2: Test and Trials

  "Attention!" el Chester Phillips' resolute voice echoed across the training field. Some recruits nervously swallowed, while others ehey stood as straight as their bodies would allow.

  The el walked in front of them, his eyes as cold as iron, sing them from head to toe as if examining a product.

  The dozen or so tall, well-built men seemed to shrink a little under his gaze, all except for one, who remaioic despite the heavy atmosphere. The el g him and inwardly nodded.

  He walked away from them.

  "All of you have been chosen from thousands of volunteers, the cream of the crop that the Uates has to offer. But make no mistake, this is just the beginning. From this day forward, for the month, we will push your bodies to the limit. You will ehe morous training and the most exhaustive tests, and at the end of it all, only one of you will be worthy of being the future of this try"

  "General Patton once said that wars are fought with ons, but they are won by men. Alemen, we have the best men, and that is ill win" As he said this, his gaze swept over all the recruits one by one, each with an impressive physique. No ohere stood less than six feet tall, all young ahy, in their prime physical dition.

  He smiled, his fiden this operation slightly increasing. If these were the best men, soon they would be more thahey would be super soldiers.

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  John, who had been discreetly his raining panions, couldn't help but want to curse out loud. Where was he? Where was Steve Rogers?

  He almost wao raise his hand and ask if someone was missing, but he had a role to py. Right now, he was a soldier in training, a good soldier in training.

  If he wao execute his pn correctly, he not only had to be impressive, but he had to be the best among everyone present.

  That day, after realizing where he was, why he had ended up there, and what his future objectives were, his missio it in motion and began to outline simple and straightforns.

  He didn't know enough about the Marvel universe to make a perfed foolproof pn. He had only read some ics as a child and as an adult he only saw part of the movies.

  He wasn't a genius with perfect memories that remembered every frame he saw, so even his memories of the movies were fading over time.

  So his pns had to be simple and direct. He was the actor, and he had a role, but the script was inplete, and they had only let him read it ohat sucked, but he could adapt.

  The first thing an actor had to do was study the role. Without a script, there was only one way John could do this: learn from the man himself, from the legend, the myth.

  That is, observe the real Captain Ameri a and bee a better version of him by studying his behavior. It sounded easier than it was.

  But he had entered his first major obstacle: Steve Rogers was o be found. No, the military base where John was right now wasn't the first pce he looked. That was at the exposition of tomorrow

  Before being picked up by the military, John had goo take a quick look at the products of tomorrow. The flying car was certainly incredible; he hoped to get one iy years.

  But while doing a quick tour, he tried to find Steve, see what he was like, how he acted, what was the man behind the super soldier? But he didn't find him. At first, he thought it was just bad luck, that he had arrived at the wrong time.

  In the end, he had to give up and follow the military group to the headquarters of the Strategic Stific Reserve.

  There he thought he would see him, that he could learn from him and study him ih while carrying out his pn.

  But looking around, he couldn't find him. Steve Rogers wasn't there.

  John wasn't stupid. If Steve Rogers wasn't here, that only meant ohing: V had done something. V had prevehe real Captain America from being born.

  That was his backup pn if things went wrong. Without Steve present, what was he supposed to do? How do you bee a better version of someone who does?

  He closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering the movie "The First Avehere were some fusing things, but the general script was in his mind.

  If he wahis world to have a future, he had to take the reins, do what the captain did... no, not just imitate him, surpass him.

  The uainty was suffog, but Johhat the weight of the world on his shoulders was stimuting.

  If he failed, the Earth would be quered by the Nazis, so he couldn't fail. And if he didn't want to fail, he o be more than a super soldier, more than Soldier Boy.

  He swallowed hard, outlining a new pn. At first, he hadn't inteo steal Steve's pce. He wao work alongside him and surpass him fairly. Not because he was a good person—John knew he wasn't—but he felt that if he cheated or pyed dirty against Cap, he would always be in his shadow. How could he be better than him if he surpassed him unfairly?

  But with that option out of the equation, it was time to take the wheel and do things differently.

  'This is risky. I don't know how patible both serums are, but if I don't try, I won't be sure'

  He hadn't ied himself with the V pou, not because he didn't want the power, but because he had read the army acceptater specifying that routine medical tests would be ducted on all recruits participating irials.

  If he suddenly appeared being bulletproof, with super strength, and everything else, would the army just let him go?

  John didn't believe so. So, for the duration of the training, he had to remain an ordinary human. He had been devising pns that could serve as an excuse for how he obtained superpowers, but now they no longer mattered.

  He was going to get the super soldier serum and then i himself with a good dose of pound V, and that was damn w.

  Would he turn into a deformed monster? Would cerous tumrow all over him? He wasn't a stist, but even an average persohat pying with geics was risky. If pound V and the super soldier serum were inpatible, it would be game over. The sequences would be devastating.

  But at the same time, high risk als great reward. If it worked, if both serums were patible...

  What would he bee?

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  While john thought, The el stepped aside aured with his hand towards a proag.

  "This is Agent Carter. She oversees all operations of this division. When she is present, you must obey her as if her words were mine. Uood?"

  At the el's words, many tried to hide a ptuous smile. Carter could see the disdain in their eyes as they looked at her, their scivious gazes sing her body as if she were an object. It almost made her frown, but she had endured worse.

  "Yes, sir!" a firm and sonorous voice respoo the el's words. Some soldiers couldn't help but g the recruit who had answered without hesitation. He was the only one who didn't look at Agent Carter with disdain or doubt the el's words.

  el Phillips turo him and nodded, his voice r again.

  "I said, uood!?" At his shout, the recruits quickly stood at attention and responded in unison.

  "Yes, sir!"

  Agent Carter looked at the recruit who had responded first. He seemed young, but his gaze was hard and firm. Their eyes met, and she didn't see pt or mockery in them, only respect.

  He o her, and she couldn't help but return the gesture with a small smile.

  From the sidelines, an old man who could easily go unnoticed watched the iion with i. His tired eyes focused thoughtfully on John.

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  The trials, the trials were tough.

  John found himself on his bunk bed after a long day orous training. His body was afme, and he had to grit his teeth to avoid a grimace of pain.

  He sat on the lower bunk bed and pulled out a small leather-bound book with bnk pages. There was nothing in it.

  His bunkmate saw the book and ughed mogly. "What's that, John? A diary? I didn't think you were a sissy"

  The other recruits ughed along with him, and John smiled.

  "It's a icle. We're soldiers, Ryan, and we're at war. If we don't leave something behind, who will remember us in the end?" It was both true and a lie at the same time.

  John o work oing the character, leaving behind a background, a story that would be put in museums about him. If he didn't leave something behind, what would his legeainted with rumors? It's better if he wrote his own story, or what the people of this world would believe was his story.

  Nothing too plicated; all lies eventually e apart, so he had to add some truth to each writing.

  Still, he wasn't writing as John, the failed actor who cheated on his girlfriend and drank until he got lost to avoid fag the sequences.

  Now he was John Benjamin Vogelbaum, a young recruit enlisted in a special squad aiming to bee the best test subject for the creation of the first super soldier.

  If he wanted people to remember him as a symbol, a superhero, he had to start leaning the general narrative in his favor.

  And there was nothier than a man's "private thoughts" for that.

  So he took a pen and started the first strokes. He didn't know what repercussions this would have iure, but he hoped they would be det. Anyway, even if it didn't work out as he hoped, it wasn't the only way he would leave his mark on this world.

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  "e on! What are you waiting for?" el Phillips shouted iraining field as he watched the recruits gh the obstacle course. He saw some gging behind, stumbling, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

  "Some are disappointing, but others are incredible, aren't they?" he spoke to the man beside him, a man with white hair dressed pletely differently from all the military present.

  Abraham Erskine, better known as Doctor Erskine, adjusted his gsses and watched the soldiers pass through obstacle after obstacle, his stoic face showing ion at the dispy of physical prowess.

  "I'm looking for more than just strength, el, you know that" he said.

  As he spoke, he saw at the front how one of the recruits lost his grip on the climbing obstacle. It was a fall of at least two meters that would hurt if not fracture something.

  A hand shot out and caught the recruit, preventing his fall. He helped him bato the race, and with a genuinely ed face, seemed to inquire about his dition.

  The recruit who had fallen regained his posure and smiled, thanking the one who had helped him, and soon they both returo the race. The one who helped had been leading but fell behind when he saw the other needed help, thus losing his first pce.

  "What's his name?" Erskine poio John, who was running alongside the other man.

  "That? He's one of the best, nearly perfect physical ditioh at its peak, and young. He was one of the first to volunteer for the project. His name is John Benjamin Vogelbaum, a war orphan who enlisted in the army a year ago. He worked as a field medi several missions before ing here" said the el as he looked at the boy's file.

  Erskine blinked.

  "A medic? He doesn't look like one." John was tall, with a good build and a serious look, a soldier through and through that you'd see anda posters firing at enemies.

  "It seems his father was a doctor, a medical chemist or something like that. He must have wao follow in his footsteps in his own way."

  Doctor Jonah Vogelbaum had been somewhat famous before the Nazis killed him while researg a medical pound in northern Aska.

  They wao steal his research, but Doctor Jonah was smarter aroyed everything before they could get to him. The st the el heard was that the pce where he died seemed to have been hit by a dozen bombs, leaving only a deep smoking crater.

  Erskiook John's file, studied it for a moment before looking back at him in the distance.

  It wasn't strength he was looking for, but a good man, and maybe he had found one.

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  "Let's go, let's go faster, dies! Pick up the pao os left behind!"

  The recruits ran with the sun at its highest point, sweat dripping incessantly from their foreheads.

  John took deep, short breaths. Exercise hadn't been his strong suit in his previous life, but fortunately, this body had perfect muscle memory and ditioning, so he didn't have to suffer more than he already was.

  Soon, the soldier leading them stopped them, pointing to a tall metal pole painted white and then to the fluttering fg at its top.

  "This fg marks the halfoint! The first o it bae take a ride back to base with Agent Carter" the soldier said with a smile, gesturing to Carter, who had a furrowed brow as she looked at him.

  The recruits cheered with excitement and, like a pack of wolves, surged towards the pole, crowding around it, attempting to climb it with just their hands.

  John watched from the side, remembering this se. It seemed he could add a little shio his character.

  The recruits tried their best, but they all failed quickly. The soldier in charge ughed and mocked them.

  "No one in 17 years has brought down that fg, boys! Let's get ba the road; we still have half the course to go!" he urged them to get moving again.

  John approached the pole without hurry and looked at the fg at its top. Time food performance.

  The anding soldier saw him gging behind and shouted, "Vogelbaum! Hurry up!"

  John simply leaned over and released the lock holding the pole ihen it began to fall to the astonishment of everyone. He approached it leisurely, reached its top, and took the fg.

  Uurbed, he went to the soldier leading them and handed him the fg.

  "Here you go, sir" he o him, then got into the vehicle, letting his tired legs rex a bit.

  The Agent Carter looked at him with a smile, and he nodded back at her. It seemed like everything had gone perfectly.

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  "So, what do you think?" It had been a month sihe training began. The el had already chosen the best possible didates in his mind, but the final word rested with Doctor Erskine.

  The older man looked at the recruits not far from them aated for a moment before speaking.

  "I think I might know who it could be, but I o be sure, truly sure"

  The el ughed, realizing who he was looking at.

  "You want a sure test? Well, I give you that."

  The el took a box of grenades and pulled o, iing it carefully to make sure he had the right one before approag the recruits, removing the pin, and throwing it towards them.

  "Grenade!" Like a flock of headless chis, they all started running. Some even screamed, others tried to hide or cover themselves, everyone except one.

  John lunged for the grenade and grabbed it in his hand. His gaze swept the area ihan a sed, then he quickly assumed the best position he could and used all the strength he had to make a throw into the air. The grenade flew a dozeers before nding in a pletely clear area where everyoched, waiting for the explosion.

  But nothing happened.

  The el smiled and patted Doctor Erskine on the back.

  "So, what do you say? Does he have what you're looking for?"

  The doctor looked at John for a moment before smiling.

  "Yes, I believe he does"

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  "The el said he wao speak with me" Johered the study, seeing shelves filled with books, w how many of those would disappear over time.

  He approached Doctor Erskine's desk and took a seat, looking at the man who was him carefully.

  "Do you know who I am?" At his question, John furrowed his brows and responded somewhat hesitantly, "I only know you're one of the lead stists on the project"

  Erskine nodded and pulled out a half-filled old bottle. "You could say that, but I'm also the project leader; everything is under my supervision" As he spoke, he took out two gsses and began p carefully into them.

  "When I started this, I thought it would be difficult, finding someone suitable who could be the one. I went through mas a many people, but none of them vinced me" He offered the gss, and John took it, smelling the familiar aroma of alcohol.

  "Then I found you, and I thought, is this the person I've been looking for?" Doctor Erskiook a long sip.

  "Today, I finally found the ao that question," he said, looking at John seriously. "I want you to be the one who bees the hope of this world."

  John took a sip of his drink and looked at Doctor Erskih seriousness and fidence. "I won't disappoint you, sir"

  Erskine smiled, patted his shoulder, and tinued speaking. "I know. I see it now. You're a good man, John. Before, I feared what might happen, but now I believe hope truly never dies."

  He became more serious. "Before anything else, I have to warn you about something, or rather, someone"

  He had chosen John; he would be the first and would mark the beginning of a new era, but that would also make him the main target of their enemies.

  He deserved to know what he against.

  So, Doctor Erskine began to talk about Hydra and their leader, Johann Schmidt, the first failed super soldier, and his greatest mistake.

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  Note:

  sed chapter, lohan the previous ohe bases are just being built, thank you very much for the support that this story is having, I hope t more chapters soon

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