General Ross's questions continued for several minutes. Rilley answered every one of them with patience and a highly professional attitude. In that long series of questions, so many issues had been raised from so many different perspectives and angles that, far from finding it bothersome, he had actually found it quite interesting.
It even led Rilley to give a little more importance to certain small details he had previously dismissed as irrelevant. That alone proved General Ross would undoubtedly make a very good tester for the «Ultra Plus Rays» technology, in whatever trials or experiments he might wish to use it for.
Unfortunately, at no point did General Ross suggest any sort of collaboration. Rilley could understand if the man preferred to handle something like that in a slightly more discreet manner. But Ross did not even hint at wanting to speak more privately, much less suggest meeting another day to discuss things further.
Yes. It truly was a pity.
But even so, Rilley would simply let it be. Nor would he take the initiative to propose a collaboration himself. He was not in the habit of offering his help unless it involved his parents. Otherwise, he would simply let the matter pass.
As far as Rilley knew, General Ross was in serious trouble. A series of events had dragged him down to the lowest point of his career as a decorated officer, mainly because of the consequences of the disastrous incident involving the very project he himself had directed. It had been a secret project centered on the legendary «Super-Soldier Serum», the same one that had once granted the famous Steve Rogers—better known as Captain America—his superhuman abilities.
Lieutenant General Ross had always carried himself as a visionary and as a man deeply committed to his country, something instilled in him by his family's strong military background. His fervent patriotism was admirable even to the less nationalistic people in the country. However, that same attitude had also led to tensions with certain colleagues, who in some cases regarded him as extreme.
Years earlier, he had taken it upon himself to revive the nearly forgotten «Super-Soldier Project» within military facilities. That decision had brought him into conflict with higher authorities because of the immense cost of the research. In essence, it was a bottomless pit. But because of his status as a distinguished officer, they had not been able to stop him. Reluctantly, the project was approved, though under harsh conditions.
Conditions that General Ross himself accepted without hesitation. He had truly put everything he had on the line as collateral. His actions were not driven by personal interests, but by considerations that went beyond the obvious.
At first, he seriously considered proposing a close collaboration with GIG, but because GIG had restrictions regarding military research, those negotiations had to be abandoned. That, in turn, led him to form his own team of researchers, a team in which he recruited Dr. Robert Bruce Banner as lead scientist on the recommendation of his daughter, Elizabeth Ross.
Things seemed to progress without major problems. One could say everything was going smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that great success seemed visible on the horizon if things continued at that pace, which only deepened the resentment of those who had opposed reviving the project in the first place. Then again, Ross's own overflowing pride may also have played a part, since he had no hesitation in boasting about those achievements wherever he went. That was, without question, one of Ross's greatest flaws.
In the face of the project's major advances, Ross's entire team seemed to have bathed in good fortune. They were so inflated by their achievements that, if it had been possible, they might have floated across the sky like hot-air balloons.
But their good fortune eventually came to an end.
The entire team seemed to fall into complacency, taking those achievements for granted and becoming overconfident, each and every one of them. That, in turn, fed their ambitions for greater recognition within the scientific world.
Dr. Bruce Banner in particular, the brilliant scientist leading the research team, grew eager for even greater achievements and to prove the extent of his abilities. Before long, small advances no longer satisfied him. One could say his complacency became the trigger for everything that followed.
The idea was proposed by Banner himself and accepted by the entire research team. They chose to make a greater leap.
And so they carried out a large-scale test.
Unfortunately, that day they suffered severe technical failures during the execution of the experiment. Everything spiraled out of control, and it became impossible to abort the process halfway through.
The gamma rays used in the project went out of control, killing the entire research team with the sole exception of Dr. Banner himself. But Banner had not escaped unscathed. In that catastrophic event, which took the lives of thirty-three members of the scientific team, Dr. Bruce Banner mutated into a strange being—a ferocious green beast driven by instinct and heavily influenced by negative emotions. The creature seemed blinded by extreme rage, gifted with extraordinary strength, yet possessed of very little intelligence.
That event not only brought about the total shutdown of the project and the withdrawal of the remaining funds, it also pushed Ross's once-decorated military career into the abyss. From that moment on, both his career and his credibility began to collapse. He was forced not only to bear responsibility for the disastrous failure, but also to deal with its consequences.
From that day forward, General Ross became obsessed with tracking down and capturing that beast. He used every remaining resource and every bit of manpower still at his disposal toward that single goal. Three years later, in the present day, Lieutenant General Ross remained fully committed to capturing the green monster known as «Hulk». His intention was to use it as a powerful weapon at the nation's disposal, one that could serve as a possible deterrent against those who threatened the country. Even so, he still had not abandoned the hope of one day continuing the «Super-Soldier Project».
Projects aimed at developing a «Super-Soldier Serum» were not an isolated case, nor were they exclusive to General Ross. The truth was that it had been a commission from the United States government itself. According to certain sources, they had managed to recover an incomplete version of that old formula from who knew where.
Because of that, and with great confidence, they decided to launch a secret call inviting major corporations to collaborate in completing its development. Whether those corporations continued the research or simply used the incomplete formula as a foundation did not matter. The goal was simple: produce a successful «Super-Soldier Serum». This time, the government had made enormous promises, promises so tempting they were difficult to refuse.
The reason Rilley learned of that secret initiative and the tempting benefits tied to it was because the «Glass Industrial Group» had also been invited. However, his father had rejected the proposal without hesitation. At the time, he had mocked with open contempt those fools willing to accept such promises.
It was not that Relly believed the government would go back on its word and throw the contract away when the time came to settle debts. That was impossible. He would have been willing to bet all of GIG on the fact that the government would never dare default on those obligations, because if it did, the great corporations would revolt and never again trust the government's promises.
The government might dare interfere with the interests of ordinary citizens, claiming a state of emergency and using it as justification to restrict certain resources. But its hands would never touch the interests of those great corporations. That, in itself, was merely a small sample of the vast network of influence held by a major organization.
To powerful corporations, a contract was sacred. That apparently simple document was the highest representation of an unbreakable promise. After all, who would dare trust someone capable of breaking a contract so easily?
The reason Relly was so openly contemptuous lay mainly in the government's intentions—intentions they had not even bothered to hide. They were placing an enormous prey animal in front of ferocious beasts, yet only stirring their appetite with the faintest scent.
In essence, what the government called a collaboration amounted to handing over the incomplete formula in exchange for a merely symbolic provisional payment, one that would later be returned in full if the project succeeded. They would provide no other support whatsoever. The company involved would have to bear the entire burden of research and development costs, and would only see any real benefit once the completed formula had been successfully presented.
One did not need to be a genius in business to understand what failure in a project like that could do to an organization's finances. And yet, a significant number of other companies still accepted the arrangement. That alone meant the potential rewards were enormous.
How difficult was it to recreate the «Super-Soldier Serum»?
At least in Relly Glass's view, it was not something he considered himself capable of doing, much less something worth gambling GIG's finances on. He was convinced it was the kind of project that would demand staggering amounts of money.
For those who knew him, his outright refusal had been entirely expected. He also did not believe the government had only recently found the formula. He was far more inclined to think they had already attempted to conduct research on their own, and only after seeing the enormous drain on resources with no significant progress had they decided to open the investigation to major organizations capable of sustaining the expense.
He had even considered that the entire thing might have been driven by a deeper objective, such as weakening the influence of major corporations in relation to the government. The use of such strategies in the service of greed and the accumulation of wealth was, without question, a brilliant move. They would not dirty their own hands, and they would still be able to justify everything under the terms of the agreed contract.
That General Ross had taken the initiative to oversee the project within military facilities was not truly surprising to anyone who understood his disposition even a little. As a fierce patriot, he had no trust whatsoever in private organizations, because he was absolutely convinced they would act only in accordance with their own interests. Faced with such vermin, it was impossible for him to agree to trust them with something he believed would determine the future of the country. And in truth, General Ross's way of thinking was not wrong.
From beginning to end, General Ross said nothing that suggested collaboration. He seemed interested only in resolving every question he had regarding the uses, effects, and possible applications of the «Ultra Plus Rays». He had clearly realized how broad their potential uses truly were. And once he had asked his final questions, he appeared very satisfied with the answers Rilley had given him. He then simply thanked both Rilley and Dr. Connors. After a brief exchange of words with Relly Glass, he left, expressing his gratitude for the hospitality.
Once all the guests around them had been seen off, Rilley and Dr. Connors were finally able to relax a little. Only a few people remained at Relly Glass's side, as he continued entertaining a handful of government officials, both civilian and military.
A few minutes later, only Relly Glass and Dr. Connors remained. Rilley had gone off to clean and organize all the equipment used during the experiment.
"You've done excellent work, Connors," Relly said. "I appreciate your dedication and the patience you've shown over these past years. I hope you understand that everything I did was to confirm the safety and reliability of the formula."
Dr. Connors' face showed relief.
"I understand perfectly, Mr. Glass. I only hope that this time I'll be allowed to use the serum on myself. You understand how long I've waited for this."
Relly made a small gesture with his hand.
"Of course. My words are like contracts. Since I've said it, then you have full authorization to proceed. Just take the necessary safety measures, don't do it alone, and let my son help you. After all, he is your assistant."