Chapter 22: The Widow's Shadow
December 2008. Ben was in the workshop, helping Tony calibrate Mark IV armor systems, when Pepper's voice echoed through the intercom with an announcement that made his Spider-Sense spike instantly.
"Tony, I'd like you to meet Natalie Rushman, your new personal assistant. She comes highly recommended."
The moment "Natalie" entered the workshop, Ben's Spider-Sense didn't just tingle—it exploded. Not immediate danger, but the presence of a predator in sheep's clothing, threat wrapped in professional competence and a warm smile.
His Enhanced Reflexes made him spin to face her before conscious thought kicked in. Their eyes met across the workshop floor.
Hers showed a flicker of surprise at his reaction—too quick for a normal ten-year-old, too precisely targeted—before her professional mask locked into place.
"Well, hello there," her voice carried the perfect balance of warmth and respect. "You must be Ben. I've heard so much about you."
She was perfect. Too perfect. Every movement economical, every glance calculating, every word precisely chosen. Ben's Tactical Analysis—now Level 15 from SHIELD training—catalogued the inconsistencies: her posture suggested combat training, her awareness of exits was too systematic, her background story would be too clean under scrutiny.
"Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff. SHIELD's best spy, and she's here to watch us."
"Hi," Ben managed, his child's voice betraying none of his adult recognition.
Over the following days, Natalie proved herself indispensable. She handled Tony's chaos effortlessly, organized Pepper's scheduling nightmares, and even brought Ben homemade cookies "because growing boys need fuel."
But Ben's Spider-Sense never stopped tingling around her. A constant, low-grade warning that made his skin crawl with awareness of hidden daggers behind the smile.
When she offered to help him with homework, he caught her eyes scanning the workshop, cataloguing equipment with professional assessment. When she laughed at Tony's jokes, the sound was precisely modulated for maximum effect. When she moved through the mansion, her routes were too efficient, her awareness of security cameras too complete.
That night, Ben tried to warn Tony using their established system of indirect communication.
"The new lady... she's nice, but the nice smile is hiding something scary!"
It came out as gibberish: "The red sneaky person wants to touch your glowy stuff!"
Tony, distracted by armor diagnostics, barely looked up.
"Kid, not everyone's a supervillain. Natalie's great. Pepper vetted her personally."
"No, Tony. Pepper didn't vet her. SHIELD placed her."
But Ben's adult mind knew the complexity of the situation. If he exposed Natasha now, SHIELD might pull back entirely, and he needed their resources for future threats. If he didn't, she'd keep gathering intelligence on him.
A week into Natalie's employment, fate handed him an opportunity.
Ben was in the middle of a training session with Happy when she "accidentally" walked in on them.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was looking for—oh, you're teaching him self-defense? That's wonderful!"
Happy, charmed by her interest, invited her to watch. Natasha observed Ben's movements with professional interest—his reflexes, his Spider-Sense-guided dodges, his web-shooter deployment when Happy wasn't looking.
Then she made what Ben recognized as a calculated move.
"I took some self-defense classes in college. Maybe I could spar with Ben? Give him a different opponent?"
Happy agreed before Ben could protest. The moment they squared up on the training mats, Ben's Spider-Sense went from humming to screaming.
Natasha moved like water, her strikes professional and controlled. Ben's abilities let him keep pace—barely. His Spider-Sense warned him of her attacks, his awakened reflexes let him counter, his Parkour skills gave him three-dimensional movement.
But she was testing him, evaluating his capabilities with every exchange. Her strikes probed his limits, her grappling attempts measured his strength, her questions during the spar gathered intelligence.
"You're very good for your age. Who trained you before Happy?"
Her tone was casual, but her eyes were calculating. Ben played dumb.
"I just watch a lot of kung fu movies?"
The spar ended when Natasha put him in a restraining hold he didn't know how to escape.
"Fascinating," she murmured, releasing him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
That night, Ben made a decision that would define his relationship with SHIELD going forward.
"JARVIS, I need to review security footage of Natalie when no one's watching."
"For what purpose, Master Ben?"
"Because my Spider-Sense won't stop warning me about her, and I need to know why."
What JARVIS showed him confirmed his fears. When she thought she was unobserved, Natasha moved differently—professionally, efficiently. She'd attempted to access restricted servers (unsuccessfully, Tony's new security held). She'd photographed documents with equipment too sophisticated for a personal assistant. Worst of all, she'd been asking pointed questions about Ben's "condition" and abilities.
"Should I alert Mr. Stark?" JARVIS asked.
Ben wrestled with the decision. Exposing Natasha would feel good, but it would also close doors he needed open.
"JARVIS, restrict her access to anything about me specifically. Make it look like coincidental security protocols, not targeted blocking."
"Clever. You're learning corporate espionage, young sir."
Ben pulled out the secure phone Tony had given him, dialing a number he'd memorized but never used.
"Agent Coulson? This is Ben Parker-Stark. Your spy is too obvious. My Spider-Sense spots her instantly."
Coulson's response was immediate professional interest. "Elaborate."
"Either pull her back or tell her to stop investigating ME specifically. Focus on Tony if that's your mission, but leave me out of it."
A long pause. "You're more observant than we anticipated."
"I'm a lot of things you didn't anticipate."
Hours later, Ben's phone buzzed with a text: "Understood. Adjustments will be made."
The next morning brought a different Natasha Romanoff.
She approached Ben directly, no pretense of accident or casual interest.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot. I know you're protective of Tony—that's admirable."
Ben studied her face, noting the shift in strategy.
"Are you a spy?"
Natasha considered lying—Ben could see the calculation behind her eyes—then chose truth.
"I'm someone who makes sure dangerous technology doesn't fall into wrong hands. And I think you and I want the same thing: to keep Tony Stark safe."
It wasn't the full truth, but it was enough truth. Ben's Spider-Sense quieted slightly—not comfortable, but no longer screaming warnings.
"What do you want from me?"
"Cooperation. Not intelligence—cooperation. There are threats coming that Tony doesn't know about. Threats that will require people like you and me working together."
Ben's adult mind catalogued the implications. Natasha was offering partnership instead of surveillance, alliance instead of espionage.
"And if I say no?"
"Then I continue doing my job the hard way, and you continue not trusting me. But Tony might get hurt while we're busy not trusting each other."
It was masterfully done—the perfect balance of threat and promise, honesty and manipulation. Ben found himself almost impressed.
"I don't trust you," he said finally. "But I'll work with you. For Tony."
Natasha nodded, something like respect flickering in her green eyes.
"That's all I can ask for."
[RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED: NATASHA ROMANOFF - MUTUAL SUSPICION]
[QUEST UPDATE: IDENTIFY SHIELD OPERATIVES (1/3 FOUND)]
[REWARD: 3 PREMIUM TICKETS]
[SPIDER-SENSE LEVELED: LV. 5 → LV. 8 (CONSTANT USE AROUND DECEPTION)]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: DECEPTION DETECTION (PASSIVE, C-RANK, LV. 1)]
That evening, as Ben completed his homework under Mrs. Chen's watchful eye, he felt the weight of adult choices pressing against his child's shoulders. He was playing games with international espionage agencies, forming alliances with master assassins, preparing for threats that wouldn't manifest for years.
But when Kate called to show him her latest archery scores, when Tony ruffled his hair while explaining arc reactor physics, when Pepper brought him hot chocolate before bed—in those moments, he was just a ten-year-old boy with a family that loved him.
The balance was getting harder to maintain. Every day brought new secrets, new deceptions, new compromises between the man he had been and the child he had to appear to be.
"But this is the price of protecting them. This is what love looks like in a world of heroes and villains."
In her hotel room across the city, Natasha Romanoff filed her report with a mixture of professional admiration and personal concern.
Subject: Ben Parker-Stark Classification: Enhanced Minor Threat Level: Minimal (Current), Unknown (Potential) Recommendation: Monitor and cultivate. The boy is an asset, not a target. His protective instincts regarding Stark make him a valuable ally. His abilities suggest potential for significant future capability. Personal Note: He moves like someone with years of training despite being ten. His reaction time suggests precognitive abilities. Those web-shooters are homemade but effective. Most importantly—he made me in under a week. We're not dealing with a normal child.
The game of shadows had begun in earnest, and Ben Parker-Stark was learning to play.
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