The leaders didn't respond at first. Their eyes darted between each other, between the guns on the floor, and the terrified faces of the people they were supposed to protect.
Finally, the old man exhaled shakily.
"What… what do you want us to do?" he asked. The pistol in his hand lowered an inch, not much, but enough to show he was thinking instead of purely suspecting.
Liam didn't move any closer. "Work with us," he said. "If you want to live, we need to act together. Black Ridge expects a massacre. If we stay divided, they'll get it."
Wanda looked at her people...at their fear, their anger, their confusion.
"What is your plan?" she asked quietly.
Liam didn't answer right away.
He looked around the warehouse first...at the terrified civilians, the handful of brave ones gripping pipes and broken chair legs, the leaders who stood tense and unsure, the rattling windows, and the far corners where some people were trying not to panic.
It was still too early to reveal his abilities and he didn't want to compromise his identity yet either. So he decided to take on these Black Ridge men with the help of everyone.
"My plan," Liam said after he was sure, "is to make sure none of you die tonight."
The words hit everyone in different ways.
Some civilians froze, unsure whether to believe him. Others looked hopeful for the first time.
Pietro scoffed but didn't interrupt.
Wanda didn't move. She just watched him carefully, trying to read him.
After a few moments, she nodded once.
"Tell us," she said.
Liam turned slightly toward Steve and Natasha. Both stepped closer, not aggressively, just enough to show they stood with him.
"We have about ten minutes before Black Ridge decides we failed the test," Liam explained. "Maybe less if they get impatient."
Pietro frowned sharply. "Why would they come early?"
"Because they don't trust us," Liam said. "And they definitely don't trust you. If they think something is wrong, they'll storm the building and shoot everyone inside."
Liam continued calmly. "The moment they think we didn't kill you, they'll come inside. So we don't have much time."
The old man folded his hands and voices his doubt, "So what do we do? We can't fight armed men without anyone dying here."
Liam shook his head. "We don't need to fight them all at once. We have to control how they enter."
Natasha interrupted. "Before anything, how many exits and entrances does this place have?"
"Just two," the older woman answered. "One main entrance in the front and one exit at the back."
Natasha nodded. "Good. That makes this easier."
Liam continued, "We block the back exit completely. If they can't use it, they'll all be forced to come through the front."
The older man's eyes widened slightly as he understood. "That limits how many can enter at the same time."
"Exactly," Liam said. He pointed toward the back of the warehouse. "Start there. Block the exit with anything heavy. Crates, tables, cabinets. Make sure it won't open even if they try to ram it."
Three men hesitated until their leaders nodded. Then they rushed toward the back. Pietro and Steve moved with them, helping drag the heavier crates and metal shelves into place to block the exit. When they finally stepped back, breathing hard...well except for Steve, they looked toward Liam and the others for confirmation.
"That's good enough," Liam said.
Meanwhile Wanda hadn't stayed still either. She moved quickly through the crowd, guiding the elderly and children toward the safest corner, away from where the fighting would break out. She whispered assurances, calming trembling hands and frightened faces, even though her own life was just as much at risk.
Once the back exit was fully secured and reinforced, Liam turned toward the rest of the people.
"Alright… now we make sure Black Ridge does not get suspicious," he said, lowering his voice so everyone leaned in to hear him clearly.
Wanda frowned in confusion and asked, "Suspicious of what?"
Liam gestured at the room around them, "Right now it is too quiet. Much too quiet. If they hear silence from outside, they will immediately know something is wrong. They are expecting chaos inside this building. They want screaming, fighting, panic, anything that makes the situation sound uncontrollable."
The old leader nodded with a grim expression. "He is right. They need to believe everything is going exactly the way they planned."
Natasha folded her arms as she considered the idea. "So we make noise. A lot of noise."
Liam pointed toward the civilians, who exchanged uncertain glances with one another. "Exactly. Everyone needs to shout, yell, act terrified, bang on the walls, hit something, do whatever you can to sound chaotic."
People hesitated, unsure how to begin.
Wanda stepped forward, took a slow breath, opened her mouth, and attempted to demonstrate what he meant.
The sound that came out was absolutely not a scream.
It was a soft "Ahh!!"
Everyone in the room froze.
It did not sound like fear or panic. It sounded like a moan, an extremely questionable and extremely not-public-friendly moan that had no business echoing inside a warehouse surrounded by armed people.
Pietro blinked. "What the actual—Wanda, what was that?!"
Wanda looked horrified. "I...I was trying!"
Liam lifted a hand as if to stop the embarrassment from escalating, but he could not keep a straight face no matter how hard he tried. A laugh slipped out instantly.
"That is definitely not what fear sounds like," he said, failing to hold back his grin. "That sounds like someone having a really good night. Like you and your boyfriend getting a little too enthusiastic."
He thumbed toward Pietro.
Pietro's reaction was immediate and explosive. "Are you out of your mind? We are twins! Twins!"
Liam blinked once, then twice, and said, "How was I supposed to kn.....well my bad."
Wanda covered her face. "Please, for the love of God, forget that sound ever existed."
Several civilians tried and failed to hold back their laughter. One young man choked on his own attempt to stay silent.
The brief moment of humor eased the tension in the room, letting everyone breathe for the first time since the plan started forming.
Then Liam clapped once. "Okay, sex noises and accidental moaning aside...we need actual chaos. Shouting. Screaming. Banging. Curse if you have to. Say whatever makes noise."
Wanda was still red but she pulled herself together, inhaled deeply, straightened her posture, and shouted with determination, "Everyone yell! Now!"
Chaos erupted instantly.
People screamed curses with genuine force behind them. Others yelled random nonsense or shouted names that meant nothing in the moment. Someone grabbed a metal pipe and smashed it against a shelf in rapid, loud bursts that echoed like thunder. Two younger men began shouting at each other as if they were in the middle of an argument about money. One woman stomped repeatedly, her steps loud enough to vibrate through the floor.
From outside the warehouse, it would easily sound like a full-scale, frantic fight had already begun.
Liam motioned the leaders and the ones who would fight closer while speaking to the non-fighting civillians. "Good. Keep making noise. If we suddenly go quiet, they'll know it's fake."
Pietro spoke over the noise. "This buys us time. But we still need a plan that won't get us killed."
The old man swallowed as he interrupted. "We… we have never fought anyone. We have never killed anyone. Holding a gun is one thing. Pulling the trigger is another."
Liam sighed at that as he needed to change that mindset of theirs. "Listen to me carefully. Black Ridge will kill you. They will kill your families. They will kill everyone in this building without hesitation. This isn't a choice between killing and not killing. This is a choice between dying… or surviving long enough to protect the people behind you."
His eyes hardened as the noise echoed around them. "Decide now—live with blood on your hands… or die with regret."
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