Seizing Power

Brad read through the information on the Moonstone in detail.

The stone needed moonlight at night to recharge. Each full charge could grant one person permanent superpowers.

However, none of Brad's existing instruments detected any associated radiation.

He suspected some mystical force might be involved.

The Moonstone could grant a complete suite of superpowers, including super strength, super endurance, super speed, high-speed flight, an extended lifespan, energy blasts, and the creation of Micro Black Holes.

Under normal circumstances, though, these powers had little room for further growth.

Brad also noticed that, in certain stories, a girl would steal Lloyd's Moonstone in the future, gain the same superpowers, and take over his title of Moonstone.

In stories set in different universes, the second Moonstone had even taken over the mantle of Captain Marvel for a time.

Of course, she was nowhere near as absurdly powerful as the genuine female Captain Marvel who would appear in the future. Moonstone lacked enhanced healing and the ability to unleash a second surge of power, making her weaker than Captain Marvel to some degree.

As long as the Moonstone received enough moonlight at night, it would slowly recharge.

People with high compatibility could gain superpowers without exposing the Moonstone to their blood. Lloyd, for example, was exceptionally compatible with it.

But there was one prerequisite: it had to be nighttime.

That was why Brad had arranged for Lloyd to commit the theft during the day.

Anyone who gained superpowers through the Moonstone had to touch it again periodically to recharge.

Otherwise, their powers would gradually weaken. Someone who could lift fifty tons would decline to forty-five tons, then forty, then thirty-five... until they gradually became an ordinary person again.

It was like a fully charged computer: without being plugged in again, its battery would slowly drain.

Still, that flaw did not outweigh its merits. The Moonstone remained powerful enough.

"The Moonstone is dangerous. Fortunately, it's in my custody now."

Brad placed the stone, which had lost its glow, inside a small lead-coated metal box, then handed it to the man in black beside him.

Without any visible movement, the man in black put it away with a turn of his hand, and the metal box vanished.

Brad took a dozen or so seconds to calm his excitement.

There was one regrettable detail: the Moonstone had not changed his height or build.

After a relatively short journey, Brad finally returned to the base.

He began testing his superpowers and recording the results on a computer.

That came from his scientific rigor.

"I can now easily hoist anything weighing up to fifty tons. Hell, people like me will be running around everywhere in the future?! Marvel's future feels even more dangerous than World War II!"

"Ordinary rifle bullets can't hurt me, though they tickle a little. Hmm... increasing the power, it takes roughly **** (classified data) to injure me."

"At a full sprint, I can reach 274 meters per second and maintain that speed for five hours."

Brad also drew some blood to test cellular deterioration, which was no easy task.

Fortunately, he had secretly taken half a jin of first-generation adamanium alloy from the Stryker Base.

Using a short blade fashioned from it, he sawed back and forth for ages before finally managing to make a small cut.

His research showed that his cells deteriorated far more slowly than those of an ordinary person.

A simple calculation suggested that he could live for another four hundred years or so.

All these routine tests could be completed using the equipment inside the Hydra Base.

But powers such as flight and the upper limits of his energy blasts would cause more of a disturbance, so Brad decided to test those when he had time.

As for creating small black holes, Brad did not feel capable of it at all.

Flight and energy blasts came as naturally to Brad as moving his limbs. A thought was enough to lift him into the air, and the golden light at his fingertips could light a cigarette.

He could adjust the strength of all these abilities at will.

But Brad had no instinctive sense of how to create Micro Black Holes with his powers.

Perhaps he was not compatible enough with the Moonstone, or perhaps the Moonstone in this universe simply was not that powerful.

Apart from the lack of any change to his height or build, Brad was already very satisfied.

Obtaining the Moonstone so easily had been a pleasant surprise for him.

Now that he possessed such a powerful weapon, it was time to set certain plans in motion ahead of schedule.

After resting at the base for a few days, Brad invited the senior officers to gather, claiming he would announce a new invention that would bring another major transformation to HYDRA.

When "General" Calvin arrived at the conference room, he paused at the sight of Brad's restaurant-like arrangements.

A rectangular table was draped in a white cloth, with tall candles burning down its center. Everyone was already seated except for the empty place at the head. A dinner plate sat before each person, while roast chicken and fruit occupied the spare space on the table.

Calvin frowned. His instincts told him that Brad's "banquet" had sinister intentions.

But Calvin had reasons to be confident.

Brad was merely a scientist too weak to truss a chicken, and Calvin's close surveillance had revealed no attempts on his part to buy anyone off.

The entire Hydra Base obeyed Calvin's orders. What could Brad possibly do?

Someone had reported earlier that a bodyguard dressed in black had appeared at Brad's side.

But what could one man accomplish?

Even if he were Captain America, the base had plenty of soldiers enhanced with an inferior version of the serum.

Without his shield, even Captain America would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Having weighed it all up, Calvin seated himself boldly at the head of the table.

Brad raised his glass.

Everyone turned to Calvin, only lifting their wineglasses after he raised his own.

Brad remained perfectly composed.

"I've gathered everyone here not only to announce a new breakthrough, but also because there are a few things I'd like to say to you."

Calvin offered no further response. He set down his glass, picked up his knife and fork, and began working on the steak before him.

Brad raised his wineglass and stood.

"HYDRA is an organization with a lofty dream."

"Two things have brought us together here: shared ideals and shared crimes!"

"My fellow members of HYDRA, we all know that we are fighting for the world's progress."

"Our organization was founded to follow that Führer, to save a world corrupted by capital, and to liberate the suffering masses from all those unjust systems."

"We inherited his ideas and philosophy, but we also have thoughts of our own."

"Our ideology and the way our organization develops must be grounded in reality, so that we can endure. Cut off one head, and two more will grow!"

"For a long time to come, we must remain burden-bearers, trudging through the darkness."

"But some of those newly grown heads are far too foolish."

Brad abruptly pointed the hand holding his wineglass at Calvin, who was chewing his steak.

Calvin paused for a second, then sneered.

"Selfish, arrogant, and all too eager to announce HYDRA's existence to the world."

"That will deal a devastating blow to the organization."

"There is an old saying in the East: when the time comes to act, act decisively!"

"My comrades, we should raise the sharp axe of reform and sever this head!"

"Perhaps it has not rotted away completely, but stupidity is just as fatal!"

Calvin let out a low, mocking laugh.

"You fantasize about seizing power without even understanding your own situation. Why don't you take a look at your own stupidity?"

Brad remained calm, as though victory were already assured.