That night, the four of them talked late into the night.
The next morning, Steve Rogers followed Agent Carter to the secret laboratory.
Inside the large reinforcement chamber, his frail body shifted uneasily against the cold metal.
"Comfortable?" Chen Mo asked with a faint smile, standing beside him.
"It's… a bit big, Master," Steve replied, visibly more relaxed now that his teacher was near.
"You'll feel it's too small soon enough," Chen Mo said, his tone playful but eyes serious. "Remember—no matter what happens, hold on."
"I will, Master," Steve said firmly. This was his one chance, and he wasn't about to give it up.
Once the non-essential staff were cleared out, Dr. Erskine stepped forward and spoke into the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "today marks the first step on our path toward peace."
"First, we will administer a series of micro-injections to introduce the serum into muscle tissue. The serum will trigger rapid cellular change, stimulating accelerated growth. After that, the Vita-Ray exposure will begin…"
As the doctor explained, the procedure commenced.
The serum was injected, the chamber sealed, and the Vita-Ray emitter activated. Blinding white light flooded the room from the chamber's window.
The intensity climbed higher and higher, until Steve began to scream in pain.
"Turn it off!" Carter shouted, panic breaking through her calm.
"Steve!" Erskine pounded on the chamber's glass. When there was no response, he turned to Howard Stark. "Turn it off now!"
Howard reached for the controls—but then Steve's strained voice came from inside.
"No! Don't stop! I can do this!"
Howard hesitated, looking to Erskine, who then turned toward Chen Mo.
"He can handle it," Chen Mo said firmly.
Erskine nodded. "Continue."
Howard slowly pushed the control lever to maximum.
The light from the chamber grew brighter, searing, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. Sparks burst from the machinery, smoke billowed—and then silence.
The blinding glow faded. The chamber stood still.
"Mr. Stark," Erskine said softly.
Howard hit the release. Steam hissed as the chamber door creaked open.
And there he was—taller, stronger, his once-thin frame now sculpted with powerful muscle.
The experiment had succeeded. Steve Rogers, the scrawny kid from Brooklyn, had become a super-soldier.
"I did it, Master…" Steve's voice was weak; the pain had nearly broken him.
"We did it," Chen Mo said, helping him out of the chamber. He couldn't hide his excitement. The new, optimized serum—developed under his guidance—had produced results even stronger than in the original experiment. Steve was broader, more powerful. This was proof of success—and a reflection of Chen Mo's own contribution.
"Yes," Erskine said, calmer than expected. "We succeeded."
Howard, on the other hand, grinned like a child. "You actually did it!"
Carter stepped forward quickly. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of Steve—bare-chested, every muscle gleaming under the lights. Her heart gave a small, uncharacteristic flutter.
"How do you feel?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.
"Taller," Steve muttered weakly.
Usually so composed and commanding, Agent Carter found herself momentarily flustered. Her gaze lingered on the sculpted chest before her fingers—seemingly of their own accord—brushed lightly against it.
"Seems that way," she murmured.
Before anyone could say more, an explosion rocked the lab.
A Hydra agent who had infiltrated the facility had detonated a bomb and seized the remaining vial of serum. Amid the chaos, gunfire erupted—Dr. Erskine was hit and fell to the floor.
The newly transformed Steve watched in horror as his creator and mentor died before his eyes. Then rage took over. He bolted after the fleeing assassin.
The Hydra agent fought his way out, killing guards and the old shopkeeper who ran the cover store above. Outside, his accomplice waited in a getaway car.
Carter arrived just in time to gun down the driver with a single, perfect shot, sending the car crashing into a lamppost.
The assassin scrambled out, hijacked a taxi, and gunned the engine straight toward Carter.
Carter didn't flinch—she raised her pistol and fired. Just as the vehicle closed in, Steve dashed in from the side, tackling her out of the way.
"I had him lined up!" Carter shouted angrily as the car roared past.
"Sorry," Steve said quickly, already sprinting after the assassin.
The chase ended at the docks. The Hydra agent tried to flee in a small one-man submarine, but Steve smashed the glass canopy, dragged him out, and threw him ashore.
"Hail Hydra!" the man shouted before biting down on a cyanide capsule.
Steve watched him die, chest heaving. Nearby, the shattered vial of serum glittered under the dim light.
Hidden in the shadows, Chen Mo observed silently—then turned and left.
With Dr. Erskine's apparent death and the serum destroyed, the Super-Soldier Project was officially shut down.
But the incident in New York made headlines. The newspapers called Steve Rogers a hero. Senator Brandt saw opportunity.
Using his influence, he pulled Steve out of the lab and turned him into a symbol—the face of America's war effort. "Captain America" was born, paraded across the nation to sell war bonds, make films, and rally patriotism.
His name spread like wildfire.
—
Meanwhile, deep within another SSR base, Dr. Erskine—alive and well—sat at a conference table with Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter, Howard Stark, and Chen Mo.
"Are we really not going to tell Steve?" Carter asked, frowning slightly.
"He'll know," Chen Mo replied, shaking his head. "Just… not yet. For now, let's focus on what comes next."
The night before the experiment, Chen Mo and Erskine had convinced Phillips and Carter of the danger the serum represented.
Once the experiment succeeded, the world's most powerful men would covet it—perhaps even the President himself. Phillips's limited authority wouldn't be enough to keep it safe.
In the wrong hands, the serum could birth an army of super-soldiers—unstoppable, unaccountable. If such power ever fell to tyrants or fanatics, it would plunge the world into chaos.
Even one corrupt recipient could cause unimaginable destruction.
The serum could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.
So, they agreed to Chen Mo's plan: Dr. Erskine would fake his death during the experiment, effectively ending the project in the public eye.
To ensure authenticity, Phillips even arranged for one of his own men to play a Hydra infiltrator, ready to "steal" the serum if Hydra itself didn't act.
Howard Stark, the genius inventor and trusted SSR member, was brought into the plan as well. He supported it wholeheartedly.
As for Steve—Chen Mo knew the boy too well. Steve's honesty and purity made him a poor liar; anyone would see through a ruse. Better to keep him in the dark for now. His genuine grief would sell the deception better than any act.
In a few months, when the propaganda tours ended, he would naturally rejoin the SSR—none the wiser, but exactly where they needed him to be.
And so, when the chaos subsided and the world moved on, the five of them met again—quietly, secretly—united by a single truth:
The Super-Soldier Serum still existed.
And this time, it was under their control.