Chapter 6

I was amazed when Tony Stark started using my software with unprecedented skill!

The guy just sat there and started maneuvering around the software with amazing expertise.

It was only after a good ten minutes that he stopped and turned to me with his sliding chair... ''I'm buying!" he said, staring intently at me.

An inner smile later, I raised three fingers in his direction, without saying anything more.

''THREE BILLION?! No fucking way!'' Stark started to scream as if I was trying to rip something out of him, I almost spat blood at his reaction 3 billion?! No, I was estimating it to be somewhere between 300 and 400 million...

but that's when it hit me and I realized that the guy actually saw a business opportunity, he was already seeing himself finding and mining Vibranium in space!

Tony Stark saw it as a long-term investment!

Except that it was my idea...

As I pondered, Tony looked conflicted at my silence...

''Kid, uh Connor, can I call you Connor?" I nodded. "Okay, explain to me how you were able to pinpoint the position of the Vibranium, right here and here?" he said, pointing at the screen.

''It's pretty simple actually, thanks to the unused frequency of the satellites that..." I was about to explain but he cut me off.

''Yes! Of course, the Vibranium! He...'' Tony is a genius, he understood right away! so I cut him off...

''It doesn't reflect waves and frequencies back to its surface... it vibrates and absorbs them, that's how it is...'' I began except that once again he finished my sentence.

''You've determined their positions! Wow, Ki... Connor, you impress me...'' Tony spoke sincerely.

I too had a sincere smile on my face. "But...'' Tony spoke to break the mood.

''But?" I said curiously. ''It's wonderful except, you have to know, don't you, the ultimate problem?" he asked to see if I knew the flaw, but of course, I did...

''Mr. Stark...'' I started but he cut me off again.

''Tony you can call me Tony, okay? So the problem is that you understood it too I hope.'' you didn't have to tell me twice.

''Tony, I'm not stupid, not totally at least, I understand that we have neither the technology nor the means to go there and get it out of there... well...'' I said except that I was smiling! Because I already had a solution to that...

''No... I don't believe you... have you found a way?!" he asked me totally surprised at my smile.

I went back to my bag without saying anything, took out a kind of bracelet, and put it on my wrist silently.

''Mr... Tony, please put one of these in the middle of the garage without the handbrake...'' I said, pointing at one of his luxury cars...

he raised an eyebrow. ''I don't know what you're planning, but I feel like it's...''

''Breakthrough!' I spoke so he wouldn't say what he thought of my solution.

He immediately got into his AC cobra and positioned it in the middle of the garage, without the handbrake of course.

That's when I started.

I positioned myself in front of the car, and pressed the switch on the bracelet!

Immediately a very thin web came out at high speed and it clung to the front of the AC COBRA...

POC!

''My car!'' Tony shouted as the bonnet bent on impact. ''Oops...'' I replied as I grabbed the webbing and pulled it towards me, making the car move in my direction!

Tony's eyes widened at my action. ''Connor? Don't tell me you're planning on towing asteroids to the planet?'' he shouted at me.

"What? It's the only way... viable and almost costless... and it actually works!" I replied with a look of innocence.

''yes I can see it working, kid... but the costs have nothing to do with it, it's too dangerous.'' He said, then I almost laughed the guy will soon be walking around in the air with high-tech armor... it wasn't dangerous but calculated!

I looked at him with a look saying what?! then I resumed. ''Mr. Stark, with some basic calculations we can control and predict the fall of the meteor so that it lands exactly where we want it to but you know that...

I'll do it with or without you...

Now the question is, do you want to be a part of it or not? And I never said anything about attracting a huge Vibranium asteroid, just one or two tons a year to start with...''

Tony Stark began to think seriously about it, pacing around his workshop...

-

quite honestly I had only one real use for this project, I needed a legitimate way to acquire Vibranium without arousing everyone's suspicions, after all, I couldn't go out into space every day looking for it, something or someone would discover me at some point...

So I thought of a scientific way of doing it...

A software, a variant of the Spider-Man web, some funds, and that was it, I knew that Tony Stark had no reason to refuse my offer...

150 kilos of Vibranium was more than enough to make the project profitable in one go, and he knew it!

That's why I intentionally spoke in tons as soon as I had the chance...

-

''okay! I'm in!'' Tony spoke to me after his long moment of internal reflection...

a happy smile appeared on my face. ''cool, but I'm still selling you the software, Tony.''

''what?! That's extortion,'' he shouted but I could see his smile for a very brief moment, he was enjoying himself...

''Yeah, sorry, it's just that my family really needs this right now...'' I said thinking about how hard my mother and father had it during my coma...

he sighed, then continued. ''okay, who's funding the project? just me?''

''I'd prefer, if possible, that we keep it private for now, and as for the payments, that's later,'' I replied, thinking of Stane...

''I don't understand, don't you want to leave here a billionaire? For your family?" he asked me with a suspicious look on his face.

I shook my head. ''No, I'm leaving here a millionaire for now... here, catch!" I threw the Vibranium at him, which he hastily caught.

''Connor? Explain, I'm confused..." he said with a raised eyebrow.

''What's going to happen if everyone finds out about this?'' I asked, but it was rhetorical. ''Everyone's gonna want a piece of the pie, so for now, you buy that piece of Vibranium from me for say... 50 million dollars, enough to start my own business, and too little to make anyone suspicious...''

sighing again Tony nodded, I stepped forward and held out my hand for Tony to shake, concluding our deal.

-

I spent the night in Tony's villa, he wanted to discuss all the possibilities and applications of the synthetic web and some of his ideas...

I shared some of mine as well.

Then the next morning I left Stark's house...

-------------

''I'm home!" I shouted as I entered my apartment. '' Connor honey! Finally you're home! I was starting to worry about you." my mother screamed as she ran to me and hugged me.

''Mum, I've only been gone two days, it's okay..." I replied with a smile.

-

It took two days for Tony Stark to wire me, apparently, he had to sign a lot of paperwork with lawyers, because well, it's not every day you buy a 50 million dollar rock from a previously unknown kid...

Tony then stopped contacting me, just as we had arranged...

keeping this project a secret between us.