Maximoff Twins

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As Kai was speaking, a colorful beam of light descended from the sky outside, landing in the open space next to the laboratory.

The few people who heard the sound looked outside and quickly realized that someone had arrived from Asgard.

Jane rushed out, standing by the remnants of the rainbow bridge. She was certain it was Thor this time. As the shimmering light faded, Thor appeared before her. Without hesitation, Jane ran forward and kissed him.

Soon after, Thor settled on Earth, choosing to stay with Jane.

Meanwhile, upon returning home, Kai first reported his safety to Grandpa before heading back to his room to check on the Aether he had copied.

As he played with the swirling crimson energy, he calculated in his mind.

"There are six Infinity Stone weapons in total. I've already copied three—the Tesseract, the Aether, and the Mind Scepter. That leaves three more. I'll need to wait for the right opportunities."

He went over their locations.

"The Tesseract is in Asgard, the Aether was handed to the Collector, and the Mind Scepter… is with SHIELD..."

Kai suddenly sat up straight. A memory resurfaced.

No, the scepter wasn't with SHIELD anymore. At the end of the Avengers' battle in New York, Hydra secretly took it.

His expression sharpened. Hydra was experimenting with it.

"Baron Strucker... The test subjects were—"

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Kai rubbed his chin in thought. The experiments had likely only recently begun. Their abilities might not have fully awakened yet. If he acted fast, he could deal with them before they became a problem.

Wanda's chaos magic was terrifying. Reality warping. A power that, in the right hands, could change the fate of worlds.

Pietro's speed? Underwhelming in the movies, but Kai never bought that. Super-speed at its peak should be untouchable. No way a few bullets could take him down. That had to be a budget issue.

His decision made, Kai gave Gear an order.

"Gear, gather all recent intel on Wanda and Pietro. Track their location and report back."

"Understood, master!"

Leaving the task in Gear's hands, Kai returned to his study of the Aether.

Hours slipped away unnoticed. The dark power was intoxicating, its pull stronger than he'd expected. Only Gear's voice snapped him out of his trance.

Kai exhaled sharply.

"I got carried away... I need to be more careful with this thing. What did you find, Gear?"

"Master, I traced their movements. Wanda and Pietro were taken to a Hydra base in Sokovia, Eastern Europe."

Kai nodded. That matched his memory.

"A castle, right?"

"Correct. But how did you know?"

Kai only smiled. His plan was already forming. If the timeline was still early, they shouldn't have been completely brainwashed yet. That meant he could still intervene.

"The manor is big enough. A couple of new guests won't make a difference," he mused.

Locating the castle. Breaking in. Freeing the Maximoff twins. Bringing them back to New York.

Simple.

Time to move.

---

*Sokovia – Hydra's Secret Base*

Wanda and Pietro were locked in adjacent rooms. The three surrounding walls were solid, but the fourth was transparent glass—designed so Baron Strucker could observe their reactions during experiments.

It hadn't been long since they arrived, and so far, they hadn't suffered much. But after two rounds of testing, Pietro was already at his limit. He turned to his sister, his voice low but desperate.

"Wanda, I can't take it anymore. We need to find a way out."

Wanda pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. After making sure Strucker wasn't nearby, she spoke.

"Pietro, stop saying that. We don't have a chance to escape right now. We have to wait."

"Wait? For how long?" Pietro asked, frustration clear in his voice. The idea of enduring more experiments made his stomach turn.

"Until the experiments are complete. Until we really have powers. Then we can plan an escape."

Pietro frowned but stayed silent. He didn't like it, but Wanda's logic was sound.

Unbeknownst to them, Kai had already arrived outside the castle, guided by Gear's intel.

"Gear, pinpoint their exact location."

Tapping into Hydra's systems, Gear hacked into the base's network, quickly identifying the Maximoffs' holding cells.

Kai grinned.

"That makes things easier."

Slipping past patrols with practiced ease, he reached the designated rooms. But instead of barging in, he pulled out an invisibility cloak, concealing himself completely.

It was the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop.

Hearing Pietro's desperation and Wanda's calm reasoning, Kai smirked.

"Even after everything, Wanda is already calculating her next move… She's sharp. Pietro, on the other hand, still thinks like a scared kid."

Observing them closer, he realized just how young they looked. They were still teenagers.

That solidified his decision.

With no patrols in sight, Kai removed his cloak and revealed himself.

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