The Right Partner

By rockofmarduk

Chapter 7: Project Master Man

When Steve opened his eyes again he was no longer in a dark cell, nor being dragged down a dark hall by two burly Hydra guards following that monster Dr. Zola. He was now lying on his back on a solid metal table, with bright lights being shone down on him from above. His wrists, waist and ankles had been chained down to the metal slab making it almost impossible to move. Steve tried straining on his cuffs hoping they would break but was surprised to discover that he was still to weak to break them. Even though it had been hours since he had been captured some of his super strength should have return by now. Something was definitely wrong.

"I take it your weakness disturbs you?"

Steven would have almost jumped off the slab (if he wasn't chained down) and started looking around frantically for the unexpected source of the voice. From out of the dark corner of the room two figures emerged. One was clearly Dr. Arnim Zola. The other was to Cap's horror Madame Hydra.

Madame Hydra smiled when she noticed the Americans shocked face. "Surprised to see me Captain? You didn't think our first meeting would be our last did you?

"No. Snakes always return to the rocks that they crawled out from underneath..." Rogers didn't get to finish his sentence, as Madame Hydra stormed up to him and slapped him viciously across the face almost knocking him out.

"Swine!" She spat at him before returning to Dr. Zola's side.

"Now calm yourself my dear," Zola spoke calmly to her before approaching the Captain, "You must excuse Madame Hydra Captain. I'm afraid her last encounter with you has left her rather... how shall I put it...annoyed to say the least. Especially after what you did to her face." He added not without a touch of menace to his voice.

"I didn't do that to her," Steven tried to defend himself, "That was the explosions that did it. I tried to get her medical attention but she refused. She said it was a badge of honer."

"It is a badge of honer," Madame Hydra spoke up, "of glory and battle. But it is also a disgrace, of my failure to defeat you and stop you from destroying all of our work." A smile came across her face as she picked up a surgical knife from one of the metal tables and went to the Captain's side. Examining the knife in her hands, she removed one of the Captain's gloves and tossed it to the floor. Forcing his hand open, she pressed the edge of the knife into the palm of his hand and slowly began to slice into the skin. Steven let out a hiss of pain as a small trickle of blood began flowing from his open wound.

"But now that your here," she continued, "I can return the favor. I'll make you wish you were never born."

Before she could do any more damage, Dr. Zola placed his hand over hers, halting the knife in the process. She looked at him inquisitively.

"No not yet my dear. Our master wants him alive and unharmed," Zola stopped to think about that for a moment. "Well not completely unharmed. Just nothing that can't be fixed up alright?"

She nodded and returned the bloody knife to the table. Zola mean-while picked up a needle from another table and returned to the examining table where Rogers was strapped in.

"Your probably wondering why your so weak?" Steve nodded to the question and Zola continued, "well before you were loaded onto one of our trucks I placed a metal collar around your neck." Steve swallowed remembering that the collar was still around his neck, as was the leash the Red Skull had him in earlier. "But that's no ordinary collar Captain Rogers," Zola continued, " It's a special collar I designed to keep your powers, mainly your strength under control. It dampens the cells in your body containing the serum that Erskines gave you and makes it impossible for you to use it. Only me and Schmidt know how to remove this special collar. As long as you wear it we own you."

"I'm no ones dog Zola!" Steven snapped at the doctor as Arnim began cleaning the side of Steven's neck with a cotton swab. "One one tells me what to think, what to do or how to live. Not you not Madame Hydra, and especially not the Red Skull!"

Ignoring him Dr. Zola jabbed the end of the needle into Rogers neck causing him to cry out in pain. Taking a large sample of blood from Steven, Zola returned to the other side of the room towards another table were Steve (despite his foggy vision), was able to see a man lying on top. He was not only blond like Steven, but he was similar to what Steven looked like before Erskines and his serum entered his life. He was scrawny and pale looking, maybe even sickly, who was this guy?

Zola smiled when he noticed that Steven noticed the other man. "Ahh.. I've seen you noticed Hydra's newest recruit. May I introduce to you our future super soldier Wilhelm Lohmer a.k.a Master Man!"

Stevens eyes widened. "No. Don't tell me you're starting that nightmare project again, after what you did to all those poor souls you experimented on." Steve began fighting at his restraints, even though he knew it would do no good, "I won't allow it, do you hear me?"

"Oh I hear you well Captain," Zola said calmly as he picked up another needle, "But rest assured project master man will move forward, with your help I might add. Or at least with your blood. You should be proud that you will help create the newest batch of super soldiers."

Before Steven could protest, Zola jabbed the new needle back into his neck and began draining more blood from his body. The last thing Steven heard as he fell into unconscious was Madame Hydra's insane laughter.

000

Down in his own private dinning room, Baron Von Strucker sat at the head of the table deep in thought while his two youngest children argued with each-other at the end.

"I told you I had him!" Andreas Von Strucker yelled at his sister as he smacked his fist on the table. "If you hadn't been flirting away at that American like an American whore, I would have had him!"

"Had him, don't make me laugh brother dear," Andrea Von Strucker let out a fake mocking laugh at her brother, "without me you would be nothing but a bloody

stain under the American's boot. And as for being called a whore," she leaned in a bit closer, "I've been called worse things then that. Besides I take that as a personal complement.

"A Complement! A Complement! Are you insane?" Andreas couldn't believe his sister sometimes. Didn't she ever take anything seriously?

Turning to his father, "Father tell her she's wrong, tell her I could have got him, tell her..."

"Tell my dear brother that he's an idiot and without my brains he would be dead by now, right father?" Andrea interrupted hoping her father would be on her side.

"Shut up the both of you." The elder Strucker rumbled. "I'm trying to think but it's difficult with you two fools screeching at each other." Sighing he glanced at both his children who were still looking at him for his decision. "However I will say you both fought bravely," Both children smiled at the complement, " But when it comes down to it your both stupid, sloppy and above all a great disappointment to me and Hydra."

The twins frowned at their fathers words, but before they could argue against him there was a knock at the door. Werner Von Strucker entered and was not at all surprised to see he had stumbled onto another family argument.

"Excuse me for interrupting but I would like to have a word with you father." Werner held the door open so that the twins could leave.

At first they didn't move until Strucker cleared his throat and have them the look that told them to get the hell out. Not wanting to upset their father any further they quickly left the room and went elsewhere to continue their argument.

Werner closed the door behind them and smiled at the Baron. "Looks like I broke up another family dinner again father."

"What do you want Werner?" Baron Strucker grumbled not wanting to waste anymore of his precious time with his offspring. Sometimes he wondered why he even had children until he remembered his late wife Elisbeth, who wanted children more than anything in the entire world. And now she was gone and he was left with these little monsters.

Werner continued not put off by his father's rudeness. "Father I'd like to talk to you about the plan I put forward to you early..."

"Oh no lets not start that again," the Baron groaned, "I told you before I am not interested in trying to take over Hydra and overthrow the Red Skull. It can't be done!"

"Of coarse it can be done! If you bothered to think about the plan and grow a fucking spine for once the Von Struckers could rule not only Hydra but the entire world if you would just..."

Like a flash, Strucker was up on his feet, across the room and in front of Werner. Before he had time to react, Baron Strucker hit the younger Strucker across the face with his Satan Claw and sent him crashing into the wall behind him. The Baron charged up to Werner like a bull to a red flag and grabbing him, got his Satan Claw charged up and ready to strike him in the face. Werner shut his eyes closed but the hit never came. Instead he opened his eyes and found his fathers face mere inches from his, a look of pure anger on it.

"You listen to me you little bastard," he growled, "I am Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker! You never tell me what to do. And as for a spine my dear son, you should really talk. You have the least backbone in all of Hydra. When have you ever done anything of importance but be a pain in my side?"

Tossing the boy back on the floor, Strucker stormed out of the room with one last parting word. "We will never speak of this conversation again. Do try and I'll rip your fucking spine out. Understood?"

Werner nodded as his father left, leaving the younger Strucker angrier then he's ever been before. For years he had been trying to please his elder hoping to finally get praise for all his hard work and loyalty to him. But it was all for nothing. The man didn't give a damn about him or his siblings or their future. The more he thought about it the more he knew his new "friend" was right. If Hydra and the Von Struckers were ever going to rule the world he would have to take charge and that meant getting ride of anyone that stood in his way. Even if one of those people was his father.

"I'll show you," Werner muttered under his breath, "I'll show you all."

000

What Werner didn't know was he was being watched. In the shadows of the castle Werners new friend watched the family dysfunction without a single person even noticing he was there. He couldn't help but smile knowing he had Werner completely under his power and he had his fathers pride to thank for it.

"Everything's going so smoothly," he chuckled, " Soon all of Hydra will fall and my family's honer will be restored. Who would have thought that the so called Baron would prove this useful? I'll have to remember to make his death a quick one to thank him."

Laughing to himself the figure returned to the darkness to which he belonged.