A few weeks after his hospitalization, 'Howard' suffered another medical emergency and was rushed to the ER, but the doctors couldn't save him.
News of Howard Stark's death spread across the world. A titan of industry who had shaped the century had passed away.
Maria and Tony held a funeral with tearful eyes to honor Howard's memory.
Many attended the service, including Stark Industries executives and directors, as well as friends of Howard and Maria.
Everyone appeared deeply saddened. As Marcus was laying flowers at the casket, he spotted a familiar face.
"Isn't that Pierce? And who's that man next to him?"
Marcus was curious about Pierce's companion—someone he'd never seen before.
His curiosity didn't extend to actually speaking with Pierce, however.
After the service, Howard's casket was lowered into the ground as the mourners looked on.
Pierce approached Maria with a sorrowful expression. "Howard's death is truly a loss to the world."
"If it weren't for those attacks, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..." Maria sobbed.
The performances impressed Marcus. Pierce was a veteran agent whose acting skills were to be expected, but Maria's ability to appear so genuinely grief-stricken surprised him.
As for Tony standing beside his mother, he was sobbing uncontrollably, his eyes red and swollen.
"Poor guy," Marcus sighed to himself. "It's rough being deceived by your own father."
Tony had no knowledge of Howard's deception and was expressing genuine grief.
Six months after Howard's passing, Maria also "died," reportedly from excessive grief.
This time Tony was even more devastated. In just half a year, he'd lost both parents and felt completely alone.
Unable to bear the constant reminders of his parents, Tony never returned to the farm and left Bucky in charge of managing the property.
What Tony didn't know was that beneath the farm lay a massive underground space where Howard and Maria were living.
The couple who had staged their deaths were extremely cautious, continuing their lives in the hidden facility beneath the farm.
"Are you really not going to tell Tony? That kid was completely fooled!"
Marcus sat in the underground bunker, watching the couple as they cheerfully went about their business.
"Not yet," Howard smiled, shaking his head. "Tony needs to maintain his current state. We have to divert Hydra's attention."
"Fine, it's your family business. But I should remind you that at your age, you might not survive until Hydra is finally destroyed."
This was Marcus's genuine concern. The couple were ordinary humans whose bodies wouldn't last forever.
If Tony wasn't told the truth soon, they might truly be separated permanently.
"Haha, don't worry about that! I've prepared for that possibility."
Howard had used Kree technology to improve his restored super soldier serum. Though it no longer significantly enhanced physical abilities, it could extend human lifespan. Howard called it his "life serum."
The equipment beside him was prepared for injecting this serum. Once administered, Howard would have plenty of time to investigate Hydra.
Seeing Howard's confidence, Marcus stopped trying to persuade him. Howard clearly had everything planned out.
Driving his pickup truck through the city, Marcus was planning to buy some necessities. The farm's supplies were running low.
Suddenly, several police cars with blaring sirens appeared at the intersection ahead. Curious, he followed them.
The police cars didn't go far, stopping beside a Best Buy video store.
"Oh!" Marcus raised his eyebrows. "This might be interesting."
The store was smashed and tattered, looking like it had just been robbed.
"What kind of idiot would rob a video store?"
Marcus had seen plenty of robbery footage, but those typically involved banks or jewelry stores. This was the first time he'd heard of someone hitting a video store.
What could they possibly be after? Pirated DVDs?
Sitting in his truck watching the police response, Marcus observed officers exiting their vehicles to investigate the store.
From one of the cars emerged a familiar figure.
"That guy... isn't he the one who was with Pierce at Howard's funeral?"
Looking at the man in a suit, Marcus's interest grew.
A kind-looking detective walked over to a car parked in front of the video store, asked something, then abruptly walked away with the Black man.
Following their path, Marcus spotted a phone booth where a woman was standing.
"That's..." Marcus thought deeply. "Kree? Yes, that's definitely a Kree combat suit."
It had been several years since he'd seen Kree battle gear, and he'd almost forgotten what it looked like.
Stroking his chin, Marcus smiled.
"Looks like the Kree are back. This time, they definitely won't be returning home." He shifted his focus back to the woman. "Could that be Carol, that troublemaker?"
Thinking about the plane engine that Carol had destroyed, Marcus felt a twinge of annoyance. That engine could have yielded a significant amount of Aya Stars, but it had been wasted.
The distance was too great to make out her features, and the plastic walls of the phone booth obscured his view, so he decided to step out of his truck and move closer.
Tap tap tap
The man in the suit knocked on the phone booth, and the woman turned to look at him.
"Hello, miss. Have you seen a woman falling from the sky? She smashed through the roof of that video store. Witnesses said she was dressed like a video game character."
Obviously, the man was talking about her.
But the woman glanced around casually and pointed in a random direction.
"Yes, I saw her. She went that way!"
The exchange made Marcus chuckle. One was asking a question he already knew the answer to, while the other played dumb.
He recognized both of them now. The woman was Carol, apparently suffering from amnesia, and the short-haired man was the future Director Fury.
"So he actually has hair! I always thought that egg head was naturally bald."
His laughter caught their attention. Fury looked startled when he noticed Marcus.
"You're Pierce's associate, right? I saw you at Howard and Maria's funeral."
"Yes, you can call me Fury," he said, extending his hand. "Yes, I'm agent under Director Pierce"
Fury was deeply impressed by the formidable bodyguard standing before him. Howard had faced two attacks, both neutralized by this man single-handedly.
He vaguely recalled his shock upon seeing the Hydra soldiers Marcus had killed. This man hardly seemed human.
"Really? So that old guy isn't dead yet?" Marcus responded with mock disappointment, then turned to Carol. "Miss, where did you get that costume? I'd like to buy a few sets for myself."
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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