A Letter from Father

"Stark, you can't keep going on like this."

Pepper couldn't stand the way Tony Stark, the playboy, had been acting lately.

He'd left the company in her hands, then spent every day out partying. Even his friend, Colonel Rhodey, couldn't stand to watch anymore.

What was wrong with him? Hadn't he promised to turn over a new leaf? Why had he gone back to his old ways?

"Pepper, I'll leave everything to you."

As Tony spoke, he still found time to flirt with the girl beside him. Pepper had finally had enough.

"Here. I found this letter among the things Obadiah left behind. It says you're supposed to open it. Take a look."

When Stark didn't even glance at the letter, Pepper stamped her foot, tossed it onto the table, and turned to leave.

Stark acted as if he hadn't seen a thing, simply raising his glass for another drink with the girl beside him.

Unfortunately, Pepper didn't turn back and come after him. Otherwise, she would've ended up doing her old job again.

After nearly three hours of dalliance, dusk settled in. The girl left Tony's villa with bags in hand, once again leaving him all alone.

He'd had a little too much to drink, and he was feeling pretty worn out, too.

Tony struggled to his feet, intending to go back to his bedroom for a nap. By chance, he spotted the letter. The envelope was addressed to Tony Stark.

"Hmph. Let's see what that bastard Obadiah had to say to me."

They'd known each other for years. Obadiah had been his uncle, and had watched him grow up.

Though Obadiah had wanted him dead so he could seize control of Stark Industries, Obadiah was already dead, and Tony was on a countdown to his own death. What was there left to hold against him?

But when he opened the letter, he was surprised to find it hadn't been written by Obadiah. It was from his father, Howard.

"Tony,

"When you read this letter, it means I'm already dead. I'm leaving it to tell you a great secret about our family."

A secret?

What great secret could the Stark family have that its only remaining member didn't already know?

"Tony, everyone thinks our family grew powerful because I was an exceptionally innovative inventor and entrepreneur.

"During the war, I invented all kinds of munitions and weapons, making a major contribution to the country's military industry. Selling them brought the Stark family a great fortune.

"But have you ever wondered how I was able to invent so many things?"

Tony froze. Was there some other, unknown reason behind it? Hadn't it just been because his father was a genius?

He steeled himself and read on.

"I was able to do what others couldn't because I received a divine gift!"

"Utter nonsense! Obadiah must be slandering him. That bastard wants to smear my father after killing me, then take over Stark Industries!"

Tony cursed furiously. He might have resented his father deep down, but he would never allow anyone to slander him like that.

His father had been a true genius. How could his inventions have come from some unknown deity's gift?

Still, Tony wanted to see what the letter said next.

"The great deity was the unspeakable god Gh'gth. The prophetic book left behind by him revealed the future to me and allowed me to reach the heights I did.

"That book foretold the outbreak of the war, the rise of Hydra, and our victory.

"It even foretold events far in the future: the invasion of the Chaos Legion, the rise of the Elder Powers, the awakening of the Lord, and my death."

At that, Tony's eyes went wide.

If that wretched book had foretold his father's death—and his father had known about it—how had he died? Why hadn't he avoided it?

"Tony, I know you want to ask: if I knew when I would die, why didn't I find a way to avoid it?

"Fate is unknowable. I tried for a time to avoid my death, but in the end, I couldn't escape it. I still died at the hands of Hydra."

Hydra?

How could those Nazi remnants still exist—and how could they have killed his father?

Tony's eyes reddened. He'd always suspected there was more to his parents' deaths. Had it really been true all along?

"Tony, my son, I'm sorry I can't take on everything that will happen in the future for you. My time on the stage has come to an end. In my heart, you've always been the best, and I'm proud of you.

"I wanted to leave that book to you, but fate played a cruel joke on me. It's gone. I don't know who took it.

"Find that book, The Gh'gth Revelations. There may still be hope. You can seek help from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, but remember: only the Director can be trusted."

The letter ended there, but Tony was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face.

His father hadn't been as indifferent to him as he'd seemed. He'd loved him; he just hadn't shown it.

And Tony hadn't noticed.

Now his father was dead. It was too late to say anything.

As for whether the letter was real, Tony thought it probably was. But if The Gh'gth Revelations existed, where could it be?

And why had his father said he could seek help from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division?

There were too many questions.

"Jarvis, look into whether there's any information about the Chaos Legion or the Elder Powers."

Tony thought for a moment, then decided to have Jarvis search for anything related.

"Certainly, sir. Searching the records... The only result matching that information is the Red Hulk incident."

Red Hulk?

What was going on? Wasn't it the Hulk?

Confused, Tony looked over the information Jarvis had found, and his brow furrowed.

The Military had really gone and screwed things up again.

They'd turned the Hulk into the Red Hulk, destroyed a military base, and then taken a group of soldiers with them.

It was obvious this was going to lead to something huge.

This Red Hulk seemed even harder to deal with than the original Hulk. Tony's current armor probably couldn't handle him.

What he couldn't understand was why the Red Hulk had taken those soldiers and planned to form a Chaos Gang.

That made even less sense to Tony. The Red Hulk seemed clearly rational.

If so, why did he think the soldiers would follow him just because he formed a Chaos Gang?

There was too much he didn't know. Tony decided to meet the Red Hulk and see whether he really was connected to some kind of Chaos power. After that, he'd look for The Gh'gth Revelations.