Chapter Twenty-Five: Destroying the Records

“You’re not heading back so soon, are you?”
“I haven’t even shown you my Iron Suit yet.”
Tony, as he walked, suddenly remembered and spoke up.
New York nights were never truly peaceful, but Harvey Amberlaka had nothing to fear.
So Tony didn’t hesitate to extend an invitation, hoping Harvey would stay a while longer.
“In that case, you’d better prepare supper for a hundred, just for me,” Harvey replied without refusal, simply setting his terms for lingering.
“Haven’t you just sat down to dinner?”
“And now you’re thinking about supper?”
“Or is this some side effect of… that?”
Tony Stark raised an eyebrow at Harvey’s appetite, curiosity slipping into his tone.
“You could say that,” Harvey nodded slightly.
He couldn’t predict exactly what changes would occur when Tony eventually joined the Void, but one thing was certain—his appetite would only increase. It was best to warn Tony in advance, to leave a lasting impression, and perhaps ease his eventual acceptance.
“What are you two talking about?”
Pepper watched Tony and Harvey approach, her curiosity piqued.
“We had a long conversation about the future of Blue Star, and my latest technological achievements,” Tony replied offhandedly.
“That old excuse again…”
Pepper rolled her eyes at the familiar line.
“I’m not lying this time. We really did discuss Blue Star’s future,” Tony insisted, pausing to speak in all seriousness.
“Yes, yes, I know. There are only so many topics between you two.”
“Beautiful women, fine wine, fast cars, technology, and the future.”
Pepper listed them off with a sigh.
“Correction—not just talk.”
“With our status, we don’t simply discuss these things. We participate and make real change,” Tony said, correcting her with conviction.
While Tony and Pepper bantered, Harvey had already taken his seat at the dining table and begun his meal.
As Tony and Pepper conversed, they couldn’t help but notice the elegant yet astonishing speed with which Harvey devoured dish after dish, each plate vanishing before their eyes.
“I’ve heard the rumors, but witnessing it myself—it’s hard to believe,” Pepper murmured, shocked by the mountain of plates piling up while Harvey’s pace showed no sign of slowing.
“Incredible, but it’s real…” Tony muttered, touching his chest.
“But Tony, you look so much younger all of a sudden,” Pepper remarked, looking him over.
“Maybe it’s just that I’m in a great mood?” Tony replied, not giving it much thought.
The shrapnel had been removed from his chest, and the palladium poisoning cleansed from his system.
Of course, if he continued to use the arc reactor and suit up as Iron Man, the poisoning would eventually return. But with Harvey Amberlaka around, that threat was no longer a concern—he could rest easy.
Hearing this, Harvey glanced at Tony but said nothing.
“No, really—your wrinkles are gone. Take a look,” Pepper insisted, handing Tony a mirror.
Tony stared at his reflection, seeing a face that seemed years younger—almost as youthful as when he’d just turned thirty.
“Did you invent some new technology?” Pepper asked, scrutinizing him.
At thirty-eight, Tony was no longer young. His hair might not yet be gray, but lines had begun to show. Yet now, his skin looked smoother, his features sharper—he truly looked several years younger.
Keeping one’s youthful appearance was a universal concern for women, and Pepper was no exception. She had to know the truth. Her first suspicion, naturally, was that Tony had developed a new technology—after all, that was his forte.
“I’m not a geneticist or a pharmacologist. There’s no way I could invent a serum to restore youth,” Tony denied, shaking his head.
“Then why are your wrinkles gone?” Pepper pressed, eyeing him intently.
“I have no idea,” Tony replied, just as confused, glancing at Harvey, who was still making quick work of the meal.
Whatever had changed in his body, Tony was certain it was linked to Harvey Amberlaka.
“I have to go downstairs for a bit. Pepper, don’t come down. I’ll tell you what you need to know—and if I don’t, don’t snoop around,” Tony instructed, then headed toward the underground lab.
Before going down, he paused at the stairs, giving Harvey a final look. When he saw Harvey paid him no mind, Tony felt a wave of relief.
Pepper, seeing Tony head off and telling her not to follow, was left fuming at his independence.
Tony had just entered his underground lab.
“JARVIS, scan my body,” he ordered. “Compare it with my previous records.”
At his command, a red light swept over him.
“Sir, your cellular activity has greatly increased, making your body stronger overall. There are no signs of disease, and compared to your state yesterday, your body is six years younger. Based on cellular markers, you have the physiology of your thirty-two-year-old self. It’s as though you’ve become younger,” JARVIS reported, projecting two holographic models for comparison.
“Youth restored?”
“Harvey Amberlaka, what did you do to me…”
Tony stared at the hologram, seeing his own features restored to youthful vigor. It was only now he truly grasped the transformation.
Harvey Amberlaka had not only extracted the shrapnel and cleansed his body of palladium, but had also made him younger.
Tony knew that longevity and genetics were fields of constant human endeavor, yet so many diseases remained incurable, let alone the secret to prolonging life.
And yet, Harvey had not only cured him but enhanced his cells, turning back the clock.
What kind of superhuman ability was this? It defied Tony’s wildest imagination.
If Harvey Amberlaka ever revealed this secret, no price would be too high for the world’s wealthiest to regain their youth.
The debt Tony owed him was far greater than he’d imagined.
“Sir, this may be difficult to explain, but perhaps you should see for yourself,” JARVIS offered, playing a recording.
Tony watched as the brief video—barely a minute long—played out.
He saw himself shake hands with Harvey Amberlaka, then fall unconscious.
Then, Harvey’s finger traced a line across Tony’s chest—looking ordinary, the hand in that moment became as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel.
He cut into Tony’s flesh, and then his hand released a mass of purple threads, which burrowed into Tony’s chest and heart.
The threads swiftly and precisely extracted the shrapnel.
In less than ten seconds, Tony’s skin sealed itself, healing before his very eyes.
Afterward, Harvey stood aside, then seemed to think for a moment before gently laying Tony flat on the floor.
The video ended with Tony awakening. As the screen faded, Tony couldn’t help but stroke his chin in awe.
“So this was only a small demonstration…”
Tony replayed every word he’d exchanged with Harvey Amberlaka in his mind, whispering in disbelief.
The abilities Harvey had revealed—the unknown healing, hands sharp as blades—were already extraordinary. And this could only be the tip of the iceberg.
What else could Harvey Amberlaka do? Even Tony, with all his genius, could hardly imagine. His mind, for all its brilliance, was still confined to the limits of human knowledge—superhuman abilities were uncharted territory.
“JARVIS, delete this recording and all footage of my conversation with Harvey Amberlaka tonight.”
After calming himself, Tony gave the order.
“Sir, these are invaluable records. Are you certain you wish to destroy them, and not store them on a private server?” JARVIS inquired.
Even an AI could recognize the priceless nature of these events.
“Erase them completely. Not a trace must remain. If any of tonight’s events were to leak, the consequences could be catastrophic,” Tony said gravely.
He trusted his own technology, but no system was unhackable. If someone got hold of these recordings, Harvey Amberlaka’s existence—and perhaps Tony himself—would be in grave danger.
“Understood. Deleting now.”
JARVIS complied without further hesitation.