood red hourglass was stretched over her bountiful bosom, Nick sighed and shook his head. "You know, I had a perfectly good joke about 'implants' ready to go before you ruined my opening with that last bit."

     Natalia let out a laugh at that, her foot rising before coming down between Nick's legs on the seat of his hoverchair. Despite how close she was to a very precious part of his anatomy, he couldn't help but enjoy the view as his eyes slowly slid up her leg, over her stomach, up past her breasts, and on to her smirking face. "You are a pig, Nikolai. An amusing pig, da, but a pig nonetheless. However, since there are only three men on base who have the yaitso to talk to me - one of whom is married and flirts only for fun, and another can't figure out how to operate my car's CD player - I must take the attention where I can get it." Fingering the yellow gauntlet on her left arm, the redhead let out a thoughtful noise. "Come to think of it, I just had my request to have my stingers upgraded rejected by SHIELD R&D for the third time. These 'Giants Among Men' might indeed have their uses." Waggling her fingers at him, Natalia pushed off his chair as she back flipped over the edge of the roof and disappeared from view.

     "Son of a…" His chair shooting forward, Nick effected a fairly decent imitation of a powerslide as he brought the side to rest against the edge of the roof and stared down at the pavement below. Even though he knew the drop was well within Natalia's tolerances, it still unsettled him sometimes to see Steve and Natalia pulling off superhuman moves beyond even what his augmented body had been capable of before a bullet to the spine had taken his mobility from him. Scowling down at Natalia's cheekily grinning face, Nick pointed a finger at her. "Nobody likes a show off."

     "You like me."

A bit of bonus black for you all this week.

Art © SE Kimble
Story ©
Black Widow © Marvel