A cool evening breeze blew through the courtyard.
Maria served Lynn and Howard warm black tea.
"That kid got completely fooled by your few words."
Howard glanced in the direction of the lab and chuckled, but his eyes were filled with the pride that comes with fatherhood.
Lynn picked up his teacup, the steam rising around his eyes and brows.
"A genius always needs an audience who understands him, especially when that audience is the one he has always dreamed of."
Howard smiled, but the smile quickly faded.
He turned his head and looked at the manor he had built with his own hands under the night sky, and suddenly sighed for no reason.
" Lynn, I've been feeling uneasy lately."
His voice was low, carrying a weariness that even he himself was unaware of.
Lynn didn't speak, but quietly sipped her tea, becoming a perfect listener.
"I've started researching serums again."
Howard revealed a secret.
"From Steve's data, and from those posthumous doctoral manuscripts you gave me, I discovered something entirely new."
"Some... more stable, and more powerful potential."
He said this without the excitement one would expect from a genius discovering a new continent; instead, his brow was furrowed.
"But ever since I restarted this project, I've felt... someone is watching me."
"Everywhere."
"My emails, my call logs, even my lab's security logs—there were subtle traces of them being looked through. The methods were clean, as clean as S.H.I.E.L.D.."
A fierce glint flashed in Howard's eyes.
"I suspect there's a spy within S.H.I.E.L.D.. No, not just suspect, I'm certain."
Lynn put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it collided with the saucer.
The Shadow of Hydra has grown so thick that even an outsider like Howard Stark can smell the decay.
"My friends... are almost all dead."
Howard's voice became a little hoarse as he looked at the night sky, as if he were looking at the faces that had passed away.
" Steve, that stubborn Brooklyn kid, a super soldier who died before us, and decades after that."
JARVIS, the old guy who always woke me up from my hangovers and reminded me to shave, passed away last year too.
He stretched out his fingers, as if to touch those non-existent stars.
" Colonel Phillips with old wounds, ultimately succumbed to his injuries."
" Peggy..."
He paused, his tone complex.
"She's my boss now, Director Carter. There are confidentiality agreements and countless reports between us. When we meet, it's always business."
Howard turned his head, and his eyes, which had always shone with wisdom and confidence, now seemed somewhat vulnerable.
He looked at Lynn, a man whose appearance hadn't changed in decades, a man forgotten by time.
"After all is said and done, you're the only true friend I have left, Lynn."
Lynn met his gaze, but said nothing.
Howard suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"I understand, Lynn. I understand you're not a simple person."
I sensed it the moment you appeared near Dr. Erskine.
"You always manage to appear at the most crucial moment, say the most crucial words, and obtain the most crucial things."
"You dare say you didn't tamper with the notes on the Super Soldier Serum?"
Lynn's expression remained unchanged.
Howard waved his hand, as if trying to dispel those pointless memories of the past.
But that doesn't matter anymore.
"I don't care if you've taken advantage of me before, nor do I care what you've done with that technology."
Leaning forward and clasping his hands together, Howard looked intently at Lynn.
" Lynn, I hope you can promise me one thing."
Howard's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
"I can give you the brand-new serum formula I've developed, as well as all the technical data I've collected on the Arc Reactor over the years."
This condition is enough to drive any country or organization in the world crazy.
The Arc Reactor signifies a completely new energy era.
The upgraded Super Soldier Serum could take Dr. Horton's research to the next level.
Lynn remained silent; he simply stared at Howard.
"In addition."
Howard continued to increase his bets.
"I'll return all the shares you gave me before, and..."
"I'm giving you 4% of my shares in Stark Industries, plus your previous 1%, so starting tomorrow you'll be the largest shareholder in Stark Industries besides me."
From 1% to 5%.
This is not just a leap in numbers.
This means that Lynn now has a real say in this military giant that will influence the entire world order in the future.
"What are the conditions, Howard?"
" Tony."
Howard uttered the name.
"I worry that after I die, given Tony's personality, no one in this world will be able to keep an eye on him, and no one will genuinely care about him."
" Obadiah is a great business partner, but he's a businessman first and foremost."
" Peggy... she has her own position and responsibilities, S.H.I.E.L.D.. already has enough to worry about for her."
"The military's wolves will only see Tony as another version of me to exploit, and they'll even destroy him because of his rebellious nature."
"I beg you, Lynn."
He used the word "request".
"If one day, Tony encounters a real, potentially fatal, life-or-death crisis..."
"I hope you can do me a favor, for the sake of our already dwindling friendship..."
"Help him this once."
"Let him live."
This is Howard Stark.
A genius who senses his twilight years is paving the final path for his sole heir.
He used the most brilliant fruits of his life's wisdom to exchange for a seemingly empty promise.
He was betting on Lynn's humanity.
Even though he knew the man before him was colder than an iceberg.
Lynn remained silent for a long time.
He looked at the bloodshot in Howard's eyes, at the new gray hairs at the man's temples, and at the most genuine fatherly love hidden beneath his proud exterior.
Finally, Lynn slowly nodded.
"Good."
He only said one word.
There were no grand promises, no empty words of comfort.
It's just one word.
But Howard's tense shoulders completely relaxed when he heard that word.
"Thanks."
Lynn picked up the slightly cooled black tea and drank it all in one gulp.
He accepted the task.
They also accepted the bargaining chip that could change the course of the future.
Howard's life is now on a countdown.
That death wagon, which came from S.H.I.E.L.D.. but actually belonged to Hydra, would soon come to a stop on that country road on December 16, 1991.
And in the future, he will rightfully appear beside that young genius who has lost his parents and is coveted by the whole world, in the dual roles of "godfather" and "guardian".
Guide him, shape him.
There are no losers in this deal.
However, history will pay the price.