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"You're serious?!!" Tony's bloodshot eyes were locked onto Ron.
Ron nodded. "Yes, I've confirmed the target."
"Who is it?!" Tony gritted his teeth, forcing out his words in a low, furious growl.
"Sgt. Bucky Barnes."
The name left Ron's mouth, and instantly, the entire room fell into stunned silence.
"Bucky!?"
"Captain Rogers' teammate!?"
"Wait—didn't he die decades ago!?"
"Ron Stark, are you sure it's really Bucky Barnes?"
Nick Fury's single eye shifted between Tony and Captain America before settling on Ron.
He couldn't believe it.
Because if it was true… then this was a massive, world-shaking clusterfuck.
Cap's best friend. The man who killed Iron Man's parents. And also Ron's adoptive parents.
If this was real, he couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen to the Avengers.
Forget just shaking things up—this could completely tear them apart.
The others hadn't even considered the full implications yet. They were still reeling from the shock of an old ghost suddenly walking among the living.
Steve, unable to hold back any longer, blurted out, "It's really Bucky? He's alive?"
His sudden outburst made Tony flinch for a moment.
Then Tony narrowed his eyes, glancing at Steve before looking back at Ron.
No matter what, as long as his little brother stood by his side, that was all that mattered.
Ron ignored Steve.
Famous superhero or not, it had nothing to do with him.
His focus was entirely on Tony, watching the emotions flicker in his eyes.
"Tony, based on my investigation, after Bucky was first captured by HYDRA, they experimented on his body."
"It seems to be related to the Super Soldier Serum."
"So when he fell off that cliff, he didn't die. He lost an arm, but HYDRA took him."
"Wait! HYDRA!?"
Steve looked completely lost. He couldn't stop himself from jumping into the conversation.
That didn't make sense. Before he was frozen, he had destroyed HYDRA.
Every last one of their operations had been wiped out. Even their leader, Red Skull, had presumably died when the Tesseract went out of control.
So where the hell was HYDRA coming from now?
Ron shot him a brief, indifferent glance before turning back to Tony.
Seeing the confusion in Tony's eyes as well, he explained,
"Red Skull was just one of HYDRA's leaders."
"One of the leaders… Ron Stark, what are you saying? HYDRA still exists?! And there are more leaders?!"
Steve was visibly shaken, and even Fury's expression darkened.
Over the past several decades, countless world-shaking events had come and gone.
But they had never considered—had never questioned—whether someone was pulling strings from the shadows.
Now that he thought about it… If HYDRA had been lurking all this time, staying hidden for so many years…
Then whatever they were planning—when they finally made their move—it wouldn't just be big.
It would be catastrophic.
"I don't know how many leaders they have, but yes, HYDRA still exists," Ron said calmly.
"After HYDRA took Bucky Barnes, they rebuilt him. Enhanced him even further."
"Physically, he's on par with Rogers. And his missing arm? They replaced it with a metal prosthetic."
A metal arm?
Natasha's eyes flashed with recognition.
She suddenly recalled an enemy she had encountered during a mission years ago.
A man with terrifying strength and lethal combat skills.
She had barely survived that fight.
"If that's true… do you have any proof that it's really Sgt. Barnes?"
"I don't need proof. And I don't need to convince any of you," Ron said flatly, his gaze sweeping over Natasha before shifting to the others.
"Since then, Bucky Barnes has been HYDRA's weapon—brainwashed and used to eliminate their enemies."
"For decades, he's been an assassin, killing countless people who stood in HYDRA's way—including Howard Stark."
Ron turned to Tony.
"I was originally planning to handle this myself."
"But I know you and Rogers have a good relationship."
"That's why I'm telling you—so you can decide what to do."
"No matter what you choose, I'll stand by you."
Ron's words sent a warm surge through Tony's heart.
The coldness he had felt earlier—from Steve and the others—suddenly didn't seem so suffocating anymore.
.
.
Tony hadn't even said he was going to go after Bucky Barnes yet, but just from the looks on Nick Fury and Captain America's faces, he could tell something was off.
If he really wanted to avenge his parents, the outcome was obvious.
Aside from Banner, who had no personal stake in this, the rest of the Avengers would all turn against him.
Tony knew he wasn't exactly a team player, but after everything they had been through—life-or-death battles—he thought they were comrades, maybe even friends.
But when the others made their choice without a second thought, the moment they heard the news, he realized just how naïve he had been.
Ron had been watching the whole scene unfold, his expression slightly cold.
"Tony," he said, "sometimes protecting the Earth doesn't mean you have to join someone else's team. Don't you think?"
Tony glanced at Steve and the others, then let out a cold chuckle.
"You're right."
"We can form our own team. This place… isn't for me."
"Tony!" Nick Fury panicked.
Damn it! The Avengers basically ran on Tony.
If Steve was their moral backbone, then Tony was the foundation of their actual operations.
Every time Fury couldn't get funding approved, it was Tony who covered the cost.
Not to mention, besides money, Tony was a top-tier scientist.
The suits he built were strong enough to match nearly a third of the Avengers combined.
The other two-thirds? That was mostly Hulk and Thor.
And since Thor wasn't even on Earth most of the time, that made Tony even more crucial!
Especially now that Ron could create…
Super Soldier Serum!
Tony turned to Nick Fury. "What do you want to say?"
Fury spoke quickly. "Like Ron said, Sergeant Barnes was under mind control. We can take down the people who controlled him—that's the real enemy!"
Seeing that Tony's expression didn't change, Fury immediately switched tactics.
"Tony..."
Tony glanced around the room. "I'll stay with the Avengers—but on one condition."
"If it turns out to be true… if he really did kill my parents… then when I go after him for payback, none of you will stop me."
Silence.
Tony let out a breath and waved his hand.
"In our unity, there is strength, and in our solidarity, there is comfort. Let us be a support and pillar for one another, and let us plant the seeds of love and tolerance in our hearts, for that is the true legacy our parents left us."
"John, let's go."
"It's time to deal with the bastard who killed my parents."
"....."