C34 - Hail HYDRA!

E/d note: The next few chapters are relatively short, at just shy above 1000 words. I don't know what else I can include to expand on the MTL chapters for these. The MTL chapters are just too short .-.

'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

[System]

[Diary entries]

(Word count: 1,228)

~ With Luke ~

"Yeah, not today buddy." Luke had been able to catch the attacker within seconds due to his enhanced physique. As he reached the location of his attacker, he saw that the attacker had chosen to go out on his own term. Deciding against that, Luke quickly acted.

'Wait, if my ability to be a blood bender like in Avatar is limited to a battle of wills, can't I just drown the person?' Wouldn't it be easy to just drown Kang or something?' Luke wondered.

'No, it couldn't be that easy, could it? After all, Kang has many other tricks up his sleeves. Even Thanos is not really Human, so does he really need air to breath? I mean, he does have a nose. But then again, a blobfish also has a nose, and it lives underwater. Don't even get me started on Ultron, that mechanical cheating bast*rd.'

As Luke was in his own thoughts about his abilities, he heard a gurgling sound coming from within the sphere. 'Is he actually trying to drown himself? I can't be having that, not until I get some answers.' Deciding to release just the head of the attacker, Luke began his interrogation.

"Who sent you?" Drawing upon his time as a high levelled agent, Luke asked in a low and commanding tone, as if honed by years of stern commands and unwavering authority. Staring at his silent captive, a smirk found it's way to Luke's lips. "Last chance to tell me while it's still peaceful."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Luke raised his hands and formed two water needles. Ever so slowly, he moved the needle closer and closer to the attacker's eyes. As it was just about an inch away, the attacker still hadn't said a word.

Grunting, Luke dispersed the water. "You're boring. You seem like the type to not speak even I chopped your fingers off one by one." Luke could only complain at how uncooperative his attacker was being.

"You should just kill me, you won't get a single word from me." The attacker taunted.

Luke, not one to back down from a challenge, instead offered another alternative. "Or I could just tell you who I know sent you." Luke started, a grin plastered on his face. "I mean really, it's pretty obvious if one thinks about it."

'He shouldn't have been here for me specifically. The only three people in this world who knows about me in detail, well as much detail as I want them to know about, are Fury, Natasha and Wanda. And I can definitely rule out those three. What about someone from SHIELD then?' Luke pondered.

'That's possible. But with how I hinted in the diary about SHIELD being compromised, Fury should have kept information about me to himself and maybe to those I mentioned were trustworthy. No, not me.' As if realizing a key detail, Luke decided to ask a question to probe the attacker.

"Let's see," Luke started as he leaned close to the ear of the attacker, but still out of range from any sneak attacks, "Hail Hydra." Taking a step back, Luke smiled at the response he had gotten.

The attacker had widened eyes as he shouted "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOU-MPPHHHMPPHM"

Luke covered the attacker's mouth with the water from the sphere, causing the words of the attacker to sound muffled. "I see, you weren't here for me. You were here for someone else, let me guess, the Maximoff twins?"

At Luke's admission, the attacker's eyes narrowed as he struggled to get out of his constraints. "I'm right, but then why attack me?" Luke wondered aloud. "The twins. Sokovia. Baron Strucker."

Upon name dropping Strucker, the attacker once again widened his eyes as he struggled harder to free himself. The attacker thought that Luke knew too much and that he either needed to report this back to his higher ups in HYDRA or take out Luke before he became a problem for them.

"I see, so you work for his branch. The twins were suddenly taken away from the base in Sokovia, and so Strucker either wanted them dead or monitored. Knowing him, the order should have been to kill them. But if so, why did it take you guys this long to act?" Luke questioned.

Seeing as his attacker wanted to reply, Luke lowered his mouth covering a brief period, "Oops that's my bad, forgot you were still muted."

"WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WE KIL-" Luke swiftly brought the mouth cover back upon hearing the attacker's response. "And that's enough out of you."

Thinking about the reasons, Luke landed on what he thought was the most probable. "HYDRA didn't know where they were." Luke started, "Fury must've had them meet him in New York, but afterwards sent them to LA since they appeared in my café earlier today. But he did it secretly, so the snake in SHIELD didn't know where the twins were taken to after."

"You should have been one of the lookouts, and you came across them today. Then why didn't you kill them directly?" As Luke asked this question, his expression darkened. "I will give you one chance to tell me the answer, did you do anything to Wanda and Pietro?"

Luke once again lowered the mouth cover to let the attacker speak. However, as disappointing as reality always was, the attacker just spit on Luke before saying to Luke "Go f*ck yourself."

Immediately after Luke stopped the spit mid-air, Luke commanded for the water in the attacker's body to move about wildly, causing immense pain to the attacker. Luke kept this up for another 10 seconds, knowing that he could keep the attacker alive for as long as he wanted to as long as he doesn't mess up the important organs.

After the 10 seconds, Luke heard the man screaming for him to stop, to which he did. Staring at the attacker, Luke narrowed his eyes, conveying to the attacker that he demanded answers.

Not wanting to experience the same excruciating pain twice, the attacker could only reveal the truth. "I didn't touch them. I wanted to take out anyone that they seemed to know before I went after them, to avoid any loose strings. You were the only one they seemed to recognize from the way you and that girl stared at each other, so I went for you first."

Listening to the attacker, Luke released a sigh of relief internally.

- End of Chapter 34 –

Next time in C35 - Cold Blooded.

'Fury now suspects SHIELD and both Wanda and Pietro are released from the clutches of HYDRA too early. The domino effect will only keep chaining from this point forward. I have to start grounding myself to reality during my meditation sessions now.' Luke pondered.

You can support me on p@treon.com/The_Editor982 !