"Many of you think I only began to feel that my ideals had been shattered on the day of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. But every relationship in this world is like that. Disappointment never comes all at once; it accumulates bit by bit.
"Not long after I underwent the modifications, I met the previous generation's Black Widow. She was the Red Room's perfect creation, but she was completely different from what I had imagined."
Pepper and Wanda pulled over chairs as well and sat down to listen to Natasha tell stories of the past. Although most people's impression of Natasha was of her crisp combat skills and beautiful face, everyone who had interacted with her felt that she possessed an air of literature and art. Whenever she seriously recounted something, she carried an aura of romance and tragedy, making it sound like one of those great literary works born amid the flames of war. Perhaps that was a Slav's innate gift.
"She looked terribly exhausted, completely without passion. I could even sense a profound sorrow. Something had once torn her soul apart, and even after she stitched it back together, deep scars were still visible. That was the first time I felt fear.
"I desperately wanted to know what had happened, but they wouldn't let me speak with her for long. I was too unsettled to take in any of their comforting words. So one night, I found her. She asked me, 'Do you know what it costs to become a Black Widow?'
"Later, she left, but I still felt vaguely uneasy. That winter, the Winter Soldier was assigned here as our instructor. He was handsome and strong, with a cold, stern face. All the girls liked him. I was the best among them at the time, so