The Parting Glass

The Parting Glass

Chapter 4

We sat in the car riding towards the science lab. Today was the day that we fully tested the super soldier project on Steve. “I know this neighborhood. I got beat up in that alley. And in that parking lot. And behind that dinner,” Steve said as he pointed out each place. I smiled thinking of Bucky telling me all the times he saved Steve from bullies in their neighborhood.

“Did you have something against running away?” Agent Carter asked looking directly at him.

“You start running they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. You can’t say no forever, right,” Steve smiled.

“Being looked at as different is hard, I've done it for hundreds of years now,” I whispered looking out the window.

“I know a little of what that’s like. To have every door shut in your face,” Agent Carter said with a sad smile. I tuned them out the rest of the car ride a they flirted terribly between each other.

“This way,” I said stepping out of the car.

“What are we doing here?” Steve asked looking at the building.

“Just Follow Steve,” I said walking into the building.

“Wonderful weather this morning, isn’t it,” the woman at the desk said.

“Yes, but I always carry an umbrella,” I replied as she pulled the lever the room opening up behind her into a corridor leading to the lab. Steve and I moved onto the floor with all the equipment while Agent Carter went with all of the higher ups.

“You ready?” He asked Steve who nodded curtly.

“Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat.”

“Why exactly am I in Brooklyn?” Steve asked.

“We need access to the cities power grid,” He replied. I sat down in the chair next to the tube Steve was going to be placed in. Stark hooked wires into my arm which lead to the tank and placed googles over my head while the doctor got Steve into the tube.

“Comfortable?” He asked Steve.

“It’s a little big,” He replied nervously. “You save me any of that Schnapps?” Steve asked.

“Not as much as I should have. Sorry, next time,” The doctor smiled before shutting the tube and patting my shoulder.

They strapped me into the chair tightly and hooked and IV fluid bag into my other arm to keep me hydrated as I gave my DNA to the Serum.

“Mr. Stark, how are your levels?”

“Levels at 100%,” he replied looking at the computers.

“Good.”

“We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready,” Stark finished with a smile.

“Good as we’ll ever be. Agent Carter, don’t you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?” He asked Peggy who stood and watched us be set up.

“Oh yes, ah, sorry,” She said before moving to her seat in the booth.

“Can you hear me, is this on? Ladies and Gentlemen, Today we take not another step towards annihilation. But the first step towards the path to peace. We begin with a series of micro injections, into the subjects major muscles. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. Then to stimulate growth. The subject will be saturated, ...with Vita rays.”

“That wasn’t so bad,” Steve said softly.

“That was only the penicillin sweetheart you have a lot more to go,” I said before taking a deep breath.

“Serum infusion, beginning in, five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . one. . . Now, Mr. Stark!” He yelled as Stark flipped the switches. “Steven, can you hear me?”

“Probably to late to go to the bathroom, right?” He laughed.

“We will proceed. That's ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent. All signs are normal. That's fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy. Steven, Steven. Shut it down! Steven. Shut it down!” The doctor yelled as the procedure pushed on and the blood pulled from my body making me weak. Steve screamed as pained coursed through him. The lights flickered around us.

“No! Don’t, I can do this!” Steve yelled through the pain. I gritted my teeth.

“Eighty . . . Ninety. That’s one hundred percent!” The doctor yelled the smoke coming from Steve’s tube.