"Don't care if he's guilty, don't care if he's not,
He's good and he's bad and he's all that I've got,
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you, please,
Don't take that sinner from me,
Oh don't take that sinner from me"
Dolores fell in love with a boy. The...
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Wheaton, NJ, 1943
Steve sat in his bunker alone, all of the other beds and lockers cleared out as the choice had been made. Steve was pondering the reality of his situation and the risk he was putting himself at when Dolores walked in, taking a seat beside him. Dr. Erskine made his way to the bunker, stopping as he noticed the two sitting in silence before Dolores broke it.
"You know the risk you're taking, right?" She asked.
"I know. I just want to do my part in the world, and if this is what the world needs then I'll happily take the risk," he affirmed, causing Dolores to sigh.
"I know what you mean. That's why I'm here. I'm proud of the work I get to do for our country, but what if we're wrong?" She suddenly asked, refusing to make eye contact.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, confused about her question.
"What if... we are fighting for no reason? Is the answer always to come in guns blazing? Where do we draw the line? Will the world always be in a state of war from now on?" She asked all the questions that she had pent up over the past few years.
Dr. Erskine smiled at her comment, knowing that her wisdom was beyond her years. He began to ponder what his project could look like if he adjusted some of the realities to suit the needs of two enhanced beings.
"I don't know, Dee. Sometimes I wonder that too. I think we need to be careful with the strength we have because strength does not require use in every situation," Steve nodded, and Dr. Erskine made his way to the two friends.
"This is what Johann Schmidt could not understand," he grunted while sitting down on the bunk across from them. They both gave him an inquisitive look.
"The head of Hydra, Hitler's research division. A brilliant scientist. Schmidt was a member of the inner circle, ambitious, obsessed with occult power and Teutonic myth. He and Hitler shared a passion for violence and Wagner," he noted, causing more confusion on the faces of his companions.
"German operas about war and heroes. Blood and race. Gods afoot upon the earth," he shook his head with a smile. "Me, I like a little Benny Goodman," he chuckled, causing Steve to smile.
"Hitler uses these fantasies to inspire his followers. But Schmidt... he does not believe in fantasy; for him, it is real. He became convinced that a great power had been hidden on earth, left here by the gods - waiting to be seized by a superior man. And when he understood what my formula could do, Schmidt could not resist... he had to become that superior man," the two friends shared a look, understanding that Schmidt had taken the serum himself which made him a very dangerous man.
"Did it make him stronger?" Steve asked.
"Yes, but there were other...effects. The serum was not ready, but more importantly, the man... the serum amplifies what is inside. Good becomes great, and bad becomes worse," Dr. Erskine almost shuddered at the memories of when Schmidt forced him to give him the serum.
