Winter & Summer: A Marvel Story in an Alternate Universe!

Chapter 15

"So it turns out Agent Scarborough's idea had legs after all," remarked Dr. Bradley Carver, a young but bright gentleman working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as a scientist and researcher, quintessential glasses and a bowtie to match. It didn't take long after obtaining the first samples of Bucky's blood that Dr. Carver was able to discover that, indeed, injecting it into another living being could produce some type of effect.

At his lab at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, he walked Bucky and Summer through his findings.

"Well, you know I always appreciate a good pair of legs," Summer joked, with a wink and a smile. "Whatcha got?"

"So we know the Super Soldier serum's finicky, right?" Carver explained. "You inject it into one person and they become Captain America. Inject it into someone else and...well, they don't do as well. From our research, we're led to believe that taking a Super Soldier's blood - and the formula it's combined with plays a role in this too, but - different Super Soldiers' blood can produce different effects on different people. Again, all preliminary, preliminary research, but there's strong evidence that Scarb's hypothesis is correct. Summer's blood can give power, and Bucky's blood can take it away."

"Jeepers!"

"Why is that?" Bucky chimed in.

"We think it likely has to do with the way the Russians - and pardon my lack of better terminology - 'handled' you," Carver said. "The Japanese chapter of HYDRA had more - and again, pardon my lack of better terms - 'refined' methods of brainwashing and torture that, more or less, treated Summer's DNA a little better."

Summer raised her eyebrows as she lifted a finger and remarked, "Asians."

Carver chuckled as he went on, "Of course, we're still running tests. There are multiple, multiple factors that play into this. But, assuming all goes well, there's a decent chance we'll be able to fast-track a counter-serum in case Kirishima comes back with a whole new army."

Summer pivoted her head to face Bucky. "Watch Kirishima come back with an army of rats he turned into Super Soldiers just from all the tests," she wrinkled her nose and shuddered. "Yee! Talk about an actual nightmare!"

***

Kirishima's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the sight of the pale concrete wall over his bed. He took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Good, he thought. He felt good.

Sitting up on his air mattress, he extended his arms in a long stretch, his bones crackling as he reached. Yawning, he stepped to his feet.

It was early, just barely 6 a.m. when he decided to step outside for the first time in a while. He opened the door of the place he was staying, climbed up the stairs and let the first peek of sunlight warm his face.

He breathed in his surroundings as the auburn glow of the morning filled the streets and buildings all around him. Traffic hummed and an occasional car horn rang in the distance. Cooing pigeons poked at a pile of trash nearby. The indiscernible sounds of human voices just barely reached his ears as the city was just beginning to wake up.

At all this, Kirishima simply smiled to himself.

Good morning, Brooklyn.