17: Congress
"This is... monstrous." Howard looked at the "device" John had handed him, swallowed hard, and turned to look at James.
"And you say this was in your head?" James growled, nodding in response, and looking with equal disgust at the thing that had been implanted in his brain.
They had moved locations; now they were in Howard's laboratory, the place had been the quickest to construct thanks to the funding from the billionaire inventor.
It was the safest place on the base and also the most private.
"Are you telling me this is really what it claims to be?" Colonel Phillips asked, clearly impatient. Howard nodded and took one of the dozens of cables coming out of the device, cables almost as thin as threads.
"See this? The brain functions through electrical stimuli, sending signals between our neurons to make the body take action. I don't know how they did it, but this network of cables can control that transmission of information through carefully distributed electrical charges." He actually simplified it a lot; there was an even more complex explanation, but Howard knew the colonel was not a man of science. Explaining it too much would only make it more confusing, so he simplified it as much as he could.
The only thing Howard couldn't explain was how they managed to do this. For it to work, the cables would have to penetrate deeply into various sections of the brain, a vital organ so delicate it would surely have died instantly.
Of course, such a brutal method could only be useful for those with a regenerative capacity beyond human, which was why Dr. Zola had been able to do it so quickly. Not having to worry about the life of the test subject sped up the procedures that otherwise would have had to be more delicate.
"Still doubting, sir?" John asked. One of the reasons they were here was to prove that James had been "controlled" by Hydra. Proving he was a super soldier was easy; proving he wasn't a Hydra spy was a bit more complicated. Still, foreseeing that he would need proof, John made sure to bring the device he had removed from James' brain.
The colonel remained silent but eventually nodded.
"This changes many things." A second super soldier would undoubtedly be big news, if not for the fact that now Hydra could theoretically create an entire army of them.
The colonel almost felt his blood pressure drop; he was getting too old for this.
Seeing him pale, John decided to speak.
"I need to return to the United States, talk to the president. A meeting with the leaders of the Allied countries would be best. You understand that the situation requires a different approach."
The colonel frowned. "You know that will take time, right? Do you really want to wait longer?! If we don't attack now—" His words were cut off again by John.
"Attack what, Colonel? Germany? Norway? Austria? Maybe Poland?" John suddenly extended his hand, and, understanding the gesture, Raven quickly pulled out several folded papers she had been holding onto.
"These are the maps we managed to obtain in Salzburg. There are over 25 Hydra bases spread across Europe, not counting the bases that probably haven't been noted. If we rush, we'll just run around like headless chickens until we exhaust our forces. Besides, nothing guarantees there aren't multiple super soldiers scattered in each of them. Sending only normal men would be the same as sending them to the gallows!" He spoke loudly and clearly to make his point understood.
John had indeed panicked a bit at first; Hydra having Compound V or an inferior version of it was dangerous. But once the initial panic subsided and he thought things through more carefully, he realized this was the opportunity he had been looking for.
As a super soldier, John was too strong for this era. His enemies were too weak, and his greatest rival was something he could have ended with a single finger if things had remained the same.
He had thought of staging a ruse, letting Hydra live a little longer so they would appear strong, but now it wasn't necessary. Now Hydra had become a real threat that needed to be destroyed completely and without a doubt.
But he was in no hurry. He didn't fear the "super soldiers" Hydra could create. As long as Compound V ran through their veins, John was sure of one thing: without a doubt, he would emerge victorious in the end.
No, what really concerned John were the mutants, or meta-humans as he had named them. They were the real danger, but he didn't have much information about them yet. Well, he knew of three who could be a threat.
One was still a young man living a "normal" life in New York, and the other two were in Poland.
And without a doubt, he had to kill one of them, no matter what.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Peggy asked, the concern evident on her face.
John smiled, looking at everyone present before speaking. "I'll form a team."
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"Are you ready?" Her father's voice startled Janet a bit, but she quickly composed herself and nodded.
"Yes, although I don't know why I'm here," she couldn't help but complain. She was still a bit sleepy from being woken up so early. She even had to rush to brush her hair and barely managed to put on makeup.
Her father was a very busy man, rarely calling her, but that day he had contacted her urgently. He hadn't explained much, only that something important was happening.
"You are my daughter. Once you finish your studies and graduate, you will assume my position on the Committee for Scientific Research and Development. It's time for you to start preparing for it. The world is changing very fast, Janet, and you must keep up or you'll be left behind," he tried to advise her, but Janet couldn't help but grimace internally.
She liked science, but not as much as her father believed. She didn't want to take his place. Maybe it was a mistake not to follow her aunt when her mother died.
"I don't think anyone else would want me to take that position, Dad," she said, trying to be direct. Her father was a man who could see beyond things, but the reality was that there had never been a woman on the research committee before. Being the first would not only require great skills but also facing great challenges.
Challenges that Janet didn't know if she could or wanted to face.
"I trust in your potential. I know you'll show them what you're capable of," and once again, he completely ignored her, you know, she herself was included in that "anyone else."
"Let's forget about that for now. What are we doing here?" Janet couldn't help but look out the window. She didn't recognize the road, but she did recognize the huge white building they were approaching.
She had only seen it in pictures, but it was enough to know that this was really important.
Vernon Van Dyne also looked out the window before responding.
"There will be a grand congress, a very important meeting where all the country's top officials will be present. It seems something significant has happened that they want to announce."
Janet blinked, confused. Something had happened? What could have occurred that required such a mobilization? Well, she supposed she would find out soon enough. She just hoped it wouldn't take too long. Professor Pym had said he was close to achieving something extraordinary, and although she wasn't so sure about that, it would be really unfortunate to miss it. After all, even if it hadn't been for long, she had also helped.
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John adjusted his suit. It was a bit tight, but decent enough to wear for this occasion.
"Everything is almost ready. The president, the vice president, the secretary of war, the chief of staff, and the representative of the Allied forces in Europe are all in their places," the colonel said, entering his dressing room, and John turned to look at him.
"For a moment, I thought you were going to recite the title of everyone who has come, Colonel," he tried to lighten the mood, but the colonel didn't seem amused. Seeing his serious face was no fun, so he looked to his side, hoping to see a more pleasant face, but while he did find that, it wasn't the face he expected.
"What happened to Agent Carter?" Normally, she was the one who followed the colonel, but now there was a pretty blonde with short hair in her place.
"She is busy with other things, now she is my new assistant," the colonel said simply, and John blinked in confusion.
But before he could ask, the colonel checked his watch and spoke seriously.
"It's time."
Well, he would find out later.
Soon, they walked to the room prepared for the meeting. John took a deep breath and entered through the doors with a smile. Showtime.
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Janet sat next to her father. They were quite close to the center of the room, which made her feel the tension in the air more clearly. There were many important faces present. She mostly recognized the central members of the committee, but this place had a much stronger military presence, which made her feel a bit nervous.
"It's starting," her father said in a low voice, and Janet straightened her back. She watched as the president of the country, Franklin Roosevelt, stepped forward to the podium, causing the room to fall silent immediately.
"Some of you already know why we are here, while others are still in the dark. In a situation like this, beating around the bush is the last thing this country needs, so I'll say it directly: a few days ago, Captain America successfully raided Hydra's main base." That should be good news, right? At least that's what Janet thought.
Hydra had become more well-known thanks to Captain America and his great feats against them. Janet had even gone to the movies with some of her college friends to watch some of the real footage of the battle in Italy. Hydra's weapons were undoubtedly things beyond any existing technology, and she had spent entire nights trying to imagine how they worked.
"-it has been reported that a second super soldier has been found, and it has been confirmed that Hydra possesses an imperfect serum." Janet blinked. What had he said?
A second super soldier? An imperfect serum?
In less than a second, the entire room descended into chaos.
"Impossible! The serum was completely lost!" one of the members of the research committee stood up, his voice full of incredulity. It was known that the committee had been pouring many resources into trying to recreate the serum without success. Even an imperfect version was unimaginable.
The president quickly silenced the room again and spoke seriously.
"Facts are facts, gentlemen. Hydra has now become the main threat in this war. But I am not here to discuss what needs to be done; that has already been decided." Already decided? That took some people by surprise.
When a crisis like this knocked on his door, President Franklin Roosevelt believed there was no time for doubts. He had already discussed the general aspects with the highest-ranking officials and a decision had been reached. However, they still needed the majority approval of Congress to carry out one of the things they wanted to do.
Suddenly, a tall figure entered the room and walked to the podium with firm steps, his presence immediately drawing the attention of everyone present. The president nodded at him and let him stand by his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"This is John Benjamin Vogelbaum, better known as Captain America." Probably introducing him was unnecessary; the whole country knew him.
Janet remained still, her cheeks a bit red. He was much more handsome in person; the images taken by the cameras barely did him justice. Suddenly, she saw him smile and almost felt her soul leave her body for a second.
"Thank you for allowing me to be here, Mr. President," John said, then turned to the gathered audience and began to speak.
"I know many of you are worried about what this development could mean for the war. That's why I've asked for everyone to be gathered here and now. To stop Hydra's plans and prevent them from creating an army of super soldiers, we need the full support of the nation and all our allies. I know I can stop Hydra before they manage to take over the world, but I can't do it alone."
In reality, he could, but he needed them to believe they could help him.
"How do you plan to do this, Captain? We know about your extraordinary abilities, but if Hydra really has access to more super soldiers, then..." The man speaking didn't need to finish his sentence; everyone understood.
John decided to clarify the matter further.
"As mentioned, I found a second super soldier. But I didn't just find him; I also saved him. Hydra implanted a mind-control device in him to force him to fight against me. His name is James Howlett, an American soldier who had been deployed to Austria before being captured by Hydra." This news immediately drew everyone's attention.
"You mean to say—"
Knowing where the question was headed, John nodded and spoke.
"Yes, now the United States has another super soldier besides me. He's not as strong as I am, but his capabilities are certainly enough to greatly help. Not only that, but his brother, who was deployed with him, was also captured by Hydra."
John didn't need to explain what this meant; everyone in the room was intelligent.
"Returning to the topic of the serum, Hydra can't create super soldiers, at least for the moment. James is a special case that is still being investigated, but all the other test subjects died." There were no other test subjects, but no one could know that since the base exploded.
His words seemed to restore hope to many in the room.
"So, destroy Hydra before they can perfect the serum," Vernon Van Dyne said, making John look in his direction and smile.
"That's what we want," he said.
The president then stepped forward once more.
"To deal with this threat, the cabinet members and I have discussed with senior military officers a new approach. So that Captain America can act without hesitation and Hydra can be confronted directly, it has been decided to form a new international division," This was something John had decided to discuss privately with the President.
He needed to be able to act whenever necessary and at any given moment without anything getting in his way, especially bureaucracy.
A new international division? The members of Congress now understood why there were representatives from other countries present. Normally, in a private meeting like this, external agents should be excluded, even those who were allies, but they weren't, and now they knew why.
The representative of the Allied forces in Europe stood up and nodded at the President.
"After much deliberation, we have reached an agreement with President Franklin Roosevelt. All European countries will grant special authority to Captain John Benjamin Vogelbaum to act with maximum authority in everything related to combating Hydra."
The representatives from China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France also stood up and expressed the same intention.
The representative of the Allied forces in Latin America also supported this, as did the representatives of several other nations.
Of course, this was much more important for the European countries. After all, Hydra was in their "homes." If Germany won, they would be the first to fall.
The President smiled with satisfaction and continued speaking.
"The United States will also join this new treaty. To this end, I have spoken with the Secretary of War, and we both agree that Captain Vogelbaum should be promoted to the rank of Colonel. This way, he can better represent the American people in the effort to permanently eradicate Hydra."
Promoting John was something already planned; they simply promoted him one rank higher than people expected.
Several members of Congress widened their eyes a bit. Colonel? And at such a young age?
In history, he would be the second youngest person to attain such a rank, only behind Galusha Pennypacker, who achieved it at the age of 20.
The members of the Senate began to think deeply about this. After all, even if the President wanted to promote John, he still needed the Senate's final approval. For such a rapid rise in rank, it would require almost unanimous support from the Senate.
In other times, such a proposal would have been difficult to consider, but at this moment, with Hydra as an executioner sharpening its axe in preparation to decapitate them, the Senate members had to seriously consider their decision.
Undoubtedly, only John could face Hydra and their mysterious weapons. If Hydra began deploying super-soldiers, even if they were weaker than Captain America, they would still be beings beyond human.
Sending regular soldiers would simply be sentencing them to death.
Suddenly, The Chief of Staff of the United States Army spoke.
"I believe this is the best option. If Captain Vogelbaum leads the front against Hydra, we can focus on finishing the battles on the other fronts quickly. We must remember that Hydra does not fully represent Germany." While Hydra was the most dangerous, they were also an "organism" almost separate from Germany at this point.
If they wanted to destroy Hydra, they also had to remove the obstacles surrounding it.
One of the most prestigious and senior senators stood up and spoke loudly and clearly.
"Isn't it obvious what we must do? Why hesitate? Other countries are willing to grant maximum authority to young Vogelbaum. If we continue to hesitate, they will think we don't trust our own soldiers." His words made many of the still undecided Senate members make a decision.
"Senator Braun is right. Hesitating is just wasting time. I vote in favor," one member said, and soon more and more joined in.
"I vote in favor."
"I vote in favor."
"I vote in favor."
The President let everyone speak before smiling and giving John a pat on the back. John understood the gesture and stepped forward.
"Since it has been decided, Captain John Benjamin Vogelbaum, in the name of the American people and using the power that this Congress confers upon me, I, Franklin Roosevelt, as President of the United States of America, promote you to the rank of Colonel in the United States Army. May this honor reflect our hopes and our profound gratitude for your service and sacrifice."
The room filled with applause. If there had been cameras, it surely would have been filled with their flashes. Well, that would have to be later, perhaps at the public appointment.
John smiled and gave a military salute before speaking.
"I deeply thank you for this honor. I promise I will not fail in my mission and will protect this world from any threat." His words were met with more applause.
The President let the room calm down before continuing to speak.
"With that off the table, it is time to talk about the new international division that will carry out the task of eradicating Hydra and any other threat that may endanger the well-being of this world." The room then returned to a serious atmosphere.
"For this, I will let Colonel Vogelbaum speak to us in more detail about it." The President then stepped back, to the surprise of some people.
John stepped forward again and cleared his throat. The international division had been a last-minute idea but one he believed was necessary. Without anyone knowing, and if everything went as it should, he would gain much more authority as time passed and the threats the world faced grew larger.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to S.W.O.R.D."
John then explained what it was, essentially just S.H.I.E.L.D. with a different name—well, a bit more than that. He made sure to emphasize several times that S.W.O.R.D. would be responsible for dealing with threats beyond the human.
No matter where they came from.
He had to make this clear. After all, if everything went as he hoped, S.W.O.R.D. would be the place where metahumans would predominate, even the aliens.
It took him at least two hours, but he finally managed to present the project and answer most of the questions.
"Then who will lead this division?" one of the members of Congress finally asked.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps spoke up at that moment, with a slightly mocking smile on his face.
"I think it's obvious, this idea is Colonel Vogelbaum's and he should lead it. I don't think there's anyone better, right?" he asked, and everyone fell silent before starting to speak in favor.
John was now a colonel, so it was fitting that he should also lead Sword. It was now that it became obvious to many why the president decided that John should be promoted in rank so quickly.
"In that case, I appoint Colonel John Benjamin Vogelbaum as the first general director of the new international division of Strategic Worldwide Operations for Reconnaissance and Defense. Is there anyone against this decision?" the president said, looking towards the foreign representatives of the allied countries.
The representative of the European allied forces agreed with the decision, and soon all the other representatives joined him.
The president then looked at John.
"Colonel Vogelbaum, what do you think?" It was more an act of courtesy, the decision had already been made after all.
John smiled.
"I accept this position with great honor, sir." The president smiled and patted his back once again.
Of course, the applause came again.
John smiled; things were going as he expected. Now he just had to make sure they continued that way.
'Just wait, Schmidt. You may have caught me by surprise once, but I won't let you do it twice.'
This was his stage after all.
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Note:
To answer a question before you ask, James is still from Canada, he simply enlisted with his brother in the United States Army on this occasion as he has done many other times, such as when he fought in the War of Independence, just to give an example.
If you noticed, I usually update most of my stories on Sundays, this time I decided to do it earlier since I'm a little sick and I want to rest all day tomorrow hahaha
remember that you can find the next chapter of this story on Patreon (patreon.com/EmmaCruzader). If you want to read the next chapter in advance and get some other benefits, you can go and check it out. All the support received helps me a lot ;D