Chapter 101 - Who is Ryan

When Tony crashed into the sand, his suit disintegrated completely, having fulfilled its purpose. However, the only thing dominating his thoughts now was the fact that his weapons were in the hands of those terrorists. Someone was clearly trafficking his armament. The words the terrorists uttered when they captured him returned to his memory, echoing with a new and disturbing meaning.

Tony had always been labeled in various ways: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. But being called the 'greatest mass murderer America has ever seen' was new to him. He was well aware that his weapons caused deaths, but he had never really cared about it.

To Tony, making weapons was never wrong; they existed to protect, depending on who used them. This philosophy, inherited from his father, had always been an unwavering principle for him. Yet, the cruel irony of this new title did not escape Tony, especially now that he saw his creations in the hands of terrorists.

At that moment, Tony was struggling to stay conscious. His entire body was screaming for rest, and he desperately wanted to sleep, even if only for a few minutes. Despite knowing that the terrorists might come looking for him again, he was confident they wouldn't find him immediately. With that thought in mind, Tony decided he needed that brief relief. As his eyes began to close, he noticed something in the sky, and his curiosity briefly overcame his fatigue.

The figure descended gracefully from the sky and landed near Tony, touching down on its own feet. If Tony were more lucid, he would surely wonder how it managed to position itself so precisely without suffering any damage or breaking its legs. However, before he could formulate these questions, the answers came as the figure approached, revealing its true nature.

"Who... or what the hell are you?" murmured Tony, half groggy, eyes half-closed, struggling to stay awake.

The thing in front of Tony had deep red skin, though it was hard to tell if it was truly skin or something else. Its piercing eyes gleamed under a white hood that partially covered its head. No matter how Tony looked at it, one thing was clear: that being was not human.

"Me? Perhaps you don't know me, but I know you well, Tony Stark"

The figure's voice had a peculiar tone: an intriguing mix of femininity and a masculine resonance, creating a sound that was both harmonious and unsettling. Before Tony could fully process this strangeness, the figure underwent a surprising metamorphosis.

The red mass surrounding it began to retract, revealing a young woman with snow-white hair and bright silver eyes. Tony had the sensation he had seen her somewhere before, but in that moment, his mind was too clouded to remember exactly where.

"It seems you've found a way out, after all"

Suddenly, a man appeared before Tony, displaying the same characteristics as the girl. If someone told Tony they were twins, he would certainly believe it.

"Must be the sun making me hallucinate" Tony muttered to himself.

"Well, it might seem like a hallucination from your point of view, but I can assure you it's not. Anyway, you must have noticed something strange is happening around you. How exactly did your weapons end up in the hands of those terrorists? I think you already know the answer to that question, don't you?" said the man, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You... you were watching all this time?" Tony asked, incredulous. "Why didn't you ask for help or help us? Yinsen could have survived" Tony said with regret in his voice.

The man didn't answer Tony; instead, he closed his eyes briefly for a few seconds, as if pondering something. Then he opened them again.

"I've called for rescue; they should be here in a few minutes. You probably don't remember me, but look for Ryan Connor when you're back. It's not my real name, but it's what I use for business. Come find me; I'll answer some of the questions you must have"

With those words, Tony watched the almost closed-eyed man transform again; it was extremely fast. It was something that simply couldn't be explained by conventional physics, science, or mathematics. It was beyond what was considered normal. With this last thought, Tony passed out to the distant sound of a helicopter in the background.

***

Leaving Tony behind, Prime began leaping back home in his symbiote form. With his speed, it would take him just a few hours at most to return.

(Are you sure it was a good idea to show him our secret?) Sara asked Prime mentally.

Prime didn't hesitate to answer Sara's question. Moreover, it was a valid question, especially considering Prime had clearly shown his dislike for Tony's ways, at least up until that moment.

"Yeah, Tony's a smart guy. I'm sure he won't spill the beans. Besides, he knows he's got bigger problems to deal with... Also, I think I've warmed up to him a bit. Seems like he's finally realized what his smarts can do. I'm not necessarily against him making weapons to profit, nor am I a pacifist" Prime explained, pausing to consider his next words.

"Anyway, the only thing that didn't sit right with me about him was his indifference to everything and taking everything lightly. I just can't find that kind of attitude very agreeable" Prime concluded, letting out a brief sigh.

Upon hearing these words, Sara just whistled, echoing playfully in Prime's mind.

(Who would've thought you'd feel that way about that Tony, huh? But I can't deny, that piece of metal he whipped up back there was cool) Sara commented.

"Can't deny that" Prime replied with a half-smile.

***

Some time later, Tony was deep in thought, staring at the Arc reactor. Originally conceived as a publicity stunt, he now saw that it worked - or rather, he made it work. However, the man's words echoed in Tony's mind. As he had said, there was a traitor among them, and Tony could only think of one person. Yet, he hesitated to believe it.

At that moment, the door swung open and Obadiah walked in, eyeing Tony for a few seconds. Then he shook his head disapprovingly.

"Tony, how much do you think our stocks will drop tomorrow?" Obadiah asked, approaching.

"Being optimistic? About forty percent" Tony shrugged.

"What's going on, Tony? I thought we were in this together" Obadiah said, leaning on the turnstile next to Tony.

"Look, I just don't want more blood on my hands; my weapons were there, with my name on them" Tony said firmly.

"Tony, you know what we're doing to prevent the world from falling into chaos" Obadiah said.

"Based on what I've seen, we're not doing well. I know we can do better" Tony said.

After that, Tony and Obadiah talked about the Arc reactor. Though Tony had his suspicions, he still poured out to Obadiah what was on his mind, wanting to trust him, especially because his father trusted Obadiah.

"By the way, do you know who Ryan Connor is?" Tony asked as he buttoned his shirt.

Hearing Tony's words, Obadiah narrowed his eyes and gave Tony a suspicious look. He never expected Tony to be so interested in investors, especially Ryan, so suddenly.

"Why are you asking that? I thought you weren't interested in this kind of stuff"

With a calm and natural gesture, Tony asked. "Is he a very important investor?"

After that, although confused, Obadiah explained who Ryan Connor was. Ironically, despite having met a few times before, that was the first time Tony had listened seriously about him — or rather, the first time Tony had shown genuine interest in someone.