[Third Person's PoV]
2 hours in real ti have passed since the SYB-02 bonding experint failed. Tony had poured himself into refining the symbiote formula, making incrental adjustnts with each new iteration. The failures had been frustrating, but he learned from each one. Now, with SYB-09, Tony felt closer to a breakthrough.
"Friday, how's SYB-09 looking?" Tony asked, standing beside the observation window once again, his eyes scanning the sterile containnt room.
"All preliminary tests indicate that SYB-09 has improved stability over its predecessors," Friday replied. "The bonding formula has been significantly refined. Baymax has already secured Subject 09 for testing."
Tony took a deep breath, feeling the tension rise. They were on the verge of sothing big—or another spectacular failure. He preferred the forr.
"Alright, let's do this. Begin the bonding process."
Baymax waddled into the lab, moving with his typical calm precision. This ti, the cylinder he carried was larger, and the black goo inside it seed more... controlled. It no longer pulsed erratically or twitched in agitation. It moved like it had a purpose.
Tony watched as Baymax inserted the cylinder into the slot on the Cradle, twisting it into place. The hatch opened, releasing SYB-09 into the containnt room.
Inside the room, Subject 09, a muscular lab rat bred specifically for genetic experints, sniffed the air cautiously. It was larger than the previous subjects, with a sturdier fra and more resilient biology. Tony had specifically chosen this one after learning from the previous failures.
"SYB-09 has been released," Friday reported. "The symbiote is displaying no signs of internal instability. All energy readings are within acceptable paraters."
Tony nodded, silently hoping this test would break the cycle of failures. The symbiote slid across the floor, its movents eerily smooth and precise. It approached the rat slowly, almost thodically, as though it had learned from the mistakes of its predecessors. The rat tensed but didn't flee this ti, its animal instincts perhaps less attuned to the threat. Or maybe it was simply too confident in its own strength.
"SYB-09 is initiating contact," Friday continued. "Beginning the bonding process now."
The symbiote's tendrils began to wrap around the rat's body, much like before, but this ti, the reaction was more subtle. The rat's muscles twitched slightly, but there were no violent convulsions or imdiate signs of distress. Its breathing quickened, and its tiny claws scratched at the floor, but it remained largely composed.
Tony watched intently. The symbiote spread across the rat's back, covering it like a second skin. The readings on the monitor were promising. Energy levels were stable. Neural feedback was within acceptable limits.
"Bonding process is progressing smoothly," Friday said, a hint of optimism in her tone. "Subject 09 is responding well."
Tony's pulse quickened. Could this finally be the one?
Suddenly, the monitor's readings spiked. SYB-09's energy levels surged, but unlike SYB-02, it wasn't due to an overload. Sothing else was happening. The symbiote was consuming energy, absorbing it from the host faster than expected.
"Wait, what's going on?" Tony asked, eyes fixed on the fluctuating data.
"SYB-09 is... absorbing the host's bioenergy at an accelerated rate," Friday replied, her tone tinged with concern. "The symbiote appears to be draining the host's life force to sustain itself."
Tony's stomach dropped. He glanced at the rat, now visibly weakening. Its movents had slowed, its breath becoming labored. Its muscles trembled, no longer with nervous energy but with fatigue. The symbiote pulsed, expanding as it fed on the rat's vitality.
Tony cursed under his breath, his eyes darting between the rat and the monitor. The symbiote was now fully covering the rat, its black tendrils pulsing with energy. The rat let out a weak, strangled squeak, its eyes dulling as it succumbed to the draining process.
"Burn it, now!" Tony commanded, slamming his fist on the window in frustration.
The flathrowers deployed from the walls, just as they had before. This ti, the symbiote reacted differently. Instead of shriveling in terror, SYB-09 let out a screech that echoed through the containnt room, the sound low and guttural. The flas engulfed the rat and symbiote in a searing blaze, but the symbiote seed to fight back.
For a mont, Tony's heart skipped a beat as the black goo writhed against the flas, resisting the inferno. The symbiote screeched again, louder, its form bubbling and shifting as it tried to escape the heat.
But it was futile. The flas overwheld it, reducing the symbiote and its host to a charred, ashen ss.
Tony stared in silence, his mind racing through the possibilities of what had just happened. SYB-09 had been close—so close. But sothing had gone horribly wrong.
"Friday... what the hell just happened?"
"The symbiote displayed parasitic tendencies," Friday explained. "Rather than bonding with the host in a symbiotic relationship, SYB-09 began to drain the host's bioenergy, essentially consuming it. The host's life force was insufficient to sustain the symbiote long-term, leading to the subject's collapse."
Tony let out a long, frustrated sigh. "So, it wasn't an energy overload this ti. It was an energy drain. The symbiote was leeching off the host instead of working with it."
"Correct, boss. The bonding process itself was successful, but the relationship beca parasitic, rather than mutually beneficial."
Tony stretched, rubbing his face with both hands as exhaustion settled in. "I need a break... I'm ntally exhausted," he muttered before leaving the bio section of the lab. He wandered over to where lissa and i were working, eager to shift his focus.
i, wearing large goggles over her eyes, was deep into her work, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration as she added the final touches to sothing. Almost as if sensing Tony's presence, she looked up and her face lit up.
"Tony!" i shouted, waving excitedly. "Just the person I wanted to see! I've got sothing to show you!" She hoisted her goggles up onto her head, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.
Tony raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What is it?"
"My brand new baby, of course!" i declared proudly, reaching for two slap-on bracelets. She quickly demonstrated, slapping the first one onto her wrist. It wrapped around her hand and forearm like red bandages. She did the sa with the other bracelet, completing the set.
Then, with a confident grin, she extended her hands and clenched her fists. The bandages glowed briefly before both fists burst into flas.
"I call these babies 'The Fire Fists,'" i said, her excitent palpable. "Not only do they make your punches burn, but they also increase the force of your punches! If my calculations are right, you should be able to punch with the force of a ton using these! Plus, they're sturdy enough to block and deflect bullets."
Tony let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "That sounds pretty aweso."
i bowed theatrically. "Why, thank you! They'd work even better for soone with a fire-based quirk, but anyone could use them since they pull oxygen from the air to fuel the flas. I won't do it here, but a punch with these can even release a fire blast!"
Tony nodded, thinking. "Have you thought about making it a set?"
i tilted her head, confused. "A set?"
"Yeah, like adding boots or sothing that works the sa way. A full set could really tie it together," Tony explained.
i's eyes sparkled with excitent. "That's brilliant! I thought just the fists would be enough, but a whole set would be way cooler!"
She quickly deactivated the flas and pressed a button that turned the Fire Fists back into slap-on bracelets. Without missing a beat, she dove back into her work, her mind already buzzing with new ideas.
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