"Hmph~."
"Mr. Stark, is there a problem?"
One of Howard Stark's private laboratories in Brooklyn.
This great inventor, with his genius mind, although his greatest passion and source of inspiration was machinery, especially military technology, where countless genius ideas and inventions emerged.
But just like his nephew Tony, who inherited his genius, the future Iron Man, could master thermonuclear physics and astronomy in one night.
Howard also had a wide range of interests, and sometimes had genius ideas for other projects and other branches of science.
And as a top-tier tycoon, he could naturally build private laboratories for various branches of science whenever he thought of it.
Coincidentally, here in Brooklyn, he had a biotechnology laboratory, and there was also a CT machine here.
Although there was also an MRI scanner here, which would have been a better choice, Bucky definitely couldn't use it. That would be equivalent to having Bucky confront Magneto; not to mention his metal Kirin Arm, the mental controller in his brain would directly send his brains flying out.
So Bucky lay on the CT machine, while Howard and Nick Fury were in the control room, looking at Bucky's CT head imaging.
"Look here, this is the hippocampus in the temporal lobe of the brain that I mentioned before. My guess was indeed correct. His hippocampus had been traumatized before, which affected his memory, and in this location, there's also a special miniature device. It looks like it broke along with it…"
Howard's explanation to Nick Fury was confident, but the previous "Hmph~" had been slightly questioning.
After all, Bucky's appearance was too bizarre. Deep down, Howard naturally had a hint of suspicion that Bucky hadn't lost his memory.
But Bucky's consistent performance, from saving his and his wife's lives, to revealing HYDRA's information, to killing the people who ambushed them, and to his cooperation until now, all indicated that Bucky was genuinely sincere in cooperating with him.
So even though he still had too many unanswered questions, various doubts, and conjectures, he was prepared. Even if he found that Bucky's brain was fine, he would still carry out the deception to the end, just to hard-deceive Nick Fury that Bucky's brain had problems, and then tamper with the examination data.
He never expected that after all his planning, when he actually looked at the examination, Bucky's brain really had a problem?
He saw that Bucky's hippocampus had indeed been damaged, but it had recovered as his body healed, though the traces remained. Considering that Bucky had undergone Super Soldier Serum modification, this situation was reasonable.
Moreover, there was a strange device in Bucky's brain. Judging by its position, it should have been used for electroshock to erase memories and for hypnosis. And this device was indeed broken; perhaps it was its malfunction that led to the damage to Bucky's hippocampus.
That's how he and his wife escaped.
So Bucky was telling the truth all along?
Upon reaching this conclusion, Howard didn't feel the shame of a petty person judging a gentleman. He simply trusted Bucky more.
It also truly saved him the trouble of deceiving Nick Fury, and even more so, Alexander Pierce. He could just give them the examination results directly, or even Bucky directly… Oh, no, that wouldn't work, that would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog.
In short, Bucky's situation perfectly aligned with the amnesia story they had discussed, saving Howard a lot of effort.
As for Nick Fury, although he still didn't quite understand the large number of technical terms Howard rattled off, he could understand that "Bucky has complete amnesia."
"So, is there a chance for his memory to recover?"
So Nick Fury skipped the medical discussion part and directly asked the question he cared about most.
Upon hearing this, Howard shook his head with a sigh:
"Normally, if a doctor, he would tell his patient that there is a chance, but it's hard to say, it could be a day, or it could be ten years;
However, Bucky's situation is even more severe than a typical case of hippocampal damage caused by external impact. He suffered direct internal damage. I think he won't even have a ten-year chance."
"Can we think of any methods, such as medication or psychological guidance? Of course, with the purpose of treatment, to help him regain his memory?"
Nick Fury was always particularly keen on secrets. Subconsciously, he felt that some means should be used, such as hypnosis.
"What do you think was used to brainwash Bucky?"
Howard frowned slightly upon hearing this, but only for a moment, then concealed it and continued calmly:
"Bucky's brain cannot withstand any external influence anymore. To be honest, he only lost his memory, and didn't directly become stupid or insane. That's really good luck."
"Sorry, I just wanted to help."
Nick Fury immediately apologized.
"Actually, this might not be a bad thing for him."
Howard indicated he didn't mind, then continued:
"He was controlled and brainwashed by a mysterious organization, driven without his own consciousness. No one knows what he did. Now, he can completely forget everything and form a new consciousness and personality, and it seems it will be a normal, orderly personality. This is not a bad thing for us either."
"What's not a bad thing?"
As the two were talking, Bucky, who had finished his examination, returned.
Howard subtly changed the subject: "Your brain condition doesn't seem to have any problems. It basically won't affect your future actions, but further examinations are still needed."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Bucky, of course, knew he was perfectly fine, but he was still curious about how he appeared in the eyes of outsiders.
Then, Bucky looked at his CT scans and listened to Howard's explanation, feeling a bit strange inside.
The Cyberpunk system really had something. In his own panel, the mental controller was a perfectly intact Network Access Pod.
But in the eyes of outsiders, or rather, in reality, what was detected and observed was still the original broken thing.
Thinking back, the SPT32 Ice Storm sniper rifle he had crafted earlier also had a very cyberpunk, technological feel. What did that look like in Howard's eyes?
What about guns with even more technological flair, that fired auto-tracking bullets, or electromagnetic accelerated bullets?
Bucky speculated that they probably couldn't be seen.
The special qualities of firearms and cybernetic implants all came from the system's abilities, which seemed to be a reality that couldn't be observed by ordinary means.
So, could others use the things he crafted?
Bucky planned to find an opportunity to try it out.
Of course, not now.
Now that Nick Fury had seen enough, at least a plausible and well-substantiated explanation, it was time to send him off.
But there was one more thing.