Bond is born

As the cold metal kissed her skin, Natasha felt a strange energy surge through her, like a million serpents coiling around her mind. The Hydra emblem at its center seemed to pulse with a sinister life of its own, and she knew that her thoughts were now tightly leashed. The Red Skull had made her an offer she couldn't refuse, and the choker was the seal of the deal. She was Madam Hydra, and there was no turning back.

The transformation was swift and merciless. The Baroness led her through a rigorous program of mental and physical training that pushed Natasha to her limits and beyond. Every waking moment was a battle to maintain her identity amidst the relentless bombardment of Hydra's ideology. She learned to fight with a ferocity that was both exhilarating and terrifying, her body a weapon to be wielded at the Red Skull's command.

But it was the lessons in pleasing the Red Skull that were the most difficult to endure. He was a man of insatiable appetites, demanding Natasha's absolute obedience in all things—both on the battlefield and in the bedchamber. She was taught the art of seduction and manipulation, her mind and body reshaped to be a tool of the organization's will. The very thought of the Red Skull's touch made her skin crawl, but she knew that to resist was to invite a fate far worse than the one she had accepted.

SUMMARY^1: Natasha Romanoff discovers an ancient book in a library that questions Hydra's history. Caught by the Baroness, she's praised for her curiosity and granted an audience with the Red Skull, who confirms her destiny as the next Madam Hydra. The Red Skull and Baroness begin her intense training, focusing on obedience and seduction, as Natasha reluctantly embraces her new role and the symbolic golden choker that represents her bond to Hydra.