5 Party In A Penthouse and Meeting A Dangerous Beauty

Finishing the last test, I sank back into my seat and massaged at my brows.

I should be feeling joy at adapting Extremis toward my new physiology...but I still hadn't heard off of Neena and Milo. Neither of them had answered any of my calls and I couldn't find them anywhere. My only assumption is that they needed some time away from me. But it had been a straight month since that night.

Couldn't they have told me? I would have let them go...I just wanted to know they were safe before they went.

"Haah~" I let out a sigh as I leaned back over my desk and looked at my finished project.

Another step forward in power for me. I chuckled. I'd only just gotten used to my new power, let alone the new one I was about to inject myself with.

"Hey, Mike!" I heard Tony's voice coming from the other side of the room and I turned to him and saw he was pretty dressed up - a sleek black suit, black dress shirt, and a matching black tie. He walked in smiling in his usual confident/cocky way, "How's the progress going then?"

I smiled before turning back to the computer and opened up the file with the finished Extremis virus, "Well, we won't have superhumans running around if people take it - just physically fit and healthy people. No fire breathing either. There a 100% success rate if you take it," I stood up and using the specialized glove Pepper gave me, I grabbed the contents on the screen before dragging it out in front of me and Tony, "I also took the liberty to split the virus into three severity rankings. The lower the severity, the less it can heal and be used for. The lowest one will be sold to the public to heal things like colds, chest infections, minor lacerations and whatnot," I looked to Tony and saw him nodding in understanding, so I carried on, "The next level will be given to the hospitals and other medical centers - it will be used for serious organ damage and to heal major lacerations and cuts/stabs to the body. Healing or growing a hand or a foot back to normal wouldn't be hard for this level, but full limb growth is pretty hard without the heightened metabolism - which we can't have in the virus because it would lower the success rate by 40%. We can't have hospital patients blowing up, can we?" I asked, a light chuckle and Tony joined me.

After we finished chuckling about the dark joke, Tony looked to me and flicked up the highest level before speaking, "And what's this one for?"

"It's for the most severe of injuries. I was thinking of giving it to the army for soldiers who've lost limbs or had chunks blown out of them. Maybe even the ER in Hospitals for their more severe patients," I said before taking off my glove and the hologram disappeared back into the computer. "I'd suggest we start off slowly and only supply the first two grades and see how they perform. If it gets a positive response, we can think about supplying it to Veterans who want to try out the highest severity one. Or just give it to the army and see what they do," I shrugged before stretching, my joints popping and my muscles letting out slight stretching sounds.

"Hmm," Tony nodded, his hand on his chin and scratching his goatee, "That'd work, actually. But before we do that, we need to make sure that it truly is 100% safe, okay?" he seriously gazed at me and I just nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I was gonna say we needed to. Just thought I'd get the plan out there before I did," I tapped Tony on the shoulder before moving past him, "Well, I'm off for tonight, Tony. See you next week," I waved but was stopped by his voice behind me.

"Wait up, wait up," Tony hurried said as he maneuvered himself to be in front of me, "You wanna come to a party tonight, Mike?" he asked and upon seeing my weird look he quickly explained, "Pepper told me that I should invite you seeing as you're already in the building - it's up on the penthouse level," he said with a slightly embarrassed face, causing me to laugh.

"Uhh, yeah, I should be able to come - I'll just go home and get a suit to wear--" out of nowhere, Pepper appeared and it took me a second or two to figure out she was a hologram.

"Michael, there's no need for you to go and get changed - you're already very dashing in what you're wearing," she smiled politely and I looked down at the white, long-sleeved shirt I was wearing. Dashing? "I can see the denial on your face Michael, but you truly are a very handsome man, you know?" she said, a smile still on her face.

"Okay, okay, time to stop complimenting the Biochemist!" Tony said, his jealously almost palpable making both me and Pepper laugh.

When I stopped laughing, I smiled toward Pepper, "If you think so, Pepper. But if people ask, I'll tell them you were the one who said I looked fine!" I joked and Pepper shook her head mirthfully before looking to Tony.

"And you, Mr. Stark - get up here and greet your guests!"

And with that, her hologram disappeared.

I laughed a little and saw Tony staring at me with a raised eyebrow, "What?" I asked and Tony just shrugged before gesturing to me with his hand.

"I was just shocked, once again, by how much you've changed, Mike," he smiled and shook his head, "When I first met you, you were so sickly-looking and fragile - no offense, of course," he quickly added and I gestured for him to carry on. I was well-aware of how bad I used to look, after all, "But now, you look the complete opposite of that. It's just weird to think how much someone can change over the course of a month. It just shows I haven't seen everything the world has to offer despite fighting off an alien invasion..." he laughed before saying goodbye to me and leaving, obviously not wanting Pepper to have another go at him.

But remembering something I rushed into the hallway and flagged him down, "Tony!" I gave a shout and he turned around, his eyebrow raised. I gestured him over and when he got near enough to me, I leaned down and spoke in a hushed voice, "What about that project you asked for my help on? Any luck after I gave you my two cents about the lay-out of the Gem?"

His face went a bit sour for a second before he leaned against the wall near us, giving out a sigh as he replied, "Sadly, no. We were getting really goddamn close after your advice on how to configure the A.I's thinking pattern and 'brain' lay-out...but nothing came from it. It just failed at the last second," he closed his eyes and hit his head lightly against the wall.

I put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "Don't give up on it, Tony. Your idea to protect the world...Earth needs something like that. Especially with what we've discovered about the rest of the Galaxy..." I trailed off before smiling, trying to cheer the guy up, "Well, if anyone can do it, it'd definitely be you, Bruce, and me, right?"

Hearing what I said, Tony smiled before standing up straight, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy," he gratefully said, slapping me on the side of my shoulder and then jogging off, "See you at the party, Mike! Hopefully Pepper doesn't kill me for being late!"

I just chuckled as I thought about their antics before I reached into my pocket and brought out a bottle filled with the purple liquid I called sustenance.

Downing the contents, I put the bottle in the nearby bin before walking back into my lab and taking off my white lab coat.

After I did that, I looked at myself in the reflection of the glass in front of me.

Without my hunched back and with the strength to support myself, I stood at my full 6'3" height and with the cure's addition to my body, I was rippling with muscle that couldn't be hidden, even under the slightly loose long-sleeved, white shirt I was wearing. I wasn't bulky but I wasn't lean and thin either. I'd say I was closer to a gymnast's physique if anything.

Rubbing my eyes, I felt an intense irritation there from the contact lens I'd had to put in. Why? Because the cure made my eyes' irises red in color. I didn't know how I could explain that to people, so I just covered them up instead.

Doesn't mean my super sensitive sense of touch doesn't get incredibly irritated by the contact lens.

Sighing, I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt, showing off the incredibly muscularly defined forearms, and smiled at myself in the glass. The cure had taken away the gaunt look from before and replaced it with an incredibly handsome face. The only problem was my incredibly pale skin. It wasn't quite as white as Neena's chalk white skin, but it was definitely more pale than average. Deathly pale is how I'd put it.

I tried to figure out why it was pale despite having normal blood flow but I couldn't figure it out no matter what I tried. It was kind of annoying, actually.

Undoing the top few buttons of my shirt, I smiled one last time at my new appearance before heading along my way to the party.

I wonder if my new instincts have made me slightly vain?

. . .

As I entered the penthouse party, I was secretly glad that I'd drank my dose of liquid before I came here. Being surrounded by so many people...was something I still hadn't gotten used to. One or two people? Fine. Twenty plus people? Not so much.

Putting on a smile, I walked further into the room. As soon as Tony saw me, he waved me over. Standing next to him was a rather tall blond man. The guy had muscles bulging on top of his already bulging muscles - this must be Thor. He looked over to me, a jolly and friendly smile on his bearded face as he copied Tony and waved me over.

Seeing no point not to go over, I picked up my pace and was soon over by Tony who grabbed both me and Thor by the shoulder - which was quite odd because both of us were taller than him by a few inches - and pointed us toward one another, "Point break, this is Michael Morbius. He's a friend of mine who's been helping me with some projects," he turned to me after introducing Thor and before he could speak I put out a hand.

"Thor Odinson. It's a pleasure to meet you, the Prince of Asgard," I spoke words - I didn't quite know where they came from - and Thor's face lit up like a christmas tree.

Grabbing my hand with a vice-like grip, he gave a valiant squeeze before roaring out with laughter, "Hahaha! You've got a strong grip, Michael! Unlike Stark over here!" he laughed again before slapping Tony's chest with the back of his hand. The gesture was meant to be a friendly one but from the 'oof' Tony gave off and the way he stepped a few steps backward, I could tell there was a bit too much power behind it. Thor could too as he let go of my hand and steadied Tony, "Ah, sorry, friend. I got a bit carried away," he gave Tony an apologetic smile and the black-haired man just waved it away with a smile which was continuously interrupted by him coughing.

Thor turned back to me, somehow a beer in his hand, which he handed to me, lifting his own mug high into the air, "Let us celebrate our meeting with beer, Michael Morbius!" his slight shout gained the attention of some other people who looked to me with surprised eyes.

I just chuckled and lifted the beer in reply, clinking it with his glass before throwing back the bottle and chugging it.

I'd already done some tests and I found that I could still eat and drink normal stuff, they just didn't give me any kind of sustenance. So drinking beer was fine and wouldn't do any bad to me. I doubt I could get drunk as well.

Before I knew it, the beer was empty and Thor saw this as well, his own beer empty, "You drink like an Asgardian - do you have some Asgardian blood in you somewhere?" he looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a wide grin. But it was undeniable that he was also looking at me with a slightly suspicious gaze.

But I kept my cool and just shook my head, "No, not to my knowledge, Thor. I just have a naturally higher limit than others I suppose," I said not even pausing or tripping over my lie.

I wasn't lying about the Asgard thing, but rather about ability to drink so much so quickly.

It seems that I over thought it because all Thor did was laugh before finding another jug and passing it to me. Magically the jug started to fill with beer and seeing my surprise, Thor just laughed in a jolly way, "Surprised? It was a gift from a friend back on Asgard. I have many, so I supplied a few for tonight's festivities!"

"Well...thanks, Thor," I gratefully smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly. I thought the Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder would be a bit more...imposing, maybe? He just seemed like a jovial giant right now.

Raising my jug to him, I took a few large sips and even then, the jug filled itself up to the brim within seconds. Shaking my head at whatever this was, I felt that I had a lot more to discover in this world than what I'd already seen.

Thor seemed to get distracted by something and walked off, while Tony wandered off, probably wanting to find someone who he could brag to.

Smiling, I shook my head at my latest friend's odd behavior before I walked over to the bar.

I was fine with beer. But I am fond of something a bit sweeter. Or something with more taste.

Sitting down on one of the sits, I down the jug of beer before settling it down on the counter. I discovered that as I let go of it's handle, it didn't produce anymore beer which was good to know. Even then, I didn't feel even the slightest buzz of alcohol in my system. It was all washed away by my body's ability to heal and recover from toxins - and beer? That's classified as a toxin by the body.

Just as I got comfortable, a sultry voice came from behind the bar and to the right, "What can I get you, handsome?" she asked as she came into my view.

Red hair, the color of blood, cut short to around her chin in length. Her icy blue eyes looked at me with curiosity, and I could tell that she already knew who I was. It was like everything about me was transparent. My instincts screamed that she would put me at danger but I suppressed them - I also knew who she was.

She was dressed in a tight white dress that did nothing to hide the seductive curves that made up her body. Her dress had a v-cut collar and showed off her impressive cleavage and I could tell she was using it to see what kind of person I was.

Smiling, I kept my eyes looking into her eyes while I used the abundant sound around us to use my echolocation to get a better view of her body. She was around 5'4" and her body was athletically tight, even with her curves. I could sense the muscle hidden under the seemingly soft flesh that covered her body.

It was like seeing the body of a Lion relaxing - it may be relaxing but it's still a Lion, no matter what.

But I was unperturbed, "I'll have the sweetest thing you can make, please," I smiled and apart from looking momentarily surprised, the redhead started making a cocktail, presumably for the two of us if the amount of ingredients added was anything to go by.

This redhead, was Black Widow.

And boy was she more beautiful than what I thought she'd look like. Maybe TV made people look worse? It definitely made her inferior to what I was seeing right now.

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