On the Quinjet!
"Where are you taking us?"
Inside the cabin, Wanda asked warily, eyeing the stern-faced woman sitting across from her.
Recalling Baron Strucker's warning before they were taken—that she and Pietro must never reveal their affiliation with HYDRA in Sokovia—Wanda felt a growing unease.
Though she didn't fully understand what HYDRA represented, the icy seriousness in Strucker's expression had made one thing clear: the people who had taken them were not to be trifled with.
Despite Sokovia's perpetual turmoil and widespread danger, no force had ever dared to challenge the organization they belonged to.
Even though their time at the Sokovia HYDRA base had been short, Wanda knew the castle they lived in was fortified with fighter jets and tanks—a formidable power in the region.
Yet, in the face of these newcomers, Strucker hadn't dared to resist. He hadn't even shown himself, instead sending her and Pietro to a residential building to be retrieved.
At this thought, Wanda instinctively clutched the black-gold diary invisible to everyone else. It was a small comfort, a tangible connection to the man who might one day be her husband in another world—Su Che.
If he knew what was happening, he would surely come to save them.
But now… he didn't even know they'd been taken.
What were they supposed to do? What if these people meant them harm?
Anxiety and panic welled up inside her, so intense she didn't even notice the faint red energy flickering in her palm.
Just as Wanda's fears peaked, the cold-faced woman spoke.
"Don't worry, Wanda, Pietro. We're agents of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division—S.H.I.E.L.D. We mean you no harm."
As a seasoned agent, Maria Hill easily recognized the twins' nervousness and anxiety. They watched her like wounded animals, wary and ready to bolt.
Her heart softened. They were just fourteen-year-olds who had lost their parents and grown up in a war zone.
Seeing Wanda's guarded eyes and Pietro's defensive posture, Hill reassured them gently: "Please believe me, S.H.I.E.L.D. has no intention of hurting you."
"We brought you here because Sokovia is too dangerous. It's no place for you to live."
"Once we arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D., we'll arrange safe and comfortable accommodations for you. You're at the age where you should be studying carefree on a campus. We'll make sure that happens."
Despite Hill's soft, gentle tone, Wanda and Pietro remained unconvinced.
The red energy in Wanda's palm faded slightly, but Pietro refused to let his guard down.
Over the years, he'd seen too many children like them in Sokovia—orphaned by war, begging on the streets, even dying in alleys. Why had none of them been "saved" by this so-called S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Compared to others, he and Wanda were hardly the most desperate cases.
A comfortable life? School?
He'd stopped believing in luck or kindness the day his parents died, after countless prayers went unanswered.
So, even as Hill radiated warmth, Pietro stayed vigilant, shielding Wanda.
If these people made a move, he'd fight back—even if it cost him his life. If it meant Wanda could escape even a little suffering, it would be worth it.
Because he was her big brother.
Seeing the twins' unchanged distrust, Maria Hill didn't press further.
She didn't know why Nick Fury had suddenly ordered her to retrieve the twins at all costs, but she trusted he had his reasons. Her job was to deliver them to him.
Speaking of Fury… When he'd given the order, he'd unconsciously touched his damaged eye.
Was it related? Probably not—if he'd wanted a replacement, he'd have done it long ago. Why send a team across the world for two teenagers?
But Hill couldn't help wondering about that eye.
She'd never learned how Fury lost it. Rumor had it he'd been betrayed by someone he trusted during a mission.
Was that why he'd become so paranoid, so unwilling to trust anyone?
And why did S.H.I.E.L.D. have an unwritten rule against cats?
Well, some things were better left unasked. If cats weren't allowed, she wouldn't keep one. It wasn't a big deal anyway.