*Next Day*
The dimly lit room reeked of sweat and metal. My wrists were bound in heavy iron chains, the kind that dug into my skin every time I moved.
Across from me, slumped against the damp stone wall, was none other than Bucky Barnes. His arms were raised, wrists shackled above his head, the chains looped into thick bolts driven into the ceiling. Unconscious. Barely breathing. But alive—for now.
This was the place Arnim Zola's Lab where he does his twisted experiments.
The bastard had already tested his version of the Super Soldier Serum on Bucky. And I… I was next.
The only thing saving me from that fate—for now—was Zola's absence. Some emergency had called him away, giving me this small window of opportunity. But the guards stationed outside the thick iron door wouldn't stay idle forever. Someone was bound to check in. I had to act, now.
I didn't have time to waste.
Bucky wasn't just a super soldier's best friend—he was one himself.
Stronger. More durable.
And that was exactly what I needed.
Even though he was injected with Zola's version of Super Soldier Serum he did not immediately gain powers like Rogers—who transformed instantly. Bucky's change was subtle. Slower.
His body didn't explode with power in a flash of light. Instead, the serum worked beneath the surface, reshaping him bit by bit. That same slow transformation was what saved him when he fell from that train. It was what kept him alive, frozen in the ice, long enough for the Soviets to find and turn him into the Winter Soldier.
Even though he did not have his peak power as the Winter Soldier right now it did not mean I could not get it right now.
He might not have reached that peak yet—not now—but the foundation was already there. The serum flowed in his veins. Zola's version might have been crude, but it worked. And thanks to my system, I didn't have to suffer any of its flaws.
I just needed to copy it.
[Copy – Active]
I focused on Bucky. The shimmer returned—subtle, invisible to anyone but me—as the system linked.
[Target: James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes
Ability Detected: Super Soldier Serum (Zola's Version) ]
'Copy Ability'
[Ability Gained: Enhanced Physiology (Zola-Variant)]
A wave of warmth flooded my limbs. It was subtle, but I could already feel it. My muscles tightened, stronger. My senses sharpened. Even the ache from the chains dulled as my body began processing the enhancement—clean, efficient, without the usual side effects.
[Enhanced Physiology (Zola-Variant)]
Your physical attributes—strength, speed, stamina, durability, healing, and reflexes—have been boosted to near peak human levels. Unlike the crude transformation undergone by the original recipient, this version has been refined and filtered by the system, giving you pure results without instability or long-term damage.
I clenched my fist.
The chains groaned. Just a little. Not enough to be noticed. But it was a sign.
I'm getting stronger.
And this… this was just the beginning.
I still had tonight. Before Zola returned. Before Steve Rogers tore through this base like a human wrecking ball. I could use this time—strategically.
From the corner of my eye, I saw another prisoner stirring. Another chance.
I was done surviving. Now, I was building.
I had gained more than 10 different skills and a powerful ability in just one night.
And that's not even counting what I'd pick up tomorrow.
Because tomorrow, Captain America was coming.
And when that shield hit the gates?
So would my next opportunity.
To copy him.
And now I had the power to survive. And the proof was in front of me.
The chains around my wrists, which had seemed immovable moments ago, now looked like cheap costume jewelry.
I gripped the metal links and snapped them with a casual tug. The sound echoed in the small cell, and I froze, listening for any reaction from outside. Nothing. Quickly, I freed my ankles as well.
Heavy footsteps approached the door. Two guards, right on schedule. I positioned myself beside the entrance, ready to strike.
The lock turned, and as the first guard stepped in, I attacked—my fist connecting with his throat before he could even register my presence.
He dropped like a stone, not even able to gasp. The second guard barely had time to widen his eyes before I grabbed him by the collar and slammed his head against the wall with carefully calculated force—enough to knock him out, not enough to kill.
I surveyed the unconscious guards, my mind racing. I needed weapons, supplies, and, most importantly, a front-row seat to the upcoming showdown between Captain America and Red Skull.
The guards had pistols, ammunition, and knives. I quickly collected them.
I stripped one guard of his uniform and put it on. A decent fit, and more importantly, it would let me move through the facility without raising immediate alarms.
Dragging both unconscious guards to the back of the cell, I propped them in a sitting position that might pass casual inspection through the door's small window.
"Sorry, Bucky," I murmured to the still-unconscious Barnes. "Cap will be here for you soon enough."
With that, I slipped out of the cell, locking it behind me. The corridor stretched before me, dimly lit and eerily quiet. Time to explore.
Navigating through the base, I kept to the shadows, my enhanced hearing guiding me around patrols. I soon realized the facility was massive—far larger than what was shown in the movie. There were labs filled with strange devices, prisoner cells holding malnourished captives, and what looked like manufacturing areas for HYDRA's advanced weaponry.
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