[Third Person's PoV]
"Synthesis for the SYB-01 is complete, boss. We should now begin the bonding process with Subject 01," Friday informed Tony, her voice calm but with an edge of anticipation.
"Has Baymax already secured the subject in the experimental section?" Tony asked, glancing up from his holographic display.
"Yes, boss. The subject is in place and ready for the procedure."
"Good," Tony said, leaning back in his chair. "Have Baymax bring the SYB-01. I'm not getting anywhere near that thing until I know it's safe," he added with a smirk, only half-joking.
A few moments later, the lab doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Baymax waddled in, holding an empty metal and glass cylinder in his wide, plush arms. Baymax moved methodically toward the Cradle, a specialized containment unit, and inserted the cylinder into a slot on the side.
With a deliberate twist, a loud hiss escaped from the cylinder as white vapor seeped out. Baymax gently removed the outer casing, revealing the black goo inside, which slithered and writhed as if eager to be freed.
Tony stood up, nodding at Baymax to follow him. "Let's get this over with," he muttered, leading the way to a viewing area that overlooked a sterile containment room. Inside, a small mouse scurried nervously around the enclosure, its tiny whiskers twitching.
Tony positioned himself by the observation window, his eyes fixed on the scene below. "Baymax, begin the process."
On the far side of the room, a metal hatch opened, revealing a perfect circular port for the cylinder. Baymax inserted the container and secured it with another twist. The hatch locked, and with a mechanical click, the cylinder opened, releasing the SYB-01. The black goo slid out, hitting the ground with a wet slap.
"SYB-01 has been released," Friday began narrating. "It appears to be searching for its host. Subject 01, the mouse, seems hesitant—likely an instinctual reaction to the presence of SYB-01."
The black substance slowly advanced toward the mouse, which cowered in the corner, its tiny paws trembling. The symbiote, almost predatory in its movements, closed in, tendrils reaching out.
"SYB-01 is making contact," Friday continued. "Bonding process initiating."
Suddenly, the mouse let out a high-pitched screech, a sound so piercing that it made Tony flinch. But what caught his attention even more was the second, deeper tone overlapping with the mouse's cry, an eerie, inhuman sound that sent a chill down his spine.
The symbiote began merging with the mouse, but the process wasn't smooth. Blood started to drip from the mouse's eyes, nose, and mouth. Its tiny limbs contorted unnaturally, bones cracking and twisting at odd angles. The mouse's tail whipped violently, smacking against the floor as it struggled in agony.
Tony's brow furrowed as he watched the grotesque transformation. The mouse let out one final, gurgling scream before it exploded in a spray of blood and tissue, the symbiote at its core, now drenched in gore, quivering on the floor amidst the remains.
"..." Tony stared at the mess for a long moment, the silence in the lab thick and heavy. "Well, I'm sure glad I didn't use me in that bonding process, right, Friday?" he quipped, trying to inject some levity into the grim situation.
The only response was an awkward silence.
"Burn it," Tony commanded, his voice flat.
Immediately, flamethrowers descended from the ceiling of the containment room, their tips glowing a menacing orange. For a split second, Tony swore he saw the symbiote twitch in a way that almost resembled fear. Before it could react, it was engulfed in flames from every angle, incinerating it along with the remnants of the mouse. The fire roared for several seconds before fading, leaving only ashes behind.
"Well, that was... something." Tony exhaled slowly. "What went wrong, Friday?"
"The bonding process overwhelmed Subject 01's DNA. It couldn't handle the stress of the symbiote's integration. The result was cellular breakdown, leading to the... explosive failure you just witnessed."
"Yeah, I noticed." Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Back to the drawing board, I guess."
He gave Baymax a reassuring pat on his soft, padded arm before walking over to his workbench. Grabbing his VR visor, he settled into his chair just as Melissa emerged from her own workspace across the room.
"So, did it work?" she asked, already knowing the answer from Tony's expression.
"Nope. Total failure." He shrugged. "Anyway, Mei's going to be here soon. Do me a favor and entertain her. Just... make sure she doesn't wander into this part of the lab. The last thing I need is her seeing this mess."
Melissa sighed, crossing her arms. "She's *your* intern. Why do I always have to babysit her?"
Tony smirked as he positioned the visor over his eyes. "Because you're my secretary, so it's your job. Oh and let her use the microbots, that should keep her entertained for awhile" he teased, tapping a button on the side of the visor and disappearing into his VR workspace.
"Friday," Tony's voice echoed in the virtual environment, "bring up the DNA structure of the SYB-01 and highlight the areas where you think the bonding process went wrong."
"Yes, boss. Pulling up the data now," Friday responded, her tone cool and efficient, as a holographic display of the symbiote's genetic makeup flickered into view, ready for analysis.
…
A few hours later in VR time, after reviewing the data from the SYB-01 bonding disaster, Tony was back in the lab, standing by the observation window. He had already requested the synthesis of SYB-02, tweaking the formula to address the issues Friday had highlighted from the previous test.
"Friday, is SYB-02 ready for testing?" Tony asked, eyes narrowed at the sterile containment room.
"Synthesis of SYB-02 is complete, boss. Baymax has already retrieved it and secured the next test subject. We're ready to proceed."
Tony nodded, feeling a mix of determination and weariness. "Let's hope this one doesn't end in an explosion. Begin the bonding process."
Baymax, ever the diligent assistant, entered the room once again, carrying another metal and glass cylinder. This time, the goo inside was a darker shade of black, almost matte, and it appeared less erratic, moving with a slow, purposeful fluidity. It gave off a different vibe—more stable, more controlled.
Baymax approached the Cradle, repeating the same sequence: inserting the cylinder into the slot, securing it with a twist, and then carefully stepping back as the hatch opened, releasing SYB-02 into the containment room.
Inside the enclosure was another mouse, this one a bit larger and more robust than the previous test subject. It sniffed the air cautiously, oblivious to the danger about to descend upon it.
"SYB-02 has been released," Friday reported, her voice maintaining its usual clinical precision. "The symbiote appears to be more stable than its predecessor, showing fewer fluctuations in its structure."
Tony watched as the black mass slithered across the floor, moving with eerie intent toward the mouse. Unlike SYB-01, which had darted erratically toward its host, SYB-02 approached the mouse slowly, almost deliberately, as if assessing it.
The mouse tensed, its tiny eyes darting around the room, sensing the presence of the symbiote. It twitched and scurried in circles, but there was no escaping the inevitable.
"SYB-02 has made contact," Friday announced. "Initiating bonding process."
The symbiote's tendrils began to snake out, wrapping themselves around the mouse's body. This time, there was no immediate screech of pain. The bonding appeared smoother, more controlled. The mouse stiffened, but it wasn't violently thrashing like the previous subject. Its eyes widened, and its limbs trembled slightly, but it seemed to be holding together.
For a moment, Tony's heart lifted. Maybe this would work. Maybe SYB-02 would finally stabilize, and they could move forward with real testing.
But then, Friday's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Warning. SYB-02 is exhibiting abnormal energy fluctuations."
Tony's eyes darted to the readings on the screen. The symbiote's internal energy levels were spiking rapidly, dangerously so. The black goo, which had been wrapping around the mouse in a smooth, controlled motion, began to pulse erratically.
The mouse started to convulse, its small body jerking violently. Its eyes bulged, and foam bubbled from its mouth. This time, there was no explosion. Instead, the symbiote seemed to destabilize from the inside, its form collapsing in on itself. The mouse let out a weak, choked squeak before it slumped to the ground, twitching. SYB-02 had withdrawn from the host, leaving the mouse alive but in a state of visible distress.
The symbiote itself quivered and shrunk into a smaller, jittering mass, its once fluid movements now erratic and uncoordinated.
"Well... at least the mouse didn't explode this time," Tony muttered, trying to find some silver lining.
Friday interrupted. "The bonding process failed due to an energy feedback loop. SYB-02 generated more internal energy than the host could process, causing the subject's nervous system to overload. The symbiote, unable to stabilize the energy, ultimately withdrew."
Tony sighed, rubbing his temples. "So, the host's biology wasn't equipped to handle the symbiote's energy production?"
"Precisely, boss. While the symbiote's physical bonding was smoother, the excess energy created too much strain on the subject's neural pathways."
Tony watched the twitching mouse, a pang of frustration settling in his chest. "Alright, burn it."
Once again, flamethrowers descended from the ceiling, blasting the containment room with fire. The mouse and symbiote were engulfed in flames, the heat so intense that the entire scene blurred through the observation window. In seconds, both were reduced to ashes.
Tony stepped back, staring at the smoldering remains through the glass. "Okay, Friday, back to square one. This time, we need to focus on energy regulation in the bonding process. Pull up all the relevant data on SYB-02's energy output and start running simulations."
"Yes, boss. Beginning analysis now."
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