"Rorschach, what exactly happened outside?"
"Why was there such a fierce gunfight?"
After answering his earlier question, Raven could no longer hold back her curiosity. The chaos outside the tavern had clearly been something serious, and she had been completely cut off from it while dealing with Caliban.
Rorschach stopped walking.
Seeing him halt near the small hidden door, Raven also stopped in front of him. The two of them remained in the narrow corridor for a moment instead of stepping outside immediately.
"I might have accidentally gotten involved in something," Rorschach said while spreading his hands casually.
Raven immediately tensed.
"What kind of trouble?" she asked quickly. "Rorschach, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he reassured her. "Don't worry."
He paused briefly before correcting himself.
"Actually, 'trouble' might not be the right word. It's not really a problem."
Then he explained the situation simply.
"When you went inside to find Caliban, there happened to be a group of agents outside carrying out an operation."
Raven blinked.
For a moment she didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
So the gunfire had been triggered by a coincidence.
Nothing more.
"But what does that have to do with you?" she asked.
Raven had already guessed that things probably weren't that simple.
"The even bigger coincidence," Rorschach continued, "is that Howard Stark was involved in the gunfight."
"Howard Stark?"
Raven's eyes widened in surprise.
That name was famous across the entire country. Someone of that status showing up in a run-down tavern like this sounded almost absurd.
"Yes," Rorschach confirmed. "That Howard Stark."
He continued calmly.
"After I recognized him, I helped him deal with the situation and got him out safely. Only afterward did I realize he's actually the leader of the agents who were there."
While speaking, Rorschach casually pulled out the business card Stark had given him and handed it to Raven.
She took it and stared at the long title printed on it.
Her mind struggled to process the information.
The billionaire industrialist who appeared constantly in newspapers was secretly an executive in an intelligence organization with an incredibly long and confusing name.
"Now you see the problem," Rorschach said as he took the card back. "I'll probably have to go through a basic report or statement with them."
Raven understood those procedures well enough.
She didn't argue.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "Then go deal with it. I'll head back first and return to the manor."
The two separated there.
Raven left the tavern and began heading back toward Xavier Manor, while Rorschach followed Howard Stark and the SHIELD agents to their base.
At least, it was the base for now.
The organization—still officially known as the Strategic Homeland Defense Attack and Logistics Support Agency—didn't actually have a permanent headquarters yet.
The place they were currently using was a military camp that once belonged to the Navy's 78th Artillery Regiment stationed with the Army.
The location wasn't famous to most people.
But in the history of Marvel's world, it carried enormous significance.
This was where Captain America had been created.
And it was also the earliest operational base of what would eventually become SHIELD, the largest intelligence organization in the world.
Howard Stark's car slowly rolled through the gates of the compound.
Rorschach looked out through the window as they entered.
The buildings and layout looked strangely familiar.
It reminded him faintly of the scene in Avengers: Endgame when Captain America traveled back in time to retrieve the Tesseract.
"Curious about the place?"
Howard Stark noticed Rorschach glancing around and chuckled.
"Let me guess. You're wondering if this is where Rogers was born."
He leaned back comfortably in his seat.
"If you happen to be a fan of Captain America, I'm afraid the answer might disappoint you."
"This isn't Rogers' birthplace."
Stark waved a hand dismissively.
"Think about it. Who gets born in a military facility like this?"
Rorschach smiled slightly.
"That makes sense."
"What actually happened," Stark continued, "is that this is where the name 'Captain America' was created."
Rorschach raised an eyebrow.
"At the time," Stark explained, "we were discussing what kind of nickname Rogers should have. The suggestions were all over the place."
He began counting them off on his fingers.
"Captain Super. Fantastic Soldier. Mister Super."
Stark shook his head with an amused expression.
"In the end, Rogers himself chose the name Captain America."
"But somehow the story got twisted over time," Stark added. "Now people think he was literally born here."
Rorschach hadn't expected there to be such a backstory behind the famous title.
By then the convoy had already come to a stop.
Everyone stepped out of the vehicles.
Rorschach quickly noticed something.
Anton Vanko wasn't there.
He looked around briefly before asking, "Your scientist friend didn't come with us?"
"First of all, he's not my friend," Howard Stark replied immediately. "Second, this isn't the kind of place just anyone gets to visit."
Stark patted Rorschach on the shoulder.
Vanko wasn't officially working with SHIELD yet. Stark had other arrangements planned for him.
"Come on," Stark said. "Let's go."
He began walking toward one of the main office buildings, and Rorschach followed.
They hadn't even reached the entrance when—
Boom!
A sudden explosion echoed through the base.
The shockwave rippled outward, and the ground beneath their feet trembled violently.
Rorschach instinctively expected chaos.
But instead, something strange happened.
Everyone in the compound simply looked toward the source of the explosion.
Then they calmly shook their heads.
A few people didn't even blink.
Their reactions were almost absurdly casual.
It was as if explosions were part of the daily routine here.
Clang!
A heavy metal door suddenly swung open near the source of the blast.
A short man wearing glasses rushed out through the smoke.
He was coughing violently while covering his mouth and nose. His hair and clothes were covered in dust, and he looked extremely disheveled.
Rorschach recognized him instantly.
"It's him."
Only one glance was enough.
Arnim Zola.
The scientist who had just stumbled out was none other than the former chief scientist of Hydra under the Red Skull.
After Red Skull's fall, Zola had been captured by the Strategic Scientific Reserve—the organization that would eventually become SHIELD. Agent Peggy Carter had personally overseen his "recruitment."
On the surface, he had been reformed.
He was now one of SHIELD's most important scientists.
But Rorschach knew the truth.
Arnim Zola had never truly abandoned Hydra.
Even after his death, he would continue serving the organization in secret.
Still, regardless of his loyalties, Zola was undeniably one of the greatest scientific minds of his era.
Hydra had even preserved his brain after death, going to extraordinary lengths to maintain his intelligence.
And when it came to advanced research—especially projects involving the Cosmic Cube—his achievements were astonishing for the time period.
Rorschach didn't need to guess what had caused the explosion.
It had clearly been one of Zola's experiments.
And judging from the calm reactions of everyone in the base, this probably wasn't the first time it had happened.
"Arnim!"
Howard Stark shouted toward the scientist.
"Everything alright?"
"I'm fine!" Zola shouted back while waving his hand dismissively. "Just a small accident. Everything is under control!"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and disappeared back through the iron door into the thick cloud of smoke.
.....
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