Marvel: My Eyes Defies Fate.

Kurogai never considered himself a hero. Heroes were the kind who sacrificed their own interests for some so-called greater good — and in Kurogai's eyes, any talk of a greater good was worth less than trash.

If a person couldn't manage their own affairs, what was the point in chasing after some noble cause for others?

That was exactly how Kurogai saw this situation. He'd come to this Hydra base to wipe out their forces, not to babysit a bunch of prisoners. If Hydra's people managed to slip away because he wasted time on them, then his entire operation would be pointless.

But Kurogai wasn't some heartless villain either. He didn't mind giving them a shot at freedom. That's why he ordered the Winter Soldier to open all the cells, leaving them to escape on their own. Whether they survived or not was their own problem.

When Kurogai coldly declared he wasn't a hero, the prisoners who had just been freed froze. Wide-eyed, they stared at him, struggling to understand what he meant.

Wasn't coming here and releasing them a heroic act? Then why would he suddenly say he wasn't a hero?

But whether he called himself a hero didn't matter. What did matter was that this young man had no intention of taking them with him. And in a place this dangerous, with armed soldiers everywhere, how were they supposed to escape alone?

"Hero, please don't leave us behind!"

"Yeah, you can't just abandon us!"

"Why did you free us if you weren't going to help?"

"Right! If you really don't want to save us, then we… we'll stay here and die!"

"Yeah, we'll just wait here for those soldiers to come and kill us!"

One after another, the prisoners shouted, trying to guilt him into protecting them. They had no other choice. The terror Hydra had inflicted on them left deep scars, and now they clung to Kurogai like a lifeline. Some even went so far as to threaten him with their own lives.

It was a foolish move — especially against someone like Kurogai.

"Oh? You'll stay here and die if I don't save you?" Kurogai's expression turned cold, a faint, mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as a glint of frost flashed in his eyes.

"Yes! If you abandon us, we'll wait here for death!" one of them called out, thinking their plea might make him relent.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

"Well then, if you're so eager to die, I'll help you along. Winter Soldier — kill them."

Kurogai's voice was cold and sharp.

Some people liked to demand things from the strong, disguising it as moral obligation. But what they failed to understand was that strength owed nothing to weakness — and Kurogai despised that kind of moral blackmail.

If they thought being weak entitled them to protection, Kurogai had no problem teaching them a brutal lesson about reality.

Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier charged forward, his metal fist raised. The prisoners panicked and bolted in every direction, shrieking as they scattered. None of them dared stay in front of Kurogai now.

And at this point, none of them still believed he was a hero — not that he had ever cared what they thought.

"Come back. We've got more important things to handle," Kurogai ordered calmly.

These people weren't worth another moment of his attention. They didn't want to fight for their own survival, only begging for someone else to carry them. Kurogai wasn't interested in that kind of dead weight.

The Winter Soldier wordlessly returned to his side, and the two prepared to press deeper into the base. The real threat, Baron Strucker, had yet to appear, and Kurogai wasn't about to lower his guard.

Just as they moved to advance, Kurogai noticed two children — a boy and a girl — standing directly in his path. Judging by their ragged clothes, they were prisoners too, yet unlike the others, they hadn't run.

And they were brave, or foolish, enough to approach him.

"Do you realize I was about to kill people just now?" Kurogai asked flatly. His tone left no doubt: he wouldn't go out of his way to save anyone. If anything, showing up now was a risk to their lives.

"I… I know," the girl stammered, summoning her courage. "But I'm not here to beg. I want to make a deal with you."

Kurogai raised a brow, a trace of curiosity flickering in his gaze.

The girl had clearly seen his stance. She understood he wouldn't help those who only begged for mercy, so she chose a different tactic — to negotiate.

A clever move. And Kurogai respected cleverness.

"A deal? Now this I want to hear. Go ahead — you might get lucky if I'm in the mood."

A faint smile crossed his lips.

"I want you to help my brother and me get out of here alive," the girl said, her voice steady despite the odds. "In return, we'll work for you, become your subordinates. I promise, we may be young now, but we'll be valuable to you one day. That leader you fought just now said our abilities were exceptional. That we'd be useful."

She was desperate, throwing in whatever details might improve her chances. She even quoted what the Hydra scientists had said about them, hoping it would sway him.

Kurogai's smile deepened.

"That leader? Baron Strucker, hmm? A brother and sister… Interesting. Tell me — what are your names?"

"My name's Wanda, and my brother's Pietro," the girl answered quietly.

And there it was.

As Kurogai had suspected, these two were the young versions of Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff — the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

His smirk widened slightly. Things were getting interesting.

---

You're probably wondering, why are they kids when Black Widow's an adult?

Honestly, that one's a mystery.

I mean, Quake's a kid too, so maybe Natasha's the anomaly here.

Google does say Black Widow is older than Wanda in the MCU, so it checks out.

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