Chapter 38: CHAPTER 38: THE FIRST TO RISE

HOWARD STARK POV:

I grew up poor, my father sold fruit while my mother sewed shirtwaists. I didn't want that life, I wanted to achieve something greater, something meaningful. So, I studied, as I was in school I soon realized that I was gifted with a genius mind. When I grew older I decided to make a company, a company that showed the world how smart I am, Stark Industries. People called me egotistical back then.

Due to my mind, I was called in by the US government to participate and assist a fellow scientist in what was later called Project Rebirth. In this project, I met a man, Steve Rogers. He was so full of patriotism back then. Till the very moment of his death, he died a hero. What he did made me respect him, and due to this, I decided to spearhead building an organization that would protect the American people. With a group of like-minded individuals, we were able to transform SSR into a global intelligence agency, S.H.I.E.L.D.

As an American, S.H.I.E.L.D. made me proud but as an inventor, there was sadness in my heart. Sadness not due to my mistake but the current generation. To live in an era, where my inventions would always struggle to be produced due to their limitations.

Then my son was born, a son that could inherit my legacy, a son who was more brilliant than me. I was incredibly happy, so I push him to do better. I wanted him to surpass me in every way.

At the moment of my death, all I could think about was my son. A son who perhaps only remembers me as an overbearing father, Tony.

'Forgive me for my failure', that was my last thought as I died.

................................................

"Welcome back to the land of the living Mr.Stark", a voice said to me.

That was the first thing I heard as life seem to return to me.

"Land of the living, what are you talking about?" I said in confusion.

I look at the young man in front of me, that was a friend of my son. He had a smile on his face, this confuses me greatly.

I glance at the surroundings, all I could see were stone walls, these walls had marking written on them, somehow these markings were able to produce light from them.

"This is not a hospital, where am I, Ethan?" I asked Ethan.

"You died, Mister…no…I think I'll call you Howard from now on..", Ethan responded.

"Died, what are you talking about?", I said. I was now more confused than ever, I didn't even bother in his comment about how he changes the way he addresses me.

"Look at yourself, Howard. Look at your body", Ethan said plainly.

I look at my arm first, afterward I tore off my clothes and for a brief moment, I stared at my now ashlike and dustlike flesh.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!!? WHERE AM I??!" I said to Ethan now with anger in my voice. The fear of not knowing what was going on was nerve-wracking.

"I said it like twice already, this will be the third time. You died Howard, I brought you back from the dead", Ethan said with a hint of happiness in his voice.

"That's impossible! No one can do that", I said to him. All my life I believed in science, believing in something impossible would go against that belief.

"Yet here you are. A living corpse back in the land of the living",

"Impossible, Impossible, Impossible. You did something to me!", I replied with anger.

"This is getting annoying, Ethan said to me.

I wanted to say something to him, to scream my disbelief in front of his face, to scold him in the stupidity he was talking about, but before I could say anything he began walking to the side walls all up to the ceiling and said, "This world, no this Universe has so many mysteries we can't even fathom. It is up to you to believe that some things that are taught to be impossible are actually probable".

I stared at him for a while. The man in front of me was walking upside down. Multiple reasons flash in my head, anything that will help me rationalize what I  was seeing.

I broke the silence and said to Ethan, "What do you mean a living corpse?".

The very moment I finish asking my question, something came out of Ethan's mouth, a huge fireball. It was aimed at me, I could feel the heat of the fire as it went near me, and eventually engulf me, as I scream.

At that moment I thought I died but my body was slowly being formed again.

'This can't be real?' I thought.

"See, in a word you are similar to an undead. Like those in fiction, unkillable and inexhaustible" Ethan said to me plainly.

"Why? What about Maria?", I asked with concern.

"For your first question, I brought you back due to your mind. As for your second question, I did not revive Maria, she is not useful for me but that can be discussed in the future. Anyway, what is the last thing you remember?" Ethan asked.

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"Maria and I were going to the Bahamas to have our vacation but we needed to drop something off at the pentagon. I…I…think I saw Sgt. Barnes…" I said.

"You did, Sgt. Barnes or as he is referred to now as the Winter Soldier was sent to kill you and retrieve the package that you were delivering to the pentagon. The five packs of super-soldier serum", Ethan said.

"How?!.. How do you know that? How did Barnes survive the war? How did he not age? Why----"

Before I could finish my sentence, my mouth suddenly closed on its own. I tried to speak but my mouth won't open. Then I look at Ethan and thought 'he can control me?', fear suddenly crawled into my entire body. Realizing that if this man can revive me, what's stopping him from being able to control me.

"Okay, Okay. You know what I'll just explain. Barnes was said to have died during a mission with the howling commandos but he survived that. Do you remember a time when he was said to be captured but Captain America save him?" Ethan asked me.

"Yes, for a time in the war Captain Rogers was worried about his best friend. He personally led his rescue", I said to Ethan, as I try to calm myself down from the knowledge that someone is able to control me.

"During that time he was experimented by Arnim Zola. Zola wanted to recreate the super-soldier serum but he was only able to make an inferior version of it. That inferior version was still enough to save his life, though", Ethan said.

"But if he survived why did he not return?"

"He could not. After his captors caught him, they brainwashed him" Ethan said.

"Who were his captors?" I asked him.

"Are you familiar with Operation Paperclip?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, it was a way for the US to pardon all the German scientist in exchange for working for us"

"Two words for you Howard, that was a BIG MISTAKE", Ethan said to me.

'Big mistake, why would it be a big mistake?', I thought.

I began to think about what Ethan meant by this, multiple ideas flowed through my brain, then suddenly a realization came.

"No….no….that can be…Everyone was properly screened. It was impossible. Tell me that I'm wrong" I said to Ethan, as fear and worry marks my face.

"HYDRA", Ethan said to me.

"HOW?! WE TOOK OUT THE RED SKULL!! HOW DID THEY SURVIVE?!" I shouted at him.

'I could not believe that the US made such a big mistake, during operation paperclip they took in multiple scientists. Each of these scientists began working in different branches in the US, which means they're everywhere now' I thought to myself.

"Okay, you need to chill, jeez. Use your indoor voice seriously. The Red Skull was just one of their leaders. In fact, even Hitler himself didn't realize that he was being used. I must give HYDRA credit, those fuckers sure can wait. Even now, more than 4 decades after their defeat in world war 2 they are still waiting for the right moment to act. That is discipline and dedication", he said smiling.

Seeing Ethan smile made me mad and I said to him, "This is funny to you! If you knew this information why didn't you tell SHIELD? In fact, we had a few conversations throughout the years, you could have told me!".

"I could, but that would be stupid. Do you even have any clue how deep Hydra's control goes? No, you don't. Trying to tell someone about Hydra is just stupid. That information will eventually lead to them", he said to me.

"Is that the reason why you brought me back, to fight HYDRA?" I asked him.

"Please, Hydra is irrelevant in the grander scale. No, I brought you back for a much bigger threat than hydra"

"What threat?"

"Come with me", Ethan said to me, as he began to lead me out of this underground facility.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ethan said to me, as he looks at the stars. I did the same and just looks at them.

"I brought you back due to what's out there, Howard" Ethan said.

".....Alien life?," I said with doubt in my voice.

"I just brought you back from the dead and you doubt the reality of alien life….hahahahahahahaha" he said and immediately laughing afterward.

"That's funny, you're really—", his laughter was interrupted when the two of us were suddenly wrapped in an orange-like whip.

 

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