The sudden surge of superpowers made Steve feel uneasy. As the cosmic energy poured into his body, he opened his mouth only to find his jaw stretching down until it touched the floor.
"Calm down, Captain. Your ability is part of your body too," Reed said immediately, stepping in to share the tricks he'd learned to control his own powers.
In truth, Steve's adaptability was far from poor. Thanks to the super-soldier serum, his brain had been enhanced to the peak of human potential, allowing him to easily master control over his body.
Within seconds, he managed to stop the random transformations caused by the power and returned to his normal form.
"Reed, this is your power. You—"
"I don't like fighting," Reed interrupted, shaking his head and giving the reason he had prepared long before.
He couldn't tell the truth, that this ability could grant someone near-unlimited intelligence. Steve had a highly developed brain, but he lacked a truly creative mindset. Knowing the full extent of this power wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for him.
"I'm not suited to be a hero," Reed continued. "My real work is as a researcher. But now that this power exists, I have a responsibility to place it in the hands of someone with real integrity, someone who will use it for the right reasons… not let it fall into the hands of those who'd abuse it."
He released Steve's hand, his expression resolute. "Out of everyone I know, Captain, you're the only one worthy of holding this power."
Steve felt Reed was exaggerating a bit. Aside from the limitless intelligence, the power itself wasn't particularly impressive. Still, since the man had entrusted it to him, he would take that responsibility.
"I will, Reed. I'll make good use of this power," he promised.
Reed had spoken his mind, and he saw no reason to return the ability. He would carry the burden the scientist had chosen to give up.
"Now you're just an ordinary man," Steve added. "Find somewhere safe to hide. Leave the rest to me."
With that, he charged toward the basement, shield in hand.
Reed stayed where he was, watching the man's back disappear from view. He nodded with satisfaction.
"This is enough. Captain America is definitely the right choice."
He turned, walked out of Pym Technologies, and quickly put distance between himself and the battlefield.
"I don't know what LexCorp is planning, but if I contact them, at least Ben won't just sit by and do nothing."
Reed was certain LexCorp had its own agenda, but regardless, he couldn't let the chaos here continue unchecked.
Once he was far enough away, he took out his phone and called his old friend.
"Ben, you know what? There's been a terrorist attack at Pym Technologies…"
* * *
Meanwhile, in the basement, Steve faced fierce resistance from Hydra forces. The narrow hallway left him no room to dodge the enemy's laser fire.
The ability Reed had given him could nullify all physical attacks, but heat-based weapons like laser rounds were a different matter. Elastic skin couldn't block that kind of energy.
Thankfully, he hadn't let the new power distract him from the shield in his hand.
Made of vibranium, it wasn't truly indestructible, but so far, no weapon capable of breaking it had reached the battlefield.
Using it to block the incoming shots, Steve seized the brief pause between their attacks. He hurled the shield, letting it bounce off the walls multiple times before it knocked several Hydra agents to the ground in an instant.
That's when things went wrong.
Every time he threw his shield, Steve calculated its ricochet path with his enhanced mind. If nothing interfered, it would strike the last target and rebound neatly back into his hand. This wasn't a new tactic. It was just a style of fighting he preferred, one he had used as far back as World War II to take out groups of German soldiers in seconds.
Which meant Hydra had long studied his fighting style and had prepared a countermeasure.
Rather than flying back to him, the shield was pulled off course by another force. It veered in the opposite direction and landed firmly in the hands of a Hydra operative.
Attached to the man's forearm was a device that emitted a focused magnetic field strong enough to draw the shield right into his grasp.
"It's you!"
Steve's mind felt sharper than usual. Although the man's face was hidden by a mask, he recognized him instantly from body details alone. He remembered catching a glimpse of this person back at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base, just long enough to make an impression.
"Brock Rumlow. So it's true. You're Hydra too?"
The name startled Rumlow, but quickly regained his composure. He removed the mask covering his face. "I didn't think you'd recognize me. We've never even exchanged a single word."
He knew he could have denied it, and with anyone else he would have. Without proof, even Fury would find it hard to believe. But Steve Rogers wasn't just anyone.
If Captain America said it, there'd be no future for Rumlow inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
"But maybe this is better," Rumlow said coldly. "Now I can see just how good Captain America really is without his shield."
Holding the shield in one hand and a pistol in the other, he charged forward.
As he ran, he fired several shots at Steve. In this narrow corridor, dodging was nearly impossible for any normal person. Even the superheroes produced by Vought would have no choice but to take the hits.
From what Rumlow knew, Steve's body wasn't tough enough to stop bullets outright. Sure, his combat suit was made of special bullet-resistant material, but a direct hit would still cause serious pain from the impact.
Hydra had already run a full analysis on Steve's fighting style from his recent public appearances, planning their approach down to the last detail. This scenario was supposed to be simple.
What they didn't account for was that Reed would pass his power to Steve at this exact moment.
In Rumlow's mind, the bullets might not kill him, but they'd slow him down. Then, once he closed the distance, he could use the shield itself to take the man out.
Instead, Steve didn't dodge at all. His now elastic body moved straight into the line of fire, rushing toward the incoming bullets.
**
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