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Chapter 140: The Twelve Zodiacs
🕑 Added 2025-01-06 14:09:47 +0000 UTC"It's good that you have no objections, since the Rebirth Project is very important to us." Seeing Josh's reaction, Thomas and the other council members looked at him in agreement.
For them, the biggest obstacle to targeting Bucky wasn't the Strategic Scientific Corps or any other law enforcement agency, but Josh, their own Council member. After all, everyone who knew Bucky's story knew that Josh had saved him. If Josh didn't interfere, the matter would be straightforward.
"The second issue is Howard Stark. There's no denying that he's a genius. Many of his inventions have the potential to change the world. Unfortunately, he's not one of us. Based on our intelligence, some of his research, if released, could disrupt our entire industry. We have to take precautions," Thomas continued, having moved on from the Bucky discussion.
"Hmph! Just get rid of him. What's the point of making plans?" Hugh Jones snorted coldly. "It's not like we haven't done this before."
All eyes turned to Hugh Jones. Why was that? Because up until now, Hugh Jones had been known to have a good relationship with Howard. When Howard discovered the Vibranium, the Council had already tried to attack him in order to seize the Vibranium. However, after the first failure, the plan was dropped—largely due to Hugh Jones speaking up for Howard in the Council.
The Roxxon Corporation had even played a role in Howard's rapid rise. But now, hearing Hugh Jones talk about killing Howard left the others confused.
Only Josh's look at Hugh Jones showed a hint of realization. Could it be that Hugh Jones had discovered his wife's betrayal? As a vampire, he would likely be sensitive to the scent on his wife, making it possible that he had noticed the presence of another man.
"Howard isn't as easy to deal with as he used to be. Trying to kill him might be too much of a challenge, but we can consider limiting him in other ways." Seeing that Hugh Jones remained silent, Thomas nodded. The quick resolution of two major issues involving high-ranking Council members surprised him.
However, Thomas acknowledged that Howard's brilliance and strong ties to the Pentagon and the White House made assassination a poor option.
On the other hand, Josh understood that this situation could lead to the Agent Carter Season 1 storyline where Howard was labeled a traitor. Josh hadn't seen Season 2, but he knew the major events of Season 1. Those events allowed Howard to regain his footing and become the leader of the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
In short, the Council's plans to target Howard were likely to fail and might even result in the Strategic Scientific Reserve evolving into S.H.I.E.L.D. However, Josh didn't want to interfere. Since he had no significant connection to Howard, he had no reason to care.
"Now, let's talk about Zero Matter. During the military's first nuclear test in New Mexico, a spatial portal-like phenomenon appeared after the explosion. This caused a military team to disappear, leaving behind a liquid-like black substance. The military called it Zero Matter. The Isodyne Corporation has collected some, and the Council plans to invest in its development and research. For now, Isodyne will take the lead. Would any of you like to participate?" Thomas asked.
His gaze focused mainly on Josh, Hugh Jones, and Malick, since they, along with Thomas' First National and Calvin Chadwick's Isodyne, were the wealthiest members. The other council members were more involved in politics and the military and had limited financial resources.
"I will pass. My focus will be on aerospace, which is both time consuming and expensive. I don't have the energy for anything else," Josh was the first to decline.
Of course, this was only half true. Zero Matter was fascinating, but getting involved with Isodyne wasn't worth it.
"Oh? No wonder you bought Boeing stock from Hugh. If you make any progress on your aerospace projects, send me an update later. First National Bank and I also own some stock. We could work together," Thomas remarked, nodding in agreement.
These people were no strangers to visionary investing, and while the aerospace industry was still in its infancy, everyone understood its potential. Still, as Josh mentioned, these sectors required immense resources with distant returns, making them unattractive to most capitalists. Typically, only governments had the capacity to spearhead such ventures.
Now that Josh had chosen to enter this challenging field, the Council would not offer full support, but they would not stand in his way. It was rare for them to find someone willing to put money into such risky research.
"I can provide some funding and personnel," Hugh Jones offered.
"Not me. My infiltration of the SSR is progressing slowly. I need to concentrate on that," Malick shook his head. One of his primary tasks was to infiltrate the Strategic Scientific Reserve, leaving him no time for other ventures.
"Then it's settled. Roxxon will cooperate with Isodyne. If there are no further objections, this meeting is adjourned," Thomas concluded.
Josh appreciated the Council's meeting style—straightforward discussions without unnecessary chatter. After the meeting, the nine members exited through nine different doors, each leading to a different location; the club's hotel, a restaurant, or even a nearby street.
Externally, the nine maintained minimal public contact, limiting their interactions to business meetings. Even their industries showed only routine cooperation through subsidiaries, ensuring that no direct ties could be traced back to the Council if a member ran into trouble.
Josh exited through a door leading to a private room on the second floor of the club, where Vito and another bodyguard were waiting. Aldo, now head of the newly formed Blackwater Military Services, was no longer part of Josh's security team.
As Josh settled down to enjoy a cup of coffee, there was a knock at the door. Vito opened it and it was Malick.
"What brings you here? Aren't you afraid the others are going to notice?" Josh asked in surprise.
"I need another batch of the serum," Malick replied after Vito closed the door.
"You used it all? I remember leaving you twenty doses before I left for Europe!" Josh looked astonished. As his hidden ally in the Council, Josh had promised Malick a year's supply of the serum.
"Don't ask," Malick muttered, a trace of embarrassment on his face. "I accidentally provoked a mysterious organization. In the past six months, I've survived over ten assassination attempts. Without your serum, I wouldn't be sitting here."
"Oh? A mysterious organization? Why haven't you reported this to the Council?" Josh asked, intrigued.
This was something completely new. Since Hydra's founding, it was rare for them to be the targets of assassination attempts rather than the ones doing the assassinating.
"It's a personal matter, and I managed to get something from them," Malick replied somewhat cryptically.
"What did you get?" Josh raised an eyebrow. Obviously Malick wanted to keep the loot for himself.
"A powerful biochemical serum. It grants immense combat power for a short time, similar to your Beast Transformation Serum, but with harsher side effects. The effect lasts about ten minutes, after which the user dissolves into a puddle of liquid. This residue is highly lethal and reactive, but fortunately it dissipates within an hour without becoming contagious," Malick explained, adding, "Of course, it's still inferior to your serum. While the fighting power is comparable..."
"Sounds intriguing. You must have uncovered some clues about this organization by now, right?" Josh interrupted.
"Not much. They call themselves the Zodiac, and they seem to be from Europe. The serum is also named after them—Zodiac Serum," Malick replied.
"Zodiac?" Josh nearly choked on his coffee.
"You know that organization?" Malick asked, surprised.
"I do, but not much more than you do," Josh admitted, deciding there was no point in hiding his reaction.
Of course, this Zodiac organization had nothing to do with the powerful group from the comics. Instead, it seemed to be a semi-spy, semi-terrorist organization similar to Leviathan.
Josh's knowledge of the group was indeed limited. For example, the serum Malick mentioned appeared in the MCU during a short film featuring Agent Carter. The short showed Carter tracking down a vial of the serum, called Zodiac, while being sidelined by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. It ended with Howard Stark inviting her to help rebuild the SSR into SHIELD. (TL/N: This is probably AU, since the original serum was a virus that could easily destroy a city if released.)
This event likely took place after the events of Agent Carter, as the short ended with Stark and Dum Dum Dugan admiring bikini-clad women, a fashion that did not appear until the latter half of 1946, while the first season of Agent Carter took place in early 1946. (TL/N: Corporal Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army during World War II and a member of the Howling Commandos).
"Then..." Malick's eyes lit up when he heard that Josh knew about the organization.
"Don't even think about it," Josh glared at him, cutting him off before he could continue. "I only know about them. I've never had any real contact." Still, he softened his tone a bit. "But if you need more Beast Transformation Serum, that's fine. Just pay for the extra doses—it's pocket change for you anyway."
"'That works! That works!" Malick was a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to fully convince Josh, but he had achieved his original goal.
Satisfied, Malick left soon after. As Josh had mentioned earlier, it wouldn't be wise to draw too much attention to their relationship from the other Council members.
However, within minutes of Malick's departure, there was another knock at the door.
Upon opening it, a figure in heavy body armor was in front of the door.
"Well, if it isn't Hugh Jones," Josh said, raising an eyebrow.
As a vampire, Hugh had a heightened sensitivity to human presence. He could have knocked right after the meeting, but he had obviously waited until Malick had left.
"Yes, I waited a bit," Hugh admitted as he entered, removing his light—blocking mask and hat to reveal his pale complexion.
Those precautions weren't necessary indoors—he wasn't afraid of artificial light, just sunlight. There were no UV lights in the club.
"But don't worry, it's just me. No one else," Hugh reassured him.
"I believe you. Most Council members aren't nosy enough to watch others all the time. How are you holding up? I only have wine here—I hope you don't mind," Josh offered, gesturing for Vito to pour a glass of wine.
"Not at all. Vampires aren't completely incapable of eating human food, we just can't digest it. As for life after becoming a vampire? It's manageable-except for that damn woman and Howard Stark," Hugh said, waving it off.
"You'll get used to it. So, what brings you here? Surely you're not going to ask me to kill Howard," Josh joked, avoiding personal matters he preferred not to comment on.
"Not at all. I came for something else," Hugh began, his tone growing serious. "Upon my return, I discovered that vampires already exist in the United States—and there are quite a few of them. I want your help in dealing with them."
