"As always, it was a splendid presentation, Mr. Stark"
Prime wasn't sure how much time had passed. Since senior military officials began congratulating Tony Stark, he had practically tuned out. To Prime, hearing so much praise seemed meaningless. The only thing keeping him awake was the awareness that falling asleep right there would be awkward.
Prime watched with tired eyes as the military personnel gathered around Tony Stark to congratulate him. Not that Prime didn't recognize Tony's merit—on the contrary, he considered Tony's missiles extremely powerful, at least from a human perspective. However, Prime knew that if he, Bruce, or even Ross were at the epicenter of the explosion, they probably wouldn't even get a scratch.
As these thoughts crossed Prime's mind, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Obadiah Stane was approaching. Anticipating the conversation that awaited him, Prime let out a brief sigh. Trying to avoid the encounter, he started fiddling with his phone, pretending to be engrossed in random things. His hope was that Obadiah would take the hint and move along. However, it seemed his plans rarely worked out as expected.
"Mr. Ryan! What a pleasure to have you here! Honestly, I didn't think you'd accept my invitation, haha" exclaimed Obadiah Stane with a notably cheerful tone and a radiant smile on his face.
Spotting Obadiah Stane, Prime was initially surprised. To him, Obadiah didn't seem like the type of person who would be interested in presentations held in remote locations. Prime always considered him somewhat shallow, someone who preferred the comfort and sophistication of big cities. That characteristic associated with Obadiah quickly came to Prime's mind. However, he quickly dismissed this surprise as an irrelevant detail and prepared for the inevitable encounter.
"Obadiah, long time no see! It's been a while since we last met. How can I assist you?" Prime asked, displaying the most professional smile he could muster.
Though internally, Prime was hoping Obadiah would pick up on the clear message that he wasn't interested in chatting, unfortunately, Prime underestimated Obadiah's persistence. To his frustration, Obadiah proved to be even more insistent and intrusive than Prime had imagined.
"Hahaha, no worries" said Obadiah with a smile, raising his wine glass. "Someone of your caliber is always busy with new ideas and ventures. People like us need to keep an eye on emerging opportunities"
Upon hearing Obadiah's words, Prime simply rolled his eyes internally. While his initial impulse was to just get up and leave, he felt he had missed the moment for a discreet exit. Moreover, while he could leave whenever he wanted, Prime knew it would be considered disrespectful. He didn't want to create unnecessary animosity, so he decided to endure the situation patiently.
"I see... It sounds like you have something in mind. What's on your mind?" Prime asked, turning his gaze to Obadiah.
Prime silently observed as Obadiah toyed with his glass and cast brief glances at Tony. From Obadiah's demeanor, Prime couldn't clearly discern what he thought of Tony; his expression seemed merely indifferent.
"I'm embarking on a new venture and wanted to see if you're interested in investing. The returns we could potentially get in the future are simply invaluable" Obadiah said convincingly.
Prime wasn't exactly sure what business Obadiah was referring to. Nevertheless, Prime wasn't particularly curious about it either. It would likely involve weapons, which contrasted with Prime's interests for the future.
"From the way you're talking, I assume Tony isn't involved in the project" Prime remarked calmly.
Upon hearing Prime's words, Obadiah chuckled briefly in an amused manner. However one looked at the situation, anyone would probably think the same: Obadiah was definitely acting behind Tony's back.
"From what I can see, nothing escapes you, Mr. Ryan. As I mentioned, this is my project and mine alone. Tony isn't aware of it, and frankly, I intend to keep it that way. He's a busy man, and I don't want to waste his time with other projects" Obadiah said with conviction.
From Prime's perspective, this was just an excuse for Obadiah not to involve Tony in his project. However Obadiah tried to mask it, he was undermining Tony, and handing over the project would also betray Tony. Although Prime wasn't friends with Tony, it was undeniable that Tony was a unique human being.
His intelligence seemed to defy any limit, although Tony wasn't considered the smartest man in the universe, it was remarkable how he consistently outperformed his own impressive ideas. This fact was undeniable, even to Prime.
Obadiah, on the other hand, was a good businessman, but that's where it ended. Compared to Tony, Obadiah seemed at least mediocre; Tony always overshadowed him in every aspect. Despite this, Prime found Obadiah's thoughts curious, though he had never considered accepting the offer, to be honest.
"I'll consider it. If I decide to accept, you'll be the first to know. You can count on that" Prime said with a professional smile.
Obadiah heard Prime, raised his glass, and left. It was clear to Prime that Obadiah wasn't optimistic, but he probably needed all the investment he could get. Though he didn't want to boast, except for investment money, Prime had considerable wealth of his own.
As he watched Obadiah walk away, Prime glanced briefly at Tony, who was getting into one of the military vehicles. While Prime wasn't deeply interested in the situation, he couldn't help but find it all rather strange. There was something about Tony's behavior and Obadiah's presence that didn't quite fit, leaving Prime with a sense of unease.
With these troubling thoughts in mind, Prime discreetly raised his hand to chest height, where only he could see. Slowly, his skin began to warp and grow, revealing within seconds a small red and white bat. The tiny creature looked at Prime with vibrant red eyes, as if awaiting his instructions.
(Follow him) Prime murmured softly, almost inaudible.
With a simple command, Prime gave his instruction to the small bat. Without hesitation, the creature took flight, discreetly trailing the car Tony was in. Prime had no intention of monitoring every move Tony made; his order was clear and direct: the bat was to alert him only if something significant occurred.
With these thoughts in mind, Prime got up and headed towards his private jet, which would serve as his temporary accommodation while he was there. He planned to spend only the night on site and return the next day, keeping his stay as brief as possible.
Minutes later, Prime was relaxing in his jet, lying comfortably, when he felt a slight mental disturbance—a signal from the bat he had sent out. He had instructed the creature to alert him only in cases of true necessity. With a slight sense of unease, Prime closed his eyes and within seconds connected his vision to that of the bat.
In front of him, all Prime could see was intense flames. The bat, keeping a safe distance due to its vulnerability to fire, still managed to capture the main scene: Tony Stark emerging from one of the vehicles, visibly injured and wielding a weapon. Prime wondered what could be happening, but his doubts were quickly dispelled when he saw what came next.
Suddenly, several armed men appeared, their guns aimed directly at Tony. Although Prime wasn't present from the beginning of the situation, it was clear that their objective was to capture Tony, not kill him. The way the invaders acted clearly indicated that Tony was the target from the start. When Tony surrendered, the men quickly subdued him and took him away, making it evident that the kidnapping was well planned.
Prime mentally gave the order. (Follow him, but don't draw attention. Notify me immediately if anything relevant happens) With that, he severed the visual connection with the bat, letting it fulfill its mission.
Once everything was settled, Prime picked up his phone and made a call. Within seconds, the person on the other end answered. Prime knew he would be answered quickly, as the person he called always had their phone at hand.
"Hey, what's up?" Sara asked from the other end of the line.
"It's nothing, just letting you know I'll probably be a bit late getting back... some interesting things happened here" Prime explained, a small smile forming at the corner of his lips.