After a week of allowing Erskine to continue his testing on Freya's physique, he told her that the serum was finally complete. And with the help of Howard Stark, they'd be able to go through with the experiment.
Walking with Erskine through the base, he informed Colonel Philips of his decision. Philips, and others, still weren't sure of Steve being the right man for the job.
"You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" Philips asked.
"I'm more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice" Erskine said.
"When you brought a 90-pound asthmatic and bulletproof wonder woman from outer space onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, what the hell" Philips said.
"My name is Freya. Not wonder woman" she corrected, not understanding sarcasm. Colonel Philips just looked at her and gave her a blank stare.
"Right. But I never thought you'd pick him" he said as they walked over to the men who were in the middle of training with Agent Carter.
"You stick a needle in that kid's arm, it's gonna go right through him," Philips said, watching Steve struggle to do jumping jacks. "Look at that. He's making me cry."
"If I may-"
"Oh of course" Philips sighed.
"It is not just physical strength that makes a good soldier. I have led many an army into battle and I've found that it is one's emotional intelligence that helps them win" Freya said.
Philips looked at her like she was crazy before looking back at Erskine. "Do you know how long it took to set up this project? All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator what's his name's committees?"
"Brandt. Yes, I know. I am well aware of your efforts" Erskine said.
"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast. He obeys orders. He's a soldier" Philips said.
"He's a bully," Eskrine said.
"You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor" Philips said, grabbing something from the back of the truck. "You win wars with guts."
"Grenade!" he shouted, throwing the object unfamiliar to Freya into the group of men.
Immediately they began to scatter and Freya assumed the device was meant to blow up but it never did. Nevertheless, while everyone else ducked for cover, Steve ran towards it, covering it with his body.
"Get away!" he shouted. "Get back!"
He winced, waiting anxiously for the explosion that never came. Sitting up, he realized it was another test.
"It was a dummy grenade" another officer shouted. "All clear. Back in formation."
Erskine smiled, proud of his choice for the experiment while Freya knew Steve would do the right thing all along.
"Is this a test?" Steve panted.
"He's still skinny" Philips grumbled.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎
That night, Freya headed to see Steve before the day of his big experiment. When she made it to the sleeping quarters he was staying in, she stopped, hearing him talking with Eskrine.
"Why me?" Steve asked.
"I suppose that is the only question that matters. So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. You know, after the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small" Erskine said.
Listening to his words, Freya couldn't help but feel a deep sense of guilt. This was her job. Protect the nine realms. Not just from outside threats but also, sometimes, themselves.
After her tremendous failure during the last battle Odin sent her on, she pushed war and battle behind her. What she failed to realize was that there were still people all over the nine realms that still needed her help.
"And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags. And he hears of me. My work. And he finds me. And he says, you. He says you will make us strong. Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division" Eskrine continued.
"A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle. And he is ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man."
"The tesseract," Steve said. "That's what Freya was talking about."
"Yes. I think so too" Erskine said.
Johann Schmidt. Freya knew that had to be the person Odin told her about. He had the tesseract. And it was only a matter of time before he unleashed hell on this realm.
"So, when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become the superior man" Erskine said.
"Did it make him stronger?" Steve asked.
"Yes. But there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside so good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion."
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎
"Are you nervous?" Freya asked, walking up to Steve as he prepared to be escorted to Erskine's lab.
"Uh, a little. But I'm hoping that's normal" he said.
"I am sure it is. But you are very brave, doing all this. Fighting for your country" she said.
"Thanks. I...I wanted to apologize" he said.
"What for?" Freya asked.
"Not believing you, I guess," he said.
"It's alright. I suppose there are things about this realm that I too find strange" she told him.
"It's still a bit shocking. I mean Goddess of Love and War. Well, the love part makes sense since you are a very beautiful dame" he said, eyes widening as he realized what he said.
"I mean, no, not um...a woman. I mean. Or goddess, I guess but um still technically a woman-"
"It's alright" Freya laughed, finding his stuttering endearing. "You don't talk to many women do you?"
"It feels like you're the only one I've ever really had a conversation with," he said.
"Oh, that's not true. I'm sure there are plenty just waiting for a chance to talk to you" she told him.
"Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on" he sighed.
"Well, I must admit, I'm a horrid dancer myself so I might step on your feet for a whole different reason. But I'd be honored to share a dance with you" she told him.
"Oh come on. You must have guys, well probably other gods, waiting in line to dance with you" he said.
Freya let out a small laugh but shook her head. "The line is much shorter than you might think. Besides, I've been much too busy helping others find love to focus on myself. But I'm sure you've danced."
"Well, asking a woman to dance always seemed so terrifying. And the last few years, it didn't seem to matter that much. I figured I'd wait" he said.
"For what?" she asked.
"The right partner."
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎
In the basement of an antique store was Erskine's lab. It was crawling with people, either assisting in the experiment or simply there to observe what was sure to be history.
When Steve walked in, the room went silent. Everyone looked at him like he was a spectacle, before getting back to their preparations.
"Good morning," he said, walking over to Eskrine with Freya following behind him.
A flash went off as someone took Steve's photograph, and Eskrine shooed them away.
"Please, not now," he said before looking back at Steve. "Are you ready?"
Steve looked at the chamber they'd be using and nodded as it dawned on him what he was about to do.
"Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat" Erskine said. Steve nodded, handing his clothes to a nurse that was standing nearby.
Climbing into the chamber, Steve took a deep breath as he lied down and looked up at the senior officers and senator members, all present in the observation room.
"Comfortable?" Erskine asked.
"It's a little big" Steve joked. "You save me any of that schnapps?"
"Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time" Erskine said, before looking over at Howard Stark who had walked over. "Mr.Stark? How are your levels?"
"Levels at 100%," Stark said. "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn but we are as ready as we'll ever be."
"Freya, don't you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?" Erskine asked, gesturing up to the observation tower.
"No. Not really" Freya said simply.
"Of course, not" Erskine sighed. "Well then, why don't you wait over there with Mr.Stark?"
Freya nodded but walked up to Steve. "Good luck. I'm sure you'll be great" she smiled.
"Thanks," he smiled and watched as Freya made her way over to the control panel with Howard.
Looking up at her, Howard smiled and held out his hand. "Hello. Howard Stark. I don't believe we met before" he said.
"Hi. Freya. Goddess of Love and War" she said, shaking his hand.
"Yes you are," he said, mesmerized. Freya furrowed her eyebrow and awkwardly smiled before turning back to Steve and Dr.Eskrine.
Microphone in his hand, Eskrine tapped on it to make sure it was working and the people in the observation booth could hear him.
"Do you hear me? Is this on?" he mumbled and as the men up top turned to look down at the lab he figured they could.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace," he said and Freya watched as lab assistants placed giant metal straps over Steve's chest.
"We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change" he said as they placed dozens of vials with blue liquid into holders connected to Steve's arms.
"And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays," Erskine said, putting down the microphone and checking up on Steve.
Freya nervously picked at her nails as she watched him and the nurses work. Since she was part Vanir, she had the ability to see into the future. Only the future consisted of many different possibilities and it was nearly impossible to determine which outcome would truly happen.
Not to mention it was a power she had yet to fully focus on and develop. Only now, she really wished she had. She wanted to know for certain if Steve would be alright. Because now, all she had was faith.
"Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one" Erskin counted down as Steve grunted in pain as multiple needles sank into his veins. "Now, Mr.Stark."
Freya turned to Howard as he flipped a red switch that caused the chamber Steve was lying in to flip up, keeping him upright and doors closed, sealing him in.
"Steven? Can you hear me?" Erskine asked, tapping on the glass panel of the chamber.
"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" Steve asked and Freya let out a nervous laugh.
"We will proceed," Erskin said and Howard began turning a dial to get the Vita-Ray machine going.
A low whirring noise filled the air as the machine roared to life.
"That's 10%" Howard called out and the chamber Steve was in began to glow with a bright white light.
"Twenty percent."
"Thirty."
"That's 40%," Howard said as the light got so bright even Freya had to cover her eyes.
"Vital signs are normal" an assistant called out.
"That's 50%," Howard said as he continued turning the dial.
"Sixty."
"Seventy." It was that Steve began screaming from inside the chamber.
"Steven!" Erskine shouted, running up to the glass.
"Shut it down!" Freya said looking at Howard but he didn't move. With her hand on her sword, ready to use force she yelled again. "Shut it down, now!"
"Kill the reactor, Mr.Stark!" Erskine shouted. "Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!"
But Steve shouted out before Howard could power the machine down.
"No! Don't! I can do this!"
With a nod, Howard continued turning the dial.
"Eighty."
"Ninety."
"That's 100%!"
The sound of electricity humming loudly echoed through the room. The lights began shattering and anything connected to electricity began sparking before the chamber Steve was in powered down completely.
Freya watched in anticipation as the Stark flicked the switch on the chamber and the doors slowly began to open.
Everyone watched as the man who stepped out was a much different one than the one who went in.
"I did it" Steve breathed out.
"Yes, I believe we did," Erskine said as he and Howard helped him out.
"I can't believe you actually did it," Howard said.
Freya walked up to Steve, having to look up at him now instead of down. "Wow. Um, how do you feel?" she asked.
Steve looked around the room, still out of breath before he answered her. "Taller."
"Yes, I bet" she laughed as a nurse handed him a shirt.
The entire room was in celebration of what Erskine accomplished. But before they could celebrate further, glass from the observation room shattered, raining down on them.
An explosion had gone off and everyone covered their heads to avoid being hit.
"Stop him!" Erskine shouted, seeing a man grabbing one of the serum vials. Two gunshots rang out and Freya turned to see Erskine fall to the floor.
Through the smoke of the room, Freya looked around to see the man, running up the stairs that led out of the lab. Pulling out her sword, she allowed its magic to run through her, quickly replacing the clothes she had been wearing before with her battle armor.
With a quick jump, she pushed herself up to the second floor, chasing after the man who had just killed Dr.Eskrine.
fyi in case you don't remember bc thor came out in 2011 but vanir are a group of people who live on vanaheim, one of the nine realms, and have magic/can see the future (at least in the comics they can)
anyway more about freya's parents will be revealed as the story goes on