Lock here.
After the battle at the base, I rested for a day and set off on the second day.
Accompanying me were Black Widow, Captain America, Wanda, and Pierce, who was tied up tightly.
Pierce had originally planned to die rather than surrender, but I didn't bother to torture him. I simply sealed his mouth shut and carried him like a human compass.
A group of four people and one prisoner moved straight in the direction of Quicksilver.
All the way, we went in a straight line — crossing mountains when there were no roads, flying low when needed — more precise than any satellite navigation.
Pierce's eyes were filled with disbelief. How could they possibly know where Quicksilver was?
You know, when it comes to hiding and infiltration, Hydra prides itself on being unmatched.
Over the years, under the constant pursuit of the world's righteous forces, S.H.I.E.L.D. had never been able to fully expose Hydra. Instead, Hydra had grown stronger and spread wider.
It was a remarkable feat — one that made every other terrorist organization envious.
But in front of Lock, all of Hydra's secrecy was meaningless.
Previously, he had used a strange move that "destroyed Hydra in the name of justice," wiping out the agents hidden inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Now, even the most well-concealed Hydra base seemed as obvious as a candle in the dark.
What countless spies and analysts failed to do for decades, Lock made look as easy as breathing.
Compared to Pierce's shock and Wanda's curiosity, Black Widow and Captain America were already numb.
They had seen too many impossible things on the road.
At this point, even if Lock had turned the mountains upside down, they probably wouldn't have blinked.
If Lock said "walk straight," then they would walk straight — even if there was a cliff ahead.
If it weren't for the possibility that Hydra might have set up self-destruct mechanisms in Quicksilver's cell — like the ones in General Ross's super-prisons — Lock could have flown directly in and been done with it.
But flying in high profile could make Hydra panic and trigger a kill command.
If Quicksilver died, not only would Wanda lose her brother, but she might also turn against S.H.I.E.L.D. altogether.
After all, even though Quicksilver was a superhero, his luck was ridiculously bad.
His ability was speed — pure, unmatched speed, like The Flash.
In "Avengers: Age of Ultron," among all the heroes who fought the mechanical army, he should have been the least likely to die.
Because bullets can't hit him. Ultron can't catch him.
And yet, he died — from a bullet.
Truly tragic.
Now, because of Lock's arrival, the divine timeline had completely changed.
Wanda was still being used by Hydra as a pawn, but Quicksilver had been imprisoned — a hostage to control his sister.
It was almost as if all the good luck in their bloodline had gone to Wanda alone.
Lock asked, "Wanda, does your brother have any hidden kill devices? Like a micro-bomb or something?"
Wanda shook her head. "Probably not. When I left, they had just locked him up."
"Good," Lock said. "Then this will be easier."
As long as Hydra hadn't implanted a micro-bomb that would explode at the first sign of tampering, there was nothing to worry about.
Approaching the base, Lock casually tossed Pierce into the snow.
With a wave of his hand, several light-blue energy lines appeared around the perimeter.
He was cutting the space off — no Hydra would escape today.
"Natasha," Lock said, "you and Steve go for Hydra's data vault. Try to grab the full list."
"Wanda and I will rescue her brother. Pierce stays here — he's not going anywhere."
"Got it," said Captain America, eyes gleaming.
Hydra had been his enemy since World War II. He had fought the Red Skull himself — and even after waking from the ice, Hydra still slithered everywhere like a nest of roaches.
No matter how many times they were crushed, they kept coming back.
"Let's move."
Lock wrapped an arm around Wanda's waist. With a burst of speed, they vanished — leaving an afterimage in the air.
Black Widow swallowed her faint jealousy and followed Captain America toward Hydra's control center.
Meanwhile, guided by Wanda's telepathic sense, Lock homed in on Quicksilver's location — a subterranean cell.
They didn't bother being stealthy. Doors and walls shattered before them as they passed.
Hydra soldiers had no time to react — many were crushed instantly, bodies torn apart in the shockwave.
Wanda had fought before, but this kind of carnage was different.
When a soldier exploded near the corridor, she instinctively recoiled, face pale.
But Lock pulled her close, shielding her in his arms. She buried her face against his shoulder without thinking.
Fortunately, Lock had already deployed his divine barrier — not even dust could touch them.
The chaos quickly reached Hydra's command center. Alarms blared across the base.
Countless Hydra troops poured into the halls, rushing toward the dungeon.
This was exactly the plan Lock had discussed with Captain America — draw Hydra's full attention while Steve and Natasha secured the data.
If they had gone first, Hydra would have purged their files long before they reached the control room.
Even Lock couldn't trace Hydra's global branches without those records.
Black Widow was an expert hacker — she could breach most systems in seconds.
In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," she'd infiltrated the Lemurian Star and copied vital intel mid-mission.
Now, with Lock causing mayhem as a distraction, she would have an even easier time.
...
In an instant, Lock reached the dungeon.
There weren't many guards inside. He spotted Quicksilver immediately — pale, worn, but unmistakably Wanda's brother.
As Lock stopped, Wanda finally lifted her head from his shoulder, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Quicksilver blinked at the burst of wind outside his cell. "Wanda? You— you're here?"
"I'm here to get you out," Wanda said quickly.
"Don't!" Quicksilver warned. "This cell has a trigger device. If you force it open, it'll detonate the energy bomb. I'll die— and so will everyone in this dungeon."
Wanda froze, the red glow fading from her hands.
The cell was made of reinforced vibranium alloy, surrounded by an inner energy wall.
If it were just metal, Quicksilver could have ground it down and escaped.
But this wall wasn't just a barrier — it was a trap.
Once attacked, it would trigger a self-detonation protocol, killing the prisoner and the intruder together.
The energy wouldn't harm Lock or Wanda — but Quicksilver's mortal body wouldn't survive a second.
Outside, Hydra soldiers were closing in, shouting orders.
Wanda's voice trembled slightly. "What should we do?"
"Don't worry," Lock said calmly. "Let me take a look."
He reached through the alloy bars and touched the inner energy field.
The surface sparked violently, crackling against his skin.
For any ordinary person, that energy would have vaporized them instantly.
But on Lock's divine body, it left only a faint mist.
He examined it, gauging its rhythm — then smiled faintly.
"As long as I control the intensity just right," Lock said softly, "it won't explode."
And with that, he began to act.
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