Rescue

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Wanda was deep in thought, piecing together an escape plan, when Pietro suddenly shouted, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Startled, Wanda looked up. On the other side of the glass stood a young man with black hair and dark eyes, watching her with a faint smile.

Her instincts immediately kicked in. This wasn't normal. She quickly reached out and stopped Pietro from yelling any further, then silently observed the stranger, waiting for him to speak.

Kai, on the other hand, found Wanda's reaction quite interesting. She was cautious—smart.

Once the room fell silent, he finally spoke.

"Wanda, Pietro, do you want to get out of here?"

Wanda tensed at his words. Her suspicion deepened. Was this some kind of trick? A test from Baron Strucker? She shook her head without hesitation.

Kai raised an eyebrow. That was different from what he had overheard earlier. He thought for a moment, then realized she simply didn't trust him yet.

With a slight chuckle, he said, "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kai, and I'm here to get you two out. I know you don't believe me, but that's fine. Just watch."

Without waiting for a response, Kai waved his hand, and a golden portal appeared inside Wanda's cell, opening a direct passage to where he stood.

"See?" he said, gesturing casually. "I really am here to help. You can just walk right through."

Still sensing her hesitation, Kai stepped forward and passed through the portal himself, entering Wanda's room. Seeing him come and go so easily, Wanda's wariness eased slightly.

With cautious steps, she approached the portal, reaching out tentatively. When she realized it was real, she finally looked at Kai and spoke for the first time.

"Are you really here to save us?"

Kai simply gestured behind her. "Well, you're already out, aren't you?"

"Wanda! I'm out too!" Pietro's excited voice rang out as he zipped through the portal and appeared beside her, beaming.

Kai was about to speak again when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Pietro heard them too and immediately fell silent, eyes darting to Wanda in alarm.

Wanda turned to Kai. If he had come to rescue them, then he should have a way out of this.

As expected, he smiled. "Well, that's our cue. Let's go somewhere safer and talk there."

Another portal opened beside him, revealing an unknown location. Without hesitation, Kai stepped through.

Wanda hesitated for a brief moment, but Pietro grabbed her hand. "Come on! From the sound of it, Strucker's coming!"

With that, he pulled her through.

A second later, the door to their cells burst open, but all that remained was empty glass rooms.

Strucker's expression darkened. "What…?"

He turned sharply to the guards outside and barked, "Lock down the facility! They couldn't have gone far! Search every inch of this castle—I want to know how they escaped!"

The entire base was thrown into chaos as Hydra agents spread out in search of the missing twins.

---

*New York – Kai's Manor*

Kai stepped out of the portal first, waiting calmly on the other side.

A moment later, Pietro emerged, pulling Wanda along.

As soon as they arrived, Wanda looked around in disbelief. They were no longer in a cold, sterile lab. Instead, they stood on a vast green lawn, in front of an elegant manor.

Kai noticed her scanning the area and said, "We're far from Sokovia now. You can relax."

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Then… where are we?"

Kai smirked. "Welcome to my manor, just outside New York City." He motioned toward the house and started walking. "Why don't we continue our conversation inside? Maybe over a drink?"

Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances. They were still unsure about all of this, but after what just happened, they had little choice but to follow him inside.

Once in the living room, Kai prepared three cups of coffee, setting them down in front of the twins before taking a sip himself.

Seeing this, Wanda hesitated but eventually took a cautious sip as well.

Kai chuckled. "You don't have to be so suspicious. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of breaking you out."

Wanda remained silent, but inwardly, she had to admit—his actions so far had been logical. He had helped them escape, brought them across the world in seconds, and now sat calmly, drinking coffee, without a hint of concern.

He was in complete control.

Seeing their skepticism, Kai set his cup down. "Alright, I know words won't convince you. Here."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two smartphones, handing them over.

"Look me up."

Wanda frowned but took the phone, quickly typing his name into a search engine. Pietro leaned in, curious.

The screen filled with articles and reports—about Kai, his abilities, his actions, and the impact he had made.

They read in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Wanda set the phone down, exhaling.

Kai took another sip of coffee. "So? Do you believe me now, or do you think I faked all of that too?"

Wanda and Pietro exchanged a look before shaking their heads.

"Good," Kai said, smirking. "Now that we've got some trust established, let's talk about what comes next."

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