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Rated M for Mature
Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.
Note- This series takes place during the same time as Project X: The Secret Files of Wolverine.
Project Rebirth: The Secret Files of Captain America, Chapter 13- Sacred Rites
As both the Rogers brothers followed the Nazi occultist, Matt remembered his past of how he became Crossbones in the first place. Court-martial had led him in confined cell for injuring General Adams. But the grand jury had decided that he had to be checked out for mental health issues.
Even though the general didn't like the idea, he decided to lay it off and considered Matt Rogers to be unfit for the army. And that meant the older brother of the Rogers family wouldn't dare to join his fellow comrades. Matt felt out of control, and realized that he could very well suffer at his own hands.
But there had been someone else, watching him. A scientist who went by the name of Dr. Nathaniel Essex, had arrived to meet him in the cell. He claimed that he was an assistant, working for the late Dr. Abraham Erskine. And for that matter, Matt actually believed him.
When Dr. Erskine was alive, the serum was developed at a late stage where it could have side effects. It was what Dr. Essex had told Matt Rogers about the consequences of taking it. But the experimental drug had turned out to be something else. It wasn't the Super-Soldier serum that had turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Instead, it was called the Sinister Effect, one that could allow a normal person to gain superhuman powers.
In Matt's case, he became strong enough to bash the Germans, when they were out to get him. His muscles had increased ten-fold, like he had been turned from an average human into a superhuman being, similar to Steve Rogers. He remembered it alright. During the missions as a tough mercenary, he had used his newfound abilities very well, and killed them with his own bare hands, and sometimes used his weapons to fire at them.
But along the way, Matt experienced the side-effects of the so-called Sinister Effect. Becoming Crossbones was one thing, but receiving abilities from a powerful drug, had caused him to wreak havoc in the city. It happened only one time, and Matthew Rogers was then able to control himself.
He shook his head, and wondered if the mad scientist had played tricks on him. Dr. Essex even said that the German scientist had used the Super-Soldier serum on other test subjects, before Steve Rogers. But the experiment had turned out to be a failure. Most of them were dead, and Steve was the lucky one to survive.
Yes, Matt felt jealous of his younger brother alright. But now, he actually regret of his past wrongdoings. It was just like Lucas Dietrich had said, What's done is done.
"Here we are," Lucas said. "The grand entrance to my domain." He opened the door to his own laboratory. Both Matt and Steve gasped.
Holy Christ! Matt looked around the room, and noticed the floor was covered with a strange design of satanic origin. But Steve had seen it somewhere before. History had taught him this much. His teacher, Eugene Strange had explained the forbidden knowledge of the occult to his class. Therefore, Steve had a pretty good idea of what he was dealing with, even before Lucas had explained to him about Blackheart.
Lucas pointed towards the floor. "This my friends is the pentagram."
"I know what it is," Steve said.
"Oh, I see," Lucas said, sounding surprised. "So you're familiar with it?"
Steve didn't say anything. He looked at Matt, who seemed to be quiet while looking at the notes and scripts of strange writings.
"I'm sure it won't be easy for you to grasp these things, Captain America. But I would need your help and your dear brother's."
Matt looked at the occultist, seriously. "Let's get this over with."
Lucas smiled and sat down on the floor. Then he took out a silver cup from his left side. He also grabbed a dagger, and slashed his wrist. Blood dripped on the pentagram.
"What are you doing?" Steve said.
"I'm trying to attract the demon, Captain America. It can sense my blood. By the time it reaches here, all you have to do is push the damn thing into the circle."
"I see..."
"Yes, I know it won't be easy. But..."
"You better not mess with us, Lucas," Steve said firmly. "Because if you do..."
"Relax, Captain America. I won't do such a thing." And add to that thought, Probably not yet, anyway. "But I can't do much to aid you in defeating it. So either of you must push it inside the circle, while I opened the gateway."
"And how would you do that?" Matt asked him.
"By saying the unholy words, of course. I've learned this from my great teacher named Eugene Strange. Fascinating, isn't it?"
Steve was surprised to hear his old teacher's name. But he couldn't remember if Lucas Dietrich was there in his class.
"Now then... Let's begin." Lucas closed his eyes, and then said, "Yes... I could feel it coming here."
Steve looked at his brother. "Okay, Matt. You know what to do." Matt nodded and went to the other side.
While the occultist chanted the magic words, Blackheart entered the laboratory. The Rogers brothers quickly grabbed hold onto the creature itself. But Blackheart was still strong for them.
The creature slashed the mercenary's chest. Matt felt the pain as he noticed the blood, dripping on the floor. The demon fought him again, but Steve used his shield to whack it from behind.
Then the creature slammed Steve against the wall. The shield fell from his hands.
Blackheart turned back towards the mercenary, and then stabbed his gut.
"AAAAAH!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"NOO!"
Valentina de Fontaine just stood there, staring at him. Then she looked at her chest, filled with blood. Someone had shot her!
A familiar figure stood there, behind the Italian woman. It was none other than Baron von Strucker himself.
"You b@$t@rd!" Steve cried out towards the former Nazi general.
"You think I could allow you to kill Steve Rogers, my dear Valentina?" Strucker scoffed. "If I remember correctly, your orders are not to kill him."
Valentina slowly turned towards her side.
"That's right. You've failed your mission, stupid b!^ch. But... I have other plans for Steve here." Then he looked at the super-soldier.
"You'll pay for this. Whoever..." Steve stopped and tried to remember him. There were no more words to describe the man, who had just shot the woman in cold blood. Whoever this man was, he was part of the HYDRA organization, and now he came here to take care of the job, which both Psi-Borg and Valentina failed.
The woman fell down. She wasn't out yet. Trying to overcome the pain, she thought of her dear husband.
"Steve..." She slowly said to him. "I'm... sorry."
"Valentina!" Steve rushed towards her, but it was too late. The woman was gone.
"I hope you understand the nature of my mission, Steve Rogers," Strucker said. "You're valuable to our organization, and we can't afford to lose..."
Steve threw the shield at him. The former Nazi general immediately ducked down. But the shield came back for him, and then whacked his head.
"ARGH!" Strucker felt so much pain right now that he was easily knocked out.
Steve Rogers felt the tears, coming from his eyes. Then he looked at the general. He wished he could kill him right now. But he knew way better than that. Instead, he checked to see if he was still unconscious.
I could interrogate him, Steve thought. That way... He stopped and heard a squishing sound nearby. Realizing that he stepped on something, it had turned out to be some sort of round object. It was a pod that came from the Hive.
But the great Captain America had no idea what it was. He gasped for breath as something took over him. It went inside his ear.
What the hell? Steve thought. He could have sworn that something was afoot, while he fought Baron von Strucker. But...
He remembered now. When Strucker had shot the woman, he intentionally dropped the pod. Then it opened, and a tiny creature came out of it!
"AAAARGH!"
To be continued in Project Rebirth: The Secret Files of Captain America, Chapter 14- Hostile Takeover.
Well, it looks like Steve Rogers is about to be taken over again. Only this time, it's worse. Find out in the next chapter of Captain America.
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