『Agent』: Nick Fury took a box and went back to his office.
『Alexander Pierce』: You're saying Nick Fury brought a box… and it belonged to Howard Stark?
『Agent』: Yes.
『Alexander Pierce』: What's there to report about that?
『Agent』: He might be trying to win Tony Stark's favor by giving it to him.
Pierce frowned in displeasure. Clearly, he wasn't happy with his Agent's report.
After all, they were Hydra agents embedded inside S.H.I.E.L.D. They had to be cautious, or else they might expose themselves to Nick Fury, who was always suspicious.
Now, as the head of Hydra's operations inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce had even climbed up to become a high-ranking member of the World Security Council.
Once his plan succeeded, Hydra would be unstoppable.
『Agent』: But... Tony Stark hasn't shown up at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Nick Fury just took Howard Stark's box and went back to his office. There's no sign of the Iron Man suit around either.
『Alexander Pierce』: ...That is strange.
He nodded slightly, deep in thought.
『Alexander Pierce』: But it doesn't prove anything yet. Maybe he's planning to contact Stark soon. Stay alert and report to me immediately if anything happens.
『Agent』: Understood.
Pierce ended the communication and stared at the screen in front of him.
On the screen was Carl's profile—and a video of him flying alongside Tony Stark.
『Alexander Pierce』: Superman and Iron Man, huh... Without the suit, Stark is just a regular man. The Winter Soldier could easily take him out.
『Alexander Pierce』: Superman is the real problem. He might interfere with my plans.
『Alexander Pierce』: But… Superman killed a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. That means he and Nick Fury are likely enemies. Maybe I can draw him over to our side.
『Alexander Pierce』: If we could get our hands on Superman's genes… we might be able to create something incredible.
He smirked.
『Alexander Pierce』: Maybe his arrival isn't such a bad thing after all.
...
After retrieving Howard Stark's belongings, Carl didn't go straight to Tony.
Instead, he returned home to check on Zhao Helen.
She was still asleep.
Using his super vision, Carl looked for Tony.
He wanted to make sure he wouldn't be interrupting anything private—Tony and Pepper had been together earlier.
If he barged in during an intimate moment, it'd be pretty awkward.
Soon, he found Tony inside a luxurious villa, busy working on something.
『Carl』: Good, now's a decent time.
...
Malibu Beach
Tony Stark sat in his villa, frowning at the data in front of him.
Palladium poisoning.
His blood's palladium toxicity had reached 10%.
Since building the miniature arc reactor, a lot of time had passed. And he hadn't been resting much—he'd been running his company and occasionally fighting crime in his suit.
While it wasn't as severe as during the events of Iron Man 2, symptoms had started showing.
JARVIS had warned him about it recently.
So Tony had been searching for a replacement element.
After all, the arc reactor required palladium to function. But prolonged use was poisoning him.
If he stopped using it, the shrapnel near his heart would kill him.
It was an ironic dilemma.
He had tried numerous rare elements, but none could replace palladium.
If he couldn't find a solution, he would eventually die from the poisoning.
That's also why he'd taken Pepper out earlier—to forget about it for a while.
『Tony』: Let's continue the experiment, JARVIS. What's next on the list?
『JARVIS』: Platinum and rhodium.
『Tony』: Alright, let's test them both.
『JARVIS』: Understood, sir.
Tony watched the simulation with hopeful eyes.
Moments later, it stopped.
『JARVIS』: I'm sorry, sir. Neither element is viable.
『Tony』: ...Oh. Figures.
He sighed. Though disappointed, he'd grown used to failed attempts.
Just then—
『Carl』: Looks like I came at just the right time.
『Tony』: ???
Tony looked up in surprise and spotted Carl standing not far from him.
His gloomy expression lifted instantly.
『Tony』: Mr. Superman?
He casually dismissed the holographic screen and walked over.
『Tony』: What brings you here today? Weren't you spending time with your girlfriend?
『Carl』: Nothing special. Just thought you looked like you could use a pick-me-up.
『Tony』: A gift?
『Carl』: Yeah, this.
He handed over a suitcase.
『Tony』: What's this…?
Tony instinctively asked, but when he saw the label—
Property of Howard Stark—
He was speechless.
『Carl』: This should be something your father left for you. There's a new element in there that you need.
『Tony』: Something I need?
『Carl』: A replacement for palladium.
Tony froze, stunned.
How did Carl even know about the palladium issue?
『Carl』: Hey, I didn't go out of my way for nothing. I brought you a gift—I expect something in return.
『Carl』: Last time I was at your place, I saw a few bottles of '45 Romanée-Conti in your cellar. I'll help myself.
『Tony』: That stuff goes for hundreds of thousands per bottle!
『Carl』: Trust me—it's worth the trade. You go study that box. I'm off.
And with that, Carl vanished.
End of chapter...
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