When Howard finally finished speaking, a long silence fell over the living room.
Tony was stunned, listening in disbelief.
He had considered many possibilities. A product of World War II super-soldier experiments? That guess made the most sense.
A superpowered individual who suddenly awakened their abilities? Or even an extraterrestrial visitor? With the progress of space exploration, that possibility couldn't be completely ruled out either.
But he never expected that Marvika was actually a figure from mythology.
Not a metaphor, not a self-proclaimed title for some supernatural entity, but the real Marvika, the Sun Goddess from the Norse mythology system, the princess of Asgard, Odin's eldest daughter.
"I kept thinking it was just a coincidence of names..." Tony muttered, his voice so soft it didn't sound like his usual tone. "Turns out you really are the legendary sun goddess?"
His gaze refocused on Marvika; the way he looked at her was no longer as if observing an interesting woman, but as if observing... a myth.
It took a while for Tony to come back to his senses. He looked Marvika up and down, as if seeing her for the first time.
His gaze traveled from her golden-red hair to her amber eyes, to her appearance which looked no older than twenty, and finally to her hand resting casually on the sofa armrest, which looked no different from an ordinary person's.
Marvika was amused by Tony's reaction. She leaned back against the sofa, her long hair glowing warmly under the lights, looking completely relaxed, as if chatting with an old friend.
"What's wrong?" Marvika asked with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents. "Don't I look like one?"
"Seriously..." Tony curled his lip, retorting, "Take a look at yourself, do you?"
He gestured with his hands, saying, "I know myths and legends can be exaggerated, but this is way off, right? The legendary sun goddess, driving a Sun chariot across the sky, radiating light, majestic and incomparable..."
"And yet here you are, wearing jeans and a leather jacket, riding a motorcycle everywhere, always breaking the bike, and having me fix it every few days?"
Tony shook his head, his tone carrying a sense of "this World is truly absurd": "If I told anyone that I knew the sun goddess from Norse mythology, and that her favorite hobbies were speeding and breaking motorcycles, they would definitely think I was crazy or on drugs."
Tony's voice dropped: "If you really are a god, then you are the most... down-to-earth god I've ever met."
Marvika laughed, a bright and genuine smile that seemed to brighten the entire living room. "Thank you, Tony."
"But you have to realize, myths and legends were written by mortals, passed down and embellished countless times. The real Asgard is very different from those stories."
She paused and added, "Besides, a long life has taught me one thing: stay curious, enjoy the present! Speeding is fun, the process of fixing the bike is fun, and chatting with you is fun. These simple joys don't become less important because of who I am."
Tony watched Marvika, looking at her familiar expression and listening to her familiar tone. Gradually, the initial shock began to fade.
In the end, Marvika was still Marvika.
The woman who would urge him on because he was too slow at fixing the bike, the woman who would laugh like a child after winning a race.
She might really be the sun goddess, might really have lived for thousands of years, might really possess World-destroying power...
But she was also the friend who would bring him coffee, urge him to rest when he worked all night, and chat with him.
"Fine." Tony finally said, shrugging with an air of "whatever" nonchalance.
"You're the sun goddess, you can fly and breathe fire, you've lived for thousands of years... then should I start charging you for repairs next time you come to me? Otherwise, I feel like I'm losing out!"
Marvika laughed out loud: "That won't do. You agreed to it yourself in the first place, that any problems with my bike would be left to you."
The two exchanged a few more playful jabs as usual. Howard then turned his gaze to Bucky, who was unconscious on the sofa, his tone becoming serious again: "Alright, let's talk about Bucky first."
Tony followed his gaze and put away his joking expression, becoming serious: "Who exactly is this? Is he really an assassin? You seem to know him?"
"His name is Bucky Barnes. He was my comrade during World War II and is also Steve's best friend." Howard's tone was full of wistfulness as he reached out to gently brush over Bucky's empty left shoulder.
"When we were fighting the Red Skull back then, he fell off a cliff. I always thought he had sacrificed himself. I never expected to see him again in this way."
He paused and added with a complicated look in his eyes, "Looking at his state, he must have been brainwashed and controlled. That metal arm and his vacant eyes are both signs of being modified."
Howard's gaze landed on Bucky's vacant face: "He has been turned into... some kind of weapon. A weapon that only listens to orders and has no self-awareness."
Howard stood up and walked back to the sofa, but his gaze never left Bucky.
"But who exactly..." His voice lowered, filled with confusion and anger: "There aren't many organizations capable of such extensive modification, and those with a motive to target me..."
He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Judging by Bucky's ability to precisely track my movements, it's likely related to someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D. The route I took to transfer the serum today was top secret; only a few people knew about it."
It could be Skrulls, or perhaps other forces...
Howard thought to himself, but regardless, there was clearly a major problem within S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Now there is one more problem," Howard said, turning his gaze to Marvika: "Since Bucky has been brainwashed, even if he wakes up in a while, he will likely continue to carry out the mission to assassinate me."
His expression became complicated. This was a bit troublesome. Should he keep Bucky secretly locked up, just like that Skrull?
Moreover, long-term imprisonment was simply unrealistic. The Villa was not a prison, and they were not prison guards.
That Skrull was already a problem, and now adding a modified super-soldier...
However, Marvika had a way to deal with this.
She stood up from the sofa, walked over to Bucky, crouched down, bent over, and grabbed Bucky by the back of his collar, lifting him up as if he were a weightless chick.
Bucky's burly figure being lifted so casually by her created a striking contrast.
"Solving his brainwashing problem shouldn't be difficult," Marvika said, her voice calm and firm.
Howard's eyes lit up: "You have a way?"
Marvika nodded: "I'm not good at delicate mental operations, but I know someone who is."
"Wait for me a moment," Marvika said, drawing a circle in the air with her other hand.
"I'll be right back."
As she moved, golden sparks burst forth in the air.
The sparks swirled and expanded, quickly forming a circular portal. Inside the portal was not the view of the living room, but a courtyard full of oriental charm.
Stone paths, bamboo forests, stone lanterns, the eaves of buildings in the distance, and the faint sound of chanting.
Kamar-Taj.