18 | alien things

Tony

"You can just put it there. I don't like being handed things."

Another night, another phone number. Sometimes I'm just amazed at how my charms work. I'd just be standing on the other side of the bar and then the next thing I know, a phone number comes falling on my lap.

Well, not literally on my lap. At least at the leather seat of the passenger's side of my car.

"You'll call me?" Said the unknown woman from the car window.

"I'll check my schedule." I simply said then asked her to move away from the vehicle before speeding away from the venue.

I turned on the stereo and AC/DC immediately blasted through the speakers. A smile uncontrollably made its way to my lips as my hand tapped on the steering wheel, drumming to the beat.

"Back in black, I hit the sack. It's been too long, I'm glad to—" AC/DC's 'Back in Black' was playing when J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came into the speaker along with a faint ringing in the background.

"Sir, Mr. Obadiah Stane is calling." Said J.A.R.V.I.S.

I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips when I heard the A.I.'s announcement. Well, it's not like I would actually try to contain the groan that left me. The man has been harassing me about a seminar that I have no interest in going to.

Don't get me wrong, I love inspiring people. But the professors in Miami Enterprise Academy are not it.

"Decline." I answered J.A.R.V.I.S.

After the faint ringing has dissipated and the A.I.'s voice now went away, the song went back to the speakers surrounding the inside of the car. I almost forgot that I even still had my shades on. As soon as I noticed how dark it was, I quickly removed my glasses and settled it on the passenger's seat beside the business card of the unfamiliar woman.

"I got nine lives. Cat's eyes crusin' every wo—" the song was interrupted again by another faint ringing and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice coming through the speakers.

"Mr. Obadiah Stane is rather persistent about you answering his calls." J.A.R.V.I.S.'s commented.

"I'm persistent about ignoring him. Decline." I answered.

I was going to enjoy the music again—after all, it's AC/DC—but before it could even get two more words out from the lyrics, the song got cut off again because of another call from Obie.

"For fuck's sake, fine. Just answer it." I told J.A.R.V.I.S.

The audible beep from the speakers signaled that the call had been answered and before Obie could even get a word out, I spoke first.

"Hello, you've reached genius, playboy, billionaire Tony Stark. If this is your first time calling, please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you. If your name is Obadiah Stane and has surpassed the border of 'fucking annoying', then please hang up and never call again. Beep." I joked.

I could already tell that Obie is currently rolling his eyes at me and cursing at me under his breath. The poor guy is done with me for sure.

"You gotta stop sending me to voicemail, kid." He complained.

"I own a multinational industrial company which is also the largest tech conglomerate in the world. The last thing I am is a kid." I retorted with my gaze still fixated on the road. It's a Monday night, why the fuck is the road this crowded?

"Well then, that grown-ass man who owns a multinational industrial company which is also the largest tech conglomerate in the world has to attend a seminar tomorrow afternoon and share his wisdom." He responded.

The way I just heard crickets in my mind as I processed his remark...

"Yeah, I'm a kid. I'm a little kid who doesn't have to attend any seminars." I said.

"Tony—"

"I'm not a wise person, Obie. I'm just really witty."

"Even so, I've already confirmed your appearance for the seminar tomorrow. You can't miss it."

See, this is why I should answer my own calls in my own office...Well, I'm barely in my own office, let alone answer the calls coming through it.

"You should really learn how to say no to them." I replied.

I couldn't be any less interested about this seminar. Last year, I delivered an amazing speech, inspired many youngsters, only to have me harassed by the professors afterwards. You'd think that they'd know better than their students about boundaries. They kept asking me weird questions. It ruined my day. The year before that, I did not even reach the stage because a professor spilled coffee over my pants, and tried to make it 'better' by wiping it.

I really should've stopped going at that point.

"50% of the students in that academy dream to work for Stark Industries. The other 50% dream to become the next Tony Stark. Your appearance is everything to them." Obie explained.

Nah. There won't be a next Tony Stark unless I declare someone the next Tony Stark. I won't be giving that title anytime soon since I haven't seen someone who is worthy of it. Plus, I'm only 24. The passing of the torch is still far away at the moment.

"Will I be promised that the professors would stay away this time?" I asked.

I'm not going back there if the first ones I see the moment I step inside that school are the creepy teachers.

"They've learned the past two years." Obie answered.

I scoffed. "Took them long enough. Fine, I'll go. Now, stop calling."

The call ended, finally.

When the call was hung up and I still couldn't hear my jam in the speakers, I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., where's my—" music. Yeah, I didn't get to finish that when my heart basically leaped out of my chest the moment I saw someone get hit by my car.

Everything went by so fast. It only took three seconds of her rolling over my car and landing behind me before I was able to stop driving.

At that point, I was panicking.

"Did I just...Did I just run someone over?" I muttered to myself, my voice calm and my hands slightly trembling.

It was supposed to be a rhetorical question. I knew I ran someone over. But J.A.R.V.I.S. had to say it.

"It appears so." He answered.

To think that I'd run someone over while still completely sober is fucking messy. I was supposed to be more grounded when sober—wait, this isn't my fault. That person came out of nowhere! She really came out of the blue. I wouldn't be driving this fast if I saw someone by the sidewalk preparing to cross. She came out of nowhere.

But she's still hurt and I ran her over.

"Shit!" I cursed in frustration and in panic before getting my shades. The last thing I want  is my face to be all over this particular news. I took a deep breath before opening the car door and making my way towards where the woman is.

I staggered backwards when I was met with a bloodied woman whose limbs are clearly broken and her eyes wide open as she choked in what I can only assume is her own blood.

I'm gonna puke.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. call an ambulance!" I yelled at my car before mustering up the courage to crouch down beside her.

Her vivid blue eyes caught me as soon as I was in her line of sight. The whites of her eyes are barely seen because of how bloodshot they were.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" I muttered under my breath, almost inaudible.

Despite being on the verge of puking because of the amount of blood and gore I'm seeing right now, I examined her body. Just by seeing it was sending me physical, excruciating pain. I can only imagine what it is like for her.

When I saw her finger move at the corner of my eye, I had to take a double look. I didn't know if she really lifted her finger or if I was just hallucinating. Because, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm currently hallucinating, everything that has happening right now is sending me in a wave of adrenaline.

But when she did it again followed by a choking sound when she tried to speak, I finally knew it wasn't a hallucination.

"No, no, don't say anything. The ambulance is on its way." I told her.

Off topic though, the blue in her eyes is actually alluring. I would love to see them without all the blood.

Goddammit, Tony, pull yourself together.

The woman mumbled something but I wasn't able to comprehend what it was.

"What?" I asked when I leaned closer, giving myself a good look at her features. Her hair auburn, bordering on dark brown, her eyes bluer than the sea at my private beach, her lips, even tainted with blood, are plump and pink, her nose narrow, and her eyebrows perfectly shaped.

I shouldn't be this observant about her beauty when she's literally in pain, right? But God, she's beautiful.

When I leaned closer to make sense of what she was trying to say, I was suddenly caught off guard when the words that escaped her lips were clearer than the ocean in her eyes that were staring right back at mine.

"I can't go to the hospital. Get me out of here now." The woman said.

With that, she lost consciousness.

I haven't a clue what just happened. The next thing I know, she's staining the Napa leather of my backseat with her blood as I drove away from the scene and without  any intention to bring her to a hospital, exactly what she just told me to do.

"This is insane." I told myself. "What am I doing? I should turn around. I should turn around, right?"

"You should, sir." Answered J.A.R.V.I.S.

But...why can't I? The desire to spin the steering wheel to the left and make a U-turn is strong but the need to keep going this direction and disobeying my instincts is stronger for some reason.

"She mind-controlled me. I know she did. I'm not a simp. Especially for someone I just met!" I rambled.

This whole situation is driving me insane. If I can't take her to the hospital, then where am I supposed to take her? At my home? It's not like I can do anything else for her. She'll die in minutes if I don't get her to a doctor.

"Oh, I should bring her home and call a doctor. That would work, then they'll take her to the hospital...that is if she's still alive then." I kept rambling. Yeah, I'm going crazy. "J.A.R.V.I.S. how is she?"

"In all honesty, sir, surprisingly well." He answered.

I furrowed my eyebrows at his answer. Surprisingly well? No, I don't think he's referring to the person in my backseat whose limbs are on the other way around, her eyes bloodshot, and everything else bleeding.

"What do you mean 'surprisingly well'? How the hell is she surprisingly well?!" I asked again.

"Not only has she obtained blunt force trauma injuries, but I'm also detecting two kinds of foreign chemicals in her body, one of which is a toxin named wolfsbane, with a staggering amount of 57.16 milligrams, the other vervain, amounting at 52.38 milligrams. The latter is harmless but in her case, it seems that she's having a reaction similar to poisoning." J.A.R.V.I.S. explained.

What the shit has this woman gone through that she has two harmful chemicals embedded in her? And with that much amount of toxins in her body, she should've died in seconds! How the hell was she able to make her way in front of my car, survive getting hit, and still be able to talk?! Is this woman an alien or something?

"That doesn't sound 'surprisingly well'." I commented, my hands tapping on the steering wheel but unlike earlier, it's now because I'm fucking nervous.

"I wasn't finished, sir."

"Continue, then."

"Oddly enough, she's healing rather faster than an average human being. Her platelet and leukocyte rates are inconclusive due to the fact that they're abnormally high. She's doing a several-month-long recovery in what looks like an hour or two." J.A.R.V.I.S. said.

The world has got to be shitting me. No one heals that fast. Not even my dad's precious star spangled man. This is an alien. This is an actual alien in the backseat of my car.

"There's an alien in my car." I whispered to myself, over and over again, trying to get myself to believe. But no matter how much I try to convince myself, I still feel like everything is just messing with me right now.

"Or maybe a siren." I said. "She mind-controlled me into doing what she wants...yeah, I think she's a siren."

I think I'm going crazy. I may be a genius, but I don't think that paranormal and supernatural subjects were covered in MIT. Therefore, I'm feeling what I hate feeling right now. I feel fucking clueless.

"J.A.R.V.I.S." I called.

"Yes, sir?"

"Gather everything you can find on paranormal and supernatural history and compile them on my computer."

"Will do, sir."

—

"Sir, with all due respect, but isn't watching a girl sleep rather creepy?"

I currently have my arms crossed against my chest while standing in front of the bed where the female alien is tucked in, with her injuries almost fucking healed. It's only been an hour since we got home. She's recovering faster than I can recover from everything that's happened.

"She's not a girl. She's an alien." I said before walking towards the alien.

Her clothes are soaked with blood. But as much as I appreciate the woman's anatomy, I'd rather not witness the gory details underneath her clothes while I change her into something cleaner. All I can do is remove her jacket.

Look at me, being such a nice guy, taking care of a hot alien who could potentially kill me in my sleep. Just me on a normal Monday night.

When I took off her jacket, I was startled when something fell out of its pocket. God, this situation is making me jumpy. Reaching down to get what fell out, I found out it was a little folded note.

Now, a person shouldn't be looking through another person's stuff...but this is an alien, so technically, she's not a person.

I unfolded the paper stained with what I can only assume is something black and wet. Inside was a handwritten message.

Enjoy 1994. Try Zima. -K.P.

"K.P.?" I questioned under my breath. "Is that another alien? Are they like...alien lovers?"

"I think you're going overboard on the whole alien thing, sir." J.A.R.V.I.S. commented.

I rolled my eyes before stepping out of the room while sticking the note inside my pocket.

"Well, what's your theory then?" I asked as I skipped down the stairs leading to the basement of my house. When I reached my basement, I immediately went straight on my computer and clicked on the files that J.A.R.V.I.S. were mentioned as he explained.

"I hacked into the server of the secret society of Whitmore College called 'Augustine'. There's only so much I can obtain considering that most of their research is written in paper rather than recorded digitally." A secret society in a school? Those actually exist? Here I thought they're just made for movies. "When searching for accelerated and abnormal healing capabilities, I've come across the research founded by Augustine's late leader, Dr. Whitmore in the 1940s-50s."

I've never even heard of this Dr. Whitmore guy. And yet all I could think about is how much he had probably lost his mind because of everything he knew because I'm slowly losing it right now.

"What's the research about?" I asked J.A.R.V.I.S.

"Experimentations on Homo Sanguinarians for the acceleration of human medicine." J.A.R.V.I.S. answered.

This is a joke right?

I stared at the screen of my computer where the same words were plastered across. I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side, unable to register what I just read and heard from the A.I.

"Homo Sanguinarians?"

"Yes, sir."

"Like...vampires?"

"Indeed, sir. The ones they've captured to experiment on are called Augustine vampires."

I closed my eyes and sighed before running my palms down my face. I woke up this morning thinking that my life has gotten pretty boring. But when I asked for something exciting, the universe mistook it and gave me something disturbing, and possibly ridiculous.

"I need more." I said. For all I know, this could just be some overly imaginative doctors chasing some false hope.

"According to the research, vampires are creatures that feed on blood, whether human or animal, and possess incredible strength and speed and the power to compel humans. In addition to that, their blood contains exceptional healing properties which they sought to use in curing fatal illnesses, hence, the experimentation on the species." He explained.

I sat on the swivel chair behind me and rested my head on my hand as my elbow was placed on the arm of the chair. I swing the chair from side to side gently while listening to J.A.R.V.I.S.and following the information in my computer.

Compulsion...if this is right, was that what happened to me earlier?

"If they have incredible strength and speed and have the power of compulsion, how do they hold them captive?" I asked.

"That's where it gets interesting, sir. The doctors and all the members of Augustine either consume and/or wear a certain herb that renders them immune to their compulsion. It is also used to weaken the vampires' system as the herb is considered toxic only to them. Perhaps you can guess what it is, sir."

A certain herb that is toxic only to vampires. Wolfsbane are certainly toxic to humans as well. But the other one...

"Vervain." I answered.

Vervain is not toxic to humans, and yet it is to her.

As much as I would have loved to cling on to the whole alien thing, this theory makes much more sense.

"Are any of the Augustine vampires' names listed in the research?" I asked while also browsing through the hundreds of pages of the said research.

"They only mentioned their first names and the initials of their last names." J.A.R.V.I.S. answered.

He's right. When I got to the page where the names are listed, they only wrote their first names and their surname initials. But going further into the research, I've found out that two vampires have escaped Augustine's captivity.

"Damon S. in 1958 and Elizabeth S. in 1945." I mumbled under my breath.

According to this, Damon S. is actually the one responsible for Dr. Whitmore's death upon escaping.

"Is that enough proof, sir?" Asked J.A.R.V.I.S.

I leaned back on my chair and narrowed at the screen while I proceeded to twist the chair side to side. I tapped my foot on the floor, thinking of ways to actually confirm this theory because as much as everything in these files corroborate what I know so far about the girl in one of my guest bedrooms, I need to confirm it myself.

"Where can we get a supply of vervain ASAP?"

—

Uhm...did I just drop a clue for the third book in this trilogy? Maybe, maybe not?

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Merry Christmas in advance<3