Introduction
A tall man with a stony expression, cold, dark eyes, and even darker hair, sat in what looked to be a rather uncomfortable chair under an old-looking desk. His calloused fingers ran over his scraggly beard and he let out a sigh. The light hanging above him flickered for a moment, engulfing the small, dingy office in temporary darkness.
He shifted the heap of papers and manilla folders across his desk and grabbed a particularly stuffed file, setting it in front of him.
Project PP-12
He opened the folder and picked up the pages.
Previous attempts are as follows:
Project JD-1—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 36 days
Age: 19 years, 276 days
Project AB-2—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 22 days
Age: 26 years, 45 days
Project RP-3—fail
Cause of failure: death—malnourishment
Time with Hydra: 17 days
Age: 13 years, 91 days
Project ZK-4—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 27 days
Age: 17 years, 187 days
Project EY-5—fail
Cause of failure: death—head trauma
Time with Hydra: 11 days
Age: 6 years, 32 days
Project DL-6—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 40 days
Age: 11 years, 309 days
Project KH-7—fail
Cause of failure: death—suicide
Time with Hydra: 14 days
Age: 23 years, 73 days
Project NF-8—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 29 days
Age: 18 years, 50 days
Project TJ-9—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 31 days
Age: 5 years, 237 days
Project RL-9—fail
Cause of failure: death—bullet wound to chest
Time with Hydra: 4 days
Age: 15 years, 12 days
Project SP-10—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 27 days
Age: 8 years, 352 days
Project VC-11—fail
Cause of failure: death—serum injection
Time with Hydra: 38 days
Age: 17 years, 104 days
___
Emerson,
I fear that after all this time my money has been going into the trash. You’ve yet to have a subject survive.
I’ll give you one more try. One more failed subject and I will be pulling my funding from this cause.
I know you need this breakthrough, this weapon, in order to bring Hydra back to what it used to be, but as of now it seems as if that may never happen.
I bid you good luck.
-Boss
___
Boss,
Yes, the subjects thus far have not survived. However they have provided much important information toward this science. I pray you continue to trust us in this research.
We believe we are close to a breakthrough. Some of the head scientists believe that Richard Parker may have configured his research to his DNA in particular, which can explain why several subjects had such negative responses to the serum. As you know, Richard and his wife died so that we can get this research in the first place, so it seemed hopeless when we began to theorize this. We were pleased to find, however, that they had a son.
He is three. He would share DNA with Richard so, in theory, it should work.
Thank you for another chance—we will not disappoint.
-Emerson; Hydra Head Director
___
Project PP-12 (Update 1)
Alternate alias: Spider (12), Twelve
Age: 3 years, 49 days
Full name: Peter Benjamin Parker
Notes regarding time before Hydra: Peter was born August 10. When he was two, his parents, Mary and Richard Parker, were eliminated for their refusal to hand over Richard’s research on cross-species genetics. He was with his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker respectively, at the time, who then became his legal guardians. He was later, at age three, taken in order to complete Richard’s research. May and Ben were eliminated.
Notes regarding health: He has asthma, poor eyesight.
___
Project PP-12 (Update 6)
Alternate alias: Spider (12), Twelve
Age: 3 years, 82 days
Notes regarding health: asthma, poor eyesight, severe flu-like symptoms (in response to serum injection)
Training history:
-Obedience training, stage one—complete; subject no longer speaks out of turn, asks for and/or about various family members, or throws tantrums.
Test history:
-Serum injection—success
___
Project PP-12 (Update 7)
Alternate alias: Spider (12), Twelve
Age: 3 years, 89 days
Notes regarding health: asthma has disappeared, eyesight has improved spectacularly, severe flu-like symptoms have cleared.
Training history:
-Obedience training, stage one—complete; subject no longer speaks out of turn, asks for and/or about various family members, or throws tantrums.
Test history:
-Serum injection—success
__
Boss,
The injection was a success. It seems as if you won’t have to pull funding after all. This is a huge breakthrough.
We are currently testing the subject for what the serum did to his body. It’s looking good so far. I’ll update you with an extensive list as soon as possible.
-Emerson; Hydra Head Director
___
Project PP-12 (Update 608)
Alternate alias: Spider (12), Twelve
Age: 13 years, 304 days
Notes regarding health: subject lacks ability to thermoregulate
Training History:
-Obedience training, all stages—complete; subject no longer speaks out of turn, asks for and/or about various family members, or throws tantrums. Subject no longer makes eye contact, refers to superiors as ma’am, sir, Mrs. [last name], Mr. [last name], Doctor, Dr. [last name]. When talked to, answers are brief, such as yes, no. Subject remains silent, touches no one, avoids attention, submits to superiors, follows orders. See PP-12 Obedience Training for full reports.
-Endurance training, stages one-32—complete; subject can hold breath underwater for ten minutes, run for 36 hours, walk for 100 hours, stay awake for 264 hours, fight (no weapons on either side) for 36 hours. See PP-12 Endurance Training for full reports.
-Weapons training, stages one-46—complete; subject can throw knives with accuracy, shoot revolvers, rifles, shotguns, pistols with accuracy, use brass knuckles effectively, shoot bow and arrow with accuracy. See PP-12 Weapons Training for full reports.
-Fighting training, stages one-52—complete; subject can effectively take down an over-average height, weight, strength man with ease, subject can effectively take down ten average-size men at once with little effort. See PP-12 Fighting Training for full reports.
Test history:
-Serum injection—success; eliminated asthma and poor eyesight, provided mutant abilities and hindered thermoregulation. See PP-12 Serum Injection for full reports.
-Strength tests; can lift twenty-five tons at time of update. See PP-12 Strength Tests for full reports.
-Hearing tests; can hear heartbeats from a floor away at time of update. See PP-12 Hearing Tests for full reports.
-Sight tests; can read book with twelve-point font from twenty feet away at time of update. See PP-12 Sight Tests for full reports.
-Healing tests; With proper nourishment, cuts can heal in 30 minutes-24 hours depending on severity, broken bones can heal in 18-56 hours depending on severity, concussions can heal in 1-24 hours depending on severity, bruises can heal in 1-32 hours depending on severity. See PP-12 Healing Tests for full reports.
-Obedience tests; see Training History
-Endurance tests; see Training History
-Weapons tests; see Training History
-Fighting tests; see Training History
Abilities: enhanced five senses, enhanced strength, sticky hands and feet (controllable after some practice), danger-alerting sense, can shoot ‘webs’ from both wrists, quick healing
Mission History:
Mission one—success; (13 years, 302 days) Elimination of traitor (secret S.H.I.E.L.D. agent) Peri Lowe. Elimination method: gunshot to head.
Notes regarding subject: once the last few tests and training sessions are complete, he will be ready. Hydra will rise again.
Hail Hydra.
___
The man’s face remained unchanged as the door burst open. Another man—shorter and plumper, with white hair and a mousy face—entered the room.
“Sir,” he began, his voice high and wheezy. The dark-haired man acknowledged his presence by closing the folder, but remained otherwise silent and unmoving. “We’re being raided.” A flash of something other than apathy crossed the man’s face as he quickly turned to stare at the other.
“What?” he asked coldly. His expression—clouded with a mixture of fear and rage moments before—was already back to its regular hardness. The white-haired man gulped and sucked in a breath.
“The Avengers, sir. They’re here.”