New York City
In the penthouse, Morgana was quietly eating until the sound of the phone interrupted her. When she saw who was calling, she immediately smiled.
"Hey, sister..." However, before she could continue, she was interrupted by Pepper's excited voice.
"Morgana, your brother has been found!" Pepper said cheerfully and happily.
"I'm glad to hear that," Morgana said with relief, even though she already knew that Tony had escaped, just as he had said he had been watched the whole time.
After talking for a while longer, Morgana ended the call and leaned back in her chair.
"I hope, brother, that you've found your purpose and that you're no longer living in the past," she murmured quietly, deeply lost in thought.
"And now... what should I do with you?"
After some time, Morgana turned around and saw two men lying motionless on the floor. The only sign they were alive was the movement of their eyes.
"You probably thought you could kill me while I was talking on the phone. However, not only did I hear your footsteps and the lock being picked, but I even heard your breathing..." Morgana paused when she noticed the panic and fear in their eyes. "I assume you're not assassins, just ordinary mercenaries. If you're wondering why you ended up like this, it's just a gas that paralyzes the entire body for 24 hours. Interesting invention, isn't it?" she pointed to the candle in the corner of the room, and the men looked in that direction.
Morgana approached the man who appeared to be the leader, carefully searched him, and found an old phone. Then she struck several acupuncture points that she had learned during her travels in China. She did the same with the other man.
"In an hour, you'll suffer cardiac arrest. And half an hour after that, the cleaning lady will find you." Morgana extinguished the burning candle, then calmly gathered her things and the gun lying next to the leader, and headed toward the door. The men stared at her with eyes full of fear, regret, and pleading.
"If you were ready to kill, you should have been ready to be killed." Morgana closed the door and walked down the hallway. She stopped in front of the elevator, entered it, and as the elevator descended, she quickly typed something on her phone.
When the elevator stopped, Morgana stepped out and headed toward the exit. She entered the luxury car waiting in front of the building and leaned back into the seat, giving a short nod to Sofia, who was sitting behind the wheel.
"I'm guessing someone paid to have you killed again?" Sofia asked, looking at Morgana through the rearview mirror. Morgana's eyes were now closed, and she seemed indifferent to everything around her.
"Yes." Morgana answered softly, while Sofia looked at her with concern, knowing she was burdened even though she didn't show it.
"Is everything okay, Morgana?" Sofia asked worriedly.
"It's okay… I'm just thinking about what my life would've been like if I hadn't discovered I was a genius and had let the people around me manipulate me..." Morgana said quietly and somewhat incoherently. She looked at the busy people through the window, then turned to Sofia with a gentle smile and said, "Thank you for caring about me. And I'm glad I saved you back then, Sofia."
Sofia looked at her with concern, but said nothing, continuing to drive silently through the busy street.
After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a street. Morgana was looking at a building under construction across the way.
"How long until it's done?" Morgana asked, without looking away.
"If there are no issues, it'll be finished in three to four months," Sofia replied, also looking at the building.
"Pretty fast… I thought it would take longer," Morgana said, somewhat surprised.
"Alright. Let's head to the airport."
Sofia simply tapped the command and directed the car toward the airport.
On the private jet, Morgana was leaning back in her seat, watching the television that was showing a report about Tony's return.
In the footage, Tony was announcing the shutdown of the weapons manufacturing division at Stark International, which caused chaos across America.
Morgana watched as Obadiah, with an angry expression, pulled Tony aside while addressing the reporters with a fake smile. Morgana simply looked at the screen with contempt and turned off the television.
A few hours later...
Just as she arrived at the villa and was about to enter, the door suddenly swung open, and Pepper came out with a flushed face. Before Morgana could greet her, Pepper had already walked past her without a word and stepped away a few paces.
Morgana looked at her in confusion, then entered the villa, followed quietly by Sofia.
"Jarvis, where's Tony?" Morgana asked.
"He is in the basement, Morgana."
Morgana immediately headed for the basement. When she came down, she found Tony working intently at his desk, completely unaware of his surroundings.
"So, brother, how was Afghanistan?" Morgana asked sarcastically, quietly approaching him.
Tony flinched at the sudden voice, then turned around only to see Morgana looking at him with a smile.
"I see you're still the same as ever, Morgana," Tony said disdainfully, ignoring the question, his gaze dropping to a certain part of her body.
Morgana looked down to see what he was staring at, only to realize it was her legs, and when she figured it out, she clenched her fists and teeth, knowing she had lost.
Tony smirked arrogantly, aware he had won a small battle.
A few minutes later, both had calmed down, and the atmosphere became quiet until Morgana broke the silence.
"I'm glad you made it back safely," she said in a soft and trembling voice, hugging him tightly.
"I am too," Tony said quietly, gently returning the hug.
"Though I bet you were tracking my movements the whole time?" Tony joked as Morgana slowly pulled away from the hug.
"Of course," Morgana said, looking at him with an arrogant and mocking gaze.
"How could I miss the rare opportunity to see the great Tony looking like a beggar, hahaha."
Tony's eye twitched as he watched Morgana laugh at his misfortune. He wondered internally if she was really his sister.
After a few moments, Tony turned serious and looked Morgana straight in the eyes, now calm.
"Who is—" he began, but Morgana put a finger to his lips, cutting him off.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Now go get some rest. It was a tough journey for you," Morgana said seriously, looking at him with concern, noticing his pale skin and dark circles.
"But…"
"No buts. Go." she said firmly, and Tony just stared silently at her, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. In the end, he nodded.
"Alright."
Morgana watched him as he walked up the stairs. When he disappeared from her sight, she turned to the workbench where a hologram of a humanoid robot figure was being displayed.
She knew what that structure represented and what kind of reaction the world would have when something like this appeared—something that didn't belong in this time.
"If people say I'm a genius greater than my brother, then they're wrong…" Morgana whispered softly, gently running her fingers over the hologram.
"If I'm a genius, then Tony is a natural-born genius."
After observing and admiring the structure of the future Iron Man suit for a while, she sighed softly and left the basement. She stood in front of a large window in the living room, lost in thought as she gazed at the star-filled night sky.
"Looks like chaotic times are coming," Morgana said softly, staring at the stars.
At that moment, she heard footsteps behind her. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned around.
In front of her stood Sofia, her hair loose like a waterfall, sleepy eyes, and in her night pajamas.
"Morgana, you're still not asleep?" Sofia asked worriedly, rubbing her eyes.
"Are you worried about me?" Morgana asked playfully, looking at Sofia, who now stood before her without her usual serious expression.
"Of course I'm worried about you," Sofia said softly with concern in her eyes.
Morgana was taken aback by her tone. She looked into her worried eyes, then smiled gently and tenderly, lowering her gaze with slight guilt.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Morgana said quietly as she gently hugged Sofia.
"Let's sleep together tonight, okay?"
She asked softly, waiting for a response while holding her in the hug. Sofia nodded, and they headed toward the bedroom together.
The next day.
In the basement, there are two people, one lying shirtless, while the other stands next to them.
"Alright, brother, you can put your clothes on now," Morgana said as she typed on the keyboard. Tony slowly got up and dressed as soon as Morgana said that.
"So, what do you think?" Tony asked seriously, looking at Morgana who was standing in front of the computer.
"It's a miracle that you're even alive..." Morgana said, pointing toward Tony's chest."...Looks like all the credit goes to the mini reactor in your chest."
"I could perform surgery and remove the remaining shrapnel from your body, but I wouldn't do that for now. The chances of the surgery being successful are somewhere between 70 and 80 percent," she continued in a serious tone, looking at the data on the computer, while Tony listened carefully.
"If we upgrade some of the instruments that would help during the operation, we could raise the chances to 100%."
"However, that's not the biggest issue. As long as you have that reactor, you can live without worry..." Morgana paused, looking at Tony, who now appeared more relaxed than before.
"What worries me is the palladium slowly poisoning your body. If no complications arise, you could live another ten or twenty years, but..." Morgana looked toward the hologram displaying the Iron Man suit.
The room fell silent. Tony stared at the hologram, deep in thought.
After a moment, he turned to Morgana with a serious expression.
"You know I'm not giving up on this."
"That's what worries me, brother," Morgana sighed softly, alternating her gaze between the hologram and him.
"If you use that suit, you won't have more than a year or two... but if you eat properly and use it less, you can extend your life."
Morgana watched him sit with slumped shoulders and a heavy face, struck by the truth. Feeling sadness and regret for his stance, she walked over and patted him on the back.
Tony screamed in pain.
"Why so gloomy? Won't you come up with a solution? You're still a genius after all," Morgana said with a smirk, looking at him with disdain as he clutched his sore back.
Tony blushed at her look and tone but immediately straightened up proudly and arrogantly said:
"Of course I will!"
Once they both calmed down, Tony gently looked at Morgana.
"Thank you, sister."
"No problem," Morgana said, casually waving her hand as if it was nothing, and she left the basement, leaving Tony alone, lost in thought.
When she reached the living room, she saw Sofia sitting on the sofa. She approached and sat across from her.
"Are all the materials I asked you to buy ready?" Morgana asked as she lazily lay back.
"They are. They're all placed in the villa."
"Alright, then let's go. I think we're no longer needed here," Morgana suddenly stood up, regaining her lively aura, and headed toward the exit.
Just as she took a few steps, she pulled a USB out of her pocket.
"Looks like I forgot to give this to my brother..."
"Never mind," she added, tossing the USB onto the coffee table and continued toward the exit, while Sofia quietly followed her without a word.