"Not heading back just yet, are you?"
"I haven't even shown you my Iron Man suit," Tony said, walking alongside Harvey Amberlock as the thought suddenly occurred to him.
The streets of New York were anything but peaceful at night, but Harvey Amberlock wasn't one to be concerned about such things. Tony, sensing this, decided to extend the invitation, hoping to keep Harvey around a bit longer.
"Well, if that's the case, you'd better prepare a hundred more portions of food for a midnight snack," Harvey replied casually, making his conditions clear for staying longer.
"You just had dinner, didn't you? A midnight snack too? Or is this another one of the 'side effects'?" Tony asked, half-joking as he glanced at Harvey.
"You could say that," Harvey nodded slightly.
Tony Stark had no idea what transformations awaited him once he joined the Void, but Harvey was certain of one thing: Tony's appetite would eventually skyrocket. It was better to plant the idea early, so it wouldn't be too much of a shock later.
"You two seem to be getting along. What have you been talking about?" Pepper asked, noticing Tony and Harvey walking together.
"Just chatting about the future of this planet and some of my latest breakthroughs," Tony answered offhandedly.
"Same old excuse…" Pepper rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious! We were really discussing the future," Tony replied earnestly after a slight pause.
"Sure, sure. Let me guess: women, wine, cars, tech, and the future?" Pepper smirked.
"Let me correct you there. It's not just talking. With people like us, these aren't just conversations—we're actually shaping and influencing the future," Tony corrected, sounding quite proud.
As Tony and Pepper exchanged their playful banter, Harvey had already reached the dining table. Without missing a beat, he began eating at an astounding pace, yet with an elegance that made the scene almost mesmerizing.
Pepper couldn't help but stare. "I've heard stories, but seeing it in person… It's hard to believe."
Tony nodded, placing a hand on his chest. "I know. Hard to believe, but that's the reality."
"Tony, am I crazy, or do you look… younger?" Pepper asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied him.
"Must be the good mood I'm in," Tony said, brushing it off.
His body had undergone some serious repairs. The shrapnel in his chest had been removed, and his palladium poisoning had been completely eradicated. Sure, as long as he continued using the arc reactor and wearing the suit, the poisoning would eventually return, but with Harvey around, Tony wasn't worried about that anymore.
Harvey overheard the conversation but stayed silent, focusing on his meal.
"No, really. You don't have any wrinkles on your face. Take a look," Pepper said, handing Tony a mirror.
"…"
Tony examined his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't imagining things—he genuinely looked like he was in his early thirties again, years younger than his current age.
"Did you develop some kind of new anti-aging tech or something?" Pepper asked, still staring at Tony in amazement.
Tony was thirty-eight years old, far from ancient, but like anyone his age, there were naturally a few lines starting to show. But now? He looked almost as youthful as he had in his early thirties—his skin smoother, his features sharper.
As a woman—and one who worked in a high-powered corporate environment—Pepper was more than curious. Anti-aging had been an obsession for so many, and she wasn't immune to its allure. Naturally, she wondered what Tony had discovered.
"Gene therapy isn't my field, Pepper. There's no way I've invented something that reverses aging," Tony replied, shaking his head.
"Then what's with the lack of wrinkles?"
"I honestly have no clue," Tony said, shrugging. But his gaze drifted toward Harvey Amberlock, who was still devouring food at an incredible rate.
Though Tony couldn't put his finger on exactly what Harvey had done to him, he knew one thing for sure—this change was because of Harvey.
"I need to check something in the lab. Don't follow me, Pepper. I'll tell you what you need to know. But when I don't want to talk, don't pry," Tony said abruptly, making his way to the basement.
Pepper frowned, her frustration growing. Tony's habit of shutting her out when it came to certain things was nothing new, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
Once Tony entered his lab, he immediately turned to the familiar voice of J.A.R.V.I.S.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., run a full body scan. Compare it to my last scan."
The AI complied, scanning Tony with a beam of red light.
"Sir, your cellular activity has increased dramatically, resulting in enhanced physical condition. At present, there are no traces of any toxins or illnesses in your body. Compared to yesterday, you are biologically six years younger. Your body is currently functioning at the equivalent of your thirty-two-year-old self," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported as two holographic models of Tony's body appeared, one labeled "now" and the other from a prior scan.
"Six years younger?"
"Harvey Amberlock… What exactly did you do to me?" Tony muttered to himself as he studied the data. Harvey hadn't just removed the shrapnel and cured his poisoning—he had reversed Tony's biological age.
People had long sought ways to extend human life or reverse aging, but progress had been slow. Tony knew this better than most. There were still diseases humanity couldn't cure, let alone ways to reverse aging. Yet Harvey had not only healed him but made him younger.
What kind of power was this?
Tony stared at the scan, stunned. If Harvey ever released this anti-aging technique to the world, it would cause absolute chaos. Billionaires would empty their vaults to get their hands on it. The sheer scale of what Harvey had done began to dawn on Tony.
"Sir, would you like to store this footage, or erase it?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked, interrupting Tony's thoughts.
Tony hesitated. The footage captured everything—his transformation, the moment Harvey had altered him.
"Erase it. Everything from tonight," Tony said after a pause.
"Are you sure, sir? This data could be invaluable," J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.
"Erase it. All of it. If this gets out, it could lead to consequences we can't even predict. We don't want anyone to know about this—not Harvey, not me. No one," Tony said firmly.
"Understood. Deleting now," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed as the footage and data were permanently wiped.