Chapter 645

Kilgrave was already a rat in a trap.

All that remained was to turn up the heat.

Everyone at the scene wanted a piece of him. Luther especially had already made it very clear that his five-foot-long fist was getting impatient.

But in the end, Moira overruled everyone.

"76 goes first."

There was a simple reason.

They had promised Soldier: 76 a live combat test.

And when Blackwatch made a promise, they were expected to keep it.

Nobody argued further. Moira was the mission commander, after all, and everyone knew that when she personally participated in an experiment, or even supervised one herself, the test subject tended to have a... memorable experience.

It would be cruel to deprive Soldier: 76 of such a valuable opportunity.

Moira calmly produced a small camcorder.

She set it on a tripod, adjusted the angle, and aimed the lens at the center of the church.

"Experiment begins now."

Her tone was so serious that it sounded like she was announcing a scientific breakthrough.

"The test subject is M-type biochemically modified Soldier: 76. We would also like to sincerely thank Kilgrave, the individual volunteering his unique mind-control abilities for this experiment. The history of scientific progress will remember his contribution."

"Stop! I said stop!"

Kilgrave immediately began shouting.

He had no idea what the experiment actually involved, but everything about Moira’s introduction had made one thing painfully clear.

It wasn’t going to be pleasant.

Moira ignored him.

"Experiment One. Resistance to mental control."

Her expression remained perfectly neutral.

After all, Blackwatch worked for the Eredar Twins, under the direction of a Warlock.

Kilgrave’s comparatively weak ability wasn’t exactly terrifying.

Moira’s eyes, however, remained fixed on Soldier: 76.

He stepped forward.

Then nodded at her.

He was fine.

Only then did she relax.

"The results indicate that Soldier: 76’s mechanically modified auditory system is immune to voice-triggered mental control. Proceeding to the next test."

Kilgrave swallowed.

His eyes darted around the room.

His ability had failed.

Not merely against one person, but against everyone.

Sweat began forming on his forehead.

Then he remembered something.

Not everyone in the room had to be immune.

"Jessica!"

Kilgrave turned desperately toward her.

"Come here and protect me! I order you to come over here right now!"

Nothing happened.

Kilgrave froze.

Then he turned.

Jessica and Luke were both wearing enormous headphones.

They were swaying from side to side, bobbing their heads and occasionally twisting their bodies as though they were in the middle of a nightclub.

Jessica noticed Kilgrave staring.

She pointed at her headphones.

Then shrugged helplessly.

Can’t hear you.

Kilgrave’s face fell.

Jessica almost burst out laughing.

She turned away before he could see her smile and quietly sang along with the music in her headphones.

"Grandma’s mother, what’s her name..."

McCree immediately choked on her cigar.

She stared at Jessica and Luke with an expression of complete disbelief.

They can actually dance to this?

Apparently they didn’t need good music.

They brought their own enthusiasm.

Kilgrave watched in horror.

Then he looked toward Soldier: 76.

The soldier was steadily approaching.

Every step felt like another hammer blow to Kilgrave’s nerves.

He stumbled backward two steps, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small remote.

Then he began hammering the button.

His thumb moved with the speed of a man who’d spent far too much time alone.

"Hah! I’ll call for backup!"

The idea had finally occurred to him.

He’d paid for private security.

Expensive private security.

The kind that charged by the hour and advertised former special forces personnel as bodyguards.

The service wasn’t cheap.

But this was exactly the sort of situation he’d paid for.

His guards weren’t especially impressive. Jessica had already kidnapped him once and cost the company one of its men.

But they didn’t need to defeat these people.

All they had to do was rush into the church, create enough chaos for Kilgrave to escape, and get him out onto a crowded street.

Once they reached a populated area, everything would change.

In a crowd, Kilgrave was in control.

Or so he thought.

"Don’t bother signaling them, hillbilly."

Soldier: 76 continued walking toward him.

"I already took care of your boys while you were busy making an entrance."

Kilgrave’s expression went blank.

His security team wasn’t assigned as close personal protection, but they stayed nearby at all times in case their employer needed immediate assistance.

Their vehicle was parked across the street.

The moment Kilgrave entered the church, Soldier: 76 had activated his tactical visor.

Targets everywhere.

Found you.

He’d used tranquilizer rounds this time.

Nobody would die.

Exactly what happened afterward, however, was anyone’s guess. Nerve damage. Seizures. Other complications.

Medical science had never promised pleasant side effects.

Kilgrave’s final escape route vanished.

"Don’t kill me!"

He threw both hands up.

"I have powers! That’s right, I have powers! I can control people’s minds!"

He was nearly babbling now.

"Before I came here, I controlled a huge number of people! If I die, they’ll all kill themselves! I have hostages!"

"Governments do not negotiate with terrorists."

Moira suddenly replied in Russian.

Then she smiled coldly.

"Besides, you seem to have forgotten something. Your effective range isn’t even larger than this church."

Kilgrave’s face went pale.

"Once someone leaves that range, your control ends."

She stepped closer.

"But don’t worry."

Her smile became almost reassuring.

"As valuable experimental material, I can promise that you won’t die easily."

She nodded seriously.

"Even if you want to die, we won’t allow it."

Then she lifted one hand.

"Continue the experiment."

Soldier: 76 moved.

One instant he was several yards away.

The next, he was on Kilgrave.

One hand locked around Kilgrave’s right wrist.

The other seized the back of his neck.

He drove him straight to his knees.

Kilgrave squeezed his eyes shut.

That was it.

He was dead.

Except...

Nothing happened.

Aside from the pain in his knees from hitting the floor, he wasn’t injured.

He waited.

And waited.

Soldier: 76 didn’t move.

After several long seconds, Kilgrave finally cracked one eye open.

Soldier: 76 was still there.

Completely motionless.

Then, to Kilgrave’s astonishment, the soldier gave him a gentle push and released him.

Kilgrave slowly stood.

He stared at Soldier: 76.

What had happened?

Could his power have finally worked?

Maybe there had been some kind of delay.

Maybe his ability hadn’t failed at all.

Maybe it had simply taken time for the command to take effect.

Kilgrave’s spirits soared.

He felt like he’d just crawled back from the grave.

He was about to celebrate when Moira’s voice cut through the room.

"Experiment One complete."

Her tone was clinical.

"Result: Soldier: 76 possesses the ability to incapacitate a target without causing injury or pain."

Kilgrave froze.

Oh.

That was what this was.

The U.S. military had commissioned Soldier: 76 as an elite soldier, but they had also designed him as a heroic symbol.

He couldn’t be allowed to look like a ruthless executioner.

A public hero couldn’t solve every problem by shooting someone in the head.

He couldn’t smash half a neighborhood apart in the name of justice and then walk away from the wreckage.

The military understood something important.

A hero’s battlefield record mattered.

But a hero’s ability to inspire mattered more.

Captain America was the perfect example.

His accomplishments during the war had been extraordinary, but the U.S. government and military considered his greatest contribution to be his example.

His image had inspired countless Americans to enlist.

Later estimates suggested that Captain America’s presence had helped the military attract the equivalent of two additional army groups during World War II.

Even decades later, during the Vietnam era, when resistance to military service had become widespread, the Captain’s reputation still carried extraordinary weight.

So the government’s requirements for Soldier: 76 were simple.

When operating in front of civilians, he needed to possess the ability to restrain ordinary criminals without seriously hurting them.

How many enemies he could kill was secondary.

A lone hero killing a hundred gang members might win a battle.

A hero climbing a tree to rescue a little girl while looking like an oversized house cat?

That was the sort of thing people remembered.

That was the kind of hero America could love.

The government wanted the public to understand that the superhumans they had created were not distant gods.

They weren’t rigid enforcers.

They weren’t brutal instruments of repression.

They were guardians.

People should be able to look at them and feel safe.

They should believe, deep down, that these heroes existed to protect them.

Of course, what happened when the cameras weren’t around was another matter.

Kilgrave was now experiencing the difference firsthand.

A moment ago, he’d thought he’d escaped certain death.

Now his hopes had been kicked straight into the deepest pit imaginable.

"Next phase," Moira said. "We will increase the severity of the test."

Soldier: 76 seized Kilgrave’s right arm and twisted it behind his back.

Then he forced him face-first onto the floor.

Again, there was no actual physical damage.

But pain didn’t require broken bones.

Kilgrave screamed as his shoulder was forced into an unnatural position.

"Good," Moira said.

"Now injure him."

Crack.

Soldier: 76 dislocated Kilgrave’s arm.

"Excellent. Now cause irreversible damage."

Another sickening crunch echoed through the church.

Soldier: 76’s reinforced hand crushed Kilgrave’s wrist.

"Cause irreversible damage severe enough to impair his mobility."

"Now inflict serious injuries without killing him."

Moira’s commands continued.

The experiment escalated one level at a time.

At first, Kilgrave could still scream.

Then he could barely move.

Then most of the bones in his body were either dislocated, fractured, or crushed.

The only reason he was still alive was that Moira repeatedly intervened to stabilize him before allowing the testing to continue.

At last, Moira lowered her clipboard.

"Offensive testing complete."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"The results indicate that Soldier: 76 possesses excellent fine control over his physical strength and can increase the severity of his attacks in measured stages."

Moira walked over to Kilgrave.

He lay sprawled on the floor like a discarded rag.

She looked down at him.

Then smiled.

"You’re still alive?"

She sounded genuinely pleased.

"Wonderful."

Kilgrave’s eyes widened.

"We still have plenty of experiments left."

She glanced back toward Soldier: 76.

"Conventional testing is complete. The soldier can handle most ordinary situations."

Then her gaze returned to Kilgrave.

"But terrorism remains a serious problem."

Her voice became almost instructional.

"When dealing with terrorists, governments require specialized methods. That means specialized testing."

She crouched beside him.

"Suppose a terrorist takes a large number of hostages. The government cannot negotiate with him."

Her eyes narrowed.

"But the hostages still need to be saved."

"So what is the most practical solution?"

She gently lifted Kilgrave’s ruined hand.

"Capture one of the terrorists. Force him to reveal the hostages’ location and provide whatever additional intelligence we need."

Kilgrave’s eyes widened.

"Next, we’ll test Soldier: 76’s interrogation capabilities."

Moira took hold of the mangled hand that could barely be called a hand anymore.

Her expression was almost sincere.

"I hope you’ll hold on a little longer and help us complete this test."

Kilgrave tried to answer.

"Ghk..."

His jaw had been shattered earlier.

Now all he could produce was an unintelligible gurgle.

Moira nodded as though he’d given her a perfectly reasonable response.

"Don’t worry about your current condition."

She spoke calmly.

"I know that further damage could kill you."

A pause.

"But don’t worry."

"We’re doing that on purpose."

She smiled.

"We need to test the worst-case scenario."

"What happens when Soldier: 76 needs information from a terrorist who is already close to death?"

"And, more importantly, can he extract the information without allowing the subject to die first?"

Moira lowered herself until they were almost eye to eye.

"That’s the real test."

Then, as though a final thought had just occurred to her, she reached down and ran her fingers through Kilgrave’s hair.

It was soaked in blood and sweat.

"There’s something I’ve been wondering."

Her voice was soft.

"A man who uses mind control to turn other people into his puppets... a man who decides whether they live or die..."

Moira tilted her head.

"Did you ever imagine that one day, you might become a puppet yourself?"

...