Chapter 4

The following morning they gathered in the lab to attempt the procedure. There were about fifteen scientists including the Doctor, Abi and Howard Stark, scattered around the floor, but there was also a group of army officials in the upstairs viewing room to oversee the procedure.

Steve walked in and Abi walked over and hugged him. "You ready for this?"

He looked like he was about to be sick, but nodded at her anyway.

"Agent Carter you would probably be better seated in the viewing room." Dr Erskine said. 

Peggy glanced at Abi and Steve before she nodded and walked up the stairs.

Steve took a deep breath as the nurses strapped him into the machine and loaded the vials of the navy blue serum into the side.

"Can you hear me? Is this on?" The Doctor said, addressing the officials in the viewing area. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace. We begin with a series of micro injections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with vita rays."

"That wasn't so bad." Steve said as Abi pushed an injection into his arm.

"That was penicillin." Abi told him. She stepped away as the arms of the machine lowered onto Steve's biceps.

"Serum infusion, beginning in 5...4...3...2...1." Steve looked from Abi to the Doctor as the machines turned on and the serum was injected into his system. He gritted his teeth in pain as the serum entered his muscles.

"Now Mr. Stark." The Doctor told Howard who was standing close by.

Howard nodded and pulled a lever that lifted the machine up and encased Steve. Pipes were then attached to the two valves at the top.

The Doctor walked up and knocked on the glass. "Steven? Can you hear me?" He asked.

"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" Steve said rom inside making Abi smile.

"We will proceed." The Doctor said nodding to Howard.

Howard nodded and turned a dial; he then put on a pair of darkened glasses and started to turn another lever. Abi pulled her own glasses on and went to stand by him.

"That's ten percent." Howard said. "Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent." He continued turning the dial.

"Vital signs are normal." Another scientist said.

"That's fifty percent!" Howard called. "Sixty, seventy." By now the light coming from the machine was too much to look at.

Abi froze as Steve started screaming in pain. Peggy bolted out of the viewing room door.

"Steven!" The doctor shouted.

"Steve! Shut it down!" Abi yelled at Howard.

"Steven!" The Doctor said knocking fiercely on the capsule.

"Shut it down!" Peggy yelled agreeing with Abi.

"Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark! Kill the reactor!" The Doctor yelled.

"No! Don't! I can do this!" Steve's voice was pained but determined and strong.

And with that Howard walked back over to the dial and began to turn it again.

"Eighty! Ninety!" Howard called over the noise of the machine as the light got brighter. "That's one hundred percent!" 

As it reached capacity, all the machines around the room started to spark and some blew their fuses. Everything stopped, the light from the machine faded and the room went eerily silent.

"Howard! Open it." Abi called.

When it opened Abi was taken back. Her usually small and weak twin brother was taller, a lot taller and defiantly more muscular. He looked great, just exhausted. The Doctor and Abi walked up and helped him out of the machine. He leant heavily on her as the people who were watching all ran out of the room. For the first time ever she had to look up at him.

"We did it!" Steve exclaimed tiredly.

"Yep! Yeah, I think we did!" Abi said smiling at the Doctor and then to her bother who now dwarfed her in size.

"You actually did it!" Howard exclaimed in disbelief.

"How do you feel?" Peggy asked, appearing in front of them.

"Taller." Steve replied, still trying to catch his breath.

"You are taller." Peggy handed him a t-shirt.

"A lot taller." Abi muttered.

As everyone was congratulating each other, the Doctor noticed a man stood off to one side. The man flicked up his lighter and the viewing room above exploded. Steve, finally able to protect his sister and not the other way round, shielded Abi from the glass.

"Stop him!" The Doctor called as the man took the last vile of the serum and shot the Doctor twice in the chest before running out. The Doctor fell to the ground as Abi and Steve ran over to him. 

Peggy shot the man in the arm and then chased him out of the facility. The Doctor tapped on Steve's heart before he went still. Steve looked up with a rage written all over his face, before he got up and began to run up the stairs.

"Steve!" Abi called before running after him. 

When they got to the street level Peggy was stood in the middle of the road shooting at the man who was in a yellow taxi. The man put his foot down and was about to hit her when Steve ran out and took Peggy to the ground.

"I had him!" She yelled at Steve as they both got to their feet, but Steve started running.

 Abi shook her head before running after him past a confused Peggy.

Steve had got a lot faster as Abi ran after him. She was able to keep him just in sight but couldn't catch up to him. She carried on as Steve crashed into a bridal shop. She followed him down an alley where there was a locked gate blocking the exit. Steve vaulted it without even touching it. Abi ran, jumped, grabbed the top and swung herself over it. Still they carried on running. By now Abi's lungs were burning. But she carried on running as Steve started jumping on the top of cars. She followed as they turned to the docks and heard gunshots.

She reached the end of the dock just to see the car flip and Steve jump off. The man began to shoot at Steve as Abi stopped running and Steve used the car door as a shield. The man carried on shooting until he grabbed a kid from his mother and held the gun to the kids head. By now Abi was at Steve's side, out of breath and gagging, but there none the less. She had just sprinted god knows how far.

"Come on!" The man said as he shot at them again. He ran off and went down an alley. Abi and Steve started to follow but he shot at them again.

They ran after him until they rounded a corner where the man was holding the gun to the kids head.

"No! Wait! Don't!" Steve yelled. 

The man looked from the kid to Steve and Abi then aimed the gun at Abi and shot. But the gun clicked, he was out of ammo. Abi had never been more relieved. The man then looked at the kid and then to the dock.

"No! Don't!" Abi yelled as he through the kid into the water. 

The twins ran to the water's edge.

"Go get him! I can swim!" The kid told them as he began to swim to the steps.

Steve and Abi then turned and ran after the man. But then man pressed a button and a submarine appeared out of the water. He jumped in and began to submerge. Steve dived into the water and swam after him. Abi stood at the water's edge and looked into the murky liquid. The next thing she saw was the man being thrown out of the water and Steve climbing up after him. She got up and ran over to where they were. The man tried to get up and punch Steve but Abi kicked him to the ground. As he hit the ground he dropped the last vial of the serum and it smashed against the paving stones.

"Who the hell are you?" Steve said, grabbing the man's jacket.

"The first of many!" The man paused as he cracked one of his teeth. "Cut off one head." He paused again as he bit and crushed the tooth. "Two will grow back. Hail Hydra!" The man said as his mouth started to froth. He grunted in pain as his body went limp in Steve's grip. The tooth contained a lethal dose of cyanide.