23: Meeting

23: Meeting

It was dark, his drowsy consciousness barely able to feel anything, brief flashes, images, memories, sensations that soon stopped due to his forced sleep state.

Who was he? What was he? Those had been some of the first questions he asked himself, questions to which no one answered, at least not in the way he expected. But what did he expect? His creator had acclaimed him as a failure because whenever his eyes opened, it was to see an unknown world that the next moment would be engulfed in flames. Then after a few moments, his consciousness would return to that numbing darkness, and his eyes would close once more, leaving him alone again, aware of his existence but powerless to truly exist.

He was confused, knowing things but at the same time knowing nothing, an existence without purpose.

While submerged in this state, he felt the air once more, the oxygen hit his skin causing the flames to come to life. The android opened his eyes, looking at an unfamiliar place, seeing an unfamiliar face that was vaguely familiar at the same time.

"Very well, you are awake," the man with a star on his chest approached, with a single hand, he tore off the door of the cabin where he had been locked up, and for the first time in his existence, the android was free. Receiving more oxygen than before, his flames rose, hitting the man who had freed him, and for an instant, an unfamiliar feeling reached the android's synthetic mind.

If he were human, he would have known it was concern, but contrary to all the data that had been inserted into his mind about human biology, the fire did not harm the person in front of him. Instead, the man ignored the burning flames as if they were just a simple breeze and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, it's all right," his voice was soothing, deep, and full of confidence. The android looked at him clumsily, not knowing what to do or say despite knowing thousands of words.

Then he looked at himself, at the flames that surrounded him, dancing and uncontrolled. Then he remembered again, his first memories, a failure, a disaster. That was what his creator said when his eyes opened for the first time.

Something dangerous.

In a panic, he tried to step back, but the hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't get upset, first, let's put out these flames," the android looked up in bewilderment, put out the flames? More memories came, his creator had tried to do it many times, failing all of them, so how would this man do such a thing?

His question was answered when the liquid suddenly spilled against his body, followed by a cold white mist.

His flames suddenly receded, and he felt something different, something had changed. When the white mist settled, and he could look at himself once more, he noticed with incredulity his body, his naked body without flames.

He looked at the palms of his hands with fascination.

"Liquid nitrogen, how about that? An unexpected solution, isn't it?" The android looked at the man with unfamiliar feelings. This person had fixed what his creator could not, had made him cease to be a failure, a danger.

"Who are you?" For the first time in his existence, words left his lips. His voice, hearing himself, was an inexplicable experience.

"You can call me John, you can call me Captain America, or if you want to be too formal, you can call me Colonel. Use whichever you prefer. From now on, you can say I am your superior."

His superior? He knew the meaning of the word; in fact, he had been designed to serve, so it was expected that he would obey orders. But still, he couldn't help having doubts even though he shouldn't be able to.

"What happened... what happened to the creator?" Upon hearing this, John smiled warmly.

"Doctor Horton has decided to return home. He realized that you would be in better hands with me, and he donated you to a greater cause."

That was... The android didn't know how to feel. The creator, Doctor Horton, had never had a real conversation with him; he knew nothing about the man beyond that he was the creator and that he owed him loyalty for that. But if the creator had donated him, it meant that his loyalty had changed hands, as it was always intended to happen.

"To be honest, I don't like referring to you as something that can be given or exchanged, but I've done so because I know those are terms you would understand since they are in your programming. But let's change those terms, okay? From now on, you work for me, you are part of my team, and also part of a new initiative that will change the world. You are part of S.W.O.R.D."

The android listened attentively, storing those words in his database. Although he still didn't understand many things, he did know one thing: serving was his duty, and now he was part of S.W.O.R.D. Now he served Captain America.

So he nodded in agreement, making John smile.

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John left the room specially prepared for the android with a slight smile on the corner of his lips.

Everything had gone as expected, which wasn't difficult. The original Human Torch was now like a "child," one that had been programmed to serve, and now John was his "owner." Gaining his loyalty was simple, and for now, he had a new ally who would follow his orders without too much doubt.

Of course, John knew that the android was not something that could be manipulated without consequences. Although for now, he would follow the programming he was created with, John understood without a doubt that the longer the android lived and experienced, sooner or later, he would begin to form his own individuality.

That's why he had to treat him with care, not think of him as just a machine but as a real person. That way, even when his mind fully developed, the android would still choose to stay by his side.

But for now, it was better to let him get used to his new state. The room that had been prepared for him was simple, but John had ordered some books, newspapers, and a bed to be installed. Simple things, but they would undoubtedly give him some comfort.

"If anything happens, inform me. If he wants to leave, let him, do not try to stop him," John told a couple of guards he had stationed to watch the place.

Both men nodded at his orders.

John returned the nod and walked directly through the temporary S.W.O.R.D. base to the main offices, where many newly hired staff members were doing their work. He nodded at them, and they returned the greeting with respect.

Then he walked to the main office, where he saw Peggy, who seemed quite busy.

"I see you are settling in quite well, Miss Carter," the woman stopped her work and looked up to see him with a smile on her lips. She was about to call him by his name but stopped, remembering where they were.

Her office might have been somewhat secluded from the others, but it was still in the same place, and the walls were not very thick. Pressing her lips together, she cleared her throat and greeted John formally.

"Colonel, it's good to see you. I hope you have finished all your tasks." Despite her very professional tone, John could still hear a bit of reproach in her voice, which was understandable. After all, John had been out the entire day, leaving her with almost all the work he should have been doing.

"Everything is in place. If all goes as I hope, then S.W.O.R.D. will start working for real soon." John sat on Peggy's desk, pushing aside some of the documents on it and stretching his hand up to her hair. The woman, noticing his action, quickly moved his hand away and whispered in a low voice.

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing her panic, John was amused. It wasn't his fault; it was Peggy who had taken his words about not letting anyone find out too seriously. When they weren't alone, the beautiful agent was very professional and didn't want any strange rumors circulating at her workplace.

That's why she had decided to keep their "relationship" hidden. John didn't really care if people knew or not, but since she wanted it that way, he didn't refuse. Besides, it was fun to see her nervous.

"What's the matter, Miss Carter? No one is watching," he said, gesturing to the people working diligently outside the office. Peggy glared at him before standing up and walking to the glass window that allowed them to see outside while also letting others see inside.

Her cold gaze swept the area, looking at the workers she had personally hired and placed in their positions. As the vice-director, she had been filling the logistical gaps in S.W.O.R.D., a challenging task she was perfectly capable of handling thanks to her contacts and the influence she had gained with her new position.

It helped that many of them were already available, having previously worked for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Their current roles were not very different, so they could start working immediately.

In a short time, Peggy had begun to get S.W.O.R.D. up and running, following some of John's guidelines while also making her own contributions to fill the gaps he had missed.

Of course, S.W.O.R.D. was still in its infancy, but it had started to function, and seeing it happen thanks to her efforts made Peggy feel quite proud.

That's why she didn't want to ruin it. Sighing, she closed the blinds of the window, making the room a bit darker.

She felt John approach her, his hands encircling her waist, and his breath hitting the side of her face. Swallowing hard, she felt his warmth before remembering again where they were and quickly pulled away.

"No, not here," she said with a red face. She had disrespected her professionalism once; she wouldn't do it again.

"Why are you accusing me? I haven't even done anything." John smiled playfully, approaching her again. Peggy turned to look at him with a frown.

"I can sense what you're intending, but now I'm the Vice-Director of S.W.O.R.D. and you're the General Director. You need to be more serious," she reprimanded him, but she didn't pull away when he embraced her again.

"Are you saying I don't know how to behave? Quite bold of you, Miss Carter. Maybe I should punish you for insubordination," John teased, pulling her closer, causing her to blush while frowning at him—a rather intriguing expression.

Their faces were inches apart when someone knocked forcefully on the door.

Like a cat encountering water, Peggy nearly jumped, stepping back quickly. John couldn't help but chuckle a bit but swiftly walked to the door, turning on the light before opening it.

"Well, look who it is!" John said, seeing Howard, this time more elegant and clean than the last time he saw him.

"Miss me? Who am I kidding, of course you did," Howard stepped forward, entering the office casually.

"Miss Carter, or should I say Vice-Director Carter? I heard about your hiring, it's great to have you with us," Howard congratulated her, peggy, who now had a serious and professional expression, nodded in response.

"It's good to see you're back. Have you handled all your tasks?"

Howard nodded. "Every last one of them. I must say, it wasn't easy saying goodbye to some of my girls, but we all have to make sacrifices in this war, don't you think, Colonel?" John nodded wisely, looking at Howard seriously.

"Indeed, as long as Hydra stands and this war is ongoing, worldly pleasures must be set aside for a greater good," his voice was dignified, making Howard's eyes shine with agreement.

For her part, Peggy tried hard not to snort. This guy, how could he say something like that? She didn't expect John to have such a brazen side, although she should have known.

"By the way, there are two people I want you to meet later," John told Howard, causing the man to raise an eyebrow in doubt.

Of course, those people John was referring to were the still-unnamed android and Professor Hank Pym, who should have already arrived at S.W.O.R.D.

"They are a new addition that will certainly interest you, and speaking of that, tomorrow the final members I need for the special team are likely to arrive, so we will have S.W.O.R.D.'s first major meeting."

"New members? I thought you only went to recruit one person," Peggy couldn't help but ask doubtfully. In the note John had left before leaving, he mentioned going to recruit someone but without many details.

"Well, things change. I made an... unexpected discovery. I'll explain everything at the meeting. For now, it's best if we call it a day; it's late, and overworking is bad for your health." This made the woman narrow her eyes at him suspiciously.

"There's still a lot to do," Peggy said, but John quickly shook his finger.

"It's not a suggestion, it's an order. It's time to rest. Go and tell those people outside, we'll kill them with work later," Peggy pursed her lips, but seeing he was serious, she sighed and nodded, standing up.

"I'll let them know to go and rest," Peggy said, leaving the office to talk to the employees outside.

"Well, I'm also a bit tired, and if tomorrow's meeting is as important as you've made it seem, then I'll want to be well-rested. So, I'll be off for now," Howard decided to leave as well, but before he could go, John spoke seriously.

"Before that, I was wondering if you brought 'it' with you," his words made Howard stop and look at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.

"I don't know what you want it for, but I had it brought here. This place doesn't have the proper space, so it's in my lab for now," John smiled in relief, relaxing and patting Howard on the shoulder before saying goodbye.

"Very well, that's all. Thanks again for this favor. Now go, I've saved one of the best rooms for you," John pointed the way to Howard before returning to the office, where he waited for Peggy while he immersed himself in his thoughts.

'So it's here,' thinking about 'it,' John couldn't help but feel a bit excited. After all, it was the instrument he would use to elevate his abilities one step further.

The Pod of the Project Rebirth.

John had been thinking a lot about how to execute his plan to absorb the radiation from the Tesseract. At first, he had some doubts about how he should do it, but after much meditation, he realized that the solution had always been right in front of him.

The most important thing of all was that he realized he could use Dr. Erskine's discovery to his advantage. After all, the greatest benefit of vita radiation was its stabilizing properties. Absorbing the Tesseract's energy directly could be dangerous due to its volatility, but if he used vita rays to stabilize its power, it might make it easier for his body to assimilate that energy.

It was theoretical, after all, he didn't know if he could actually combine the energy of the Tesseract and the vita rays into one until he tried it. But if it worked... He didn't know exactly what the effects would be, but without a doubt, he would rise to unimaginable heights.

John hadn't planned to get to this point initially; becoming his own lab rat was not pleasant. But if he couldn't stop Hydra before they obtained an army of super soldiers, then he would have to take the risk.

"Well, everyone is gone," Peggy returned, looking at John, who seemed lost in deep thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, somewhat concerned, but John quickly reverted to his normal attitude upon hearing her and shook his head before approaching her quickly.

"Just thinking about the future," she frowned at feeling his hands on her waist.

"I told you, not here," she complained but didn't really fight against him. John laughed as he took her lips with his, making Peggy forget they were still in the office.

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Janet had been having problems, serious and fascinating problems.

Something had happened, something that obviously had to do with Professor Hank's device accident. Janet had tried to stay calm; she was also a scientist and surely could figure out what was happening, right?

Well, she found out some things. Using the scientific equipment of the research committee with her father's permission, she ran some secret analyses on herself.

They were quick studies but told her enough. Something had changed in her; her genetic structure was different.

Which was another problem because she didn't specialize in genetics at all.

And while shooting rays from her hands was cool, she wouldn't deny that.

There was also the possibility that there was some unknown side effect, a deadly and not at all pleasant side effect waiting for its time to come to light.

With that in mind and with the sun just a few minutes away from rising over the horizon, Janet found herself standing outside the temporary headquarters of SWORD.

Why had she come here? There were a few reasons. One would think that with her father being a renowned scientist, she would seek his help first, but her father wasn't specialized in genetics or strange powers either.

And if she went to him, he would surely make this matter something that the entire research committee would get involved in, and Janet wasn't going to become their next scientific project, thank you very much.

She knew enough about those types to know that if she fell into their hands, things would not be pleasant at all, even with her father there.

So her options were clear. This happened because of the incident caused by Professor Pym's machine, and Professor Pym had followed Captain America to SWORD.

She didn't know if Professor Pym would have a solution; in fact, she doubted he would, but he was the only one with the data on the Pym particles, which Janet theorized were the cause of her change. Therefore, it was clear that to begin investigating her condition, she should start there.

Besides, SWORD should have knowledge about genetic alteration, right? After all, Captain America was created that way, and while the lead scientist in charge of the super-soldier project was dead, that didn't mean there weren't any data that could help her understand her new state better.

She didn't know if she could reverse it, but at least she needed to ensure she wasn't going to die at any moment or something worse. She would really jump off a bridge if a strange arm grew or something similar.

And lastly... she trusted John, even if she barely knew him. Surely the world's first great hero would help her, right? At least that was the impression she had of him—a reliable man. Maybe she shouldn't trust such a vague feeling, but deep down, she believed she wasn't wrong.

She took a deep breath to encourage herself. She hoped John was there because it would be quite depressing to have to wait until he arrived. The guards at the doors looked pretty fierce, after all.

"Good morning?" she approached and spoke, causing the guards to give her hard looks.

"It's better if you step away, miss. This facility is government property," one of them said sternly.

Janet nodded, somewhat nervously. "Yes, well, I came by invitation, from Colonel John—John Benjamin Vogelbaum, surely you know him. He offered me a job and, well, I couldn't wait any longer?"

One of the guards frowned but remembered something John had told them before assigning them to their post. He pulled out a list from one of his pockets and spoke, asking a question.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Janet van Dyne, I'm the daughter of Vernon van Dyne." Janet really disliked having to use her father's name, but in this situation, she didn't hesitate.

"I see, follow me," the guard nodded after reading the paper he had taken out and began to guide Janet inside. Meanwhile, the other guard took out his radio and sent the message of Janet's arrival to the head of security.

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"This place is more... simple than I expected," Janet couldn't help but think as she looked around the interior of the building. It was obvious that there were areas that were still somewhat empty. The guard led her through the place until they reached one of the upper floors.

"You can wait here," the guard pointed to a door before opening it to let Janet in. With some uncertainty, the young woman stepped inside, noticing that it seemed like a simple office room with two chairs and a desk.

She heard the door close behind her and couldn't help but momentarily panic. Still, she reminded herself that she hadn't done anything wrong and shouldn't be in trouble, so she simply took one of the chairs and decided to wait.

Fortunately for her, it wasn't long before someone opened the door, though it wasn't exactly who she was expecting.

The blonde woman with a cold expression who entered the room made Janet swallow hard. She recognized her; it was the same woman who had followed John to the Scientific Innovation Fair of the Research Committee. Whether it was back then or now, Janet felt the same impression when being looked at by her.

As if a wolf was studying her.

She didn't know why, but something told her that she was dangerous in some way.

"Uh, I was expecting to speak with the Colonel," Janet said, somewhat nervously.

"Many hope to speak with him, but he's a somewhat busy man. Even so, he should be here soon," she said in a flat voice.

An awkward silence then filled the space as both women looked at each other. Janet had not expected to have such an uncomfortable encounter so soon, It wasn't even dawn yet!

Well, luck smiled on her as this situation didn't last long. The door opened again, and this time the man she had been hoping to see finally arrived, albeit somewhat disheveled, looking like he had hurried out of bed.

"Sorry, I was a bit busy. I didn't expect you so early," John said, looking at Janet with curiosity.

"Well... something happened, and I need some help," Janet decided to be direct, causing John to raise an eyebrow but quickly start to guess what was going on.

"Raven, why don't you get us something to drink?" Raven nodded, knowing that John wanted to talk alone with Janet, so she left temporarily. After all, she had only come to ensure that the guards hadn't let in the wrong person.

Seeing her leave, Janet sighed in relief, and John approached her, sitting informally on the desk in the office.

"She's gone now. So, will you tell me what the problem is?"

At his question, Janet fidgeted with her fingers before nodding and taking off the brown leather gloves she had been wearing. She proceeded to raise her palms, and out of nowhere, the room lit up with a yellow glow.

John observed the ethereal energy emanating from Janet's hands with interest.

"It all started after the incident at the Innovation Fair. I did some analysis on myself, but it only left me with more questions than answers. So i thought that if I came here and spoke with Professor Pym, I could understand better what happened to me," Janet explained.

"I see, it must have been the Pym particles. When that explosion occurred, the energy released by them must have affected your genetic structure in an unexpected way. Tell me, is this the only thing you can do?" he asked, pointing at her hands. Janet was quite surprised that John understood everything instantly. She hadn't wanted to use scientific jargon or explain too much, thinking it would be useless, but the man seemed to know more than she had expected.

"Well, besides glowing, it seems I can make the energy come out of my hands with force?" she said, not fully understanding the phenomenon, as she hadn't dared to try it again for fear of causing damage.

"Show me," John said simply, making her look at him in surprise.

Seeing her hesitation, John stood up and patted his chest.

"you should have seen what I am capable of, come on I'll be fine," he said, causing her to gulp before nodding. Yes, he was Captain America, a super soldier. She had seen images of him taken in Italy; not even tank shells made him bleed, so surely she couldn't harm him.

She took a deep breath and quickly extended both palms toward him. This time, she consciously wanted the energy to be released, and in response to that thought, the yellow glow intensified. Like an arrow at great speed, the energy left her palms, cutting through the air.

John's eyes widened slightly; it was much faster than any projectile he had faced before, even those fired by Hydra's weapons.

Still, he stood firm and let the projectile hit him directly in the chest. His body was pushed back several inches, and the white shirt he was wearing burned from the energy, but despite that, his skin showed no signs of damage.

"Wow, that hits harder than a grenade." He wasn't joking; John had let enemy soldiers detonate grenades in his face, and those explosions hadn't even made him stagger.

Janet looked at her palms in amazement. This attack had released more energy than the first one she had done, yet somehow she felt it wasn't her limit.

Then she looked up and couldn't help but blush as she saw John taking off his half-burned shirt, revealing his bare torso completely.

"Incredible, to think that a simple accident could generate such changes in a person... Tell me, have you tried doing anything else?"

At his question, Janet quickly averted her gaze and shook her head.

"I don't know what kind of side effects this might have. I haven't wanted to experiment too much." Her concern was not unfounded, but John didn't think anything bad would happen to her, at least not in a universe like this. In his old universe, it might have given her super cancer or something like that.

"I understand. You don't have to worry. Since you've come here, I'll do everything possible to help you. I won't let anything bad happen to you," he promised solemnly, making Janet look at him with gratitude. It seemed her choice to come here had been the right one.

Extremely relieved, she couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

"Thank you! really thanks!!" Janet ran toward him, giving him a strong hug. Only God knows how worried she had been since the incident. Facing all this on her own had pushed her nerves to the limit, and now that she finally had someone to trust, she almost wanted to start crying.

John patted her back to calm her. In a way, he understood her worry because he had felt that same uncertainty when he injected himself with Compound V, not knowing what would happen.

"You know we have better rooms than this, right?" Raven's bored voice made Janet almost jump. John turned to see her entering with three cups of coffee in her hands. When their eyes met, he could see the reproach in them, as if saying, "Again?"

"N-no, it's not like that!" Janet tried to explain, but Raven didn't even look at her. She just put down the coffee and turned to leave.

John felt genuinely depressed; this time, he hadn't done anything wrong, but his faithful assistant seemed to have lost faith in him...

"Wait, I need you to call professor pym, tell him it's something important," John said, stopping her. Raven looked at him and nodded seriously, noticing from his tone that this was a serious matter.

"For now you can stay in one of the rooms on site. I still have some other matters to attend to later, but I'll let Professor Pym and you start working to find out more about your condition. Probably Howard will join you too," John told Janet, who nodded. In fact, she hadn't slept at all due to her worries, but now that she had found help, she felt sleep starting to catch up with her.

John had some of the workers prepare a room for Janet where she could settle for now. He then went off to meet with Hank and explain the situation.

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Later in the morning.

Charles hadn't had a great night. The images of James's memories had been replaying in his mind over and over, making it almost impossible for him to fall asleep. Fortunately, or unfortunately, his sister knew exactly what to do to knock him out.

"You could have been gentler," he complained while rubbing the side of his head.

"Being gentle wouldn't have helped," Cassandra replied as she shoved another suitcase into the car's trunk. Seeing this, Charles frowned.

"Do you really want to go?" His question made Cassandra roll her eyes and look at him with a cold expression.

"Do you want to have this discussion again?" Cassandra closed the trunk and leaned against the car, facing Charles with a raised eyebrow in challenge.

"I'm going, whether with you or without you. You can't stop me, little brother; I've already decided what I'm going to do." There was no doubt in her words.

Charles sighed, realizing he really couldn't change her mind, but he wasn't going to stay behind either.

"you will not go alone, I will never back down from something like this, I believe that this... that this was what I was born to do and I have to go," he was sincere. After thinking deeply, he realized that his powers, his gifts, could do a lot of good, change the world.

"There you have it. Why talk so much when we both know what we're going to do?"

Charles nodded. She was right about that, yet he couldn't help but worry about her, even though he knew it wasn't necessary. His sister was always impulsive in many aspects, and he feared she might get hurt because of this. But he couldn't stop her; his powers didn't work on her, and in a physical contest, he'd probably end up like a pretzel without even touching a hair on her head.

After all, how do you beat someone who can hit you without touching you?

"Come on, I don't want to be late," Cassandra urged, getting into the passenger seat. Charles nodded, snapping out of his thoughts and looking one last time at the family home.

Perhaps the hardest part was having to manipulate their parents. Charles wasn't proud of it, but he could only take that path to keep them from worrying about their well-being.

After all, their two children were leaving without knowing if they'd ever come back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in apology before getting into the car and starting their journey.

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"Shall we begin?" Peggy asked, stifling a yawn.

"Not yet. They should be arriving soon," John responded by looking at the series of maps he had laid out on several boards.

Raven entered the strategic planning room with several cups of coffee, handing one to Peggy, another to Howard, and finally to James, although the latter didn't really need it.

Peggy didn't hesitate and took a long sip, even though it was a bit hot. She needed to clear the tiredness from her body, thinking about it she couldn't help but look at John reproachfully, clearly it had been this guy's fault that she barely slept a few hours.

John wisely ignored her glare and instead focused on the words he was about to say. After all, this meeting was largely about introducing the meta-humans to those who were still unaware of them. At least the core of SWORD should know them before anyone else.

"They better get here soon; the wait is killing me," Howard said while looking at the boards John had filled with maps.

"They're here," James spoke, causing Peggy and Howard to blink in confusion.

Outside the building.

Charles stopped his car, and soon both siblings got out, looking at the temporary SWORD headquarters.

Before they could say anything, a soldier approached them, eyeing them carefully and saluting.

"Mr. and Miss Xavier?" he asked, and they both nodded.

"Follow me," he said simply and began guiding them along with other soldiers. Cassandra shrugged and followed the guard, while Charles took a deep breath before stepping forward as well.

They soon entered the building. Unlike when Janet arrived, there was a lot of activity inside. Some people gave them strange looks; after all, they were a pair of young people in a government building, something that contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the place.

Even so, no one questioned why they were there since they were being escorted by military personnel.

They soon arrived in front of the strategic planning room's door.

"The Colonel is waiting for you inside," the guard said before retreating with his men.

Charles could sense James inside, as well as John and two other people, and without hesitating any longer, he opened the door.

When they heard the door open, the first to turn toward the direction were, of course, Peggy and Howard, who raised an eyebrow in unison.

"A couple of kids? What's the meaning of this?" Peggy couldn't help but ask, turning to John. He stopped looking at the board and walked over to Charles and Cassandra, placing his hands on their shoulders to bring them forward.

"Alright, time for some introductions. These two are Charles and Cassandra Xavier, our new recruits. Guys, that beautiful woman over there is Peggy Carter, the Vice-Director of SWORD and second in command after me. Next to her is Howard Stark, the head of Research and Scientific Development at SWORD."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," both siblings responded politely, greeting the two adults who still looked puzzled.

"No offense, but are we sure they're old enough to be here?" Howard couldn't help but ask.

Cassandra smiled and responded easily, "Well, we'll be 17 in a month, so technically, no, we shouldn't be here."

"John, explain now," Peggy said, looking at John seriously.

"Of course, that's what we're here for. You see, there's something I haven't mentioned before, a little secret I've kept hidden for various reasons, and the real reason why SWORD was founded." This made both of them even more puzzled.

"SWORD was founded to take down HYDRA," Peggy stated, as that was what they knew.

"That's true, but also for something more, something... bigger," John said, a smile playing on his lips. "Let me tell you about the meta-humans."

John then began to explain. Fortunately, both Peggy and Howard were sharp individuals who could grasp everything quickly, so he didn't have to answer too many questions. Well, Howard certainly had a lot of questions, but John didn't want to turn this into a full-on scientific lecture, so the man had to wait.

"The first one I met was Raven," John said, pointing to the girl, who demonstrated her abilities by transforming into a perfect imitation of him. This, of course, was the key for Howard and Peggy to realize that John wasn't joking and that meta-humans were indeed real.

"The second was James," he continued, pointing to the man who simply clenched his fist to reveal his claws.

"Wait, I thought you said he was a super soldier," Howard interrupted, to which John nodded.

"oh, he actually is. I just omitted the fact that he's also a meta-human. To clarify, the reason James was able to survive Hydra's experiments and become a super-soldier was because of his powers." Howard then understood. John had mentioned that only James had survived Hydra's experiments, but the reason why was a mystery that all the scientists who knew about the incident wanted to solve, including Howard himself.

It seemed that the reason was much more incredible than he had expected.

"Wait, if that's the case, are you saying that the army of super-soldiers you talked about isn't real?" Peggy asked, frowning. She was quick to grasp things. If what John said was true, then James had only become a super-soldier because of his unique abilities. In that case, even if Hydra had an incomplete serum, they wouldn't be able to create another super-soldier, right?

"No, that was very real," John corrected her and looked at James, who nodded, understanding his intentions.

They had already discussed this privately. Although John did not intend to mention to any government the possibility that Hydra might use Victor's blood as a catalyst to activate the incomplete Compound V, it was still necessary to inform the core of SWORD.

Of course, this presented some risks, but now that Charles was on his side, John had an additional safety card. With him here, he was confident that if there was a traitor, he would be discovered immediately. Of course, he highly doubted that Howard, much less Peggy, would betray him.

"James and his brother have almost the same abilities. Hydra first experimented on him and tried to use him to kill me. Once they succeeded, of course, they wouldn't give up on the idea of more super soldiers besides him."

"I get it now!" Howard suddenly said once he understood what was happening.

"I talked about something like this with Dr. Erskine—the possibility of taking and transferring certain genetic traits from one person to another. Although it was only a theory that the doctor mentioned a few times, it stuck with me because of its potential medical applications. But how? Such a process would require many test subjects with the same genetic alteration due to the risks. If they only use one person, there's a higher chance they would die before they could obtain anything."

"He won't die," James replied looking at Howard making the man pay attention to him.

"I didn't die when they cut me into pieces and removed every organ from my body, including my heart, nor when they extracted hundreds of liters of my blood every day, let alone when they opened my head and played with my brain as if it were clay. So rest assured that my brother won't die no matter what they do to him." His words silenced the room.

Charles winced, as he knew better than anyone how true James's words were.

Howard was stunned but his mind quickly grasped what this meant.

"Super regeneration?" Unknowingly, Howard first mentioned the term that would later become popularly used to describe this ability.

Peggy thought about everything said so far. Although she wasn't a scientist like Howard, she still managed to grasp the essence of the situation.

"So we need to rescue him. We can't let Hydra continue experimenting on him."

John nodded and pointed to the maps displayed on the boards.

"That's why we're going to Poland. If Hydra wants to experiment, what they need most are disposable test subjects, as cruel as that sounds." If Howard and Peggy could see it, the number of lives that would be lost if Hydra started experimenting recklessly would be countless. To carry out something like this, Poland was undoubtedly one of the best options.

"I see." Peggy nodded and then looked at Charles and Cassandra.

"And if I'm not mistaken, you two are also meta-humans, which is why you're here." At her words, Cassandra waved her hand, making one of the pens in the room fly to her palm, which was also impressive to see.

Then they looked at Charles, expecting his demonstration. The boy sighed but did not act impulsively, after all, his powers were not something most people accepted positively.

Seeing his dilemma, John patted his shoulder.

"Charles here is something special. He's a telepath."

Telepath? The term wasn't very well-known in these times but it still existed.

"You can… you can read my thoughts?!" Howard asked with excitement.

Charles nodded.

"Come on do it!" With permission given, the boy concentrated, placing his hand on his temple and looking at Howard, then raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think Miss Harrison would appreciate knowing what you think of her."

Howard opened his eyes, now fully convinced that he was indeed a telepath. He then frowned with some concern.

"Ahem, well, how about we don't mention this to anyone?" he said nervously, to which Charles smiled.

"Of course, I'm pretty good at keeping secrets." Howard really hoped he was.

Peggy sighed, feeling somewhat tired. All of this… It was a lot to take in. She felt like her brain might start to smoke at any moment. Unable to help herself, she looked at John, who smiled warmly at her, making her heart beat a little faster and her mind clear.

Alright, it didn't matter. Hydra, metahumans, super soldiers—they could deal with all of them. They would deal with all of them, one way or another.

Because no matter how crazy the world seemed to be getting, she knew without a doubt that with John by her side, they could overcome this. They would keep the world in one piece, destroy Hydra, end this war, and bring peace back.

Then they could create a better world.

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Note:

Okay guys, I'm bringing you this chapter ahead of schedule because, as I said at the beginning, I'm celebrating! I hope you like it and I wish you a great day n.n

Well, 7000 words, a bit later than I wanted. I can only say that I'm quite tired. Writing this chapter was very complicated because several scenes didn't convince me until I rewrote them over and over again. I almost thought I would get writer's block, haha.

Fortunately, I didn't. I hope this chapter isn't hard to read. I wanted to add more things, but I feel it's better to do so in other chapters to avoid overwhelming you too much. As you know, tell me what you think. I accept any criticism and suggestions.

Comment; I'll be reading them.

I hope you enjoy the chapter ;D

Finally remember that You can already find the next chapter (and several more chapters) of this story on Patreon (patreon.com/EmmaCruzader) All the support received is appreciated ;D