The presumed deaths of Logan and Samuel Miller had, for a brief moment, sent shockwaves through the System and Elias Thorne's psyche. The catastrophic collapse of Festung Niemals and the Red Skull's apparent demise had created a temporary void — a moment of silence in the flow of data. Hydra was not eradicated, but its head had been severed. The research nexus was radioactive ash, and its central operations were in disarray.
But the grief hadn't lasted.
Exactly forty-seven hours and nineteen minutes after the last registered biosign, the System pinged:[Signal Lock Reestablished: Operative - Wolverine][Operative - Miller, Samuel | Status: Wounded but Stable]
The encrypted channel opened with a static crackle, then a familiar, gravel-lined voice cut through.
"Miss me, bub?"Logan's voice was rough, tinged with pain but unmistakably alive.
Elias closed his eyes for half a second — not relief, not joy, but recalibration.
"You're late."
"Yeah, well, the whole damn fortress came down on top of us. Miller's leg's a mess, and I had to chew through rebar to get to the surface, but we made it. Hydra's done there. Skull's gone. What now?"
"Extraction is en route. Hold position until then. Avoid exposure. You're now deep black — presumed dead to all factions, including our own assets, until further notice."
"Understood," Logan growled. "One more thing. The Red Skull... he died smiling. You ever see a man do that while being vaporized?"
Elias paused, then tapped a command into the console.[Flag: Residual Threat Indicator – Johann Schmidt | Status: Unknown – Observation Required]
"That smile concerns me," Elias finally said. "We assume nothing. But for now, you and Miller are ghosts. Rest. Heal. Your data feeds are priceless."
Even with the signal restored, Elias could sense something deeper. The [Feral Empathy Link] flared briefly — the ache dulled. A broken connection reknitting itself. Logan was still part of the System. The [Combat Pattern Analysis], [Regenerative Benchmarking], and dozens of other Wolverine-derived subroutines resumed their learning cycle. Elias's arsenal evolved once more.
His focus inevitably shifted towards the intelligence Anya Petrova was painstakingly gathering in Washington D.C. on "Project Rebirth." The OSS, America's fledgling intelligence agency, was throwing its considerable resources into catching up with British and, unknowingly, Soviet and Thorne- clandestine efforts in the realm of "special weapons" and "enhanced operatives." Dr. Abraham Erskine, the defecting German scientist, was reportedly the key to their ambitions.
Anya, under her "Miss Sharma" guise, had maneuvered herself into a position of quiet influence within a newly formed OSS sub-committee tasked with evaluating "unconventional warfare proposals and émigré scientist debriefings." Her sharp intellect, her fluency in multiple languages, and the discreet, high-quality intelligence she occasionally "shared" from "Mr. Blanchard's European network" had earned her a degree of trust and access.
"Erskine is definitely the lynchpin, Mr. Thorne," Anya reported via their most secure, multi-encrypted channel. "He's currently under heavy guard at a secret research facility, location undisclosed even to most of this committee, but rumored to be somewhere in the New York state area. He claims to have perfected a 'Super-Soldier Serum' capable of elevating a subject to the peak of human physical and mental potential – strength, speed, intelligence, even moral character, he insists, though that last part is met with considerable skepticism here."
She continued, "They are in the final stages of selecting their first test subject. The criteria are exacting: proven courage, patriotism, sound moral fiber, and perhaps most importantly, a physical frailty that would allow the serum's transformative effects to be most dramatically and measurably demonstrated. They seek a symbol as much as a soldier."
A symbol. Elias understood the propaganda value. But he also recognized the potential threat. If America succeeded in creating a true super-soldier, even just one, it would alter the balance of power significantly. He needed to know more. He needed to assess Erskine's creation firsthand. And, if possible, acquire the research, or the scientist, or even the soldier. The System registered [Project Rebirth] as a [Potential Prime Conduit Generation Event (Artificial – Allied Faction)]. The implications were enormous. If Erskine's serum could create Prime Conduits, then the nature of System empowerment could be fundamentally challenged or even augmented.
Elias tasked Anya with a perilous objective: infiltrate or gain access to Erskine's research, identify the test subject, and if at all possible, secure a sample of the Super-Soldier Serum. It was an immense ask, far beyond her usual intelligence gathering, but Anya's loyalty was absolute ([99.5% – Devotion bordering on Fanaticism; Host's Objectives are Paramount]), and her Archer-enhanced skills in observation, stealth, and precision were her greatest assets. She would need help, though. She couldn't overpower armed guards or crack hardened security.
For this, Elias turned to his North American Feral Striker pack. Thomas MacIntyre, with Dubois, Macgregor, and Beaulieu, were recalled from their Pacific operations (after one more successful disruption of a Japanese "Sea Demon" summoning ritual, netting Elias another [+0.4 Prime Essence Shard Fragments, Total: 2.2/5.0]). Their aquatic experience had been invaluable, but Project Rebirth was now the higher priority. Lemaire, the third Striker from Thorne's Guard in Canada, was now fully trained and integrated with them, forming a deadly four-man unit.
Their mission: provide covert support for Anya. They would be her invisible muscle, her means of bypassing physical security, her extraction team if things went wrong. They would operate under the tightest secrecy, using Elias's legitimate business fronts as cover for their presence in the New York area. Thomas, with his commanding presence and assumed identity as a "Blackwood Conglomerated" security consultant, could provide a plausible front for their movements.
While Anya worked her way through the bureaucratic and social labyrinth of Washington's intelligence circles, getting closer to the orbit of Project Rebirth, Elias himself focused on managing his expanding global network and processing the implications of this new American threat/opportunity. He authorized Dr. Finch to begin discreetly acquiring controlling stakes in pharmaceutical companies and advanced chemical research labs in neutral countries – if a Super-Soldier Serum was viable, Elias wanted the infrastructure to replicate or improve upon it.
The feedback from Namor also grew more complex. The Atlantean King, having decimated the Japanese "Oceanic Purity" cultists near the Marianas, had become more communicative, if no less imperious. He reported discovering ancient Atlantean charts that spoke of "sky-visitors" and "star-metal" falling into the Pacific eons ago – artifacts of immense power that Hydra or even the Japanese might now be seeking. He seemed to be subtly offering Elias a partnership in safeguarding these oceanic secrets, seeing Elias's global reach and unconventional assets as potentially useful in protecting Atlantis's (and his own) interests from surface-world exploitation. The System showed progress towards unlocking the [Atlantean Physiology Data (Full)] and even hinted at potential future access to [Atlantean Technology Schematics (Fragmentary)] if Namor's loyalty and cooperation continued to grow. His loyalty was now at [28% (Alliance of Convenience Deepening; Respect for Host's Resources and Ruthlessness)].
Weeks turned into tense months. Anya, with her characteristic patience and precision, finally made a breakthrough. She identified the location of Project Rebirth: a fortified, repurposed industrial complex in Brooklyn, codenamed "Camp Lehigh." She also identified the lead candidate for the serum: a scrawny, asthmatic but fiercely determined young artist from Brooklyn named Steve Rogers, repeatedly rejected by the army for his physical frailties but possessing an unyielding spirit and a profound sense of justice that had deeply impressed Dr. Erskine.
"Erskine sees in Rogers not a perfect soldier, Mr. Thorne," Anya reported, "but a good man, and he believes that is the crucial ingredient. He fears the serum in the hands of someone already powerful or morally compromised would create a monster. The experiment is scheduled for a few days from now, under the tightest security, with high-ranking military and government observers present."
This was Elias's window. He couldn't stop the experiment – that would alert the Americans to his capabilities and likely put Anya and his Feral Strikers at extreme risk. But he could observe. He could have his assets in place. And if an opportunity arose to secure the serum, or even Erskine himself after the experiment…
He gave Thomas MacIntyre and his Feral Striker pack their orders. They were to infiltrate the perimeter of Camp Lehigh on the day of the experiment. Their objective was not disruption, but covert observation and readiness. Anya would attempt to gain legitimate access as an observer via her OSS contacts (as "Miss Sharma," a neutral expert on "European advancements in human performance metrics"). If anything went wrong, if Hydra or another faction attempted to interfere, or if an opportunity to secure Erskine or the serum presented itself after the primary experiment concluded, then they were authorized to act.
It was a high-wire act, balancing intelligence gathering with the potential for explosive intervention. The birth of America's first super-soldier was imminent. And Elias Thorne, the shadow king, intended to be there, a hidden hand ready to pluck the fruits of this new seed of power, or to crush it if it threatened to grow into something he couldn't control. The world was changing at an accelerated pace, and Elias was determined to remain its unseen master.