Viper

Chapter 6: A Fresh Start

Later that night, Erskine and I go talk to Steve

"May we?" Erskine asks.

"Yeah. Hey, Ady." Steve says.

"Hi, sweetheart, you can't sleep?"

"I got the jitters, I guess."

"That's to be expected. Doc has them too."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Just one, Steve?"

"Why me?"

"Good question. I'll let Erskine tell you his reason first. Doc?"

"Yes, I suppose that is the only question that matters. This is from Augsburg. My city," he says showing Steve the schnapps he's brought with us. "So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. You know, after the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags. And he hears of me. My work. And he finds me. And he says, 'You.' He says, 'You will make us strong.' Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle. And he is ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth left here by the gods waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, Schmidt must become that superior man."

"Did it make him stronger?"

"Oh, yeah. But there were other effects."

"Like Ady's?"

"No, hers are good, and are things she knew could happen. His serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. [Baby becomes adult.] This is why you were chosen."

"And Ady?"

"Yes, but unfortunately for her it means she has a thirty-year-old daughter that shouldn't have been born for another seven or eight months. Now a strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion."

"Thanks, I think."

I laugh, and Erskine pours glasses for himself and Steve.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

"To the little guys."

"No, no. Wait, wait. What am I doing?" Erskine says as he grabs Steve's glass. "No, you have procedure tomorrow. No fluids." He continues as he hands me the glass.

"All right. We'll drink it after."

"Nah, Steve. I think I'm drinking it now."

"Yeah, I don't have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after? I drink it now." Dr. Erskine walks out after saying this, leaving me alone with Steve.

"So, what's your reason, Ady?"

"Well, I've known you ever since you were little, and you've grown up to become an amazing young man. Your whole life is enough of a reason for me to pick you. Now come here. Let's get some sleep, sweetheart."