Senator Brandt's political career had been ended by Steve Rogers himself in Philadelphia Independence Square.
The news flew to every corner of Washington as if it had wings.
In the Strategic Scientific Reserve's temporary headquarters.
Colonel Davis had his feet propped up on his desk and an expensive Cuban cigar clenched between his teeth.
The schadenfreude on his face was undisguised.
"I heard that old bastard moved out overnight. Not one of his old neighbors on Capitol Hill came out to see him off."
"His mistress made off with his entire art collection, and now she's living it up on a beach in Miami! Hahaha!"
"Well done! That was more fucking satisfying than shooting down a Messerschmitt at the front!"
The officers roared with laughter, and the conference room was filled with merriment.
Lynn quietly stirred the coffee in his cup with a small spoon.
One Brandt fell, and hundreds, thousands more would rise.
As long as the "Captain America" cash cow remained.
The covetousness would never disappear.
Sure enough.
A communications officer walked in with a grave expression and handed a newly received dispatch to the highest-ranking general present.
The smile on the general's face turned to anger.
He passed the dispatch around the table, and the previously cheerful atmosphere grew extremely heavy in an instant.
"Congress passed Brandt's proposal."
The general's voice was dry and hoarse.
"A 'Congressional Special Committee for the Super Soldier Program' will be established to oversee all matters concerning the Captain America Project."
"What?!"
Colonel Davis kicked his chair aside, flying into a rage.
"Brandt's gone, and they still want to swoop in and reap the rewards?"
"It's a compromise, Colonel."
Another general sighed.
"They don't dare touch the captain again, so they've turned their sights on us. Plainly put, they want to reach into our pockets and strip us of our leading role in the project while they're at it."
Everyone's gaze instinctively turned to Lynn.
This young man was the soul of the Captain America Project, and the one who had planted the cash cow.
Now, a pack of even greedier, hungrier wolves was coming to seize the fruit.
Lynn put down his coffee cup.
"This is a good thing."
The moment he spoke, the entire conference room fell silent.
"A good thing?"
Colonel Davis thought he had misheard.
"A bloated committee, riddled with internal factions, where everyone wants a piece of the pie..."
Lynn looked around at everyone.
"Is much easier to deal with than a dictator with connections everywhere who knows how to manipulate the rules."
"A lone wolf is dangerous, but a pack of hyenas tearing at each other... will be more focused on the carrion right in front of them."
The Congressional Special Committee's first meeting was held in a heavily guarded conference room on Capitol Hill.
The conference table was filled with powerful figures from various departments.
The Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Treasury, and several veteran members of Congress whose slightest move could send tremors through Capitol Hill.
Lynn was the last to enter.
He wore a well-tailored suit.
He looked like some congressman's young assistant, completely out of place among these creatures of power, whose average age was over fifty.
The meeting began as soon as he sat down.
Or rather, the divvying up of the spoils began.
"The captain's image needs to be tougher! The Marine Corps needs a new recruitment poster, and it would be more fitting to replace the shield in his hand with our M1 Garand rifle!"
A general from the Department of the Navy was the first to speak.
"Absurd! The captain is the pride of the Army, a symbol of the infantry spirit! He's not your Navy's mascot!"
The Army representative refused to yield, pounding the table and roaring.
"His next tour must be scheduled at West Point, to set an example for our future officers!"
"Gentlemen, please focus on what matters."
The Department of the Treasury official tapped the table, his expression serious.
"War bond sales are what matter most! I propose that the captain film an exclusive endorsement ad for our newly issued 'Victory Bonds.' All commercial revenue should be centrally managed by the Department of the Treasury!"
"My nephew has a film company in Hollywood. He can turn the captain's story into the greatest film ever made!"
The conference room turned into a marketplace.
Every one of them was like a starving beast, eyes gleaming as they tore at the prize piece of meat called "Captain America."
Lynn remained silent throughout.
He saw everyone's greed clearly and made a note of what each of them wanted.
Only when the arguing had subsided and everyone was red-faced from failing to reach an agreement did Lynn cough softly.
"Gentlemen."
"Every one of your proposals is full of patriotic enthusiasm and highly valuable."
He began by affirming everyone.
"But we've all forgotten one thing."
"Captain America is first and foremost a person, a hero. His glory should not be tainted by the stench of money, much less become the focus of our disputes. Otherwise, how are we any different from the Brandt we drove out?"
Those words left several of the congressmen present looking uncomfortable.
"To eliminate corruption completely, protect the purity of our hero, and ensure that every cent is used openly and transparently for the war..."
Lynn stood and presented his "perfect" plan.
"I propose establishing an independent, nonprofit Captain America Patriot Foundation."
"All commissions from the captain's war bond sales, commercial endorsement fees, and all related income will go into this foundation. Our committee will oversee it jointly."
"The foundation's sole purpose will be to serve the war effort and the nation."
The committee members looked at one another, every one of them struck dumb.
The proposal was too "clean."
So clean that they could find no grounds to object.
Anyone who dared object would be treating a hero like a commodity.
Anyone who wanted to line their own pockets would be the next Brandt!
"This proposal... is very good."
A senior congressman was the first to speak, looking at Lynn with a little more approval.
"Openness and transparency-that is precisely why we established this committee."
"Then, as for the foundation's specific charter and operating rules..."
"Since I proposed it, please leave this tedious paperwork to me."
Lynn answered humbly.
"I'll draw up a draft as soon as possible for your review."
The committee members were relieved.
As they saw it, it was merely a thankless piece of paperwork.
They had secured the most glamorous title, "oversight."
And handed the trouble to this young man while they were at it.
They had no idea that they had just handed the keys to the vault to the fox guarding it.
Late at night.
The lights in Lynn's office were blazing.
He personally drafted the foundation charter that would determine the future, word by word, sentence by sentence.
Foundation charter, article seven, paragraph three:
To ensure the efficiency of day-to-day operations, the foundation's executive director shall have the authority to independently approve "publicity and event expenses" under fifty thousand dollars, without reporting them to the committee.
Supplementary provisions, page eleven, definition of "publicity and event expenses": including but not limited to media relations, market research, procurement of materials, logistical support, consulting services...
He expanded the definition of "expenses" without limit, covering almost every possible expenditure.
And the executive director with that "independent approval authority"...
Under another inconspicuous provision of the charter, would be nominated by the "original planner of the Super Soldier Program."
In other words, himself.
The committee members would have the "power" to oversee the flow of millions of dollars, yet would be unable to see how the funds, split into sums of forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars, flowed into the ocean he had designated.
Using everyone else's money to carry out his own business.