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*****
Wanda and Pietro had been orphans since the age of ten and had endured countless hardships. Later, they had even volunteered for HYDRA's experiments. Thus, while the sudden change in environment startled them, they didn't lose their composure.
"You're the Knight of Divine Punishment!"
Wanda wrapped her arms tightly around herself, her voice trembling slightly from the cold. Pietro stood protectively by her side, his face a mask of wary defiance.
Because of the haste of his departure, Fini hadn't had time to precisely calibrate the portal's destination. Instinctively, he had opened it to his most familiar training ground: the high altitudes of the Himalayas. Consequently, the temperature was plummeting.
Fini glanced at her without speaking. With a flick of his wrist, he opened a second portal—this time to a location near "Afterlife." The environment there was much more hospitable, or at least significantly warmer than the snowy peaks.
"Go through first," Fini told them.
Wanda looked at the dark night scene on the other side of the gateway. She moved to inspect it, but Pietro immediately caught her arm, his expression filled with concern.
"It's okay. I don't think he wants to kill us," Wanda said, looking back at Fini. She stepped through the portal, and Pietro followed close behind.
Once they crossed over, the biting chill vanished. Under the silver glow of the moon, the siblings stared at Fini, who was still clad in the "Incursio" armor. Pietro was the first to speak.
"Why did you kidnap us? Why bring us here?"
"The base was hit by missiles. I simply didn't want you to die inside," Fini replied truthfully.
"Did you do it? You and Stark?"
A flash of hatred crossed Wanda's face. Because they were volunteers, they enjoyed more freedom than other test subjects and were well-informed about the outside world. Since his debut, Iron Man was almost always present wherever Fini appeared. Many believed Tony Stark was Fini's close friend—and perhaps the only person who knew the Knight's true identity.
"No, they blew it up themselves," Fini answered.
He was already well aware of how much the people of Sokovia detested Tony, so the venom in their expressions didn't surprise him.
The twins paused, stunned by the revelation. However, they had only stayed at the base for the power it promised; they had no loyalty to the facility itself. Wanda spoke again: "Why save us?"
"Why indeed..."
Fini rubbed his chin, pondering. To be honest, he just couldn't stand the thought of them dying like that. Initially, he planned to save them and let them return to a normal life, but after meeting them, he realized they weren't the type to settle for a quiet, mundane existence.
Since a "normal" life was off the table, and considering what they would eventually become, Fini asked, "Can I ask you a question first?"
Wanda and Pietro shared a look. "What question?"
"Do you hate Tony Stark because his weapon sales caused the wars in your country?"
The siblings fell silent. After a moment, Wanda looked up at Fini and began to speak slowly. "When we were ten, the four of us were having dinner..."
"Suddenly, a shell came through the wall," Pietro cut in, his voice cracking slightly. "It blew a hole through the floor of the two stories below us. A massive hole."
"Our parents fell through first, and then the whole house started to collapse," Wanda continued, her voice trembling.
"I grabbed her," Pietro said, clutching Wanda's hand. "We rolled under the bed. Then the second shell landed. But it didn't go off. It just sat there, three feet from our faces."
Fear flickered in Wanda's eyes at the memory. "The name 'STARK' was printed clearly on the side. We were trapped for two days. Every second of those two days, I wondered when it would explode and kill us." She stared intensely at Fini. "He didn't just destroy our country."
Fini sighed inwardly. This was all the karma Obadiah Stane had sowed in the early days. "Since you know who I am, you must know I have a relationship with him."
"So, are you going to kill us?" Wanda asked flatly, showing no fear. Pietro mirrored her resolve.
"If I wanted to do that, why would I bother saving you?"
Fini shook his head and continued, "I only wanted to say that Stark is a man who builds weapons; he isn't the primary cause of your tragedy. Furthermore, he's changed now. Could you try giving him a chance to make amends?"
The twins looked at each other, appearing somewhat lost. "I don't understand what you mean," Pietro said.
"I mean, could you choose to let go of your hatred and not seek revenge? I might be able to help you awaken supernatural abilities so that you can save your country yourselves." Fini watched them closely. "Also, those weapons might not have even been sold by Tony Stark. He had an uncle who was smuggling arms behind his back for years. Once Tony found out, he dealt with him personally. In a way, he's already avenged you."
Wanda and Pietro were dazed. Suddenly, the narrative had shifted so drastically it almost sounded like they should be thanking Tony Stark. They weren't about to believe Fini blindly, but Wanda was intrigued by one specific point. "You said you could help us awaken powers?"
"I think so," Fini said, though he wasn't entirely certain.
The birth of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver wasn't as simple as Skye touching a Terrigen Crystal. In the original timeline, they were modified by HYDRA using the Mind Scepter. Fini didn't know the exact methodology, but he felt the key lay with the Scepter itself, which was why he hadn't given up on the idea.
"How can we believe you're telling the truth?" Pietro asked.
"How about I take you to see Tony Stark first? You can see for yourselves how much he's changed," Fini suggested.
The current Tony was genuinely busy. Aside from building spaceships, he spent his time hunting down arms smugglers and trying to stabilize war-torn regions.
"You're going to take us to see Tony Stark?"
The siblings were stunned again. They had imagined many ways they might eventually encounter Stark, but this was never one of them.
"Yeah."
Based on their character arcs, Fini believed that if they realized the truth was different from what they imagined, letting go of their hatred was possible. He was going through all this trouble because he valued their potential strength—especially Wanda's. Her power was capable of destroying Infinity Stones.
Fini deactivated "Incursio." As the armor vanished, he extended a hand toward the surprised pair. "First time meeting properly. I'm Fini Halsey."
Though it was night, the brilliant, white moonlight provided perfect visibility. Wanda stared at Fini's face for several seconds before stepping forward to take his hand. "Wanda Maximoff."
Suddenly, a light breeze blew, causing her thin clothing to flutter. Without the barrier of the cell glass, Fini caught a glimpse of skin that seemed even fairer than the moonlight. It occurred to him that up close, everything seemed even whiter and larger than before.
(End of Chapter)