Chapter 317: Help

According to Howard's and Anton's plan, Anton Vanko would stay in his hometown for a while—maybe a month or two, maybe a year or two—until those people realized that the Arc Reactor wasn't as important as they thought.

Then he could return to New York.

However, things didn't go as expected.

First, when the authorities in Anton's country found out the truth, they were angry and sent him to Siberia.

That wasn't the only problem. The critical issue was that Anton didn't have much money at the time.

In the freezing cold of Siberia, not having any money caused a lot of problems.

Howard found out about this and made sure Anton could take care of himself by sending him some money through his own connections.

Then the second problem happened.

The US government started keeping an eye on Stark Industries' finances, including Howard's, because Stark weapons had been leaked before.

Now, Howard couldn't do anything to help Anton, even if he wanted to.

By the time the monitoring was lifted, Howard couldn't find Anton. His every move had been covered up on purpose. It was clear that someone didn't want him to find Anton.

For several decades, Howard tried a lot of things, but he didn't find out where Anton was until the day before he was killed in 1991.

He was forced to go underground at the same time, so he made plans for Anton to come with him.

Howard didn't say much about how they made up, and Jack didn't ask. In any case, it wasn't what he imagined it would be.

"Okay."

After listening to Howard's story, Jack nodded lightly.

"Let's leave the old story here. Tell me why you called me here. To help you deal with the Skrulls?"

"That's part of the reason, but..."

Howard's face suddenly became troubled, and he sighed deeply. Even Bucky's expression became solemn.

"What's the matter exactly?"

Jack frowned and asked again in a serious tone.

"I want to ask for your help to save my wife!"

This was probably the first time Jack saw Howard beg anyone, especially himself.

"Stop!"

He put up his hand to stop Howard, and he looked very serious.

"Howard, we are friends. If you're facing problems, just tell me. I will do everything I can don't use the word 'beg' to me."

"By the way, what happened to your wife?"

Howard and Bucky exchanged a glance, and Bucky nodded slightly.

"Let me explain. As we walk."

Jack waved his hand to show he was leading the way.

The three of them walked and talked in the secret base. Bucky's words were filled with self-blame and apologies, while Howard expressed regret.

When he became emotional, he even had the urge to strangle himself.

But from what they said to each other, Jack knew where the problem came from.

Originally, on the night Bucky regained consciousness, Howard planned to fake his death and go undercover to fight against HYDRA.

However, he only planned to fake his own death, while his wife Maria would continue to live openly just so she could be with Tony.

They were worried that Tony wouldn't be able to take it if they both died.

Howard had planned it out. Hydra wanted him, and as long as he died and the Super Soldier Serum was stolen, they wouldn't bother Tony.

However, things didn't go as planned.

Two years after Maria "survived" the car accident, she was seriously hurt when an unknown enemy attacked her peaceful retirement farm.

And at that time, Bucky, who was supposed to protect her, blamed himself for her accident and felt guilty.

Luckily, Howard acted quickly. He used different advanced medical technologies he had developed to keep Maria alive until her last breath.

However, they tried different things over the years, but Maria stayed in a coma.

Howard was almost hopeless, but at this moment, Jack returned. As they walked and talked, they quickly arrived at a hospital room.

Before entering, Jack made a special mention.

"Let me be clear about something: I can't promise anything. Even though the chances are low, I might not be able to do anything."

Howard didn't feel disappointed upon hearing this. He patted Jack's shoulder.

"Do your best."

Jack nodded, and the three of them entered the room.

The room was big, with a high-tech glass cryopod in the center. A beautifully maintained old lady lay peacefully inside.

Jack furrowed his brows as he looked at the old woman lying in the bed. Her body seemed dead, but he could detect a faint heartbeat.

He moved slowly toward her and looked at her body while trying to figure out what was going on.

After a thorough examination, Jack became distressed.

Although the woman's body showed signs of life, her vital signs were extremely weak. Normally, she should be awake, but her current condition puzzled him.

However, when Jack investigated Maria's brain, he finally understood the problem.

"Her soul is missing!" he said in a low voice.

"What?"

Howard and Bucky exchanged a glance, finding it somewhat ridiculous, but they didn't say anything immediately.

"Her body is alive, but her brain is completely shut down!"

Jack pointed to his own head.

"Living beings with a soul have brains that constantly function. Once the soul is gone, the person is dead."

"But Maria is still alive!"

Howard panicked at the mention of death. Jack calmed him down and continued,

"Of course, I didn't say she's dead, but she is similar to being dead."

"Her brain has completely stopped working, leaving only the basic instincts of a living organism. I can't even sense her consciousness. It's like... a computer without an operating system."

"If you can guarantee her physical body remains alive, that's already a battle against death itself."

Jack admired Howard, but Howard was too worried to pay attention. When he heard that his wife's soul was missing, he became hopeless.

"Do you have any solutions, Jack?"

He looked at Jack with worry, afraid of getting an awful answer.

However, Jack didn't disappoint him, and neither did he confirm.

He vaguely said, "About this, there might be a solution, but it could be troublesome."

"What do you mean?"

Howard's eyes sparked with hope when he heard there might be a solution.

"After humans die, their souls go to the realm of the dead, the Hel. If we go there and find her soul, it might work."

"In this case, we might need to seek the help of Odin, the ruler of the Nine Realms. He is well-connected and can get things done."

The Hel?

Asgard?

Odin?

What a confusing mess!

Not only Bucky, but even Howard was completely confused, not understanding the connection between Maria's soul and Norse mythology.

...

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