"Let me get this straight," spoke Ivan Vanko in Russian, straightening up in his seat. "You want my father's designs of the arc reactor, correct?"
"Correct, and I'm willing to pay."
"So suppose that we go along with this. What assurance do we have that you will not rip us off like that ingrate Stark?"
"My word is my bond, Mr. Vanko."
"Your word," Vanko spat.
"Your word means shit to me, American. That Stark promised my father riches, oh yes. Riches and fame and respect. My father believed in him. Trusted him. And what good did that do him?"
I narrowed my eyes and signaled John. He strode forwards with a briefcase and opened it in front of the Vanko's. The eyes of both father and son widened as they looked at the contents of the case. Nearly fifteen million US dollars. Not exactly a crippling price for me, yet for two homeless drunk Russians, it must seem like a fortune.
I smiled. I could practically see them drooling.
John snapped the case shut, shaking the father-son duo out of their shock.
"As I said, my word is my bond. Fifteen million dollars for a few measly pieces of paper. Hardly the worst deal of your life, eh?"
The old man murmured something that I couldn't catch. Ivan leaned in, listening to his father. He frowned as he listened, seemingly angry at whatever he was saying. they argued in hushed whispers for a while, and then with a sigh, Ivan turned to face me.
"My father—We reject your offer. We will not sell our secrets. Not to an American."
I sighed. "As you wish."
At my signal, John rushed forward from behind the Vanko's, grabbed Ivan in a chokehold and stuck the needle of a syringe filled with sedative into his neck. Ivan roared and thrashed in pain, but his movements quickly became sluggish. John let him go and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
John then injected the same sedative into the bewildered old man, who seemed so shocked that he didn't even put up a fight. I suppose he had expected me to raise my price. Cute.
"Why?" he croaked.
"Because I must. You would never understand." I said as I crouched down in front of his seat and faced him.
"You should have taken my offer. Goodbye, Anton."
I saw his eyes cloud as the drug pulled him under. His lolled over his shoulder and he dropped the sheaf of papers that he had been holding.
I bent down and picked them up. Opening them, I studied the pages and smiled. They were blueprints for the arc reactor, and from what I could tell, they were legit. Now all I needed to do was come up with a way to create a smaller version. It shouldn't be too hard, I mean if Tony Stark could do it in a cave, and Whiplash could in a Moscow slum, why couldn't I, with all the money in the world?
"You got what you wanted?" inquired John, picking up Ivan in a fireman's lift.
"Yeah."
"Good. Now, what about these two?"
"Right, give me a minute…"
I took out my customized smartphone and carefully took pictures of each and every piece of paper. Then I gathered up the blueprints and put them in the older Vanko's pocket.
"Put them back where they came from. The drug's effects will wear off in about twelve hours, they won't remember anything that happened here."
"Got it." He picked up the old man as well, Jesus John was strong, and then paused.
"Y'know, I kind of feel bad for them. They could have become millionaires, and they threw the chance away."
"Yeah, I guess. But it is what it is."
Nodding, John left the building.
I heard the engine of the truck outside start up and then pull out of the driveway.
I sighed and sat down on my chair. I reflected that it was probably best that the Vanko's hadn't taken my offer. If they had, Anton Vanko could have afforded better healthcare, meaning he wouldn't have died, meaning that Ivan wouldn't have had the motivation to become Whiplash and go after Tony Stark, meaning that the majority of the events of Iron Man 2 wouldn't have even taken place. This way, I got what I needed, and at the same time the timeline remained stable. A win-win for everyone! Except for the Vanko's, I suppose.
I transferred the photos of the prints to the mainframe and started to read. The science was complex, the writing often unintelligible and in Russian, but I still couldn't keep a smile from coming to my face. The blueprints, as poor quality as they were, were enough to give me the general working of the arc reactor, and that was really all I needed.
That being said, building this thing wouldn't be cheap, even for me.
The arc reactor would require a huge amount of palladium, a very rare and very expensive element, and a wide assortment of other materials. In addition, the palladium would need to be changed every few years, essentially bleeding money. However, I knew of a certain bullshit material that existed in this universe that I could use that would be much more efficient. Vibranium. Getting my hands on it would be notoriously difficult, though. In fact, I could only think of one way I could get it.
I rubbed my neck ruefully. Seems like I would be needing to visit Ulysses Klaue soon. There was no rest for the wicked, it seemed.
I looked up at the screen displaying the Super Soldier serum, and allowed myself a rare moment of pride. After so many years of plotting, waiting and watching, my plans were in motion. And now I had both the Arc Reactor plans and the formula for the Super Soldier serum, the secrets behind the power of Iron Man and Captain America, within my grasp!
Speaking of secrets, I looked around and my eyes fell on the cardboard box of HYDRA secrets I had stolen from the facility. I walked up to it and started pulling out files. I opened the first and started reading.
It was dated from the late 80s, and was a complete registry of all the active HYDRA agents at the time. None of the names really meant much to me, so I closed the file and put it aside. The list might come in useful later, but as of right now I didn't need it.
I picked up another file.
This also proved to be inconsequential to me, a report on the logistics of some long forgotten mission in the Arctic. Tossing it aside as well, I started digging through the rest of the files.
It wasn't until the fifth or sixth file that I came across something that piqued my interest. It was a record of all the assassinations the Winter Soldiers had carried out. Each Winter Soldier had a separate page with their victims' names written underneath their own, alongside the date of assassination.
I flipped through the pages until I reached Bucky's. Compared to the rest of the Winter Soldiers, he had a lot less kills, only around a few dozens. But once I ran my eyes down the names, I realized that his targets were much more important than others.
John F. Kennedy… Howard and Martha Stark… Seems like Bucky was HYDRA's ace in the hole.
After a few more minutes of studying, I put the file aside and picked up the last one. I noticed as I did so that it was substantially heavier and thicker than the rest.
I opened up the file. Judging by the yellowed pages and discolored ink, this file was quite older than the previous ones.
Focusing on the title, I was surprised to find that the title was in German, instead of Russian. The title said, "Research Report on Tesseract-Powered Arsenal – by Dr. Arnim Zola."
Underneath it was stamped in blood red ink, DISCONTINUED.
A jolt of shock ran through me, raising the hairs on my arms. I tore through the rest of the file. Contained within were highly detailed designs for pistols, assault rifles, snipers, grenades, even an energy sword like from Halo, all powered by Tesseract energy.
Heart thumping and hands trembling, I put down the file and ran my shaking fingers through my hair. This was beyond amazing. This was nothing short of miraculous. It took every ounce of my self-control not to jump on my chair, squealing in delight like a little baby.
Plans for a complete Tesseract-powered arsenal! Just there for me to take! On the same day as I got the Super Soldier serum, no less. Wow. God really was going out of his way to do me a solid.
Or Stan Lee. Same difference.
I immediately uploaded the blueprints to the mainframe and sent a digital copy to my main computer in my Manhattan penthouse.
I got up from my chair and started pacing around the lab, thoughts flying through my brain at a thousand miles per hour.
The weapon plans that had quite literally fallen into my lap were from the time that HYDRA still had the Tesseract, during World War II. Which meant that these plans were rather outdated by my standards. Even a genius like Arnim Zola would have been shackled by the limitations of technology of that era. With the cutting edge of science and technology at my disposal, I could improve upon these designs a triple fold. And I could easily afford it too, as I didn't have any plans to equip an army like Zola had to.
Not yet, anyway.
Alright, at this point, you might be asking, why is Alex so excited about these plans when he doesn't even have the Tesseract? What use is it to him? Well you see, I didn't need the Tesseract. When Howard Stark created the Arc Reactor, he used the Tesseract as a model. He based his entire principle on the working of the little blue box. Therefore, Arc Reactor energy had the same signature as Tesseract energy. Therefore, I could use Arc Reactor energy to power the weapons. And I already had the plans for an Arc Reactor. All I needed was a working Arc Reactor. But for that I needed Vibranium, and for that I need Ulysses Klaue.
But first I was going to go back to my main lab and make the Super Soldier Serum. There was slight problem in that department, though. Even though I had the physical serum, my enhancement would still be of lesser magnitude than Steve Rogers, because I didn't have the most crucial part of the procedure, the one thing Erskine had that no other scientist could replicate: Vita Rays.
All the science from then to now had been unable to replicate the rays. A few had tried, with disastrous results (Read, the Hulk). Science had failed to crack the secret of Vita Rays. So maybe I needed to look somewhere else for answers.
And I knew just the person to ask.
"So explain to me this," John panted as he and I pushed the heavy machinery and tables out of the way to make space for the examination table that I would be strapped to in a little while, "What do you need me for?"
I straightened up and stretched my back, panting as well.
"A lot of people don't know that the original process that made Captain America was a two-step procedure. Steve Rogers was injected with the serum, yes, but the serum has a lot of negative side-effects. Cancer, mental diseases, muscle deterioration, you name it. So, to make sure that didn't happen to America's golden boy, Erskine bombarded his body with something called Vita Rays."
John looked at me. "Alright, I'll bite. What are Vita Rays?"
"Honestly? No one knows." I sighed. "All we know is that they have miraculous regenerative properties, and they somehow neutralize the negative effects of the serum. It also improves the actual enhancement itself. As to what it is, and how it's produced, no one has the slightest idea. No scientist has cracked the code.
"So I wonder, is the scientist really the right person to ask? How about, I don't know, a… sorcerer?" I asked, looking John directly in the eye.
If John was shocked, he did a remarkable job hiding it.
"How long did you know?" he asked in a clipped voice.
"Since the start, my friend."
He sighed deeply, and was silent for a count of five.
"Alright, I can't really say I'm surprised. You always know things you have no business knowing, anyway. What do you need me to do?"
I smiled at him and slapped his shoulder.
"I need you to bombard me."
"Come again?"
"I think Vita Rays are actually a form of restoration magic, and if that's true, you're channeling the same magic through your body right now. It's how you're able to walk after your injuries. In theory, you should be able to direct that magic into my body when the serum is injected into my bloodstream. It should work just like Vita Rays."
John looked doubtful.
"That is a humungous if, Alex."
I smiled.
"Occupational hazard, John. Now get ready, we're doing this as soon as the serum is synthesi-" a ting from the main frame alerted me that the serum, in fact, had been successfully synthesized. "Well what do ya know. We're doing this now. Buckle up, man. It's go time."
Without further ado, I lay down onto the table, with John strapping me in. Then he went over to the synthesizer and pulled out the vial of the most precious compound on earth, the Super Soldier serum. This he fitted into the IV stand next to me. I grunted in pain as I felt the needle puncture my arm.
John walked back, pump in hand and worry on his face.
"Introducing Serum into bloodstream in three… two… one… Good luck, Alex." He said as he squeezed the pump, pushing the Serum into my veins.
How can I describe the feeling of the drug in my body?
From the moment it entered into my bloodstream, every nerve was on fire. My vision swam, my skin burned feverishly, and my bones felt as though they were melting. I screamed out in pain. Unable to bear it. I almost told John to stop it, to end the pain. Only the thought of what I was about to achieve sustained me. The pain kept on mounting, burning through me, hallowing me, killing me. Then the contractions started. I screamed so hard my voice went hoarse.
I could feel my bones snapping, growing and rejoining. My muscles felt like they were made of molten magma. There was a furnace inside me, and it was itching to explode.
What a fool I was, to think that I could fight gods and Titans? I was just a silly little man, with silly little plans of the world. I had meddled with things I didn't understand, and now I was going to pay the price.
And then suddenly, the pain lessened. My body still hurt like hell, but I didn't feel as if I was being charbroiled anymore. I looked over, and saw John moving his hand in a clockwise rotation, muttering words I couldn't understand, a golden arcane disk in front of him. From the disk, twisting and writhing, were golden rays of pure light, arcing into my body. With every passing second, the excruciating pain lessened, replaced by feeling of warmth. Not the burning, hellish kind from before, but a tranquil, healthy warmth that nevertheless filled me with a prickling feeling in my bones.
"More…" I croaked.
John shifted his stance, and the prickling feeling intensified.
"More."
The feeling grew, travelling along my spine, my veins, into my heart. It felt good.
"More!"
"It's too much! You can't take anymore!" I heard John's panicked voice over the hum in my ears.
"MORE!"
The tingling turned into stabbing pains all over my body. My entire body felt charged with energy. I yelled out, and the energy in me bubbled up and exploded out in a miniature supernova of intense light.
John picked himself up from the ground, and looked over to where the remains of the examination table were. Standing there was a figure completely wreathed in smoke. The figure walked towards him slowly, and reached out a hand, before promptly falling to the ground unconscious.
John quickly ran over and hoisted him up, surprised to find himself struggling under Alexander's weight. Looking down on him, two things registered in John's mind.
One, his friend was naked. Two, he was much, much larger than he had been before.
"Son of a bitch… It worked..."
Guys, I'm really, really sorry about the long wait. But I have a good reason. My phone and laptop got stolen recently, and it was impossible for me to write this for a long while. I hope you can forgive me. Anyway, hope you liked. Peace!