Infection of Natasha Romanov

Natasha Romanov investigating a run down facility while the infected goo trap activates.

## Basic Info

### Associated Media

Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov (AoH:MoAR)

## Involvement

### Major Outcomes

Natasha Romanov becomes infected with a mutagen.

The Infection of Natasha Romanov is one of the early and instigating scenes in the beWilder game *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov.* After being sent on an urgent mission by General Miller, Natasha Romanov investigates a rundown old facility on the outskirts of New York City. Finding only old receipts and discarded invoices, Natasha is distracted long enough to fall into a trap, becoming infected with an unknown goo.

Natasha's infection is an integral part of the game's premise and is a catalyst in much of the events that follows.

## Description

Following her routing medical exam in the beginning of the game, General Miller interrupts the tail end of her results with an urgent mission. A suspicious photograph of Tatsuro Maeda's car was sent to him, with a circle highlighting a run down facility in the background. Miller give Natasha the order to go investigate the area despite her concerns of it being merely a prank or false flag.

Natasha makes her way to the location in the picture, taking care not to raise suspicion or draw anyone's attention. Timing her infiltration to coincide with a gap in the nearby bus stop time table, she finds her way inside through the door and inside.

The interior is dark, dank and long since abandoned. The walls are cracking and there is little in the way of furnishings. It looks like the place was scoured and cleaned out long ago. Venturing deeper inside with the help of her flashlight, Natasha comes across a table set up with papers and files. A quick inspection tells her they are useless receipts and invoices, likely stolen from the garbage of the surrounding buildings. With nothing to find, Nat is about ready to pull out, chalking it up to a prank after all.

Meanwhile, as she inspects the files, above her a trap is being sprung. An unidentified goo drips from the ceiling towards her, landing on the exposed skin of her shoulder and surprising her. A sudden stinging sensation in her shoulder alerts her to the danger. By the time she escapes the darkness of the building, the goo is already gone from her, and she's already been infected by the mutagen.

## Involvement

This event is the instigator of much of the game's plot following and a catalyst of Natasha's corruption during the mid-to-late game. It's thanks to being infected that the murder of Mark Perkins occurs, which in turn forces Nat to pursue Tatsuro Maeda and his Cartel, later pulling her into the bigger conflict between Heels and Poison Ivy.

### Key Participants

* Natasha Romanov, Investigating on behalf of Heels Agency

### Additional Participants

* General Miller, Natasha's Handler
* Tatsuro Maeda, Investigation Predicate (Appeared in Photo)

## Decision Points

During the course of this event, players are posed with the choice on how they which to infiltrate the facility. Natasha can either force her way though the door by noisily breaking through it, or she can take the time to pick the lock and risk being seen.

This is a superficial choice of player taste. Neither option changes the outcome of the event or influences the game's plot.

## Outcomes

The outcomes of this scene are fixed and not dependent on player input, despite the player being presented with a choice on how to break in to the facility in the beginning. Regardless of how they choose to proceed, Natasha is infected by the unidentified goo.

Thanks to being "Infected", Nat begins to undergo changes in her behaviour as the game progresses. High libido and a need for sex is the main symptom. As the infection develops over time, it strengthens, at times causing her to become violent and attack allies and enemies alike. It is able to take control of her body for a short time in the advanced stages.

The infection is the bases for the divergence in Natasha's character over the course of the game, and hence the various paths in the events of the game. Corrupt Nat is the embodiment of the infections corrupting influence on her, while Bad Nat's darker side is exposed by the infection until she becomes wild and goes rogue. The Good Nat path is focused instead on Natasha's struggle and attempts to triumph over the infection.

## References

1. ↑ Decision Point found in *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov*
2. ↑ Witnessed during *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov*
3. ↑ Key Element of the Corrupt Path Narrative in *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov*
4. ↑ Key Element of the Bad Agent Path Narrative in *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov*
5. ↑ Key Element of the Good Agent Path Narrative in *Agents of Heels: Misadventures of Agent Romanov*