Cold.
This was Yon Roger's first sensation after regaining consciousness.
He lay on an experimental table, his body firmly restrained by straps made of some kind of polymer material, unable to move.
The spine that was broken by the Soldier Boy has been repaired.
But this feeling terrified him more than paralysis, because it meant he could clearly sense everything that was about to happen.
The light from the operating lights was blinding.
He couldn't see anything clearly, only hear the ticking of the instruments and the sound of liquid flowing in the pipes.
"Woke up?"
A voice rang out.
The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.
A man in a white lab coat with messy hair came into his view.
Dr. Horton.
He was holding a tablet with a complex blue spiral structure diagram on the screen.
That's Yon Rogers' genetic sequence.
"A true masterpiece."
Dr. Horton didn't look at him; instead, he stared intently at the data on the screen.
"A perfect biological weapon. Powerful cell repair capabilities, bone density three times that of a standard human, and astonishingly fast nerve conduction speed..."
His deputy, D.A. Sinclair, examined the relevant data.
"Doctor, his vital signs are stable."
"Of course it's stable."
Horton didn't even look up.
" The Kree genes are among the most stable combat genes in the universe. Unlike some inferior races, they don't crumble with even slight modifications."
A low growl escaped Yon Rogge's throat.
"You primitive people..."
His voice was hoarse and weak.
"Do you know what you're doing? The Kree Empire..."
" The Kree Empire?"
Dr. Horton's gaze fell on Yon Roger's face.
His gaze was as if he were looking at a rare ore.
It was filled with greed and fanaticism.
"Oh, don't worry about your empire, Commander."
Dr. Horton smiled, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from coffee.
"Your old Skrulls friend, Talos, has practically exposed everything about your Kree Empire in exchange for the survival of his people. They don't even know you're missing; they think you're on a secret mission in some remote star system."
"You..."
We are not interested in your empire.
Horton interrupted him.
We're only interested in you.
He extended a finger and pointed it at Yon Rogge's body in the air.
"A pure-blooded Kree elite warrior. A battle-hardened commander. Your gene pool records all the fighting instincts that the Kree have honed over thousands of years."
"You are a treasure, Mr. Yon Rogers."
"Buzz--"
A robotic arm suspended from the ceiling slowly descended.
The end is a metal needle thicker than a finger.
The needle was aimed at Yon Roger's sternum.
What are you trying to do?!
Yon Rogge's once-proud fighting spirit began to waver.
He could die in battle, but he absolutely could not die in a place like this; it would be an insult to him!
"Take it easy."
Horton's tone was like that of someone comforting a frightened little animal.
"We only need a small sample, bone marrow; we need the freshest hematopoietic stem cells."
"No!"
Yon Rogers let out a hysterical roar.
He struggled frantically, but the restraints on his body didn't budge; instead, they tightened even more.
The needle did not pause at all.
It slowly pierced his chest.
It penetrates the skin, the muscles, and then the hard sternum.
The ear-piercing sound of the drill bit rang out.
An indescribable pain spread to every nerve ending in my body!
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh--!"
Yon Rogge's screams echoed in the empty laboratory.
Dr. Horton, however, seemed to be enjoying a symphony.
He watched with great interest as the physiological data on the monitor soared.
"See that, Sinclair! Even in this level of pain, his heart rate and blood pressure are still within a manageable range! His body is actively regulating itself! Trying to fight the pain!"
"This is amazing! This is true warrior DNA!"
A few minutes later.
The robotic arm slowly rose.
The syringe was filled with a dark red, viscous liquid.
Yon Rogge gasped for breath like a fish out of water.
He felt as if a part of his soul had been ripped away.
"Alright, that concludes the appetizer."
Dr. Horton took the vial of bone marrow sample and shook it.
"Now, let's get down to business."
He walked back to Yon Rogers.
"We've been researching a very interesting topic."
" Carol Vers."
"An unexpected outcome."
Dr. Horton spoke to himself.
"A human body, accidentally fused with Kree energy core. Unstable, uncontrollable, and... filled with foolish emotions."
"A powerful weapon with a sentimental brain—that's a design flaw."
He paced back and forth like a professor pondering philosophical questions.
"But her power is essentially derived from Cosmic Energy."
"We've been thinking, what if... we could correct this mistake?"
Horton stopped, turned around, and revealed a smile that sent chills down Yon Rogge's spine.
"What if we used the genes of a real Kree warrior as a model?"
He pointed at Yon Rogge.
"Use your genes as a template for the container."
"Further, we can combine this with our Vought Compound V to enhance and catalyze gene production."
"Finally, inject a stable and controllable energy source..."
Dr. Horton's eyes grew brighter and his voice became more and more excited.
"We can create an army! A weakened but loyal legion!"
"They will have the physique of the Kree and can use energy blasts, but their brains will only have one command implanted—obey Vought!"
Yon Logue created and then betrayed " Vers ".
Now, this devilish scientist is telling him to use his genes to mass-produce the very thing he hates most—the creation that betrayed him!
His pride.
His dignity.
Everything he had as the Kree commander was shattered.
He was no longer a soldier.
He was no longer even a Kree.
He's just... material.
A bunch of talking biological materials used to produce replicas.
Hahaha... Hahahaha...
Yon Rogers suddenly laughed.
As I laughed, tears streamed down my face.
He's completely gone mad.
Dr. Horton frowned in disgust.
"It's noisy."
He turned to Sinclair.
"Cut off his vocal cords. We only need his genes, not his noise."
"Besides."
Dr. Horton glanced at the other Kree Starforce members who were also restrained and were already terrified.
"Process them too. We need more samples for comparative experiments to screen for the optimal gene combination."