Cursed Doll

"Sorry, Captain. This project is classified. It wouldn't be safe to tell you." Fury rejected Steve's request to learn about the Mind Stone.

Steve stared at him in shock. "Classified? It wouldn't be safe to tell me? What are you talking about? You mean you don't trust me?"

Fury did not answer. Instead, he asked, "Rather than worrying about whether I trust you, why don't you tell me why you're interested in the Stone?"

Hearing Fury's question, Steve felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest. Fury's words were an admission that he was not trusted.

"Natasha, can I trust you?"

After Fury turned him down, Steve went to Natasha's office.

"Hm? Captain? Why would you say that?" Natasha rose from her chair, unable to understand why Steve had asked that the moment he entered.

Steve sat in the chair with a weary expression. "There aren't many people I can trust right now. You barely count as one."

"Barely?" Natasha caught the implication in his words. "You... suspected me?"

"Not exactly. I just kept something from you. But now, I think I know the mole's true purpose within S.H.I.E.L.D. There's no harm in telling you."

Steve explained Shendu's thoughts on the mole, and Natasha's expression shifted from confusion to shock.

"You mean they might be immune to brainwashing? Doesn't that mean they already know all of our plans?"

Steve sighed. "That's right. It's one of the reasons we haven't found any clues these past few days. Before this, Valmont and I acted alone."

"Valmont? Can that alien really be trusted?" Following Shendu's orders, Natasha tested Steve's attitude.

Natasha's question drained the last of Steve's strength, and he slumped completely into the chair.

"Though I hate to admit it, it's true. Compared to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Valmont is more worthy of my trust."

Steve suddenly laughed. "Ridiculous, isn't it? An alien dragon from another world is somehow more trustworthy to me than the agent colleagues from Earth I've worked alongside for years."

Natasha fell silent. A small piece of shadow split away behind her and left, carrying Steve's words to Shendu.

Watching the silent Natasha, Steve assumed she had been shocked by what he had just said.

Steve did not give Natasha much time. He continued dropping what he considered another bombshell. "Do you remember the Mind Stone?"

Natasha reacted as if startled, her body trembling uncontrollably. "The stone on Loki's Scepter? What about it?"

Steve noticed something was off about Natasha. "Do you know something?"

Natasha did not answer. Instead, just like Fury, she asked, "Why are you suddenly interested in it?"

Steve did not hide anything either, revealing the conclusion Shendu had led him to. "It's the mole's true target. If you really know something, please tell me. This is for S.H.I.E.L.D. too."

Natasha was silent for several seconds before finally sighing. "Fine. Since our goal is the same—to find the mole—there's no harm in telling you."

Natasha closed the curtains, ensuring that the room was completely sealed off.

At first, Steve did not understand why she had done that. He had already prepared himself for a fight.

But what happened next left him dumbfounded. Right in front of him, Natasha took off her top and lifted her bra.

"W-What are you doing?!" Steve shut his eyes, not knowing what to do for a moment.

"Look at me," Natasha ordered.

Steve could only open his eyes and look at her. He noticed a scar on her chest.

Once she was sure Steve had seen it, Natasha put her clothes back on.

"As you can see, there's a scar on my chest. Fury did that."

"Fury?"

Natasha told him about how Fury had placed the Mind Stone inside her body and later removed it.

"Everything you said is true?" Steve could hardly believe his ears. He had already begun to suspect Fury, but he had never expected Fury to do something like that for the Mind Stone.

"Do you think I have any reason to lie?" Natasha asked in return.

Natasha did not give Steve time to react. Following Shendu's orders, she began steering the matter toward Shendu. "If you want my help, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

Natasha paused, giving Steve time to think. "If I take over and handle the Mind Stone with you, your plan will definitely be exposed."

"Why do you say that?" Steve asked.

Natasha pointed at her chest, at the spot where the scar was. "Fury said I was the best container. That means I have some kind of connection to the Mind Stone."

"Fury already knows you're interested in the Mind Stone. If he finds out that you and I are on the same side, the security around it will only become tighter."

Steve lowered his head, remembering that Shendu had already agreed to help him. "That's not a problem. I'm not fighting alone. I have a helper."

"Fine," Natasha said. "I'll handle the Mind Stone's location. Leave the rest to you two."

Shendu sat cross-legged in the middle of the room. The ninjas had just informed him that Steve now trusted him completely.

"What a simple-minded fool."

A magic circle lay before Shendu. As the most powerful dark magician, he had previously been constrained by his strength and the circumstances, making it inconvenient to use his magic.

He still remembered the Leviathan that had charged at him. He could indeed have used dark magic to evade it at the time, but a demon's survival instincts told him not to. He could only play the part of a somewhat larger dragon.

Looking back, that had indeed been the right choice. Leaving aside the fact that using dark magic with his strength at the time would have left him completely unable to move, Ancient One, who had been clearing out Chitauri soldiers approaching the Sanctum in the distance, would definitely have noticed the fluctuations of dark magic.

By then, even if Shendu had not been killed, he would have been imprisoned.

Now, he had completely concealed his presence with the Snake Talisman. Ancient One was not in New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. was already in chaos, and Tony was holed up in his laboratory.

There was no risk of him being exposed.

Natasha was beside Steve. He could obtain Steve's coordinates at any time.

A low chant emerged from Shendu's mouth, and the magic circle before him gave off a faint glow.

At S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve felt a weight settle on his shoulder, as if something had landed there. But when he reached up to touch it, he felt nothing.

One of the curse-based dark spells, the Cursed Doll, allowed its caster to manipulate the doll at any time and bring misfortune upon its target.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Natasha looked at Steve's puzzled expression.

Steve patted his shoulder. "Nothing. I've probably been thinking too much lately. I'm exhausted, so I must be hallucinating."