Alexa problems (PJO/Avengers crossover)

Chapter 17 : B.O.G.

 Sorry if there are mistakes my sibling was busy so they couldn't proof read it. Please point out any mistakes to me, and I will fix them. Happy reading!

Tony's POV

I pulled another cup of coffee from the pot Friday had brewed for me, and headed back to my work table. Taking a sip of the scalding liquid, I sat down on my workbench, staring down once more at the notebook that lay open on the table, Howard's messy handwriting sprawled across it. It had been clear after glancing through it that Howard had been working on the super soldier serum, S's blood meaning Steve's blood and E being Dr. Erskine.

But this answer only raised questions, where did he get Steve's blood? There was no file on Shield about it, but it was very likely that they would've kept it under wraps to prevent it getting stolen. He would've had access to Erskine's notes before he got into trouble, but analyzers and scientists had poured over every centimeter of his writing trying to replicate the formula. They all found nothing, had been very careful not to let his formula fall into the wrong hands so the notebooks all only had part of the formula, and even that was rich and incode. Every scientist worthwhile had looked at the notes, so I'm even thinking they had discovered the formula among the red herrings.

Banner had been one of those people, and if one of the world's best scientific minds, with PhDs in biology and chemistry, failed to make the serum, how did Howard do it? He was an engineer, very barely dabbling in chemistry, I never once sought to learn anything of biology.

I did it, start human testing tomorrow. The words echoed again and again in my head, each time bringing about more questions. But questions were of no use, I needed answers. I pushed aside the question brewing in my head and went back to trying to make out Howard's scribbles of writing.

Was that In for indium or Ir for Iridium?

"Friday, run the formula again, this time with," I squinted at the writing once more, "Two milligrams of iridium."

"Would you like me to run test 257 with Iridium?" I gave a nod, and the human hologram pulled up over the table, spinning slowly as imaginary vital signs lit up half the screen.

"Running test." The hologram vital started out stable, but after three seconds the heart rate picked up, first increasing slowly before rising faster and faster. I knew what was going to happen even before it flatlined. "Test 257 failed."

I slammed my hand into the table, the noise gave me a little satisfaction as pain shot through my fingers.

This is pointless, you're never going to figure it out. My mind helpfully supplied for me as I took another gulp of coffee, staring down once more at the hated letters on the page. B. O. G. I could have everything else right, but without knowing what B. O. G. stood for, my mission was doomed. I had looked through the journal seven times by now, searching for the meaning of the dreaded acronym, but it never came up. In fact the letters only started appearing in the last week before the entries ended. The only hint into what it might stand for, contained in the page before it appeared, written in small print at the bottom of the page.

I think I found a solution, but there must be another way.

Whatever Howard used he was hesitant to use it, either it was too dangerous, or... I shut that thought down fast. He must've found something dangerous, then found a way to contain it. I tried to convince myself of that, but the dread weighing heavy in my stomach spoke of other things. It spoke of the weapons Howard built, each one able to kill hundreds, yet the next one kept being constructed. It spoke of the times Howard would lock himself away in his workshop for months, the only times I would get to see him was when he would yell at me. For punching a kid, for getting a bad grade, for screwing up. And most of all the dread spoke up Howard's face glowing in the corner of the news broadcast.