**
Baron Strucker, whose full name is Wolfgang von Strucker, was once a core member of Red Skull's Hydra faction. The reason Link hadn't targeted Loki's scepter was that he intended to leave it untouched for Strucker. Strucker would use the scepter to create Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the twin siblings who would prove essential.
The Avengers needed to grow in strength, and interrupting their emergence could disrupt that. But the question remained: was Killian collaborating with Baron Strucker? Hydra would surely value his research, but Killian wasn't foolish. He likely secured funding through sending those underdeveloped Extremis soldiers as cannon fodder, keeping his real work hidden. His ultimate goal was to perfect the Extremis virus, making it stable and eliminating its weaknesses. After all, Extremis soldiers could die if dismembered, but they were almost invulnerable to typical injuries and could emit heat intense enough to melt steel.
Link decided to investigate Sokovia, a small Eastern European country that didn't exist in his original world. It was a remote nation with weak military forces, making it the perfect hiding spot for Strucker. Adjusting Stark's satellites, Link surveyed the area and quickly identified a castle surrounded by military forces, equipped with Hydra's signature technology. This base clearly belonged to the remnants of Hydra.
---
"Darling, I need to head out tonight," Link informed Jessica. "I'm going to investigate Sokovia."
"Alright, got it. Do I need to be extra cautious while you're gone?" Jessica asked.
"No need. This is a covert operation, nothing for you to worry about," Link replied, shaking his head. "I'll be back soon."
"Understood," Jessica said as she continued preparing dinner. Meanwhile, Link readied his gear, knowing he'd need some specialized equipment for this mission.
After dinner, Link opened a space portal and instantly appeared in Eastern Europe, flying toward the Hydra location. Upon approaching, he landed and began covertly scouting the perimeter, using his X-ray vision to locate surveillance lines. Strucker had fortified the place with hidden strongholds, an advanced monitoring system, and defensive measures like energy shields, which drew power from the energy cores developed using the Tesseract's power. Hydra had tapped into the Tesseract's energy since World War II, and the remnants were still in use here.
---
How had Red Skull lost, Link mused as he carefully moved through surveillance blind spots. Was it his insatiable ambition? Had he not sought to overthrow both sides, rather than cooperating with that little dictator, things might have gone differently. Captain America and his Howling Commandos would never have been able to dismantle Hydra piece by piece.
Once inside, Link quickly scanned the area, searching for the scepter and the twins. He needed to know if they had already developed their powers, as that would determine when he could steal the scepter. However, before finding the twins, he discovered Killian in a laboratory, surrounded by several Extremis soldiers. Dr. Maya Hansen, the brilliant scientist behind the Extremis virus, seemed to be held captive—likely because Killian didn't fully trust her.
Using his X-ray vision, Link scanned deeper, knowing he couldn't afford to penetrate too far into the facility just yet. X-ray vision had its limits; he could only see through a portion of the building at a time, so he continued his cautious infiltration.
Soon enough, he located the Maximoff twins. They appeared to have just unlocked their powers and were in the process of adapting to them, though they were being held captive for now.
With this information, Link knew he was ready to proceed. He withdrew from the facility and, once outside, began systematically eliminating the external guards. Even though the security cameras might capture footage, it would all be stored on servers inside the fortress, which he would erase later. Link wasn't particularly worried about being seen, but minimizing complications was always a good idea. Before anyone could react, he dismantled the outer defenses.
Gathering all of their advanced weapons into one place, Link used his powers to send them away. The energy core weapons were potent, but they relied on the Tesseract for power, and Link had no intention of giving them that kind of energy source. The Tesseract's energy wasn't meant to be used in such a reckless manner.
---
After the external threats were neutralized, Link moved back inside with blinding speed. He wasn't just fast like Quicksilver, who relied on brute force and speed. Link was a trained killer, skilled in the art of execution. By the time the internal guards realized something was wrong, Link had already infiltrated the heart of the facility.
The alarms blared, and inside the fortress, the chaos began. Baron Strucker, roused from sleep, had no time to respond before Link struck him down. With Strucker dead, Link seized control of the fortress's command center, downloading all of Hydra's data and erasing the surveillance footage of his infiltration.
Killian, now aware of the attack, emerged with his Extremis soldiers. Despite being within Hydra's stronghold, Killian and Strucker hadn't fully trusted one another. While Strucker coveted Extremis technology, Killian eyed Hydra's energy weapons—each planning to betray the other eventually. The energy weapons were particularly effective against Extremis soldiers, as direct hits from such weapons could cause irreversible damage, making it impossible for the soldiers to regenerate.
Both men had been biding their time: Strucker waiting for the twins to master their abilities and Killian hoping to perfect his virus. Link's sudden arrival disrupted their plans.
As Killian and his soldiers charged out, they found Link standing in their path, armed with two energy pistols. Without giving them a chance to react, Link opened fire, his speed and precision too much for the Extremis soldiers to handle. He had already eliminated the Hydra forces; now, it was time to finish Killian's group.