Phoenix in The Marvel

A month had passed in the blink of an eye for Tony Stark.

Company business, meetings, new projects... His life flowed as it always had.

But in the back of his mind was the egg.

Even though he was focused on his daily work, every night when he came home, he paused for a moment before heading to his lab.

Today was no different.

It was almost midnight. Tony had left the company and arrived at his mansion in his car.

As he walked through the door, he loosened his tie and threw his jacket haphazardly across the seat.

He felt a slight fatigue as he put one foot in front of the other, but it was a normal feeling for him.

He went straight to his bar. He poured some whiskey into a crystal glass, picked it up and walked slowly to the window of the lounge.

He looked out.

The night lights of Los Angeles shone like stars in the sky. Outside it was alive, bright and full of energy.

But inside, somewhere deep inside... a very different energy was growing.

For a month, the egg kept changing.

Each day it felt a little different.

But do you know what was the most painful thing for Tony?

That it hadn't broken yet.

He drank the whiskey from his glass in one gulp and went to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, looked inside and took out one of the ready meals.

He put it in the microwave and pressed the button. Beep beep beep.

He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come on, Jarvis. Let me get today's report."

"Sir, the egg showed no abnormal behavior today."

Tony rolled his eyes. Of course it didn't. It was a mystery machine.

But the important part would come later.

"However, the rate of movement in it is 22% higher than yesterday."

Tony cocked his head sideways.

"So the thing inside is... moving more?"

"Absolutely, sir. We've seen an increase in the rate of movement every day so far."

Tony's brow furrowed.

This was important.

Something was... coming to life.

But the question was, why was it taking so long?

A chicken takes 21 days to hatch.

But this? It had been a month.

And it still hadn't hatched.

Tony thought. "What about the energy release?"

Jarvis' answer came almost immediately.

"The egg is releasing more energy than yesterday, as usual. The rate of increase is 18.4%."

This, too, was a mystery that grew by the day.

On the outside, it was just an egg with a golden yolk and red hues.

But inside?

It was growing. It was getting stronger. It was changing.

And Tony still didn't know exactly what it was.

Tony leaned against the kitchen counter and weighed what Jarvis had said in his mind.

The speed of the movement was increasing. So was his energy level.

But strangest of all, the change was a steady increase.

"Let's think about this, Jarvis," he said, swirling his glass. "If this were a chick, it would have hatched by now. But what's in it is still developing."

"That's right, sir. The metabolic processes going on inside the egg are completely different from the developmental process of a chick."

Tony laughed easily. "Metabolic processes, huh? What exactly do you think we're feeding it now?"

"Insufficient information, sir."

Tony shook his head from side to side. He knew that.

Information had been in short supply for some time.

He looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was past midnight.

Sighing, he put the glass down on the counter.

"Well, I guess I'll have to wait a little longer to see where this goes."

Then he decided to change the subject. It was best not to let his mind wander too much on the matter.

"Did you review the reports from the factory today?" he asked, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

"Yes, sir, weapons production is on schedule. The last batch of missile systems will be delivered next week."

Tony nodded slightly.

Weapons production...

He was good at it. He was very good at it.

But sometimes... he felt that something was missing.

He silenced the voice inside him. This was not something he could think about right now.

"Any problems on the international sales side?"

"No, sir, but there have been some reports that some governments have increased new security protocols. Tighter controls are being implemented, especially in Europe."

Tony frowned. "Not surprising. Still, we're always one step ahead."

"Of course, sir."

He thought about going to the lab. He could take a look at the egg.

But what difference would that make? According to Jarvis, there was nothing unusual today compared to yesterday.

Just the usual... a little more movement.

A little more energy.

There must be some logic to it. But there was still something he couldn't see.

He sighed, feeling the tiredness more and more.

"All right, Jarvis. Enough of the unknown for now. Tomorrow is a new day."

"I'll prepare the bedroom for you, sir."

"Splendid."

With slow steps he made his way to his room.

One last time before going to bed, he glanced at the lab door in the dark corner of the kitchen.

The thing was there.

Night had fallen, and a deep silence had settled over the mansion.

The lights of Los Angeles painted the walls in silhouettes reflected in the glass.

Tony was not a man who slept easily.

But as fatigue cast shadows over his thoughts, he fell into a heavy sleep.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Then suddenly...

A sharp alarm rang through the room.

"SIR, EMERGENCY."

Jarvis' voice filled the room with a metallic echo.

For a moment, Tony was completely still.

He opened his eyes, but his brain was still trying to process what had just happened.

Automatically, he tried to sit up, but the weight of his body was against him.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Red warning lights began to flash on the ceiling.

He blinked slightly, grimacing, trying to understand the source of the sound.

"Jarvis, what's happening?" His voice was still sleepy and dazed.

"Sir, an anomalous energy release has been detected in the lab. There is a 327% increase from previous readings."

Tony woke up completely when he heard this.

He sat up abruptly, rubbing his face with his hands and shaking his head.

"Fuck..."

This was not normal.

His energy levels had been rising every day.

But this much?

This was the biggest jump ever recorded.

His eyes lingered on the ceiling for a moment, then he quickly got up from where he was lying.

"How long has this been going on?"

"It's been active for three minutes. It was a surge at first, but it's getting more intense."

As Tony rushed out of the room, he had a strange feeling in his chest.

Was it a sense of danger? Or curiosity?

Maybe it was both.

And maybe tonight everything would change.

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