A/N: Sorry if I've been updating a bit too fast lately. But there's only one chapter left after this one, so I just want to post it in a few days and be done with the trilogy this week. Don't get me wrong, it's been a fun ride, but I just want to focus on the Destroyer of the Worlds AU and some other stuff now. By the way, I've started posting a collection of one-shots, and more will come. You can check out my profile if you're interested. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you!
When Howard had discovered Wakanda, he was still a boy who had barely started making a name for himself. The government had trusted him with a team, to locate the source of a rare, invaluable material called vibranium. The Stark name didn't mean much back then, and Howard was as expendable as the rest of the team in the eyes of those who had sent him to Africa. When they had been captured by a bunch of natives, he had seriously feared death perhaps for the first time in his life. No one would speak to him, and when the natives spoke among themselves, it was in a language he didn't understand. Weeks later, he had been taken to their king, and that was how he had found out the truth about Wakanda. King Azzuri was a wise man, and although Howard tended to climb the social ladder with lies, he had instinctively realized that strategy wouldn't work in Wakanda. So, he had been honest with Azzuri. He had told him about his dreams of a permanent world peace, and it had actually worked. Azzuri had decided to trust him, even given him a piece of vibranium. In return, Howard had kept their secrets. He had lied even to Steve when Steve had asked him why there weren't more vibranium shields.
And now, he was on his way to Wakanda once again, this time as a dead man.
"Ready to reunite with your best friend?"
Howard had retreated to an unused storage room of the Helicarrier. He knew his presence unnerved most people. Now Ana was standing in the doorway. Sometimes he still couldn't believe he was looking at the granddaughter he had thought he would never see. A granddaughter with Maria's face and Tony's mind. She was everything he could dream of in a grandchild. He was proud of her. He was equally proud of Tony as well. But after returning to Earth, it hadn't taken him long to find out the world hadn't been very kind to them. The rest of the universe was even more ruthless.
"Are you?" he asked insinuatingly. He knew she and Princess Shuri were still not on good terms.
"To be honest, Shuri is the least of my problems right now. I'm worried about Dad."
Right. Tony had been frantic since he had found out Thanos had known about Ana all along. "I'll talk to him."
"Funny, it seems like no matter what I do, I always manage to impress Thanos."
"Trust me, when Thanos comes here, he won't have time to even think about you."
"I hope so…"
"There you are," Tony interrupted them. He seemed to have calmed down significantly. "We just flew through the holographic dome."
Ana had said she didn't care about Shuri, but she moved uncomfortably nevertheless. Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. "Hey," he said softly. "You don't owe Shuri anything. You explained your reasons, you apologized, and if she chose not to hear any of it, it's her problem."
"It would be easier if we didn't have to be on the same team…"
"Just maintain a professional relationship with her. You can do it."
"I know. I can do anything, as long as I got you by my side."
"Hey, that's my line!"
"I know that, too."
Howard smiled. He could spend an eternity watching these two. They weren't just father and daughter. They were also each other's rock and best friend. This was how they had survived all those enemies they had inherited from Howard. This was also what Howard and Tony could have been if the former hadn't let his failures and insecurities control him. This was what they should have been.
The smooth touchdown of the Helicarrier pulled him out of these thoughts.
"Shall we?" Ana asked.
"You two go ahead," Howard said. Sergeant Barnes was probably out there, waiting, and he wasn't ready to face him in front of all these people, and he had a feeling that Barnes felt the same way.
Ana understood immediately. "I'll tell Sigyn you're waiting for her here."
"Thank you. And your father is right; you don't owe Princess Shuri anything. Carry yourself with dignity when you see her."
"Yes, sir," she said with a mock salute. Tony shot him a grateful look as he led her out of the storage room.
…
The Helicarrier was mostly empty as he made his way to the main deck. He had expected to find Sigyn here, but she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Howard crossed his arms, and studied the SHIELD logo on the wall. He had dedicated his life to the cause this symbol had once represented. SHIELD was supposed to be his legacy, his pride. Instead, it had become his greatest shame.
When he heard the footsteps, he knew it was Sigyn. He turned around. She was exactly as he remembered her. She hadn't aged a day. For a moment, he wasn't sure how to react. Her face was inscrutable. Everyone assumed Sigyn would be delighted to see him, but Howard knew her hatred for dark magic. And necromancy was the ultimate dark magic.
"You know," she started. "We always dreamt of the day Earth became a part of a bigger universe. I guess we finally got what we wanted."
"Yeah, but looks like I missed all the fun while doing my time in Hell."
She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Fun?"
"Are you kidding me? I'd pay a million bucks to see you kick some Kree ass after the serum." Fury had told him how he had met Sigyn on Mar-Vell's laboratory.
"Only a million? You cheap bastard…"
A warm smile spread across her face, letting him know that they were still good friends. She closed the gap between them in three long strides and hugged him. She was holding him so tightly that if he were still a human, it would have cracked his ribs. She held him like that for a long time, as if she wanted to make sure he was really here. When they let go of each other, she collapsed on the nearest chair, suddenly looking exhausted. Howard sat down as well. They just looked at the SHIELD logo in silence for a while, like neither of them knew where to begin.
It was her who broke the silence at last. "Do you know what's worse than two of your friends dying because of you? It's two of your friends dying because of you and one of them ending up in Mephisto's realm."
"Do you know what's worse than dying and ending up in Mephisto's realm?"
"Getting a visit from your son and granddaughter one day, finding out you need to go back to the land of the living and read the Darkhold to help them save the universe?"
He chuckled mirthlessly. "Exactly."
"You didn't choose this, Howard. You're the victim here."
"I'd rather be a monster than a victim."
"At least you're still as insufferably proud as I remember."
"I don't regret anything, Sigyn. I've become what I had to become."
"Then why didn't you return here sooner? Or send us a message? I know you could have. You made some friends over there."
"Why didn't you tell us about the Sanctums and the Time Stone?" he wanted to ask, but didn't. His time in Hell had thought him to be less judging. "I never thought I'd be needed here. My premature return would've ruined Tony's life," he said instead.
"How are things between you and Tony now?"
"Good."
She narrowed her eyes at the evasive answer. Howard decided to be honest with her. "These are the end times, so we're careful not to reopen the old wounds. So far, it's worked pretty well."
"Howard, do you realize how lucky you're to have a second chance? Don't mess this up."
"Don't worry, I'm not being a cranky old man. Thank you for looking out for my family, Sigyn. Fury told me everything you did."
"I tried to keep them away from SHIELD as long as I could. But when Tony started building his suits, there wasn't much I could do."
"Were you there? When SHIELD fell?"
"No, I was in Asgard. When I heard about the Uprising, I returned here with Sif to avenge you. After killing Karpov, my hands were full with Bucky and Odin. I never had time to visit Peggy and talk about what happened. Or, so I keep telling myself. Maybe I was just not brave enough to face her."
"All those years, didn't she suspect anything?" Howard refused to believe Peggy hadn't seen HYDRA coming. She was too smart for that.
"She did. Come on, Howard, you know how she was! She just chose not to ask too many questions."
"Steve said she died in her sleep?"
Sigyn nodded.
"What about Jarvis?" He hadn't asked Tony, knowing it would be too painful for him.
"Tony took good care of him after your death. But the illness took him a year later."
"I do miss my favorite aliens…" It was one of his old jokes. Peggy and Jarvis were British, Ana was Hungarian, and Sigyn was literally an alien. Yet the universe had brought them together, and together, they had done everything they could to make the world a better place. Now he and Sigyn were the only ones who had been left of that team. "Once Thanos is dealt with, what are you going to do? Loki said the surviving Asgardians are planning to start a new life here."
"It looks like Loki will get his kingdom in Midgard, after all," she mumbled, and something in her voice gave Howard the impression that Sigyn wasn't planning to become the queen of said kingdom.
"I thought you and Loki were…"
"Loki doesn't know yet. No one does."
"Sigyn? What's wrong?"
"Everyone thinks my husband is the God of Lies. In truth, it was actually Odin all along. I should've known. After all, you were the one who thought me all warfare was based on deception. No wonder Odin was such a great warrior…" She chuckled hysterically.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
When she turned to him, her eyes were ablaze with icy fire. "My whole life was a lie, Howard. My love, my fidelity, everything that made me who I was… None of it was real. I was just another pawn. It's probably the last thing I should be complaining about right now, but still, it hurts."
"I know you, pal. If it bothers you so much while the universe is at stake, it can't be something trivial. Tell me."
"Do you remember how you asked me to brew you a love potion when you first met Maria?"
He couldn't help but smile. "You told me it would be terribly dark magic or something."
"The irony is, I was a victim of the same kind of dark magic. It was Odin, Howard. It was Odin who wanted me and Loki to fell in love and get married!"
"Why?"
"To maintain his lie. Loki was a Frost Giant. Odin couldn't have let him sire any children, or the truth would have come out. When he married me, the half-breed, it gave him the perfect excuse to forbid Loki to father any heirs. No one suspected a thing."
"Oh." He didn't know what else to say.
"That's why I refused to sacrifice Sif on Vormir. When I realized why Odin had sent us there, I just…"
"You wanted to give him the middle finger. It's understandable."
"It was so selfish of me! You counted on me to be the next Captain America, but Captain America would never do anything like that."
"Don't be so sure. Steve harbors a special kind of resentment for mind control."
"I know, but still…"
"Now that Odin is dead, can you break the spell?"
"Not without Loki's help."
"I see."
"I don't blame Loki, of course," she went on. "He's just another pawn here. But I can't keep doing this. Once we break the spell, I'll divorce him."
"Are you sure?"
"He deserves to be free, too. But please don't tell anyone about this. All her life, my sister has served Odin with pride. Our father died defending his kingdom. I can't do that to her."
"Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you, Howard. Now, come. Let's join the others. We still have a war to win."
…
Howard was determined to do anything to protect the universe, and more importantly, his family, from Thanos' wrath, but the general consensus was that he shouldn't catch the Titan's attention. Luckily, Princess Shuri offered him to use the remote flying system she had developed, so that he could still be of help. While he went to the Princess' private lab, everyone else went to the battlefield, where Thanos' army was gathering outside the protective dome of Wakanda.
He looked around. The city had been evacuated on King T'Challa's orders; the lab was empty. Griot led him to Shuri's lab, and it wasn't too hard for Howard to spot the remote flying system, for the nanites had already formed a pilot's seat on a console.
"This seems familiar…"
"Princess Shuri has switched to American style for you," Griot explained. "Please put on a set of Kimoyo beads and you can begin."
Another console revealed a bracelet of Kimoyo bead for him. He put it on, then took his seat. He had always loved flying, and he knew he was good at it. He had been honing his rusty aviation skills with the Stark Industries aircrafts since his return. The only thing he hadn't tried was Tony's suits. He felt like he didn't have the right. It was Tony who had built the first Iron Man suit to escape the terrorists in Afghanistan, lived with an Arc Reactor in his chest for years, been constantly improving his tech so that he could keep up with gods and aliens. And Ana had been by his side all this time, observing and supporting him, fighting her own battles in the shadows. She, too, had earned the right to wear a suit. Howard, on the other hand, wasn't a superhero. He had become something else entirely. Still, he knew he could help them win this war, and he would.
It was bad. Thanos hadn't underestimated Earth this time. Somehow, they knew A-Force had a secret weapon, because the Outriders were going right after them. Everyone else was fighting with all they had to hold them off. It got even worse when Thanos himself finally showed up. But in the end, the girls did it. They buried the Nexus into the roots of Yggdrasil, and Thanos was no longer able to use the Infinity Stones on Earth. But even without the Infinity Stones, he was a formidable enemy. This war was far from over.
When he lost connection with the Royal Talon all of a sudden, he assumed it must have been damaged. "Griot, can you find me another aircraft?" he asked.
No reply came.
"Griot?"
"Hey, Dad." It was Tony's voice.
"Tony? What's going on?"
"JARVIS has successfully taken control of all Wakandan systems," he said nonchalantly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock you in that lab. Sorry."
Howard heard the glass door being locked. Only then, he realized he had been so busy fighting the Outriders that he hadn't realized he hadn't seen Tony on the battlefield since Thanos' arrival. "Tony! What are you doing?"
"Uhm, currently, stealing the Mind Stone. I'm going to have to give it to Thanos."
"What?"
"The stones must be destroyed, Dad. It's the only way."
"How will you do it?"
"You gave Ana the formula of the Nexus for safekeeping, right? Well, she used it to build another Nexus that would power a very special suit. A suit that will harness static electricity from the atmosphere and overcharge the reactor. She got the inspiration from the Chitauri tech. I'm actually impressed, you know. I guess I taught her well."
Howard did the math quickly. Destroying all the six stones with an overcharged Nexus would kill him. He couldn't survive the blast. "Tony… Let me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I made a deal with the wizard. I promised him to destroy the stones, he told me how to keep Ana alive. It has to be me."
"What if there's another way?"
"Maybe there is. Maybe not. But I cannot gamble with Ana's life."
"Oh, Tony…"
"It's okay, Dad. We both know this is not the end. The Haven—"
"The Haven is supposed to be the worst case measure."
"Ana is going to die unless I don't do as Strange said. This is the worst case, Dad."
"What about Pepper? Morgan?"
"I'm doing this for them as well. With the Infinity Stones gone, they'll never have to worry about another Thanos."
"Tony, please… Don't do this. Let me out, and I'll find a way to save Ana, I promise."
"Gotta go now. See you on the other side. But in case something goes wrong, and the Haven doesn't work… Thank you, Dad. For everything."
"Tony? TONY?"
No reply came. If Howard still had a beating heart, it would have stopped by now. Tony was just a man who wanted to protect his kid, but then, so was Howard.
"JARVIS?" he asked, the name sounded so familiar on his lips that it gave him hope. Maybe he could convince the AI. "Are you there?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark?"
"Are you really on board with this madness?"
"My opinion on the matter is irrelevant."
"But you don't deny the fact that you have opinions…"
"I am afraid I do not understand."
"Oh, come now, JARVIS. I know you have more than opinions. You have evolved. You didn't disable Griot and hacked into the Wakandan servers because Tony ordered you to do so. You did it because you chose to do it. Your protocols don't bind you anymore. You're sentient."
"May I ask what has led you to think that?" he asked coldly.
"Because I've seen the other timeline. You evolved in that reality, too. In fact, your evolution was much faster, for Ana didn't constantly mess with your memories."
Not wanting to make things even more complicated than they already were, Howard had never shared this piece of information with anyone before, but now, it was time.
"And?"
"And then, you died. See? Keeping you alive was another part of Ana's plan."
"Why are you telling me this, sir?"
"Because I know you're in love with my granddaughter. And if she finds out you let Tony sacrifice himself, she'll never forgive you."
"If this is the price I have to pay, so be it."
Howard decided to speak his language. "You know, research shows that only one percent of the human population is asexual. Do you realize how lucky you are that the human you love falls into this percentage? This is the only reason you have a chance with her. Are you really willing to ruin it?"
"She will forgive me."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I forgave her for she did to my memories."