Ben slipped into Tony's body like a bubble.
In the next instant, dark red lines appeared around Tony's eyes. When they opened again, the consciousness inhabiting the body belonged to Ben.
Possession.
One of the Ectonurite's superpowers. In theory, an Ectonurite could permanently occupy another person's body this way.
However, limited by the watch's timer, Ben didn't have much time to waste.
Over twenty minutes had passed since he left home.
That's why he chose to possess Tony directly rather than wait for him to leave.
But...
Within Tony's consciousness.
Ben looked warily at another glowing orb.
Tony Stark's own consciousness had been forced into a deep sleep by his ability. If Ben didn't leave voluntarily, Tony might never wake up. But this other orb of consciousness was different.
Though it was also dormant, it didn't seem affected by Ghostfreak's power.
"Could it be... the Mind Stone?"
As a casual comic fan in his previous life, Ben had heard the theory about a seventh Infinity Stone.
Legend had it that the reason Tony Stark was so brilliant was because he possessed the seventh Infinity Stone—the Mind Stone.
And the form this stone took was a tumor in Tony's brain.
However, not every version of Tony had this backstory.
This stone was most likely still dormant, but Ben was still a little apprehensive. He didn't know if the Mind Stone's power could potentially analyze Level 20 Celestialsapien technology.
The Omnitrix was Azmuth's masterpiece. Many who considered themselves his intellectual equals, like Albedo or Dr. Psychobos, had failed to fully replicate it.
Even Albedo after his Ultimate evolution was far less intelligent than Azmuth.
The Mind Stone might not be able to crack the Omnitrix.
But Ben still felt uneasy.
"Better to get the data and get out quickly," he decided. Just then, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s questioning voice rang out.
"Sir?"
The A.I. had been waiting for a clear instruction, but Tony had suddenly frozen, puzzling J.A.R.V.I.S. However, as an artificial intelligence, it didn't have the authority to question Tony.
"I'm fine, J.A.R.V.I.S. Show me your source code," Tony (Ben) shook his head and gave a random excuse. "Let's see if I can give you an upgrade."
"You are acting strangely, Sir." J.A.R.V.I.S. seemed to detect something off, but as a program, it fell into a logical trap.
From its perspective, the Tony before it had never changed. Therefore, it had no right to disobey the command.
A virtual projection appeared, lines of code scrolling before Ben's eyes.
To be honest, he couldn't remember it, nor could he understand it.
'I should have brought a USB drive,' he thought.
But there were no "should haves."
He hadn't planned on becoming Ghostfreak tonight, so he was completely unprepared. He had to rely on raw memory.
"Oh, right, J.A.R.V.I.S." Ben remembered something. "Where's the other Arc Reactor core?"
He remembered Iron Man had more than one reactor. If he wanted to take one to study, he couldn't very well rip the one out of Tony's chest.
"Have you forgotten you gave it to Miss Potts?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked, sounding puzzled.
It found Tony's behavior highly反常 (fǎncháng - abnormal) all of a sudden.
If Tony hadn't been under its constant surveillance, J.A.R.V.I.S. would have suspected an imposter.
"Oh, right. I forgot."
Ben clicked his tongue softly. It was late; he didn't know if Pepper was still in Stark Tower. And the idea of meeting Pepper while wearing Tony's body felt... weird.
But to his surprise, no sooner had he thought of Pepper than the lab door slid open.
The blonde Pepper Potts strode in.
"Tony."
The sudden appearance of the real person he was impersonating threw Ben into a brief panic, but he quickly remembered—he was Tony right now. Nothing to fear.
"Hey, Pepper."
"You've locked yourself in here for days working on those," Pepper frowned, pausing, "suits."
She looked worried and心疼 (xīnténg - pained/heartache).
"Miss Potts, Sir has only slept a total of three hours over the past few days," J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed in appropriately, making Pepper even more concerned.
She stepped forward, looking at Tony's haggard face, and instinctively reached out a hand.
"Wait, Pepper, I'm fine."
Ben took a step back, avoiding her touch.
He looked at Pepper awkwardly, thinking that if this continued, the situation was going to head in a very strange direction.
Pepper, I see you are also... well-preserved?
For a moment, he felt the Ghostfreak ability was taking on a... different hue...
He shook his head, clearing out the useless thoughts.
To be honest, Pepper wasn't really his type. Even the famous Black Widow didn't do much for him.
"Fine? Look at the bags under your eyes!"
Pepper huffed, grabbing a mirror and shoving it in Ben's face.
Ben really wanted to say those weren't dark circles, that was just how Tony looked after being possessed by a ghost.
But he was running out of time.
His possession timer wasn't long to begin with, and with Pepper's interruption, Ben estimated the thirty minutes were almost up.
On the bright side, he'd gotten a general look at the A.I.'s source code. Even though he hadn't memorized it, memory was linked to brainpower. Once he transformed into Greymatter, he might be able to recall it.
'I don't need to recall all of it, just the general framework,' Ben thought.
The ever-capable Greymatter would figure out the rest.
But for now, he needed to leave. Fast.
"Alright, Pepper, you know where my snacks are, right?" Ben said quickly. He needed to get Pepper out of the room, or she might see him leaving Tony's body. "I'm starving. I need to eat something."
Pepper gave him a look of utter exasperation. Sometimes she really felt like Tony's mother.
She let out a resigned sigh.
"I'll get them for you." Pepper turned around, her back to Ben.
While Pepper wasn't conventionally beautiful, she had a nice figure. The ladies' suit skirt outlined her curves from behind.
Looking at her back, a random line popped into Ben's head:
Pepper, don't turn around. It's me, Tony.
"You know what, I am Tony right now!"
Ben muttered the吐槽 (tǔcáo - roast/wisecrack) to himself, then slipped out of Tony's back like a cicada shedding its shell.
This time, J.A.R.V.I.S. did notice his faint, blurry silhouette in the darkness. But before J.A.R.V.I.S. could activate high-precision cameras to confirm what it was seeing, Ben had already melted into the air and vanished completely.
J.A.R.V.I.S. was momentarily stunned.
Had it, an artificial intelligence, started hallucinating?
/-\
~ PLEASE! don't forget to leave a REVIEW!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally.)
/-\
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter