14: Vogelbaum

14: Vogelbaum

His teeth clenched, the force with which he did it had broken them dozens of times, and each of those dozens of times, they returned to normal just a few moments later.

Then he did it again.

Because pain was what he needed to stay conscious, because he needed to keep his mind intact.

"What a fascinating thing," the unpleasant voice made his almost unfocused eyes refocus, and with barely concealed fury, he looked at the man for whom he was suffering so much.

"Your blood has properties never seen before, with this, diseases could disappear completely... ailments, injuries..." as the man said this, he lifted a vial of crimson blood, one of the hundreds that were neatly arranged throughout the laboratory.

"I didn't expect to find something like this, but I suppose I should have, a regeneration factor like yours must come from somewhere."

James wanted to growl, but his tongue had been chewed up just a few moments ago, so instead, it was his brother's growl that was heard.

They both hadn't stopped fighting since they were captured, despite the tortures, despite the experiments done to them.

James thought he might go a little crazy after seeing his still-beating heart pulled out of his chest, but he forced his sanity to stay intact, he wouldn't allow them to think they had won. Somehow, somehow, he would get out of this place.

He just had to be patient, and patience was something he had started to learn dozens of years ago.

It was then that the door opened and the ugliest son of a bitch in the world walked in. Seeing the scars on his face almost made him smile, but the sharp pain of having hundreds of tubes piercing his body prevented him from doing so.

Feeling his blood being drained drop by drop was not pleasant at all.

"What does this mean?!" Seeing the state of both prisoners, Johann Schmidt said with clear irritation in his voice.

Dr. Zola snapped out of his reverie and quickly turned to face him, leaving the vial of blood on the desk.

"Sir, it's good to see you. I was just about to get in touch with you. I've discovered something fascinating," he said excitedly.

"This better be important, Dr. Zola. We've lost contact with more than four Hydra bases around Austria. If this continues, we'll soon have Captain America biting our asses, and I don't see my weapons ready," he said, looking at the two prisoners.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to discuss with you, sir." Now somewhat nervous, Dr. Zola decided to explain quickly.

"The control device is almost ready. I was preparing to start the operation, but while doing so, I noticed something fascinating."

It was while examining his old samples. Under normal circumstances, blood outside the body degrades and dies over time, a maximum of one or two days.

Since both subjects were captured, almost a month had passed. The blood samples taken at the beginning of their capture should have become useless long ago.

But they didn't. If they had been carefully stored, it might have made sense, but Zola hadn't done that. The first samples had been set aside because many more could be obtained at any time thanks to the rapid regeneration of both individuals.

The fact that they hadn't been discarded was a stroke of luck. Otherwise, Zola wouldn't have noticed how the blood remained in perfect condition despite the time that had passed.

It was then that he realized there might be something special about it.

Zola was the leading scientist in charge of creating Hydra's weapons and armament, but that didn't mean it was his only specialty. Before Dr. Erskine had escaped, Zola had worked closely with him on the creation of the super-soldier serum.

He wasn't as good as Erskine, but he was undoubtedly one of the best scientists of the current era, with highly advanced biochemical and genetic knowledge for the time.

It had been easy for him to start studying the hidden secrets in the blood of both prisoners and begin studying their unique cells in an attempt to discover where their regenerative factor came from.

In the world John originally came from, studies on genetics had taken time and many years of study until only between the 90s and 2000s was the entire human genome sequenced, facilitating the study of genetics and mutations in the following years.

In this world, Dr. Erskine had achieved the same thing a long, long time ago, and although it wasn't public knowledge, it was something Zola knew because he had seen him do it in person.

"I believe, I believe that if I continue studying their blood, I can extract this unique factor and use it in others," he said after explaining everything to Schmidt

The leader of Hydra looked contemplatively at the blood samples, took a vial in his hand, and then looked at both prisoners.

What an unexpected treasure.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Dr. Zola fell silent after the question.

It wasn't something simple. If it were under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare to claim it, but...

"With the power of the Tesseract fueling my inventions, I definitely believe I can do it..."

When you have access to infinite energy, almost everything becomes possible.

For someone like Zola, these words were undoubtedly a fact.

"If you succeed, if you can do it, what effects can we expect?"

Zola pondered for a few moments.

"At first, it should be possible to use it to cure any disease and injury, repairing the body to its maximum health, but I'm not sure yet if it's possible to grant the same level of regeneration that both of them possess."

The way they could survive any wound and recover to their best state was still something Dr. Zola couldn't fully understand.

"Anyway, once I achieve it, our soldiers will undoubtedly become unstoppable. Germany will become the perfect paradise," he said excitedly.

"I see, that would indeed give us a great advantage in this war. Still, it seems you've forgotten something."

Eh, Zola blinked, confused.

"You're still thinking too small, Doctor, despite having something so incredible fall into your hands. I don't blame you; it's understandable." Schmidt caressed the vial of blood with a light of intrigue in his eyes.

"Tell me, Dr. Zola, what would happen if you mixed Vogelbaum's incomplete serum with this?"

Zola remained still.

Vogelbaum, a name he hadn't heard in a long time.

Not many knew him, as he was a discreet man, but those who did undoubtedly considered him one of Germany's best scientists. Zola had met him only once by chance, a brief conversation, but it was enough for him to hold the man in as high regard as Abraham Erskine.

It wasn't exactly clear why the man left Germany to migrate to the United States, yet the Reich never lost track of him.

When Hitler came to power and Dr. Erskine began developing the super-soldier serum in preparation for the war, Germany and Hydra had decided to provide the best possible scientists to assist him. Vogelbaum was one of the names mentioned.

The man had founded a small pharmaceutical company in the United States, so finding him wasn't difficult.

A discreet man, a man with no association with the military, he seemed only a scientist focused on the study of medicine.

What Hydra found in his private laboratories contradicted all of this.

Even before Germany began the super-soldier serum project, Jonah Vogelbaum had almost completed his own version.

Of course, they had to capture him, of course, the man would try to escape.

Of course, Hydra didn't think he'd be crazy enough to immolate himself and his entire laboratory, along with his primary research, in Alaska.

He had destroyed everything he had worked on without hesitation...

Well, almost everything.

"Sir, this is... I can't say..." What remained, the first sample Hydra had stolen of Vogelbaum's serum, was a guaranteed death sentence.

Its effects were only temporary, and within minutes, the test subjects lost all reason, creating chaos and destruction until their bodies self-destructed, turning into lumps of flesh.

The human body simply couldn't withstand such superhuman changes.

Even Dr. Erskine thought that such a serum was sheer madness, which is why it had been discarded as an absolute failure.

"Tell me, Dr. Zola, why? Why, despite both of us having Erskine's serum running through our veins, does Captain America exhibit power beyond all expectations? Beyond mine?" At the question, Dr. Zola fell silent.

He couldn't understand it. He had worked alongside Erskine on the serum; he knew the expected effects, which is why he better understood than anyone the impossibility of the feats Captain America had been performing.

"John Benjamin Vogelbaum! A curious name, don't you think? Coincidence? I don't think so!" Schmidt clenched the vial in his hand, causing it to explode and stain his uniform in red.

Zola's eyes widened, his quick mind grasping what the Hydra leader was insinuating.

"You're saying that—!"

"You know what I mean! Very clever, don't you think? Making everyone believe he had died, taking all his achievements with him... but we forgot something, the greatest achievement of a man lies in his legacy, Dr. Zola."

Thinking about it made him grit his teeth. How could they have overlooked it? How did Jonah Vogelbaum manage to give his son a complete serum without anyone noticing?

And that man, John... he was clever, easily gaining Erskine's trust, taking his serum, and mixing it with his father's...

'What a pair of vipers.'

"Listen to my theory, Doctor. Despite being complete, Vogelbaum's serum is too powerful for any normal human to use, but if the person's body is strong enough, it can counteract any side effects and reap all the benefits. Somehow, Vogelbaum's son must have known this, and with that in mind, he gained Erskine's trust, took his serum, becoming a super-soldier, and then, without anyone noticing, used his father's serum."

He said with a dark expression.

"That's how this 'Captain America' was born."

Of course, this wasn't the truth, but with all the clues he had, it was the only conclusion Johann Schmidt could come to.

The only way he could accept that someone had power greater than his.

Thus, the doubts that had been plaguing his mind vanished. It wasn't because he was a failure, no. Instead, it was because his enemy had cheated.

But that was fine; he could cheat too.

He looked at both prisoners and smiled.

"Tell me, Doctor, do you need both of them to continue your research?"

Dr. Zola absentmindedly shook his head, still stunned by the great revelation.

"Their blood has the same properties." As far as his research had taken him so far, Dr. Zola hadn't been able to detect any differences between the two.

"Then finish your device. Once one of them is under our control, begin testing. Create new samples of the incomplete serum and see if he is able to resist its effects, if he succeeds... then do whatever it takes to extract this ability."

He wasn't going to fall behind; no matter what it took, he would gain the power to take this world into his hands.

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United States: New York University (NYU)

"Damn it!" A long sigh was heard, light brown eyes looked at the research table with irritation.

He was so close.

"What went wrong?" He looked at the machine's settings; there must be an error somewhere.

He had to hurry. If he wanted to continue his research, he needed results soon. With the war ongoing, the Committee for Scientific Research and Development had started looking for new promising projects to fund. If he could impress them and demonstrate the military utility of his invention, they would undoubtedly provide sufficient funds.

He could change the world completely!

If he could make this work...

"Professor Pym?" Hearing someone call him, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the entrance of the laboratory.

There he saw a young woman who seemed barely in her twenties. A student?

"What is it?" He didn't have time for this.

"Um! I'm Janet, Janet Van Dyne. I came for the assistant position, if it's still available, of course," she responded somewhat nervously, scratching her short hair.

Hank blinked in confusion until he remembered. He had put up that ad, hadn't he?

Wait, Van Dyne? Where had he heard that name before?

"Are you related to Vernon Van Dyne?"

At the mention of her father, the girl smiled slightly and nodded somewhat uncomfortably.

"Yes... he is... family," she said a bit hesitantly.

Hank thought more deeply this time. There wasn't a scientist who didn't know Vernon Van Dyne, more importantly, he was one of the main members of the Committee for Scientific Research and Development.

He could use this.

"Assistant, right? I still have the position," he said without further thought.

Janet wanted to sigh. She had prepared an entire resume for nothing, it seemed.

Still, it was fine. She was here to gain experience and academic points. It didn't matter if she got the position thanks to her father... again.

"Then I'd love to take it."

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"What do you think they'll make us do this time? Carry more boxes?"

There were small laughs, some weak but mostly tired.

"I think they'll make us clean up their shit. It's the only thing we haven't done yet."

The comment elicited some snorts from around the place.

The man who asked the first question laughed and sighed, looking into the darkness through the bars of his cell. His eyes wandered until they landed on a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Hey, Steve, what are you doing?" he asked, seeing his best friend writing on a piece of paper using a bit of charcoal.

Where had he gotten that?

Steve looked back at him, his tired blue eyes still bright.

"I write for her, Bucky. Once we get out of here, I'll make sure it gets to her. God knows she's probably worried sick," Steve said, a touch of affection in his voice.

Bucky scoffed.

"Still thinking about that girl? I thought you were just having fun with her, not that you were hooked, man."

Steve smiled.

"I don't know her very well yet, but I think we're compatible."

"You should've married her, kid. At least that way you wouldn't die single, haha," one of the soldiers nearby said.

"You're a pessimist, aren't you?" Bucky said with a bit of a complaint, but deep down he also felt that this might be the end of the road.

"Well, if I get out of here, I'm definitely marrying her," Steve said, smiling, and Bucky scoffed.

"And I'll be the best man. Why not?"

"I expect an invitation!"

"Lots of beer!"

"And dancers! Lots of dancers!"

More and more soldiers joined in, their cheerfulness filling them for a brief moment.

Then a shout was heard.

"Schweigen!"

A guard arrived, banging on the bars forcefully.

The momentary cheerful atmosphere vanished instantly.

Eyes filled with anger and resentment glared at the guard, who carried a weapon glowing with blue energy.

"Your shift will begin soon! Prepare yourselves!" he said in broken English.

The imprisoned soldiers wanted to complain but wisely kept their mouths shut, still remembering the fate of the last man who did.

Only his ashes remained.

The soldiers sighed, preparing for another day of endless tormentous hours of work. At this rate, more and more of them were dying from exhaustion.

Steve tucked away the half-written letter and swallowed, his dry and cracked lips a testament to their dehydration.

When he enlisted alongside Bucky, he thought things would be different. He didn't expect his ultimate fate to be dying as a slave.

Well, he supposed that's what you got for recklessly charging ahead into the front lines of war, thinking everything would be fine.

He closed his eyes for a moment but immediately opened them when he felt the ground tremble slightly.

"Did you feel that?" he asked Bucky, who looked at him with uncertainty.

"Feel what?" Bucky began to say, but before Steve could respond, the tremor returned more forcefully.

This time, all the captured soldiers noticed it.

They began to slowly stand up, looking in all directions. Their dimly lit prison barely allowed them to glimpse brief flashes of light.

The guards shouted and started running in one direction, but before they could do anything, they began to fall like puppets with cut strings.

Steve watched as the guard who had interrupted them fell not far away with something embedded in his head—was that a dagger?

"Well, looks like I'm not too late," a voice made everyone turn to see a man with a silver star on his chest emerge from the darkness.

Eyes so blue they almost seemed to glow.

Explosions shook the place, one after another, and shouts were heard from outside.

"So, who wants to escape?" his voice snapped everyone out of their stupor.

Light began to fill the eyes of all the prisoners as they realized what was happening. Smiles grew on their faces as the man with the star on his chest began to break open their cell doors and hand them the energy weapons the guards had carried.

Suddenly, a weapon found its way into Steve's hands, and he smiled nervously. Did he really have to get married?

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Note:

We're starting with a new arc! things started to escalate from now on.

By the way, to avoid spending too much time on unnecessary details, there will be mentions of several of John's wartime exploits, even if they don't appear directly on screen.

Of course, what I consider most important to the story will still be present and well-detailed. Also, expect other characters to reference some of his achievements in future chapters. (In this chapter, Schmidt mentions that John raided more than 4 Hydra bases in Austria off-screen.)

That being said, let's discuss the most interesting part of this chapter...

Compound V! Some of you guessed it, although I only hinted at it in Chapter 2.

V sucks, It might be gone and we might not see it again, but it left behind some problems that John could have solved if he weren't... well, John.

Some of you mentioned that John was taking too long to reach Schmidt, and you were right. Everything has consequences, and if he had arrived earlier, many future problems could have been avoided.

Now Hydra, who previously only had an incomplete, lethal, and useless version of Compound V, has found a possible way to use it in the blood of the immortal brothers.

Now, a war that could have been easy is becoming much more complicated...

Before I finish, I just want to clarify something that I see many of you might ask about.

The serum Hydra has is incomplete, clearly less powerful than the complete version and with some unknown drawbacks. Still, that doesn't make it any less of a problem.

Furthermore, the effects on each individual vary; some may be strong, others weak. "The Boys" series is a clear example with all those supers who are mostly cannon fodder.

I hope that clarifies what I mean.

Leave your comments, opinions, and critiques—I read them all.

remember that you can find the next chapter of this story on Patreon (patreon.com/EmmaCruzader). If you want to read the next chapter in advance and get some other benefits, you can go and check it out. All the support received helps me a lot ;D