The moment he saw the badge, Stark looked up to Steve, despite the insignia being obvious, he still sought answers from the veteran of World War II.
Steve took the medal from his hand, his eyes filled with shock and nostalgia. He caressed the surface of the medal with his finger before uttering, "Soviet Union Red Flag Medal..."
At that moment, the expression on Steve's face could only be described as complex. He read out the Russian words on the red portion of the Red Flag Medal, "Workers of the world, unite."
Stark wore a surprised expression, he hadn't expected Steve to know Russian, but then, he remembered the hints of the Soviet Union he had glimpsed in Steve's consciousness.
Seeing Steve's expression, Stark found it somewhat familiar. Suddenly, he remembered Obadiah's face when he had just awoken, negoatiating with the military on his behalf, and telling him the story about Howard and Anton. Obadiah had worn a similar expression then.
Not just Obadiah, but even the old general on the other side had a similar look.
However, what left Stark, a man born in the post-Cold War era, puzzled, was that the older generations that had previously faced off against the Soviet Union didn't entirely display just disdain and rejection when they spoke of this country.
In fact, their expressions of nostalgia outweighed any other emotion.
Perhaps, just like Steve, they were reminiscing about that special era because it held their past endeavors and evidences of existence.
Stark, who was born in the seventies of the last century and spent his adolescence during the Cold War, struggled to understand this sentiment. He wanted to crack a joke to ease the tense atmosphere, but before he could do so, Steve had already broken from his reverie. He said:
"I never thought I could see this again..." he said, lips pressed tightly together, his expression serious. He then asked, "Why does Shiller have this medal?"
Stark took back the medal, studying the patterns and drawings on it, then asked with a tinge of confusion, "What does this medal represent? Who can receive it?"
"This was one of the first medals established by the Soviet Union, and it's awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the national cause. Generally speaking, the early Red Flag Medals are relatively prestigious."
Stark lowered his gaze to the heavily worn medal. Steve confirmed his conjecture, saying: "Judging by the craftsmanship and the details of the design, this appears to be an early Red Flag Medal, but it's hard to tell precisely which year it was awarded."
After the two men had examined the medal back and forth a few times without finding any useful details, Stark handed the medal to Steve, saying, "You keep it, just in case it gets discovered, you can say it was left to you by an old war buddy."
"You..." Steve hesitated, but Stark seemed to know what he wanted to ask. He paused a moment, then said: "That era will never return again. Liberate the entire human race? A very noble dream, but..."
Stark shook his head, leaving Steve unsure about what exactly he was denying.
However, it's clear that Stark wasn't rejecting from the perspective of a capitalist. Stark, now as Iron Man, had transcended class, approached the ultimate producers, and possessed virtually unlimited productivity. If he didn't feel responsible for human civilization, then resources, life forms, and perspectives could no longer confine him.
The past always brings a sense of complication, as many regrets can no longer be mended. As Steve was staring absentmindedly at the medal, lost in thought, Stark had already reached out and opened the old-fashioned folder.
The folder looked very old. The outer shell was made of thin wood, the metal clasp on the inside was somewhat rusted, and the papers inside were even worse off. In many places, the ink had faded, covering up other letters. Some ink even stained the outer shell.
Stark was taken aback when he looked at the first page—it was chock-full of names. However, they weren't prominent figures. He scanned quickly and realized he didn't recognize any of the names.
Under the names were notations for nationality and profession. Strangely, the column for nationality listed two countries: for some, it was England and the Soviet Union; for others, it was America and the Soviet Union; there were also unconventional combinations including minor countries.
He flipped through a few more pages and found detailed introductions. However, it was clear that the list was compiled in a hurry—the handwriting was rushed and crooked, and the quality of the paper and ink was sub-par. Some sections had faded into blobs, making it impossible to discern the specific information.
Stark had no choice but to activate the scanning program in his battlesuit and he gave JARVIS an instruction: "Scan all the text above and carry out a comprehensive analysis."
"Scanning... Contents have been input... Analyzing... Analysis complete..."
Stark pressed a button on his armrest, launching a drone that projected an image onto the wall. Displayed was a file with a photograph. Steve turned to look, reading out the title of the file with a puzzled expression:
"February 12, 2001, Central Intelligence Agency declassified files, British Military Intelligence Section 5 spy expulsion case... Claude Ryan..."