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New York – Midnight
Rain blanketed the city. The glass tower of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ still glowed brightly in the stormy night.
Tony Stark pushed through the front doors, wind and rain slapping his face. His enhanced body barely felt the cold, but he still instinctively pulled his jacket tighter.
"Damn weather," he muttered, heading toward a black car parked by the curb.
The door opened and Happy Hogan poked his head out. "Boss, hop in—it's pouring."
Tony slid into the backseat, shaking droplets from his hair. "Thanks, Happy. What a damn day. Those Hydra spies were way sneakier than I expected."
Happy started the engine. The wipers swept steadily across the windshield. "Boss, I heard Europe's almost done too?"
"Yeah. Adam's been efficient," Tony leaned back and closed his eyes.
"But I have a bad feeling. Hydra's not gonna take this lying down."
The car rolled through the wet streets, tires splashing through puddles.
Tony stared at the blurred neon lights outside, lost in thought.
Then—
SCREEECH!
Happy slammed the brakes.
Tony, already braced from his enhanced reflexes, didn't even flinch.
"What the hell?" he frowned.
"There's someone up ahead," Happy said, tense.
Tony looked up.
In the rain, a tall figure stood in the middle of the road.
He wore a mask, revealing only a pair of cold, sharp eyes. His long blond hair was soaked and clung to his shoulders.
But what caught Tony's attention the most—was his left arm.
Metallic. Gleaming in the streetlights.
"Hydra," Tony said, narrowing his eyes.
Happy reached for his sidearm. "Boss, I'll go check it out."
"No." Tony stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. "Stay in the car."
"But—"
"Trust me, Happy."
Tony opened the door. Rain instantly drenched his suit.
He stood there in the storm, locking eyes with the Winter Soldier.
His voice was calm.
"Who are you? Hydra sent you? What do you want? Money? Freedom? I can give you either."
The man didn't respond.
He just slowly raised his metal arm, gripping a long blade. The scabbard gleamed coldly in the rain.
Tony let out a sigh and discreetly pressed his watch. Nano armor began spreading quickly up his arm."Guess that's a no on negotiations."
The next second—
Bang!
The Winter Soldier lunged forward, his blade flashing out of the sheath, slicing through the rain straight toward Tony's face!
But the blade stopped dead.
Tony had caught it mid-air with his mechanical hand. It didn't budge an inch.
"Looks like your knife's not sharp enough," Tony said with a mocking tone.
The soldier's eyes went cold. He yanked hard, trying to pull the blade free—but it felt like it had been welded into Tony's grip. It wouldn't budge.
His pupils narrowed slightly. Something was off about this guy's strength.
Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier switched tactics. He wound up his metal left arm and launched a punch straight at Tony's chest!
Bang!
Tony's other hand snapped up, catching the metal fist with perfect timing.
The two forces clashed with a deafening shockwave. Rainwater blasted outward in all directions.
That man—Winter Soldier—was stunned.
His cybernetic arm was one of Hydra's most advanced pieces of tech. It could tear through tank armor like paper.
And yet... Tony Stark caught it with one hand?
"Surprised?" Tony sneered.
"I'm not the same guy who used to hide behind a suit of armor."
The Winter Soldier reacted instantly, swinging his right leg up in a brutal knee strike aimed at Tony's gut!
But Tony was even faster.
Smack!
He let go of the blade, grabbed the Winter Soldier by the throat, and lifted him right off the ground!
The knee strike froze in midair. His legs dangled, flailing helplessly.
"Game over," Tony said coldly.
Then—
BOOM!!
He slammed the Winter Soldier down like a rag doll.
The asphalt cracked instantly. The Winter Soldier grunted in pain, and before he could recover, Tony's iron fists came crashing down.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each punch carried over ten tons of force. On the second hit, the mask shattered, revealing a face Tony didn't recognize—a blond man.
Tony's fist paused for just a moment, then kept going until the man passed out completely.
"Jarvis, scan him," Tony said, standing up and flicking blood off his hand.
"Unidentified target, sir. No matching records in the database."
Tony frowned and tapped his comms. "Avengers, converge at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ immediately. I just got attacked—probably Hydra."
Natasha's voice came calmly through the earpiece. "Ten minutes."
Tony looked down at the unconscious attacker, eyes icy cold.
"Hydra… just how many hidden cards do you have left?"
Long Island Mansion – Underground Lab
Jiro stood before a lab bench, using his x-ray vision to peer through a microscope at a sample of Skrull DNA. The molecular structure was crystal clear to him.
His super-brain raced, analyzing the arrangement of every base pair.
"As expected… Skrull cells are way more adaptable than human ones," he muttered, tapping his fingers on the table.
On a nearby holo-display, footage of Tony getting attacked played silently.
Jiro had already heard Hydra's internal chatter about the mission, but he hadn't intervened.
If Tony couldn't handle something that basic, he had no business being director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
He refocused on the experiment.
"Genetic recombination, memory replication… and the compatibility with Kryptonian cells…"
Time passed. The lab lights stayed bright.
Finally, Jiro's fingers stopped. A droplet of golden liquid shimmered faintly in the test tube. He'd just completed the serum.
"Perfect."
The serum could fully fuse with Kryptonian cells—and let him copy the abilities of others.
Of course, he had to make physical contact first. And there were limits: magical powers or externally sourced abilities couldn't be copied—only gene-based ones.
He picked up a syringe and, without hesitation, injected the serum into his arm.
The golden liquid merged into his bloodstream. Jiro closed his eyes, sensing the changes in his body.
But… nothing.
No pain, no heat, not even the slightest discomfort.
He opened his eyes, frowning slightly—then relaxed.
"Makes sense. Kryptonian cells are so powerful, they wouldn't even trigger rejection."
Just then, the lab's comms lit up.
"Mr. Jiro, incoming call from Tony Stark," came Turing's voice.
Jiro waved his hand. A hologram popped up, showing Tony's face in a S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting room. He looked serious, brows tightly furrowed.
"Jiro, I just got ambushed."
"I know," Jiro said calmly.
Tony froze. "You know?"
"Mm," Jiro nodded. "Hydra sent that guy. Just a scapegoat."
Tony was silent for a second, then took a deep breath. "I knocked him out. He's in the S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogation room. But we still don't know who he is."
Jiro looked at him and said flatly, "Kill him."
Tony blinked. "What?"
"He's one of the people who killed your parents."
Tony's pupils shrank. His breath caught.
"You… what did you just say?"
"December 16, 1991. Howard and Maria Stark died in a car crash," Jiro said, staring straight at him.
"That wasn't an accident. It was a Hydra hit. And the guy who attacked you today—he was the assassin."
Tony's fist clenched tight, knuckles turning white.
His voice was low: "You've known all this time?"
"Ten minutes ago," Jiro lied.
"...Is this for real?"
"Every word, Tony."
Tony didn't respond. His chest rose and fell heavily.
After a few seconds, he took a long breath. His voice was ice cold.
"Thanks, Jiro. Got it."
The call ended. The screen went black.
Jiro looked away and shook his head.
He glanced down at his palm. His fingertips glowed faintly with a golden shimmer—the serum was kicking in.
"Now then," he muttered.
"Let's test this new power."
"....."