After leaving Prime's house, Tony drove back to his own residence. As he drove, various thoughts crossed his mind, mainly about Obadiah. Tony hadn't expected Obadiah to leave the company easily, but he believed there wasn't much he could do about it. He planned to simply hand over his share of the company and move on, as always.
After parking his car in the garage, Tony entered his home to find it empty. Several hours had passed since he left Prime's house, and now it was already night. Although he found the silence and calm strangely discomforting at that moment, he didn't worry much, knowing that only two people had a key to his house.
Ring-ring. Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing echoed through the place. Tony looked around, stunned, and approached the sofa where the sound was coming from. Underneath a pillow, he found his cellphone. Seeing the screen, he noticed it was a call from Pepper. He answered and asked her to go to Obadiah's office to try to find some evidence.
Though risky, Tony knew he couldn't enter the office without drawing Obadiah's attention, who would certainly find the action suspicious, given Tony hadn't shown any interest in business matters for years.
Setting that aside, Tony answered the call and held it to his ear. Pepper's voice came through from the other end. When Tony opened his mouth to reply, a faint noise echoed, and he felt his body freeze. He couldn't even look around; breathing had become difficult in his current condition.
Tony immediately recognized what it was: one of the weapons he had developed in the past, disapproved by the government. Despite destroying all remaining prototypes, one person insisted on keeping one, claiming it was for their own safety.
"Ah, Tony, Tony" Obadiah calmly exclaimed as he approached Tony. "You know, when I ordered them to kill you, I was worried about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" Obadiah commented, preparing a device and attaching it to Tony's chest.
In a matter of seconds, the reactor that kept Tony alive was removed, as Obadiah admired him. Tony, paralyzed, could only watch. He would die in a few minutes if he couldn't retrieve the Arc reactor; that was a fact.
Obadiah began to reminisce about the past, but Tony wasn't listening. In fact, he simply couldn't hear anything but a deafening buzz. Although he wasn't feeling much pain, his muscles seemed locked up. Realizing this, Tony finally understood why the government hadn't approved the technology.
However, even struggling to hear clearly, Tony managed to grasp Obadiah's final words as he stored the Arc reactor in his briefcase.
"Tony, I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as... sophisticated and conservative as yours, but it's a shame... that you involved Pepper in this" Obadiah said with a serene smile on his face.
At that moment, Tony's eyes widened briefly. Was Pepper in danger? He never imagined that by sending her, he could put her at risk. Obadiah shouldn't suspect her unless something had happened. Tony was struggling to think clearly; he was dying, and now Pepper might be facing the same fate.
"I would prefer that Mrs. Pepper remain alive" Obadiah said, standing up and leaving.
Tony gathered all the strength his body could muster to move his fingers. Despite Obadiah leaving him paralyzed, his cellphone was within inches of his hand. Tony didn't know why, but the first person who came to mind was the one he had visited hours before. Moreover, the words she had said before he left—had she foreseen what was happening? Anyway, that didn't matter at that moment.
***
Prime was at home, engrossed in reading a book. It wasn't a frequent habit for him, but occasionally he enjoyed soaking up knowledge, even if it was technically unnecessary. With his newfound intellect, Prime could memorize the entire book in a matter of minutes; however, memorization and comprehension were entirely different skills.
Ring-ring! The phone beside Prime suddenly rang, capturing his attention. Raising an eyebrow, Prime picked up the phone and brought it to his ear, his words echoing shortly after.
"Hello" Prime said, holding the cell phone to his ear.
"..." but on the other end, there was no response.
The person didn't hang up; moreover, the number was unknown. Though puzzled, Prime had no difficulty imagining what this could mean. He could think of a few reasons for the call, but what seemed most plausible at the moment was that something had happened to Tony and he simply couldn't respond.
"I'll be there in a few minutes" Prime said, getting up and leaving the room. At the entrance of his apartment, he found Sara, Annie, and Ema.
"Looks like the billionaire genius has gotten himself into a fix this time" Sara commented with a brief, mocking laugh.
Prime shared Sara's opinion; even after the warning, Tony hadn't taken more severe measures. He chose to trust Obadiah one last time, but even Prime didn't expect Obadiah to act so quickly.
"I'm planning to help him regardless. It would be detrimental to me if he were to perish" Prime said, shrugging.
With these words, Prime turned to Annie and Ema, both looking at him attentively. It was quite obvious what both wanted, though Prime didn't care much in Annie's case. He really didn't want to take Ema, at least not now; one mistake could be fatal for her, unlike Annie.
"What's the harm in taking Ema? We'll all be there along with Annie, and as long as she behaves, there shouldn't be any issue" Sara remarked discreetly, with a slight smile.
Upon hearing these words, Prime felt like he would be seen as the villain if he said otherwise. Still, he wondered why suddenly Sara, Ema, and Annie were smiling at each other as if everything had been planned. What the hell had happened while he wasn't looking? With a wry smile, Prime raised his arms in surrender.
"Fine, you win" Prime said, then turned his gaze to Ema. "But remember, Ema, stay close and follow my instructions, okay?" Prime asked seriously, fixing his eyes on Ema.
"Ema will be a well-behaved and obedient girl" Ema said, saluting like a soldier who had just received orders.
Prime blinked at that gesture. Sara or Annie were probably teaching her strange things, but he decided not to worry about it for now.
Next, Prime's body disappeared, and a red mass began to envelop Sara's body. With a cunning smile, Sara's face transformed, taking on a more wild appearance as a hood covered her head. Then, turning to Annie and Ema, she posed a question.
"Ready?"
Upon hearing this, Annie and Ema glanced briefly at each other before Annie underwent the same transformation. A small bestial roar echoed from Annie after her change. Then, Prime, now transformed, approached Ema, who stared at him with arms outstretched, clearly asking for a hug as a smile lit up her lips.
Carrying Ema like a princess, Prime cast a final glance at Annie, or rather, Scream, who stared back while tilting her head slightly, like an adorable child.
"Let's go" Prime said.