With Hydra dismantled and the Red Room destroyed, the world unknowingly became a little safer. Natasha and Melina managed to track down the remaining Widows and with Tony's help, they removed the brainwashing. But the battle wasn't over for the Widows. They had spent their entire lives being used as weapons, their minds conditioned for obedience, their bodies honed for killing. Freedom was a foreign concept.
Tony Stark knew he couldn't just free them and walk away. If left alone, they'd be vulnerable—either to being hunted by remaining operatives or to their own lack of purpose in a world they never truly lived in.
So, he gave them one.
With Natasha and Melina's help, Tony converted one of his off-grid facilities in Malibu into a rehabilitation center. It wasn't luxurious, not at first, but it was safe, quiet, and hidden from the world. The Widows needed time to break free from the ghosts of their past.
Melina handled their psychological recovery, helping them unlearn their Red Room conditioning. Natasha trained them, not as assassins, but as individuals, teaching them how to fight for themselves, not for a mission. Tony? He handled everything else. Food, shelter, security, and everything else they needed.
But after months of hard work, they started to change.
They laughed more. Some started picking up hobbies. Others dreamed of lives beyond the battlefield. For the first time in decades, they were human again.
Then, Tony gave them a choice.
For those who had families and a home to return to, he helped them get there safely. New identities, financial support, anything they needed to start over.
But for those who had nowhere to go?
He offered them something new.
Tony gathered the remaining Widows, now fully rehabilitated, and laid out his vision.
"You're free now. No more missions, no more handlers, no more control. But the world? It's still broken. Red Room and Hydra are gone, but I promise you—they were just symptoms of a bigger disease."
They listened, silent but attentive.
Tony pulled out the footage and records of the ongoing threats...
"New threats are popping up everywhere. Rogue mutants, superhumans, criminals using stolen Hydra tech, and black-market weapons from sources we don't even understand yet. SHIELD, stuck up with their old ways of dealing with things. They won't be able to stop everyone. As for the government, I doubt I need to tell you something you already don't know."
He paused, scanning their faces. Some looked intrigued, others hesitant.
"With my technology and your experience, we could do a hell of a lot of good. Real good. We don't answer to no one. We don't officially or unofficially exist. We will be the ghost taking out the trash from the shadows and well, something in the light."
Then came the choice.
Join him. Help build something new... A team that doesn't answer to any government, a team that prevents the next Hydra before it even begins. Or, walk away. He would fund new lives for them, normal jobs, apartments, everything they'd need to be regular people.
No hard feelings. No guilt. Just freedom.
The result?
About sixty Widows chose to stay. Not out of loyalty to Stark, but because they believed in his vision. Because, for the first time, they had a choice.
And with that, Tony Stark took the first step toward building something the world had never seen before.
Tony decided to put them to work according to their specialty. He started helping some of them with their new interest in technology and medicine. Then some showed interest in logistics, management, and all the miscellaneous fields that are required to operate a big team or company. He decided to help them all. It would take time, but if they can master these new areas, then they will be of huge help in the future.
Meanwhile, Behind the Scenes…
While he was working on the Widows' recovery, Tony wasn't just sitting still. He had bigger plans that stretched far beyond just one team.
The Island – Howard kept his promise. Tony now had a classified, off-the-grid island outside any government's jurisdiction. He named it Horizon, a sanctuary for research and operations.
Arc Reactor Advancement- Tony made two giant arc reactors. One to power up his new facility and the other one, he sent to his father to power the main Stark Industries. Well, he made sure to add multiple failsafe and security measures, just in case.
Medical Breakthrough #1: The Anatomy Mapping Device
Tony's first public breakthrough would be a game-changer for doctors and surgeons—a compact handheld scanner that could map out the entire human (or animal) anatomy in real-time. He mainly made it for himself but decided to make it public soon...
How It Works:
🔹 Uses nano-imaging technology to scan a body in seconds.
🔹 Detects diseases, tumors, organ failures, or genetic abnormalities before symptoms appear.
🔹 Removes the need for MRIs, CT scans, biopsies, and multiple invasive tests.
🔹 Helps surgeons plan complex procedures with microscopic precision.
The Impact:
🔹 Early detection of diseases like cancer, aneurysms, or genetic defects.
🔹Revolutionizes emergency medicine—paramedics could diagnose and treat injuries instantly.
🔹Eliminates medical errors and unnecessary procedures.
For the world, it would be the first real step toward preventative medicine, rather than just treating diseases too late.
Medical Breakthrough #2: Perfect Prosthetics – Merging Flesh & Machine
The second breakthrough was even more radical but Tony knew it was the future.
The Problem with Prosthetics:
🔹 Current prosthetics are stiff, unnatural, and lack real sensation.
🔹 Neural implants made by Hammer Tech exist, but they're risky, expensive, and require brain surgery. And were banned after only two months when multiple patients died.
🔹 The human body rejects foreign materials, making integration difficult. Many tried but failed. In the end, they gave up.
So Tony fixed all of that.
The Bio-Nanite Prosthetics
🔹 Instead of mechanical prosthetics, Tony's bio-nanites heal the dead nerves and cells and fuse living flesh with cybernetics seamlessly.
🔹 No need for brain implants or electrodes. The prosthetic interfaces directly with the body's nervous system.
🔹 Users regain full sensation—touch, temperature, even pain (if needed).
🔹 Adaptive structure—the prosthetic "grows" with the user, adjusting to muscle movements naturally.
The Impact:
🔹Amputees can feel again. No more "phantom limb" syndrome.
🔹Soldiers, accident victims, and even disabled children can live normal lives.
🔹Redefines assistive technology—not just replacing limbs, but enhancing them.
For the first time, people wouldn't just "replace" lost limbs, they'd get something better.
...
Tony also thought about the impact of his invention. It's good and world-changing, yeah. But the usual pain in the ass... Governments would try to weaponize bio-nanites, using them for military augmentation. Pharmaceutical and medical companies would suppress it. Heck, Hammer Industries will definitely try something funny. And, after the botched job done by Hammer, the public needs time to accept the new cure.
Finally, the was SHIELD.
Nick Fury...
Well, Tony has a plan to deal with them when that time comes.
The next step was controlled release...
The Anatomy Scanner would be introduced first. It will be marketed as an advanced medical tool. It wouldn't raise suspicion and would slowly prepare the world for what came next.
The Bio-Nanite Prosthetics would be tested secretly on soldiers, accident victims, and select patients before being revealed. With his father's help, he should be able to convince those injured people to go through the process.
Once the world accepted medical nanites, he'd slowly introduce more advanced applications.
The plan was long-term, but it had to be. If Tony played this right, he wouldn't just change medicine, he'd change humanity.
...
[Stark's Private Medical Lab]
The soft hum of advanced medical equipment filled the lab. Unlike the cold, sterile feel of most hospitals, Tony had designed this place to be warm with subtle lighting, soothing colors, and the faint sound of classical music playing in the background. The walls displayed real-time holographic readouts, scanning Natasha's body down to the molecular level.
She lay on the examination bed, her red hair fanned out against the pillow. For once, she wasn't in her usual combat-ready posture. No tension in her shoulders, no hidden knives under the sheets. Just… stillness.
And for once, Tony was the one with sweaty palms.
He sat beside her, holding her hand, his thumb brushing over the faint scars on her knuckles. The same hands that had fought, killed, and survived impossible battles—now resting, trusting him with something that went beyond war.
Her future.
He exhaled. "You know, when I promised to fix this, I didn't actually know how bad it was. The Red Room's procedure was kinda bad. The serum destroyed your reproductive system. But... Yeah, it's time."
Natasha arched an eyebrow. She caught the tense look on Tony's face that appeared only for a flickering second. Not to mention his sweaty palm in the AC. "You? Doubting yourself? That's new."
He smirked. "Me? Doubt? Never. Just came after sparring with Melina. She is good. Kicked my ass. I think I blacked out in the middle a couple of times."
Both of them paused for a moment...
Her grip on his hand tightened. "I trust you, Tony."
His chest tightened for a moment. He looked at her, not the assassin, not the Widow. Just Natasha. A woman who had been denied the choice of motherhood before she even knew what it meant.
And he was about to give it back to her.
His voice softened. "Okay. Let's do this."
---
AN: Tony also made a couple of suits and other things, which you'll see in the upcoming chapters.
---
[Leave some reviews & Power stones as usual]
If you like my work, you can support me on>: www.patr eon.com/XcaliburXc
[Read 16 advance chapters] [No double billing]
---