22 CHAPTER 22

[Acquired data fully assimilated]

The prompt took away my focus from Wanda and drew it towards the specifics of the information I acquired. 

Just like speculated, the weapons were indeed trafficked but the sources didn't have any digital stamp, most likely it was something decided through signals or face to face. 

The data stamps present only contained the routes they were to take in delivering the weapons to a local crime lord in Dublin and nothing else. 

It was a simple moving job that didn't require too much information so there wasn't much I could get from it. That wasn't to say I didn't get anything from this. 

"Pietro, I need you to circle around the base and look for a man wearing a typical mafia boss get-up with gold teeth and a tattoo on the back of his neck."

Colm Fordigher was the head of this mercenary/terrorist group and it was a little surprising how he had come to acquire a lot of weapons and robots in such a short time and even move them around several continents. 

I don't know how Sam was able to track this guy and establish a connection to him all the way down here but it sure is impressive work. 

'Let's put this brain of mine to a little work. Process all data registries in this base, from mobile phones to smart watches, and cross-reference them with known associates of this group. Double down on that and spread a net across Ireland's network. We're looking for a mole.'

[Task generated... Task completed]

Try and hide as they might, there's just no way to escape the internet in today's age. 

All the data from every digital device, no matter how small, even the number of steps taken and rate per minutes of heartbeats , were easily accessed by me and with those open networks from their phones and watches, I cross-paired it with any other new device that they must have been in proximity with in the past few days to weeks and voila. 

'I've got my guy, or guys and lady.'

Less than five seconds had passed since I generated the task and processed all the information gotten from it and it was also then that Pietro arrived with Fordigher who looked shocked and confused by what was happening. Probably never met a speedster before I'd bet. 

"I caught him trying to sneak away, unfortunately he was too slow." Pietro said before disappearing in a blur to clean up the base around the entrance since the inside was pretty much empty. 

The man in front of me only had one of those old modeled burner phones in him, probably to reduce the possibilities of being tracked or spyware. 

Unluckily for him, I had already gotten what I wanted from it. 

It was times like these where the Mind Stone really shine. 

A little Technopathy mixed with an EM wave subset, radio waves, and I could already read it like an article on 'benefits of breathing'. 

Reason why I couldn't find out his sneaky link to the American legislation when I was digging through their dirty files was because he wasn't the one in direct contact with them. Someone else was the middleman. 

I've already gotten the contact of his supplier so I don't need him any more, but seeing Wanda just standing there and watching everything with curiosity wondering what I was going to do to him, I shoved him towards her. 

"Try reading him." I said. 

She frowned a little at that and replied. "But I thought they said I shouldn't go barging into people's heads?"

"Then try another way. Rather than just 'barging' like you called it, try compelling him to tell you what you want." I remembered watching that particular vampire series where they could compel people to do their biddings and wanted her to try it. 

It wasn't something complicated but instead a basic application of telepathy. Though it'll be harder and sometimes fail to work on people with higher mental strength, which unfortunately wasn't the case for the dude in front of us. 

"I don't understand."

"It's just like how you use your mind powers, but instead of crudely forcing your way through like last time, try tempting him to stop resisting you. It's more simple than it sounds." I explained. 

I didn't feel as if I was corrupting Wanda because this was honestly just a very basic application of any mental or psychic ability. And it's not as if she was a little girl who isn't conscious of her own actions. 

Am I preying on her trust? Yes. Am I manipulating her? No. Simples.

I held Fordigher in a kinetic hold to reduce all his movements to zero as Wanda steeled herself, her hands gaining a familiar red glow. 

"Don't touch him." I stopped her. "Rather than pushing it forward, just let it spread around him."

She answered me with a nod of her head and retracted her hand while keeping a distance from Fordigher. 

The intensity of her red aura decreased after that as she just continued staring at him with focus. 

"You are already stronger than him in every way. He should answer to you."

Her eyes gained a thick red tint at that as she continued staring. 

I could feel his brain waves weakening and succumbing to Wanda's influence. His eyes lost their focus and his muscles relaxed under my hold. 

"I-I think I got it." She said shakily. I don't think she ever thought of controlling people like this. "What should I do now?" She asked. 

I shrugged. I already got everything I would have needed from him so I don't have reason for him being here for much longer. 

"I don't know. You can ask him whatever you want." Some might think that I might be crazy for making Wanda as terrifying as she could be this early on but for me it's all calculated risk. The stronger she is, the more better it is for me overall. 

 "How did you come up with this?" She asked with incredulity after she relinquished her control of the man. 

"I was experimenting with my abilities and found that out. It's also why I stressed that you shouldn't worry about boundaries. Anything you can think of, try to make your magic do it." I flicked her forehead and ignored the aggrieved expression on her face at my actions. 

Now then, three people were on my list – the three who were supplying alien tech to the black market. 

'Looks like it's time for an upheaval.'

These guys just don't understand. Earth's internet and media was mine to manipulate. I could siphon billions of dollars from the market and no one would know a thing about it. It was my backyard. 

"So what are we going to do with him?" Wanda asked, pointing to the downed man. 

"It'll be a hassle if the UN takes this as another international invasion after Sokovia. We've already gotten more than we needed." And here I was passing a sentence as if it was the most normal thing I've ever done. 

Having him alive and presenting him in front of a panel hearing against legislators and Senate's could very well work against us in the long run. 

Even if I refrain from killing as much as I could, I knew letting this guy live was not a good choice. It wasn't about whether he was bad but whether his impact was good or bad. 

With a flick of my fingers, a pin from one of the fallen terrorists pierced Fordigher's chest and punctured his aorta, slowly widening it with every pump of blood. 

"Let's go." I picked her up, making her yelp in surprise. 

Unlike Pietro's movement, heavily propelling myself and partial phasing made it look as if we teleported through a short distance from Wanda's point of view. 

"Give me a heads up before you do something like that again." She grumbled but the only response I gave her was to drop her off the sky and left her to stick a superhero landing on her own while I just wiped out the strays from my high vantage point. 

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