In the stark, white light of a Helicarrier holding cell, Wanda and Quicksilver sat in stony silence. Their faces were blank masks, their eyes vacant. Across from them, Clint Barton paced restlessly.
"This is getting us nowhere," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "I can see a million ways this conversation could go, and none of them end with them talking."
Natasha leaned against the wall, her arms crossed. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes were sharp, analytical. "My new Echo is no help either. It just senses a wall of trauma and conditioning." She sighed. "Would Tony be able to crack this?"
"He might," Clint said, "but I saw him fly off the deck a few minutes ago. Said something about recruiting."
The door slid open, and Bruce Banner entered, looking around. "Where in the world did Tony go?"
"Who the hell knows?" Clint replied.
"What's wrong, Bruce?" Natasha asked, her focus shifting to him.
"I just wanted to thank him," Bruce said, a look of wonder on his face as he glanced down at the ten rings on his fingers, which now glowed with a soft, steady light. "The knowledge he embedded… it worked. I can communicate with them now. I can hear them."
Natasha's eyes widened slightly. "You can control them?"
"Not totally," Bruce admitted. "It's more like a conversation. But I can access their power. I have… insights now. A new understanding of mystical arts, of emotions."
Clint stopped pacing. An idea sparked in his eyes. He looked from Bruce to the silent twins. "Then can you help us? Can you get past whatever HYDRA did to them so we can find out what they really want?"
Bruce looked at Wanda and Quicksilver, at the profound emptiness in their eyes. He felt a pang of sympathy. He nodded slowly. "I can try."
He stepped forward, concentrating. He focused his will, not on the rings of rage or fear, but on the gentler forces he now had at his command. The violet Ring of Love, the indigo Ring of Compassion, and the blue Ring of Hope began to glow brightly, bathing the cell in a warm, calming light. He extended his hands, not to harm, but to heal.
The effect was instantaneous. A tremor ran through Wanda. Quicksilver gasped as if waking from a long nightmare. The blankness in their eyes was replaced by a flood of raw, unfiltered agony. The HYDRA conditioning shattered like glass.
"They made us," Wanda whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Our parents… a bomb fell on our home. It had Stark's name on it. We were trapped for days."
"HYDRA found us," Quicksilver continued, his voice cracking, his super-speed bravado gone, replaced by the trembling voice of a boy. "They promised us power. Power to fight men like Stark." He looked at his hands in horror. "They made us… they made the children fight each other. To see who was strong enough for the experiments. We… we killed so many…"
Wanda was now openly sobbing, her body wracked with guilt. "We did everything they asked. We hurt people. We wanted revenge, and they used it to turn us into monsters."
Seeing their profound and genuine pain, Clint's hardened expression softened. He stepped forward and deactivated their restraints. Natasha moved to Wanda's side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You did what you had to because you were forced," Natasha said softly, her voice filled with a rare, raw empathy. "You were survivors. You can change. But first, you need to rest."
"Are you sure, Nat?" Clint asked quietly.
Bruce nodded, his own eyes misty. The rings on his fingers pulsed with the twins' sorrow. "It's their true emotion. I can feel it… amplified. This is their pain. Their trauma. It's real."
"They're just broken souls, like us," Natasha said, looking at Clint. "They need healing."
"Yeah," Bruce agreed, his voice thick with emotion. "You're right."
In a quiet room elsewhere on the ship, the Asgardians sat with Jane. The mood was somber.
"Are you sure you don't need the hammer, brother?" Loki asked, looking at Thor.
"I have the power of Asgard now," Thor replied, his voice calm and certain. "I don't think I need it. And that man… he is more worthy than I ever was. You can see it in his eyes. He would do anything for what is right."
Loki nodded, accepting the answer. "Then let's come back to the point. What are you seeing, Sylvie? About this threat?"
Sylvie, who had been staring into the distance, her eyes unfocused, shuddered. "It's… dangerous," she whispered. "It's chaotic, ruthless. It has only one purpose: to destroy all of us."
"Then the situation is grim," Thor said gravely.
"Are we all in danger?" Jane asked, her scientific mind struggling to grasp the scale of the threat.
"Yes," Sylvie said, her voice strained. "Its sole purpose is to exterminate all life. To build a… singularity. An existence of one."
"Who is he?" Jane pressed. "What is his name?"
Sylvie's eyes widened as she tried to look deeper into the swirling chaos of her vision. She gasped, a violent cough racking her body. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Loki was instantly at her side, holding her steady.
"Sylvie! Are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with panic.
She leaned against him, weak and pale. "Yes," she managed to say. "But I don't know who he is. I can't see a face… only an endless, hungry void."
On the edge of the Helicarrier's flight deck, the wind whipped at Sharon Carter's hair as she stared out at the clouds below. Steve came to stand beside her.
"I'm totally amazed by everything that's happened today," Sharon said, her voice barely audible over the wind. "We've met gods. We've learned that the universe is in danger. Before all this, I thought I was strong, capable. But now… I feel like I'm nowhere near anyone's level."
Steve put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sharon, it's not always about being the strongest fighter. What matters most is the will to stand up. And I know you have that. You're one of the bravest people I know."
She leaned into him, finding comfort in his steady presence. "Cap… you know…"
"I changed my name," he interrupted gently. "From Captain America to Stormwarden."
She pulled back, surprised. "But why?"
"Captain America is long gone," he explained, his gaze distant. "He belongs to another time. I want to start over, build a new identity from scratch. One that fits who I am now."
A slow smile spread across her face. "I support you, Steve. Or… should I say, Stormwarden?"
He chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "I think 'Steve' is fine when we're off the clock." They stood together, watching the world go by, two soldiers finding their footing in a universe that had suddenly gotten much, much bigger.