SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

25: Winter is coming

25: Winter is coming

The thing twisted, low growls followed by high-pitched sounds, bulging flesh with veins grotesquely protruding.

As he looked at the things in front of him, Johann Schmidt grimaced in disgust as anger began to fill him.

"This is the best you've achieved so far, Dr. Zola?" The question, asked in a cold and emotionless voice, made Dr. Arnim Zola swallow hard as he felt sweat dripping down his forehead.

Licking his dry lips, he responded, trying not to stammer.

"Achieving compatibility between the incomplete Compound V and the Infinite Formula has proven more challenging than expected, sir, but I know I'll get there soon! The problem is that the Infinite Formula still doesn't possess all the properties of the original user, but with enough time—"

"Speed up the process," Schmidt interrupted, causing Zola to look at him wide-eyed.

"B-but sir, that would mean—"

"I know what it would mean, but it doesn't matter! Great advances aren't made by being cautious. I want my perfect serum, Dr. Zola, I don't care what you have to do to get it... Besides, it's better if they serve a greater purpose; at least it will give some meaning to their deaths... better than just turning into soap, don't you think?" At the Hydra leader's words, Dr. Zola frowned but still nodded.

Then he looked at the dozens of deformed figures chained with thick metals behind the bars.

"What should I do with them?" At that question, Johann Schmidt paused... sure, they were failures, but... maybe they could be useful.

"The Captain will be here soon. We need to delay him until my serum is complete... use your knowledge, doctor, and use these monsters for that purpose. They might not manage to kill him, but they'll certainly give him enough trouble." With those words, the Hydra leader left the place, leaving Dr. Zola alone with the nightmarish creatures his experiments had created.

As he listened to their moans, growls, and whines, Dr. Zola swallowed, but thinking about the Red Skull's words, he couldn't help but let ideas begin to emerge.

They were unstable, but if he added some mechanical parts to overcome that and reinforce their structure... yes, he could see it. Maybe they wouldn't be an army of perfect super-soldiers, but they wouldn't be far off...

and above all, they would give him the time he needed to perfect the Infinite Formula created from the blood of his favorite prisoner, and with it, create the perfect serum that Johann Schmidt sought.

.

.

.

"Rogers!" Steve turned around when he heard someone calling him. Bucky, standing in front of him, lowered his guard. They had been having a training session in one of the open fields at the main army base in Italy.

The place had changed a bit, but renovations were still ongoing as the U.S. Army, along with the new Italian Army division, the Partisan Division, used the area to ensure that German troops were kept away from the Italian borders.

Steve wanted to get back into the fight; he wanted to be deployed again. But when he tried, along with Bucky and some other members of his group, they were told they had to wait a little longer. The time they had spent captured had taken a toll, and they needed to rest and recover before returning to the war effort.

They had to accept this reluctantly. After that, in the following days, they focused on recovering, which wasn't too difficult for Steve, as he had a strong constitution. Although he had lost some weight, he was still quite healthy. Bucky was in a similar situation, so they would soon be able to return to the front lines, which is why they were training.