บท 195: Chapter 195: The Butterfly Effect of a Phone Number
Hearing Bucky's words, Tony Stark's expression changed slightly, but he still glared angrily at Bucky. After all, the vengeance for a father's death couldn't be dissipated just by a few words from Bucky.
"I'm not asking for your forgiveness," Bucky said, shaking his head sadly. "I just hope you'll give me a chance to defeat HYDRA first, then you can seek revenge on me... If I die at HYDRA's hands, or if they control me again, I hope you'll continue to fight HYDRA for your father's sake and kill the controlled me."
"Steve… with Saiyan's help, you won't be controlled again. Together, we'll destroy HYDRA!" Steve sighed, trying to comfort Bucky. "Tell us more about Howard. Let's analyze this together…"
"When I saw Tony's mother, she had no reaction, as if she were a puppet without consciousness," Bucky continued, looking at the silent Tony. "Moreover, she was the first to die by my hand, but Howard didn't seem angry. It's impossible that he didn't care about his wife's death, even if their relationship was strained..."
"That's impossible! Their relationship was very good!" Tony interrupted Bucky fiercely. He was well aware of his father's flirtatious history, but after marriage, Howard was a good man, at least by American standards.
"So there really is a problem?" Although Tony didn't fully believe Bucky, there was something fishy if Bucky wasn't lying. If HYDRA really wanted to kill the Starks, they would surely leave some traces. However, until today, Howard and his wife were still just missing…
"Do you have any video footage of your mission, or of their bodies disappearing?" Tony asked, regaining his composure.
"I don't have any, but HYDRA should. Many missions are archived," Bucky replied solemnly. "But we didn't find anything in the last HYDRA base we raided. We might need to find another base. That's why I hope you'll give me a chance…"
"It's not about giving you a chance. I want to know the truth. If you did kill them, I won't let you off!" Tony said, looking deeply at Bucky.
"Then implant a bomb in this metal arm, so I can feel a bit better about this..." Bucky suggested hesitantly, looking at his mechanical arm.
"Bucky!" Steve frowned, objecting instinctively.
"You think I'm like those heartless HYDRA agents?" Tony snorted, slightly annoyed. Although he had thought about it, it was just a fleeting idea.
"We better not disturb you any longer," Steve sighed, addressing Tony. "I also feel responsible for Howard's fate. Carter and I should have kept a better eye on him. HYDRA's resurgence is our oversight."
"You don't need to take responsibility. You had no obligation to look after him. As for HYDRA, who could have predicted they'd rise again?" Tony's tone softened slightly towards Steve, unable to be harsh with an elderly-looking Steve.
"Stay here and heal. We need to find HYDRA, and they might target you too. Are you planning to leave just like that? And give me Saiyan's contact. I might need help if I face danger..."
"You don't have his contact?" Steve asked his great-nephew hesitantly, sensing the real reason behind Tony's invitation.
"Yeah, I've encountered him several times, but he always flies off after resolving things. I even put a bounty on his information, but no luck getting his contact..." Tony explained, shrugging.
"HYDRA targeted Howard, so they might target me. It's reasonable to have a backup, right?"
Steve remained silent for a moment before responding, "I'll need to talk to him."
"I don't think he'll mind!" Tony hurriedly added.
"No eavesdropping. You won't be able to," Steve said firmly, contacting Robert.
Robert had no objections as he was also tracking HYDRA. He warned that if Tony tried anything funny, he'd deal with him directly – Tony was much easier to find.
Tony's first action upon receiving Robert's number was to help cover Robert's identity, not wanting to betray Steve and Robert's trust. After all, Tony wanted to contact Robert for assistance in extraordinary events, knowing he'd be safe as long as he didn't provoke Robert.
However, Tony didn't expect to find no information on Robert's real identity, quickly realizing someone was intentionally hiding Robert's details. "So, I still don't know his real name?" Tony wondered, surprised, before deciding to reinforce the cover for Robert's identity.
"Master Wayne, someone tried to hack Robert's identity information, gave up halfway, and then covered his tracks again," Alfred reported to Batman in Gotham City.
"Can you identify them?" Batman asked.
"We can't. The hacker had high security, and with their intervention, we've lost track of all other information about Robert," Alfred replied.
"Then let it be. I have backups of the information we had before. Right now, the priority is dealing with the Joker and his army of shadow warriors," Batman said, weary from his long battle of wits with the Joker.
"Should we contact Robert? Gotham can't go on like this," Alfred suggested.
"I'll consider it," Batman replied, his gaze flickering. He was more open to outside help after the long stalemate but felt he needed some leverage over Robert before inviting him to Gotham.
...
Meanwhile, Robert, unaware of the ripples caused by sharing his number, returned to the Kent farm area but didn't go home due to his injuries from the explosion. He wondered why Clark hadn't returned either – surely Superman didn't have to be on duty 24/7?
"Robert! Why are you injured again?!" Kara flew in, concerned, asking Robert. "Did you face a powerful opponent?"
"It was okay, not too tough, just a bit troublesome," Robert replied, giving an objective assessment.
Kara, knowing Robert's capabilities, doubted his understatement. "He must be comforting me. He's afraid I'll worry..."
"Why are you so injured if they were just average?" Kara pressed.
"They weren't strong, but they self-destructed. Not just him, but twelve talismans too. Oh, and Steve got a part of the Pig Talisman's power. What about Barry Allen and the others?"
"They said they felt changes and wanted to show me, but I came back first after seeing you hurt," Kara replied. She had been eager to see their enhanced powers, but her concern for Robert took precedence.
Meanwhile, in the Kent farm, Robert pondered why Clark hadn't come home yet. Could Superman really be out on duty around the clock?
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