Chapitre 10: Chapter 10: Crossing Realities
Tony stared at the crystalline structure on the table, the air around it shimmering slightly, the light from the rest of the room bending unnaturally as it passed through. His mind raced, trying to wrap around the strange sensation of standing in the presence of something that didn't fully exist in his dimension. He still wasn't entirely sure he believed Max's explanation of phase shifting and ZPM growth, but something about this whole setup felt real.
Max stood next to him, explaining casually. "The table, along with the ZPM structure, is anchored to a displacement machine," he said, gesturing to a small, unobtrusive device on the floor nearby. "Without that, the whole thing would slip through the floor and into the Earth's core, eventually popping out the other side into space."
Tony raised an eyebrow, amused. "Let me guess, that's because the Earth is moving, right?"
Max nodded. "Exactly. The Earth orbits the sun at about 30 kilometers per second, so if we lost the anchor, this thing would keep floating along as if the Earth had never been there, and we'd be tracking it down somewhere in space."
Tony let out a low whistle, genuinely impressed despite himself. "Alright, I'll give you that—sounds like a hell of a problem to have. But here's a better question: why do you need so much power? A ZPM can power... what, an entire planet?"
Max didn't break stride. "Pretty much. Theoretically, one ZPM could power Earth for hundreds of years."
Tony crossed his arms, giving Max a curious look. "And what exactly are you planning that needs that much juice?"
Max smiled cryptically. "I'll show you in two weeks when we're in orbit around Jupiter."
Tony tilted his head slightly, grinning. "Jupiter, huh? You sure know how to keep a guy interested."
Max chuckled, then turned and motioned for Tony to follow him back into the main part of the house. "Come on, let's get some food. I've got something on the stove."
As they made their way to the kitchen, Tony's mind still buzzed with questions. He watched as Max moved easily around the kitchen, pulling out pans and utensils like he'd done this a thousand times before. The smell of spices and freshly cooking food began to fill the air, warm and inviting.
Tony leaned against the counter, raising an eyebrow as he observed. "Didn't peg you for a cook."
Max shrugged, tossing chopped vegetables into a pan. "Everyone's got to eat."
Tony snorted. "Yeah, but most people order takeout. What are we having?"
"Something simple. Ropa Vieja, arroz con frijoles, and some tostones," Max said casually, as if naming a set of household staples.
Tony's brow furrowed. "I didn't catch all that, but I heard 'frijoles.' Beans. Right?"
Max nodded. "Cuban dish. Shredded beef in a savory sauce, rice, beans, and fried plantains."
Tony whistled, impressed. "Fancy. You've got some layers, don't you?"
"Can't be all tech and magic all the time," Max replied with a grin as he stirred the pan.
Tony sat down at the table, watching Max cook. It was a rare moment of domestic calm, something Tony didn't often experience. Usually, his meals were accompanied by schematics or meetings, rarely by conversation that didn't involve business or saving the world.
"So," Tony said, settling in, "you're still in school, right? You're like... what, 17?"
"Yeah," Max replied as he plated the food and brought it to the table. "But I'm planning on finishing early. In about a month, actually."
Tony blinked in surprise. "You're serious? Just gonna knock out high school early, huh? MIT next, I assume?" He added the last part with a smirk, clearly referencing his own alma mater.
Max didn't respond right away. He sat down across from Tony, spooning rice and beef onto his plate. "Honestly, the only reason I stayed in school this long was to keep a low profile. Blend in."
Tony paused, fork in hand. "Blend in, huh? Sounds familiar."
Max looked up at him, meeting his gaze directly. "But now that I know who you are, who my father is, I don't think it'll matter much longer. People are going to find out eventually. I can stop pretending to be just some kid."
Tony leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess once people know you're a Stark, it's kinda hard to stay under the radar."
Max nodded. "Exactly."
Tony grinned, never missing an opportunity to lighten the mood. "Well, you know, MIT's still an option. That's where all the cool kids go. And by 'cool kids,' I mean me."
Max smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'll think about it. But like I said, school was more about staying unnoticed. I've learned more on my own than I ever did in class."
Tony's eyes gleamed with pride, though he tried to hide it behind a sarcastic tone. "Now that's my kid talking. School's overrated anyway."
Max smiled, taking a bite of his food as Tony dug in as well.
Tony took a bite and his eyes widened. "Okay, this is... seriously good. I'm not just saying that."
Max laughed. "Glad you like it."
Tony made a show of wiping his mouth with a napkin. "You know, if the whole genius inventor thing doesn't work out, you've got a bright future in the culinary arts."
"Right," Max said with a smirk. "I'll keep that in mind."
They continued eating, the conversation light, bouncing between tech, school, and Tony's experiences at MIT. Tony shared a few stories, most of them involving late-night inventions and parties he probably shouldn't have been at.
As they finished the meal, Max stood up and walked over to a cabinet. He pulled out five small bottles filled with a shimmering, clear liquid and set them on the table.
"What's this?" Tony asked, eyeing the bottles curiously.
"Antidote to Common Poisons," Max replied nonchalantly.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Wait, hold on. Is this another one of your Harry Potter magic tricks?"
Max nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. "Yeah. I brewed these myself."
Tony burst out laughing, slapping the table. "So now you're Severus Snape, huh?"
Max's smile faded, and for a brief moment, a shadow passed over his face. His shoulders tensed, and a cold chill seemed to run through him, something Tony didn't miss.
"Snape was a terrible teacher," Max said quietly. "He was... cruel. The only reason I ever learned anything about potion-making was because I taught myself."
Tony blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "Wait, hold on. You're serious?"
Max didn't respond right away. His mind drifted back to the dark, dreary Potions classroom in Hogwarts, where Severus Snape had prowled the aisles, his dark robes sweeping behind him as he sneered at students struggling with their assignments.
Max remembered sitting at his desk, nervously trying to brew an Antidote to Common Poisons. His hands shook as he added each ingredient, fully aware of Snape lurking just behind him, watching for the slightest mistake.
"Five drops of armadillo bile," Snape's cold voice had whispered, his breath chilling the back of Max's neck. "Not four, not six. If you ruin this potion, you'll be lucky to leave this classroom with your skin intact."
Max had forced himself to stay calm, to ignore the pressure, and focus on the potion in front of him. Somehow, despite Snape's presence, he had managed to get it right. But the experience had left its mark.
Back in the present, Tony waved a hand in front of Max's face. "Earth to Max. You alright, kid?"
Max blinked, the memories fading. "Yeah, sorry. Just... bad memories."
Tony leaned back, shaking his head in disbelief. "You know, I keep waiting for you to drop the punchline, but you're not joking, are you? You really did... what, go to wizard school or something?"
Max didn't answer, instead pushing one of the bottles toward Tony. "Here. You should take this."
Tony stared at the bottle for a long moment. "You really expect me to drink this?"
Max nodded. "It'll help. Just trust me."
Tony eyed the bottle, then glanced back at Max. "You know, you're starting to sound like a bad infomercial. 'Take this mystery liquid and all your problems will disappear!'"
Max rolled his eyes. "Just drink it."
Tony sighed, uncorking the bottle. "Alright, fine. But if I wake up with horns or something, I'm blaming you."
Max smirked. "You'll be fine. Just drink it all in one go."
Tony tipped the bottle back and swallowed the contents in one gulp. Almost immediately, he grimaced, coughing slightly. "Ugh, what the hell is in this? It tastes like... feet. Sweaty feet."
Max chuckled. "It's not supposed to taste good."
Tony wiped his mouth, still grimacing. "No kidding. I think I'd rather stick with the palladium poisoning, thanks."
Max said nothing, simply watching as Tony's expression slowly changed. After a few moments, Tony sat up straighter, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait a minute... I feel... better."
He quickly pulled out a small device from his pocket and pricked his finger, running a blood test. "Jarvis?"
"Yes, sir?" the AI responded.
"Run a toxicity scan. I need to know where my palladium levels are at."
A brief pause. "Palladium levels have dropped to zero, sir. The toxin is completely gone."
Tony stared at the results in disbelief. "No way..."
Max leaned back in his chair, smiling faintly. "Told you."
Tony shook his head, still trying to process what had just happened. "Okay, I need to know what's in this stuff."
Max shrugged, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "It's a pretty standard potion. The recipe includes bezoar, essence of dittany, powdered silver, and a few other ingredients."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Bezoar? You mean like... from a goat's stomach?"
Max nodded. "Exactly. It's one of the best antidotes for poisons."
Tony sat back, folding his arms across his chest. "Alright, I'm officially freaked out. You're telling me you brewed this stuff, and it cured me? Just like that?"
Max sighed, clearly used to this kind of reaction. "Look, if you don't believe me, you can analyze one of the other bottles yourself. Run all the tests you want. You'll see it works."
Tony picked up one of the remaining bottles, turning it over in his hand thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'll do that. I'll take it back to Malibu and put it through the ringer."
Max stood up, stretching. "Sounds good. But for now, I'll take you back to my decoy place."
Tony gave him a sidelong glance. "What, we're not using the Stargate this time?"
Max grinned. "Nah. We'll apparate. Much faster."
Before Tony could respond, Max placed a hand on his shoulder, and with a sudden rush of wind and a disorienting jolt, they found themselves standing back in the small apartment in Queens.
Tony blinked, trying to steady himself. "Man, that's still weird."
Max smiled. "You'll get used to it."
Tony glanced over at him. "So, I guess I'll see you in two weeks?"
Max nodded. "Yeah. I'll come pick you up in Malibu."
Tony grinned. "Looking forward to it, kid."
With a final nod, Max turned and disappeared back, leaving Tony standing alone, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Tritonos
Tritonos Edited Chapter 1 and changed it from 2008 to 2010. My assumption is that the current time is early 2011. I had made several timeskips over the chapters, so that the film Iron Man 1 ended around winter 2010/2011.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone