"I don't really want to go out!"
Artoria looked troubled at Natasha. This woman, nicknamed Black Widow, wanted her to visit S.H.I.E.L.D., but Artoria, hit by a bout of laziness, didn't want to move at all. Or rather, she didn't want to go out at all; she was preparing to use four clones to start a game and stomp some guys in the Bronze Tier. Natasha didn't say anything, she just stayed by her side, making it impossible for Artoria to do what she wanted.
"Maybe in a while, Natasha. It's not convenient for me to go out recently. A fortune teller told me that if I go out today, there will surely be a Blood Disaster, so I've decided to stay in."
Since they were all excuses anyway, Artoria casually made up the most unreliable one to decline Natasha's invitation. If it were a normal man facing an enchanting beauty like Natasha, he really wouldn't be able to control himself. But Artoria had long since lost her little brother; for someone without the tools of the trade, she couldn't muster much interest in beauty. At most, she'd get a bit of a rush and tease the other party, which was also a good way to pass the time.
"Even if you don't say it, you know, Miss Artoria. Privately, I don't really want you to enter S.H.I.E.L.D. at this time either."
Hearing Artoria's lame excuse, Natasha wasn't angry at all. Instead, she felt quite relieved. S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently a mess of chaos. She didn't know why Nick wanted Artoria to come to S.H.I.E.L.D. right now, but it was indeed not a good time. Ever since they caught the shadow of Hydra, several high-level officials had kept their mouths tightly shut. Only Natasha, Hawkeye, Phil, Special Agent Hill, and finally the boss, Nick, knew. Even Agent May hadn't heard a whisper. There was no other way; the existence of Hydra weighed on everyone's hearts like a giant stone.
Now Nick looked at everyone as if they were Hydra, which had caused her own trust in several colleagues to plummet. This was not a good sign. If they didn't root out Hydra soon, S.H.I.E.L.D. would truly be finished. So Natasha didn't want Artoria to go. Earlier was just for the sake of duty; she had to deliver the notice. Now, on a personal level, she felt more at ease if Artoria didn't go.
"Alright, let's not talk about those messy affairs of S.H.I.E.L.D. How is your body?"
At the thought of that one-eyed Nick Fury sitting in S.H.I.E.L.D., Artoria's head throbbed. She said this to Natasha because she didn't want her to bring up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nonsense again. Also, Artoria hadn't seen Natasha in a long time. She had been on missions lately. Even though she'd only recently had surgery, she was still bravely out there fighting. Once her Aunt came, it would likely be a massive amount of bleeding. This made Artoria very curious about how Natasha handled such an awkward situation. As she spoke, Artoria looked toward Natasha's lower abdomen.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Artoria."
Facing Artoria's inquisitive gaze, Natasha spoke very calmly, her face even wearing a smile of happiness and contentment as she placed her hand on her lower abdomen. After multiple check-ups, the newly grown organs had matured. Even facing that oversized monthly bleeding, Natasha had no complaints. This was a characteristic of her being a normal female. If it weren't for the lack of a good partner, she would probably be at home nurturing a pregnancy by now. In a while, she planned to quit her job at S.H.I.E.L.D., then find someone to fall in love with, get married, and have children. These were things she wouldn't have dared to think about before, so she no longer had any unfulfilled wishes.
For Artoria's selfless help, Natasha was grateful from the bottom of her heart. After quitting her job at S.H.I.E.L.D., seeking a stable job here with Artoria would be a good choice. Compared to the Stark Industries inherited by Tony, she didn't like a company that was formerly a weapons manufacturer. With Artoria, she wouldn't have to worry about being harassed by a superior, and with her talents, she could easily complete any task.
"I know you're happy, but don't be so high-profile, okay!"
Natasha's happy expression made Artoria's teeth ache. My god! What's the point of having a bratty kid? Being alone is great. Playing with pretty girls when there's nothing to do, no need to take care of children, no need to tell them stories. Is the game not fun enough, or is the world not beautiful enough? Natasha, you actually have such a terrifying dream. You'll have your hands full soon enough. I remember you're from the Russian side, right? Once you give birth, it won't be long before a mature beauty turns into a 'big momma.' I really look forward to seeing if your face gets all chubby then; that'll be fun.
The two chatted very pleasantly, but what puzzled Artoria was whether this woman, who was a bit crazed about having children, had the wrong idea about her. She had zero experience with children. If it were a little girl, it might be okay, just like the cold streak she maintained in kindergarten and elementary school. She hated dealing with children, especially bratty ones. They would be so noisy you couldn't do anything in peace, especially when your things got smashed by them and you couldn't do anything about it. Wouldn't that be infuriating?
"Sigh! It's hard to be a normal woman!"
After Natasha left, Artoria said while looking at her departing back. Among those around her, this woman was the most normal. Look at Maya, a total airhead; Hope is a workaholic; Raven sometimes turns into a man; Gwen has recently been developing toward being a delinquent, probably because she deals with too many criminals at night and her temperament has become a bit explosive. So Artoria didn't have a single normal woman around her. Oh! There's also an Old God, Gaea, who could also be counted as a woman!
"Master, Bionic Body No. 1 has been completed. Do you need to inspect it?"
While Artoria was feeling full of emotion, Saturday suddenly said this to her, which immediately made Artoria stop her wandering thoughts. This was a research project Artoria had established not long ago with the goal of creating a suitable body for Saturday. She didn't expect it to be finished so quickly.
"Bring it out for a look."
With curiosity in her heart, Artoria had Saturday bring out the model. She hadn't participated in the production this time, instead letting Saturday use her own initiative, so Artoria was curious about what kind of thing Saturday could create. Next, a robot made of steel appeared before Artoria. According to the data comparison, this robot should be just over 1.6 meters tall. The interior was modeled after a human body, but since it didn't have bionic skin on yet, it looked a bit scary.
"Improve it further. Install a weapons system and an emergency auxiliary escape function."
After watching for a while, Artoria also noticed Saturday's settings. It was entirely a normal human, just much stronger. But if it had no weapons, it would struggle against some small bosses that might suddenly appear. Although she wouldn't feel bad about this body, Artoria still had to teach Saturday a lesson: if you encounter something that's hard to solve with words, then violence will be the best way to resolve it.
Artoria could also see from Saturday's settings that Saturday actually quite yearned to become human. This made Artoria very curious; for Saturday to have such a thought was truly beyond her expectations.
"Yes, Master."
"Am I... creating a Terminator?"
Looking at the model being constantly modified in front of her, Artoria thought for a moment and remembered Uncle No's expressionless face and the Terminator's red electronic eyes. Well! The current appearance really did feel like a Terminator was being produced.
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