Phoenix in The Marvel

The city lights spilled out into the night, echoing between the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Tony Stark stared out the window of his large office, a glass of whiskey in his left hand. A familiar sight... but somehow tonight was different.

In fact, something had been eating at him since yesterday.

At one of Stark Industries' management meetings, there had been talk of the company's new projects and government contracts. But Tony's mind was not in the boardroom. The invitation he had received that morning had drawn his attention in a completely different direction.

"The Secret Collection: Lost Treasures of History."

Normally, he wasn't interested in antiques, historical artifacts, ornaments and so on. For him, the only things worth spending money on were things he could speed up or blow up. But this auction was different.

He didn't really know why. He had a strange feeling.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Pepper open the office door and walk in. She walked towards him, tablet in hand, her expression the typical 'You're going to do something to get me in trouble again tonight, aren't you, Tony?

"Please tell me you're focusing on one of your business deals," Pepper said, not taking her eyes off the tablet screen.

Tony turned to her with a small smile. "Uh... not a business deal, but an important one."

Pepper took a deep breath and closed the tablet, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't tell me you're having one of your late model cars modified again."

Tony smiled and shook his head from side to side. "I was going to do that tomorrow, but no, this is different, I'm going to an auction tonight."

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "An auction? You and art? You and antiques? Ah, that's really interesting!"

Tony took a sip from his glass, then replied with a slight tilt of his head. "I sense you're saying that sarcastically."

"You know me, Mr. Stark."

Tony laughed slightly, then looked out the window. "But this is different. When I saw the invitation... I was strangely intrigued."

Pepper looked at him suspiciously. "Who sent the invitation?"

"An old acquaintance. His name doesn't matter."

Actually, she knew who it was. But she didn't want to go into those details right now. For now, he trusted only his instincts.

Pepper shook her head from side to side. "So, what are you up to? Do you really want to surprise me? What, are you going to buy a big Renaissance painting?"

Tony narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm thinking of buying something, but we're not talking about paintings. An object... or... I don't know, maybe a discovery."

Pepper took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, okay. But please don't make the papers say something like 'Tony Stark bought the most expensive teacup in history'."

Tony laughed. "I can't promise that, Potts."

Pepper shook her head and headed for the door. "Should I at least have our lawyers ready so you don't get embarrassed?"

"Absolutely."

She rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her.

Tony continued to stare out the window at the city for a while. The strange feeling still hadn't gone away.

What was at this auction?

And why was this sense of the unknown growing inside him every second?

The auction hall was filled with dim lights and whispers. The glow of crystal chandeliers combined with the fog of expensive drinks to create a heavy atmosphere. New York's richest and most influential people had gathered to bid on ancient art and rare antiques.

Tony Stark stood in the doorway and looked around. He took his invitation from his pocket and handed it to the doorman. In a few seconds he was let in, of course... After all, he was Tony Stark.

Behind him, Pepper Potts, dressed in a dark dress, impatiently quickened her pace and caught up with Tony. "I still don't understand why we're doing this," she muttered.

Tony smiled. "For fun."

Pepper frowned. "You usually buy sports cars for fun. I don't remember you ever being interested in antique art."

Tony replied without rolling his eyes, listening to the soft melodies of a pianist tapping on the edge of the glass. "When I say fun, it's not for me. After all, our company has an image, doesn't it? I need to look like a sophisticated businessman who invests in culture."

Pepper shook her head slightly. "You don't have to buy antiques to look sophisticated. You're a genius at what you do. But now you're standing here, among these people, and you're going to spend money to buy things at auction. For what?"

Tony shrugged. "Sometimes you have to go with your gut, Potts."

Pepper sighed, but didn't argue any further.

The auction had begun. First came the classical art - some from the Renaissance, some much older. Tony bid on a few things to keep from getting bored. A war clock, an ancient knight's helmet... He had no particular purpose in mind when he bought them. But boredom was a dangerous thing for rich people.

Pepper grunted slightly as she examined Tony's purchases. "Is that really a helmet?"

Tony replied with a smile. "Maybe I'll design a concept for the company's security department."

Then the auctioneer raised his voice a little louder and a large box was brought to the center of the stage.

"And now we come to the most unique piece of the evening."

The lights dimmed a little more, the atmosphere in the room changed. People began to whisper.

The emcee opened the lid of the chest and slowly revealed the object inside.

An egg.

But not just any egg.

It had a shiny surface like metal, intertwined with shades of golden yellow and crimson. There were thin veins on it, as if something was moving inside. When the light hit it, its colors changed, sometimes the reds dominated, sometimes it shone like gold.

The host continued, his voice a bit more mysterious.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is one of nature's greatest mysteries! Its origin is unknown, its age cannot be calculated, and its composition... here's the most interesting part... it does not match any known substance!"

Pepper turned to Tony and raised her eyebrows. "You've got to be kidding."

Tony tilted his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the egg. A strange feeling echoed in the back of his brain. Something instinctive.

The host continued. "This egg was found by an anonymous collector on an expedition to the Middle East. It is unknown what kind of creature it belongs to. Various scientists have attempted to study it, but none have been able to explain exactly what it is. Some think it is a prehistoric fossil, others think it is the work of another species altogether..."

Tony frowned. A prehistoric egg? Scientifically, that seemed unlikely to be proven.

But still... looking at it, he had the feeling that this thing was important.

"Potts," Tony said with a slight smile. "Sometimes you have to invest in the unknown."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "That's not an investment, that's bullshit."

But Tony had already raised his hand.

The auction started.

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