As Henry's voice fell, the heavy tension inside the aircraft was instantly replaced by a cold and focused killing intent.
Wanda looked at the man before her. The teasing light that usually lingered in his eyes was gone, replaced by calm and determination. For a moment, she couldn't quite understand this man anymore. Who exactly was he?
He always appeared playful and flippant, yet at the most unexpected moments, he would reveal a side completely different from that carefree façade.
"Send them to hell…"
Wanda silently repeated those words in her mind. The heart that had been frozen by hatred for ten long years began to burn again, ignited by someone else's conviction.
This—this was what true revenge should look like.
Not running around like she and Pietro once did, like headless flies being toyed with by Strucker.
This was real vengeance.
Pietro subconsciously tightened his grip on his sister's hand.
He looked at Henry, no longer with suspicion.
He had to admit, what Henry said just now was… unbelievably cool.
That guy's mouth might be foul, and his attitude worse, but maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
If this man could really help them get revenge...
Pietro's heart was burning with the same fire.
Tony glanced at Henry and shook his head helplessly.
But deep down, there was pride and approval in his eyes.
This bastard was getting better at stealing the spotlight. Still, he wasn't wrong.
When dealing with HYDRA scum, chivalry had no place.
Sometimes, you needed a sharper weapon.
Tony thought to himself, but of course, his mouth couldn't stay shut.
"Oh, please, stop pretending to be some demon lord of hell. What, you've been there personally? The closest you've ever been to hell is probably buying a bad hotdog near Hell's Kitchen."
"That still makes me better than someone," Henry shot back immediately.
"At least I don't fly around in a tin can like a moving target, scared the world might forget how rich and punchable I am."
"Damn it, how many times do I have to say it—that's called tactical deterrence! It's a distraction strategy! You wouldn't understand, it's to give brilliant scientists like Dr. Banner a safe space to work from!"
"Oh, my foolish brother, are you saying you're protecting Hulk? That's the best joke I've heard this year. Let's be honest—you just want to show off that new paint job."
Before the brothers could escalate their daily bickering again, Banner cleared his throat to interrupt.
"Uh, Tony, Henry," he pushed up his glasses cautiously. "About this 'sending them to hell' part... shouldn't we, maybe, make an actual plan first?"
He'd had enough of these two maniacs.
They were both insanely strong, both endlessly talkative, and both completely unpredictable.
If he left them unchecked, they might actually fly straight to Washington and blow up the White House.
Then forget retirement funds—every single one of them would end up on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
"Oh God, why did I ever agree to join this demolition crew? I'm just a scientist…" Banner groaned internally.
"Plan? Of course there is one." Tony snapped his fingers.
In the next second, a holographic display appeared before them, filled with a long list of names.
"This is what I like to call the death list." Tony's voice turned cold.
"Every name here belongs to a senior HYDRA operative. They're embedded in governments, militaries, corporations all around the world—like a damn virus."
"Our next targets are these people."
He pointed at one of the names: John Garrett.
"This guy—S.H.I.E.L.D. Level Seven Agent, codename 'The Eagle.'" Tony smirked slightly.
"To the public, he's Coulson's old buddy, a decorated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. But in reality, he's the man behind HYDRA's 'Centipede Project.' A lunatic obsessed with creating unstable super soldiers."
"According to the intel Jarvis pulled from Strucker's mind, Garrett runs a secret lab somewhere in Europe. It's where he conducts live tests of the Centipede Serum. I think it's time we paid him a little visit… maybe take his eyes as a souvenir."
Henry's gaze hardened as he looked at Garrett's smug face on the screen.
The Centipede Project? More human experimentation...
These HYDRA bastards really had no imagination. But Garrett… now he was a big catch.
Taking him down would probably keep Pierce up all night in rage.
"Sounds like a perfect team-building event," Henry said with a nod of approval.
"But if it's just the few of us, isn't that a little overkill? I mean, that lab probably won't even give Blonsky a decent warm-up."
"Of course it's not just that." Tony smirked.
He zoomed in on the map, pointing to several red dots surrounding Garrett's lab.
"According to Jarvis' surveillance, there are at least four HYDRA strike teams stationed around the area, plus a logistics and supply base. They form a small defense network."
"My plan is simple," Tony's eyes sharpened, "we split into four teams."
"Blonsky, you'll go with Banner. Your job is to wipe out their supply base. Make it loud—turn their ammo depots and energy stations into fireworks."
Blonsky grinned, baring his teeth with a savage look.
That was exactly his kind of mission.
Banner, on the other hand, looked utterly miserable.
He could already tell he was in for another long night of cleanup.
"Speedy," Tony turned to Pietro next,
"You're on the strike teams. Take them out fast. No survivors. I don't want a single fly escaping to warn the others."
"No problem!" Pietro's eyes lit up with excitement.
It was his first mission as an actual hero.
He was determined to make it perfect—to prove to those two Starks that he wasn't some useless tagalong.
"As for Garrett's lab…" Tony's gaze finally landed on Henry.
"That's for the two of us. I'm sure Mr. Telescope will be dying to meet us in person."
"What about me?"
A clear voice suddenly cut through the air.
Everyone turned toward Wanda.
She stood up, her eyes steady.
"I want to go too."
The aircraft fell silent once again.
Everyone instinctively looked toward Henry.
They all knew—while Tony often gave the orders, the real decision-maker was his brother.
Tony frowned, about to refuse, but Henry stopped him with a glance.
He stepped closer to Wanda and crouched slightly so their eyes were level.
"You know what that means, right?" he asked quietly.
"I do." Wanda nodded firmly, her voice still soft but filled with resolve.
"It means I'll be ending the monsters who created all our pain… with my own hands."
Henry looked into her determined eyes, silent for a moment, then slowly smiled.
As expected of the future Scarlet Witch... that resolve beats her goofy brother's by miles.
"Alright then," he said, standing up and turning to Tony.
"I think our mascot just found herself a partner."
***
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