Chapter 130: SYB-01 (1)

[Third Person's PoV] 

Both Tony and Melissa sat at their workstations, slipping on their sleek VR visors. The moment they pressed the sides, a soft glow illuminated the lenses, and their surroundings flickered, immersing them into a new world. As the VR system booted up, Tony smirked to himself, 'Man, doing this makes me feel like Cyclops,' Tony mused.

Melissa, still in awe, looked around at the vast, white emptiness surrounding them. "This is... kinda cool," she whispered, moving her fingers in and out of fists. She marveled at how real it all felt. "I can barely tell the difference. It feels so lifelike."

Tony, ever the skeptic, pinched his own cheeks and let the skin snap back into place. He nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, Friday. You've really outdone yourself."

"Thank you boss, your praises are more than welcomed" Friday's voice echoed all around them, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Tony glanced out at the endless white void, a mischievous grin forming on his face. "God? Is that you?" he called out.

"Yes, my child," Friday responded playfully, perfectly in sync with Tony's humor.

Both Tony and Melissa chuckled at the playful banter, but Melissa quickly refocused. "Do you think we could sell this in Stark Industries?" she asked, glancing at Tony curiously.

Tony shook his head, the weight of the potential headaches already looming over him. "Honestly? I'd rather not," he replied, rubbing his temple. "It's a fast-track way to get sued. Imagine someone dying while wearing these things—guess who would get blamed? Us. They'd paint us as murderers, and the lawsuits would pile up. Not to mention, it would drag down our credibility."

Melissa blinked, not quite understanding the full concern. "Since when has getting sued over our tech ever not been a thing? I mean, we had tons of lawsuits back when Stark Industries first launched our products," she countered, crossing her arms.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Fair point, but I'm just not in the mood to deal with it right now. Besides, VR tech isn't exactly groundbreaking in this quirk-dominated era."

"Yes, but none of them have Stark quality," Melissa pointed out. "And VR hasn't really taken off. Most of the games focus on heroes and it's gotten repetitive."

Tony sighed, "True enough. Fine, go ahead if you want to push it forward. But you're on your own with this one. I've got my hands full with the symbiote project."

Melissa gave him a playful scoff. "Since when have you ever dealt with the day-to-day business stuff anyway? You always leave that to me."

"Touché," Tony said with a shrug, not arguing the point.

Melissa turned her gaze upwards. "Friday, could you transport me to another server? I've got work to do, and I don't want to distract Tony."

"Of course, Miss Melissa," Friday replied smoothly. A soft, white light enveloped Melissa, and in an instant, she disappeared from the blank space, leaving Tony alone in the simulated void.

Tony stood there for a moment, taking in the empty white world. "Alright, Friday. Reconstruct our lab. Exact model."

The sterile white floor beneath Tony's feet shifted, gradually taking on the appearance of sleek metal, the familiar contours of his lab forming around him. Workbenches, screens, tools, and equipment materialized until it felt like he had never left the real world.

"Perfect," Tony muttered, admiring the detail. "Now, bring up everything we've got on Project Symbiote."

Multiple holographic screens sprang into existence around him, filled with streams of data, DNA sequences, and research notes. Tony sat cross-legged on his chair, spinning slowly as he scanned through the information. He grabbed a rotating 3D model of a DNA helix, pulling it closer for a more detailed examination.

"Alright," Tony muttered, zooming in on various segments of the DNA strands. He flicked away a few strands that didn't seem relevant. "A symbiote shouldn't be able to survive without a host. It's nothing on its own—completely dependent on its host for survival..."

He frowned, contemplating the complexities of the symbiote's biology. He continued to tweak the DNA projections, his mind racing with possibilities. Tony murmured to himself. "There has to be a flaw in its design—something we can exploit or enhance..."

The VR lab was silent except for the occasional beeping of virtual instruments and Tony's thoughtful muttering. Every detail of the symbiote's biology was laid out before him, yet the answer remained elusive.

Tony stretched his arms, feeling the stiffness from hours of focus in the VR lab. He took off his visor, blinking a few times to adjust to reality. "Friday, how long was I in there?"

"Thirty minutes, boss," Friday replied smoothly.

Tony raised an eyebrow, surprised. It had felt like hours. "Not bad. Have the test subjects arrived?"

"Yes, Baymax received them and is currently tending to their basic needs," Friday reported.

"Good," Tony nodded. "Let's start with SYB-01. Get the energy converter set up with the cradle. That should allow us to generate the proper living tissues."

As Tony gave the command, his microbots buzzed to life, swarming around him before lifting him toward the biological section of the lab. He floated gently over to the upgraded cradle, the same one that had once helped All Might restore his damaged organs. The microbots carried the energy converter, the transfigured device that allowed Tony to generate elements from the periodic table with precise control.

The swarm of microbots converged on the cradle, disassembling it with rapid precision, integrating the converter into its framework. Piece by piece, the cradle morphed and upgraded, forming a more advanced version that could seamlessly combine energy conversion with biological regeneration.

Watching the process unfold, Tony slapped his forehead, realization dawning. "That's right—the Techno Vision! I could've used it to upgrade the cradle in the first place!"

Friday's voice chimed in with a hint of amusement. "No need to worry, boss. I already anticipated that. The Techno Vision's coding is part of my system now. I was able to analyze the cradle and implement several optimizations while you were busy."

Tony's eyes lit up with excitement. "URGGHHH, FRIDAY! If you were physically here, I'd kiss you!" he shouted, his fists clenched in exhilaration as he looked up in triumph.

"Heh" 

Tony lifted an eyebrow, "Was that smugness i hear from you?" 

"I don't know what you are referring to Boss, I Am an A.I, I don't experience smugness" Friday replied robotically. 

"Yeah alright" Tony scoffed 

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