Wait a second.
Gwen knows how to fight?
How come I never noticed?
Locke looked at Gwen with a hint of suspicion. He knew her marksmanship was excellent, which made perfect sense given her family background.
George was a veteran cop and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He was a staunch supporter of gun rights. In his words, firearms did present risks and challenges for law enforcement and social management.
But...
The right to bear arms was written into the Constitution. If that right was taken away, the country would no longer be free, and the people's freedom of choice would be stripped from them.
So, even though Gwen didn't personally care for guns, she knew exactly how to shoot, disassemble, and maintain them. According to George, whenever gun maintenance day came around at home, Gwen was always right there helping him clean them.
But hand-to-hand combat?
Locke had truly never seen any sign of that.
Gwen looked up, saw the look on Locke's face, and smiled. She clenched her small, pale fist.
"I happen to be very good at it, you know. I learned Krav Maga!"
Krav Maga, also known as Israeli combat training, was a specialized military fighting style developed by Israel.
Even though it originated there, it had been popularized worldwide. For the FBI, Krav Maga was a mandatory course, and it was also the top choice for women looking to learn self-defense.
"That's right."
Erin had just finished her workout. Wiping away her sweat with a towel, she walked over and caught the end of Gwen's sentence. She looked at Locke.
"Gwen picks up everything incredibly fast. Two years ago, her fighting skills were already on par with a cop who's been on the force for two years."
Standing beside her, Helen shook her head and laughed. "Thankfully, she didn't turn into some muscle-bound brute."
George stood nearby with his arms crossed, looking every bit the cool, protective dad. "My daughter is smart. She learns everything quickly. Knowing a bit of self-defense ensures that no one can push her around."
Locke just kept smiling.
There was no doubt about it.
Even though George didn't look at him directly out of a bit of self-consciousness, those words were absolutely meant for Locke's ears.
But whatever.
Locke wasn't the kind of guy who would ever raise a hand against his woman anyway.
Helen rolled her eyes at George, smoothly changing the subject as she looked at Erin.
"So, how are you feeling?"
Erin flashed a brilliant smile.
"Amazing. I've never felt my body this light and energized."
It was true.
An unprecedented sense of relief.
Every single cell in her body felt like it was celebrating.
After all, addiction was notoriously impossible to cure, especially when it came to that specific kind of high-grade drug. Even the wealthiest billionaires couldn't completely clean it out of their systems; they just had the money to substitute it with more expensive, advanced alternatives.
But she didn't have that option.
Erin had fully expected this road to recovery to be agonizingly painful, and that a single slip-up would drag her right back into the abyss.
But now?
Erin took a deep, clear breath.
"I've never noticed how fresh the air smells."
Locke arched an eyebrow and chimed in.
"That's probably because the perfume Gwen put on today has a fresh, floral scent."
Erin's smile froze.
Gwen blinked in surprise and playfully punched Locke with her small fist.
The whole group burst out laughing.
A moment later, Black Widow and Mockingbird walked over from the main lodge.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward them.
During the night, once they realized Erin's condition might be linked to that forced dose of medicine, the agents had suggested running a more comprehensive medical screening.
Erin had agreed.
By now, the lab results should be ready.
Erin looked at Black Widow.
"Well? What's the verdict?"
Mockingbird, Bobbi Morse, spoke up from the side. "Your physical metrics are excellent. Your system is unprecedentedly healthy and clean."
It was clean to the point where she looked like someone who had grown up entirely within a sterile, germ-free bubble.
But a human like that couldn't realistically exist in the wild. Scientific experiments had already proven that if someone raised in a sterile environment suddenly stepped into the real world, they would suffer a terminal bacterial infection within a very short time.
Modern society was just far too polluted. If a modern human were dropped into the Middle Ages, they would basically be a walking biohazard.
Yet Erin completely defied that logic.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science had run overnight analyses on her blood samples. It appeared that an unclassified variable was circulating in Erin's bloodstream, acting like an absolute protective shield.
The moment any external bacteria or pathogen made contact with this shield, it was instantly isolated and destroyed.
To put it plainly...
"Right now, you are completely immune to toxins."
"What?!"
"Even if you accidentally ingest a lethal poison, your body will automatically reject and flush it out. The only thing we don't know yet is whether this effect is permanent or temporary."
"..."
Erin was entirely bewildered.
"But... how is that possible?"
Standing off to the side, Locke rolled his eyes internally.
Son of a bitch.
If he had known Erin was just going down to the reservoir for a late-night swim rather than trying to drown herself, he never would have gone out there to find her.
Locke was starting to regret the whole trip.
If it hadn't been for Erin, he wouldn't have gone to the water, which means he wouldn't have run into Mavis, and he wouldn't have had his future timeline spoiled by a century-old diary.
Wait.
Locke stroked his chin and drew in a sharp breath.
No, actually, he should be glad Erin went.
Think about it. If Erin hadn't gone to the reservoir, Locke wouldn't have followed. And if he hadn't followed, Mavis still would have arrived.
With Mavis's naive personality and how heavily protected she was by the Count, she probably would have manifested right in front of the whole group at the lodge.
If that had happened...
Locke figured he would have been forced to execute a total slaughter to wipe out all the witnesses.
Helen frowned as she addressed the agents. "Did the lab manage to identify what exactly Erin drank?"
Mockingbird glanced at the specialized research scientist who had accompanied them.
The scientist pushed up his glasses. "We detected the clear presence of CPH4 inside Ms. Lindsay's bloodstream."
"CPH4? What is that?"
"A specific biological substance."
Gwen, whose academic profile perfectly aligned with advanced biochemistry, turned to explain it to Helen.
"Mom, CPH4 is a critical organic compound that provides the essential energy for a fertilized egg to form into a human shape. Pregnant women secrete a microscopic amount of CPH4 during the sixth week of gestation. The volume is incredibly tiny, but to a developing embryo, it acts like a localized atomic bomb, providing the vital energy required for the fetus to grow perfectly."
As she finished, Helen looked at the scientist with a deep frown.
"But that's impossible. True CPH4 only exists in a purely theoretical framework."
Simply put, it couldn't be extracted or synthetically manufactured.
Back when Dr. Connors initialized his research, his primary objective had been to harness this exact substance. He wanted to use the catalytic properties of CPH4 to stimulate the bodies of amputees, triggering a secondary developmental cycle so their missing limbs could autonomously grow back.
But the project had failed completely.
Even in advanced molecular physics, CPH4 was categorized strictly as a hypothetical product of an idealized system.
The scientist nodded. "Yes, Dr. Stacy. But the residual markers inside Ms. Lindsay's system are absolutely real, and the concentration is quite high. The volume currently active in her frame contains enough energy to structurally form ten independent fetuses ten times over. Because of this, our department wants to conduct a highly detailed, clinical study with Ms. Lindsay's cooperation."
Erin froze slightly at the request.
Hank Voight's face darkened instantly.
Mockingbird immediately stepped in to ease the tension.
"Of course, this is entirely up to Ms. Lindsay. We don't use any coercion. If you agree, S.H.I.E.L.D. maintains an advanced laboratory matrix in New York. If your group wishes, you are fully authorized to stay in the observation gallery throughout the entire process."
"New York?"
"Yes," Black Widow joined in, her voice smooth and persuasive. "If Ms. Lindsay agrees, a dedicated transport plane is already prepped on the tarmac to take us straight back to New York. After all, I'm sure you want to understand exactly what kind of substance is rewriting your biology."
Erin's brow remained tightly knit.
She hated the idea of being studied like a lab rat by an intelligence agency.
But... she desperately wanted to know what had been put inside her.
Especially after listening to Black Widow, Mockingbird, and Gwen explain what CPH4 was. While most of the complex science went over her head, the words "atomic bomb" had registered loud and clear.
According to them, this stuff was impossible to make, and its energy density inside the human body was equivalent to a nuclear payload.
What if it suddenly suffered a stability failure and blew up her organs?
After all, that vampire didn't exactly look like a member of some heroic league of justice. If his true intent had been to save her, he could have just used his words.
It was hard to get someone to willingly line up for an execution, but when it came to a life-saving cure, no one drowning in the agonizing pain of a drug addiction would ever turn it down.
So, what if the substance wasn't an antidote at all, but an engineered toxin?
What if it was a terrifying, advanced drug designed to give her a brief taste of physical euphoria, only to completely hijack her nervous system once the incubation phase ended, turning her into an absolute, obedient slave?
Street drugs always operated on that exact transactional hook.
"Fine."
Erin calculated her remaining vacation days and nodded at Mockingbird and Black Widow.
"I'll go with you. But your department gets a maximum window of ten days, and you will place absolutely zero restrictions on my personal freedom."
Mockingbird offered an immediate nod of confirmation. "Of course, Ms. Lindsay. Throughout the testing phase, if you feel uncomfortable with any protocol, you maintain the absolute right to halt the sequence instantly. Our objective mirrors your own; we just want to find out exactly what is happening to your body."
Turning to George and Hank, Mockingbird added, "If either of you harbor safety concerns, I will personally issue temporary security credentials for you. You can monitor everything in real-time from the observation room."
Had Nick Fury still been running the agency, there would have inevitably been hidden agendas and exploitation plots at play.
But the current landscape?
Ever since Fury's death, the entire institutional culture of S.H.I.E.L.D. had undergone a clean, thorough revitalization. Even the air inside the agency felt distinctly fresh.
George exchanged a quick look with Hank. Originally, Hank and Erin had planned to catch a flight back to Chicago, but if Erin was heading to New York instead...
Then... deep-sea sport fishing?
He wouldn't have to manage that excursion as a solo actor anymore.
He had just secured a veteran ally!