"To stand alongside the Avengers—to hold your own in a group of superhumans with extraordinary abilities—takes real talent."
Watching Black Widow nearly overpower his right-hand man, Carl couldn't help but show a trace of admiration.
Though she lacked Leo's raw physical power and close-combat dominance, Natasha Romanoff made up for it with precision, adaptability, and expert use of high-tech weaponry. Her ability to turn the tide using even the smallest advantage was what made her a real threat.
Carl formed a quick series of hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Static Surge!"
Crackling blue arcs of electricity instantly danced around his hands—an elementary but effective D-rank Lightning Release technique. Enhanced by chakra, the electricity surged with intensity as Carl launched himself down the side of the building with astonishing speed.
Black Widow, focused on escaping along the outer wall, didn't notice him until it was too late.
By the time she looked up, Carl's hand was already on her forehead.
"Zzzzt!"
An electric jolt coursed through her body. Natasha convulsed violently, paralyzed by the shock, and collapsed unconscious.
Unlike Kakashi's Raikiri, Carl's "Static Surge" wasn't meant to kill—it simply channeled controlled high-voltage currents around the user's hand, useful for stunning targets in close combat. And in this case, it worked perfectly.
With one hand, Carl grabbed the collar of Natasha's black elastic combat suit, casually walking down the building's vertical face. At the base, he tossed her limp form toward Leo.
"Take her to the interrogation room."
"Yes, boss," Leo replied, catching her easily.
Hoisting her over his shoulder, Leo headed toward the hidden interrogation chamber beneath the complex. Despite his usual composure, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
His master, Carl, had always been formidable—but recently, his power had ascended into something almost inhuman. Fire, lightning, walking on walls, enhanced perception—it was as if the laws of nature no longer applied to him.
Leo sometimes wondered whether Carl was still even human.
Not that it mattered.
Carl had saved his life, trained him, transformed him from a thug scraping the bottom of society into someone with skill, purpose, and strength. If Carl turned out to be a demon from the depths of hell, Leo would still follow him—gladly. He owed him everything.
Before meeting Carl, Leo's world had been darker than hell itself.
---
Back outside, Carl checked his phone and noticed a missed call from Tony Stark.
"Tony? What's he calling for at this hour?"
He raised an eyebrow and returned the call. Tony had agreed to meet him the next day to help extract the toxins lingering in his body. For him to call now meant something had come up.
The phone connected.
"Tony, what's going on?"
Tony's voice came through, slightly distorted with urgency. "Something came up that I figured you'd want to know. Director Fury showed up again. He's in pretty bad shape—but he's insistent. Says he needs to talk to you."
"To me?"
"Yeah. Apparently, he wants intel—specifically, info on Hydra agents inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Says he's willing to offer anything. Literally told me you can name your price."
There was a pause on Tony's end, and then his tone shifted slightly, more casual.
"I didn't tell him anything about you. Figured you'd want to decide for yourself. If you're not interested, I'll kick him out the way I planned to."
Carl's expression turned contemplative.
Fury's seriously injured and still asking for me? Wanting intel on Hydra?
He didn't reply right away, mind briefly drifting to the unconscious Natasha now in custody.
This was no coincidence.
Carl hadn't expected Hydra to move against Nick Fury so soon. He had assumed Fury would play a long game, matching wits with Hydra for a while before finally surfacing from the shadows.
"Bring him here—to the rooftop of my company building. I'll meet with him there."
Fury couldn't be pushed into a desperate corner. If he was, there was always the possibility he'd call in Captain Marvel—and Carl wasn't ready to deal with someone of that level. A single strike from her could annihilate a fleet, let alone his current resources.
Besides, a world where S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed and Hydra held unchecked power wouldn't benefit him either.
What he needed was a balance. A S.H.I.E.L.D.-Hydra deadlock, with both sides locked in a prolonged war of attrition. That way, neither would have time to interfere with him—and he could quietly continue building his own power.
---
"Good evening, Miss Natalie."
Carl stepped into the interrogation room after finishing the call. Black Widow was already awake—drenched from a splash of cold water and tightly bound to a chair.
"Mr. Carl, doing this to your new neighbor?" Natasha teased with a sultry smirk, shaking her restrained body slightly. "Be careful where you shop tomorrow... or I might tell Wanda."
Despite the circumstances, she seemed entirely unfazed. Her smile was flirtatious, but beneath it, her mind was working overtime, calculating every detail.
First, she was fairly certain it was Carl who had knocked her out. Just before losing consciousness, she'd heard his voice above her. The moment she looked up—zap. No visual confirmation, but the voice matched.
Second, he must be strong. She hadn't sensed him coming, and it wasn't easy to sneak up on her, much less incapacitate her with a single strike.
Third, the man standing guard—clearly the head of security, likely Leo—looked formidable in his own right. A direct escape attempt now would be unwise. Better to gather intel, then make a move once the odds shifted.
As for the ropes? Child's play. She could break out of them whenever she wanted.
"Let's not joke about Wanda," Carl replied casually. "I'd rather avoid any misunderstandings. Leo, go ahead and untie Natasha. "
Leo, who had just begun laying out a disturbing array of torture tools, looked a little disappointed but complied.
Natasha's relaxed posture changed the moment Carl used her real name—not Natalie, but Natasha.
Her pupils contracted slightly. So he did know.
"You know who I am," she said, slowly standing and stretching her wrists.
No wonder her cover had been blown without any visible slip-up. He'd known her true identity from the start.
Carl gave a casual shrug. "Not really. I just took a wild guess... and you confirmed it yourself."
Natasha froze for a brief second. That smooth, arrogant tone—he had tricked her. She'd assumed he knew from the beginning, which caused her to let her guard down. But now she realized: he might have been bluffing.
Still, the fact that he knew the name Natasha at all meant he wasn't just some random civilian. He had deep knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D.—perhaps even Hydra.
He watched her carefully, his smirk never fading.
"Okay, fine. I lied," Carl said with a chuckle. "I saw your file. Hydra's, to be exact."
He turned and waved her forward. "Come on. Director Fury wants to see me. You're coming along."
Natasha's eyes flickered with alarm as she processed what he'd just said. Hydra's file? He was claiming access to Hydra's intelligence network?
For a moment, she remained still, then followed after him.
As they exited, she caught up to him, brushing close to his side with casual intimacy.
"What did you mean," she asked softly, "when you said you saw my file from Hydra?"
It didn't add up. Everyone knew Hydra had been wiped out by Captain America during World War II. The organization had been buried—or so it was believed.
So why did Carl speak about them as if they were still operating? And how did he get access to such sensitive data?
Natasha's instincts screamed that Carl was hiding something—something big. Whatever secrets he held, she was going to uncover them.