Tony thought for several seconds.
Logically, the situation sounded insane.
But emotionally? It wasn't.
Karl had saved him multiple times. If Karl truly wanted him dead, there were easier ways than a bean in a laboratory full of witnesses.
More importantly — Tony was tired of living with a machine embedded in his chest.
"I'm doing it," Tony said firmly.
Pepper stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you out of your mind? That's a bean, Tony. A regular bean! You're talking about ripping metal out of your chest and fixing it with… that?"
Tony gave her a steady look.
"Pepper, if Karl wanted to kill me, I wouldn't have survived Afghanistan. Or Monaco. Or the poisoning. I trust him."
He turned to Karl.
"Give it to me."
Karl handed him the Senzu Bean.
"Keep it under your tongue. Do not swallow until I tell you. The moment I finish extraction, you swallow. Not before."
Tony nodded.
"Let's go."
He placed the bean under his tongue and lay back.
Pepper covered her mouth but didn't look away.
Yinsen monitored vitals on the display.
Samuel leaned forward slightly, analytical curiosity replacing skepticism.
Happy stood rigid, fists clenched.
Karl placed his palm over the arc reactor housing.
Telekinesis phased inward through tissue and scar structure.
He located the three remaining shrapnel fragments embedded along the inner sternum and near the pericardial boundary.
He began.
The first fragment tore free from vascular scar tissue.
Tony's back arched violently.
A blood vessel ruptured as the shard exited.
Blood poured across his chest.
Tony gripped the metal edge of the medical table so hard the steel dented under his fingers.
He didn't swallow.
Second fragment.
More bleeding.
Heart rate spiked.
"Vitals critical threshold," Jarvis warned.
Karl did not hesitate.
Final fragment.
Then, with a controlled telekinetic pull, he removed the arc reactor assembly from Tony's chest entirely.
Blood surged from the cavity.
"Swallow it. Now."
Tony obeyed instantly.
He swallowed.
One second passed.
Then—
The bleeding stopped.
Green restorative energy spread from his core outward like a pulse.
Muscle fibers knitted together.
Vascular damage sealed.
Bone tissue reformed seamlessly.
Scar tissue dissolved as if it had never existed.
Within moments, Tony's chest was completely restored — smooth, unbroken skin.
Pepper gasped.
Samuel stepped forward involuntarily.
Happy stared in stunned silence.
Yinsen looked between the monitors and Tony's chest in disbelief.
Tony sat up slowly.
He looked down.
No cavity.
No surgical scar.
No embedded magnet.
He pressed his palm flat against his sternum.
Solid.
Whole.
He laughed once — half hysterical, half overwhelmed.
"This is insane. This is actually insane."
He looked at Karl.
"I knew I trusted the right lunatic."
Karl rolled his eyes lightly.
"Enough. You're done. Now you and Pepper can take the super-gene serum."
Samuel's analytical curiosity shifted instantly.
The Senzu Bean was already a miracle.
Now came the serum.
Tony blinked.
"By the way… you don't happen to have more of those beans for sale, do you?"
Karl gave him a flat look.
"I had three. Now I have two. It's a life-saving item. You couldn't afford it even if you liquidated Stark Industries."
Tony whistled softly.
Pepper finally recovered her voice.
"Wait. What serum?"
Tony turned toward her.
"We developed a genetic enhancement serum. It strengthens the body, slows cellular aging, enhances resilience. In simple terms — improved vitality and longer lifespan."
Pepper's hesitation lasted less than a second.
"I want it."
Samuel and Yinsen prepared the serum.
Tony and Pepper lay on adjacent medical platforms.
The injection process began.
The serum entered their bloodstream.
Within seconds, muscular contractions began.
Veins stood out along their necks and arms.
Tony's jaw tightened as his physiology adapted.
Pepper gripped the bed edge, breathing sharply.
The reaction was violent but controlled.
Yinsen monitored vitals carefully.
Thirty minutes passed.
The convulsions subsided.
Both exhaled deeply and sat upright.
Two shadow ninjas held mirrors before them.
Tony studied his reflection.
Wrinkles diminished.
Skin tone evened.
Gray strands gone.
Eyes clearer.
Pepper touched her own face.
Her complexion glowed.
Skin smoother.
Features subtly refined.
She looked younger — not dramatically altered, but vibrantly restored.
Tony stared openly.
"Pepper… you look…"
Pepper flushed slightly.
"You look younger too. And there are other people here."
Karl and the others pretended not to notice.
Karl stepped forward.
"How do you feel?"
Tony rotated his shoulders experimentally.
"Incredible. Energy levels through the roof. Reaction time sharper. I feel like I could dismantle ten versions of my old self."
He flexed his fingers.
"Even inside the suit, I'd move better now."
…
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