Some time later, Tony was at his home, specifically in his lab. Ever since his return, he had been secretly working on a project. Tony was determined to keep this creation away from the wrong hands, believing that under his control, it could be used for good. He currently referred to this new version as "Mark 2" an evolution of the first prototype he had built in the cave.
Tony was committed to fixing all the flaws he remembered from his first suit and improving on the points he still considered weak. During this process, a name kept popping into his mind: Ryan Connor. This mysterious visitor from last time intrigued Tony. In fact, calling him a "man" seemed inadequate, as there was something about Ryan that suggested he might not be entirely human.
Tony considered postponing the meeting with Ryan until Mark 2 was at least 90% complete. Now that it had reached this stage, Tony felt more prepared. Always a man of science, Tony did not usually believe in scientifically unproven phenomena. However, after what he had witnessed during Ryan's last visit, his belief that humanity might not be alone in the universe was considerably strengthening.
During this period, Obadiah had been visiting Tony whenever an opportunity arose. Despite attempts to disguise his intentions, Tony knew Obadiah's true interest lay in the Arc reactor technology. This persistence only heightened Tony's suspicions that Obadiah might be responsible for handing him over to the terrorists. Despite fervently wishing to deny this possibility, the evidence was hard to ignore.
While these thoughts occupied his mind, Tony paused what he was doing and picked up his phone. On the screen, a familiar number was highlighted, waiting for just a touch to start the call. Recalling what he had witnessed before, Tony hesitated for a moment, but soon made a decision. With a tap on the green button, he initiated the call.
***
Prime was absorbed in his laptop, working in the living room. His project was almost finished. Despite being recent, the construction of his building was already in full swing. The building would house the future employees of his company.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, the phone next to Prime started ringing. He turned his gaze to the device and noticed an unknown number on the screen. Prime didn't have many contacts, especially on that phone, which he reserved strictly for business. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and answered.
"Hello" Prime said softly.
"It's me, Tony... Remember our last meeting? You mentioned I could visit you. Can I come now? I have some questions and would like to confirm something" Tony said, direct and succinct.
From Prime's perspective, it seemed like Tony had disregarded his words from that time. It had been over a week since Tony announced the halt in weapon manufacturing by his company, and since then, there had been no communication or significant developments. Prime decided to set that issue aside for now, thinking it wasn't worth worrying about at the moment.
"I thought you weren't interested. Anyway, I'll give you my address" Prime said with a discreet smile.
"Okay, I'll be there shortly" Tony said, ending the call immediately.
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Once the call ended, Prime sent his current location to Tony, as agreed. Afterward, he sighed briefly. Prime had no intention of hiding forever; in fact, he wanted to reveal the truth to Tony.
About thirty minutes had passed since Tony called Prime. As he continued with his previous task, Annie and Ema watched TV, and Sara prepared a sandwich for herself. That's when the apartment doorbell rang, indicating someone was at the door.
Prime got up and walked toward the door, under the watchful eyes of Annie and Ema. Meanwhile, Sara continued making her sandwich as if nothing was happening. Upon reaching the door, Prime opened it and found Tony, dressed elegantly in a suit.
"Hey" Tony said, raising one hand.
Prime observed Tony for a few seconds. Despite visible bags under his eyes, Tony looked well. With a discreet smile, Prime stepped back, making room for Tony to enter. Both headed to the living room, where the first thing Tony noticed were two girls sitting on the couch, watching some movie.
"By the way, I don't think I've introduced them. These two are my daughters, Ema and Annie" Prime said, drawing Tony's attention to the girls on the couch. "And that one over there, making a sandwich with an indifferent look, is Sara... my host"
"Host? So, are you some kind of parasitic life form?" Tony asked, visibly curious.
"Well, you could see it that way. In exchange, I grant her powers, as you saw in the desert. It was a combination of our powers in one, summing up, when we reached the symbiosis or something like that" said Prime.
"What exactly are you? Some kind of alien form?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hearing Tony's question, Prime raised an eyebrow, surprised. He honestly expected Tony to speculate something like a lab-made monster or something before jumping to that conclusion.
"I'm surprised, honestly. I thought you'd say I was created in a lab" Prime commented with a smirk.
"There's no technology on Earth capable of creating such an advanced life form like you. I'm not a biologist, but I speculate something like you would take decades until we have the technology to create it. It would be like time travel: theoretically possible, but we don't have that technology yet" Tony said, shrugging.
"Well, as you said, I'm an alien species from outside Earth. I don't have my complete memories, so I don't know where I came from. But when I arrived on Earth, I met Sara and we've been helping each other since" Prime said, casting a sidelong glance at Sara, who responded with a V sign.
"Ha!" sighed Tony, running his hand through his hair. "The more I hear, the more it feels like I'm going crazy" he said, sitting down in a vacant seat on the couch.
Meanwhile, Prime walked to the kitchen, fetching two glasses and a bottle of expensive wine he had bought online. Although he had never tasted that wine, the good reviews convinced him to acquire it.
"Oh, I didn't know you also liked this! In fact, can you taste anything? I know you look human, but isn't this just a type of body double or something? From what you told me, your primary body must be with that little girl there" Tony said, looking at Sara, who stared at him with a deadly look. It seems she didn't like being called a little girl.
"Answering your first question, I'm not really fond of alcoholic beverages; I bought it just because" Prime said, sitting across from Tony. "As for your second question, I can only taste what Sara eats, but even though I like to eat because I know theoretically what the flavor would be like. Besides, I can tell if it's hot or not, so I eat it anyway" Prime concluded with a slight smile.
Ema, next to Prime, observed his drink and asked with a bright look.
"Dad, can I drink too?" Ema asked, her eyes shining with hope as she looked at Prime.
"When you grow up, maybe" Prime said as Ema puffed up her cheeks.
Hearing that, Tony took a sip of the drink and then asked his question looking at Annie and Ema.
"By the way, if they're your daughters, are they aliens like you?" Tony asked.
Hearing Tony's words, Prime smiled slightly and shook his head negatively. Then, turning his gaze to Ema and Annie, he spoke.
"They're all human, I shared my power with them, but only Annie awakened her powers. Still, she's learning to control her symbiote. It would be bad if she lost control" Prime explained, while Annie simply shrugged.