Chapter 25

Star rubbed her eyes as she looked at her blood for the umpteenth time but she couldn't see anything different than how her blood was before the Serum was added but she knew that something had changed, what that change was she didn't know and she was a little afraid to find out what it was that would happen.

"I think you need a break." Came the English tilt of Peggy as she stood at the doorway.

Star lent back in her chair and brushed a hand through her hair, "Yeah, I guess you're right, I can't see anything different anyway." She said with a sigh and gathered up the blood samples and threw them in the furnace that was always lit, warming up the underground base, "How have you been?" She questioned Peggy as they headed out of the room.

"Busy, we've been running around with getting this information on Zola and trying to find the HYDRA mystery base and other information that will hopefully help us with the war." Peggy responded.

"Well at least we've now got that information and hopefully by capturing Zola we'll have all the information that we need to take out Schmidt." Star said with a sigh, everything was soon coming to a close and they would be able to be at peace, well that was as far as anyone else knew, she knew better, Steve would fall and wouldn't wake up for a few decades leaving all those that he loves behind, she just wished she could remember how it happened but knew it couldn't be prevented and now her choice was whether or not she would join Steve or stay with the others.

Starlyn headed for Bucky's room where she had stored her things so that she could give them to Howard for safe keeping she walked in to the room grabbed the bags and headed back out and in search of Howard, she first headed for his lab where he was usually holed up but he wasn't there, "Hey, where's Stark?" She questioned the people inside.

"He said he was going to get a drink." One called back and Star rolled her eyes and left the room, dropped her bags back in Bucky's room and headed out of the base to look for Howard at the nearest bar getting a drink.

Star walked into the bar that the guys often frequented since it was the closest to the underground base and looked around the room and saw Howard holed up in the far corner of the bar nursing a glass of amber liquid, she headed over and sat down next to the man and ordered herself a drink and they both just sat there.

"What's wrong Howard?"

"General McGinnis had me create a gas that will keep soldiers awake for days." He started off, "And I did, but there is no way that I am handing it over to him, I of course had to test it and the results were not pretty and I told McGinnis that."

Star rubbed a comforting hand over Howard's shoulder and got the bartender to pour another drink for the both of them, "You are a good a man Howard, no matter what you create you know when something should or shouldn't be used and this gas is something that you know shouldn't be used." She said trying to comfort him, "Trust me in this Howard, you are a good man." She said giving him a kiss on the temple.

Howard gave Star a small smile, "Thanks Star."

"I do have a favour to ask you while we're here." Star said.

"Oh and what favour is that?"

"My belongings from the future, I need them to be taken care of, I need you to keep them safe until this is all over." She explained to him, "I know that you will take care of my things and make sure that they withstand the length of time."

Howard looked at Star a little in confusion, "Withstand the length of time?"

Star gave him a sad smile that said a hundred different things, "Things I can't tell you Howard." She said softly.

Howard nodded, "I'll take care of it." He told her just as one of the scientists that work for him came barging into the bar and over to them out of breath, "What is it?"

"Mr. Stark, the gas, it's missing." The scientist got out and all three of them headed back to the base, where it shouldn't have been possible for anything to have been taken without the proper protocols and paperwork.

Howard looked around the lab where the canister of gas should have been and it was indeed gone, he slumped down in his chair and put his head in his hands, Star put a hand on his shoulder, "It has to be the General." Howard muttered.

"If it was there is nothing that can be done Howard, he's a General and would have been able to get the official documents together no matter what and the canister would have been handed over with not one feeling of mistrust." Star told him trying to comfort the man, telling him that it wasn't his fault.

"It's going to be a blood bath Star." Howard said, he was distressed at the thought of what the gas could and would do to people, "If the wrong people got the gas then HYDRA would be the least of our problems."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can't find out where McGinnis is heading with the gas." Star said giving him one last pat on the shoulder and hurried out of the room to do just that, McGinnis would be moving fast to put the gas into action.

Star moved quickly heading for Peggy's office, if anyone could get her the information quickly without asking too many questions it would be Peggy, "Where's the fire?" Peggy questioned when Star barged in and shut the door.

"I need you to find out some information and quickly." Star rushed out, "A gas Howard created for McGinnis that is really bad has been stolen, we think by McGinnis and we need to know where McGinnis is heading."

"What does this gas do?" Peggy questioned uneasily.

"It's supposed to keep soldiers awake for a few days but the test Howard did showed something else and it was disastrous." Star explained, "We really need to get the gas back now."

Peggy nodded and quickly made a few calls, "He's heading to Finow, he's already on his way there you might already be too late." She explained.

"Shit." Star cussed as she ran a hand through her hair, "Thanks Peg, I need to go and let Howard know." She said and left the room leaving a concerned Peggy behind.

Star walked into Howard's lab and he looked over at Star with hope in his eyes that they would be able to get the gas back before it could be used but that hope dimmed when he saw the look in Star's eyes, "I'm sorry Howard, he's already on his way." She said softly.

"Where is he heading?"

"Finow, he's heading for Finow." She said.

Howard sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I need to go." He said getting up and started for the door when Star stopped him.

"There is no way that I am letting you go right now Howard, you've had too much to drink to be able to fly." She told him, "I know that you want to go and stop him, but really there is nothing that you can do, he's a General and you are a civilian consultant, you have no power." She explained, "Rest for a few hours, have something to eat if you can, even if it's just a bit of toast and then we'll both go out to Finow."

Howard stared at the woman in front of him, he knew she was right about everything but still felt responsible for what was going to happen when the gas was released, "Alright." He responded and went about doing what Star had said to do but not without making a phone call home first to build a secure safe in his mansion, thankfully his butler Jarvis would make sure it was built to his specifications and with his materials to make sure it was well protected.

Hours later, after letting the guys know where she was going, Star and Howard were on their way to Finow in his plane, both of them were anxious about what they were going to find, as they came upon the landing space near Finow, after letting the Allies know who they were, they had landed as the sun came up over the horizon.

"Are you sure that you can do this?" Star questioned before they had exited the plane, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Howard squared his jaw, "I can do this." He said and he headed out of the plane and to where the battle had taken place and the gas was released.

The ground was red with blood, it was like a lake had been created from the blood of the many men that had fallen under the gas to put it simply it was carnage and from the looks of some of the bodies it looked as though they had actually ripped each other apart with their bare hands and had rarely used any type of tool to help with killing each other, it was like stepping in to a Zombie movie. Star had made sure to bring a camera to take pictures of what had happened and it wouldn't be a pretty sight for others to see that was for sure.

The bodies were ripped apart, blood and guts everywhere, skulls caved in from ferocious beatings with feet and rocks and there standing proudly overlooking the battle field was General McGinnis, the gas wasn't what he wanted but it did what was needed, "Ah Mr. Stark, come to see our great accomplishment?" He questioned just now seeing Howard and Starlyn, who was in her Liberty outfit.

"What the hell did you do?" Howard asked as he looked around him in horror, he knew that the gas was bad after the tests on the mice but he never realised exactly what the effect would be on a human and it seemed to turn out much, much worse than with the mice, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Howard roared and threw a few punches at the General, "You fool, I told you, I told you."

Starlyn quickly moved in interfere before something happened to Howard but she wasn't quite quick enough and the General beat Howard down but before more damage could be done Star stopped the assault and glared fiercely at the General, "You made a grave mistake here today General." She hissed.

McGinnis sneered, "What do you know woman."

Star gave a sinister smile and pulled out her rod and aimed it at a tree and the men surrounding the General winced as the tree shattered under the strength of the whip before she recalled it to it's place, "Do you forget who I am General, I can make your life a living hell." She told him, "I have done more in this war with my own two hands than you have. You don't even have the balls to defeat men with your own power, you use other tricks to do so and that makes you a coward in my eyes."

"HOW DARE YOU!" McGinnis roared and moved to hit Star but she caught his fist in a tight grip and squeezed causing the man to go down to one knee in great pain.

"No General, how dare you." She said throwing the man's arm away from her person, "You disgust me." She said to him and looked around at the men standing with their General, she made sure that they knew she had meant them as well and went over to help a stunned Howard up from the ground and herded him back to the plane so that they could leave the carnage behind them.

As Howard was in no fit state to fly, Star took the pilot's seat and they headed back to London where she would write up an official report and get the photo's developed but she knew that she would have to fight General McGinnis on what had happened but at least she had the proof, especially the picture of McGinnis smiling over the carnage, a smile of a job well done.

Star and Howard both walked quietly through the streets of London back to the base, Howard using his handkerchief to wipe away the blood that was still on his face. Star wrapped her arm around Howards waist and instead of going back to the base she leads him to her apartment, it was better to get Howard in a safe and neutral place and get him cleaned up and talk with him about what he had seen and what his gas had caused on human subjects.

Star settled Howard down on her couch and went to grab the bottle of whiskey sitting in her kitchen cabinet and poured Howard a liberal amount and passed it over to the quite man, it was a little unnerving to see from such an outgoing man but she could understand why he was that way and sat down next to him, "Talk Howard, you need it." She said softly.

"How, how can…" He trailed off, he didn't know what to say he couldn't really think.

Star gave him a sad smile, "There probably isn't much I can say to help you out, I do exactly what your gas does but usually with my own two hands. You're going to have nightmares about what has happened for a while Howard, but you need to talk about it with someone eventually and that is going to dredge up the images again."

"How can I live with what I created?" Howard asked softly.

Star brought Howard in to a firm hug, "First off, by destroying anymore of the gas if you have it and destroying the formula and then secondly, create for life, make things that will help people out even if it's something simple, just always remember to do good with what you create Howard."

"How do I even start?" Howard mumbled into her shoulder.

"Well you could look into creating better prosthetics for the soldiers that will be going home minus a limb, give them something for their service, make up a war orphan fund for the children that had lost their families, that you won't have to do on your own, there are plenty of people willing around the world that would help fund the project, doing something like that won't make things completely better, but they will help ease the guilt." She explained a few things that he could do that would help to ease his mind over what he had seen his gas do.

"Thanks for going with me."

"Of course Howard, that's what family is for." She responded and helped him up from the couch and guided him to the bedroom and got him settled down, "Get some rest where you can, I'll be here with you the whole time." She soothed brushing her fingers through his hair lulling him into sleep.

About 20 minutes later Star left the room, making sure to leave to door open so a little light was entering the room and went about making the both of them something to eat when there was a knock at the door a quite a few loud voices, Star rushed over to the door whipping it open and glaring harshly at the loud group, "Keep your bloody voices down." She hissed.

The group flinched at the hiss and the look they were getting, "I'm guessing things didn't go well." Peggy spoke up softly from the front of the group, she was the only one that hadn't been talking and the group looked down at Peggy in confusion at her words.

Starlyn shook her head sadly and indicated for everyone to come in but to be quiet, "It was not good at all Peg." She said as she drank straight from the bottle of whiskey she had left on the bench and polished off the bottle.

"What are you talking about?" Steve questioned with an adorable confused look on his face.

Star quickly and quietly explained what had happened and Howards reaction to what had happened and how despondent about how everything had gone down and how he was currently sleeping in her bed and had only been asleep for about half an hour.

"Would you like me to take care of doing the photo's for you?" Peggy questioned.

Star shook her head, "No, you don't need to see that horror Peggy, I've done a lot of things in my time here and in the future but this carnage was a lot different." She explained.

"It can't be any worse than what we've seen you do." Dum Dum spoke up.

"It is Tim, they didn't use weapons, the ripped each other apart with their own two hands." She told them and that was all she was going to say about the carnage, "Howard attacked McGinnis but got the snot beat out of him before I could move. McGinnis disgusts me and I told him so."

"You beat up a General?" Falsworth questioned aghast.

"No, I gave him a disappointed lecture that would have made Steve proud." She said smiling over at Steve, everyone knew that Steve could give one hell of a disappointed speech that had those he was disappointed with running off with their tails between their legs.

"How is Howard taking it?" Bucky asked concerned about one of their own.

Star gave his a sad look, "He's not taking it well that's for sure and I don't blame him. It was something that he had created to originally help soldiers stay awake for longer but ended up being something that caused unbridled rage. He had used it on mice but from the look on Howard's face the reactions between the mice and the humans were much more extreme."

"We'll help in any way we can." Steve said firmly.

Star was about to respond when some sounds from her room made her dash out of the lounge and to where Howard was resting, his nightmares were starting and she wanted to stop them from going any further and making the man relive what had happened. Shaking Howards shoulder he flew up in a blind panic and looked around the room to get his bearings, "Howard, you're in my apartment." She said gently, "You're not there anymore."

Howard's chest was heaving as he tried to calm down, "I'm okay." He managed to get out and Star moved to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and brought it back to the freaked out Howard and handed it over to him and rubbed at his back to help calm him down, "I don't know how I'm going to do this." He muttered once he was calmed down enough.

"With the help and love of your friends and family. Just like how everyone else is going to get through it." She told him, "Rest a little longer and no you don't have to sleep, but just lay here while I see what I have for dinner." She told him, "Also Peggy and the guys are here."

Howard winced, "Do they know?"

"They know where we were but I didn't explain to them fully what we saw." She said, "Just remember they have seen and done just as much of what we saw today just in a different way, they understand what you are going through as they are also going through it, like I said, you're family and family looks out for each other." And with that she headed back into the main room where everyone else was still seated.

"Do you want us to leave?" Steve asked.

Star shook her head, "No, it's fine just be your normal selves when he decides to come out, it's the best that you can do for him right now." She told them as she looked around her kitchen to see what she had and could put together for something to eat but didn't have much, "I'll be back in a little while, I'm just going to go and get some fish and chips." She told them grabbing her purse and headed out of the apartment and down to the nearest fish and chip shop.

With the friends, the family, that he had, Howard would slowly learn live with what his gas had done but he would never forget and would help out where he could by doing good.

End Chapter 25