It was a quiet night.
In the heart of the Austrian mountains, darkness draped the landscape in silence. The thick canopy of trees swayed gently in the wind, insects chirped, birds occasionally flapped their wings, and the distant roar of waterfalls echoed through the valleys. Together, these sounds formed a natural symphony—serene and beautiful.
But deep beneath the surface of this peaceful wilderness, the mountain was hollowed out. Inside lay a vast, high-tech fortress—a secret HYDRA laboratory carved into the stone, hidden from the world.
Bright white lights glowed overhead, illuminating a massive underground chamber filled with state-of-the-art scientific equipment. All around the lab, screens blinked, machinery hummed, and robotic arms sat dormant, waiting for activation.
In the center of the laboratory stood the most eye-catching sight—a massive glass tank filled with glowing blue liquid. Inside that tank, a small girl, no older than ten, floated silently. Her blonde curls drifted weightlessly around her face, and a breathing mask covered her mouth and nose. She wore a white lab coat, the sleeves far too long for her tiny frame.
Standing before the tank, a tall, middle-aged man in a spotless lab coat adjusted his glasses. His name was Dr. White, a man whose brilliance was matched only by his madness. He stared at the girl with obsessive pride.
"It's perfect," he whispered, his eyes wide with excitement. "The perfect weapon... My masterpiece."
He didn't speak of her like a human. In his mind, she wasn't a child—she was a tool, an engineered creation. The perfect result of years of ruthless experimentation.
Around him, other scientists continued their tasks as if his words were nothing unusual. No one flinched. No one objected. They were used to Dr. White's delusions—and perhaps shared them.
Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed through the lab as a squad of black-clad soldiers entered. Clad in tactical combat suits and bearing the HYDRA insignia, they moved like shadows. One approached Dr. White and leaned in to speak.
"Dr. White, a message just came in. The higher-ups want to call a meeting."
Dr. White's face twisted in irritation. "Let those cowards rot. They're scared of that so-called 'Goddess of Judgment.' Pathetic. She's nothing to me." Then his eyes lit up with obsession once more. "Just one more step. Just one. And the entire world will belong to me."
His voice shook with conviction, and the other scientists around him stirred with renewed excitement.
They knew what he meant.
The experiment was nearly complete.
If successful, even the strongest beings on Earth—the so-called Goddess of Judgment or alien invaders—would kneel to HYDRA.
This wasn't arrogance. They had worked beside Dr. White for over a decade. They had seen what he could do. They believed.
And yet, fate had other plans.
Suddenly, a sharp alarm pierced the air.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The white lights turned red, flashing urgently across the lab. Warning sirens howled through the corridors. Panic spread like wildfire.
"What's happening?" Dr. White shouted, spinning around.
His eyes locked onto a wall of surveillance screens, showing live footage from key areas of the base. Armed intruders were swarming the corridors, moving quickly and with precision.
And they were heading straight for the lab.
Dr. White's mind raced.
Betrayal?
Sabotage?
At the final moment?
His expression hardened. "Who is it?" he muttered. He looked at his staff—trusted men and women, each vetted over ten years. Could one of them have been a spy all along?
Then—
"Dr. White—look!" shouted one of the scientists, pointing behind them in shock.
Everyone turned. Guns were drawn. Soldiers took aim.
And then they saw it.
A shimmering blue cloud had appeared between two massive machines.
It hadn't been there a moment ago. It floated ominously in the air, crackling with black streaks of unknown energy.
Even without scientific instruments, you could feel the power. The room filled with a choking pressure. An invisible weight pressed on their chests, and cold sweat began dripping from everyone's foreheads.
Dr. White's eyes widened.
He recognized it.
That energy… that blue glow…
"The Tesseract?" he breathed.
He remembered the events in New York. The portal that had ripped open the skies. The alien army that followed.
As HYDRA's top scientist, he had access to intelligence even the world's governments didn't know. He knew exactly who possessed the Tesseract now—and what kind of terror could come from it.
A deep sense of dread crept into his heart.
And then, footsteps.
Step. Step.
Clear, steady, unhurried.
Each step seemed to echo in the hearts of those present.
Plop. Plop.
A rhythmic beat.
The sound matched the pounding of their hearts.
The cloud parted—
A silhouette stepped through.
Long legs. A flowing black dress. A woman.
She emerged from the light like a specter from the void.
The room went dead silent.
And then they saw her face.
"No..." Dr. White muttered. His voice was trembling. "No, it can't be..."
But it was.
Bella.
The Goddess of Judgment.
There was no mistaking her. The same black dress. The same unchanging calm. Her cold eyes swept the room—not with anger, not even with curiosity—but as if she were looking at insects.
Dr. White's false confidence shattered.
Everything he said before—his mockery, his bravado, his plan to rule the world—meant nothing now.
Because she was here.
And she hadn't even said a word.
Yet every person in that lab felt their spirit break.
Several scientists collapsed to their knees, overwhelmed by her presence. They didn't resist. They couldn't. Sweat drenched their faces, and some began to sob from sheer terror.
The soldiers tried to raise their weapons—but their hands were trembling.
Dr. White clenched his fists. "Don't move!" he barked, trying to regain control. But his own voice shook.
Bella stepped forward, silent and serene. Her gaze landed on the tank—the little girl still floating inside.
She said nothing. But something about her presence alone made it clear:
This ends now.
Every soul in that lab, every experimenter, every soldier—they all knew it.
There would be no salvation. No second chance. No escape.
And Bella didn't need to declare judgment. Her presence alone was the sentence.
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