Lock continued to push open the hatch of the life cradle.
When he reached the lower half of the body, his hand suddenly paused—and his expression froze.
"Oh… oh…"
It wasn't admiration. Quite the opposite.
The "key part" was completely missing.
Smooth. Clean. Like a store mannequin—no unnecessary additions at all.
Lock couldn't help sighing deeply.
In the original timeline, how exactly did Wanda and Vision manage… that?
Forget the question of children for a moment—how did they even deal with the basic needs of lovers?
Was their relationship truly that pure? Purely Platonic?
If it were just that, fine—it wasn't his business.
But when he thought about it, this small "flaw" might have changed everything.
Because of this missing detail, Vision and Wanda never had a real family.
No son. No daughter. No tangible anchor of love.
After losing everyone she ever cared for, the Scarlet Witch lost the last bit of emotional stability she had left.
And then—Westview happened.
The grief pushed her into illusion, then the Darkhold tempted her.
Without children of her own, she went searching through the multiverse for "her" children—other versions of herself who had what she lost.
That led her to attack Kamar-Taj—the sacred stronghold of the Masters of the Mystic Arts—causing countless casualties.
Then came the collapse of an entire parallel universe.
All of it, Lock thought, might have been triggered by this one missing thing.
Ordinary people, when deprived of happiness, just end up with heartbreak or divorce.
But when it's the Scarlet Witch who loses her happiness, the consequences are… catastrophic.
Even if Vision's unique physiology couldn't create life in the traditional sense, at least the possibility could've offered hope.
As he lingered at that section, Helen's face turned bright red.
Why had he stopped there of all places?
And when she noticed him glance toward Wanda, her thoughts jumped immediately to the worst conclusion.
This man is a total pervert! A shameless, overconfident bastard!
"Ahem…" Tony coughed. "Lock, is there a problem?"
Lock said seriously, "Why didn't you add this… part?"
Tony blinked. "Uh… It's not necessary. That'd be a waste of material."
"You said he's a new lifeform," Lock countered. "If he wakes up and finds out he's missing something important, won't that cause a psychological issue?"
Helen took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed.
"He's a completely new species, not human. He doesn't have hormones or gender impulses. You don't need to think about such things."
Her words were calm, but the blush spreading across her cheeks betrayed her.
When she'd worked with Tony, no one ever mentioned such topics.
Everyone was a scientist; it was all technical. No one felt awkward.
But this man, this Lock, immediately fixated on the strangest details—and now she was forced to explain it to him like some flustered intern.
It was mortifying.
Lock, however, wasn't done. "But you did make him look like a man."
The body did, indeed, resemble a middle-aged male in his forties.
Tony asked, puzzled, "Lock, why do you care about these details? This body isn't meant for… that. It's non-biological—it wouldn't even work."
"Oh…" Lock finally nodded. "In that case, I suppose it doesn't matter."
He shrugged, then noticed everyone staring at him strangely.
To avoid further misunderstanding, he quickly added, "Ahem… you're not thinking I have some kind of weird hobby, right?"
Tony didn't hesitate. "Yes. Since the day I met you, I've never seen you do anything normal."
Helen silently agreed: You are absolutely a degenerate.
Lock's expression darkened. Tony still hadn't forgotten their first meeting in the cave—that miserable meal of takeout that he'd never lived down.
"Actually," Lock continued, "there's a real reason I brought it up."
"As I said, this creation has a destiny connected to Wanda. In another timeline, they were lovers—husband and wife, even."
"I just… care about the happiness of my friends. You all understand that, right?"
Tony, Pepper, and Helen shook their heads in unison.
None of them understood. Not even a little.
Tony said dryly, "Lock, there's not a single thing you've done that I've ever understood. Not one."
Lock sighed. No chance to save face.
He should've brought Tony "Pearl Jade Soup" that day instead of ration stew.
Still, he admitted inwardly—yeah, it sounded strange even to himself.
He couldn't exactly tell them it was about the sacred timeline.
His eyes flicked toward Wanda.
Her cheeks flushed instantly.
Quicksilver froze, completely confused.
Wait, what? My idol's into my sister now? What's happening!?
Wanda gathered herself, then looked at Vision's unfinished form.
"Lock, how could I ever fall in love with a robot?"
Lock gestured at the face on the table. "You really don't feel anything?"
"I don't like older men," Wanda said bluntly. "Even if he were human, I still wouldn't."
Quicksilver seized the chance—blurring into motion and reappearing beside her.
"Then what kind of guy do you like, sis?" he asked eagerly.
"Hm… someone around my age, maybe… and…"
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. "…maybe someone from the East."
Her last words were almost inaudible—but Lock heard every syllable.
Wow… is my charm really that overpowering?
Just standing here was enough to change a superhero's destiny?
Still, Wanda's lack of feeling toward Vision made sense.
In the original timeline, her powers came from the Mind Stone's energy—while Vision's consciousness was the Mind Stone itself.
That shared essence connected them.
But now, Vision had no Mind Stone—no link to Wanda at all.
It was only natural that she felt nothing for him.
And yet… thinking back on his actions—the offers to help, the protection, the words of comfort—it was no wonder she'd gotten the wrong idea.
After all, when a powerful, handsome man keeps appearing to "help" a young woman in distress, people tend to assume one thing.
"This…" Lock coughed awkwardly. "Anyway, robots are boring. You're better off without one—especially one that's, uh, cutting corners."
Helen immediately rolled her eyes again, her patience stretched thin.
Cutting corners? she thought angrily. That's called scientific efficiency!
Finally, Lock continued pushing the hatch downward until Vision's entire body was revealed.
"Tony," he asked, "is this body still unfinished?"
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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