"So, have you decided?"
Inside the Dark Avengers Base.
Nick Fury asked Howard, who was standing in front of the Control Console.
"What?"
Hearing the voice from behind him, Howard stared intently at the screen on the Control Console, replying without turning his head.
"Jacques's funeral."
Swordsman Jacques Duquesne, a member of the Dark Avengers, and one of their fallen members from the previous battle.
"Clint is very sad."
Within the team, the relationship between Hawkeye and Swordsman was the most complex. The two had worked together, and in a sense, Jacques was Clint's mentor, teaching him combat techniques.
It was precisely because of this that Swordsman's death hit Clint particularly hard.
"..."
In front of the Control Console, Howard remained silent for a few seconds before finally replying in a hoarse voice.
"Please put a bouquet of flowers on his grave for me."
"You're too closed off, Howard."
Nick Fury wasn't too surprised by Howard's response. He merely gazed at the other with his only intact eye and said, "Perhaps you could try to come out a bit, after all..."
"I know what I'm doing."
Interrupting Nick Fury's comfort, Howard responded in a cold tone.
"Alright, I understand."
Seeing Howard's resolute attitude, Nick Fury said no more. He shook his head, sighed quietly, and turned to leave the Base.
With Nick Fury's departure, the entire Base hall returned to silence.
In the silence, Howard, standing in front of the Control Console, raised his right hand and slid it across the screen a few times.
"What are you doing, Dad?"
"Making a key that can lead to the future."
"For whom?"
"You..."
Inside the empty Base, a tender voice echoed. Howard stood in front of the Control Console, gazing at the footage playing before him, the mechanical eyes in his eye sockets flickering with a faint blue light.
...
Hydra Building.
"Helmut!"
Hank Pym arrived at Helmut's office.
"Is there something you need?"
Helmut pressed the screen in front of him, then looked up at his uninvited guest, asking calmly.
"Dr. Hank Pym?"
Placing the documents he held onto the desk, Pym stared into Helmut's eyes and questioned him.
"Why did you activate Ultron without notifying me?"
Helmut glanced down at the documents Dr. Pym had presented, then corrected him expressionlessly.
"First, Ultron does not belong to you, Dr. Hank Pym. It is a product of HYDRA Biotech, and HYDRA possesses its full usage rights."
"Furthermore, next time you come in, I hope you'll knock first."
Helmut gestured to his secretary to close the office door, then said to Dr. Pym.
"Without the Brainwave Pattern I designed, you wouldn't have been able to create Ultron at all."
Hearing Helmut's cold response, the anger in Dr. Pym's eyes intensified.
"I admit that your role in the Ultron project, Doctor, was crucial and you held an absolutely dominant position. However, this does not mean that Hydra must obtain your consent for the use of Ultron."
"Use? All I see is you destroying Ultron in the most idiotic way!"
"Perhaps this means Ultron isn't perfect yet, Dr. Pym."
Helmut said slowly, looking at the latest data on Ultron's damage on the desk.
"Perhaps this will be your next research direction: how to make Ultron's Brainwave Pattern more advanced and complete... What Hydra desires is a perfect combat robot, not scrap metal that can be destroyed by a single enemy attack."
Shaking his head, Hank Pym placed his hands on the desk and looked down at Helmut, enunciating each word.
"Do you really think I'll continue researching for you after something like this happens?"
Helmut met Hank Pym's gaze and said expressionlessly.
"I think you have no choice, Dr. Hank Pym."
Hearing the hint of threat in Helmut's words, Hank's fingers on the desk instinctively clenched.
If he could, he truly wanted to grab the other's head and smash it onto the desk.
However, thinking of his current predicament, Hank Pym had to suppress his inner rage. He took a deep breath, released his hands from the desk, and said,
"I understand."
...
"My apologies..."
In the office, looking at Hank Pym's retreating back.
"I didn't expect him to burst in like that. It was my oversight."
Helmut reached out and flipped the screen on the desk back over, speaking to the face on the display.
"I don't want this to happen again."
A figure in military uniform with greying hair appeared on the screen. His eyes were sunken, and his gaunt face exuded a gloomy feeling.
"It was just an accident."
Explaining the situation in the office, Helmut then changed the subject, leading it back to the original content: "We have discovered traces of The Resistants. According to the footage recorded before Ultron was damaged, the attack was carried out by an Iron Avenger, and we also found arrow fragments left by Hawkeye at the scene..."
"The Resistants' problem will be handled by the Thunderbolts."
Interrupting Helmut, the figure on the screen pressed on, "What's the progress on the matter I assigned you earlier?"
Interrupted, Helmut's lips twitched unnaturally. "We've made some progress. The Hyde Formula is indeed helpful for the research, but our researchers haven't been able to fully decipher the formula's contents. Clearly, Mister Hyde hasn't handed over the complete formula..."
"Calvin will not hand over the complete Hyde Formula. That was one of the conditions for him joining the Thunderbolts, and he is currently very important in our operations."
The figure on the screen frowned and replied.
"In fact, even if we decipher the complete formula, we won't be able to replicate it for the Serum experiment. The two are ultimately different research results. The Hyde Formula can only serve as a reference for the Serum experiment, helping us to better understand the Serum's formula, the changes it causes in the human body, and methods to combine the two."
Helmut continued his report calmly, undeterred by the figure's refusal on the screen.
"I have already extended invitations to renowned physicists under Hydra's name, and I am awaiting their response."
"Who is it?"
"Dr. Bruce Banner."
(end of chapter)