Phoenix in The Marvel

Orion fluttered happily into the large room Tony had prepared for him, complete with a simulated natural environment.

The large room, filled with a gentle breeze, was covered with the texture of a virtual forest. Tree branches reached to the ceiling and the digital wind gently rattled the leaves. But the most remarkable thing was... snowfall.

White flakes fell from the high point of the ceiling and floated gently around the room.

Orion excitedly spread her wings and took off with great joy, flying from one end of the room to the other.

Her little feathers vibrated, her every movement a reflection of the energy exploding within her.

And then...

He opened his mouth.

Orion was trying out one of the games Tony had taught him. After a little 'squeak', a tiny beam of flame shot out.

But this time it was different.

As soon as the snowflakes floating in the air hit the flame, they vaporized and disappeared.

When Orion realized this, he immediately flapped his wings in ecstasy.

"Ciiik!"

He rose again in excitement, lifted his head high, and blew out another flame.

And then again.

And then again.

Each time, the snowflakes melted, creating little rings of smoke in the room. Orion was clearly enjoying this new game.

Stark Industries - Tony's office

Tony leaned back in his room and stared at his screen.

A holographic projection showed Orion live in his room, happily burning snowflakes.

Jarvis' voice echoed across the room. "Sir, Orion's new pastime is causing serious damage to the virtual environment system."

Tony squinted at the scene on the screen. Orion was spewing flame again, this time briefly destabilizing part of the holosuite.

Jarvis continued. "The simulation's projection screens are heat resistant, but the chemical composition of Orion's flames contains a currently unknown energy. So far, five holo-panels have melted and the temperature balance of the room has begun to destabilize."

Tony nodded slightly. "Cost of repair?"

Jarvis had already made a calculation. "Approximately $300,000, sir."

Tony sighed slightly. "I think it's worth it."

Jarvis' voice was silent for a second, then he replied with a hint of sarcasm. "In short, Orion's epic battle against the snowflakes is costing you a few hundred thousand dollars."

Tony smiled. "Hey, at least we learn something. For instance, Orion's flames don't just burn, they emit an energy that disrupts the virtual environment."

Jarvis was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's a fair point, sir, but I'd also like to point out that if this rate increases, the system will completely collapse."

Tony looked back at the screen.

Orion spread his wings and breathed flame again. This time, however, there was a slight shift in the small creature's energy.

The flames seemed... more intense.

More controlled.

Tony frowned.

Was Orion getting stronger?

For a moment he realized he didn't know exactly what he was dealing with.

But he had a strange feeling that it was important.

Tony smiled slightly.

"Let's give him a little more time for now."

________________

Tony sat with his feet up on his desk, coffee in hand, watching Orion on the holographic screen. The little creature was so engrossed in its game of burning virtual snowflakes that it spat out a larger flame each time.

On the screen, the areas affected by Orion's flames turned red and the data stream was constantly updated.

At that moment...

The door opened.

Pepper Potts walked in, confident as ever, a few files under her arm.

"Mr. Stark," she said, raising her eyebrows slightly. "If you'll excuse me, we need to talk about the company budget."

Tony took a sip of his coffee and nodded nonchalantly. "I'm available, at least for now."

Pepper approached the table with a frown and opened one of the files. "I've been going over last month's expenses and I noticed there's a $7 million overage in the R&D budget. Care to explain?"

Tony put down his glass with a slight smile. "Sure. The explanation is very simple. Our company is a world leader in scientific innovation, and I..."

A sudden warning sound from the holographic screen interrupted Tony's sentence.

BIP!

Tony turned his eyes to the screen and saw the information Jarvis had projected in large red letters.

 Simulation stability: 64% Energy damage: 78%* Simulation crash time: 24 minutes 37 seconds

Jarvis' voice echoed.

"Sir, Orion's flames continue to destabilize the environment. At this rate, the simulation will completely collapse in 25 minutes and the physical infrastructure will be destroyed."

The smile faded from Tony's face. "What? 25 minutes?"

Pepper crossed her arms and looked at the screen. "What is this?"

Tony stood up quickly and began to analyze the data on the screen. "A little... situation."

Pepper frowned. "Situation? A 'little situation' that's costing Stark Industries millions of dollars?"

Tony thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it."

Pepper took a deep breath. "Let me get this straight. What have you done now?"

Tony straightened his jacket and turned off the holographic screen.

"To summarize? There's probably a room under my office going up in flames right now."

Pepper narrowed her eyes. "And why?"

Tony replied over his shoulder as he headed for the door. "Because my little pet bird is playing with snowflakes."

Pepper rolled her eyes as if to say, "Why am I working with this guy?" "And where are you going?"

"On an emergency fire call," Tony replied as he opened the door.

Pepper kept talking behind him. "We're not done talking about this yet, Mr. Stark!"

But Tony was already in the hallway, moving quickly toward Orion's room.

It was time to put an end to this little disaster

If you want to support me patreon com Talamo