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Chapter 123: Enhancement and Apparent Death
Brooklyn, New York
Steve and Carter rode together to an old antique shop in Brooklyn. As the car rolled through familiar streets, Steve looked out the window, silent. Every corner here held a memory—some painful, some proud. From the times he got knocked down to the few times he stood back up.
Upstairs in the observation room, Colonel Phillips greeted George. "Councilman Brand, I'm glad you could make it."
George didn't respond right away. His eyes were on the man beside Phillips—a middle-aged councilman, and beside him, a bespectacled man with a blank face and too-firm posture.
George recognized the type.
HYDRA.
It had become clear that Red Skull had never given up trying to hunt down Dr. Erskine. Once they located him, HYDRA acted fast—orders were simple: kill Erskine and retrieve any part of the Super Soldier Serum before it could shift the war.
The man next to Councilman Brand wasn't just tagging along. He was the one sent to pull the trigger.
Below, Brand muttered, "Why am I even here?"
Phillips gave a dry smile. "We needed access to the city's grid. You didn't approve our request back then."
"There were a lot of applicants. This is Klem." Brand gestured vaguely to the man beside him.
The man adjusted his tie and stepped forward. "Fred Clemson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Just here to make sure no headlines break before they're supposed to."
Inside the lab, Steve removed his shirt and hat, stepping into the enhancement chamber. The cold metal and bright lights made him stiffen slightly. He glanced once at Carter—she was already walking up to the observation room. He inhaled slowly, centering himself.
Lab technicians moved quickly around him. Professor Erskine spoke calmly into the mic while Howard Stark handled the machine's controls. Steve tried to listen, but the words faded. Instead, he focused on his breathing. Slow in. Hold. Slow out.
His breathing and blood steadied.
Erskine's voice came through clearly now.
"...First, a series of micro-injections will infuse the serum into the muscle groups. The serum injection will trigger rapid cellular changes, followed by growth stimulation. Then, Vita-rays will penetrate the subject. Serum injection countdown: 5, 4, 3…"
Dr.Erskine finally gave the command to start the experiment. The serum was simultaneously injected into Steve's body, and the experimental chamber slowly closed, like a giant metal cocoon.
Buzz...
Howard Stark pushed the control lever, gradually increasing the energy input. Dazzling bright light shot out from the experimental chamber. As the energy intensified, Steve couldn't help but groan inside. This pain felt like his entire skeleton and muscles were being torn apart.
AgentCarter, seeing this, anxiously shouted, "Turn it off!"
"Steve!" Dr.Erskine pounded on the enhancement chamber, calling out. Seeing no reaction from Steve, the Dr. quickly shouted, "Turn it back, Mr. Stark, turn it off!"
Howard was about to turn off the rays when Steve suddenly screamed.
"No!"
"Don't turn it off!"
"I can take it!"
Howard paused at his words and looked at Dr.Erskine.
The Dr. nodded to Howard, and seeing this, Howard slowly turned the switch to maximum.
As the white light emitting from the window grew brighter and more dazzling, everyone involuntarily lowered their heads and raised their hands to shield their eyes.
As the radiation energy reached one hundred percent, sparks and white smoke erupted from the experimental equipment, eventually all stopping. The strong light gradually dissipated, and the enhancement chamber stood silently, without any movement.
"Mr. Stark." Dr.Erskine gestured for Howard to open the enhancement chamber.
Under everyone's anxious gaze, the enhancement chamber slowly opened, and a muscular, tall figure gradually emerged.
The experiment was successful. Steve had grown from just over 1.6 meters to nearly 1.9 meters, with bulging muscles, blocky and solid like an ancient Greek sculpture. Steve, who already had good facial features, truly transformed into a handsome and imposing man.
Everyone in the observation room above also rushed down to witness this miracle up close. AgentCarter had already rushed into the experimental area.
"How do you feel?" Carter took a deep breath and asked.
"Taller." Steve was still somewhat weak, responding feebly.
AgentCarter, always decisive and heroic, uncharacteristically showed a touch of femininity at this moment, looking at the developed chest muscles in front of her and 'Can't help it' reaching out to touch them.
Everyone congratulated each other, celebrating the success of the experiment. George, who had come down with the people from the observation room, noticed that Fred Clemson, who claimed to be from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, left a small box on the chair.
However, George did not stop him, but instead joined the crowd at the experimental table to congratulate Colonel Phillips.
"Colonel, congratulations, the experiment was a success!" George shook hands with the Colonel.
"Thank you. After so much effort, we finally have something to show for it. Haha."
Mr. Fred Clemson from the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" stared intently at the center of the room and finally pressed the remote detonator switch. The observation room above instantly became a sea of fire. The Impact of the explosion shattered the glass above, spraying fragments onto the people on the first floor.
At the first moment of the explosion, everyone downstairs crouched down to prevent injury. The HYDRAAgent also took advantage of the chaos, came to the enhancement equipment, and put the last vial of reagent into his embrace.
At the same time, he pulled out a pistol from his pocket. Just as the HYDRA spy aimed the gun at Dr.Erskine in the crowd, George, who had been watching from the sidelines, activated the Speed Force.
In an instant, time seemed to stand still. George first went to Dr.Erskine's side, knocked the doctor unconscious, and then put him into his spatial storage.
George then took out a clone from his spatial storage. That's right, the clone Orochimaru had prepared earlier was for this very moment.
George placed the clone of Dr.Erskine, whose clothes were identical to the original, in the Dr.'s original position. Then he flashed back to his original position, deactivated the Speed Force, and the outside world returned to normal.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two crisp shots hit the clone. Clemson fired and then turned and ran, escaping frantically while everyone was still reacting.
Steve, who had just gained Superman-like strength, watched helplessly as Dr.Erskine, who had created him, was shot and died in his arms. Enraged, he got up and chased after the HYDRA spy.
The HYDRA spy fought his way out, killing several guards and the Library shop owner guarding the secret laboratory outside, before escaping by car with the help of accomplices.
AgentCarter, who was the first to pursue, used her precise marksmanship to shoot the driver in the head, causing the car to crash into the roadside and stop.
The HYDRA spy quickly got out of the car, hijacked a nearby parked taxi, and drove directly towards Carter.
Carter remained calm in the face of danger, steadily raising her gun and firing. Just as the car was about to hit Carter, Steve quickly rushed over, embraced Carter, and lunged out, avoiding the car's Impact.
"I had him in my sights!" Carter yelled angrily.
If Steve hadn't tackled her, her last shot would have definitely hit the spy. Of course, she herself would have been hit by the car and sent flying.
"Sorry." Steve didn't have time to say more and got up to chase the spy.
The chase ended at the dock. The HYDRA spy, attempting to escape in a hidden single-person submarine, had his hatch broken by Captain America, who pulled him out and threw him onto the shore.
Knowing escape was impossible, the HYDRA spy shouted, "Hail HYDRA!" and then committed suicide by poison.
The Super Soldier Serum vial that the HYDRA spy had stolen was also shattered during the struggle.
The experiment was successful, but the most important researcher was shot dead at the end, and the last finished serum was also destroyed. Steve did become a Super Soldier, and everyone saw him display great power, but what the Military and government wanted was a super army that could be mass-produced and influence the war.
Just one successful case was not enough to change the war on the front lines.
Two days later, Steve also walked out of the laboratory. These two days, he underwent various tests, even having many tubes of blood drawn. But as an experimental subject, Steve clearly could not refuse.
The experiment ended unhappily. With the Death of Dr.Erskine and the absence of the serum, the Super Soldier program came to a halt.
However, in unseen corners, many experimental data, including Steve's blood, were obtained by different forces and studied privately.
Among them was Howard Stark, who participated in the entire experiment. It could be said that he obtained the most comprehensive experimental data, but officially, the entire project was sealed.
A few days later, the Colonel, Carter, and Howard flew to London together.
The Colonel had received new orders; the Strategic Scientific Reserve would now undertake the important task of eliminating HYDRA.
The incident of chasing the spy in New York made headlines, making Steve famous. Senator Brand saw this and used his power to conscript Steve from the laboratory.
They packaged Steve as an American hero, helping them sell war bonds, film propaganda movies, and tour across the United States, quickly making the name Captain America famous nationwide.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Dr.Abraham Erskine awoke from his sleep, sunlight shining on his face, making it difficult for him to see his surroundings.
Dr.Erskine, caressing his chest with his hand, didn't understand why he, who should have died from the HYDRA spy's gunshots, was lying here.
"Dr.Erskine, you're awake?" A steady voice startled the doctor from his thoughts.
Dr. Erskine sat up and asked the servant standing by his window, "Where am I?"
"Please have breakfast first, then I will take you to see the Master of House," the valet replied.
Dr Erskine, feeling genuinely hungry, looked at the tray by the bedside, quickly finished the food inside, and said to the servant, "Can we go now?"
"Of course, please follow me, Dr." With that, he led the way out.
"Mr. George!"
**Dr. Erskine was genuinely surprised to see Master Orwell seated at the head of the dining table, calmly eating breakfast. The last time he saw the man, it had been in the chaos of the laboratory—gunfire, smoke, and death.
In truth, Dr. Erskine had not interacted much with George in person. The first time they met was at university, years ago, at a lecture hosted by the European League of Science and Ethics.
George had stood out even then, not just for his age and knowledge, but for his poise. Erskine remembered the conversation clearly. George had challenged the standard model of gene-line propagation, and their brief exchange at the party that night left a lasting impression. But they had not stayed in touch.
It wasn't until the Strategic Scientific Reserve training program that they met again formally. Back then, Erskine only knew him as 'the Count,' and the 'Father of Pencillin' a respected man.
It was later, through Colonel Phillips, that he came to understand just how deep George's roots were—military, political, and business spheres. The man seemed young, but people whispered he was nearly forty.
To the outside world, George was a mystery. To insiders, he was indispensable. In the arms industry, even someone as powerful as Stark held only a partial stake, and that too with George's support.
Erskine had read plenty. In capitalist nations, governments were supposed to represent capital, but in reality, they danced a fine line, limiting monopolies, managing inheritance, and curbing expansion.
George understood this better than anyone. That was why, after reaching a certain economic height, he didn't expand further.
Unless, of course, George intended to pursue a different kind of power.
But that was then. This was now.
"Dr. Erskine, don't be nervous," George said gently, putting down his cutlery.
"I think I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, I..."
George smiled. "We have time. Don't rush. There are a few people who've been waiting a long time to see you."
"Papa!" x2
Dr. Abraham Erskine turned, following George's gesture. A woman and two children were led into the dining hall. Erskine's breath caught. Without a word, he ran to them.
A few days later, Hogwarts Island, Castle Laboratory.
George descended the stairs slowly, stepping into the lab where Dr. Erskine was already hard at work.
"Dr., shouldn't you be resting? Spending time with your family?"
"Thank you, Mr. Orwell, for bringing us back together," the doctor said, adjusting a microscope. "They're doing well. We'll have time. But right now, I want to see this through."
"Alright, but don't forget—time is on our side. Here are the pre- and post-serum blood samples from Steve." George placed two vials on the table.
Dr. Erskine nodded without looking up, already absorbed again. Around him, the new lab—commissioned and built exactly to his specifications—hummed to life. Lights glowed. Equipment blinked in rhythm. It was a cathedral of science.
George hadn't saved Erskine just for sentiment. Years ago, he'd started preparing for this. Not for one serum, but for the mind behind it.
Knowledge was everywhere. Genius was rare, and Erskine was a genius.
George understood theory as well as anyone. But sometimes, a breakthrough came not from data, but from instinct. The flash. The leap.
Erskine had already given him the serum formula. But George wasn't interested in raw strength. He understood its flaw. The mind—it shifted. And once shifted, it corrupted.
He would not allow that. Not in himself. Not in his people.
HYDRA's serum, Stark's improved version, even the Winter Soldiers—they all suffered the same rot.
George wanted more.
And now, with Erskine here, he would get it.
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