Chapter 8: Receiving a Genius's Mind
"You don't seem to trust the organization," Ethan said, his voice laced with suspicion.
"No, absolutely not! I am completely loyal to the organization!" Dr. Zola hastily replied. As Hydra's former lead scientist, he was intimately aware of the organization's terrifying methods. Betrayal meant a fate far worse than death.
"Then why are you unwilling to share this technology with the organization?" Ethan pressed.
"Say no more! I will tell you," Zola conceded.
"Then tell me," Ethan said, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
He was lucky that Zola had been cut off from the world for decades. If he hadn't been, a man of Zola's intellect would have seen through his deception in an instant.
Following Zola's instructions, Ethan located a piece of equipment. It consisted of a helmet connected to a thick bundle of data cables. The helmet was designed for a normal human head, far too small for his Titan form. With a sigh of resignation, he transformed back into his human self.
He put on the helmet and, again following Zola's guidance, connected a plug from the device into the main computer console.
"Are you ready?" Zola asked.
"Ready," Ethan confirmed. He knew Zola was about to transfer the knowledge of how to link a brain to a computer. In his past life, he never would have dared to do something so reckless. Zola's mind was far more advanced than any normal human's; the risk of being mentally overwritten would have been too great. But now, with the body of a Titan and Zola's own extracted genes, his brain had evolved. He was no less of a genius than Zola had been in his prime. He had no fear of his body being hijacked.
"Initiating transfer," Zola announced.
The moment he finished speaking, a stream of raw data flooded Ethan's mind. As more and more information poured in, his understanding of the brain-to-computer interface technology grew exponentially.
In just ten seconds, the entire transfer was complete.
The ease with which he had acquired this knowledge was intoxicating. An idea sparked in his mind. "Dr. Zola," he said, "could you perhaps transfer some more knowledge to me? It would broaden my horizons. The leader is always telling me I need to be more educated."
Being put on the spot, Zola was reluctant, but he couldn't refuse. He began to transfer what he considered to be non-essential information to Ethan.
The knowledge flooded Ethan's brain, not as if he were learning it, but as if he had always known it. It was a miraculous feeling.
Zola's mind was so vast it required a twenty-foot-long database just to contain it.
Hours passed, and the transfer was still not complete.
Ethan had entered a trance-like state, completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge, oblivious to the world around him. He was so lost in the data stream that he didn't even notice when Natasha Romanoff appeared, standing right in front of him.
Natasha had been curious about why Ethan was so interested in the old training facility, so she had followed him. Seeing him now, wearing a helmet bristling with wires, a look of blissful concentration on his face, she had no idea what was happening. But despite her curiosity, she knew better than to interrupt. She understood the gravity of the situation.
Zola, for his part, was so focused on the data transfer that he didn't notice her arrival either.
Natasha waited. And waited. She watched as day turned to night, and night turned back to day. For three full days, she stood vigil, until finally, Ethan's eyes fluttered open.
"Ethan, are you okay?" she asked immediately.
Seeing her, Ethan's heart sank. Crap. He had only managed to absorb Zola's "unimportant" knowledge. He hadn't gotten to the really advanced technology yet. Natasha's presence would undoubtedly put Zola on high alert.
And he was right.
The moment Zola detected Natasha, his digital voice crackled with alarm. "Who are you?"
"My name is Natasha. And who are you?" she replied, intrigued by the ridiculously outdated computer.
"Are you with Hydra?" Zola demanded.
Natasha's expression hardened. She looked at Ethan for an explanation.
Feigning anger, Ethan turned on her. "I told you to stand guard outside! Why did you come in here?"
Natasha understood the hidden meaning in his words, but she chose to ignore it. "Tell me what you're doing," she demanded. "And who is he?"
Ethan was furious. He wanted nothing more than to slap her for ruining his grand plan.
"Get out," he roared. "And guard the door."
"Not until you tell me what's going on," Natasha said, biting her lip stubbornly.
Ethan stared at her, his anger palpable. He made a silent vow: when he was truly powerful, he would make her kneel before him and sing his praises.
He didn't remove the helmet. Instead, he rushed to the main console and placed his hands on the keyboard.
A furious clatter of keys filled the room as his fingers flew across the keyboard with lightning speed, inputting strings of code into the system.
"What are you doing?" Zola cried out, a sense of digital dread creeping into his voice.
Ethan didn't have time to answer. He was racing against the clock, trying to modify the system's core programming to lock Zola out, to prevent him from thinking.
"You can't do this! I am Hydra's chief scientist!" Zola protested, simultaneously attempting to repair the damage Ethan was causing.
Without looking away from the screen, Ethan shouted, "Natasha, cut the cables connecting the main console to the databases!"
This time, Natasha obeyed. She pulled a knife from a sheath on her calf and began to swiftly sever the thick data cables one by one.
As more and more connections were lost, Zola's ability to repair his own system slowed to a crawl.
"Stop! This is treason! The organization will not forgive you!" Zola pleaded.
Ethan ignored him, his fingers a blur as he continued to rewrite the code.
"Stop! I surrender! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" Zola finally conceded in desperation.
"Natasha, stop," Ethan commanded.
She obediently stopped, sheathing her knife and coming to stand by his side.
Ethan turned to her. "His name is Dr. Arnim Zola. He was the most brilliant super-genius scientist of World War II. I need his knowledge. So please, for now, just... don't interfere. Okay?"
Natasha's jaw dropped. "But... Dr. Zola has been dead for years."
"That's right, he is," Ethan confirmed.
"Then who was I talking to through this... antique computer?" she asked, completely bewildered.
"Zola himself," Ethan explained. "Before he died, he transferred his entire consciousness into this system. He uses these massive databases to simulate a human brain's thought processes."
"That's... incredible," Natasha breathed, her mind struggling to comprehend the concept.
"I like to hear that," Zola's voice chimed in, a hint of pride in his tone. "And I must tell you, this is not even my most impressive invention."
"Alright, Dr. Zola," Ethan said, cutting him off. "Copy your entire consciousness and transfer it to me. When you're done, I promise I will help you get a new body."
"Very well," Zola said with a sigh of digital resignation. "I can only hope that you will keep your promise."
"Watch the door," Ethan said to Natasha. "Don't let anyone interrupt me."
"Alright," Natasha agreed. She had already figured out that Ethan was playing Zola for a fool.