"That's how the situation stands now. Thanks to the intervention of that mysterious person, he wiped out the rebel guards, giving us room to maneuver."
At this moment in the Pentagon, in a room so secure even cockroaches couldn't get in, people adorned in military uniforms and sporting advanced ranks and identification tags were conversing.
The lighting was intentionally dimmed to ensure that attendees couldn't see each other's expressions during the meeting.
At one end of the solid wood long table, someone clearly of high rank nodded imperceptibly, satisfied after hearing the analysis from the aide.
"Very good. The massacre charge can just be laid on someone else, and it doesn't matter if we don't have clear photos of the target. After all, issue a nationwide wanted notice, and notify our NATO allies as well so they too can hunt for this person."
"The mysterious person can manipulate metal; let's just say on the wanted notice he's a foreign mutant, so the domestic populace won't have much to say." In another part of the darkness, a voice with amusement spoke.
The opponent's ability to make metal fly around—who knows what that is, but as long as the military says it's a mutant, a foreign destructive force, then that's what it is.
"For the wanted notice, just commission someone to sketch a portrait; whether it looks like him doesn't matter, as long as there's an explanation. Now, our more pressing issue is Captain America. His killing video was exposed by Lady Hydra, and those trouble-stirring media outlets have spread the news, which affects the military's image and could further impact next year's budget."
The person leading the meeting concluded the previous discussion; the matter was settled, and the next topic was about Captain America.
"Indeed, it's a problem. A person wearing our national flag slaughtering his own people—this negatively impacts our reputation," another black shadow remarked.
At this point, the person across the table proposed a suggestion: "Is it possible to have Hollywood cooperate with us, and re-record the process, claiming the leaked video is a movie clip?"
"It's a good idea, but Captain won't cooperate with us," the leading General said, rejecting the notion.
The officer who proposed the suggestion chuckled: "It's fine if the Captain doesn't cooperate; we still have a stand-in, don't we? He always follows orders, a perfect soldier."
"...Okay, contact the In-Betweener to handle it, but make sure no one sees our hand behind it." The General decisively made the decision: "But we should prepare a backup plan. If the public doesn't buy it, we'll push out the stand-in Captain's corpse, saying it was all his doing, that he's a Hydra spy, and it's unrelated to our Steve."
Blaming everything on the dead always works; as for whether William or Steve is sacrificed? Is there even a question?
Behind Steve stands a Great Group of SSR colleagues and even the monstrous care of Deathstroke.
And William? He has nothing, maybe some comrades before, but since he became Steve's stand-in, his previous relationships have vanished.
It's unrelated to ability and combat strength; if someone needs to be thrown out to quell public anger, naturally choose the one with no roots and no side effects.
"That's easy; we'll do some tricks during filming, and everything will be arranged." The aide below seemed to have plans, or rather they've long had contingencies, after all, the new serum is their creation.
"As a stand-in, he's meant to die in place of Captain America; I believe he'll understand our decision."
"Hmph, he's a soldier; as long as he follows orders, that's enough. It's his honor to die in place of Captain America. Had he not originally resembled Steve, making cosmetic surgery easier, how does he think he got that generous pay and treatment all these years?"
The officers below started discussing in a cacophony, though most agreed with the leader's decision. Meanwhile, the silent ones caught the General's eye, signaling a narrowing path ahead.
The General tapped the table; dressed in dark military attire that seemed almost black: "Alright, that's decided then. Given this, select suitable candidates from the military and prepare the serum; after all, we'll still need an 'Captain America' in the future."
"When the storm passes, we might consider mass-producing Captain Americas, distributing one to each state," someone immediately chimed in with laughter.
"As long as serum production keeps up, there's no problem assigning one to each town even." Another piped in, their tone even more malicious: "However, this incident has reminded us; we currently have some reservations about Steve. So, the next batch of Captain Americas shouldn't undergo cosmetic surgery or name changes. Let them operate under their real names, and make sure to pick very handsome ones."
The shadow in the corner of the long table replied: "Hmm, once their own fame and utility surpass Steve, turning them into post-war stars, then Steve becomes useless to us, ripe for disposal..."
"Shouldn't we consider the Roaring Assault Team from SSR? They have strong ties with Steve, and if we move against Steve in the future, they might pose a potential threat." someone raised an objection.
Soon someone dismissively retorted: "Roaring Assault Team is just a bunch of ordinary soldiers; they know nothing. The only slightly smart one was that Black Ghost Fury, but who'd bother trusting him? Black Ghosts are all liars, thieves, thugs, and criminals. If necessary, we can deal with him too."