In the villa's second-floor living room.
Tony and Henry stood side-by-side by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching the red-and-gold Armor gracefully land, then automatically disassemble and retract. The whole process was full of industrial beauty.
"I have to say that chauffeur service was quite thorough," Henry picked up a half-finished glass of whiskey from the bar, rattled the ice cubes, a teasing smile on his lips.
"I just wonder how the passenger enjoyed the ride. Do you think he'll give us a one-star rating, citing the driver's bad attitude and the mid-flight attempt to murder the passenger?"
"Give it a rest," Tony rolled his eyes, walking up to Henry and pouring himself a drink.
"Do you call that a passenger? That's, at best, a bag of trash that needs proper disposal—the kind that can talk. And Jarvis's service attitude was excellent, much better than yours. He wouldn't ask about the trash's ancestors when tossing it out."
"That's because he's an emotionless old electronic who doesn't understand the art of language," Henry pouted.
"But speaking of which, that old electronic's security system seems to need an upgrade. Tony, have you considered that our house is like a public restroom now?
People just come and go as they please, without even a gatekeeper."
Tony's face also darkened. He put down his drink, his brows deeply furrowed.
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask. How did that guy get in? Jarvis, were you asleep? Or have you been neglecting your duties, busy flirting with some virtual Japanese idol lately?"
"Apologies, Sir," Jarvis's voice echoed in the hall, sounding slightly innocent.
"According to my surveillance logs, the living room area displayed no life signs before Mr. Fury's appearance. My sensors did not detect any form of physical intrusion."
"Then it's stealth technology," Tony rubbed his chin, his eyes sparking with excitement for the unknown technology.
"Some kind of device that can shield all conventional detection signals. Interesting. I guess I'll have to upgrade you, Jarvis. Install a high-tech radar and anti-photon detector. Next time a guy in a trench coat and an eye-patch, who looks like a villain from a third-rate detective novel, sneaks in, I want you to slice him into sashimi with a laser immediately."
"I agree with that," Henry nodded, then looked at Tony with a scrutinizing gaze.
"However, my dear brother, I'm more curious about something else. You seemed completely unaware of that Egghead and his 'Agency' just now? Are you sure you haven't been doing anything other than hammering metal lately? Like, using your genius brain to pay a little attention to what's going on in the world?"
"Why should I pay attention?" Tony countered righteously, his attitude implying that if he didn't know something, it was the world's fault, not his.
"My time is precious; every second is worth a fortune. I need to use my valuable time to create world-changing technology, to attend parties that boost the economy, and to date beauties who inspire me. Not to memorize long, awkward department names that sound like a subsidiary of the IRS."
"So, you genuinely didn't know?" Henry's face was a mask of disbelief. He felt his blood pressure rising.
"Tony, sometimes I seriously wonder if your brain has any function other than storing women's phone numbers and sports car specs. Is your proud brain only running on a pathetic 256K of memory?"
"Hey! My brain is the most valuable asset in the world!" Tony immediately shot back, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"Besides, why do I need to remember everything? I only need to remember the important things. For example, I remember a model named Candice last week, and her measurements are..."
"Shut up, already!"
Henry felt like he was about to have a stroke from this idiot. He cut him off impatiently.
"You hormone-driven single-celled organism! Did you really forget? A few months ago, we were bored and casually hacked into all the North American government databases, including that Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack, and Logistics Agency! You even complained then that their firewall was as weak as a wet tissue and the data inside was less interesting than the adult magazine you read!"
Tony paused. He desperately searched through his vast memory. After a few seconds, he finally realized.
"Oh! You mean that incident!" He shrugged carelessly.
"I remember now. A boring Tuesday afternoon, right? Honestly, I usually forget about those trivial things I solve the next day, just like I never remember exactly how many models I've slept with. Because it's not important."
Henry: ...
He took a deep breath. He felt that being brothers with someone like Tony was definitely punishment for sins in a previous life.
"Jarvis," he said weakly.
"Bring up the files of that 'unimportant' department and give my brother, whose brain is only filled with girls and parties, a proper lesson."
"Affirmative, Sir."
The next second, a giant holographic screen unfolded in the center of the living room. Faded, yellowed black-and-white photos and documents labeled 'Top Secret' began to scroll slowly across the screen.
"The Strategic Scientific Reserve, founded during World War II, was dedicated to combating Nazi Germany's Hydra forces..."
Tony initially stood with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that implied, What's the big deal? But when he saw a few familiar faces appear on the screen, his expression instantly froze. Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, Abraham Erskine...
His father, his nominal aunt, and the genius scientist who created Captain America.
"After the war, the Strategic Scientific Reserve was reorganized and merged with the Office of Strategic Services and other departments to form the Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack, and Logistics Agency, dedicated to addressing global threats and maintaining world peace and security."
The screen showed photos of Howard and Peggy standing side-by-side, with the emblem of an eagle and a shield behind them.
Tony's frivolous demeanor vanished without a trace. He slowly walked up to the screen, reaching out as if to touch his father's young, handsome face in the photo.
"Old Man, and Aunt Peggy," he murmured, his voice laced with complex emotions—shock, confusion, and a faint hint of loss.
"They were the founders of this organization? Why did they never mention it to me?"
"Perhaps because you were still in diapers then, and your only thought was how to steal candy from the jar," Henry walked up to him, patting his shoulder, his tone less cutting and more comforting.
"And you think that's the end of it? The real bombshell is coming."
He pointed to another man on the screen, wearing a Stars and Stripes uniform and holding a circular shield.
Reborn Into Marvel: "The first and most successful project of this organization was the Super-Soldier Program. And their ace agent is this Captain America, Steve Rogers. A living legend, an old popsicle who was frozen for seventy years."
Tony looked at the fair-haired, blue-eyed man with a righteous face on the screen, and then at his spirited father beside him, remaining silent for a long time. He had always thought he understood his father well. But now he realized that what he knew was only the tip of the iceberg.
Henry looked at him, sighing inwardly. He wouldn't mention the past, but since returning from Afghanistan, Tony seemed unchanged. There was no look of profound realization on his face. The kidnapping seemed not to have affected him.
But Henry understood that Tony must be keeping this incident in mind—the closing of the weapons division, the rescue of Ethan, and the serum research. If Henry had mentioned the Super-Soldier Serum before, Tony wouldn't have cared.
He would have arrogantly stated that the great Tony Stark didn't need that muscle-building drink. But now, he seemed to have matured. However, Henry thought the maturity was minimal; with his little Superman brother, Tony's sense of security was maximized! There was no room for excessive anxiety!
"Of course, this so-called Strategic Scientific Reserve also did one incredibly stupid thing besides handling some normal affairs," Henry took a sip of his drink, his tone turning to mockery.
"They absorbed many surrendered German scientists, under the guise of 'Operation Paperclip,' to fight the Soviet Union, which is understandable. But the problem is, those scientists included Red Skull's chief scientist, Arnim Zola."
"So?" Tony frowned, sensing that something was wrong.
"So?" Henry laughed exaggeratedly.
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If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
p-atreon.com/Heroicverse