"Dr. Zola?" Shin raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected to catch such a big fish.
Though this robotic version of Dr. Zola looked far more advanced than the outdated model from the films, Shin wasn't particularly impressed perhaps just mildly skeptical about the man's taste in design.
The real Dr. Zola had perished long ago. What remained was his consciousness, digitized and uploaded into a computer. Since that data could be stored on older systems, it was perfectly plausible that it had since been transferred to newer computers or even into robots with greater storage and processing capabilities.
Unbeknownst to Shin, Dr. Zola's comic book counterpart had always looked like this. It was just one of those vintage villain designs, much like Captain America's original jester-like outfit emblems of an era when campy aesthetics were the norm.
"Yes, it's me!" Dr. Zola's synthetic voice boomed through the speakers on his chest display. "You dare interfere with Hydra? You'll pay dearly for this!"
His tone was filled with bravado, but Shin knew better. Dr. Zola wasn't expecting to win he was merely confident in his ability to return. With his consciousness stored digitally, the destruction of his current body posed no real threat. Resurrection was simply a matter of transferring his data to another host.
Shin glanced at the robotic body hovering before him and chuckled. 'Consciousness transfer technology, huh… This is something I've been looking forward to seeing. Honestly, I thought I'd have to wait until Tony Stark created Ultron before I got my hands on it.'
Indeed, this was a capability that had long intrigued him. The scientists in Shin's service couldn't yet cross dimensions themselves. All they could do was pass data and results via biochips. Jumping between worlds meant risking their souls something Shin wasn't willing to let them attempt.
But robots? Robots could follow him anywhere. Even if they lacked some of a human's creative flair, their reasoning and processing could match or surpass human counterparts. After all, even as an artificial entity, Dr. Zola had created the powerful Zola Algorithm and numerous pieces of advanced technology.
The real problem was simple: how could Shin make him submit?
While he considered this, Shin raised his hand. A sudden gravitational force enveloped Dr. Zola, lifting the robot into the air. The lasers and missiles the machine fired in retaliation might as well have been gusts of wind, they didn't even ruffle Shin's hair.
Then, using another hand gesture, Shin unleashed a devastating repulsive wave. With a deafening boom, the entire underground base collapsed inward. Soil and metal alike compacted violently, burying everything in its path.
The once-imposing Hydra facility had been reduced to rubble. Its personnel scientists, agents, and soldiers were now unrecognizable fragments within the earth.
Dr. Zola, still suspended in the air, stopped struggling. He had watched his facility, his resources, and his subordinates obliterated in seconds.
Not because he feared death, on the contrary, he had long believed himself immortal but because he finally understood that his attacks had been meaningless.
"Now then..." Shin narrowed his eyes as he contemplated the synthetic being. "What do I do with you?"
Destroying Dr. Zola wasn't as simple as smashing his robotic body. As long as his data was backed up in any system even on the far side of the planet he could always be revived. Killing him would mean wiping every last trace of his code from every device in existence.
Unless…
A thought struck Shin. What if Zola's body contained a soul?
Homies, sentient constructs born from soul fragments and empowered by the Soul-Soul Fruit, obeyed their creator without question. A soul might grant Zola not only life but vulnerability. It might turn his mechanical body from a temporary shell into a permanent vessel... and give Shin control.
Without hesitation, Shin activated the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit. At the cost of ten years of his own lifespan, he conjured a dense, high-quality soul radiating power and embedded it directly into Dr. Zola's core.
"What... What did you do to me?" Dr. Zola's voice trembled, no longer robotic but tinged with genuine emotion. "What is this... sensation? I feel... alive."
He flexed his fingers. He could feel the metal creak under imaginary muscles. For the first time in decades, the lines between man and machine blurred. The lifeless programming that once defined his existence was replaced with something vibrant, something real.
Shin grinned. Then, with a quick gesture, he released the gravity hold.
Dr. Zola plummeted toward the ground.
"Aaaaah! Help! HELP!" the robot shrieked.
For someone who supposedly didn't fear death, his panic was palpable. Gone was the detached arrogance. He now feared for his life because, for the first time in decades, he had a life to lose.
Just before impact, Shin reactivated his gravitational control, gently catching Zola and lowering him to the ground. The robotic body quivered.
Then, strangely, Dr. Zola wiped his brow.
"Hu... hu..." he gasped, looking at the moisture on his metal hand. "I'm sweating...? I don't even have sweat glands!"
"Haha," Shin chuckled. "Now you get it. You're not a digital being anymore. You have a soul. You're alive. And if this body dies, there's no do-over. The next copy won't be you."
That realization hit Zola like a hammer. His arrogance gave way to desperate humility.
"Sir, please! No matter what your goals are, Zola will serve you loyally and without hesitation!"
"Smart move," Shin said, landing beside him. He glanced at the others as they approached.
"This guy is seriously creepy," Quicksilver muttered, circling the robot. "Looks like something out of a 1950s horror movie. Frankenstein's toaster, maybe."
Dr. Zola said nothing. His eyes, now glowing with faint soul energy, remained fixed on Shin. Fear, gratitude, and awe mingled in his expression. His past life as a program was gone. He was now something else entirely, not a machine, not a man, but a soul-bearing construct under Shin's command.
And that made him more useful than ever.
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