Zola scurried to the control console, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Data scrolled rapidly across the screen, finally settling on a line of flashing text.
The Red Skull strode to the screen and read the words aloud: "...inferior beings, stealing the master's... power..."
He paused, then continued reading: "When the Pillar Gods... the world will return to darkness, the sun... conquered... flesh and blood... nutrients..."
The Red Skull narrowed his eyes. "The Pillar Gods? What is that?"
He turned back to the glass cell.
The ghoul suddenly stopped struggling. Its lips slowly curled upwards into a horrifying smile.
Then, blood began to seep from the ghoul's eyes, and blood flowed from its nostrils, ears, and mouth.
"It's self-destructing!" Zola exclaimed.
"Stop it!" the Red Skull roared. This was a newly acquired test subject!
The soldiers fumbled with the equipment, but it was all in vain.
Its skin cracked at a visible rate and then completely turned to ash.
A deathly silence fell over the laboratory.
Dr. Zola's face was pale. He bent down and picked up his notebook. "Sir, this accident will not affect our plans. The serum has been successfully extracted, and we can begin mass production immediately."
"Master... awakens..."
The Red Skull repeated those few words in a low voice, his mind racing.
The sudden disappearance of the vampires thousands of years ago, the strange eye symbol on the sarcophagus, and now this mysterious master.
The Red Skull felt as if he had touched upon a shocking secret buried by the dust of history.
An existence far larger and more ancient than he had ever imagined.
"Zola," his voice was surprisingly calm, "I want you to gather all the files, every record of ancient vampires."
Zola blinked in confusion. "Sir, you think?"
"Think about it, Zola," the Red Skull's voice grew louder, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.
"An existence that a thousand-year-old vampire fears so much, is so loyal to... that it would rather self-destruct than betray. What kind of power is that! What kind of authority!"
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "If HYDRA can find this master, control it... we will possess the power to rule the world!"
Zola unconsciously took a step back, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He stared at the Red Skull's back, a sense of fear creeping over him. The man's madness had reached such a level!
Ring, ring, ring!
A shrill alarm suddenly blared, and red warning lights flashed wildly in the laboratory.
"What's going on?" the Red Skull demanded sharply.
A guard burst through the door. "Sir! The west perimeter has been breached! Two intruders have taken down five sentries!"
The Red Skull quickly brought up the surveillance feed. It showed one of the intruders carrying a round shield and wearing a uniform in the colors of the American flag.
"Captain America?"
A smile crept onto the Red Skull's lips, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "America has finally let its pet out of the cage."
He strode toward the mutated soldier, admiring him as if he were a perfect work of art. "Excellent. Let's test the abilities of our new soldier!"
Zola hurried forward. "Sir, the mutation has just been completed. We need more tests to ensure stability..."
"The battlefield is the best laboratory! And Captain America will be the perfect test subject!"
The Red Skull turned to the mutated soldier, his voice filled with command. "Go. Bring me the intruder's head."
The mutated soldier let out a low growl from his throat, turned, and strode toward the door.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"This is it."
Steve whispered, pointing to the heavy iron door at the end of the corridor.
Bang!
The cell door was kicked open by the two of them.
Behind rows of iron bars, dozens of ragged soldiers were huddled together. Some were pale, others covered in wounds.
"Wait... is that... Captain America?"
The prisoners of war initially recoiled in fear, but when they saw who had arrived, their faces showed utter disbelief.
"My God, it's really the Captain!" another soldier staggered to his feet. "Are you real, or am I dreaming?"
"It's me. We're here to get you out," Steve replied curtly, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Bucky Barnes. Has anyone seen him?" he asked urgently.
The prisoners exchanged glances. Finally, a tall soldier stepped forward. "They took him yesterday, to the lab. We all thought he was..."
Steve turned to Dio. "You get them out. I'll find Bucky."
Dio frowned, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. "This place is crawling with enemies. Going alone is suicide."
"But time..."
"The more pressed for time we are, the more cautious we need to be," Dio interrupted. "These men are safe enough to be evacuated!"
Steve said no more and headed for the lab area, following the directions he got from the prisoners.
They encountered several patrols but dealt with them quickly.
"Over there." Dio pointed to a heavy metal door at the end of the corridor. The air smelled of disinfectant.
Steve pressed himself against the door, held his breath, and gently pushed it ajar.
In the center of the lab, a brown-haired man was strapped to a metal table, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Name... James Buchanan Barnes... Rank... Sergeant... Number... 32557... Obey... HYDRA... Obey..."
"Bucky!"
Steve threw caution to the wind and rushed to the operating table in three strides. "Bucky, it's me! Steve!"
Bucky's eyes slowly came into focus, his expression shifting from dazed to confused.
"St... Steve?" Bucky blinked, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "You... you got bigger?"
"We'll talk later!"
Steve breathed a sigh of relief. At least Bucky still recognized him, which meant he hadn't been completely brainwashed. It seemed there was no major problem.
Just as Bucky was about to speak!
BOOM!
The wall to their left exploded as if it were made of paper, and concrete fragments flew everywhere.
Through the dust, a massive figure charged out like a cannonball, each step making the ground tremble violently.
Steve's pupils contracted. His instinct was to dodge, but Bucky was still half-lying on the operating table.
Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved the table, pushing Bucky to a safe area, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Bang!
A huge impact force struck him. Steve felt as if his arms had been hit by a truck.
He was sent flying, crashing heavily into the opposite wall. The concrete wall instantly cracked and caved in.
"Cough!"
He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he landed. Even with the Super-Soldier Serum, the impact had dislodged his internal organs.
"Steve!"
Bucky propped himself up, wanting to help, but he was still tightly bound.
As the dust settled, a terrifying figure stood amidst the rubble.
Blue veins coiled like snakes under its greyish-white skin. At nearly two and a half meters tall, it almost touched the ceiling. Its muscles were like cast iron, and its arms were as thick as an ordinary person's thigh.
The mutated soldier had a ferocious face, its eyes bloodshot red, and a black liquid dripped from the corner of its mouth.
Steve's pupils shrank. This monster looked like something that had crawled out of hell!
"What the hell is that thing?" Bucky managed to prop himself up, his face also filled with terror.
[Shock Points from Steve Rogers +112]
[Shock Points from Bucky Barnes +93]
Rosen narrowed his eyes, a flicker of interest in them. "A work of the Red Skull?"
He had to admit, HYDRA's technology was not to be underestimated. They had actually succeeded in creating some kind of super-soldier.
However, this mutated soldier had been created from the ghoul he controlled and was still under his command.