In a Hidden Underground Bunker outside New York...
Billy Koenig, with his short stature, oversized head, stubby legs, and toad-like mouth, led Natasha into a dimly lit room.
Nick Fury lay in a hospital bed, his arms and legs encased in thick casts. Looking at Natasha as she entered, he said weakly, "Don't look so surprised. It's hardly shocking that Hydra shot me..."
Natasha studied Nick Fury with a strange expression and said in a low voice, "What do you want with me? S.H.I.E.L.D. is completely finished...
"I once thought joining S.H.I.E.L.D. would let me escape my past and do the right thing, but in the end, the result was no different."
Nick Fury's lips curled into an ugly smile. "You know the truth yourself. You never really changed!
"You were one of the few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who would take any mission. You knew you needed to keep busy so you could temporarily forget your past..."
Natasha waved away Nick Fury's analysis of her and said sternly, "What do you want now?
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is in the past, and you're 'dead.' The entire network is full of our black files.
"We're finished. Maria Hill, Victoria Hand, Phil Coulson...
"If we showed up at any public airport in any country now, we'd be arrested..."
Nick Fury shifted himself with some difficulty and sat a little more upright. Then he looked at Natasha and said, "We need someone to face the powerful people and explain things.
"I destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D., but I can't stand by and watch innocent agents come under suspicion and have their careers ruined.
"You're the best person I can think of..."
Natasha looked coldly at Nick Fury, who seemed to have lost his mind, and scoffed, "Why would anyone trust the most trusted subordinate of a Hydra director?
"Alvin promised