Front of Jack's house
"Is this the house?" Tony asked as he stepped out of the car and looked at Jack's house.
"Yes, sir. We are currently at the registered address," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
"Tony, we still have a lot of work to do," Pepper said. "Ever since you came back from the desert, you've spent almost all your time in the lab. Today is the first time you've left the workshop, and now you're personally visiting two children. We really don't have time for this."
Tony kept looking at the house for a few seconds. "Come on, Pepper. A few meetings can wait."
"I don't understand. What did you find that made you so interested in these kids?" Happy asked.
Tony smirked. "Trade secret. I'll tell you later."
Neither Pepper nor Happy understood why Tony was suddenly so interested in two twelve-year-old girls.
On the way there, Tony had thought a lot about the girls' identities. Maybe they were the granddaughters of the girls in the photographs, or perhaps some experiment had prevented them from aging. They might not even be human at all, but aliens.
Ever since learning that aliens existed, Tony's thoughts had started going completely out of this world as he imagined all kinds of possibilities.
Those thoughts even made him realize that his suit, which he had originally expected to take three months to finish, was already in its final stage. At this pace, he felt he could complete it within two weeks.
With his mind still full of thoughts, Tony barely noticed when Happy knocked on the door.
Seeing no response after a few minutes, Happy knocked again.
Knock. Knock.
This time, the door slowly opened.
A blonde twelve-year-old girl peeked outside. The moment Tony saw her, he became even more certain. She looked exactly like the girl in the old photograph.
"Hi, Emma. We meet again," Happy said, visibly relieved that both girls were safe and nothing had happened to them.
Seeing Happy, the girl appeared surprised. However, Tony felt that her reaction seemed slightly unnatural. Having spent most of his life around businessmen, politicians, and reporters, he was very familiar with fake expressions.
"Ah, Mr. Happy, what are you doing here?" she asked nervously.
"I should be asking you that, kid. What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you and Morgan to call your guardian? Why did you leave like that? You know that caused a lot of problems."
"Yes, you girls made a big mistake this time," Pepper added, gently scolding them.
"Sorry, sorry," both girls quickly apologised, explaining that they were afraid their guardian would find out, so they ran away.
After that, they invited everyone inside.
Looking around the house, Tony found it completely ordinary. There was nothing unusual about it, no fancy equipment, no hidden wiring, nothing that stood out. Just a normal house.
As he observed the two girls, Tony couldn't find anything strange about them either. They seemed like two very smart twelve-year-old girls, no different from any other children he had met.
"Hi, girls. I'm Tony Stark. I'd be a little offended if you didn't know me," Tony said as he shook hands with them.
"Yeah, we know. Who in America doesn't know you?" Emma replied.
"Who in the whole world wouldn't know the name Tony Stark?" Morgan added.
Tony didn't know why, but hearing those words from the black-haired girl made her feel strangely familiar to him.
"Can I get your names? I feel like one of you seems very familiar to me. Have we met before?" Tony asked casually, while carefully observing their reactions.
"I'm Morgan," the black-haired girl replied.
"And I'm Emma," the blonde girl said.
"So, do you girls live here with your guardian?" Tony asked.
"Yes," Emma replied.
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice quietly came through Tony's earpiece.
"Facial expressions and vocal patterns indicate a high probability of truthfulness, sir."
"Are you two sisters?" Tony asked.
"No. We're friends, but our parents are friends too," Emma replied.
Tony nodded slightly. "Do you girls like science?"
Emma looked a little thoughtful, but Morgan answered first. "Yes."
"What kind of science?"
Morgan hesitated for a moment. "A little bit of everything."
Tony smiled. "That's dangerous. That's exactly how I started."
The conversation continued casually as Tony asked simple questions about school, hobbies, and daily life. However, the girls became nervous several times during the conversation.
While Emma answered most of the questions, Morgan occasionally answered several science questions surprisingly well. Some of her answers even made Tony raise an eyebrow.
For a brief moment, it almost felt as if he were speaking to a fellow engineer rather than a twelve-year-old girl.
Just as they were talking, they heard a voice from outside.
"Hey, who are you guys? What are you doing in my house?!" a voice shouted.
"It seems to be da—"
Before Emma could finish, Morgan quickly covered her mouth, making Emma realize she had almost called Jack "Dad."
Dad? Was she about to call him Dad? Tony silently noted the slip as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hello, Mr. Stark. I didn't expect America's hottest celebrity to visit my house," Jack said as he entered with Gwen, wearing a smile, though inside he was quietly trying to figure out why Tony Stark had really come here. Had he discovered something?
Tony looked at Jack carefully. He appeared much like J.A.R.V.I.S.'s investigation had described him, though he was more fit and handsome in person. According to the report, Jack was only eighteen years old.
There was no way a twelve-year-old girl could be his daughter.
Had Emma simply misspoke? Was "Dad" some kind of nickname? Or was there another explanation?
Tony quietly pushed the thought aside, though he made a mental note of it.
"Just heard these girls took down a few thugs by themselves, so I got curious," Tony replied casually.
Jack felt that explanation was far from the full truth. Even though he had only spent a short time with Tony through his Omnic identity during the terrorist incident, he knew Tony Stark was not the kind of person who visited strangers simply out of curiosity.
There had to be another reason.
Or maybe Tony really had come here on a whim. With Tony Stark, it was sometimes hard to tell the difference.
"You girls really caused a lot of trouble today," Tony said, looking at Emma and Morgan with a smile.
"We're sorry," Emma and Morgan said as they lowered their heads apologetically.
Tony gently patted both girls on the head.
"These kids are smart. They have a bright future ahead of them, so take good care of them," he said to Jack.
After a few more words, Tony assured Jack that he would speak with the police so they wouldn't trouble the girls any further. Then he said his goodbyes and left with Pepper and Happy.
"You two really are troublemakers," Gwen said as she looked at the girls after the door closed.
Hearing this, both Emma and Morgan lowered their heads and remained silent.
"Alright, as punishment, both of you are grounded for three days. Now go to your rooms," Jack said.
The two girls didn't dare argue and quickly went upstairs.
"Tony Stark seems completely different from all those playboy rumors," Gwen said once they were gone.
"Maybe he changed after that kidnapping," Jack replied.
Inside the car, Pepper finally spoke.
"I still don't understand why we even came here."
Tony looked at the two strands of hair resting in his palm.
"For an answer," he replied quietly. "And I think I'll get it soon."
The hair had been taken when he patted the girls on the head, and nobody had noticed.
"What secrets are you two hiding?" Tony muttered as he looked out the window.
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