Marvel: Omnitrix In The Multiverse

"I’m bored. It’s been four days since we started monitoring those Hydra guys, but other than confirming that the one in training is also Hydra and keeps trying to make things difficult for Steve, we haven’t made any real progress. We haven’t even seen a shadow of Mercer," Emma said as she lay on a hill far from the camp, lazily watching the clouds drift across the sky.

"They’ll show themselves sooner or later. Don’t lose patience. And about Mercer... you didn’t lie to me, right? You didn’t actually hurt him badly?" Morgan asked, sounding a little doubtful since they hadn’t seen Mercer for four straight days. Today was the fifth.

"No, I didn’t do anything. That guy’s probably hiding somewhere, planning something evil and just using it as an excuse," Emma said, her face looking completely innocent.

Just as both of them assumed today would be no different from the previous four, a message from Friday suddenly appeared, drawing their attention to the live feed from the camp.

"Mercer has been spotted inside the camp."

"That guy finally decided to show up," Emma said as she looked at the footage.

"Friday, don’t get too close to him. Keep the nano-insects at a distance and make them act naturally. We can’t let him notice them," Morgan cautioned.

At the camp’s training grounds, where Steve and his squad were training, Dr. Erskine and Colonel Phillips were talking. As Mercer approached, he overheard Phillips arguing that he still wasn’t satisfied with Erskine’s choice and wanted another recruit with a much stronger build. Seeing Mercer arrive, both of them stopped and looked at him.

"Hello, Dr. Erskine. Colonel Phillips. Nice to meet you."

"So it’s you, Dr. Nathan Mercer. I thought you’d dropped dead somewhere. As Dr. Erskine’s assistant, I haven’t seen you around for four days. I guess this project isn’t that important to you after all?" the colonel said sarcastically.

"My apologies. I wasn’t feeling well after an accident, so I couldn’t assist the doctor. Besides..." Mercer smiled apologetically. "Dr. Erskine is more than capable of handling the project himself. There wasn’t much I could do to help, so I thought it would be better not to get in the way."

As if that stubborn old goat would ever let me get anywhere near the real formula. Since he insists on doing everything himself, I might as well spend my time on something more worthwhile, Mercer thought inwardly, keeping the same polite smile on his face.

The colonel didn’t care either way. He’d heard plenty of excuses in his time.

"I noticed you’re still having trouble deciding on the Super Soldier candidate. What about the man I recommended, Johnny? I still think he’s the perfect choice," Mercer said, gesturing toward the recruit training behind Steve.

"I still think Hodge, the one I recommended, is a better fit. Better training, better build," Colonel Phillips said dismissively.

"I’m not looking at physical strength alone. Your candidate lacks something far more important," Dr. Erskine replied calmly.

Watching both of them brush off his suggestion without even considering it made Mercer curse them silently in his mind. Outwardly, however, he simply nodded in agreement with Erskine.

"You still believe Rogers is the right choice?" Mercer asked.

"I do," Dr. Erskine answered without hesitation.

Colonel Phillips let out a frustrated sigh.

"Do you have any idea how long it took to get this project approved? How much groveling I had to do in front of that Senate committee?"

"Rogers is a good man. I know him. He’s perfect for this," Dr. Erskine replied.

"Good men don’t win wars by themselves, Doctor," Phillips said. "Wars are won by soldiers who can survive them."

Dr. Erskine simply smiled.

"Then perhaps it’s time I show you what I’m looking for."

Without another word, Colonel Phillips pulled a grenade from his belt, yanked out the pin, and threw it toward the training squad.

"GRENADE!"

At the shout, every trainee scattered in panic, including Johnny and Hodge, the two candidates recommended by Mercer and Colonel Phillips, who ran faster than anyone else. Only Peggy and Steve stepped forward.

"Get away!"

"Get back!" Steve shouted as he threw himself over the grenade, using his own body to shield everyone else.

Everyone hiding nearby stared at Steve. A few tense seconds passed...

DUMMY GRENADE. ALL RETURN TO POSITION.

Steve slowly looked up before getting to his feet, still confused.

"Was that... a test?" he asked.

Peggy looked at Steve for a long moment. For the first time, she realized the skinny young man standing before her was different from everyone else.

Dr. Erskine turned toward Mercer and Colonel Phillips with a satisfied smile.

To Mercer, that smile felt like a hard slap across the face.

If that grenade had been real... Steve would’ve thrown his life away trying to protect everyone. What an amusing sight that would’ve been, Mercer thought to himself with a cruel smile.

His gaze slowly shifted toward Johnny.

The man was awkwardly crawling out from behind a pile of crates, covered in dirt as he tried to act as though nothing had happened.

Idiot.

The anger in Mercer’s chest only grew stronger.

Johnny happened to glance toward him.

The moment their eyes met, Johnny froze.

Mercer didn’t say a word, but the cold look in his eyes sent a chill down Johnny’s spine. For a brief moment, he felt as though Mercer wanted to devour him alive.

Confused, Johnny quickly looked away, unable to understand why Dr. Mercer was looking at him with such anger.

"He’s still skinny," Colonel Phillips muttered before walking away with Dr. Erskine.

Mercer remained where he was, silently watching Steve. The anger in his heart refused to fade. If anything, Erskine’s smile only made it burn even hotter.

A few minutes later, after Steve had sat down to rest from training, Mercer put on a warm smile and walked over before taking a seat beside him.

Seeing someone who didn’t quite look like a soldier, Steve glanced over at him curiously.

"Mind if I sit here?" Mercer asked with a friendly smile.

"Not at all," Steve replied.

"Nice to meet you, Steve. I don’t think we’ve spoken before. My name is Dr. Nathan Mercer. I’m Dr. Erskine’s assistant."

Steve nodded politely.

"Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you too, Doctor."

Mercer chuckled softly.

"Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you. You probably don’t remember me, but I was at the Stark Expo when Dr. Erskine chose you as his candidate."

"Really?" Steve asked, a little surprised.

Mercer nodded.

"I remember thinking... this skinny kid? I couldn’t understand why the doctor picked you over everyone else." He laughed lightly before adding, " After seeing what happened just now... I think I’m starting to understand."

Steve smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

Mercer spent the next few minutes chatting casually with him, asking how training was going and whether he was settling into camp, sounding more like a concerned older brother than a scientist.

"You know, Steve," Mercer said, "you’re a genuinely good man. I can understand why Dr. Erskine chose you..."

He suddenly stopped, his smile fading slightly as a conflicted look appeared on his face.

Steve noticed the hesitation.

"Something wrong, Doctor?"

Mercer remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"It’s nothing. I probably shouldn’t say it."

"It’s alright," Steve said with a reassuring smile. "I don’t mind. Go ahead."

Mercer let out a quiet sigh.

"Steve... you’ve been chosen for the Super Soldier Project. It’s one of the military’s most important projects right now. Dr. Erskine chose you despite everyone else’s objections because he truly believes in you."

He looked at Steve with what seemed like genuine concern.

"That also means the weight of this project is resting on your shoulders. If something goes wrong... it won’t just affect you. It’ll affect Dr. Erskine, the military, and everyone who fought to make this project happen."

Mercer paused before continuing in a softer voice.

"And given your health..." His eyes drifted over Steve’s thin frame. "I honestly can’t imagine the pain your body may have to endure. Just thinking about it worries me."

Mercer fell silent, quietly watching Steve’s reaction.

Steve lowered his head, deep in thought.

A faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of Mercer’s lips.

A/N: The Patreon version is already updated with 20 advanced Chapters. If you’d like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:

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