New York. Winter had already set in.
Heavy snow fell like goose feathers, and the howling wind stripped the warmth from the streets, lending the international metropolis a faint air of desolation.
"Hah…"
Wanda exhaled a cloud of white mist and rubbed her frozen hands together.
"We should find a hotel first," Quicksilver said beside her.
Scarlet Witch glanced around at their surroundings.
"You're right. But compared to that, I want to visit Locke Technologies more."
Quicksilver scratched his head.
"Mr. Locke hasn't appeared in public for a long time. You know how it is. Countless people follow his every move. Everyone says he must be buried in research right now. He probably doesn't even have time to see us."
It was not just Wanda. He himself was filled with anticipation.
Nolan Locke was a name that had changed their lives.
Without Mr. Locke, the two of them would still be under HYDRA's control, brainwashed and experimented on like lab animals. Even now, those bastards might still be carrying out cruel and inhumane tests on them.
Maybe one day, they would have died like the others who could not withstand the side effects.
Or perhaps they would have been sent on some meaningless mission and killed in a pointless battle.
But now, everything was different.
Mr. Locke had saved them and given them back the feeling of being alive.
To the twins, that meant everything.
"All right," Scarlet Witch said softly, nodding in disappointment.
"You're right. It probably wouldn't be easy for us to get inside anyway. I've heard Locke Technologies has extremely strict security."
Seeing her agree, Quicksilver finally relaxed a little.
Between the two of them, Wanda was always the more sensitive one.
"Let's go," he reminded her. "Don't forget why we came here."
Scarlet Witch nodded, her eyes still filled with anticipation.
At that moment, a warm, familiar voice spoke behind them.
"It's been a while. You two look like you've been doing pretty well."
Both of them froze, then broke into smiles at the same time.
"Mr. Locke!"
They turned around and exclaimed in unison.
They had never expected that just as they were about to leave, they would actually run into him.
Although… his outfit looked a little strange.
Nolan Locke smiled and nodded.
He had not expected it either. He had just returned from the Ravager Planet and ended up bumping into Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
Thinking about it, more than two months had passed since he rescued them.
Yes, Nolan had spent over two full months in space.
Setting up his Ravager Planet branch and putting it on the right track had taken no small amount of effort.
And after the branch was established, security became another serious concern.
The Ravager Planet was anything but peaceful.
Even without that, there was still the issue of possible retaliation from the Kree.
To deal with all of it, Nolan had poured a great deal of thought into building a powerful defensive system.
He had even stationed a large number of Terminators there for protection.
As for his trump card…
He had ultimately brought it back with him.
Something of that value was practically impossible to replicate. He had purchased a finished product outright. Even if he were given ten years, he doubted he could research anything meaningful from scratch.
And a hundred billion credits was simply too much. Nolan was certain he would not be able to obtain a second one anytime soon.
Compared to expanding his cosmic arms dealer plan, his own life mattered more.
He could only hope the Kree would not completely lose their minds.
That said, he was not overly worried. The Ravager Planet was home to countless factions. If the Kree truly made a large-scale move, they would stir up the entire planet's power structure.
Back on Earth, the sudden change in environment left Nolan feeling slightly out of place.
Scarlet Witch said softly, her cheeks tinged with red, "Thank you again for what you did last time. Without you, we would never have the life we have now."
Nolan laughed.
"No need to thank me. Just don't come at me trying to kill me like last time, and we're good."
Both of them stiffened in embarrassment.
Seeing that he was not mocking them, Nolan continued, "So what brings you to New York? You're not here to assassinate Tony Stark, are you?"
He added seriously, "I'll say this again. Tony Stark designs weapons, but who uses them is not something he can decide."
The twins exchanged bitter smiles.
Back then, they really had not thought things through. After spending time in the outside world, they slowly came to understand how naïve their original thinking had been.
Even without Tony Stark, the missile that destroyed their home would not have magically vanished.
Quicksilver spoke up.
"We're here so that the world won't create more children like us."
Scarlet Witch nodded firmly. That was their goal.
Nolan paused in surprise.
Quicksilver explained, "We saw the Avengers recruitment announcement."
As he spoke, he pulled out a newspaper.
In one corner, there was indeed a notice stating that the Avengers were recruiting new members.
Nolan's expression turned slightly strange. This answer truly caught him off guard.
He never would have expected Nick Fury to use such a straightforward method to recruit people.
But he had to admit, it worked remarkably well.
After all, it had drawn in Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
Even among the Avengers, their strength placed them firmly at the top.
Especially Scarlet Witch. One day, she would be powerful enough to challenge Thanos head-on.
After hearing their answer, Nolan nodded.
He did not oppose their joining the Avengers.
Yes, the Avengers were inevitably entangled with politics because of their relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., but that did not mean the organization itself was evil.
It was simply something Nolan personally could not accept.
"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" Nolan asked with a smile.
"Really?" Both of them looked excited.
"Of course."
Without hesitation, Nolan led them inside Locke Technologies.
Two months had not brought dramatic visible changes. Everything was still operating in an orderly fashion.
But the pace of development could only be described as astonishing.
Nolan introduced them to the various facilities within the company.
Having only escaped HYDRA for a few months, the twins had adapted to the outside world, but seeing the advanced technology of Locke Technologies still filled them with awe.
The robots moving about the corridors looked like something out of a fairy tale.
While Nolan was guiding them, another tour group was also visiting the facilities.
This group was special. It consisted of students led by a teacher.
Among them, two boys stood out immediately, one chubby and one thin.
"Peter, do you see that? That's the Red Queen main control console!"
"Of course I see it, Ned. I know more about this than you do. Do you have any idea how advanced Locke Technologies' latest AI is?"
Hearing the conversation from afar, Nolan felt surprised.
Spider-Man, in this world?
Originally, Nolan had no strong feelings about Spider-Man. He knew Spider-Man was the friendly neighborhood hero, but their paths were not meant to cross often.
That changed after Nolan visited another Spider-Man universe.
With that thought, he led Wanda and Pietro over to the group.
"Sounds like you know quite a bit about Locke Technologies," Nolan said.
"Of course, we're…"
Ned was about to answer proudly when he suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth.
"L Locke Mr. Locke!"
Ned stared in shock, and then the entire group erupted in gasps.
Even the students who had been indifferent moments ago were now visibly excited.
This was Nolan Locke, a living hero.
They might not care about the tour. They might not love science. But no one could remain calm when a real hero stood right in front of them.
Hero Nolan was different from other superheroes.
His influence had already become part of everyday life.
In the past, Captain America Steve Rogers had been everyone's ideal hero.
But now, more and more people had chosen Hero Nolan as their sole idol.
They admired heroes, but they admired even more a hero who had truly stepped into their world.
And Nolan Locke was the only one who had accomplished that.
"That's right," Nolan said with a playful smile. "I'm Nolan Locke."
"Mr. Locke, I'm your idol. No wait, damn it, I mean you're my idol!" one student blurted out nervously.
No one laughed at him. He was simply the first to gather the courage to speak.
"Relax," Nolan said gently. "I'm just an ordinary person. Right?"
The world was full of villains and full of scoundrels. Nolan himself was far from a saint.
In his early days, he had killed hundreds during gang wars. When he realized Uncle Charles intended to move against him, he did not hesitate to force his hand.
In the Spider-Man universe, he had even orchestrated the arrival of the symbiotes to gain official trust in Locke Technologies.
But one thing was certain.
He would never harm these kids.
Wanda and Pietro watched the scene in astonishment.
They knew countless people admired Mr. Locke, but this was the first time they truly felt it.
These people admired him just as they did.
Nolan's gaze swept over the students and finally landed on Peter Parker.
He spoke to the group.
"Do you know what quality a hero truly needs?"
"Strength," one child answered. "Heroes need great strength."
Nolan laughed.
"Strength lets people notice you. But there are many heroes in this world. Some are not famous because they lack great power, yet no one can deny that they are heroes."
"It must be intelligence," another child said eagerly. "Only someone smart enough can be like Mr. Locke!"
Nolan shook his head again.
Both answers were wrong.
The students fell silent, thinking hard.
If it was neither strength nor intelligence, then what was it?
After a moment, seeing no one answer, Nolan looked at Peter Parker and said slowly, "It's responsibility. With great power comes great responsibility."
Peter felt Nolan's gaze and stared at his own hands.
Not long ago, he had gained power.
But he had not known what to do with it.
He dreamed of becoming a superhero and was already making plans.
Yet never before had his path felt so clear.
Nolan noticed Peter's reaction.
He knew this version of Peter Parker was different. In this world, Uncle Ben was no longer there to guide him.
Because of that, his growth was slower. Even though he was not alone, it was still not enough.
Nolan sincerely hoped that this Peter Parker would never face a regret that would haunt him for life.
Not only Peter was listening. Wanda and Pietro were listening too.
Responsibility.
Nolan sighed inwardly.
Being a true hero was never that simple.
Responsibility was not the same as blind sacrifice. Nolan himself carried countless responsibilities, but he knew clearly what he should and should not do.
Standing among these young dreamers, Nolan almost felt younger himself. Then again, he was only in his twenties.
Peter and the others were on a school trip, so Nolan did not interact with them much longer.
In truth, just those few words were probably enough to keep many of them awake all night.
Wanda and Pietro, however, continued touring with Nolan and saw many impressive things.
Soon after, they went off to handle their own business.
They had not forgotten their purpose in coming here.
After resting at the company for a while, Nolan headed into the Hive testing area.
Suddenly, something came to mind.
"Red Queen, how is the Mind Scepter?"
"The Mind Scepter has been placed in the inner Hive. No abnormalities detected."
Nolan relaxed.
Then he smiled.
"It's time to check on Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's masterpiece."
Without the Mind Stone's interference, he was curious what the two of them had managed to create.
At Stark Industries, Nolan spoke directly.
"Red Queen, breach the JARVIS system."
He grinned.
Back then, Red Queen could only hack a doorbell. Now, Nolan was confident that aside from JARVIS's core program, Stark Industries' firewalls were meaningless to him.
But almost immediately, alarms blared.
Security personnel rushed toward him.
Soon after, Stark's head of security, Happy Hogan, arrived.
Seeing Nolan, Happy's expression turned complicated.
"Mr. Locke, care to explain what you're doing?"
Nolan flashed a bright smile.
"If I say I'm helping Stark Industries test its AI firewall, would you believe me?"
Happy paused, then sighed helplessly.
"All right. Please come with me to see the boss."
He had already received authorization.
Was this how geniuses greeted each other?
Unbelievable.
Inside the lab, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner exchanged glances, both grinning.
It was not easy to catch Nolan Locke off guard.
Soon, Nolan entered, with a wary Happy behind him.
"All right, Happy," Tony said with a laugh. "You don't need to be so tense."
Only then did Happy turn and leave.
Tony smirked.
"Looks like you're not very impressed with our AI."
Nolan curled his lips.
"It's not great. Its only real advantage might be the alarm system."
Tony raised an eyebrow and turned slightly.
"Ultron, our friend seems to have some complaints. Why don't you prove your capabilities to him?"
So they really used the name Ultron.
Nolan felt a headache coming on. That name carried far too many memories.
The next second, a holographic figure appeared.
"Hello, Mr. Locke. I am the artificial intelligence Ultron. I am equipped with third-generation…"
Ultron launched into a detailed explanation of its systems.
Nolan listened, frowning the entire time.
It was undeniably powerful.
But without the Mind Stone, how exactly had Tony Stark and Bruce Banner managed to create something like this?
…