"Fanatical scientists, huh?"
Howard didn't take offense. He just laughed, patted Rorschach on the shoulder, and gestured for them to keep walking.
"Mr. Stark, are you as crazy as that guy?"
Rorschach fell in step beside him.
"No, I'm the exception. One of the few true geniuses in the world. No need for madness when you've got brilliance."
Howard Stark had an ego, and clearly, his son Tony didn't fall far from the tree.
They chatted casually as they made their way into the lobby of Stark's office building. A well-dressed young man with a calm, elegant demeanor stepped up to greet them.
"Welcome back, Mr. Stark."
The voice hit Rorschach before the face did—and then he realized who it was.
"Jarvis, take Mr. Rorschach to room 218, would you?" Howard said, giving Jarvis a nod.
"Rorschach, hang tight. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone," he added with a smirk, then turned and walked off.
"Mr. Rorschach, I'm Mr. Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis. Right this way," Jarvis said politely.
"I'm exhausted," Rorschach muttered.
"No trouble at all, sir."
Jarvis led him to a room that looked like a small conference space, then quietly excused himself.
Left alone, Rorschach drifted into thought.
That surprise run-in with Arnim Zola had shaken something loose in his memory. The place Zola had emerged from… wasn't that the exact location where Iron Man and Ant-Man time-traveled to steal the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame?
Which meant… the Cosmic Cube was likely sitting right now, somewhere just a few hundred yards from where Rorschach stood.
Tempted?
Hell yes.
As a time traveler, Rorschach knew just how powerful the Tesseract really was. He wasn't naive enough to ignore it.
That kind of cosmic energy could reshape everything.
Of course, Rorschach wasn't some maniac with dreams of world domination. But he did have a wild, dangerous idea brewing—and the Tesseract might just be the key to making it real.
Still, that was for later.
Right now, he was just another up-and-coming mutant. Not strong enough yet to chase that kind of power. Not yet.
As those thoughts swirled, Howard returned—now freshly dressed—and, to Rorschach's surprise, he brought Peggy Carter with him.
That caught Rorschach off guard.
Peggy Carter wasn't just any agent—she helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. And she was showing up for a "routine" inquiry?
What, the top brass of S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing better to do?
"Rorschach, you've already met Agent Carter, so I'll skip the introductions," Howard said, sitting down across from him. "Just a few basic questions. Don't be nervous."
"Sure. Ask away."
"Why were you in that tavern?"
"My friend's a regular there. He invited me."
"Did you know I was going to be there?"
"No idea."
Howard nodded. It was all pretty standard, and Rorschach stayed cool throughout the whole thing. Nothing shady, nothing to hide.
But then Peggy finally spoke—stern, direct, and cutting straight to the point.
"Rorschach, how did you kill a werewolf with one punch? Our intel says that would take at least five tons of force. That kind of strength isn't human. Unless… you've been enhanced, like Rogers."
Her tone was sharp now. Accusatory.
"Where were you modified? Tell me."
"Agent Carter," Rorschach said, deadpan, "you've got it all wrong. I've never been enhanced or altered. No modifications, no experiments. Nothing."
"No modifications?" she scoffed. "And you expect us to believe you were just born with that kind of power? That you're some kind of mutant miracle?"
Rorschach gave a shrug and raised his hands. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."
"Rorschach, we're not the CIA or the local police. You can't just waltz in and feed us a story. We know how to sniff out lies," she said, eyes narrowing.
Rorschach looked over at Howard. "So, what's the deal here? Am I under arrest?"
Peggy's attitude was starting to wear on him.
"Of course not," Howard said quickly, trying to smooth things over. "Don't take it personally. Peggy's just… thorough."
He understood where Carter was coming from. Years ago, Captain America had quietly left behind a few vials of his serum—just in case. One of those vials ended up in Howard's hands, which he later passed on to Peggy. She destroyed it.
Still, some of it had clearly leaked out into the world. So Peggy naturally assumed someone had used it to create a new super-soldier—and Rorschach was Exhibit A.
Her attitude wasn't exactly friendly.
"If I'm not being detained, then I've got other things to do," Rorschach said, rising from his seat.
"You haven't answered my questions," Peggy snapped, standing as well.
But Rorschach ignored her, eyes fixed on Howard.
"Peggy, a word?" Howard said, pulling her aside.
He reminded her that Rorschach hadn't done anything wrong—in fact, he'd saved his life. Even if he had some kind of serum-enhanced strength, that wasn't a crime. And right now, there was no hard proof of anything.
Peggy, being the professional she was, eventually relented. She gave Rorschach a hard look and walked out without another word.
But Rorschach wasn't fooled. She'd be back. She'd keep digging.
He didn't care.
Soon, mutants would be out in the open anyway. Let them investigate.
Howard walked back over and shook his hand. "Thanks again, Rorschach. I'll have Jarvis see you out. And hey—come by my place sometime for dinner. I'd like to thank you properly."
"Sounds good," Rorschach said with a nod.
Dinner at the Stark residence? That could be useful.
"Oh—and one more thing," Howard added, his tone shifting. "Werewolves don't usually act alone. If there were three tonight, odds are, there's a pack nearby. If things get messy, you've got my number."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Rorschach gave him a casual wave as he headed out.
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