"What is this?"
Henry slowed his chewing, staring at the spectacular yet slightly eerie sight before him.
He already had an idea of what it was—but he hadn't expected Tony to actually build something like this.
"When did you make this? Looks slightly more advanced than your usual clanging tin toys."
"'Slightly'?" Tony's tone immediately spiked, his genius pride feeling insulted once again.
"Oh, come on, Henry. You call this—a creation that could overturn the entire information era and redefine the word 'privacy'—'slightly more advanced'? Honestly, is your vocabulary as dull and unimaginative as that black tin can you wear?"
"I call it Skynet," Tony said, spreading his arms like a prophet unveiling a miracle to the world.
"An omnipresent god. I've already built its prototype."
"What can it do?" Henry asked, intrigued, wanting to see if this "Skynet" was what he imagined.
Monitor everything worldwide? Alter data in an instant…
Though J.A.R.V.I.S. could do some of that, this was clearly on another level.
Or, perhaps, like Hydra's so-called "Insight Project."
"It can do anything," Tony said, his smile growing more confident.
"It can infiltrate any network-connected corner of this planet. It can analyze data, track and even manipulate financial flows, detect disguised identities, and even predict behavior. Hydra loves to hide in the shadows, right? Want to know how I already knew their locations?"
He tapped lightly on the holographic screen.
Thousands of nodes instantly turned blood red on the enormous network map.
"I've turned the entire world into a glass house with no shadows."
"I'll make sure they have nowhere to hide."
Henry silently stared at the massive web.
Just as he suspected, Tony had actually built it.
He knew Tony wasn't bluffing. With his tech and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s support, creating a god of information wasn't impossible. Its power, in some sense, was even more terrifying than Henry's current abilities.
After all, Henry's own hearing and vision weren't global-level yet; otherwise, this thing would be useless.
"I have to admit," Henry said after a long pause, his tone casual,
"this toy of yours is impressive. But are you sure you can control it, Tony? This is far more dangerous than a nuclear bomb."
"Control?" Tony snorted as if he'd heard the biggest joke.
"Are you kidding? I'm its creator. It's an extension of my will. It will only do what I want it to do."
"Watch how I find them!"
He tapped the holographic display again.
The massive network map contracted instantly and finally locked onto the Siberian military base.
A 3D schematic of the base appeared clearly, showing even the underground bunkers' depths and layouts.
"Here," Tony said, his grin fading, his eyes icy.
"This is the location of the Winter Soldier."
Henry's expression grew serious.
He looked at the coordinates indifferently, slowly standing up and stretching, the sounds of his joints cracking filling the room.
"Good. I need to move a bit. Floating in space so long, my bones were about to rust."
"Hey, you're going alone?" Tony immediately caught on to his intention and stood up too.
"What nonsense? You think this is your solo show? I'm the older brother; I deserve at least half the revenge for father! And don't think you could open that frozen 70-year-old fridge without me, your genius brother!"
"I can just erase it along with the base from Earth," Henry said calmly.
"Brutal! That's not revenge! You're just a brute!" Tony muttered.
"We're uncovering the truth, judging the guilty—not doing demolition work! You must come with me! And we're flying there."
"Plane?" Henry raised an eyebrow.
"If you keep talking, I'll already be there by now."
"That's called traveling, not deploying!" Tony retorted sternly.
"We're going to fight a war for the family's honor! It must have ceremony! We need a fast and comfortable plane, plenty of snacks, and rock music! It's a matter of principle!"
Henry looked at him, deadpan, and finally shrugged in resignation.
An hour later, a black-painted private jet, resembling a fighter, silently rose from Malibu. Inside, the luxury was in stark contrast to the combat-ready exterior.
Tony lounged on the soft leather sofa, holding a glass of whiskey, enjoying AC/DC blasting through the cabin.
Henry sat opposite, eyes closed, ignoring the deafening noise.
Before departure, Pepper had found Tony.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, worry written all over her face.
"You just got back."
"Don't worry, Little Pepper," Tony whispered in her ear after a hug.
"This is just a little family cleanup. We'll be back soon. And trust me, there's nowhere in this world that can hold us."
Seeing her still worried, he added with concern:
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on that troublemaker of yours."
Hours passed, spanning half the globe.
Finally, the jet hovered above a desolate, snow-covered area of Siberia.
The sky had grown dim.
The biting wind carried snowflakes like blades across the silent land.
"Okay, I'll admit it," Tony said, looking out the window at the white expanse, lips curling slightly,
"This place is colder than Senator Stern's face. Hydra really knows how to pick locations—hiding a base where even polar bears wouldn't bother leaving a deposit."
"Ready?" Henry opened his eyes, icy determination in his gaze.
From today, Hydra would begin its end.
"I've been ready for a long time," Tony said, setting down his whiskey and standing up, the silver bracelet on his wrist instantly forming into his red-and-gold armor.
Henry also stood, his black nanotech suit fully encasing him.
"Game on."
Two iron torrents leapt out of the tail hatch of the plane, one following the other.
Like meteors slicing through the blizzard, they dove toward the hidden base buried under ice and snow.