"What now, sir? We've already created a completely safe serum that grants superpowers," a military general asked.
Rouge sighed. "I do not know. We can build an invincible army, but we cannot build loyalty or trust."
"So do we just throw it under the bus?"
Rouge shook his head. "No. Let's test its limits. See how close it is to Monarch's power level."
---
Rouge stood against the wall, willingly stepping up since no one else was brave enough to do it.
Soldiers pointed their guns at him, still hesitant to shoot.
The military general threw his hand forward. "Fire!"
Gunshots filled the room, deafening everyone.
Hundreds of bullets were fired every second, blinding the entire room with muzzle flashes.
The general threw his hand up. "Cease!"
As the dust settled, Rouge emerged without a single injury on his body.
The only thing damaged were his clothes.
"How do you feel?" a scientist asked, holding a clipboard.
"Fine."
"Any pain during the experiment?"
"Minor."
The scientist nodded. "Alright, let's move on to the next experiment."
Rouge walked into an oven, completely naked.
"Just tell us when to stop. You ready?"
Rouge nodded.
The temperature slowly began rising. First it was warm, then hot, then burning hot. And now it felt like hell.
Rouge screamed in pain and agony.
The scientist rushed over to turn the oven off, but Rouge shouted at them to keep it going.
The heat continued to rise, but Rouge still didn't give in.
Then finally, Rouge gave the sign and the oven was turned off.
Rouge was immediately showered with ice-cold water as soon as he stepped out.
"How much?" Rouge asked.
"5,000 degrees."
Rouge was shocked. "What? Are you sure you got it right?"
The scientist nodded. "Yes, sir. It is precisely 5,071 degrees."
Only then did Rouge realize just how big the gap between him and Monarch was.
"How do you—"
Rouge got up. "No questions. Let's move on to the next experiment."
The heat didn't burn Rouge's skin, but it was extremely painful.
---
Rouge lay flat on a bench, gripping a bar connected to a large machine designed to simulate weight.
"100 kilograms," a scientist informed.
Rouge benched it with no effort. He even did it with one hand.
"500 kilograms."
Again, Rouge benched it with no effort.
"1 ton."
Rouge benched it with a slight struggle, but it still felt effortless.
He managed to bench it with ease up to a staggering 200 tons before he showed some real strain.
The weight kept increasing. When he reached 600 tons, Rouge was pushed to his absolute limit.
He gritted his teeth and shouted as he used his maximum effort just to lift it once.
He successfully lifted it but then collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
"Experiment over!"
---
Next was the speed experiment.
They were all in Antarctica. Rouge stood on a tall glacier as the team set up the experiment.
"You're going to fly across this gap as fast as you can. That will calculate your speed."
Rouge tilted his head. "Fly?"
"Yes. You're going to fly. Do you know how to do it or do you need to learn?"
"Let's just get straight to it."
The scientist nodded.
They all stood on a boat, watching how it would go.
"3, 2, 1... Go!"
Rouge pushed himself off the glacier and zoomed across the gap, reaching the other side.
But the result was underwhelming.
"How much?"
The scientist sighed. "300 mph! That's roughly the speed of the fastest car in the world! But that's not enough for a superhuman!"
"I know. I wasn't giving it my all. After all, that was my first attempt at flight."
Rouge got back on the glacier, this time much more prepared than before.
"3, 2, 1... Go!"
Rouge blasted through the air. He seemed much faster than his previous attempt.
"How was that?"
The scientist nodded, impressed. "1534 mph, or Mach 2!"
"I could go faster than that."
The scientist raised his eyebrow. "You could?"
"Yeah, that still wasn't my top speed. I felt like I was going to lose control so I slowed down."
Rouge got back up on the glacier.
"3, 2, 1... Go!"
Rouge reached the other side before they could even blink.
Suddenly, all the scientists gasped and clapped in shock and happiness.
Rouge flew over to them. "How fast was that?"
"That was exactly 4,066.526 miles per hour — or Mach 5.3!"
---
All the experiments were over. Rouge and the scientists returned to the laboratory.
"So what are the final results?"
The scientist adjusted his glasses as he read the final report.
"Sir, after reviewing all of today's experiments, we've established a clear performance profile."
"Your durability is your most outstanding attribute. Throughout every test, your body remained completely unharmed by conventional weaponry, and even at 5,071 degrees Fahrenheit, no structural damage was observed. Based on today's data, your average level of durability remained effectively constant throughout testing, with pain—not physical injury—being the only limiting factor."
"Your strength displayed a wide operating range. During the majority of testing, you lifted between one and two hundred tons with little measurable effort, making that your average performance level. Beyond 200 tons, the physical strain increased rapidly until you reached a maximum recorded output of 600 tons, where complete muscular exhaustion occurred."
"Your speed followed a similar pattern. Although your first flight reached only 300 miles per hour while adapting to the ability, your subsequent runs averaged approximately 2,800 miles per hour, or roughly Mach 3.7, before reaching a confirmed maximum of Mach 5.3."
He closed the report.
"Overall, your average combat profile is considerably lower than your peak output, which is exactly what we'd expect. Your body performs most efficiently well below its absolute limits, while your maximum feats require extreme exertion. Even so, your baseline abilities place you far beyond any enhanced human we've ever observed."
"However... compared to Monarch, today's testing confirms there is still a massive gap."
Rouge exhaled. "I don't think I'll ever be able to create a weapon as strong as Monarch."
"What about his brother?" the general asked.
Rouge looked at him. "What about him?"
"They're twins, aren't they? Don't you think we should test Composite V1 on him instead?"
Rouge nodded slowly.
"I'm surprised I never thought of that..."