Chapter 21: The Stark Calibration
The London underground bunker was a labyrinth of copper wires, half-finished prototypes, and the smell of expensive tobacco. Arthur sat in a reinforced chair, his [Archivist Combat Shroud] stripped down to its base layers, while Howard Stark hovered over his damaged staff with a magnifying loupe and a soldering iron.
"I've seen alien cubes and super-soldiers, but this?" Howard gestured wildly at the Tesseract Shard embedded in the staff. "This isn't just power, Arthur. It's a rhythmic pulse. It's like the universe is trying to hum a tune, and your stick is the tuning fork."
The Upgrade Process
Arthur ignored the headache throbbing behind his eyes. He opened his mental interface, the golden text flickering against the dim light of the lab. It was time to reinvest the massive haul of Divergence Points from the North Atlantic victory.
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE INITIATED ]
Current DP: 11,200
Investment 1: Repair and Evolve [Void-Touched Staff]
Material: [Seed of the Chronal Core] + 4,000 DP
Result: [The Archive's Edge] — Rank B. Increases Spatial Anchor strength by 100%.
Investment 2: Restore Core Integrity
Cost: 3,500 DP
Result: Integrity restored to 85%. Record Overwrite unlocked.
Investment 3: Attribute Boost (Endurance & Intelligence)
Cost: 3,000 DP
Result: Endurance (C+ —> B), Intelligence (S —> S+).
The New Architecture
As the DP flowed, a surge of blue and gold energy erupted from the staff. The cracks in the metal didn't just close; they were filled with a pulsating, liquid-light alloy from the Chronal Core.
"My god," Howard whispered, shielding his eyes. "You're not just repairing it. You're teaching it to remember its own future."
Arthur stood up, his movements fluid and precise. His [Core Integrity] was no longer flickering red. He felt the weight of every record he had archived—every life saved, every anomaly deleted.
"Howard, the files I gave you from Thorne," Arthur said, his voice echoing with a slight harmonic resonance. "Did you find the 'Zola Algorithm'?"
Howard's face went serious. He walked over to a chalkboard covered in complex equations. "It's not an algorithm, Arthur. It's a map. Hydra isn't just in Europe anymore. They've seeded 'Project Insight' fifty years too early. They're building a brain, a digital one, in a hidden facility in the Swiss Alps."
The Next Mission
[ NEW QUEST: THE SILICON CRADLE ]
Objective: Infiltrate the Arnim Zola Data-Center.
Constraint: Capture Zola's neural map before it can be uploaded to the global telegram network.
Reward: 6,000 DP & [Neural-Sync] ability.
"Steve and the boys are already prepping the Valkyrie-class transport we salvaged," Howard said, handing Arthur his newly evolved staff. "But Arthur... if this Zola guy is as smart as these files say, he's going to see you coming the moment you step onto the mountain."
Arthur gripped the staff. The blue shard flared, showing him a glimpse of the Alpen peaks through [Chrono-Vision]. "He can watch all he wants. By the time he calculates my arrival, I'll have already archived his end."
Current Status:
DP Balance: 700.
Core Integrity: 85%.
Relationship: Howard Stark: 35/100 (Deeply impressed/terrified).