Angus, one of Secretary Ross's most trusted lab assistants, wasn't placed on the super-soldier project. Instead, he was reassigned to the Captain America research team.
"Angus, are you sure you've grasped Rory's methods?" Ross asked.
Angus nodded confidently. "Yes, Secretary Ross. While I haven't accessed his experimental data, I've managed to replicate his procedures. Along the way, I've discovered a lot of interesting things."
Inside a military base office, Ross sat behind a desk, watching Angus stand before him.
Ross had originally assigned Angus to Rory's lab for oversight—but Angus had his own ambitions. He had secretly attempted to replicate Rory's experiments, and despite lacking certain materials, he was confident he'd inherited Rory's true legacy.
Angus wasn't just a mad scientist—he was also a hardcore Captain America fan. That's why he proposed taking charge of the Steve Rogers research division.
Ross frowned. "Why are you so determined to join the Captain America group?"
"Dr. Rory pioneered a gene-cell activation technique. I want to see if it can be used to resurrect Captain America. If successful, it would be humanity's greatest breakthrough."
Resurrection was long considered pseudoscience—a taboo in biology. Yet some researchers still believed they could break the shackles of mortality. Some, in their madness, even fancied themselves as gods.
Mr. Immortal could "revive" because of his powers. Even Rory, as radical as he was, had only dabbled briefly in resurrection research before deciding it was a dead end.
He didn't want to resurrect the dead—he simply wanted that kind of power.
As biologists would say: We study life, but we do not desecrate it.
Angus clearly had no such reservations.
Ross didn't understand the science. After a long pause, he agreed. "Fine. The Captain America research group is yours. But you have six months. If you don't show results by then—you're done."
Back at the Base: Super Soldier Factory
A separate section of the military base had been carved out for the creation and training of super-soldiers.
Inside the training grounds, Rory was conducting a physical test on a newly enhanced soldier.
"Subject 17 completed. Vital signs normal. Strength increased by 137%. Within acceptable parameters."
Rory marked the data and waved the soldier over.
"Stick to your nutritional plan. No hormone-enhanced foods. Report to the lab daily for blood testing. I want to track your physiological changes precisely."
"Yes, sir!"
So far, Rory had created 17 super-soldiers.
Some of them had initially resisted orders. But after Rory personally gave them a painful lesson, they all fell in line.
These men were far stronger than regular soldiers—even elite special forces—but against Rory, they didn't stand a chance.
"All right, head back to training. Pace yourself. Don't overdraw on your potential."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier saluted and jogged back to the others.
Back in the lab, Rory began comparing the genetic data of all 17 subjects.
His upgraded super-soldier serum was far more stable than the original developed by Dr. Erskine. However, the only flaw was that human genes simply couldn't push past a certain threshold. The enhancements capped out around a B-minus level—and couldn't go higher.
The Next Day
Just as Rory was preparing subject 18 for enhancement, Ross paid him another visit.
"The hearing's over. Captain Marvel's been officially banned from using her powers. And S.H.I.E.L.D. has been ordered to undergo a full Congressional investigation."
Ross was in great spirits. His campaign had received a major boost from this blow to the superpowered community, and his online support skyrocketed.
"Oh, and one more thing I thought you'd want to hear—James Rhodes has gone missing."
Rory blinked. "He's still alive?"
He knew how hard he'd stomped Rhodes. Any normal man would've been dead.
"Well, technically, yes. His neck was broken, and he could only move his head and right hand. But yesterday… he disappeared from the recovery center."
Rory narrowed his eyes. "Shit… don't tell me it's the Skrulls?"
"What was that?" Ross didn't catch it.
"I said…"
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion echoed from above.
Deep within the underground lab, both Rory and Ross felt the tremor beneath their feet. Then the power suddenly cut out, plunging the lab into darkness.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Red lights began flashing. The alarm sirens blared across the base.
"What the hell?! Earthquake?!" Ross shrieked, backing into a corner.
"Not an earthquake," Rory replied calmly. "We're under attack."
"You mean… the Avengers?"
Shing—! Rory summoned a golden blade with a flick of his wrist and effortlessly sliced the lab's metal door in half.
With the power down, the elevators were useless.
He pried open the elevator doors and leapt upward, bounding twice up the shaft until he emerged on the ground floor.
Just as he stepped out—a giant green beast was rampaging through the lab.
He wasn't harming civilians—he was engaged in battle with several super-soldiers.
"Banner!"
Rory slammed his palms together and summoned his golden greatsword. He swung it down hard.
The sword was so massive it carved a gash into the ceiling above as it crashed down onto Hulk's back.
BOOOOM!
The Hulk was blasted clean through the lab walls, flying outside with a spray of green blood—some of which splashed directly onto Ross, who'd just crawled out of the elevator behind Rory.
"RAAAAHHH!!" Hulk roared from outside, pounding his chest—but didn't charge back in.
Rory stepped outside, greatsword in hand—and was stunned by what he saw.
Familiar faces, one after another, appeared before him—each of them clad in Avengers tactical gear. They were clearly here prepared for war.
Tanks and armored vehicles rolled in from the other side of the base, surrounding the heroes. Soldiers aimed their weapons, on high alert.
Helicopters hovered above, mounted guns trained on the "New Avengers."
"Rory," someone shouted, "Surrender."
"Surrender your f***ing legs!" Rory snarled—and charged.
Banner lunged first, and Rory didn't hesitate—swinging the massive sword without mercy.
Banner knew how dangerous that sword was—he didn't dare take a direct hit.
But just as Rory swung again, Captain Marvel dashed in, firing twin energy blasts that pushed Rory back two steps.
With that first shot fired, chaos broke loose.
Gunfire erupted. Helicopter miniguns roared. The battlefield split instantly into chaos, with every hero breaking into smaller skirmishes.
Spider-Man, Peter Parker, tried to subdue soldiers using his web-shooters—hoping to immobilize them without harm.
Jessica Jones and Luke Cage from the Defenders were tearing into tanks and APCs.
Suddenly, War Machine flew in from the distance, destroying the tail rotors of both helicopters, forcing them into emergency landings.
Despite the chaos, the Avengers weren't trying to kill. They just wanted to capture Rory—and were holding back as much as possible.
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