Inside the sterile white lab on the third underground floor of Vanderbuilt Technologies, the air hummed with the sound of machines working at frightening precision. Every unit inside the room was a Modia medical model, designed with flawless accuracy that no human surgeon could ever match. Four of them surrounded the Winter Soldier's unconscious body, their metal hands moving with perfect coordination. The artificial intelligence chip, embedded into surgical instruments moments ago, was now being carefully implanted into his brain.
This time, the chip entered without damage — the first major victory.
But the real challenge was not insertion.
The real danger came next.
When the chip activated, it would release an internal surge of electricity. For a Modia Unit, electrical flow meant little. But for a human brain, even an enhanced one like the Winter Soldier's, the electric shock could burn through neural tissue instantly. Many past test subjects had died at this exact moment.
Levi stood behind the reinforced glass window, hands folded, watching the operation with cold anticipation. "Begin."
The Modia Units obeyed. One of them pressed the activation sequence.
A bright blue spark erupted from the center of the implanted chip and spread outward.
Zzzziii—!!
The Winter Soldier's entire body jolted violently. His muscles spasmed, his back arched, his teeth clenched so tightly it seemed they might crack. His face twisted in raw agony as the electric surge flooded his nervous system. His eyes rolled underneath his eyelids, and a strangled cry escaped his throat even though he remained bound by restraints.
Just as his body risked tearing itself apart, one of the Modia Units swiftly injected a massive dose of special anesthesia — enough to put down an elephant. The Winter Soldier's breathing slowed. His body relaxed.
The chip rebooted… then stabilized.
For the first time, a human brain successfully synchronized with an artificial intelligence chip.
The Modia Units quickly sutured the incision on his skull and closed the wound. The operation was complete.
Levi exhaled slowly, a rare, genuine smile forming on his face. "Excellent. Now let's see how well the chip connects."
He tapped the small device behind his ear — the Vanderbuilt Connector, a modified and restricted version of the legendary Ziya connector. The original prototype had been capable of boosting brain processing to 1000%, but Levi intentionally never released that version to the public. It would overshadow the Modia Unit market and disrupt his long-term business plans. So he locked the full design away and only released a downgraded smart-glasses version to the world.
But his personal connector?
It remained complete.
And lethal.
A soft beep filled the room.
[Vanderbuilt Connector Activated.]
[Artificial Intelligence Chip Connecting…]
[Connection Successful.]
In front of Levi, a blue holographic panel materialized, showing the Winter Soldier's vitals—his heartbeat, pulse, oxygen levels, and even his neural activity. Everything was crystal clear.
Levi chuckled. "As expected of HYDRA's masterpiece. His durability exceeds even my assumptions."
But the true test was next.
Levi pressed a command on the connector.
[Transmitting Override Program.]
Suddenly, the Winter Soldier's eyes snapped open. His posture changed instantly—rigid, obedient, mechanical. He stepped down from the table, approached Levi, and bowed deeply.
"Everything follows the will of the President."
Levi's smile widened. The Winter Soldier was now under his complete mental control.
But replacing his personality permanently wasn't the plan. Levi didn't want a puppet soldier wandering around Vanderbuilt Technologies. He wanted a puppet commander inside HYDRA.
Once the Winter Soldier returned to HYDRA headquarters, he would infiltrate, rise in the ranks, and eventually take leadership. And when he did, Levi would gain remote control whenever he wished.
Which meant HYDRA itself would unknowingly become Levi's secret weapon.
But a direct release was too obvious. HYDRA wouldn't trust a soldier simply returning after being captured. Everything needed to appear as if he had escaped from a hostile research facility.
So Levi prepared a stage.
A fake base.
A fake organization.
A fake enemy.
A fake conspiracy.
And the Winter Soldier would walk right into the story Levi wrote for him.
Levi snapped his fingers. "Prepare the stage."
Yaz smirked. "You're truly evil, boss."
Within the hour, the Winter Soldier—unconscious and chip-synchronized—was transported to one of Levi's secret, unused facilities. The entire structure was reconstructed through advanced hard-light holograms, creating the illusion of a massive underground lab.
And inside this illusion… Levi created a name:
Faust Organization.
A fictional group specializing in human transformation experiments.
A supposed subordinate of a larger, more mysterious force: Consortium X.
Both names were taken from Rider worlds. Levi wasn't just planning a trap—he was building a mythology.
Soon after being placed inside a tube filled with green nutrient liquid, the chip loosened its control. The Winter Soldier regained fragments of consciousness.
His mind swirled with dreams—images of battles, Captain America, cold Siberian corridors, HYDRA training, and finally the Assault Wolf Rider smashing a blow into his chest. He woke gasping, heart racing.
He looked down and found himself naked, submerged in green fluid, tubes attached to his body, his vibranium arm missing.
"Where the hell am I?"
With a sudden burst of strength, he shattered the glass chamber and spilled onto the cold floor. Before he could orient himself, several Modia Guard Units stormed in and opened fire.
He dodged, rolled, grabbed a fallen rifle, and in seconds dismantled all of them in a blur of ruthless efficiency. Sparks flew. Metal shattered. The floor became a graveyard of machines.
But then he heard shouting behind the door.
"Subject escaped!"
"Capture immediately!"
He ducked into a nearby room just as more footsteps approached. Inside the dark chamber, a glowing screen displayed an X symbol.
He hacked it instantly.
Files opened one after another.
"Faust Organization… human transformation projects?"
"Consortium X… global supervision operations?"
"Vanderbuilt Technologies is a subordinate force?"
"President Levi is their chosen agent?"
The Winter Soldier memorized everything.
He found a USB drive, copied all files, found the base layout, located the weakest defense point, and prepared to escape.
What he didn't know was—
Levi watched him on a monitor the entire time, swirling a glass of wine, smiling like a puppeteer admiring his marionette.
Every room.
Every hallway.
Every "enemy."
Every data file.
Every symbol.
All of it was fabricated.
A projection.
A story.
A lie.
And the Winter Soldier believed every bit of it.
"Now go, little soldier," Levi whispered.
"Go back to HYDRA. Tell them the tale I have written."
In the shadows, Levi's eyes gleamed like a true mastermind—cold, calculating, unstoppable.
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