Thank You,
Knight Teir: "Rue Ryuzaki", and "Tyronter"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
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When the shattered branch regenerated before everyone's eyes, the live broadcast erupted into chaos.
"Damn! A miracle!"
"Unbelievable! It actually grew back!"
"The speed is insane! Even a gecko's tail takes time to regrow!"
"I know humans have some regenerative capacity, but this, this defies logic!"
"The plant experiment succeeded... could it mean human trials have too?"
"I lost my arm last year in a factory accident. If this technology's real, does that mean I could get it back?"
"My leg's gone! I want this tech too!"
"But this was technology from the Earth era! The Federation couldn't possibly replicate it now. If they could, they'd have already released it."
"The Earth era was terrifying! Their technology was limitless, light-years beyond what our Terra Federation can do!"
"That's the hope of a new life! I want a new life!"
"Yes! Hundreds of reincarnations, what if he retained memories of the Extremis Virus technology?"
"If he awakens that memory, we might finally reproduce the Extremis Virus!"
"Ah! I'm suddenly full of hope for humanity's future!"
Though wars had dwindled, or even vanished entirely, across the Terra Federation, there were still countless people living with lost limbs, old injuries, and phantom pain. Seeing that sprouting branch, and hearing Maya say regeneration was possible, stirred the crowd's emotions to the core. For many, this was more than curiosity. It was personal.
Extremis. The virus, once born in the Earth era, it's an unpleasant name, yet its legacy is radiant. For these people, it symbolized a miracle, a second chance, the light of hope.
At the Administration, tension filled the conference room. A new panel of experts had convened. Dozens of senior doctors and scientists debated in a flurry of data and disbelief.
Darwin, sitting in silence, stared at the potted plant displayed on the main screen, its severed stem now perfectly restored. His astonishment gradually transformed into excitement. "If this can truly be replicated," he murmured, "then my daughter… she…"
The pain in his voice made the room go quiet. When his daughter was six, both her legs had been crushed beneath a car. She had never walked again.
"If the Immortal Warrior awakens the knowledge of the Extremis," Darwin said, "then maybe... maybe she still has hope."
There was clearly something more between Tony and Maya, and from what Maya revealed, the Immortal Warrior's chances of awakening those memories weren't small.
Darwin cleared his throat. "The Extremis," he explained, "doesn't generate life from nothing; it amplifies the body's self-healing processes."
The room settled. Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
"Think of plants," Darwin continued. "When their roots are cut, they form new nodules. That's self-healing. The Extremis acts as a rocket booster to that natural process; it accelerates it and gives it direction."
He paused. "But remember, plants and animals have vastly different structures. Success in flora doesn't guarantee success in mammals. Even in mice, this would be extraordinarily difficult."
Heads nodded in agreement.
Tonio leaned forward. "I agree with Darwin. The Extremis might function similarly to what we saw with Rogers or the Hulk; it enhances potential far beyond natural limits."
The historian Johan adjusted his glasses. "So you're saying, throughout history, events we thought were impossible… might've actually occurred?"
Tonio nodded. "Exactly. Johan put it perfectly."
Then Feng spoke up. "I've noticed something. In the Earth era, things like the Cube and the Chitauri, technology and medicine, both far surpassed what our Federation can achieve. What if those very breakthroughs caused their collapse?"
It wasn't the first time Feng had questioned history's missing chapters. His theory of "historical fault" haunted every conversation, uncomfortable but impossible to disprove.
Darwin frowned thoughtfully. "It's not impossible," he said quietly. "Perhaps… what if nature itself, Terra's nature, selected against humanity during the Earth era? What if it actively erased that civilization?"
The words froze the panel. The theory was terrifying, and yet, disturbingly plausible.
The chief rubbed his temple. "Damn it," he muttered. "We're suggesting the planet itself exterminated its dominant species."
And still, the broadcast continued. On screen, Tony and Maya appeared.
[ "You're the most talented woman I've ever met," Tony said. "I mean, limited to this city." ]
[ Maya laughed, taking his glasses and putting them on. "Almost there." ]
[ "You nearly believed me?" Tony teased. ]
[ They both laughed, just before an explosion rattled the room. The camera shook, and Happy burst through the door, "What happened just now!?" ]
[ Tony groaned under him. "You're lying on top of me, that's what happened." ]
[ Embarrassed, Happy scrambled up. "Uh, Happy New Year?" ]
[ "Happy New Year," Tony replied, brushing off soot. "See you tomorrow morning." ]
[ The camera panned to the ruined living room, glass shattered, furniture incinerated, flames licking the walls. The explosion's force had been tremendous. ]
The chat went wild.
"Happy's an idiot!"
"No, that's called quick thinking!"
"Was that regenerating plant the one that exploded!?"
"The walls were melted! That's no small blast!"
"So the plant trials failed after all?"
"Good thing this tech doesn't exist now. I'd blow myself up before healing anything!"
"Grow a limb back, only to die instantly. No thanks!"
"What's Tony doing? 'See you tomorrow,' he says, like it's nothing!"
The banter rolled on, chaotic and fascinated.
"Wait, didn't Tony mention a telomere algorithm?" someone asked.
At the Human Potential Development Organization, Kayden frowned at the footage.
"One issue with the Extremis," she said, "is the instability after regeneration. Could the explosion be caused by massive energy consumption or internal mutation?"
Ashton chuckled. "If a plant exploded, at least now we've found the virus's flaw."
The others nodded.
"Have you heard of the telomere algorithm?" someone asked.
Kayden nodded. "Telomeres are located at the ends of chromosomes. They protect DNA from degradation during replication. Each time a cell divides, telomeres shorten until they can no longer protect the cell. At that point, the cell stops dividing and activates programmed death."
Ashton leaned forward. "Exactly. Tony meant that regeneration from a severed limb requires rapid, large-scale cell division. That process burns through telomeres and ultimately shortens lifespan. The explosion may have been the body's catastrophic failure point."
"The algorithm," he added, "can calculate a subject's projected lifespan, or identify when the telomere loss will trigger collapse."
In the Terra Federation, researchers had once studied telomeres too, but never in depth. It was widely accepted, though, that longer telomeres meant longer life.
Kayden exhaled slowly. "Mr. Ashton, I think we've found the core issue: the telomere algorithm and post-regeneration explosion are directly linked to the Extremis instability. I already have some ideas, but it'll take time."
"Time isn't a problem," Ashton replied. "Progress is."
She nodded and turned back to the screen.
Another memory flickered to life.
[ A crowd sang and danced to celebrate the New Year, while on the rooftop above them, Killian stood alone, staring at his watch. Fireworks exploded across the sky, a bright contrast to his isolation. ]
"Tony really left him up there, huh?"
"Well, if you've got a woman downstairs, why go freeze on the roof with a man?"
"Fair point!"
"This scene must've been when Tony first learned about the Extremis."
"Yeah, it's memorable. It means something."
The footage shifted again, dark and grainy at first, then clear.
[ Tony's studio. Rows of gleaming steel suits lined the glass cases. He sat in a chair, clutching a tool like a nail gun, pressing it to his arm. ]
[ Click. A sharp hiss and a stifled cry of pain. ]
[ "46th injection!" ]
[ "47th!" ]
[ "Sir, perhaps I should calibrate first-" ]
[ "No," Tony interrupted. "48th!" ]
[ He tore the bloody gauze from his mouth, wiped his arm, and smiled faintly, "The micro-induction device has been injected." ]
[ Tony walked to the display platform, gazing at his creations, each a symbol of trial and triumph. He bowed slightly. ]
[ "I'm proud to announce," he said, "you're about to have a lively, mischievous, and brilliant younger brother." ]
[ "Mark 42 Propulsion Autopilot Suit Test, start." ]