The dust kicked up by the rolling shutter door was still lingering in the air.
Tony Stark stood in the doorway, lifting his foot to look at a patch of unidentified black oil stain stuck to his leather shoe.
"Excellent!"
He smeared the oil stain on the cement block next to him.
"I got kicked out by a violent thug dressed in a Halloween discount costume... JARVIS, write down these coordinates! I'm buying this damn land and turning it into the biggest public restroom in New York, open 24/7 and free!"
"Don't waste your energy, Stark."
Steve Rogers stood a few meters away, still gripping the shield tightly in his hand.
What do you know?
Tony didn't even look up, continuing to struggle with the stain.
"This is a matter of dignity! Being thrown out like trash by a tasteless lunatic is one thing, but coming home reeking of cheap engine oil is quite another! This concerns Stark Industries ' brand image!"
Steve sighed and turned his gaze to the desolate industrial ruins.
Apart from rusty containers and overgrown railway tracks, there wasn't a soul in sight.
Where are we?
"I don't know," Tony finally gave up the fight with the shoes, his voice weak and sarcastic.
"Perhaps it's some kind of entrance to hell, Number Three? After all, those two freaks in insect shells looked a lot like demons collecting tickets at the gates of hell."
Tony finally gave up on cleaning and reached into the tattered suit pocket to pull out a cell phone with a cracked screen.
" JARVIS, is he still alive?"
"Sir, if you mean my core program, then yes, I'm still there."
JARVIS's voice came through the phone's speaker.
"However, I must remind you that, according to the last vital signs data transmitted back from Mark III, you have at least two fractures in your ribs, accompanied by minor internal bleeding. I strongly advise you to stop any form of strenuous exercise and emotional fluctuations."
"Locate our position, then call a car. No, call a plane." Tony leaned against a concrete block, wincing in pain. "Preferably one with leather seats and chilled whiskey."
"Coordinates locked. Mr. Stark Industries ' emergency response convoy is on its way and expected to arrive in fifteen minutes."
Three minutes later, instead of Stark Industries personnel, a dark gray fighter jet pierced the clouds and hovered above the two men.
The hatch opened, and fully armed special forces soldiers slid down the ropes and quickly established a perimeter.
Tony, seeing the professional setup, raised his hand to shield his face, squinting as the wind blew. He then rolled his eyes and gave Steve a sidelong glance.
"Looks like your taxi has arrived."
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, the Triskelion.
The two were taken directly to the medical wing.
After rudely refusing the hospital gown with the S.H.I.E.L.D.. logo, Tony changed into a spare suit that he somehow found.
His pale face and bruises made him look like a gambler still hungover.
Steve, on the other hand, didn't care much about such details; he simply wore a black S.H.I.E.L.D.. jacket over his tattered suit.
"It seems the Jacksonville sun isn't quite right for a vacation for the two of you."
In the director's office, Nick Fury's one eye swept over the two men, his tone so flat it revealed no emotion.
"Half a block, a prototype, plus severance pay for several S.H.I.E.L.D.. agents. Stark, tell me, is this a good deal?"
"First of all, I'm not your person; you're targeting the wrong person with your temper."
Tony found a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and tried to maintain his precarious sense of superiority.
"And that green freak cheated; he took drugs."
"That's Bucky," Steve corrected, his voice deep. "He's been modified."
"We all know that's Sergeant Barnes, but S.H.I.E.L.D.. is more concerned about another uninvited guest. According to the agents on site, the one who carried you two out like chicks was an unidentified black creature?"
"Just a madman who's obsessed with being a superhero."
Tony answered first, his tone full of disdain.
"Calling himself ' Kamen Rider,' what a terribly tacky name! And he even started some kind of ' Anti-Shocker Alliance,' I bet he's the only member, with a few sewer cockroaches as backup."
" The Anti-Shocker Alliance?" Fury frowned. "Tell me more about it."
Steve stepped forward, his expression serious. "He claims to be a failed experiment by Shocker, an Avengers who crawled back from hell. He possesses similar physical attributes and fighting skills to Bucky. His hatred for Shocker... is pure."
Tony gave a cold laugh.
"To put it bluntly, he's a serial killer. The only difference between him and Barnes is that one wears green and the other wears black. They might even be able to form a red and yellow team and debut as a weirdo squad. Fury, if you want my advice, put both of them on the highest level of the wanted list. I'm going back now to build a giant machine and blast them both into cosmic dust!"
" Stark!"
Steve turned his head, his eyes blazing with anger.
"That guy saved us! And Bucky is a victim; we need to help him regain his senses, not use him as a target!"
Tony slapped the armrest and tried to stand up, but the pain in his ribs made him groan and fall heavily back into the chair.
"Wake up, you old fogey! Your brain, dormant for seventy years, needs an update! Your best buddy is long dead! Dead on that damned train seventy years ago! Now, that body is just a programmed killing machine!"
He's not dead!
"He killed my parents! How do you want that debt settled?!"
Tony's roar echoed in the empty office.
"Have you forgotten, Howard! That friend you're talking about, he was killed by you, the 'victim'..."
"Enough!"
Fury slammed his hand on the table.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D..'s command center, not a marketplace for you to argue!"
"I don't care about your personal grudges, or whether Barnes was a war hero before. The fact is, Shocker has a technology that can turn people into weapons of mass destruction, and they're mass-producing them."
"As for this ' Kamen Rider,' since he's Shocker's enemy, he's a resource we can utilize. Rogers, I need you to find him, find out his background, and if we can cooperate, that would be best; if not..."
Fury paused.
"Then assess his threat level."
The commands are clear and direct.
Tony Stark snorted coldly, struggled to his feet, and slammed the door shut as he left without looking back.
Only Steve and Fury remained in the office.
Watching Tony leave, Steve looked weary. He muttered, "He was blinded by hatred."
"And you, Captain?" Fury sat back in his chair, his body sinking into Shadow, with only his single eye shining in the darkness.
"When you face him again, can you really bring yourself to harm your former comrade?"