SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

21: Particles.

21: Particles.

John believed he was an adaptable man, with simple and straightforward desires, capable of going with the flow of the situation and acting accordingly to what was necessary.

He never thought he was a good man; V was right about that. Steve Rogers would always be a much better person than him, something that couldn't be easily changed even if his mind had acquired something like a conscience since he injected the super-soldier serum.

A weak conscience, easy to ignore but a conscience nonetheless.

"Am I a bastard?" he asked himself, though that was a question too easy to answer. He had always been a bastard. His father hated him, his mother blamed him for all her problems all the time, and his life had been nothing but a long, bumpy road with brief straight stretches, mostly due to others but he was also able to accept when he himself created the bumps.

Well, he should stop self-reflecting. His previous life had been shit, but that was fine. It didn't matter as much anymore. His new life was a fucking success, and he needed to make sure it stayed that way no matter the cost.

That's why he sent Raven after Doctor Horton. That's why, when the man returned with calm steps, a casual smile, and a look of complicity, John smiled.

"Well, Doctor, I'm glad that you've decided to donate this incredible invention and all of your research to a greater purpose. I assure you that your contribution will save countless lives." The "doctor" smiled, shaking his hand; not many words were needed between them.

After all, Raven was his greatest ally. Together, they had killed thousands, making rivers of blood flow across Austria, not to mention those who died in Italy and the countless more who would die across Europe in the near future.

John was undoubtedly a bastard, and he knew it, but that was fine. He just had to tip the balance. Killing thousands? Did that even matter when he was about to save millions and prevent one of the greatest tragedies in human history?

Someone better, maybe someone like Steve Rogers, might say it wasn't worth it. It was a pity. This wasn't Steve Rogers' story; this was his story, and no matter how many sacrifices needed to be made, John wouldn't hesitate.

Of course, he wasn't without compassion. If Doctor Horton had been a truly good person, then without a doubt, he would have been allowed to join SWORD. But he wasn't. The man was more of a problem that was better resolved quickly. Even so, John would make sure his name was remembered, at least at the bottom of the pages of the history of the new hero that was about to be born.

After all, the man had created something incredible, even if his arrogance blinded him along the way, or maybe it was something else? Well, it no longer mattered. Horton may not have solved the problem with his creation, but that was fine. John knew the solution—a solution so simple that he wondered if Horton had really wanted to figure it out in the first place.

Dr. Horton left, but before that, he said goodbye to his "colleagues" and spoke with the research committee, making it clear that everything was fine and that he had already reached a "secret agreement" with John. The committee didn't ask too many questions since it was already agreed that any participant was free to choose their own path.

john supervised that some of his men transporting everything Dr. Horton had brought to the SWORD headquarters. It was quite convenient to be the boss of many people; no one asked unnecessary questions. He was Captain America, a colonel of the United States, and the general director of SWORD. All his men looked at him with admiration and obeyed without hesitation.

Having so much influence was certainly surprising, and John needed to get used to it. Even so, as with everything in his life, he knew he would adapt and be able to manage his men as needed, even outside a battlefield.