The scent of freshly grilled meat and roasted vegetables filled the air as Tony and Howard sat across from each other at one of the long tables in Horizon's private dining area.
For once, Tony had agreed to step away from the lab and actually eat. Well, Yelena forced him, but that was beside the point.
Howard sliced into his steak, studying his son between bites. "So… about that formula I sent you."
Tony, who was in the middle of taking a bite of his roasted chicken, paused. His eyes flicked up over the rim of his plate. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and then wiped his mouth before speaking. "Yeah, I meant to ask about that. Where'd you get it?"
Howard leaned back in his chair. "SHIELD's bio-scientists developed it. Or, at least, that's what they claim."
Tony raised an eyebrow, setting his fork down. "They 'developed' it?" He made air quotes. "Or they recreated it from the original Super Soldier Serum?"
Howard exhaled. "The latter."
Tony smirked. "Of course. Because playing God worked out so well the first time."
Howard gave him a look but didn't argue. Instead, he continued, "With all the dangerous individuals showing up, enhanced criminals, rogue metahumans, mutants... SHIELD believes the world needs another perfect Super Soldier."
Tony sighed, leaning back. "Right. Or, another insane guy with SSS."
Howard didn't deny it. "It's a complicated issue, Tony. You and I both know that."
Tony drummed his fingers against the table. "Okay. So, who's the lucky test subject? Some pumped-up military guy? An elite agent?"
Howard hesitated. Just for a second.
And that was enough for Tony to catch it.
Tony's smirk faded. "Who is it?"
Howard met his gaze. "Peggy Carter."
Tony blinked. He hadn't been expecting that.
Howard nodded. "You heard me. Peggy volunteered. She's already been prepped for the process. The serum trials start in two weeks."
'Oh, hell no. There's no way I'm gonna let her take this shitty serum,' Tony let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. "Okay, first off… why? She's like 70... 72? This could kill her or worse."
Howard set his fork down. "Because she believes in SHIELD. In protecting the world. And she knows what the serum can do."
Tony scoffed. "Yeah, it can turn you into a supersoldier, or it can turn you into the Red Skull. Real fun gamble."
Howard's expression was unreadable. "Peggy's a fighter. Even after retiring, she never stopped looking out for the world. Maybe she feels like she has one last mission left in her. Or, she just wants to use her last moments to do something worthwhile. Either way, I tried to talk her out of this, but nope. She's going to do it."
"Alright, so she wants to be the next Cap. Haaa... And I guess you found something fishy with the serum, right?"
Howard's jaw tightened slightly. "Yes. I think something fishy is going on inside SHIELD's bio-science division."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Thought you guys took out all the Hydra agents?"
Howard nodded. "We did. But I can't shake this feeling, Tony. The way they handled this whole thing… it doesn't sit right with me."
Tony frowned. "Define 'doesn't sit right'."
Howard exhaled, pushing his plate aside. "SHIELD never planned to make another Super Soldier after Steve. Well, back then, SHIELD did certain things... Government pressures. Those political bastards forced human experiments to perfect the serum. A lot of people were hurt in the process. So, after Fury took over, we buried it all and decided not to walk that path again."
He took a sip of water.
"But now, with the rise of a new generation of criminals, we have no other choice. We started the program six months ago, and all of a sudden, they have a 'perfected' formula? And they're just handing it over for trials?" He shook his head. "I don't buy it."
Tony tapped his phone against the table, activating the holographic interface. A three-dimensional projection of the serum formula flickered to life between them, glowing with complex molecular structures and chemical sequences.
Howard leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he examined the data.
Tony sighed, rotating the hologram with a flick of his fingers. "So, here's the fun part, Pops. This isn't a new formula. It's an old one. A very, very old one."
Howard's brows furrowed. "How old?"
Tony zoomed in on a specific chemical compound, highlighting it in red. "Hydra-old. This formula wasn't 'perfected' by SHIELD. It was made by Hydra. And not just any Hydra—this is one of their failed prototypes with a little personal touch from someone."
Howard sat up straight. "Wait. You're telling me this isn't a recreation of the Super Soldier Serum?"
Tony exhaled. "Oh, it's a recreation, alright. But not of Erskine's formula. This is from one of Hydra's attempts at making their own supersoldiers after Captain America kicked Red Skull's ass. And guess what? It never worked. And don't ask how I know about Erskine and all this."
He swiped his fingers, bringing up historical data. Old, classified files flickered onto the hologram—Hydra experimentation reports, test subjects, grim medical notes. Back when Tony destroyed Hydra, he copied the information.
"I did some digging and well..." He pointed at the result.
Howard's eyes widened as he read.
[Subject #47 - Initial Injection: Rapid physical enhancement observed]
[Subject #47 - 4 hours post-injection: Heightened aggression, severe muscle spasms]
[Subject #47 - 10 hours post-injection: Extreme psychosis, uncontrollable violent outbursts]
[Subject #47 - 24 hours post-injection: Bone liquefaction while still conscious. Subject terminated.]
Tony's voice was dry. "Every single test ended like that. Either they turned into a raging psychopath, or their bones literally melted inside their bodies while they were still alive. Not exactly the glowing endorsement for a 'perfect' formula."
Howard's jaw tightened. "Jesus..."
Tony nodded, crossing his arms. "So yeah, whoever greenlit this crap either has no idea what they're doing or they knew exactly what they were doing and wanted Peggy dead. And considering how this stuff was buried deep in Hydra's archives, I'm betting on the latter."
Howard rubbed his temple. "So you're saying there's either a Hydra mole still inside SHIELD, or someone in the agency is desperate to climb the ranks and doesn't care who they kill to do it. Fury started the project, so if it fails, he will be in the line of fire. They are planning on taking down Peggy and Fury together, and probably all the old members..." His mind went toward the last night's attack. 'Was it related to this?' He wondered.
Tony pointed at him. "Ding ding ding. Give the man a cigar."
Howard exhaled sharply, running a hand through his graying hair. "This is bad, Tony. Real bad. If Peggy takes this serum..."
"She's dead," Tony finished bluntly. "Or worse, she turns into something SHIELD has to put down. Either way? It's a goddamn setup."
Howard clenched his fists. "I need to shut this down immediately."
Tony raised a hand. "Hold on, hold on. We need to be smart about this. If we just barge in there waving red flags, whoever set this up is gonna know we're onto them, and they'll cover their tracks. We need to find out who is behind this."
Howard took a deep breath, forcing himself to think rationally. "Alright. You're right. We do this carefully." He was already stressed, and now more stress.
The holographic formula shifted, transforming as Tony swiped through the interface. Molecules restructured, compounds changed, and new elements appeared in glowing blue lines.
Howard watched in silence as the 'flawed' Super Soldier Serum disappeared, replaced by something entirely new.
Something... perfected.
Tony leaned back, arms crossed. "And that, dear Dad, is the real deal. My version of the Super Soldier Serum. No bone liquefaction. No psychotic rage fits. No melting organs. Just pure, stable enhancement."
Howard narrowed his eyes at the glowing formula. "You just... what?"
"Who do you think I am?" Tony leaned back, sipping on his glass of orange juice.
Howard stared at the glowing formula hovering in midair, his mind racing.
Tony had just… perfected the Super Soldier Serum. Just like that.
No decades of failed experiments. No tragic test subjects. No catastrophic side effects.
Just pure, stable enhancement.
Howard let out a slow breath and ran a hand down his face. "Jesus, Tony… Do you even hear yourself?"
Tony smirked, casually swirling the orange juice in his glass. "Loud and clear, Pops."
Howard gestured at the holographic formula. "You're telling me you cracked the goddamn Super Soldier Serum overnight?"
Tony scoffed. "Please. It was a piece of cake." There's no way he was going to tell Howard the truth about the data he took from the Widows' and Hydra's facilities.
Howard exhaled sharply. "You little..." He cut himself off, shaking his head. "I should be surprised, but somehow, I'm not."
Tony leaned forward, elbows on the table. His voice turned serious. "Look, we both know Peggy taking that Hydra knockoff is a death sentence. We can't stop the trial without exposing our hands. But…" He tapped the glowing blue formula. "We can do something like... You bringing Peggy here, and I'll enhance her?"
Howard's eyes narrowed. "You are serious?"
Tony nodded. "Yup. Bring her here. Trust me, just like you always have... I got a plan."
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