Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 5 of Stark Dynasty. Thank you to those who have kept up with this story and have left kind reviews. It does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this. I hope to have more of this story written. I worked hard on this chapter, hopefully, it will be a lot easier to post from now on. So I'll try my best with the updates for the story. Without further ado Chapter 5. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Set Back

Dorothy pursed her lips as she watched Dr. Erskine help Steve into the device.

"Comfortable?" Erskine questioned looking at Steve.

Steve looked rather small in the outline of the much larger man that he would become. "You save me any of that schnapps?"

Dr. Erskine winced thinking back to the schnapps. "Not as much as I should have." He nodded to his attendants, who began to hook Steve up. He then looked to Howard who was making adjustments. "How are your levels, Mr. Stark?"

Howard stepped out from behind the device and Steve blinked, surprised to see Howard there. "Coils are at peak, levels are 100%. We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we're ready. As we'll ever be."

Steve eyed him warily. "I was at your Expo. Did you ever get that Cadillac in the air?"

"Had her flying three full minutes," Howard said with a smile.

"Then what happened?"

"We landed. Technically." He patted Steve on the shoulder.

Steve wasn't reassured of Howard doing this.

Dr. Erskine jostled a nervous Peggy as he tried to squeeze past. "Agent Carter, wouldn't you be more comfortable in the booth? Agent Stark."

Peggy got the hint and she gave Steve a small smile.

Steve smiled back as Dorothy grabbed Peggy's arm and led her towards the booth.

Dr. Erskine pulled down an overhead microphone. He looked at the booth waiting until Colonel Phillips was standing near the speaker. He tapped on the mic.

Phillips winced, holding his ear and giving the doctor an irritated look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this morning we do not take another step toward annihilation. Today, we take the first step on the path to peace. We will begin with a series of micro-injections to the subject's major muscle groups."

Peggy and Dorothy entered the booth and they were both offered seats.

Howard and his older assistants readied the machinery. The engineers check their monitors.

"The serum will cause immediate cellular change. To prevent uncontrolled growth, the subject will then be saturated with Vita Rays." Dr. Erskine clicked off the microphone and nodded to the nurse.

Dorothy looked over at Peggy's hand and went onto her knee gripping it tightly. "Peggy…"

Peggy looked over at Dorothy not releasing the death grip she had on Dorothy's knee.

"He'll be fine," Dorothy said softly patting Peggy's hand.

"You think he can do it?"

"With his personality and what the doctor explained to me, yes, I think he can do it. We have to have faith."

They watched as a nurse had given him a tetanus shot. Before a panel slid back, revealing a carousel of tubes of serum at the ready. All six vials were put into the injectors.

Dr. Erskine nodded at the tech and the injection pads were deployed.

The needles pressed Steve into the table.

"Beginning serum infusion in five, four, three, two...one." He then pressed a switch. He then hit another button and then looked at Howard. "Now, Mr. Stark."

Howard pulled a lever.

The table slowly tilted upright. The panels unfolded and the hood lowered over Steve's head sealing him inside of the vita chamber.

"Steven, can you hear me?"

"Is it too late to go to the bathroom?" Steve's voice rang out over the speaker.

Dorothy let out a soft chuckle and shook her head lightly.

"We shall proceed."

Howard then threw a switch and his vita ray reactors came online. He moved to the power dial and began to move it.

A piercing whine filled the room.

Peggy and Dorothy crossed their fingers in the hope that this would work.

Dr. Erskine checked Steve's vitals and then nodded his head to Howard, who turned the dial higher.

Peggy released Dorothy's hand and got up to her feet concerned her breath fogged the glass up.

Suddenly screams echoed from the speakers.

Dr. Erskine rushed to the window but couldn't see in and then he went to the microphone quickly. "Steven? STEVEN?"

Peggy rushed out of the booth and down the stairs as quickly as she could. "Shut it down!"

The lights got brighter causing the viewers to shield their eyes from the bright light.

"MR. STARK, KILL THE REACTORS…"

"No…" Steve's voice rang out. "Don't…"

Howard's hand hovered over the dial.

"I can do this."

Dr. Erskine swallowed the lump in his throat. With great hesitation, he nodded his head.

Howard turned the dial one final turn up to 100%

The whine splits through the air. The vita ray chamber flashes from orange to white, then suddenly goes dark. The whine died down.

Dr. Erskine went ashen in the face.

Howard stared at the dial.

Peggy swallowed the lump in her throat.

Suddenly the lights came back on.

Dr. Erskine rushed to the device. "Mr. Stark!"

Howard hit the button and the hood and panels retracted releasing a blast of steam.

Dr. Erskine could see a new man hanging in the straps, muscular, tall, perfect.

Everyone gasped and hurried from the booth except for one man.

Dorothy got down near Peggy and put her hand on Peggy's shoulder. "He did it," Dorothy said with a smile.

Peggy smiled softly. "Yes… he did."

The technicians undid the straps and Steve collapsed into Dr. Erksine's arms causing him to stagger a little.

"Steven?"

Steve's eyes fluttered open looking up at him. "Doctor? Did it...?"

"I think...yes…"

"You did it, Doctor. You really did it." Howard said coming over to help Dr. Erskine.

The others rushed into the lab to get a closer look at Steve.

"Sorry, you got up early now, Senator?" Phillips questioned looking at Senator Brandt.

"I can think of some folks in Berlin who are about to get very nervous."

Peggy came up to him with his clothes.

Steve quickly put on his now much smaller shirt.

"How do you feel?"

Steve looked groggily down at her. "Taller…" He said as he finished pulling his clothes on.

Dr. Erskine turned his head hearing something. "Please, do not smoke in here." He saw a man with glasses and then he looked at him puzzled. Then he remembered. "No…"

Suddenly the booth exploded around them, shooting glass and fire into the lab.

Phillips shoved Senator Brandt out of the way.

Peggy pulled out her pistol.

Dr. Erskine saw Kruger making his way for the serum. He bolted to get to it first only to be shot at.

"NO!" Steve yelled.

Dr. Erskine flew back smashing into the machinery.

Kruger snatched the last tube and raced towards the door.

Dorothy looked from where she hid and slowly got up to her feet. She looked over seeing Steve rush over to where the doctor had flown into the machines.

Howard gripped his sister's arm tightly, not allowing her to go anywhere.

"I'm not going anywhere, Howard." She told her brother softly. Knowing that he needed her right there, she didn't blame him since he just saw a man get shot at and most likely killed.

Howard pulled her close to him not wanting to let her go.

Dorothy rubbed her brother's back knowing that this was hard for him even though he was a weapon dealer Death was a sight that he had never seen in person before unlike herself with her short amount of time being with the military.

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This is the end of Chapter 5. I hope you all enjoyed this. I tried to fit my character Dorothy in the best way that I could. And I can't wait to show you who she'll be paired off with. I hope that the pairing will work out well enough. I have my fingers crossed that it comes off as a good type of romance. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll update you soon. Until next time.