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Chapter 137: The Future
In a restaurant in New York, guests were enjoying their final desserts.
"Thank you, Mr. Swent. The food at this restaurant is indeed excellent," Carter said to George across the table, putting down her cutlery.
"As long as it suits your taste," George replied with a smile.
"Mr. Swent, you didn't invite me here tonight just for a meal, did you?" Carter asked, already feeling a bit impatient.
"Carter, the war is over, and the Strategic Scientific Reserve has been disbanded. What are your plans?" George inquired.
"Steve entrusted his mother to me, so I will stay in New York to take care of Mrs. Rogers," Carter said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
In reality, Carter felt awkward. With the end of the war, the multinational joint department had collapsed, leaving her to struggle with adapting to a normal, peaceful life.
"I have some information here; you can take a look," George said, gesturing for his bodyguard outside the door to bring in a document.
Carter took the document, opened it, and the first thing she noticed was an emblem she recognised well; it was the symbol of HYDRA.
After finishing the document, she looked up, seriousness etched on her face. "Is all of this true?"
"Of course. You know I have a security company that protects the safety of important individuals. My subordinates uncovered this based on some clues. If you're unsure, you can continue to investigate," George explained with a smile.
"Weren't they already eliminated? And how could the military conduct such experiments?" Carter exclaimed, glancing at the document in her hand.
Initially, with the defeat of Red Skull and the fall of their headquarters, this massive organisation should have collapsed.
However, events often surpass expectations. Although Red Skull's forces were defeated and others took control of most resources, the Strategic Scientific Reserve was left with nothing but an empty shell. This resilient organisation not only survived but grew even stronger.
The information George provided was just a small piece of the puzzle regarding HYDRA; there were many factions, and he selected one with ties to his own company. This clarified why George was investigating them.
Another document in the folder detailed a military report on the replication of the Super Soldier Serum. Although significant losses occurred, resulting in hundreds of failed attempts, they ultimately succeeded in producing one viable specimen.
Moreover, as George knew, this project was a private collaboration involving several families and a faction within the military. So, he didn't mind causing a bit of trouble behind the scenes.
"Carter, how could an organisation like HYDRA be eliminated so easily? Many of the scientists within it are invaluable to the current United States. It's completely normal for remnants to exist; there are likely many abroad as well that haven't been discovered yet," George explained with a smile.
"As for replicating the serum, that's even more expected. Even if Steve hadn't disappeared, he wouldn't have escaped having his blood drawn for analysis after the war. You understand this; as the only successful experimental subject, the value he represents is immeasurable."
"Yes, but what can I do?" Carter asked, disappointment evident as she looked at the document. She had believed Steve's sacrifice would help eliminate the evil organisation HYDRA.
But now, it seemed there were still remnants; she knew of at least a dozen scientists who had been absorbed, and who could guarantee there were no HYDRA members among them? Furthermore, as military property, it was only natural for Steve's blood to be researched.
"Carter, how about coming to work for me?" George proposed directly.
"I don't understand, Mr. Swent. Why would you choose me? What can I do?" Carter asked.
"You know my security company needs an intelligence officer like you. Security alone isn't sufficient; necessary intelligence gathering is also indispensable," George explained.
The restaurant fell silent for a moment, and George didn't rush her, quietly sipping his glass of red wine.
After a long pause, Carter finally made up her mind. "Thank you, sir. You are my boss from now on."
"Haha, it's a pleasure to work with you," George said, extending his right hand to shake hands with Carter.
On the way home, George had Bucky and Jia Ying separate the part of the intelligence room responsible for ordinary security tasks, which Carter would oversee from now on. For now, George intended to keep Carter in the dark about too much; he felt it was unnecessary.
George's goal was a Council seat.
Many people knew that the future S.H.I.E.L.D. was a multi-national joint department, but what many didn't realise was that S.H.I.E.L.D. was initially a private organisation, with three founders serving as board members.
Although the government later took over the agency, it still retained the tradition of a board of directors, which was the predecessor of the later "World Security Council."
And why was the initial S.H.I.E.L.D. founded? Because of Howard Stark.
After the war, the Strategic Scientific Reserve was disbanded, and many black technology items originally obtained from HYDRA were uniformly confiscated by the Military.
This included the earliest single-person submarine, energy weapons, blueprints obtained from the HYDRA Base, and most importantly, the Tesseract.
As a scientist, it was impossible not to be tempted by these items. As a businessman, Howard Stark understood the commercial value contained within them even more.
In George's view, Howard Stark was more like a businessman; otherwise, he wouldn't have left so much family wealth for the future Iron Man.
However, Howard Stark's genius is undeniable; even the new element energy used by the future Iron Man was developed by Howard Stark.
At this time, Howard Stark was still trying to build good relations with the Military, attempting to obtain research qualifications for these items through personal connections.
Unfortunately, too many departments and personnel were involved in the process. For a time, Howard had made no progress.
George's purpose in separating the ordinary security section was to let Carter understand the intelligence value of the security department.
What ability did Carter have to become one of the earliest elders, like Howard Stark and General Philip?
Was it merely because she was Captain America's girlfriend? That wasn't enough.
So, the intelligent Carter would find herself a backer, like a dowry, to increase her voice.
In the original timeline, although Carter was invited to join that department, she was relegated to a subordinate role in the New York branch, essentially performing clerical work.
If she hadn't repeatedly violated discipline and gone on unauthorised field missions to earn some merits, and if Howard Stark hadn't later helped transfer her back to headquarters, Carter would have had no chance to stand out.
With Carter as this connection, plus George's relationship with General Philip, and then sponsoring a batch of items, he didn't believe Howard Stark could refuse his investment.
George planned to let Carter get more exposure to the supernatural aspect in a few years and then tell her about Steve.
At that time, he would give her a choice. If she were willing, George wouldn't mind injecting her with the Super Soldier Serum and then freezing her, allowing her to reunite with Steve decades later.
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