Chapter 57: Intelligence Alliance
The living room was still filled with a mixed scent of disinfectant and fatigue.
Pietro sprawled on the armchair, watching the three former test subjects sleeping soundly on the sofa opposite him. He then glanced at the corner where three Hydra researchers were tied up like zongzi, gags stuffed in their mouths, also unconscious. Finally, his gaze landed on the corpse covered by a white sheet on the dining room floor.
"I've never seen the house this 'lively' in my entire life," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
This was the scene Arthur and Wanda saw when they teleported back.
"Hard work, brother-in-law," Arthur said, patting Pietroon the shoulder. He walked to the workbench and dumped the pile of data storage devices in his hand onto the table with a clatter.
Wanda first checked on the three people on the sofa. Using magic to sense them, she confirmed they were merely in a deep sleep, and the drugs and energy contamination in their bodies had been cleared. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and walk over to Arthur.
"Honey, that data..." Wanda looked at the pile of things on the table.
"We need to process it as soon as possible, especially 'The Cradle' and that so-called Accords," Arthur said, tapping the tabletop. "Analyzing it ourselves is too inefficient. Plus, it likely involves a lot of tech-level encryption and relational data. We're on the magic side; our expertise doesn't quite match."
Pietro leaned in. "Contact Tony? Didn't he want to'share the view' with us last time?"
"That's exactly who we're contacting." Arthur nodded and picked up an encrypted communicator—the one Tonygave them last time, claiming it was a secure line where "even Jarvis has to file a report if he wants to eavesdrop."
He quickly composed a message, keeping it brief with just a few words: "Hard goods acquired, involving 'The Cradle', 'Sokovia Accords', and 'Project Insight'. Need professional decoding and relational analysis. Same place, ASAP."
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, a reply came.
Tony's reply was even shorter: "One hour, top floor, same password. Bring your family."
Arthur chuckled. "See, that's what you call synergy."
Wanda was a bit worried. "Bring my family? I'm going too?"
"Of course." Arthur held her hand. "Wanda, you're no longer the little girl who needs to be protected in the back. The barrier during the Battle of New York, the perfect cover outside the factory, and your unique perception of energy... Tony is a smart man. If he invited you, it means he recognizes your ability and your position. We are one. You must attend this kind of strategic meeting."
Wanda looked into her husband's eyes, and the trust and encouragement within them dispelled the nervousness in her heart. She nodded. "Okay, I'll go."
Pietro raised his hand. "What about me?"
"You're on guard duty." Arthur pointed to the pile of "luggage" in the living room. "Watch them, especially those three researchers. Don't let them make a sound if they wake up. If the three test subjects wake up, calm them down and wait for me to handle it. The corpse... don't touch it for now."
"Fine, Logistics Captain." Pietro shrugged without arguing. He knew that for secret meetings like this, fewer people meant more security.
An hour later, at the top floor of Stark Tower.
This wasn't the cool panoramic hall where Tony threw parties, but a more concealed conference room with walls covered in data screens. When Arthur and Wandaentered through a secret door that required dual verification via magic and a dynamic password, Tony was already there.
He wasn't wearing armor today, just a simple black T-shirt and jeans. A dozen holographic screens floated before him, with data streams scrolling by at a dizzying pace.
"You're here?" Tony didn't turn around, his fingers swiping in the air. "Find a seat yourself. Coffee is over there, help yourself. Jarvis, project the preliminary analysis of data related to 'The Cradle'."
"Yes, sir."
In the center of the conference room, a 3D hologram lit up, displaying the visualized results of the data Arthurbrought after being preliminarily organized and decrypted by Jarvis.
Tony finally turned around. His gaze swept over Arthurbefore landing on Wanda. He nodded earnestly in greeting. "Ms. Maximoff, thank you for coming. During the Battle of New York, your barrier saved people in at least five city blocks. I never had the chance to thank you properly."
Wanda hadn't expected Tony to be so formal. She paused for a moment before responding politely. "Mr. Stark, it was the right thing to do. Besides, my husband says you are worth our trust."
"Wow." Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at Arthur. "What kind of love potion did you feed her?"
Arthur spread his hands. "Just telling the truth. Cut the chatter, Tony. These things," he pointed to the projection, "what did you find?"
Tony's expression immediately turned serious as he walked to the projection.
"The encryption layers on the data you brought back are very interesting. They mix high-level the militaryalgorithms with... some early Stark Industries prototype encryption technology that I've never made public." Tonytapped his finger, and the projection split into several sections. "This makes me very uneasy, because the latter theoretically only exists on my private server."
Wanda caught the implication. "Inside S.H.I.E.L.D...."
"There's a traitor, and a big one at that." Tony cut in directly. "But that's not the point. The point is the content."
He magnified one section. "'Sokovia Accords'. Sounds like an international treaty or diplomatic document, right? Wrong. According to the framework drafts and supplementary clauses in this data, this thing is a full-blown blueprint for regulation and weaponization. The target: all registered or unregistered super-powered individuals, Inhuman, alien visitors, and... well,'special individuals' like you two."
Arthur sneered. "Hydra wants to issue ID cards to super-powered people around the world and then decide who gets locked up or taken apart for research?"
"That's pretty much it." Tony clicked on another part. "'The Cradle' is one of the core technical support projects of this grand blueprint. Key focuses: bioengineering, energy entity replication, and consciousness transfer. They want to create controllable, powerful super-powered creatures or energy carriers, or... 'replicate' existing powerful individuals and turn them into obedient weapons."
Several blurry design schematics appeared on the projection; some looked like human bodies, while others looked more like hybrids of machinery and biological tissue.
Wanda frowned as she looked at the images. "They want to replicate... magic?"
"Not just that." Tony pulled up another set of data—the experimental records from the factory regarding the analysis of Wanda's Chaos Magic energy signature. "They are attempting to reverse-engineer your Chaos Magicenergy signature. Using Mind Stone energy as a primer and mixing it with other energy sources, they are trying to simulate similar effects. Although they are currently in the 'painting a tiger but ending up with a dog' stage, the direction is correct, and the resources invested are beyond imagination."
He looked at Arthur and Wanda. "You two, especially the combination of you two, have been listed as the highest priority 'research samples' and 'elimination targets'. Congratulations, you've secured their hatred quite well."
Arthur curled his lip. "Used to it. What else?"
"Also this, the 'Project Insight'." Tony pulled up the final part, consisting of a complex algorithmic model and several blurry early design schematics for Helicarriers. "Through big data monitoring, behavioral prediction, and threat assessment, they filter out 'potential threats', and then..." He pointed to the sky. "Using aerial platforms equipped with precision strike weapons, they carry out preemptive elimination. They call it 'prevention', but in reality, it's an automated assassination system. And from the data correlation, this project is designed to work in tandem with the 'Sokovia Accords' and 'The Cradle'. The Accords are used to legally define targets, 'The Cradle' is used to create replacements or weapons, and the 'Project Insight' is used to clear out those who won't listen."
The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.
Wanda spoke, her voice calm but carrying a chill. "So they want to use a seemingly 'reasonable' framework to control all super-powered individuals—regulate the obedient ones, and replicate or eliminate the disobedient ones?"
"Accurate summary." Tony snapped his fingers. "And this stuff is no longer just on paper. The data mentions at least three related facilities, and I've had Jarvis extract the coordinates. One of them is in North America, not too far from New York."
Arthur stroked his chin. "It seems the factory's self-destruction last time was just them cutting off their tail to survive. The real core projects and bases are hidden deeper."
"Exactly." Tony turned off the projection and walked to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup. "So, going solo won't work anymore. No matter how powerful your magic is, tracking global data streams, cracking cutting-edge tech encryption, monitoring secret transnational financial flows... these aren't your specialties. And as for me, although I'm a genius," he took a sip of coffee, "dealing with Hydra remnants hidden in the shadows and infiltrating every corner, sometimes technology and money alone aren't enough, especially since they might have mastered some... non-scientific powers."
He looked at Arthur and Wanda. "We need an alliance. An informal, underground, but tight-knit intelligence and operational alliance."
Arthur and Wanda exchanged a look.
Wanda nodded slightly.
Arthur turned back to look at Tony. "What kind of alliance?"
Tony set down his cup and walked in front of them. "Division of labor. You handle everything on the magic side—tracking energy signals that can't be found through conventional means, dealing with high-risk targets involving dimensions or supernatural powers, and building that 'early warning system' of yours to cover a wider area. Also, when necessary, provide a bit of... 'persuasion'." He smiled pointedly.
"I and Stark Industries will handle the tech side—providing the most advanced analysis tools, an intelligence network covering most of the world, legal cover identities, financial support, and the ability to draw fire in the open. For example, I can make a high-profile announcement about investigating certain 'transnational illegal biological experiments' to draw the attention of officials and the media, creating space for you to act in the shadows."
"Complete information sharing." Tony added. "The clues you find, sync them to me immediately. The intelligence I decrypt, I'll give to you first. Operations can be executed independently, but targets must be coordinated to avoid conflict or alerting the enemy."
Arthur thought for a moment. "Agreed. But we must have final operational autonomy. If the situation is urgent, or if it involves Wanda's direct safety, we might not have time to wait for your analysis before acting."
"Reasonable." Tony readily agreed. "Likewise, if I discover that a facility is about to move or destroy key evidence, I will act directly. We can just debrief afterwards."
He looked at Wanda. "Ms. Maximoff, do you have anything to add?"
Wanda had been listening intently. When asked, she thought for a moment and said, "The early warning system. The magical early warning network we're building is very sensitive to abnormal energy fluctuations. Since Hydra is researching Mind Stone energy and trying to replicate magic, their facilities and communications will likely have special energy signatures as well. Perhaps... we can try to use the early warning system to reverse-track their data streams or communication signals. Even if we can't fully decrypt them, we can at least pinpoint their location."
Tony's eyes lit up. "Reverse tracking? Interesting. Jarvis, take note. Evaluate the feasibility. See what interfaces or data format support is needed and coordinate with Ms. Maximoff."
"Recorded, sir."
"Then it's settled." Arthur reached out his hand. "Intelligence Alliance, established."
Tony shook his hand. "Pleasure doing business, Guardian." He nodded at Wanda again.
With the alliance reached, the atmosphere eased up a little.
Tony walked back to the console and pulled up a coordinate map with a point marked on it.
"This is the coordinate of the nearest related facility extracted from the data. It's located underground in a private forest in Pennsylvania, officially a backup warehouse for a geological research station." Tony sent the coordinates to Arthur's communicator. "Preliminary satellite scans show an underground structure, but the shielding is very good; conventional detection can't get in. This place is likely a branch test site for 'The Cradle' project, or a data relay station for the 'Sokovia Accords'."
Arthur looked at the coordinates. "Leave it to us. We'll do perimeter reconnaissance first and get the lay of the land."
"If you need any support, just ask," Tony said. "Equipment, fake identities, transportation, or if you need me to set off a smoke screen to draw someone away."
"Understood."
The meeting concluded, and Arthur and Wandaprepared to leave.
As they walked to the secret door, Tony suddenly called out to them.
"Hey." Tony watched their backs. "Be careful. These people... are crazier than we imagined. What they want isn't just power; it might be something even more twisted."
Arthur turned back and smiled. "Don't worry. When it comes to crazy, we've never lost."
The golden light of teleportation flared, and the two disappeared from the conference room.
Tony stood where he was, watching the spot where they had vanished, and was silent for a moment.
"Jarvis."
"I am here, sir."
"Fully upgrade the anti-magic detection and defense systems for the tower and all safe houses. Unlimited budget. Also, start secretly building a dedicated encrypted communication network and data analysis backend for the 'Alliance'. Codename... let's call it 'Watchtower'."
"Yes, sir. Should I notify Colonel Rhodes or Director Fury?"
"No." Tony shook his head. "For now, only the four of us know."
He walked to the window and overlooked the night view of New York.
"The chess game has only just begun."
Chapter 58: Target Locked
A flash of golden light appeared in the living room, and three figures emerged, looking a bit disheveled.
As soon as Arthur's feet touched the ground, he cursed, "Damn, those sneaky bastards actually planted a magicmine in their database!"
Wanda's face was a bit pale. She caught her breath and looked at her palm, where a trace of ice-blue energy—not belonging to her magic—lingered, slowly being worn away by her dark red Chaos Magic. "Honey, that trap… it wasn't tech-based; it was specifically designed to target magicdetection. As soon as I started tracing the data stream, it locked onto my magic frequency."
Pietro shook his body, flicking off non-existent ice shards from his hair and shoulders. Although they had left the moment they teleported, that bone-chilling cold seemed to follow him. "Freezing to death! That ghost place looked run-down on the inside, and the ice underneath was about to collapse! Sis, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Wanda shook her head and looked at Arthur. "I just didn't expect… that they would actually use magic to protect it."
"Unexpected, yet reasonable," Arthur walked over to the workbench, sat down with a thud, and threw the ice-covered, old-fashioned hard drive onto the table. "We showed our faces during the Battle of New York, and we used magic. Hydra isn't stupid; they've been secretly studying the scepter's energy (Mind Stone) for so long, it's not surprising they've dabbled in magic. This move is specifically to guard against people like us who 'don't take the beaten path'."
He tapped the hard drive. "Still, this trip wasn't in vain. Pietro, you confirmed there were no living people in the perimeter, right?"
"Not a soul," Pietro affirmed. "I circled the area several times at high speed; I couldn't even hear a mouse's heartbeat. It's just an empty shell."
"Right, an empty shell," Arthur tapped the hard drive, and a wisp of golden magic seeped inside. "But not an ordinary empty shell. The equipment inside is ancient, but it's not for biological experiments or energy replication. It's for navigation, guidance, and data relay. Those markings on the wall that weren't wiped clean, and the log fragments remaining in this hard drive…"
The computer screen in front of him lit up, and a large amount of fragmented data streams and blurred images were quickly stitched together by Jarvis (using the access port Tony gave them).
Several images froze.
One was a blurry logo with a variation of the S.H.I.E.L.D.eagle emblem, with "Project Insight – Phase 0 Ground Node" written next to it.
Another was an early line drawing of a massive aircraft; it was clearly a big guy capable of floating in the sky.
There was also a map marked with several points—one in Greenland, one in Siberia, and others distributed across different continents.
"See that?" Arthur pointed at the screen. "This place isn't a laboratory for The Cradle project at all. It's an early ground guidance station for the Project Insight, just doing odd jobs for those helicarriers. The database was physically destroyed very thoroughly, but there were still some log fragments in the bottom layer of the hard drive that weren't wiped clean. Jarvis, list the parsed coordinates."
The screen listed three coordinates with simple status tags.
Coordinate 1: Under the Greenland ice sheet (Explored, abandoned).
Coordinate 2: Siberia, a permafrost region (Status: Last log access was three months ago; signal is weak but continuous).
Coordinate 3: South Pacific, an unnamed island (Status: Log marked as "standby," no recent access records).
"This one in Siberia," Arthur narrowed his eyes. "It was accessed in the logs, and the access privilege level was very high. There's a note next to it, the abbreviation is 'H.Y.D.R.A. High Command'."
"Hydra High Command?" Wanda walked over, looking at the coordinates. "Higher level than the factory we took down earlier, or this abandoned guidance station?"
"Much higher," Arthur nodded. "The factory was a lab for dirty work, and this guidance station is obsolete early infrastructure. This one in Siberia… it might be an active command node or data center. And they're using magictraps."
He leaned back and rubbed his brow. "Our previous strategy was a bit reckless. We'd find a location and rush to take it out. But this Hydra network is deeper than we thought, and damn, more cowardly than we thought. They know their tech might not beat Tony, and their magicdefinitely can't beat us, so they've started playing dirty. Setting traps, triggering self-destructs, leaving fake leads, and using decentralized command."
Pietro frowned. "So what do we do? Are we not going to the one in Siberia?"
"We'll go, but not now," Arthur sat up straight. "Rushing in directly is too high-risk. Who knows if another trap or an ambush of troops is waiting for us there? Besides, taking out one Siberian node might leave ten other nodes we don't know about active elsewhere. That's treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
He looked at Wanda and Pietro. "We need to change our approach. Switch from 'fire brigade' mode to'Skynet' mode."
Wanda was thoughtful. "Honey, you mean… our early warning system?"
"Exactly!" Arthur slapped the table. "Our previous early warning system mainly covered the area around New York, monitoring magic and abnormal energy fluctuations. But now it seems that's not enough. Hydra's activities are global; their communications, energy transmissions, and even the activation of magic traps must have specific'signal signatures'."
He pulled up another interface, showing the spectral analysis of the ice-blue magic energy that Jarvis recorded when Wanda triggered the trap.
"Just like this trap magic, it has a unique energy signature. If we can pre-deploy enough magic sensing nodes globally and establish a true 'Global Early Warning Network,' then the next time any Hydra node activates similar magicdefenses or conducts large-scale abnormal energy transmission, we'll be able to capture the signal instantly and pinpoint their location!"
Pietro's eyes lit up. "And then we can play whack-a-mole, looking at the map and hitting wherever we point? We'll even be able to tell which is an important 'boss' and which is a small fry site?"
"Exactly!" Arthur laughed. "And once this network is built, it won't just be for dealing with Hydra. In the future, no matter what strange dimensional rifts, alien signals, or out-of-control super-powered rampages pop up in any corner of Earth, we'll know in advance. We won't have to wait until things blow up before rushing in to clean up the mess."
Wanda nodded; she completely understood her husband's idea. Proactive warning is much safer and more efficient than reactive response. "But, honey, a magic sensing network covering the globe… that's a huge project. It needs many nodes, stable energy sources, and concealment methods."
"That's why this is the next key project," Arthur planned. "Pietro, your speed is key. The deployment and daily maintenance of nodes in many remote areas will depend on you running errands. Wanda, you need to design a more stable, more concealed, and long-term autonomous magicsensing rune or array core. I'll handle the energy supply for the nodes—we can use some miniaturized hybrid energy sources combining tech and magic; Tony should be able to provide technical support."
He glanced at the Siberian coordinates on the screen. "As for this high-value target… mark it as a top-priority monitoring object for now. Once our'Skynet' is spread out and we can see its energy activities inside and out, we'll decide how to act. Either we don't move, or if we do, we pull it out by the roots—or at least make it suffer a heavy blow."
Pietro rubbed his hands. "Sounds much more exciting than just rushing in to fight! Infrastructure building, that's my specialty! Leave the running around to me!"
Wanda also smiled, her eyes gleaming with eagerness. Designing a magic network covering the globe was a brand-new challenge for her magic control and creativity. "I'll come up with the design for the node array as soon as possible."
"Alright, it's settled," Arthur closed the coordinate interface. "Strategic shift, starting today. Priority task: Refine and expand the 'Global Threat Early Warning System.' The goal is to establish a monitoring network within three months that can cover major continents and key regions. As for the score in Siberia, we'll keep it on the books for them."
He stood up and stretched his shoulders.
"Once our web is woven, let's see where this bunch of Hydra hiding in the frozen wasteland can run."
Chapter 59: Swoosh, Swoosh
"Once our web is woven, let's see where this bunch of Hydra hiding in the frozen wilderness can run to."
After saying this, Arthur stood up from the workbench and walked to the holographic projection in the middle of the living room, which was used to display a map of the world.
Wanda and Pietro followed.
Several points were lit up on the map. Their home in New York was the green center point. The outpost in Greenlandthat they had just finished scouting was marked as gray and abandoned. Most conspicuous of all was the coordinate in Siberia, flashing a striking red.
"Brother-in-law, your'SkyNet' plan sounds badass," Pietroscratched his head, "but how exactly are we going to do it? Setting up points all over the world... the sheer amount of work makes my head spin."
"That's why we can't use brute force; we have to use finesse." Arthur traced his finger through the air, and several virtual arrows appeared on the map. "What are our advantages? magic and speed."
He looked at Wanda: "Wife, your Chaos Magic is particularly sensitive to energy flows, right? Especially that kind of abnormal, man-made energy, or energy related to the Infinity Stones."
Wanda nodded: "Yeah, when we tracked the scepter's energy and that magic trap, I could feel a unique'scent'."
"Then that's it." Arthur clapped his hands. "We don't need to go around blindly planting mines all over the world. We'll plant 'noses' instead."
Pietro: "Noses?"
"Yes, magic sensing nodes." Arthur explained, "Design a small magic circle that can run automatically for a long time and has extremely high concealment. Its core function isn't attack or defense, but'smelling.' Smelling those specific energy signals—the energy characteristics of Hydra studying the Mind Stone, the energy noise generated when they try to replicate magic, or even the encrypted magic frequency bands they might use for high-level communications."
He looked at Wanda: "Wife, the core sensing part of this 'nose' has to be designed using your Chaos Magic. Only your magic is sensitive enough to such subtle energy differences."
Wanda's eyes lit up; the challenge interested her. "I can try. Use Chaos Magic to construct a continuous, low-power sensing circuit, like a spider web, that only reacts to specific 'vibrations.'"
"Perfect!" Arthur looked at Pietro again, "And you, brother-in-law, will be our 'delivery guy' and 'installer.' These nodes need to be placed in every nook and cranny of the world—desolate islands in the Pacific Ocean, the frozen soil of Siberia, deep in the African rainforest... places ordinary people can't go to or would be exposed if they did. But you're different. You'swoosh' over,'swoosh' set it up, and'swoosh' come back. No one will ever know."
Pietro puffed out his chest: "I'm good at this! Running errands, right? In all the world's martial arts, only speed is invincible!"
"I'll handle the node's energy supply and basic concealment shell; a little gadget combining technology and magic." Arthur rubbed his hands together. "Tonycan provide some micro-energy sources and camouflage technology. Let's make a few prototypes first and test them. The first point..."
He tapped his finger on the map, on a deep blue area in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
"Right here, find an uninhabited island. It's far from all continents, the energy background is clean, perfect for the first remote test point."
Wanda looked at the point: "Go now?"
"Strike while the iron is hot." Arthur nodded. "The plan is set, so let's do it. Pietro, you watch the house, and while you're at it, continue analyzing the previous data to see if there are any other clues. Wanda and I will go set up the first point."
"Yes, sir!" Pietro made an OK gesture.
Arthur held Wanda's hand, and with his other hand, he drew a golden circle in the air.
On the other side of the Portal was a clear blue sky, white sandy beaches, and swaying coconut trees. The sea breeze blew over with a salty tang.
The two stepped through.
Stepping onto the soft, fine sand, Wanda took a deep breath: "The air is really nice."
"It's an uninhabited island, of course it's nice." Arthurlooked around, his Super Vision and magic perception sweeping across the entire island simultaneously. "Confirmed, other than seabirds and crabs, there are no other living creatures. The energy background is very pure, with almost no artificial interference."
He chose a spot behind some rocks at the boundary between the beach and the jungle.
"This will do. Wife, it's up to you."
Wanda nodded and closed her eyes. Dark red Chaos Magicflowed slowly from her palms, not flashy, but like delicate silk threads, seeping into the ground and rocks beneath her feet.
She was sensing.
Not sensing enemies, but sensing the faint natural energy flow hidden within the land itself, and further away—through the Earth's veins, through the ocean, through the atmosphere—the complex and massive energy "pulsations" that spread across the globe.
This was a brand-new attempt. Previously, her magicperception had been more local and targeted. Trying to understand and capture the "tone" of the global energy background like this was a first.
A few minutes later, she opened her eyes, a look of novelty in them.
"Husband... I think I can 'hear' a little bit." Wanda said softly. "It's very faint, like a heartbeat coming from very, very far away. The Earth's... heartbeat?"
"That's the underlying rhythm of the energy flow." Arthur encouraged. "Great! Now, try to find a stable point within this 'heartbeat' rhythm that is suitable for long-term anchoring, to serve as the 'root' for our node."
Wanda closed her eyes again, her Chaos Magic exploring more precisely. After another moment, she pointed to a spot beneath her feet: "Here. The energy flow here is the most stable, like a quiet little whirlpool in a river."
"Good!" Arthur crouched down and pressed his hands to the ground. Golden Supreme Magic light surged out, not to destroy, but to construct.
A complex, multi-layered, nested micro-magic circle gradually took shape under his palms. The outermost layer was for camouflage and physical protection, the middle layer was an energy absorption and conversion module (incorporating a bit of micro-arc reactor technology he got from Tony), and the innermost layer left a delicate "core interface" waiting to be filled.
"Wife, connect your sensing circuit."
Wanda crouched beside him and gently tapped her finger on that interface. Dark red Chaos Magic flowed in, quickly merging with the magic circle Arthur had constructed.
She didn't design any attack or defense structures, but instead wove an extremely sensitive "sensing network." This network would continuously "listen" to the surrounding energy environment, but only react strongly to and record/upload a few specific energy characteristics—the residual frequency of the Mind Stone, the cold fluctuations of Hydra's magic traps, and the unique ripples of high-intensity encrypted magic communications.
The process went smoothly. Their magic was from the same source (both originating from the Kamar-Taj system), and they trusted each other, so the collaboration had almost no friction.
About twenty minutes later, something the size of a palm, looking like an ordinary pebble, lay quietly embedded in a rock crevice. A faint golden-red luster flashed across its surface, then vanished completely, and even the magicfluctuations became negligible.
"Node Alpha One, deployment complete." Arthurclapped the sand off his hands. "Try starting it up."
He snapped his fingers.
Inside the pebble, a faint light flashed and disappeared.
Almost at the same instant, on the holographic projection map in their home in Brooklyn, a soft blue light point lit up at that location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Pietro's voice came through via magic communication: "It's lit up, it's lit up! Brother-in-law, sister, I see it lit up on my end! Status shows... normal! Synchronizing data now!"
Arthur and Wanda exchanged glances and both smiled.
"Let's go, let's go home and see the results."
Golden light flashed again, and the two returned to the living room.
On the holographic map, the blue light point in the Pacific Ocean flickered steadily. Using it and the green center point in New York as a baseline, a faint, fan-shaped monitoring area that covered nearly half of the Pacific Ocean vaguely appeared on the map.
"The coverage area has expanded at least threefold." Arthur watched the data stream. "And the sensing precision hasn't dropped. Not bad."
Wanda, however, was still immersed in the feeling from just now. She looked at her palms: "Husband, when I was deploying it, my perception... seemed to be extended by that node. Although it was very faint, I could indeed feel, through that node, 'hearing' some energy flows further away. It's not as blurry as before."
"The node has become an extension antenna for your magic." Arthur nodded understandingly. "Good thing. As we deploy more and more points, your'sensing web' will become larger and clearer."
Just then, on the holographic map, a new prompt box suddenly popped up next to the red coordinate point in Siberia.
[Alert: Abnormal encrypted communication signal detected (magic frequency band)]
[Signal strength: Medium]
[Resolution: Low (deep encryption)]
[Content fragment (decrypted): "...The Cradle... Batch 7... Sokovia Accords... cover... transport route confirmed... Siberia hub receiving..."]
[Signal source location: Siberia coordinate point (match rate 99%)]
The living room went quiet for a moment.
"Holy crap..." Pietro spoke first. "We just installed it and we already caught a big fish? This 'nose' is really sharp!"
Arthur stared at the message, his eyes turning cold. "Project materials for 'The Cradle,' using the 'Sokovia Accords' as cover for transport, destination is the Siberiahub... It looks like we didn't guess wrong; that place really is a high-level command node, and it's running at high speed."
Wanda walked to his side: "They're mobilizing supplies. Are they accelerating 'The Cradle' project, or preparing for something else?"
"Both are possible." Arthur rubbed his chin. "But no matter what they're doing, now that they've been scanned by our web, they can't hide it anymore."
He looked at the other areas on the map that were still dark: "The first node's effect exceeded expectations. Next, we need to speed up. Pietro, get ready to run errands. Wanda, let's design a few more node variants to adapt to different environments. As for this key target in Siberia, once our web is woven densely around it, we'll see every move it makes..."
He paused, then grinned.
"And then give it a surprise gift package."
Chapter 60: What to do? Call for backup.
In the living room, the alert box that had popped up next to the red dot for Siberia on the holographic map still hadn't disappeared.
"...The Cradle... Batch 7... Sokovia Accords... Cover... Transport route confirmed... Siberia hub receiving..."
Arthur stared at the decoded fragments, his fingers tapping on the table. "It's confirmed. The shipments for 'The Cradle' are being sent to that 'hub' in Siberia under the guise of the 'Sokovia Accords.' This place isn't simple; it's not just a command node, it's very likely a large-scale receiving station or... a production base."
Wanda walked over and looked at the map. "The signal source matching is at 99%; that's definitely the place. Honey, we just set up the first node and caught it. Won't this alert them?"
"The signal is being captured, not attacked. They shouldn't have discovered they're being 'listened' to yet," Arthurshook his head. "But we can't miss such a good opportunity. Just knowing they are transporting cargo isn't enough; we need to know what exactly this 'cargo' is, and how big that place really is."
He looked at Wanda and Pietro. "Slight adjustment to the plan. We'll set up the next node in a place that is closest to Siberia but can also avoid direct detection."
He traced his finger across the map and stopped at a remote coastal location on the southeastern corner of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
"Here. The geological activity is frequent, and the natural energy background is chaotic, which will be great for masking our node's magic fluctuations. Once it's set up, we'll use this node as a springboard to perform a... short-range, high-precision magic'sniff' on the Siberia signal source. We won't go deep; we'll just graze it to see the outline."
Pietro blinked. "Graze it? Brother-in-law, your choice of words is quite inspired. It sounds a bit exciting, yet a bit sleazy."
"Get lost." Arthur laughed and scolded him, then turned serious. "But there are risks. The enemy can use magictraps, and they might also have anti-magic reconnaissance methods. So this time, we need to be quick. We graze and run; we do not linger. Wanda, the node setup still needs your perception to calibrate the best anchor point. Pietro, you are responsible for rapid perimeter reconnaissance to ensure there are no visible 'neighbors' when we teleport over and set things up."
Wanda nodded. "Understood. Do you need me to assist with the'sniff'?"
"Yes." Arthur held her hand. "Your Chaos Magic is the most sensitive to energy signatures. The moment the node is activated, the signal source will definitely have the slightest energy feedback. I need you to grasp that feeling in that instant and tell me what'scent' is inside."
"Okay." Wanda's gaze was serious.
"Then let's go."
A flash of golden light, and the living room was empty.
Kamchatka Peninsula, behind a steep black basalt cliff by the sea.
The sea breeze howled, carrying the scent of salt and sulfur. In the distance, faint white smoke could be seen rising from a volcano crater.
"This place... is really desolate." Pietro zipped around the cliff and came back. "Apart from some seabirds and a few foxes, there's nothing else. I can't even see the shadow of a fishing boat."
"That's exactly what we want—no one around." Arthurlooked around and chose a spot behind a large rock sheltered from the wind. "Right here. Honey, it's up to you."
Wanda closed her eyes, and threads of dark red magicseeped into the frozen soil and rocks beneath her feet. The energy flow here was far more violent than on the Pacific Ocean island; underground volcanic activity, ocean tides, and the cold climate were intertwined, like a pot of boiling stew.
She spent a bit of time finding a relatively stable energy "anchor point" amidst the chaos.
"Here." She pointed to a spot under her feet. "Although it's chaotic all around, this point is like the eye of a storm; it's very stable."
"Good!" Arthur crouched down and pressed his hands to the ground. A golden magic circle formed again.
With the experience from the first time, this was even faster. About fifteen minutes later, the second "pebble" was embedded into a crack in the rock, flashed with light, and then vanished.
"Node Beta Two, setup complete." Arthur stood up. "Activate it and synchronize the connection with the Siberiasignal source for a preliminary perception scan."
He snapped his fingers. The pebble flickered with a faint light.
Almost at the same instant, back on the map in their Brooklyn home, a second blue dot lit up on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and an extremely fine virtual energy line extended from it, pointing toward the red dot in Siberia.
Wanda stood by the node, fully immersed in her perception.
The moment the node was activated, a clear, amplified energy fluctuation fed back along the "line."
Her brows furrowed sharply.
"Honey..." Wanda's voice sounded slightly strange. "There's a response... from the signal source. It's very weak, but... it's very 'pure'."
"Pure?" Arthur looked at her.
"It's the same source as the energy of Loki's scepter, both from the Mind Stone lineage." Wanda tried her best to describe the feeling. "But the scepter's energy feels... a bit 'mixed,' like it's been diluted or combined with something else. The fluctuation coming from this signal source, although weak, is very 'clean' and very 'concentrated.' It's like... undiluted raw material?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Raw material? Do you mean that in Siberia, there might be something closer to the source of the Mind Stone than the scepter? Or... have they reached the point where they can purify the scepter's energy?"
"I don't know." Wanda shook her head. "But that 'pure' feeling makes my magic... have an indescribable reaction. It's not uncomfortable, but it's very strange."
Pietro leaned in. "Sis, are you okay? Your expression is a bit weird."
"I'm fine." Wanda took a deep breath. "I just need some time to adapt to this... 'new scent'."
Arthur made a swift decision. "Forget it. Since there's a response, we need to take a look. I'll conduct a short-range probe; you two get ready, and if the situation goes south, we pull out immediately."
He walked to the node, pressed one hand on the "pebble," and traced in the air with the other. Complex golden runes lit up, condensing into a water-like mirror surface.
Inside the mirror, a blurred scene, distorted by massive amounts of magic interference and energy shielding, gradually emerged.
It was beneath the Siberian permafrost. It wasn't a simple base, but a massive, Hive-like complex facility. The structure was buried deep underground, far exceeding the scale of the previous factories and guidance stations. The magic probe's perspective could only see the outer perimeter and some shallow areas, but it could already identify multiple layers of defense, energy reactors, and... a large, dense number of life-sign heat sources.
"Holy crap..." Pietro leaned closer to the mirror. "How many people are there? This isn't an outpost; it's an Dungeon, right?"
Arthur's expression was serious. "It's not just the number of people. The energy shielding is very high; my probe can only see the surface. But even this surface... is scary enough. Look there—"
He pointed to a blurred area in the mirror, where the outlines of some large canister-shaped containers were vaguely visible, along with energy pipes connected to them, flowing with a pale blue light.
"The color of the energy in those pipes... is very similar to the 'pure' fluctuation Wanda sensed." Arthur said in a deep voice. "They are producing or storing that 'raw material'."
Just as he tried to adjust the probe angle to get a better look—the mirror suddenly shook violently!
Inside the facility in the image, several nodes simultaneously erupted with intense, ice-blue interference energy, surging back along Arthur's magic probe!
"We've been discovered! Countermeasures!" Arthurgrowled, not hesitating for a second, and clenched his right hand! Crack! The golden mirror instantly shattered into points of light.
Almost at the same time, he waved his left hand, and a Portal opened beneath the three of them. "Go!"
The three fell into the Portal. The moment the golden light engulfed them, the ice-blue interference energy swept over the spot where they had been standing like an invisible tsunami, and the rock surface at the edge of the cliff instantly froze into a thick, unnatural layer of frost.
Back in their Brooklyn home, on the holographic map, the blue dot that had just lit up on the Kamchatka Peninsula, along with the dotted line connecting to Siberia, flickered violently a few times and then went out.
A few seconds later, the light slowly lit up again, but it was much dimmer, and the status bar displayed: [Node Beta Two: Suffered high-intensity energy interference, some functions temporarily offline, restarting self-check... Estimated recovery time: 12 hours.]
In the living room, the golden light appeared again, and the three stumbled out.
"Whew... almost got 'crawled over through the internet cable'." Pietro patted his chest, still shaken. "That countermeasure speed was way too fast! It was definitely triggered automatically!"
Arthur walked to the workbench and quickly retrieved the final data recorded by the node. "It's not as simple as automatic triggering. The enemy has a very professional anti-magic reconnaissance and counter-attack system. Our probe was locked onto the moment it touched the deep shielding layer on the facility's perimeter. The interference energy was directional, precisely striking our probe link and the node itself."
He looked at Wanda. "Honey, how are you? Did that final impact affect you?"
Wanda's face was still pale, but her eyes were amazingly bright. "I'm fine. Honey, in the instant before the probe was cut off, I think I...'saw' something."
"Saw what?"
"Many... 'The Cradle' units." Wanda's voice was very soft, tinged with uncertainty. "Not the crude laboratories like the factory. They were more complete, more advanced... incubation pods? Or containers. Inside... there were life signs, but they were very weak, very 'uniform.' And, deep within the entire facility, there was a massive, yet very 'quiet' energy source, beating like a heart. That's it, it's emitting that 'pure' Mind Stone energy fluctuation."
Arthur and Pietro were both stunned.
"Incubation pods? Uniform life signs? A massive, quiet energy source?" Arthur chewed on these words, his expression becoming increasingly grim. "Hydra... what on earth have they built beneath the Siberian permafrost?"
He pulled up a few blurry screenshots he had managed to save during the probe. Although the images were distorted, one could still see the grand scale of the facility and the complexity of its internal structure.
"This is no longer a command node." Arthur concluded. "This is a core base. It might even be... the main production line for 'The Cradle' project, or the general research center. The 'Sokovia Accords' are for regulation, the 'Project Insight' is for elimination, and 'The Cradle'... is very likely mass-producing the 'weapons' or 'replacements' they want."
He looked at Wanda and Pietro. "For this place, relying on just us is too high-risk. We just grazed it and almost got stuck there. We have no idea how many magic defenses, tech weapons, or what kind of hellish things that 'raw material' energy can conjure up."
"Then what do we do?" Pietro asked. "We can't just watch them keep building, right?"
"Of course not." Arthur sat in his chair, fingers tapping on the keyboard. "So, we need to call for backup."
He opened the encrypted communicator and began editing a message.
"Tony, are you asleep? If not, wake up, there's a hardcore gift package coming to your door. One luxury HydraDungeon beneath the Siberian permafrost, complete with a 'The Cradle' production line and a 'Mind Stone energy raw material' brewing workshop. The anti-magic air defense system has been tested, and it's highly effective. Attached are a few blurry compromising photos; we can talk details if you're interested. Same old place, ASAP."
The message was sent. Less than half a minute later, a reply came.
Tony's reply had only three words, but each word exuded shock and seriousness: "Fuck. On my way."
Chapter 61: Fuck
"Fuck. Be there soon."
Less than ten minutes after Tony's reply disappeared from the screen, a flash of golden light appeared in the supposedly top-secret conference room on the top floor of Stark Tower, and Arthur and Wanda stepped out of a Portal.
Tony was already seated at the head of the conference table. On the holographic projection in front of him was a 3D topographic map of the coordinates in Siberia, with a dense stream of data just analyzed by Jarvis scrolling beside it.
He was holding a cup of coffee. Seeing the two appear, he tilted his chin: "You're here? Sit. Pour your own coffee; the booze is over there. Let's get to business first. The 'hardcore gift package' you mentioned in your text better be worth me crawling out of bed from beside Pepper in the middle of the night."
"Guaranteed to be worth more than the price," Arthurreplied without standing on ceremony. He pulled out a chair and sat down, while Wanda sat quietly beside him.
Arthur tapped the table with his finger, and a stream of golden magical light flowed into the conference table's system interface. "Jarvis, receive this. This is what we just 'grazed' earlier, along with the complete energy spectrum recorded by the node."
"Receiving, sir," Jarvis's voice sounded.
The data stream on the holographic projection surged instantly, and a blurry, complex structure buried deep underground began to quickly construct itself next to the topographic map, with details continuously filling in.
Tony watched the rapidly forming, astonishingly large underground facility model, his coffee cup suspended in mid-air. "...You call this 'grazing'? You grazed a bit too hard, brother; you've practically 3D modeled their entire home base."
"Only grazed the surface," Arthur shook his head. "Even this almost got me beaten up by someone crawling through the 'internet cable' from the other side. The countermeasure system is automatic, with an outrageous reaction speed specifically targeting magical detection. Inside..." He pointed to the few flickering red dots in the core area of the model representing high-energy reactions, "there's something. Wanda says the scent is very 'pure'."
Wanda took over, her voice clear: "It's the same origin as the energy from Loki's scepter, but... thicker, cleaner. It doesn't look diluted; it's like raw stock. Also, deep within the entire facility, there's a massive energy source, like a heart beating. It's very quiet, but its radiation range covers the entire core area."
Tony put down his cup, his fingers swiping rapidly across the projection to pull up the in-depth analysis report Jarvishad conducted based on the data provided by Arthur. "Jarvis, compare this with the residual energy data from the scepter and the Hydra research documents we cracked before."
"Comparison complete, sir. The 'pure' energy fluctuations captured from the signal source have a 97.3% match with the energy signature of the Mind Stone, far exceeding any diluted or mixed energy samples discovered in previous Hydra research facilities. Preliminary assessment indicates that this facility is likely conducting high-purity extraction, storage, or replication of mind energy. Furthermore, structural analysis shows that the facility's scale far exceeds a conventional military base, containing a large number of areas suspected to be biological cultivation units, as well as a heavily guarded central energy zone. Comprehensive assessment suggests that this location is the core R&D and production base for Hydra's 'The Cradle' project, with a probability exceeding 90%."
"The Cradle core..." Tony stared at the projection, his expression turning serious. "Those previous factories and outposts were just peripheral chores. The real hen laying the eggs is hidden under this ice and snow. The 'Sokovia Accords' is a smokescreen; transporting supplies is just to feed this hen so it can lay more dangerous eggs."
He looked at Arthur and Wanda: "What do you plan to do? 'Graze' it again, or flip the table directly?"
"Flip it directly," Arthur answered decisively. "If they reacted like this just from a 'graze', it means they're nervous and speeding up their progress. If we wait until they're done laying eggs, or they decide it's unsafe and move the hen, it'll be even more troublesome. While we know the location and they don't know how much we've actually seen, we catch them off guard."
Wanda nodded, adding: "Husband, while I was waiting for you earlier, I faintly felt that energy fluctuation again, and it was more active than before. They might be preparing something, or... something is about to 'mature'. We must act fast."
Tony stroked his goatee, his eyes gleaming: "I like this line of thought. But, buddy, according to the model, the defense level of this place is hell-difficulty. Energy shielding, physical protection, automatic countermeasures, and that 'raw stock' energy you mentioned—who knows what kind of hell that can create. You two are strong, but if you storm in, what if they have a 'Tsar Bomba' buried inside to take you down with them, or trigger some mechanism we don't know about? The risk is too high."
"That's why we need a plan, and we need help," Arthurleaned forward. "We can't just brute force it. My idea is to form a lean team, break in quickly, strike accurately, get the core data and evidence, destroy what we can, and then evacuate immediately. We aren't looking for total annihilation, but we need to hurt it, break its spine."
"A team? Who else?" Tony asked. "Captain Rogers? He's still busy cleaning up the mess from the Battle of New York at S.H.I.E.L.D., and this operation of ours... doesn't exactly follow protocol."
"No need to alert S.H.I.E.L.D., at least not before the operation," Arthur said. "The three of us, plus Pietro. That's enough."
Tony raised an eyebrow: "Me? You mean Iron Manproviding aerial fire support and electronic warfare cover? That, I'm good at. But your brother-in-law... his speed is fast, but in a base of this level, there are countless traps; if he rushes too fast, he'll easily get into trouble."
"Pietro isn't going in," Arthur had already thought this through. "He'll be on the perimeter. Responsible for quickly scouting the evacuation route, confirming if there are any ambushes or reinforcements nearby, and most importantly, if we need an emergency evacuation, he's the fastest extraction. Wanda and I will handle the entry and frontal breakthrough."
Wanda looked at Arthur with determined eyes: "I can construct a large magical barrier to temporarily shield energy detection and attacks within a certain area, opening a path for us. Once inside, if we encounter that 'raw stock' energy or magical traps, my Chaos Magic should be able to interfere with or even purify them."
Tony quickly digested this information and tapped his fingers on the table. Several simulation plans appeared on the holographic projection. "Jarvis, simulate assault Plan A: Mr. Zhang and Ms. Maximoff use magic to break through the outer defenses from preset coordinates (away from the main entrance); Plan B: Use one of Stark Industries' abandoned polar supply tunnels as a feint to draw fire; Plan C: I conduct electronic suppression first to paralyze their external communications and some active defense systems, then you break in."
The simulation images flashed rapidly. Tony finished looking and nodded: "Feasible. But the key is how to get in without triggering that perverted anti-magic alarm. You guys triggered it just by 'grazing' it last time."
Arthur smiled, a hint of craftiness in his expression: "Last time was remote magical prying; the energy signature was obvious. This time, we won't use magic to 'knock on the door'. We'll walk to its 'doorstep' before taking action."
"Walk to the doorstep?" Tony didn't understand. "That godforsaken place in Siberia, frozen for thousands of miles, how are you going to get there silently? Walk there? That'll take until next year."
"Teleport," Arthur said. "But not directly into the base. Teleport to the perimeter, far enough not to be detected, then use magic to camouflage, like ordinary people... no, like a piece of ice, a clump of snow, and approach. Once close enough—close enough that their anti-magic system might not react in time because the 'target is too close' or it needs to switch modes—Wanda instantly opens a shielding field, and I break the door down violently. This is called 'darkness under the lamp'."
Tony was stunned for two seconds, then laughed: "Fuck, your line of thought... is insidious enough, I like it. Jarvis, combine this idea, re-optimize the plan, focus on calculating the time difference between the magical shielding deployment and the physical breakthrough, as well as the synchronization timing for my electronic suppression."
"Calculating, sir. It is recommended to select the entry point near the external maintenance hatch of the facility's energy transmission pipeline. The defense in this area may be relatively conventional, and it is convenient for Ms. Maximoff's shielding field to cover key nodes. Mr. Stark, your Mark VIII suit has been equipped with modified modules for extreme cold environments and strong electromagnetic interference, suitable for this mission. The electronic suppression package is expected to paralyze their external sensor network for 37 seconds upon contact."
"37 seconds..." Arthur looked at Wanda. "Is that enough?"
Wanda took a deep breath, dark red magic swirling slightly at her fingertips: "As long as you can open the passage within 37 seconds, and there isn't a whole army waiting behind it, it's enough."
"There will definitely be an army, but it won't be a whole one," Arthur was very confident. "In a core base like this, the guards are elite, but their numbers won't be overwhelming; they rely more on automatic defense systems. Tony paralyzes the sensors, your shielding field interferes with internal energy detection, and we exploit this time difference to strike straight to the core before they can react."
"What about Pietro?" Tony asked. "What is his specific task?"
"After we teleport over, he will immediately run a circuit around the 50-kilometer perimeter of the base at maximum speed, using this," Arthur took out a button-sized magic beacon, "dropping them along the way. This thing can continuously send extremely weak signals that simulate natural energy fluctuations, further interfering with any potential wide-area detection. At the same time, he will monitor in real-time if any vehicles, aircraft, or super-speed life forms are approaching. Once he discovers any abnormalities, or if we send an evacuation signal, he will immediately go to the designated extraction point and stand by."
Tony whistled: "The whole family going in one wave, clear division of labor. Alright, I think this plan is doable. When do we set off?"
"The sooner the better," Wanda said. "That 'active' feeling is still intensifying."
Arthur made the final decision: "Right now. We'll go back to pick up Pietro and explain the situation. One hour from now, at the 50-kilometer perimeter of the Siberiatarget point—I'll send you the coordinates—we rendezvous."
Tony stood up and walked to the suit-up platform nearby: "No need for an hour, give me thirty minutes to prepare the suit and equipment. Jarvis, initiate the 'Polar Storm' protocol, load all non-lethal EMP and penetrating scanning equipment. Oh, and bring a few high-capacity physical hard drives, just in case we need to copy data."
"Already preparing, sir."
Arthur also stood up and took Wanda's hand. Golden light began to swirl around them.
"Then thirty minutes from now," Arthur nodded at Tony. "See you in Siberia. Oh, and dress warmly; it's quite cold there."
Tony waved his hand without turning his head: "My suit has a temperature control system. You two should be the ones worrying; don't just focus on looking cool; if you freeze, there'll be nowhere to cry."
A flash of golden light, and Arthur and Wandadisappeared.
Tony looked at the empty conference room, then at the massive underground facility model on the holographic projection, and grinned.
"Hydra... this time, I'm going to give you something big."
Chapter 62: Translate, Translate
The golden light dissipated, carrying a chill from Siberia, as the four people, along with several floating unconscious figures, landed steadily in the underground safe house in Brooklyn, which was reinforced layer by layer with magic.
"Whew—" Pietro was the first to speak, quickly and gently placing the unconscious test subject he was holding onto the prepared medical bed, "Finally back. That hellhole is truly no place for humans; I almost froze into a frozen dumpling."
Tony's suit mask clicked open. His expression wasn't good—not from the cold, but from anger. "Jarvis, perform a comprehensive scan of this room to ensure it's absolutely clean. Also, quarantine those'souvenirs'; don't let them have any little gifts on them that we haven't discovered."
"Executing, sir. Environmental scan shows no anomalies. The test subjects' vital signs are weak but stable, and they have been quarantined." Jarvis's voice came from Tony's suit, while several soft scanning beams swept across the entire room and the unconscious individuals.
Arthur walked to the main console and inserted a silver metal data disk he was holding. The holographic screen lit up, and massive amounts of data began to scroll.
Wanda stood beside him, her hand resting gently on his arm, her eyes fixed on the screen. "Hubby, look directly at the core section."
"I was just about to." Arthur's fingers moved quickly, pulling up the files marked as highest priority by Jarvis.
The room quieted down, with only the faint hum of data streaming and the ticking sound of Pietro tinkering with medical instruments.
Complex energy spectrum diagrams, biological structure analysis models, and long sections of experimental logs appeared on the screen.
After watching for a few minutes, Tony cursed first. "Fuck."
Pietro leaned over: "What's wrong? I don't get it. Brother Tony, can you translate that for us?"
Tony pointed to the two energy models displayed side-by-side on the screen: "This one, with the violent red fluctuations, is marked as'Sample M-01'. Its energy signature matches the magic fluctuations Wanda released when creating the barrier in New York by over 85%. This one, the stable high-energy blue one, is marked as'Sample K-Prototype'. Its energy readings are ridiculously high, and... it carries strong biological activity characteristics that don't match any known Earth biological energy."
He turned to look at Arthur with a complex expression: "They are trying to replicate both of you. Wanda's Chaos Magic, and you... I don't know what you are exactly, but they detected your residual energy and want to 'create' it."
Arthur didn't speak, continuing to scroll down through the logs.
A bolded log title popped up: [Project Ultimate Goal: Create controllable "Chaos Knights" and "Krypton War Gods" to replace and eradicate the originals (Arthur/Wanda Maximoff).]
"Replace and eradicate..." Wanda read these words aloud, her voice a bit cold. The hand she had on Arthur's arm tightened.
"They've got quite the ambition." Arthur sneered, "Unfortunately, they tried to paint a tiger but ended up with a dog. In this data, the Chaos Magic part is entirely a distorted simulation based on the scepter's energy (Mind Stone), which is far from Wanda's source power. As for my part..."
He paused, "They didn't even scratch the surface. The bit of residual energy they detected was likely just some'scraps' I accidentally leaked, and they treated it like a treasure."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately frowned again: "Even if they didn't succeed, the intent is too obvious. They are coming for you two. And looking at this volume of data, the resources they invested are terrifying. That basein Siberia is just the tip of the iceberg."
"That's why it must be uprooted." Arthur tapped the table, "This data, and these survivors, are the key."
Tony immediately chimed in: "Right, I'll contact Furyimmediately. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a global intelligence network and interrogation experts. If we hand these over to them, we can follow the trail and wipe out the remaining high-ranking members of Hydra in one go."
"No." Wanda suddenly spoke up.
Tony was stunned: "What do you mean, no?"
"We can't hand it all over to S.H.I.E.L.D.." Wanda looked at Tony, her gaze serious but her tone firm, "Tony, have you forgotten Sokovia? Have you forgotten how many people in S.H.I.E.L.D. were controlled by Loki before the Battle of New York, and how many were Hydra? How can you be sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. is clean now?"
Tony opened his mouth to retort, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Wanda continued: "These data, especially the parts about my and my husband's energy signatures—if they fall into the hands of anyone problematic within S.H.I.E.L.D., what will be the consequence? Even more covert and dangerous research. These test subjects—if they have control programs or trackers inside them that we don't know about, handing them over to S.H.I.E.L.D. is equivalent to telling Hydra where we are and how much we know."
Pietro nodded from the side: "My sister is right. Brother Tony, it's not that we don't trust you, but that place, S.H.I.E.L.D.... the water is too deep. The reason our operation went so smoothly this time was precisely because we didn't go through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s procedures, right?"
Tony rubbed his temples: "I understand your concerns. But how can we investigate on our own? Hydra is a global organization. Relying just on the four of us—no, you three plus me—our intelligence sources are too limited."
"So it's not about not cooperating, but limited cooperation." Arthur spoke up. He held Wanda's hand and said to Tony, "For the data, we can package the peripheral parts—regarding other Hydra strongholds, fund flows, and personnel lists—and give them to S.H.I.E.L.D. to let them investigate and strike. But the core parts—regarding 'The Cradle' energy research and the analysis of my and Wanda's biological characteristics—we will keep for ourselves. As for the test subjects, we will handle them ourselves first, to figure out what exactly has been done to them before we do anything else."
He looked at Tony: "Tony, this isn't about not trusting you. It's about not putting all your eggs in one basket. S.H.I.E.L.D. can be the overt line, drawing fire and conducting large-scale sweeps. We are the covert line, keeping an eye on the most core, most dangerous parts. This way, even if something goes wrong on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s end, we won't be completely passive."
Tony was silent for a long time. He looked at Arthur, then at Wanda, and finally sighed.
"Fuck." He cursed again, but this time his tone was more of helplessness, "You two... really are a perfect match. Each more cautious than the other, each better at hiding things than the other."
He waved his hand: "Fine. You are the parties involved, the ones at the highest risk, so you call the shots. You decide how the data is split. If you need me to provide any technical support, just ask. But, any news regarding the transfer of Hydra high-level personnel must be shared. There's no room for negotiation on this."
"Deal." Arthur nodded.
The strategic disagreement was temporarily shelved, but the atmosphere in the room was clearly different from before. A subtle, awkward feeling, the first sign of a divergence in path between allies, permeated the air.
"Um..." Pietro broke the silence. He pointed to a test subject on the medical bed, "This guy's vital signs seem a bit off; they keep dropping, yet he's still hanging on by a thread. The instruments show his body is dependent on some kind of external energy to maintain itself, like... like a battery that's almost out of power, but is connected to a wireless charger with a very weak signal."
Wanda walked over, looking at the unconscious young man. His face was pale, and his breathing was weak.
"I'll try to see if I can stabilize him." Wanda said, extending her hand. Dark red Chaos Magic, like warm mist, slowly enveloped the test subject's chest.
Her intention was to inject a bit of gentle life energy to maintain his heartbeat.
But the moment her magic made contact with his body—
Hum!
The test subject's body jerked violently!
At the same time, Wanda felt as if she had been pricked by a needle, and her fingers trembled slightly. She "saw" it.
Not with her eyes, but with magical perception.
Deep in the test subject's consciousness, amidst the chaos, was buried a cold, absolute, and constantly repeating imprinted command.
[Obey "The Cradle". Destroy marked targets. Obey "The Cradle". Destroy marked targets...]
"Hubby!" Wanda withdrew her hand, her face turning a bit pale, "There's... something in his brain. It's like a command, forcibly carved in. Very cold, very absolute."
Arthur instantly appeared beside her: "What command is it?"
"Obey 'The Cradle'. And... destroy marked targets." Wandalooked at Arthur, "The target markings are very blurry, but the feeling they give me... is very bad."
Arthur's eyes darkened. He looked at that test subject, and then at the other unconscious people.
"Mind control. Or something similar. 'The Cradle' doesn't just want to create weapons; it wants to create weapons that are absolutely obedient." He looked at Tony, "Now, do you still think we should hand them directly over to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Tony didn't speak, just his expression became even uglier. If these test subjects were "ticking time bombs", then handing them over to S.H.I.E.L.D. could indeed end up blowing up their own people.
"Pietro, strengthen life support. Use our own equipment and completely isolate any external signals." Arthurordered, "Tony, I'll send you the peripheral data once it's organized. I'm sealing the core data. As for these test subjects, no one is to touch them until we figure out what exactly that thing in their brains is."
He walked to the main console and pulled up a piece of encrypted communication record that was last intercepted from the Siberia database. Although most of it had been destroyed, the remaining fragments pointed to several possible emergency transfer coordinates.
"Hydra's high-ranking members are running fast." Arthur stared at those coordinates, "But they won't get far. For the ones on the surface, let S.H.I.E.L.D. chase them. As for the ones in the shadows, those biggest fish at the core..."
He turned back and looked at Wanda.
Wanda nodded at him, without any hesitation in her eyes. The discomfort brought by the magical perception just now had been suppressed, leaving only clear determination.
"We'll fish for them ourselves." Arthur said.