Tony was true to his word. He quickly began accumulating all the materials Victor needed for his lab. He bought the Baxter Building, and, following the designs that Victor had supplied, had it remodeled. He even added several of his next-generation arc reactors to supply enough power so that Victor wouldn't be stuck with hefty electricity bills.
Lab equipment, including the SHIELD equipment, was bought immediately. However, some components had to be constructed from scratch—these were the items Victor had requested for himself. Tony had looked at these components and couldn't quite figure out what they were meant to build.
Victor came over a few times to inspect the progress. There, he met with Tony—and indeed, he kept his word as well, now referring to him as "Tony." But Tony couldn't help but notice that Victor still had a standoffish attitude. Did the boy blame him that much? He didn't think he had done that badly… but he wasn't sure.
Victor, from his perspective, wasn't being cold—he was merely being Victorian. This was how he had spent most of his previous life. Although he'd lived twelve years in this new world, his previous accumulation of culture, etiquette, and personal demeanor was far more extensive.
One day, Dr. Banner came by to take a look at some of the equipment. He was very interested in what Victor was working on. Tony told him there were some components Banner might understand—but others that were, well, "outside of his wheelhouse."
Dr. Banner and Victor greeted one another warmly.
"Dr. Banner, I'm honored that you came by to visit my new lab."
Banner looked around. "It's impressive. Most of this equipment is cutting-edge… though some of these components—I'm not entirely sure what they are."
"Well," Victor replied, "some of these items are cutting-edge. But others—they're only components I can use to build whatever I want. I sometimes find myself in need of equipment not available on the market. So I asked Tony to gather some things I could use for my designs."
Dr. Banner went on a tour around the building. As he and Victor talked, they exchanged knowledge about biology, chemistry, and other scientific fields they both enjoyed.
Banner looked at the boy and said, "It's really impressive—you know so much at such a young age. You'll outdo Tony and me in no time."
"Dr. Banner," Victor said politely, "I wonder if you might tell me—how is your particular situation coming along?"
Dr. Banner scratched the back of his neck and tried to smile. "Well… It's not easy. But I suppose I'm coming to terms with the Hulk. He's better able to steer in the right direction now. In the past, it was just chaos. But with help from some of the Avengers, I think things are going well."
After Banner left, Richard didn't linger either. The lab was coming along very well.
Later, Victor returned home and removed a ring he had on his left hand. He pulled out a tube of solution and inserted the ring into a slot. The solution began to process a contribution.
His mother walked in and saw what he was doing.
"Oh, is this another gene sample you managed to get?"
"Yes," Victor said. "This is from Dr. Banner. I already had Mr. Roger's, Tony's, and the other two—Miss Romanoff's and Mr. Barton's. Unfortunately, Thor hasn't been around, so I've never been able to get a sample from him. And I suspect it might be harder to get one from him, given his physiology… but we'll see."
"And you're using these different samples to help you create your monster?" she asked.
"I'm going to create a son," he replied. "You wanted a grandchild. I'm not yet old enough to marry, Mother—but I'm going to create my son. So, you'll be a grandmother soon."
He looked at his mother and smiled.
"Are you going to use all of these gene samples to create him?" she asked.
"I don't know. It depends. That's what I've always needed my lab for. I've been collecting these genetic samples for a long time. But how to use them—how they can interact—is still the question. You know, in my last life, all I had was flesh and the remains of different people, plus electricity. I built the monster from the ground up—and I did an amazing job, for sure—but building from a genetic level instead of a fleshy one… That eliminates so many mistakes and imperfections. I can only imagine what Noah will be like."
"Noah?" his mother asked.
"Yes. That's what I'll name him."
After a brief conversation, she left him alone to his work. Her son was deeply dedicated to it. The fact that he talked to her at all was a demonstration of just how much affection he had for her.
It was then that he heard the whispery voice of his system once more:
"Congratulations, Victor, on completing your lab. This lab has been given a SSS ranking. As such, you will receive a reward.Remember: each significant step in your crusade to create your perfect monster will bring you a reward.These rewards are meant to help you solve problems you may not have anticipated.Would you like to collect?"
"Yes," Victor said.
A blue energy field appeared. When it disappeared, a small computer and a large case remained. He opened the case and found a collection of robotic ladybugs. He accessed his system to see what they were.
They were Doctor Gero's Remote Tracking Devices (RTD). The computer was a cellular database that collected the data from the RTDs. The ladybug-like insects would track people with high genetic strength, record their DNA and cellular data, and immediately transmit that information to the computer. The computer could then synthesize a solution filled with genetic data.
Victor was delighted. This would be a great help.
He had found collecting DNA samples from others exhausting. He had already invented a special ring to collect them without anyone noticing—two samples from Dr. Banner, one from Mr. Rogers, and others—but he had a suspicion there were more powerful individuals out there. What he really wanted was a sample from Thor.
"System, is there a way for me to get Thor's DNA sample even though he's in Asgard?"
"It is possible," the system responded."Perhaps he left some genetic material behind."
Thor hadn't been back to Earth since the Battle of New York. He was supposedly on Asgard now. But Victor had someone he could ask.
He called Tony, who was surprised and happy to hear from him.
"Hey Victor! Did you hear? We just finished everything. Tonight, you can start working in your lab."
"Yes. Thank you," Victor replied. "So… I have a request."
"What's up?" Tony asked.
"I wonder… do you have anything with Thor's genetic material?"
Tony was taken aback. "Why would you need Thor's genetic material?"
"Curiosity. I want to see what's different between him and us. Do you have any?"
Tony was silent for a moment. "I do. But what's in it for me?"
Victor sighed. "Are you telling me that every time I ask for something, it has to be some kind of exchange?"
Tony chuckled. "To be honest… It's not so much about the exchange. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I… want to spend a little time with you. That's all."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "So what, you want to go out for burgers or something?"
"Well," Tony replied, "the question is—what do you want to do?"
Victor thought for a moment. "I'm curious about your lab or workshop, whatever you call it."
"Great! We'll make a day of it," Tony said. "You'll come over, check out my lab. We'll do burgers, pizza, the works. Watch a movie. Perfect. How's that sound?"
"Sure," Victor said. He had nothing against it, though he thought watching movies was a terrible waste of time. Still, Tony was asking for something understandable. They made their plans, and Victor hung up.
No sooner had he ended the call, there was a knock at the front door. His mother answered it. Not long after, she came up to his room.
"Victor, honey—you have a visitor."
"Who?" he asked. He had no real friends, didn't go to school with other kids, and didn't know anyone who would visit him.
"It's Mr. Steve Rogers," she said. "He's downstairs."
"Well, that's odd. I'll be right down, Mother. Just need to finish something."
She smiled and left.
Victor immediately activated his new Remote Tracking Devices. The little ladybugs scattered, and one of them went downstairs. He wanted to test how well they worked.
A few minutes later, he came down.
"Mr. Rogers. Surprised to see you here."
Steve stood and shook his hand. "Sorry for the surprise visit. It's been a few weeks—I just wanted to check in on you."
Victor, ever the gentleman, offered a seat. "Would you like to sit, Mr. Rogers?"
"Steve, please."
"Steve, then. Please—have a seat."
Looking around, Steve smiled a little. "So… how are you doing?"
"Fine," Victor said. He wasn't one for chit-chat.
Steve hesitated, then spoke. "You know, we followed up on your lead about Hydra. There is suspicious activity happening within SHIELD. I just wanted to know—do you have anything more than what you told us the other night?"
Victor shook his head. "I'm sorry, Steve. There's nothing more I can say. I said everything I knew. There were documents available, but Tony destroyed all those. I'm afraid you only have my word."
Steve nodded. "I don't know what to say. When the Red Skull died, I thought Hydra was done. But to imagine it still exists… makes me wonder—what was it all for?"
Victor looked at him and sighed. "I know I'm only twelve, Steve, but let me tell you—you did a great service for humanity. Perhaps Hydra wasn't wiped out entirely, but you gave the world over seventy years of peace from that evil. Those Nazis… I honestly don't understand how they survived. They must've radically changed their thinking."
Steve looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, just think. From what we've seen, their members include Blacks, Jews, and others from cultures that are anti-Nazi. But this was a group that began as part of the Nazi party and shared their ideology. Somehow, they've expanded beyond that. I can't believe they've completely abandoned those core ideals. So, how did they survive so long? How did they remain so secret?"
He paused, then added, "Have you seen that little thing they do with their hands? Both hands in the air—'Hail Hydra'—left and right? Unless they did that only at the base… I can't imagine no one caught on. Maybe others know and are choosing not to say anything."
Steve's eyes lit up. "You might be right. I just realized something—I have to go. Thank you, Victor."
"It's Dr. Frankenstein, if you don't mind," Victor said. "You and I still aren't familiar enough for first names."
Steve nodded. "Of course—Dr. Frankenstein."
Steve left in a flurry. Victor escorted him to the door and watched him go.
His mother, Guinevere, came up behind him. "Such a strange man," she said.
"What do you mean?" Victor asked. "He's literally America. He represents everything great about the country, seventy years ago. And yet he serves SHIELD, which seems to go against his beliefs."
"Mother, I think I understand. Like me, he's a man out of time. All he has is who he was. And that's what he holds on to. He's slowly adapting—but he'll never stop being that person. It's the same for me. No matter how long I live in this modern world, I'll always be me—me from my first life. But at least I have you."
His mother smiled. "And I have you."
She gave her son a small hug, then returned to what she was doing. Victor watched the car that Steve had arrived in as it drove away. Then he shut the door and ran upstairs—he was too excited.
He operated the new computer. It showed that Steve Rogers' cellular data and DNA were now registered—in far greater detail than what he had previously managed to collect.
"This is going to help me reach my goal," he said.
"Noah, my son… soon you will be alive."