25 Chapter 25 (1/2)
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
”Pietro, what are we doing here?” Wanda asked her brother later. She was sitting on a bed with her back to a stone wall, eyes on her brother as he looked out the window with his arms crossed.
He looked at her, then back out of the window. ”...Getting revenge.”
”I'm not so sure of that anymore.”
The pair had been given a room in the castle to themselves. It was more expensive than any home they'd ever lived in, with beautiful art on the walls, silk sheets, and a beautiful view of the countryside.
Wanda watched as her brother continued to stare out the window. After a moment, he spoke.
”He's going to help us kill Tony Stark. To kill the Avengers,” he said with conviction.
”And then?” Wanda asked curiously.
He said nothing, any righteousness fading.
”He has brought monsters here. We've... we've been responsible for killing people. I'm not so sure of what we're doing here, Pietro.”
Her brother frowned in thought. He shook his head after a while. ”We will stay until the Avengers are dead. Then... then we leave. Go back home.”
”And if he decides not to let us?”
He had nothing to say to that.
”We can't do this, Pietro. Whatever we are doing here, it isn't what we wanted for ourselves... I think we need to plan our escape.”
Downstairs, other people were dealing with certain issues at the same time the twins were dealing with their consciences.
”Fascinating,” Sterns said, watching the objects gathered from the HYDRA academy and the raid on the Fridge get brought into the large room that had been turned from a spare kitchen into a laboratory. The items were placed at the side of the room, which was full of tables, computers, and counters. ”These items will sky-rocket my research and make it so I don't have to do everything from scratch.”
”Yeah, there's some cool stuff here,” Garrett said flippantly, biting into a piece of beef jerky.
”Yes... 'cool stuff',” Sterns responded, annoyed. He turned to look at Garrett. ”Must you be here?”
”Hey, I'm the one who brought the stuff you're so gaga over,” Garrett said, putting a hand on his chest. ”You could stand to be a little nicer.”
”Hmph,” scoffing, Sterns looked over at a cage in the background. ”I'm nice to those who are worthy of it, and you have yet to prove yourself worthy of anything more than being a delivery boy. In the meantime, I have to work on the girl.”
”Girl?” Garrett looked towards the cage and blinked.
The girl in the cage was glaring out at them. She was in her late teens, thin from lack of proper nutrition, wearing a white prison jumpsuit. Her black hair was matted, and her eyes were wild. She was yelling in Spanish, shaking her cage as best as she could.
”Damn, spitfire ain't she?” Garrett asked, eyeing her as one would a caged animal.
”More than that,” Sterns said. ”She killed three of our men when we tried to transport her.”
”That little thing?” Garrett grinned. ”She got laser eyes or something?”
”No. She was, according to records at the HYDRA academy, taken from Mexico when she was a toddler. She was found surrounded by the bodies of dead gang members who had killed her mother,” Sterns idly said.
”Shit...” Garrett responded seriously, suddenly much more wary of the prisoner.
”Indeed. HYDRA got their hands on her but soon found that another group was trying to take her as well. She was brought to the academy, taken to the depths of the school, and found to have increased ability to absorb combat skills, as well as naturally enhanced speed, strength, and senses. Even her healing is enhanced,” Sterns said, sounding absolutely fascinated.
Garrett froze, and Sterns pretended not to notice. ”Lucky we found this, 'Black Sky'. She would have died in months under the care of those ingrate scientists at the Academy.”
”What do you mean?” Garrett asked.
”They were planning to dissect her, after finding she was resistant to being trained,” Sterns turned away and watched as a large object was wheeled into the room. A tube big enough to contain a human. ”I have other plans for her. Using these,” Sterns turned and lifted something for Garrett to look at. He blinked.
”Now that is one big ass diamond.”
”It isn't diamond you troglodyte,” Sterns hefted the cracked piece of blue-green crystal. ”No, it is far more durable than any known substance on the planet besides vibranium and, despite all appearances to the contrary, organic. This, Mr. Garrett, may be step one in my research. But first,” Sterns looked around at the soldiers surrounding him. ”I have something I wish to confirm.”
”She wasn't there,” Helen hissed at Strucker as they walked through the hallways together. ”Davida is still with SHIELD.”
”Yes, and I am trying to discover where she is, as per our deal,” Strucker said, moving quickly. ”But even Sterns hasn't been able to get through the AI SHIELD is using to defend their files, at least without him starting anything that would bring their eyes upon us. I suspect she is being held on the Insight Helicarriers.”
”Then my girls and I can get her,” Helen said without a second thought.
”You will fight the Avengers then.”
”We can take them.”
”No one can take them!” Strucker stopped spinning to look at her. ”I have an army, I have super-human soldiers, miracles and monsters! But the Chitauri armor cannot defeat Iron Man! My monster cannot fight the Hulk or Dial on his own! My super-soldiers are worthless against Captain America! We are outmatched, and we need more!” Strucker yelled into the stubborn woman's face.
The two stared at each other in the stone hallway.
”You're afraid,” Helen accused.
”I'm pragmatic. SHIELD has the quality to defeat our quantity. But I am building those numbers... And Stern has an idea. Three targets he wants to kidnap. People who can help us take the Helicarriers and perhaps even the Avengers head on.”
”Who-”
”Sir!” The two turned to see List walking towards them hurriedly. ”Sterns is making something he wishes us to look at. Gamma radiators.”
”What?” Strucker said, shocked.
”He... he thinks we can make more like the Hulk.”
Strucker thought about that. Fast. Too fast. Sterns was trying to accelerate everything... perhaps Strucker could use that to his advantage. ”He is certain?”
”Yes.”
”Then tell him he's authorized. Oversee the project, and make sure to have Deathlok, Abomination, and Wanda on standby. Ask our soldiers to volunteer.”
”You think anyone will?” Helen asked.
Strucker looked at her, then continued his walking. ”Many in this world would sacrifice for the slightest bit of power. And the Hulk and Abomination represent more than a little bit of power.”
”I have also,” List continued, following with Helen. ”Begun the construction of the cybernetics, as per the Cybertek designs. I'm also having our scientists look at the Centipede serum with the girl, Raina.”
”Then we will have an army enough to fight against the Avengers,” Strucker said firmly, a small smile coming to his face. ”Tell me about the other projects.”
January 15th, 2014
”Your project needs work, Sterns,” Strucker said as he stood in the laboratory of Sterns.
The gamma-irradiated scientist smiled. ”Yes, but I have simply found what doesn't work and that is progress.”
They were looking at the results of Sterns experiments, men and women in cages within a large tent set up on the grounds. Eleven in all, four woman and seven men, all of them in too much pain to move. Two of the women and four of the men had green skin after the experimentation, their bodies misshapen and twisted, muscles on their bodies growing and shrinking at random as they screamed in pain and horror. Strucker could hear their bones snapping over and over as they shattered under the immense pressure of their own muscles strength before healing back, only to break again. Some of them had even grown strange appendages, tentacles from their arms and legs, while one of the women had a leg turned to a long stump of flesh.
”The gamma radiators proved what I've always suspected. Bruce and I are not accidents, we are genetically built to accept gamma radiation, to be empowered by it. Emil Blonsky does not have the gene naturally, but the super soldier serum he was given, as crude as it was, allowed him to become what he is now,” Sterns said with a grin.
”And you believe you have isolated the gene?” Strucker asked.
Sterns, in answer, turned to leave the tent and walked out. Strucker followed after an annoyed scowl at Sterns arrogance.
Sterns led him to another tent, where they found several people waiting inside as they worked around two patients on tables.
”Two is now stable.” Sterns said firmly. ”One already injected with the Centipede serum while having the gene, the other using Abomination's blood as a catalyst.”
”I suppose that would be her,” Stucker said, nodding towards the massive being on one table.
”Yes, Rana Philips,” Sterns confirmed.
The woman in question looked like a more slender and female version of Blonsky. She had the same enormous muscles, the same hard exterior and dark green coloration, slightly glowing eyes, and seemed to maintain her hair though it had become green in color. She was awake and lucid, looking around at the scientists experimenting on her. As they watched, she shrank until she had become a normal human woman, with brown hair, green eyes, and a fit form, if not as impressive as she had been before.
”Such control,” Strucker noted with a raised eyebrow.
”But she is not as powerful as a result,” Sterns noted. ”Still, a stable result is good. The other is odd, however,” Sterns nodded towards a man who was asleep on the other side of the tent. The man was green, but he seemed to grow and shrink at random, much like the victims in the other tent. Unlike them, he was at peace.
”Drugged?” Strucker asked.
”Hardly. No, this is apparently how his powers manifest. As it is, I'm not sure if he can control it, especially with his... feeble, personality.”
”What do you mean?” Strucker asked.
”Benjamin Tibbets is not a... strong person, unlike Rana,” Sterns explained. ”He volunteered to become powerful. Did you know he is not even HYDRA? He begged to defect from SHIELD rather than die.”
Strucker blinked. ”But... SHIELD was winning.”
”As I said, Strucker. He is not a strong person, physically or mentally, and I fear that will interfere somewhat in his usefulness. Rana, however, proves that the process is useful, and I can at least suggest using the others as canon fodder. As for candidates, I believe I have a perfect one in mind.”
”...Very well,” Strucker decided. ”And the other experiment?”
”I did not begin it yet,” Sterns admitted. ”I wished to make sure that one worked perfectly. Despite the positive results garnered here, I do not wish to waste any more soldiers. Especially since the Black Sky is so valuable.”
”Black Sky,” Strucker mused quietly. ”I thought that creature was dead.”