Strucker was absolutely terrified.
Not just because the man before him could move with such speed that his soldiers' eyes couldn't follow. No, what made his heart freeze was what happened to those same soldiers.
When they aimed their rifles at him, intending to fire, they didn't even get the chance. Their weapons burst in their hands as if cursed, each man collapsing in panic and pain. And the second time, when one of his men tried to rush forward with a dagger, eager to at least stab this strange intruder, something invisible had intervened. The blade never reached its target, melting right in the soldier's hand.
Strucker's throat went dry. This was no accident.
It was deliberate, as if the young man standing before him carried misfortune itself as a weapon.
"Just who are you?" Strucker thought, his lips trembling but unable to form the words. What kind of ability is this? What kind of monster has Hydra provoked?
Baron Strucker had seen more than most men. He had lived through decades of shadows, conducting experiments on humans, playing with forces beyond ordinary comprehension. He had studied the mind scepter itself. He had seen powers that governments still called myths.
But this… this terrified him. This wasn't science. This wasn't orderly research. This was more like a curse that struck with terrifying certainty.
Luke, calm as ever, suddenly stretched out a hand and clamped his fingers around Strucker's throat.
Strucker's eyes bulged. His body lifted from the ground as easily as a child's doll being picked up by a careless hand.
The Baron thrashed violently, his legs kicking, his hands clawing at Luke's wrist, nails scraping desperately against skin that felt as solid as iron. His face turned a mottled red, veins bulging, the desperate sound of someone who couldn't draw breath filling the room.
Luke didn't even blink. He simply tilted his head, studying him like one might study a lab specimen. "Will you tell me now," he asked with quiet patience, "where Pietro is?"
It was almost mocking, the calmness of the voice compared to the suffocating panic Strucker was drowning in.
Strucker wanted to answer, but he couldn't force air through his crushed throat. His eyes watered, and with the last of his strength, he raised a shaking hand, pointing frantically to his left.
Luke followed the gesture and saw just a wall. Probably a sealed room beyond it.
His lips curved slightly. "There, huh?"
But before he could lower Strucker to the ground, a flicker of movement caught his attention.
Reflected in the glossy surface of Strucker's terrified eyes, Luke saw the outline of a figure appear at the doorway.
Silver hair. A lean frame. Clothing he recognized instantly.
Luke's own sharp eyesight confirmed what his instincts already screamed. This was definitely Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver.
And then, he was gone.
Not truly vanished, of course. Just moving too fast for even Luke's eyes to keep up.
Strucker saw it as well. His own eyes widened in horror. The Baron had spent years with the boy inside this base, but never once had Pietro listened to his commands. If Pietro struck, if this white-haired storm of speed attacked the man holding him hostage, Strucker's neck would be snapped in an instant.
"Nonono…" Strucker wheezed silently in his head. His terror doubled. Pietro wasn't his savior. He was his executioner waiting to happen.
Luke, on the other hand, felt something colder coil inside him. His system. That cursed safeguard. If Pietro tried to attack him… it would definitely trigger. He wouldn't even have a chance to stop it.
And sure enough, the familiar chime rang in his mind.
[Ding…]
The air shifted. Crackling energy, the sound of a misstep, and Luke's head whipped around in time to catch a single frame of Pietro's expression, full of surprise and horror, like a man betrayed by his own body, before the speedster lost control.
Boom!
Pietro slammed headfirst into the solid wall behind Strucker with bone-rattling force. The entire room shuddered from the impact.
He crumpled instantly to the floor, silver hair splayed across the stone, eyes rolling back.
Luke let out a slow sigh, lowering Strucker at last. He glanced at the unconscious speedster, and only then checked the message.
[Ding~ Pietro Maximoff attempted to attack the host. His right shoe, extremely dissatisfied, decided to trip him to stop his reckless thoughts.]
Luke's jaw twitched. A bitter smile tugged at his lips. "Another victim of his own shoes, maybe he should start a support group with Thor…"
Baron Strucker staggered backward, clutching his throat, watching Luke as though he were death itself. He didn't dare move, didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Luke ignored him. His attention shifted to Pietro sprawled on the floor. The boy's forehead was bleeding, a dark red trickle staining his pale skin. His ankle had twisted at an ugly angle, swelling rapidly, broken without question.
Luke knelt down, studying him for a moment. "You're reckless," he muttered. "Attack first, think later. Exactly the type to get yourself killed."
But then he exhaled softly. Still… he's most probably Wanda's brother.
Without further hesitation, he grabbed Pietro by the arm and hauled him up with ease.
"Bumblebee, come and pick me up," Luke said into his earpiece.
The base trembled again as Bumblebee came crashing down through the opening Luke had originally made. The giant robot squeezed its way inside, metal groaning as it shifted its shape to fit the confined space.
Luke tossed Pietro toward it, almost carelessly. "Take us to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. He needs treatment."
He wasn't a doctor. But S.H.I.E.L.D. had the best.
Connecting to Fury's line, Luke spoke briskly: "Director Fury, I've got a wounded man who needs urgent medical attention. Prep Dr. Cho. I'll be at headquarters shortly. Also, take over this mission. I'm heading back."
There was a pause. Fury's voice came back sharp: "How the hell do you know about Dr. Cho?"
But Luke had already hung up.
Back in the command cabin, Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling heavily. "…That kid's going to be the end of me." He lifted the communicator and relayed orders to Dr. Helen Cho, before patching through to Steve.
The assault began.
Iron Man streaked forward first, a blur of metal and fire. His missiles tore apart the shimmering barrier surrounding the fortress, the shield collapsing in bursts of light. Without waiting, he rocketed straight through a shattered window.
Thor followed close behind, his entire form wrapped in arcs of lightning that lit the sky. With a thunderous roar, he hurled himself into the castle.
And finally, Captain America. Ever the soldier, ever the stubborn one. Shield strapped to his back, he began climbing up the fortress wall by hand, muscles straining as he pulled himself upward.
But when they breached the base, a hush fell.
The vast corridors were silent.
The rooms empty.
The echo of their own footsteps was the only sound that could be heard.
Where were the soldiers? Where was Strucker's army of loyal men? Where was Strucker himself?
But there was nothing.
Just hollow halls and a creeping sense that something had gone very, very wrong.
…