The tension in the Aegis Protocol laboratory was palpable. The sterile, high-tech facility, hidden deep within the secret headquarters, was bathed in a dim, clinical glow from overhead lights. Screens lined the walls, monitoring every possible variable—heart rate, oxygen levels, neurological activity. It was all in preparation for the moment that had finally arrived: the first human trial of the perfected super-soldier serum.
Anya Petrova sat on the medical examination table, her hands resting on her thighs, exuding a confidence that masked the flicker of nervousness in her eyes. She had volunteered for this, but that didn't mean the uncertainty of the unknown didn't weigh on her.
Dr. Zoric meticulously checked the vial of serum, his steady hands revealing none of the unease that the rest of the room felt. The clear liquid shimmered faintly under the lab's fluorescent lights, the culmination of months of work, years of theory, and one last unpredictable variable—how it would react with a living human.
Tony Stark stood nearby, arms crossed, his face unreadable. He had helped fine-tune this serum, making adjustments Zoric himself admitted had broken through years of stagnation. Now, as always, Tony had a contingency plan. If something went wrong, if Anya's body rejected the serum, he would step in.
"Alright, Petrova," Tony finally said, his voice cutting through the silence. "Last chance to back out before we go full Frankenstein."
Anya smirked. "I already told you, boss. No second thoughts."
Zoric finished prepping the syringe and approached her. "Miss Petrova, if you are ready—"
Anya rolled up her sleeve. "Born ready."
The needle slid in smoothly, the serum flowing into her veins. The lab was silent, every eye locked on her as the seconds ticked by.
One second. Two seconds. Three.
Anya stared at her arm, then at Zoric, then at Tony. "…Is something supposed to happen?"
Zoric's brow furrowed. He checked the monitors, the screens displaying her vitals, stable. No fluctuations, no spike in heart rate, no involuntary muscle contractions. The dramatic physical overhaul everyone had been expecting? Nonexistent.
Tony frowned. "Yeah, as expected, there's no pain but I know what you're thinking. It's anticlimactic."
Anya flexed her fingers, waiting for a surge of energy or a burning sensation, anything. "Did I just get injected with sugar water?"
Zoric was already double-checking his data. "No, the serum should be fully active. Your body is metabolizing it at an advanced rate."
"So, what you're saying is… I should be feeling something?"
"You are feeling something," Zoric corrected. "You just don't realize it yet."
Tony tapped his watch. "Well, at least no one's screaming or convulsing, so I'd say that's a plus. But still, kinda hoped for some fireworks, not that I want you to feel pain. But we prepared for a little deviation from the animal trial."
Anya sighed and hopped off the table. "Alright, let's see if I suddenly have the urge to lift a car or punch through a wall."
Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at a 200-pound dumbbell in the corner. "Go pick that up. If you can't, congratulations, you're still normal."
Anya walked over, gripped the dumbbell with one hand, and casually lifted it. No straining, no effort—just up and down, like it was a bag of groceries. She stared at it, blinking.
"Huh. That's new."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Alright, promising. Try this." He flicked a metal wrench at her. She caught it midair without even looking.
The room went silent.
"Okay," Anya said slowly, flexing her hand. "That felt weird. It's like my body knew it was coming before I did."
Zoric adjusted his glasses, intrigued. "Your reflexes are enhancing subconsciously. The serum's effects are seamless, there's no painful transition, no visible restructuring, just immediate integration with your natural physiology."
Anya smirked. "So, instead of suffering through a dramatic body-morphing ordeal, I just casually become a badass? I'll take it."
Tony clapped his hands together. "Great, science wins, no one dies, and we didn't even have to sedate you. I call that a good day. Now let's see what else you can do."
As Anya started testing her new abilities, lifting progressively heavier objects with an ease that bordered on absurd, Tony leaned toward Zoric. "Gotta say, Doc, I kind of miss the over-the-top transformations. Feels a little too smooth."
Zoric huffed. "Perfection should be seamless, Stark."
Tony chuckled. "Fine, but next time, at least add some sparks or something. Gotta keep the audience entertained."
Anya, meanwhile, had just punched a reinforced training dummy across the room. She whistled. "Yeah, I think I like this."
---
The tension in the Aegis Protocol laboratory had given way to curiosity and anticipation. Anya Petrova stood in the center of the training area, flexing her fingers and rolling her shoulders as if testing the limits of her newly enhanced body. The first human trial had been a success, and now, everyone in the facility wanted to see what that truly meant.
Melina Vostokoff, who arrived for this breakthrough, leaned against a nearby console, arms crossed, watching Anya closely. "Well? How do you feel?"
Anya smirked. "Like I could run a marathon, climb a mountain, and then throw a tank for good measure."
Tony Stark, who had been jotting down notes on a tablet, looked up. "Let's keep the tank-throwing to a minimum. Those things are expensive."
A few of the Aegis agents chuckled, but they were just as eager to see what Anya could do. Melina, however, remained reserved. Her scientific mind demanded more data before she allowed herself to relax.
Dr. Zoric tapped a few keys, pulling up Anya's vitals. "All readings are stable. No cellular degradation, no signs of rejection. We need to conduct further assessments, but…" He exhaled deeply. "This is unprecedented, even for Dr. Abraham Erskine's super-soldier."
"That's only natural." Tony smiled and crossed his arms. "Anyway, let's give them some space for the assessment."
They left the room and went to the observatory deck.
For the next procedure, Anya launched into a series of rigorous tests. First was the speed trial, running the length of the chamber and back while sensors measured her acceleration. The starting buzzer rang, and she was gone in an instant, her movement nearly a blur. She crossed the distance faster than any normal human could, clocking speeds that rivaled Olympic sprinters, yet she wasn't even out of breath.
Next came the strength assessment. She stepped up to a reinforced metal pillar designed to measure impact force. With a measured breath, she drew back her fist and drove it forward. The resulting shockwave rattled the chamber as the reinforced steel groaned under the pressure. The display showed a reading well above any baseline human capabilities, even exceeding earlier super-soldier results.
Flexibility and reflex trials followed. Anya leapt over obstacles with effortless agility, her enhanced muscles allowing her to twist, flip, and land with precision beyond what she had ever been capable of before. Her balance was impeccable, her control nearly flawless.
"Reaction time reduced by nearly half a second," one of Zoric's assistants noted. "Strength output exceeding projections. Adaptability… off the charts."
Dr. Zoric nodded in approval. "As expected."
Physical enhancements meant nothing without the mental acuity to control them. The next phase involved cognitive and tactical exercises. Anya was subjected to rapid-fire questions and puzzles, forcing her brain to process information at high speeds. The serum had heightened her awareness, allowing her to pick up minute details she wouldn't have noticed before.
The final test in this category was a live simulation, a room with moving walls and shifting terrain, holographic enemies appearing at random. She navigated the course with efficiency, eliminating threats with precision strikes and fluid motion.
By the time she exited the simulation, sweat barely clung to her skin. She was breathing slightly heavier, but otherwise looked unaffected.
Meanwhile, on the observatory deck where the rest were watching, the results amazed the rest of the agents.
"Damn," One of the agents muttered. "She's faster than Yelena."
"Don't let her hear you say that," Tony quipped.
Melina, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke. "This is beyond anything the Red Room ever achieved. No side effects, no deterioration. Only pure enhancement. If not for that one lucky break, the Soviet union wouldn't have been able to produce one." She remembered the guy who was assigned to be her fake husband for years.
"Anyway, before anything else, come with me, Melina."
---
Inside one of the private conference rooms, Tony sat opposite Melina Vostokoff, a tablet in his hand as he scrolled through the latest data on Anya's super-soldier enhancements.
Melina watched him carefully. "I still don't understand," she admitted, folding her arms. "You helped create the serum. You perfected it. Why not take control of its future use? Wouldn't that be the logical step?"
Tony smirked but didn't look up from his screen. "Logical? Maybe. But I don't do the whole 'military project oversight' thing anymore. Left a bad taste in my mouth." He finally glanced up at her. "Besides, I didn't do this to build an army. You guys wanted/needed an edge, I gave you one. What happens next is on you."
Melina frowned. "So, you truly have no interest in directing the program?"
"Nope." Tony leaned back in his chair, tossing the tablet onto the table. "I gave you the tools. What you do with them is your business and last time I checked, I'm still your boss no matter how much freedom I give you. And I trust you'll make the right calls."
Melina studied him for a moment, searching for any sign of deception. She found none. "That doesn't sound like the Tony Stark I read about in intelligence reports."
Tony chuckled. "Yeah, well, those reports probably also say I'm an egotistical, reckless playboy with a hero complex."
"They do," She deadpanned.
He shrugged. "Not entirely inaccurate."
She sighed, still struggling to grasp his reasoning. "And if something does go wrong?"
Tony's smirk faded into something more resolute. "Then I'll deal with it."
Melina narrowed her eyes. "You're that confident in your own strength?"
"Always." His voice was unwavering, carrying the kind of certainty that left no room for doubt. "Whatever happens, I can handle it. You don't need to worry about me. Believe it or not, if you know how miniscule this step is compared to the game we will be playing in the future, you won't make too big a deal out of this." He added cryptically.
Melina sat back, considering his words. Despite her doubts, there was something about Tony Stark that made her believe him. Perhaps it was arrogance. Perhaps it was something else. Either way, she knew better than to underestimate him.
"Fine," She finally said playfully. "But don't expect me to clean up any messes."
Tony grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
---