[Yes, sir. I've already sent all the coordinates to your personal terminal.]
Following JARVIS's guidance, Lucas immediately took the three of them and headed straight into the territory of Russia.
First, using the coordinates provided, he located the reclusive overseer of the Winter Soldier program. From him, Lucas obtained the red notebook containing the activation commands—and destroyed it completely.
After that, he flew directly to Siberia. In less than ten minutes, he located the Winter Soldier research facility hidden deep within the endless snowfields.
Boom!
Leaving the siblings on the surface, Lucas smashed straight into the underground base.
Without Lucas's Ki protecting them, Wanda and Pietro were instantly assaulted by the subzero temperatures. In mere moments, they were close to freezing solid.
Meanwhile, Baron Strucker—who had been unconscious—was jolted awake by the extreme cold.
Left with no choice, Wanda activated her Chaos Magic, wrapping herself and Pietro in a protective layer.
It couldn't fully block the biting cold, but it helped enough to keep them alive.
Less than two minutes later, Lucas burst back out of the snow, one person slung over his shoulder.
"I forgot you still can't handle extreme cold yet—my bad!" Lucas apologized quickly.
Seeing the three of them shivering violently, he immediately wrapped them in his Ki once more.
Warmth returned, and their tense expressions finally eased.
Even while carrying four people, Lucas still accelerated past Mach 30, streaking away from the Great Bear's territory.
Less than three seconds after he left, the ice fields behind him began to tremble violently.
The ancient glacier cracked apart, massive chunks of ice collapsing one after another.
Moments later, the entire ice sheet sank several meters. From above, it looked as if a vast basin had suddenly formed.
But under Siberia's raging snowstorm, the newly formed depression was quickly buried, as though it had never existed.
After flying for fifteen minutes, Lucas returned to American airspace.
He handed Strucker over to the joint task force for secure containment, then turned and flew the remaining three straight to his home.
At the door, Lucas knocked.
Elaine opened it.
"These are Wanda and Pietro," Lucas said, gesturing to them. "They'll be staying with us for now. Help them get familiar with the house."
Elaine gave Lucas a sideways look.
"Are you coming back for dinner tonight? Carrie hasn't even gotten out of school yet."
Lucas smiled and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry, I'll be back. Take care of them for me."
"I really don't know whether I'm here to be taken care of, or to take care of people for you," Elaine muttered under her breath.
Watching her lead the siblings inside, Lucas rose into the air and flew straight back toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Despite all the back-and-forth, less than an hour had passed in total.
The joint operation by the four major agencies hadn't fully begun yet, so S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters still appeared calm on the surface.
"I'm back at HQ," Lucas said into his earpiece. "How's it going on your end?"
"Relax," Tony replied confidently. "The Captain and I have completely locked down the control systems of all three Helicarriers. Hydra can't get control of them—unless it's through me."
Captain America followed up in a steady voice.
"We've confirmed that everyone stationed at critical points on the Helicarriers is Hydra."
"It's obvious how much they value these ships. Everything you said was correct."
Lucas glanced at Nick Fury, who was still seated.
Dropping the unconscious Winter Soldier onto the floor, Lucas asked calmly,
"Even now, are you still unwilling to accept it?"
Nick Fury's expression had returned to normal—no trace of his earlier agitation remained.
He spoke in a low voice.
"It's clear now. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been almost completely infiltrated by Hydra."
"If we don't take extreme measures, we'll never root them out."
"I just never imagined Alexander Pierce—and even his assistant—were Hydra."
Fury sighed.
Pierce had once been his superior. They had worked side by side on countless missions.
Finding out the truth felt like discovering that the spouse you'd lived with for thirty years wasn't who you thought they were.
Still, Fury truly lived up to his reputation as the world's top spymaster.
Even something this devastating couldn't keep him down for long.
He looked at the man lying on the floor.
"Who is this?"
"Ever heard of the Winter Soldier Program?" Lucas asked.
"Yes," Fury replied.
"The original plan was started by the Soviets to counter Captain America's super-soldier. Hydra later infiltrated and seized control of it."
"But after the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the program was shelved."
"So… he's one of the Winter Soldiers?"
Lucas nodded.
"Correct. His name is James Buchanan Barnes—Steve's childhood friend. They grew up together."
"What? Barnes?!"
Captain America's shocked voice burst through the earpiece.
"Lucas, are you sure? He fell off a mountain and was declared dead—are you certain?"
"I'm sure," Lucas replied.
"But Captain, I recommend you stay focused on the mission for now. Don't let this distract you."
"Understood," Steve said firmly, going silent.
Knowing that his best friend was still alive was more than enough—for now.
Fury asked,
"If I remember correctly, each Winter Soldier had a unique activation code."
"That's right," Lucas replied.
"I found the book containing all those commands immediately."
"I burned it to ashes on the spot. No one will ever be able to use those codes again."
Fury finally relaxed—but then gave Lucas a knowing look.
"So you memorized all the commands before destroying it, didn't you?"
"Of course," Lucas said plainly.
"It's always good to keep a few trump cards."
At that moment, Lucas's phone rang.
He glanced at the number and smiled.
Answering the video call, he saw the four agency directors seated together.
"Commander," they said in unison,
"Our personnel are in position and ready."