Eastern Europe. Deep in the forests of Serbia, several hidden Hydra bases lay concealed within the dense wilderness.
Inside one of these bases, an anxious Hydra soldier hurriedly approached Baron De Clark, his face pale with unease.
"Lord Baron, several of our bases have lost contact!"
Baron De Clark's expression darkened. "Since when?"
"I'm… not sure," the soldier stammered. "But one after another, our facilities have gone completely dark. Even the teams we sent out to investigate have vanished without a trace."
A chilling silence hung over the room. It was as if their entire network was being systematically erased.
The isolation made the entire base feel like a trap, locking them inside with no escape.
Baron De Clark clenched his fists. He could feel fear creeping into his men. That wouldn't do.
"Enough with the panic. Bring me the twins," he ordered impatiently.
"But, Lord Baron—"
"I said—bring me the twins!" he snapped, his sinister eyes flashing with irritation.
The soldier immediately shut his mouth and hurried away to retrieve the so-called twins.
Moments later, two individuals were brought before him—Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff.
The mutant twins.
Hydra had raised them since childhood after their parents were killed in war, and their unique mutant abilities had made them invaluable assets.
"You two are going out," Baron De Clark instructed, his tone sharp. "Find out what's happening to our bases. Re-establish communication. Now—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening alarm blared throughout the base.
WEEEOOO! WEEEOOO!
"⚠ ALERT: UNKNOWN INFILTRATION DETECTED. WARNING… ⚠"
The alarm was suddenly interrupted by a cold, mechanical voice.
"If you surrender now, I might let you live."
The chilling, synthesized voice echoed through the entire base.
Baron De Clark's face twisted in anger.
Outside, the Hydra soldiers had already taken up arms, ready to defend the base.
"Take him down! It's just an exoskeleton suit—nothing we can't handle!" a Hydra officer barked.
Dozens of rockets locked onto the intruder and launched simultaneously, streaking across the air like fiery serpents.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A massive explosion engulfed the battlefield, shaking the ground and sending debris flying everywhere.
"Ha! That should do it," a Hydra soldier smirked, watching the burning inferno.
But his smirk froze the moment he saw a shadow emerging from the flames.
A figure clad in jet-black armor stepped forward, completely unscathed by the explosions.
Its demonic silhouette loomed over the battlefield, eyes glowing with an eerie crimson light.
"Pathetic," Gene murmured, a sneer playing at his lips.
Raising his palm, a repulsor cannon hummed to life, energy rapidly building.
WHOOM!
A blinding beam of energy erupted from his hand, instantly vaporizing the Hydra soldiers where they stood.
Not even ashes remained.
The base shook violently as explosions ripped through the surface, tearing apart structures and exposing the hidden underground chambers.
Inside the control room, Baron De Clark could feel doom approaching.
"What's happening?!" he demanded, his voice laced with panic.
Before anyone could answer—
BOOM!
The reinforced ceiling erupted in a fiery blast, debris raining down as a massive hole opened above them.
Blinding light streamed through the gap, momentarily blinding the Baron.
And then, from the smoke and dust, a figure descended.
A pitch-black figure.
The same demonic armor that had obliterated his soldiers now stood before him.
Baron De Clark tried to speak, but his throat went dry.
A suffocating fear coiled around his heart, rendering him speechless.
A holographic screen materialized in the air, displaying files on the twins standing beside him.
"Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff."
"Orphaned at a young age when their parents were killed by Hydra. Raised and trained under the guise of 'adoption.' Later developed unique mutant abilities."
Pietro's eyes widened in shock.
"That's a lie! Our parents were killed by Stark Industries' weapons!" he protested.
But Wanda placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Pietro… let's hear him out," she said softly, her voice uncertain.
Deep down, she had always suspected something wasn't right. The people who raised them… never truly felt like family.
Baron De Clark struggled to resist, but Gene had complete control over him.
Every dark secret was forced out of his mouth.
By the time he finished speaking, Pietro's face had turned ashen.
Everything he had believed—everything he had fought for—had been a lie.
Hydra was responsible for their suffering.
"Well, now that you've spilled everything," Gene said casually, flexing his fingers, "there's no need for you to continue existing."
SNAP!
With a simple gesture, Baron De Clark's eyes filled with terror.
His body began to dissolve, piece by piece, turning into black smoke before vanishing into the air.
Wanda and Pietro stiffened, watching their former handler disappear into nothingness.
Wanda's expression darkened as she turned to face the mysterious figure before her.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
Gene tilted his head.
"I want you to change your way of life. Live a life that's truly your own—free from lies and manipulation."
He extended his hand.
A small metallic object floated toward Wanda, its surface gleaming under the dim lights.
An electronic invitation.
"Whenever you're ready… come find me," Gene said, his voice calm but firm.
"I promise—you won't be disappointed."
And with that, space itself warped around him.
With a final, surreal distortion, Gene vanished before their eyes.
"Whoa!" Pietro gasped, eyes wide. "That was awesome! Did you see that, Wanda? What kind of power was that?!"
Wanda, however, ignored him.
Her gaze was locked onto the small cuboid in her palm.
It was cold, metallic, and bore a strange insignia:
A circle with a sharp arrow cutting through it.
And beneath it, engraved letters:
S.W.O.R.D.
"A different life…?"
She murmured, deep in thought.
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T/N:
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