Chapter 121: [120] : Another Marvel World
[A/N] - Support and Read 11 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!
[A/N] - For More Chapters - Drop Some Power Stones! 💎💎
.....
Following the call for help sensed through the Mind Stone, Roger arrived above an old castle nestled in a forest in Northern Europe.
It wasn't that he didn't want to find Jean, but the Mind Stone couldn't connect to her mind at the moment. Instead, he picked up the voice of an unfamiliar girl.
He suspected that this girl might somehow be connected to their unexpected arrival in this world, as the Mind Stone had inexplicably brought him here and linked him to this new voice.
Following the feeling, Roger arrived at the source of the distress call, not realizing the distance would be so great. It took him several minutes of flying at top speed through the air to reach the location.
Upon arrival, Roger noticed a symbol that would be familiar to any Marvel fan: a skull with six tentacles extending from it, the emblem of Hydra.
"...You've got to be kidding."
Recognizing the symbol, Roger finally understood which world he had entered.
It was indeed the Marvel Universe, and from what he could tell, it was set during the timeline when Hydra still existed.
Using his x-ray vision, Roger observed Loki's scepter stored within the base in front of him. This suggested that he had arrived between the events of the first and second Avengers films, just after the first had ended but before the second began.
With this timing, the voice he heard earlier...
"I found them. It's Wanda after all."
Searching further, he finally found Wanda and her brother below the base, no, in this Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would be her brother, Pietro.
They both appeared to have recently undergone Hydra's experiments. Pietro's body twitched unnaturally, occasionally vanishing and reappearing nearby. Wanda, on the other hand, was trying to manipulate some blocks in front of her with her newly acquired powers.
There was no doubt that the call for help had come from Wanda.
When her powers were activated by the Mind Stone within Loki's scepter, it inadvertently linked to Roger's Mind Stone, allowing him to hear her voice.
"So, it's Wanda..."
Seeing her, Roger felt somewhat disappointed.
He had hoped the one calling for help would be someone connected to the Mind Stone itself. Well, technically, she was connected, but it was the Mind Stone from this world, not the one he held.
Sighing slightly, Roger looked down at the Hydra base below. Instead of rushing in, he called out suddenly,
"Watcher? Are you there?"
Since he was in the Marvel Universe, the Watcher was bound to be watching somewhere, though Roger found it strange that despite being back, the Watcher hadn't appeared to ask him to help with Infinite Ultron.
Perplexed, he called again, just to be sure.
If the Watcher were still around, he would certainly appear.
But surprisingly, the Watcher didn't respond. Roger waited a while longer and still didn't see him.
"What's going on...?"
By all logic, the Watcher should be fine. Even without Roger's return, he should have had no problem assembling a team to handle Infinite Ultron.
Could it be that Infinite Ultron was already defeated, making the Watcher's presence here unnecessary?
With the Watcher out of the picture, Roger decided not to press the matter.
In fact, the Watcher's absence could be a good sign, indicating that the multiverse-threatening Ultron had been dealt with and Roger was free from the responsibility of fighting him.
Pushing thoughts of the Watcher aside, Roger focused on the task at hand.
He pinpointed the locations of both Loki's scepter and Wanda and Pietro and then dove down toward the Hydra base without hesitation.
---
"Sir, we've detected an unidentified flying object."
Inside Hydra's base, a Hydra operative monitoring external sensors turned to his superior with an urgent report.
The leader, with a monocle over his left eye and nearly shaved head, was Baron Strucker, the man in charge of the base.
Strucker glanced at the radar.
"Unidentified flying object?"
"Yes, it's...humanoid...and it's descending!"
The subordinate barely managed to reply before he saw the humanoid figure dive straight toward the base from above.
Sensing danger, Strucker quickly commanded,
"Activate the defense system! Shoot it down!"
But despite his quick response, he was still a second too late.
Before the defense systems could engage, the humanoid figure smashed through the ceiling and dropped to the deepest part of the base, bypassing layer upon layer of obstacles.
*Boom!*
With a thunderous impact, the entire base shook as if an earthquake had struck. Strucker was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that the figure hadn't landed in his office; it had gone straight to the laboratory in the lowest level of the base.
"Damn, Loki's scepter!"
Realizing the intruder's true target, Strucker immediately thought of the scepter in the underground lab along with the twin experiments Wanda and Pietro.
The intruder was obviously after Loki's scepter, and Strucker couldn't let it fall into enemy hands.
"Hurry! Send a team to the lab! Any unknown individuals approaching must be shot on sight!"
Strucker yelled to the Hydra strike teams.
Hydra operatives gathered quickly, fully armed, and moved toward the lab.
---
*Tat-tat-tat!*
Inside the underground lab, Hydra guards were already firing relentlessly at the intruder who had just broken in, leaving a massive hole in the ceiling.
Roger glanced at the bullets shooting toward him, and time seemed to slow.
Every time he crossed worlds, his abilities would gain an enhancement. This time, it seemed his thinking speed had increased.
Roger's speed was already impressive; while not quite on par with the Flash, it was far beyond human capabilities. The only limit on how fast he could go was the speed at which his mind could keep up with his body.
Without the ability to process information quickly enough, moving at full speed on the ground would be risky, possibly resulting in an accidental collision with innocent people.
So aside from flying, he rarely used his super-speed on land.
But now...
*Bang! Bang!!*
Roger dashed through the Hydra soldiers with lightning speed. In seconds, they were all knocked to the ground, and their weapons twisted into useless scrap metal in his hands.
For the first time, he experienced the thrill of moving at his full speed with enhanced perception, and he couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction.
"Feels great!"
There was indeed something exhilarating about that frozen-in-time feeling when everything around you is still, leaving only you in motion.
No wonder, in The Flash, some characters would say they could run themselves to death for this feeling, it was intoxicating.
But Roger didn't let himself enjoy it for too long; he remembered his mission and that Jean was still missing.
After a brief thrill, he reached Wanda and Pietro's holding cells, standing outside and looking at the siblings.
His sudden entrance left them wary.
Both were confined in cells designed to counter their powers, preventing any escape. For now, they could only look at Roger with cautious expressions.
After studying them for a moment, Roger looked at Loki's scepter nearby and the trembling scientist in a white coat standing beside it.
Ignoring the scientist, Roger picked up the scepter and gave it a casual swing, then looked at the scientist.
"This is mine now. Any objections?"
The scientist frantically shook his head, recognizing Roger as an extraterrestrial, probably like Thor, someone whose strength far surpassed human limits.
Pleased by the scientist's lack of resistance, Roger approached Wanda and Pietro, addressing Wanda directly,
"So, if I'm not mistaken, you were the one who called for help?"
"?"
Wanda was momentarily stunned and then shook her head vigorously.
"I... I didn't ask anyone for help."
Wanda and Pietro were both Hydra experiments, but they bore no ill will toward Hydra.
They harbored resentment toward Tony Stark and were willing to endure Hydra's experiments if it meant gaining power for revenge.
Normally, Wanda would never call for help from an outsider.
"I know, I know," Roger replied. "You didn't call anyone. But while you were undergoing the experiment, I'm sure there was a moment when you hoped for help. It doesn't matter if it was just a fleeting thought; I'm here to rescue you now. Unless…you'd prefer to stay here?"
Roger paused, adding,
"If you'd rather stay, I'll respect your choice and leave immediately. But if you have even the slightest desire to leave, I'll take you with me. The choice is yours."
Because they were in separate rooms, Wanda and Pietro couldn't see each other's expressions.
Wanda hesitated, while Pietro urged her from his cell,
"Let's get out, Wanda."
Wanda fixed Roger with a wary stare and said to Pietro,
"I don't trust him. I can't read his thoughts."
"Of course you can't read my thoughts," Roger sighed, holding up the scepter. "My mind is heavily encrypted. But back to the main point… If you don't trust me, does that mean you're staying?"
Roger had come to this place because of a cry for help, not to destroy Hydra. He wasn't inclined to force the two to leave if they didn't want to.
Seeing that Wanda seemed well and was unwilling to leave, Roger decided he would respect their choice either way.
...
Support and Read 11 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the Rest!
https://p@treon.com/dragonnx
[ Replace '@' with 'A' to access Patreon normally ]
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone