Chapter 4
(karaii's original image post and notes)
The boy made sure everyone knew his name and called him Eugene, but Alexander knew that behind his back the others called him “Pierce’s Hound.” Alexander found it … gratifying.
And the boy was indeed Alexander’s loyal hound.
With the boy calming and guiding the Winter Soldier, Alexander made the previously defunct program the most successful HYDRA initiative of the last 50 years. It helped that Alexander always picked the right targets, knew the right people to push.
After Zola, with some encouragement from Alexander, decided to upload himself into a computer and could be easily turned off, Alexander came home to find a fiercely joyful Eugene. By then he was taller, his bones less fragile. He let Eugene hug him and they shared a glass of milk. Then he talked to Eugene about spine modifications. “Now that you’ve gone through your growth spurt, we need to fix that scoliosis. It’ll be more pain, but then we’d be unstoppable.” The boy nodded eagerly, and Alexander smiled and tousled the boy’s hair. [karaii’s img here]
And they *were* unstoppable. A few more key ‘accidents’ amongst the HYDRA leadership, Alexander found himself the Director of HYDRA. His hound had surgical scars down his back that refused to heal properly, but he still stood proudly outside the conference room whenever Alexander held a HYDRA meeting.
A few years later came the flubbed Reagan assassination.
That night, after all the hubbub, where Alexander had to look distressed for the wrong reason and comfort far too many Senators, he came home to find the boy waiting for him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pierce.” The boy threw himself by Alexander’s feet, but Alexander just ignored him and poured himself a glass of milk. The boy blubbered from the middle of the entryway, “I don’t know what happened. He… he was fine one second, but then … it must have been something I said….” The boy was near tears. It made Alexander feel better. He sat down in the darkened living room and drank his milk.
The boy crawled over to where Alexander was sitting. At 23, the boy at his full height was now taller than Alexander and finely muscled — the serum was finally taking visible effect — but on his knees, he still reminded Alexander of the frail 9-year-old boy who hugged him and apologized. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen, ever again.”
"Eugene, it wasn’t your fault." Alexander sighed, then waited for the rebuttal.
"Yes it was. I said something. Or something in my voice, the way I said it…" The boy paused, thoughtful. "I should learn more about the original handler. Then I’d know what not to say."
"It’s no use." Alexander dismissed the notion — no sense letting the boy learn about the real Steve Rogers. There must be another way. "The Winter Soldier has always been unstable. We’ll never know what it is about your voice triggered him." Alexander reached over and tousled the boy’s hair and smiled. "It’s okay, I know you tried your best."
"No, I can do better." The boy looked determined. "Let’s remove my vocal cords. That way I won’t accidentally trigger him any more."
Alexander was surprised — he didn’t think the boy would just offer it up so easily. “But that would be painful… and permanent…” He demurred, trying to think through all the possible utility his hound might lose if he is silenced. Would there be missions he wouldn’t be able to perform?
The boy reached out and grabbed Alexander’s hand. “It’s okay, Alexander.” He smiled. “You’ve defended me for so long, let me do what I can. Order through pain, remember?”
Alexander smiled and pet his hound. “Thank you, Eugene.” Without his voice, the boy would be even more bound to him. Besides, he’d always wanted to learn sign language.
