SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

17: Congress

17: Congress

"This is... monstrous." Howard looked at the "device" John had handed him, swallowed hard, and turned to look at James.

"And you say this was in your head?" James growled, nodding in response, and looking with equal disgust at the thing that had been implanted in his brain.

They had moved locations; now they were in Howard's laboratory, the place had been the quickest to construct thanks to the funding from the billionaire inventor.

It was the safest place on the base and also the most private.

"Are you telling me this is really what it claims to be?" Colonel Phillips asked, clearly impatient. Howard nodded and took one of the dozens of cables coming out of the device, cables almost as thin as threads.

"See this? The brain functions through electrical stimuli, sending signals between our neurons to make the body take action. I don't know how they did it, but this network of cables can control that transmission of information through carefully distributed electrical charges." He actually simplified it a lot; there was an even more complex explanation, but Howard knew the colonel was not a man of science. Explaining it too much would only make it more confusing, so he simplified it as much as he could.

The only thing Howard couldn't explain was how they managed to do this. For it to work, the cables would have to penetrate deeply into various sections of the brain, a vital organ so delicate it would surely have died instantly.

Of course, such a brutal method could only be useful for those with a regenerative capacity beyond human, which was why Dr. Zola had been able to do it so quickly. Not having to worry about the life of the test subject sped up the procedures that otherwise would have had to be more delicate.

"Still doubting, sir?" John asked. One of the reasons they were here was to prove that James had been "controlled" by Hydra. Proving he was a super soldier was easy; proving he wasn't a Hydra spy was a bit more complicated. Still, foreseeing that he would need proof, John made sure to bring the device he had removed from James' brain.

The colonel remained silent but eventually nodded.

"This changes many things." A second super soldier would undoubtedly be big news, if not for the fact that now Hydra could theoretically create an entire army of them.

The colonel almost felt his blood pressure drop; he was getting too old for this.

Seeing him pale, John decided to speak.

"I need to return to the United States, talk to the president. A meeting with the leaders of the Allied countries would be best. You understand that the situation requires a different approach."

The colonel frowned. "You know that will take time, right? Do you really want to wait longer?! If we don't attack now—" His words were cut off again by John.

"Attack what, Colonel? Germany? Norway? Austria? Maybe Poland?" John suddenly extended his hand, and, understanding the gesture, Raven quickly pulled out several folded papers she had been holding onto.

"These are the maps we managed to obtain in Salzburg. There are over 25 Hydra bases spread across Europe, not counting the bases that probably haven't been noted. If we rush, we'll just run around like headless chickens until we exhaust our forces. Besides, nothing guarantees there aren't multiple super soldiers scattered in each of them. Sending only normal men would be the same as sending them to the gallows!" He spoke loudly and clearly to make his point understood.

John had indeed panicked a bit at first; Hydra having Compound V or an inferior version of it was dangerous. But once the initial panic subsided and he thought things through more carefully, he realized this was the opportunity he had been looking for.