Chapter 11: Family crisis
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Arthur's super senses came in very handy at these times. Even though he was miles away from the Stark home, he could hear their conversations. He spent at least two hours every day listening to them. Even though he knew it was against the principle of privacy, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to be with them on the day of the assassination and he had to do it to save them.
One day, while listening to the Stark household, he witnessed a family drama. Tony and his father Howard were arguing when he heard the voice of Maria trying to calm them down.
Tony: Damn it, Dad, stop treating me like a child. Okay, old man, I've accomplished a lot more than you did in your youth.
Howard: This coming from someone who is still throwing tantrums like a child. What did you beat me at? Getting women into bed? That's what you're wasting your brilliant brain on. You're nothing but a disappointment.
Tony was very angry at his father's words. He had done his best to make him happy when he was young, but he never once received praise. This led to disappointment and the disappointment led to anger towards his father. He looked at his father with eyes full of anger.
Tony: What do you know? When have you been there for my birthday? I know I'm not important for you, but my mom? When did you celebrate your anniversary with my mom? Didn't you ditch her last year?
She worked hard to set a special table for you and you ditched her for a fucking meeting. You may be a successful merchant, but you're a failed father and a failed husband.
Maria: Tony!! Don't keep talking to your father like that. He's a busy man. He works so hard for us. And Howard, don't talk to Tony like that, he's doing his best.
Maria finally had to intervene to put an end to the argument. But Tony didn't back down this time.
I'm tired of you always taking Dad's side, Mom. How many times are you going to ignore the fact that this man is living his own life without caring about his family? I'm so sick of it.
Tony started yelling at his mother too. Eventually, he regretted what he had done, but he didn't back down. He closed the door of the house violently and headed for his late-model car. He thought he never wanted to live in this house again. He quickly got into his car and drove away from the house.
Inside the house, Howard and Maria were frozen in place, and as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew there was truth in her son's words. He was not a workaholic, but he had a lot to do. He led scientific research for the most secretive organization in the world. He worked dozens of hours of overtime to find the strange man who had recently appeared. But he couldn't find the mysterious man who appeared in NY about 6 months ago and then disappeared.
Maria was worried about her husband's health and wanted to comfort him.
Maria: Honey, calm down. Tony is still very young. I'm sure in the future he will realize how hard you are trying. Give him some time. I want him to make his way.
Howard sighed deeply and then began to speak
Howard: I know, but Tony's not helping at all. But there's some truth to what you're saying. I can't remember the last time we took a vacation together. I've done everything I'm supposed to do, and it's time to pass the baton to the younger generation. But I'm gonna do them one last favor. The formula I've been working on for years is complete. When I give it to Keller, I'll have fulfilled my mission. Maria, first thing tomorrow, I'm resigning from all my duties and I want to take a long vacation with you. Start preparing, dear.
Maria's eyes misted up as she heard her husband's words. She hugged him as hard as she could. She felt very happy that her husband had now put aside his work and decided that he wanted to spend the rest of their time together.
As the elderly couple gazed at each other in love, Arthur, witnessing this family drama, realized it was time to assassinate. He's not going to let his presumed future ally Tony Stark experience one of the biggest regrets of his life - not being able to save his family and hug them one last time. In doing so, he also aims to save Sergeant Bucky Barnes, who has been brainwashed by Hydra.
Arthur quickly flew towards his home to make the necessary preparations. He kept his flight distance below 2 meters to avoid being caught by radar. With his super reflexes and perception, he flew without hitting any object and without damaging any other object due to his speed as he turned his energy around himself. Artur practiced a lot for his flight and started to reap the fruits of his labor.
Shortly after arriving at his home, Arthur picked up the mask he had made himself. It was the same mask worn by the lead actor in the movie "V for Vendetta", a movie he had loved in his previous life. Arthur felt a strange sense of excitement as he put this iconic mask on his face.
(Yes, I watched this legendary movie for the hundredth time last night and I'm a bit pumped 😅😅)
After a hearty dinner with his family, Arthur went upstairs to his room. He began to think about what he should do for his plans. (Give me an idea here, please. I could lead him to start a very rich company, or he could go to space with Carol and have new adventures. Or I could update my story so that he can start a small business and live a very modest life. I would be very happy if you let me know which one you prefer the most).
Lost in some thoughts, Arthur finally decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow, he would do one of the most dangerous things in his life. He will face off against a Superhuman and become the enemy of the most dangerous organization in the world. An enemy of Hydra if he wanted to continue his heroic work. Even though he already knew he had to be. He had to be very careful doing it. Even if they didn't pose any danger to him, he would put his family's lives at risk if they discovered his identity. So Hydra wants to do this cleanly, without any evidence. Arthur was busy sorting through his thoughts before handing himself over to Morpheus.
Rising early in the morning, Arthur wasted no time and set off for Los Angeles. When he arrived, Howard and Maria were making final preparations for departure. All day long Maria told the servants at home what to do. She called Tony dozens of times, but he didn't answer his phone, so Arthur waited for the elderly couple to finish their preparations. A few more hours passed and Arthur began to feel even more nervous as he realized that it was getting dark. After a while, Howard put a steel box in the trunk of the car and got in.
Howard pov
I've done everything I could for this country since the beginning of World War II. Sometimes I pushed the limits, but I risked everything to protect innocent people. I worked for years for the "Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate." Ahh, I hate that name.
I'm doing them one last favor and handing them the super soldier serum, the culmination of years of research. the old me would have kept it to myself. but I don't want to have anything to do with this part of the world anymore. I want to live out my last remaining years in peace with my wife Maria. that's why I'm giving this groundbreaking discovery to the organization of which I've been one of the directors since its inception. I drive my car in the dark of night, giving the road my full attention. Maria is asleep in the passenger seat next to me, exhausted from working all morning.
Suddenly a motorcycle passes me at high speed. Tsk these youngsters don't obey any rules. Strangely I think of Tony. I can't help but wonder if it would have been better if I hadn't pushed him so hard. I think of the times when my father abused me when I was young. I think of the times when he slapped my mother and I cried helplessly because I couldn't do anything. I swore then that I would be a great father but I guess I failed.
While Howard was lost in thought, the Winter soldier arrived at the predetermined location and completed his preparations. He got off his engine and positioned himself about 3 meters behind a tree. According to the analysts' psychological reports on Howard Stark, Howard would never drive a car into a human being, and would most likely choose to swerve to the right and hit a tree. Looking ahead with eyes devoid of emotion, the winter soldier had only one thought in his mind - the destruction of targets.
Back to Howard's pov
After a while, the biker stops on the road and looks towards me and I have a strange feeling. At the last moment, I swerve the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting the biker and hitting a tree. Maria, who woke up with the force of the impact, fainted before she could fully understand what had happened. When I noticed the blood oozing from her forehead, I felt all my mental barriers breaking down, the thought of losing the woman who had been by my side for years and who had given me her unconditional love was enough to drive me crazy.
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