It's a bit rich for him to be casting aspersions upon their technical expertise here, when you come right down to it. His world relies far more heavily on magic than technological innovation, but as the proverb goes, sometimes it's hard to distinguish one from the other, when they're fantastical enough. He has secrets HYDRA might like, and that's what's important for now.

"Mm, well, it's a little swinging door sized for a cat to come and go from the house," Barcus explains with a dismissive wave. "Every now and again an opossum creeps in, as well, unfortunately."

If it seems like he's not reacting to Steve's comment about being lucky, that's good, because he's trying not to. He adds mind altered, memory erasure? to his mental list of what's going on with this strange man.

"Intellectual discipline is focused inward," he explains grimly. "It's clear they have a strong hierarchy here, and a sense of purpose, but no one's holding themselves accountable for what they discover. Innovation must be handled with patience and care, even if you're planning on using it for evil purposes, else it will get away from you. They're lucky I'm the only thing that's come through the gateway they opened to my world, so far."