Kindred Spirits

A Hero Emerges

  I was led to the Erksine, who was standing next to a rather grumpy looking man, that was introduced to me a Colonel Chester Phillips. I offered him a nod as I turned to watch Peggy approach the platoon currently doing push ups.

  "Look at him, he's making me cry," Phillips looked over at Erksine in clear frustration.

  "I'm looking for qualities beyond physical," I crossed my arms as Erksine tried to explain why he chose Steve.

  "You know how long it took to get this project together? All the grumbling I had to do in front of Senator what's-his-name-"

  "Yes, I know, I'm well aware of your efforts-"

  "Then would you at least throw me a bone here? Hodge passed every single test we gave him," he gestured to another standard meathead that were a dime a dozen in the army, "He's big he's fast, he obeys orders, he's a soldier."

  He looked around Erksine, moving over to the back of the truck we were next to. "You don't win wars with niceness, doctor." He grabbed a grenade from the back of the truck, turning to us as he pulled the pin. "You win wars with guts."

  He turned toward the squad, shouting "GRENADE!" as he tossed it in front of the men. Every man in the troop quickly ran, with the men behind them dropping to the floor to avoid the blast. Peggy began to move forward, but she was stopped as the one man to remain acted.

  Steve Rogers threw himself on top of what he believed to be a live grenade, shouting "GET BACK" as he used his body to save his fellow soldiers. After a few seconds, it became clear that it was a dummy grenade, causing him to sit up in confusion before turning back to Peggy.

  "Was that a test?"

  "One you passed with flying colors," I called as I approached him, breaking the stunned silence of the surrounding soldiers.

  "Why is she here again?" I heard Colonel Phillips grumble behind me.

  I turned to respond, though I was interrupted by Private Hodge stepping in front of me.

  "Hey, sweet-" That was all he was able to get out as I shoved the heel of my palm into his nose, sending him to his knees and earning shocked laughs from the surrounding soldiers.

  "Apparently, teaching your soldiers some much needed manners."

................................................

  Erksine and Peggy led me to my room, set between both hers and the doctor's. I dropped off my bag before following them out to the laboratory, namely Erksine's own private lab. The government was taking this project seriously, as it took both Peggy and Erksine vouching for me as well as a fairly thorough interrogation that I would probably be more concerned about if it weren't for the fact that I was so old that they would have more luck trying to recover the Titanic.

  I donned a lab coat and tied up my hair as I followed Erksine on a brief tour of the space, which was finished as he showed me the vial he had taken from me.

  "After a few days, the cells inside died off, which itself is strange, as they should have remained viable for almost a month."

  "I thought this might happen," I examined the vials, "It seems that the cells of my body become aware when they're removed from, in their perspective, a perfect environment, and respond by dying off."

  We began to experiment, drawing various samples from my hair, skin, and nails, as well as a few more vials of blood. My skin samples were the most promising, since my hair and skin were dead cells, but we needed to find the most viable option to experiment with to reduce the amount of donations I would need to make.

  "Where did you get the idea for this serum?" I examined him as he stiffened, leaning back with a sigh.

  "I used to work under HYDRA, the deep science division for the Nazis. I am ashamed to have such a past and my regret at the demons I unleashed is incalculable. I created this serum for the leader of Hydra, a man named Johann Shmidt, a man who desired power above all else. I didn't know it at the time, but the serum doesn't just enhance your physical attributes. It enhances your entire self, the good and the bad."

  His eyes stared at the opposite wall, unseeing as he recalled an unwelcome memory. "It was horrifying, to watch a truly evil man transform to reflect the ugliness of his soul. His skin turned blood red, hair falling off to reveal a truly sinister being. He is now known as Red Skull, a man unrelenting in his pursuit of complete and total world domination."

  He looked at me as I watched him wordlessly. "I fled to America, seeking asylum, offering the serum under the promise that I would be able to pick the candidate. I chose Steve, a man with more heart than anyone I've ever seen. He's not a soldier following orders, he's a man that always strive to do what's right, even if it means disobeying orders."

  I placed my hand on his shoulder giving him a kind smile. "He's a rare breed."

  I heaved a sigh as I dropped my hand from his soldier. "I suppose this is the part where I reveal my sordid tale."

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  Erksine took the story of my past puzzlingly well, asking very few questions, mainly regarding any famous people in history I had met. I still kept the existence of the others vague, save for Lykon. I told him little outside how we found him and how he died, though Erksine could tell from the softness of my voice that he was very dear to me. His memory didn't hurt as much, a phantom pain that would return at random.

  It was unsettling to think that time did not, in fact, heal all wounds.