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*****
Bucky was the most critical variable. He was Captain America's best friend, the assassin who murdered Tony Stark's parents, and the one man capable of turning the two heroes against each other.
In truth, if Feini were to simply deal with him in secret now, it might not be a bad thing. Even if he were discovered later, he could explain to Cap that he had no knowledge of their history. As for Tony, the billionaire would likely only be furious that he hadn't gotten to claim his revenge personally.
Feini hesitated regarding Bucky, but as for the other five Winter Soldiers, there was no need for such internal debate. Based on their records alone, they deserved to die a hundred times over.
"Give me their recent whereabouts!"
Hearing Feini's command, Sitwell showed a flicker of worry but answered nonetheless: "They should be somewhere in Eastern Europe right now. I don't have the exact coordinates yet."
"Then look into it. I'll be back in three days."
Feini stood up and glanced at the nodding Sitwell. After a moment's thought, he decided against giving the man a way to contact him. Their current relationship was far from stable. If Sitwell could betray Alexander Pierce, there was no guarantee he wouldn't easily betray Feini if he were ever compromised.
Besides, Feini didn't plan on playing "Hydra Leader" forever. Once Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. were dismantled, Sitwell's utility would vanish. When that time came, Feini figured he would just wipe the man's memory and let him live out his days as a "good person"—a fitting reward for his time as an undercover asset.
After offering a few words of "encouragement" to Sitwell, Feini returned home. Since he wasn't particularly tired, he sat on his bed and began to study the Mirror Dimension.
Holding the Tesseract in one hand, he pointed his other hand forward.
The air in front of him suddenly rippled with a faint shimmer, like the heatwaves rising off a road in summer. Though subtle, the distortion was visible to a keen eye.
Feini struggled to maintain the effect, but after two or three seconds, nothing happened. The ripples vanished, and the surrounding space returned to its usual stillness.
Feini, however, was left gasping for air, looking utterly exhausted.
The Mirror Dimension was one of Kamar-Taj's most profound spells. In terms of difficulty, it was second only to the secret arts of the Eye of Agamotto—perhaps even on par. Even Mordo had not truly mastered it. Given Feini's natural talent, it would usually take an eternity of study to stand even a sliver of a chance at learning it.
Fortunately, the Tesseract had massively boosted his spatial affinity, granting him the hope of acquiring the spell. But "hope" was just the beginning; mastering and controlling it remained an uphill battle. For instance, he still couldn't actually open the dimension.
"Energy is the bottleneck!"
Feini steadied his breathing, analyzing the cause of his failure.
The Mirror Dimension was an incredibly powerful spell. Its essence was the opening of a dimensional space modeled after the real world but unable to influence it. However, creating a dimension—even a temporary one—was far more taxing than opening a simple portal.
Beyond the sheer complexity of the spell, the most crucial factor was the energy required to construct the dimension. Feini was currently stuck at this stage. His internal energy reserves were nowhere near enough to trigger the spell; even if he pushed himself to the limit, the area he could open would be pathetically small.
Ancient One made it look as easy as child's play, but that was the result of centuries of accumulated magical power. Even so, she occasionally had to tap into Dormammu as a "fountain" to replenish her mana.
Feini had no Dormammu to serve as a battery. Although his newly acquired Breathing Technique could gather energy, his mastery wasn't high enough yet to make a difference for the Mirror Dimension.
"Maybe I should ask the Ancient One how to steal power from Dormammu?"
After a few more failed attempts, the thought crossed his mind. However, he quickly dismissed it. He knew the Ancient One actually detested that sort of behavior; she would never agree to teach him. Furthermore, not just anyone could siphon Dormammu's energy. The Ancient One could do it because she was the Ancient One. If Feini tried to "borrow" some, he might not make it back.
He glanced at the Tesseract in his hand with a hint of regret. It wasn't that he lacked high-energy artifacts—he already had two Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, using them was even more dangerous than trying to rob Dormammu.
The Stones placed an extreme physical burden on the user. Even though they weren't in their raw "stone" forms, Feini could only use them in basic ways. Trying to unleash their true power risked his body literally exploding from the strain.
With a sigh, Feini prepared to practice his Breathing Technique. Since his talent for traditional Kamar-Taj cultivation was mediocre, rather than slowly accumulating mana, he would be better off mastering the Breathing Technique. If he could maintain it twenty-four hours a day, his physical constitution would continue to improve until the day he could use the Infinity Stones without restraint.
Besides, his Golden Magic (Ars Magna) also required immense energy. He still dreamed of the day he could use it to ensure that no one in the universe—besides himself—could ever snap their fingers again!
Three days passed quickly, and Feini returned to Sitwell's home.
"The investigation is complete. They are in Sokovia. There were some issues with their mental programming, so they are currently being adjusted at Baron Strucker's research base."
Sitwell was indeed efficient. He had not only located the targets but had also prepared a comprehensive report on the Sokovia base.
"Well done!"
Scanning the documents, Feini felt a twinge of surprise. He couldn't help but think of the original timeline. If he hadn't interfered, the Scepter would be under study at this very base right now. He also recalled his earlier thought about rescuing the Maximoff twins from this place, but he had been so busy he'd completely forgotten.
"I'll head out to find them in the next couple of days. This won't cause any trouble for you, will it?" Feini asked. He found Sitwell quite useful and didn't want the man's cover blown.
"No!" Sitwell shook his head hurriedly. "I was very careful while gathering the data. Nothing will point back to me. But... are you really going yourself?" Concern flickered across Sitwell's face, as if he were hesitant about Feini going.
"Don't worry, they aren't enough to handle me," Feini said dismissively. Then, noticing a slight flicker of unease in Sitwell's expression, he narrowed his eyes. "Are you wondering why we're killing each other when we're all Hydra?"
"No, no!" Sitwell gasped, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He shook his head frantically. While the thought had crossed his mind, he certainly didn't dare admit it to Feini's face.
"Hydra can only have one head," Feini said, bluffing with a cool tone. "It isn't time to reveal ourselves yet. But the day S.H.I.E.L.D. ceases to exist, you will have a new life!"
Watching the visibly moved Sitwell, Feini added silently in his heart: Regardless of whether you had a choice before, when that time comes, I'll make sure you "choose" to be a good man!
(End of Chapter)