"Hahaha! Heaven helps me!"
"Fate is on my side this time! With the Scepter in hand, and such a powerful superhuman under my control..."
From the moment the blonde man appeared, Baron Strucker had been suppressing his excitement. Now, he let it all out, shouting in triumph.
However...
CLINK.
A crisp, metallic sound rang out.
Strucker's maniacal laughter cut off abruptly.
He stared at the spot where the tip of the Scepter touched the man's chest.
Something felt... different.
The blonde man hadn't moved or spoken since he arrived. His expression remained frozen.
Strucker wasn't sure if the mind control had taken hold.
He tapped the Scepter against the chest again.
CLINK.
Strucker hesitated, then tried to give a command.
"I order you to..."
Before he could finish the sentence, the blonde man moved.
He snatched the Loki Scepter from Strucker's hand and, in one fluid motion, tapped the tip against Strucker's chest.
Blue energy flowed from the gem, invading Strucker's body.
His eyes turned black, then a vivid, glowing blue.
Strucker, who had been winding up for a counterattack, slowly lowered his hands and stood still, docile.
"Right. That's what it looks like when you're controlled."
Uh, that sentence was spoken by Strucker himself.
The blonde man remained silent. He walked over to the two terrified pilots and tapped them each with the Scepter.
CLINK. CLINK.
"Fly the plane properly. Continue to the original destination."
Finally, the man "spoke." But the voice didn't come from his mouth. His lips didn't even move.
It sounded like a speaker installed in his chest cavity.
However, for the mind-controlled crew, these anomalies didn't matter. They didn't question; they just obeyed the instinct to serve the master holding the Scepter.
Well, okay, he wasn't technically a man.
The blonde "Homelander" cosplayer was, of course, the Haro Mech sent by Luca.
Luca had cautiously equipped it with the [Transformation Watch] to disguise it as Homelander.
He had uploaded a bunch of random character models into the watch's database, but since he recently added head-mounted lasers to the mech, Homelander felt appropriate for the occasion.
Unfortunately, the Haro Mech didn't have a mouth mechanism, so the disguise's face was frozen, and the voice came from external speakers.
But none of that mattered. The Loki Scepter was now in Luca's hands.
He ordered the Haro Mech to mind-control the surviving Hydra soldiers one by one. Then, he randomly picked an unlucky soldier and tossed him out of the plane.
The Haro Mech then used the watch to transform into the soldier's likeness, taking his place on the team.
The Hydra Airbus continued smoothly toward its original destination: the secret base in Sokovia.
"Hakimi, take over control of the Haro Mech."
"Also, don't forget to record Strucker's behavioral patterns. Make him spill all his secrets. Report any new developments immediately."
Luca scanned the intel flowing back from the mech, then removed his remote control headset. He leaned back in his chair, stretching comfortably.
"Phew~ That was easier than I expected."
Of course, "easy" was relative.
If he hadn't pinpointed the Scepter's location, Luca wouldn't have risked such a bold move against Hydra.
"But mind control via the Scepter is just a stopgap measure. I should build a talking robot to replace Strucker permanently."
Luca recalled that while the Scepter's mind control was powerful, it was fragile. A strong blow to the head could break it.
If he relied solely on the Scepter to control the European branch, one accidental slip in the shower by Strucker could expose everything.
It was safer to drain Strucker of all his intel and then replace him with a doppelganger.
Also, the Loki Scepter is definitely a Core Component. I need to bring it back for synthesis eventually. I wonder if the Scepter and the Mind Stone count as one or two items?
Leaving such a powerful item out of my direct reach makes me uneasy.
Looks like I need to find time to visit Sokovia. Might as well handle the branch office setup while I'm there.
Yes, even though he controlled Strucker, Luca wasn't canceling the "cooperation."
Project Insight wasn't just Strucker's pet project; it was Hydra's core grand strategy.
Luca thought trusting three Helicarriers to police the world was stupid, but he couldn't openly sabotage it without alerting the other Hydra heads.
Besides, Strucker's intel revealed that the test in Sokovia wasn't just about Insight. It was about establishing a long-term "stable order" for when Hydra eventually took over the world.
Arrogant bastards.
Strucker had already started lobbying politicians controlled by Hydra to push the Arbiter pistol adoption. The proposal for the new Aurantius subsidiary in Sokovia was already on Luca's desk.
Their execution was efficient.
It's a shame Wanda and Pietro haven't been recruited by Strucker yet. Otherwise, I'd have two more powerful minions.
Luca was pondering how to navigate the Hydra politics without sinking with their ship when Sherry's cool voice came over the lab intercom.
"Luca, Shamila says dinner is ready."
"Oh! Coming!"
"She also said school starts tomorrow. The chef prepared a 'nutritious meal' for you. Hurry up, you need to sleep early tonight."