[After the bombshell revelation from billionaire Tony Stark himself, everyone is paying close attention to his next moves. What will this revolutionary genius show us next?]

On the television in a large mansion, the news had been repeating the same story for some time: since Tony revealed himself as Iron Man, the world had been in an uproar. While many were just curious, there were those who wanted that weapon for themselves.

"Looks like you really have the government on your tail this time"

In a relaxed setting, a man with blue eyes and white hair was staring at another with a mocking smile. They were Prime and Tony Stark. A few days had passed since all those events, and unexpectedly, Prime had become a close friend of Tony, even more than Tony himself had anticipated.

During this time, Prime had observed Tony closely and, unexpectedly, discovered that he had a good heart. Of course, if it were only that, Prime wouldn’t like him as much. The fact is, Tony, though he may not realize it, is much more altruistic than he appears. He just needed a little push to acknowledge this side of himself.

“What can I do? I see no reason to hide it. Anyway, it probably won’t change much” Tony said, shrugging as he filled a glass with a drink.

Tony and Prime were in Tony's basement. While Tony worked on his new suit, Prime watched intently. This wasn’t the first suit Tony had created; he had already developed several, always modifying and enhancing them, making each one more powerful than the last. To Prime, Tony's vast knowledge seemed endless, which was, in a way, a bit intimidating.

"Well, you’re old enough to take care of yourself” Prime said, shrugging. Tony looked at him with a slightly mocking smile.

“Thanks for your permission, Dad. I didn’t even know I needed it” Tony said, drinking from the glass.

Hearing Tony’s words, Prime just shrugged, a smirk appearing on his face. He then turned his attention back to the television, where, as always, images of Tony in his suit were showing. Since revealing his identity, Tony had made countless appearances in the suit. At the moment, he seemed more like an entertainer than a man wielding a mega-powerful armor.

“Oh, that reminds me. Has the government contacted you? It’s good to keep in mind that they’re probably going to try to take your armor, right?” Prime asked, turning his gaze to Tony.

Upon hearing Prime’s words, Tony shrugged, showing disinterest in the matter. To be honest, he really didn’t care. The government wanted to take his armor? Let them try.

“You’ll probably handle it in a pretty unusual way again. Anyway, I’m not really worried; I only asked because I felt a friend would do that. By the way, I don’t see Pepper around here”

Hearing Prime’s words, Tony filled another glass and raised it towards him. Prime accepted the glass without saying anything more. Then, Tony’s voice echoed through the room.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“She’s organizing the meeting with the government for me. Normally, I would be the one to go, but you know how busy I am” Tony said, as if it were obvious.

Prime looked at Tony with a smirk, recognizing him as one of the most eccentric people he had ever met. Although he considered himself eccentric, Prime knew Tony far surpassed that mark. It was impossible to know what Tony was thinking or what he would do next.

"Anyway, I think I’ve been here long enough. Sara and the kids might be worried, and I also need to finish my upcoming projects” Prime said, getting up from his chair.

Upon hearing Prime’s words, Tony finally looked up. He knew that Prime was working on something new in the medical field, but due to recent events, getting more details beyond the fact that it would be extremely beneficial to humans was almost impossible. Considering the words came from a real alien, the suggestion seemed even more intriguing.

“By the way, you mentioned something about that before. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but coming from you, it must be something extraordinary. Send me the details later; I’m interested in investing in it” Tony said, looking at Prime.

“Sure, I’ll email you later. Actually, I’ll be back here as soon as I have the first sample ready; I hope to have one by the end of the month” Prime said, raising his arms in a farewell gesture.

***

After that, a few days passed. As expected, Tony had a meeting with the government, which was broadcasted live to the public. Prime remembered the beginning of the meeting, when everything seemed to be against Tony. However, the situation changed when Tony hacked into the government system, revealing the failed attempts to recreate the armor, failures that had even resulted in some deaths.

After the embarrassment faced by the government, it was decided that the armor would remain with Tony. In parallel, he would give one to the government, which could decide what to do with it. Tony also made it clear that any accidents resulting from the use of the armor would be the government's responsibility, not his. From Prime's perspective, this sounded more like a threat.

While all these incidents were happening, Prime managed to finish the first sample of the medicine that would be marketed by his company. Now, he was driving to Tony’s house, accompanied only by Ema, who had insisted on coming along. Annie was at home, studying for the upcoming exams, and Sara decided to stay behind and relax.

“Daddy!” Ema called from the back seat, catching Prime’s attention.

“Yes?” Prime asked, looking through the car’s rearview mirror.

“Is it true that soon I’ll be just like you, Annie, and Sara?” Ema asked with a cheerful, yet somewhat cautious tone.

Prime reflected on Ema’s words. She had been asking this question for a while, and as time went by without her symbiote appearing, Ema seemed increasingly worried about not being seen as part of the family like Annie and Sara. Somehow, Ema seemed to believe that until she had her own symbiote, she wouldn’t be fully accepted as a family member.

“Soon, but you know that even without it, you’re still an important member of the family, right?” Prime said, turning momentarily to look at Ema.

Upon hearing Prime’s words, Ema merely nodded, but he noticed that this did nothing to improve her mood. In the end, Prime sighed, wondering when Ema’s symbiote would appear. Even he started to worry if something was going wrong with the process.

Thinking about how he could cheer up Ema, Prime had an idea that, although it seemed a bit strange to him, he decided to try since he couldn’t think of another solution. While driving, a tentacle emerged from his back and reached out to Ema. Wrapping around her waist, the tentacle lifted her into the air, removing the convertible’s roof. Thus, Prime lifted Ema above the car.

Although, from Prime’s perspective, this might seem frightening to anyone, Ema had a smile on her face and her arms stretched out to the sides. Unfortunately or fortunately, Ema was not just anyone, and Prime couldn’t tell if this was a good or a bad sign.