Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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As Mike drove away, Howard pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected, and Howard took a deep breath before speaking, "Peggy, the super soldier serum has been stolen."

"What?" Peggy Carter exclaimed. "What happened?"

After a pause, she seemed to realize the situation. Her voice turned serious. "Is there a traitor? Are you both alright?"

"We'll discuss the details later," Howard said with a wry smile, then gave Maria a knowing glance. "We've sustained some injuries. We'll need some rest."

"Of course. Stay safe," Peggy said softly before hanging up.

Howard chuckled softly and turned to his wife. "Let's leave here and find a good hospital to properly 'rest' for a while."

As he climbed out of the car, battered and bruised, his mind raced, recalling everything that had happened.

Retirement, the company, family, and S.H.I.E.L.D...

Teetering on the edge of death, he suddenly regretted pouring all his energy into his career over the years, neglecting his family and, most painfully, his son.

Maria smiled and lightly tapped Howard on the head. "You really are something..."

"For now, let Tony take over the company," Howard said.

"Huh?" Maria looked at her husband in surprise, fully understanding the significance of his words.

Howard took her hand gently and spoke with deep affection. "I want to spend more time with you."

Maria felt deeply moved, burying her face in his chest.

---

Meanwhile, in Mike's car...

Clark turned away from the window and relayed every word Howard and Maria had spoken to Mike.

Mike shook his head in disbelief. "These two really aren't afraid of death. Don't they worry that the assassin might strike again? And they're still... flirting? It's the middle of the night, and they're practically showing it off to blind people!"

Clark blinked, puzzled. "Huh?"

"Charles?" Mike glanced over at his younger son, who had been dozing off.

Charles straightened suddenly, yawning. "When Mr. Stark agreed to Dad's request, he was sincere. He wasn't lying."

Mike gave a soft, thoughtful "Hmm."

He had been exposed. He didn't mind that his child had revealed his abilities, but if anyone else discovered it, he'd have to erase their memory.

"By the way, Eric did well just now."

Eric grinned sheepishly.

As Mike's family returned home and began getting ready for bed, Winter Soldier arrived at a secret base.

Wounded, holding the super soldier serum, he stood before a group of men, as silent as a machine.

"You're injured?" a short, bespectacled, bald old man glanced at Winter Soldier, surprised.

"Did something go wrong?"

Howard couldn't have possibly hurt Winter Soldier.

"A man appeared and saved them," Winter Soldier responded.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know, but he was powerful."

"Give me the serum. Go and treat your wounds."

Winter Soldier nodded silently, handing over the briefcase, and left quickly, like an emotionless machine.

"Dr. Zola! What should we do now?"

With Howard alive, their mission was far from perfect. If Howard investigated, they'd be in serious trouble.

Dr. Zola pondered for a moment before answering, "Send out some pieces, and everyone needs to halt operations for now."

After a brief pause, seeing the uncertain expressions on the others' faces, Zola smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. S.H.I.E.L.D. was their creation, like their child. No one believes their own child would turn out to be a 'villain.'"

"If any problems arise, it'll only be seen as a minor flaw that can be corrected."

The pieces he had sent out were the 'bad habits' of S.H.I.E.L.D., which would be cleaned up and presented as fixed issues.

After working together for decades, Zola knew Howard and Peggy Carter better than anyone.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Zola continued, "Send the serum to our old friends. And the resources they promised us should be arriving soon—make sure to coordinate with them."

Though he was a bit surprised they hadn't killed Howard and Maria, it wasn't something he was overly concerned about.

Hydra?

It was long gone—destroyed by none other than Howard and his allies, a fact they were more certain of than anyone else.

There was no Hydra anymore—only S.H.I.E.L.D!

Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. We are all S.H.I.E.L.D.

Zola smirked and turned, walking away.

---

The assassination attempt on Howard Stark triggered a storm within S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, as the heir, officially took over Stark Industries, causing a stir in the city, the country, and even the world.

Some people said Howard Stark was washed up, others said he had retired at the peak of his career, and some even claimed that Tony Stark had forced his father into it using underhanded tactics.

The reports were a mess—full of gossip and conjecture.

But none of this concerned Mike in the slightest.

Right now, his headache was… Christmas gifts!

With Christmas just around the corner, he had to prepare three gifts.

As he silently counted the gifts he had given over the years, Mike felt his head throbbing. He felt like he had already given everything.

Molded guns, comic books, clothes, magic wands...

Wait!

Mike's eyes lit up.

Bicycles!

The three of them were already growing up, and toys just weren't suitable anymore. He needed to buy them something for "big kids."

Bicycles would not only help them stay fit, but he wouldn't have to drive them to school anymore. It would be a perfect gift—freeing up his time in the process.

Ah! What a genius idea.

Clark was listening to music, and Charles and Eric were reading books.

Yes, you read that right—they were reading.

Ever since the circus incident, it seemed like the two of them had grown up overnight.

They were less mischievous and more serious now.

But, of course, they were still two little rascals.

Seeing that none of them would come looking for him anytime soon, Mike grinned and used his teleportation skill card, disappearing in place.

These days, preparing Christmas gifts for the kids wasn't easy—it had to be done sneakily, maintaining an air of mystery while also surprising them.

And with these three sharp minds, it was even harder.

Mike quietly appeared in a quiet corner of a street in New York City. After a bit of searching, he found a specialty bicycle shop and picked out three road bicycles.

Blue, black, and white—one color for each.

He paid for the bikes, picked them up, and disappeared into a corner to hide them away.

Mike was growing more and more fond of his teleportation ability.

However, with this kind of teleportation card that covered short distances, he could only manifest one or two a day. If he kept using them like this…

Mike felt a growing sense of urgency.

After hiding the bikes, Mike casually walked toward the kitchen, starting to prepare lunch.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and he still hadn't prepared the all-important Christmas tree.

In the afternoon, they would go pick out a suitable tree and decorate it together, so he had to hurry.

(End of Chapter)