Chapter 16

- So that's where that "bruise from the door jamb" on his face ... - Sarah drawled.

- Steve... - I looked at the guy with a serious look.

"I..." he felt uneasy, and he lowered his head sadly.

- You're doing great! - the kid did not understand what was said at first, but then he smiled happily.

- James! / Brother! the girls exclaimed.

- what? - I was surprised — - The guy did everything right! But I'm wondering why you went to them without any plan? I could at least have armed myself with something in advance — " I ask Steve.

— I didn't think about it somehow, huh,-the young blond man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

— You didn't think at all! How could you get into a fight? I taught you to think about yourself — they could hurt you! - Yeah, Sarah's kind of broke up.

- Come on, my love, - I hugged the girl, - This has already happened, so it's better to praise your son for such a selfless act.

- Too much for me, a half-finished hero — - she put her head on my shoulder — - Say thank you to your father for protecting you, otherwise…

"My dear," I reminded her.

- Yes, yes — — she snorted, - Well done, son.

-Hee — hee, brother, you are as always, - my sister giggled at our situation — - Since baby Stevie started calling you daddy, you always protect him... even from your own mother, hee-hee.

"Well, Aunt Victoria! I'm not small enough to call me baby anymore! the teenager frowned.

In general, it was fun. Steve sulked for a while, but soon he also started having fun with us. The girls began to ask the guy about his new friend. He said that Bucky (the guy himself came up with this nickname for him) is good and that since he met him, he has never done anything prejudicial yet. He also promised to invite him to visit the other day when he meets with him.

I was happy for the guy, because he found his first best friend, and it was clear from his eyes and voice that Steve thinks so. I can only believe that his choice was right and Barnes is the kind of person that my adopted son described. But this is his life and it is better to collect the cones earlier than in the future, when it will hurt even more. I will only support him in difficult moments, so that he does not break down.

Three days later, a friend of Steve's, James Buchanan Barnes, came to our house for tea. My namesake, by the way. But because of his son, everyone now called him Bucky. He did not take offense at this, but only smiled at it. During this meeting, I was able to understand that the guy is the way the blonde described him. For all this life, I have already developed experience in identifying a person's character, and reading superficial thoughts only contributed to this faster.

Three years later, Erskine made progress with the optimization of the serum, but then some person stole one of the copies of his work. I told him to keep everything in a safe place, for example, in a safe. And then he always has all the ampoules and bottles with all versions of the serum in a prominent place. No wonder someone stole some of it from him.

It is good that this turned out to be one of the first samples and without an activator there will be no effects. Only this is not the main thing, but the fact that I considered his invention finished, but in our messages to each other we did not even mention a word about the completion. This means that it is being monitored, or rather, its development.

I was about to suggest that he go to America, where he could join Regen Industries, but then I realized that this would not change anything and they would already be watching both of us. I didn't want to substitute my relatives, so I began to think about what to do. And nothing but faking death came to mind. Well, I'll think about it for now, but it's still worth coming up with an additional plan.

Recently, one very interesting information surfaced on the black market. How do I know this and why do I go to such places? So they only sell information there... after someone destroyed everything that is not related to this activity. I don't even know who it could be? Certainly not me.

Ahem, so, one day I found out that a certain Johann Schmidt started looking for something called a Tesseract-a source of enormous energy, which I miss so much. But I know that this person will definitely find it and use it for their own purposes. I have the opportunity to kill him, but there is no guarantee that someone else will take Schmidt's place, because... what do they say? "If you cut off one head, two will grow, Heil Hydra!".

So I'm not in a hurry with my actions, because I don't want to break what should happen in the future, although I will try to fix some points, but only those that I consider insignificant. I already know very little about what will happen there, and if everything changes… No, I'd rather not think about it.

By the way, in three years, Abraham and I were still able to understand at what frequency the emitter should work so that the serum could work at its maximum. The doctor suggested calling it Vita-rays, but I agreed, because I found the name very ironic. Radiation that can kill a person has been called life.

I also finally learned the secret of a younger look of Erskine and his wife than they really are. It's all about a special technique and diet, as well as a bit of his own development — something like the earliest serum, but its separate offshoot, which focuses specifically on slowing down aging.

And as I expected, he told me about it himself and even offered to try it himself. Naturally, I agreed, but not for myself. Yes, it was for Sarah's sake, because she is an ordinary person, not a mutant, like me or Victoria, and is not immune from old age. Only I improved the serum itself a little, since I worked on its main direction and know how it works. Therefore, the anti-aging technique now not only fulfilled its main goal, but also increased physical performance.

Of course, I didn't immediately run to Sarah with this. Yeah, look for a fool who will experience something incomprehensible, but in theory doing only better, on dear people. I had to test it first in order to draw conclusions, which I did. First there were animals, and then there were people. Although I don't consider criminals to be people, so let them be half-people.

Then, when I put all the flaws of the improved anti-aging serum in order, tested it on patients in my hospital and, having made sure that the effect works, and the serum fulfills all the obligations assigned to it, I went with it to my girlfriend. At first she was surprised, and then she looked at me with such an expression on her face that I even felt like a saint. Well, yes, I forgot that for girls their appearance and age is of great importance.