The neon hum of the Malibu basement was the first thing Tony Stark heard as the silver grey mist of Sefirah Castle dissolved from his vision. One moment, he was standing in the presence of a god like peer and the kings of hidden nations, bargaining for immortality, the next, he was back in the familiar sanctuary of his workshop.
He landed with a predatory grace he hadn't possessed fifteen minutes ago. His heart was hammering, it was a rhythmic thud, like his pulse was a metronome made of liquid gold. Every cell in his body was humming a tune he didn't know the words to, but felt like home.
"Tony?"
The voice was laced with the familiar blend of concern and iron willed patience that defined Pepper Potts. She was standing by the holographic terminal, her eyes fixed on the digital stopwatch she'd been holding since he sat down for his "conscious transfer."
"You're back," she breathed, checking the timer. "Exactly fifteen minutes. To the second. You were... remarkably still, Tony. I've seen you sleep and this wasn't it. You looked like a statue carved out of billionaire flavored granite."
Tony closed the distance between them in two strides, his movements unnervingly fluid… the first sign of the Beta Level High Speed Regeneration taking hold, optimizing his motor functions. He pulled her into a hug so fierce it nearly knocked the breath out of her.
"I missed you, Pep," he whispered into her hair, inhaling the scent of the real world.
Pepper stiffened for a second, surprised by the intensity, then melted into him, her hands clutching the back of his shirt. "It was fifteen minutes, Tony. I've had longer conference calls with the legal department."
Tony pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes were clear, but the emotional weight of seeing Howard and Maria again was still etched into the lines of his face… lines that were already beginning to smooth out under the influence of his new physiology.
"I was in a castle." Tony said, his voice regaining that familiar swagger, though softer now. "I was... buying a future. A very, very long one."
Pepper narrowed her eyes, her managerial instincts overriding her relief. She reached up, wiping a stray tear from his cheek with her thumb. "Buying a future? Tony, we talked about this. No more impulse buys. We just settled a lawsuit with the Pentagon."
"It was an exclusive summit, Pep," Tony said, ignoring the scold. "I saw them. My Mom. My Dad. We talked. Really talked."
The silence that followed was heavy. Pepper's hand froze on his face. She knew how much that wound had festered since 1991. She knew that the "Invincible Iron Man" was often held together by the duct tape of unresolved grief.
"Tony..." she whispered, her voice softening into something profoundly tender. "Is that why you look... lighter?"
"The knot is gone," Tony admitted, leaning his forehead against hers. "They're proud of us. Especially you. My mother literally told me not to be an idiot and to marry you. She actually used the word 'idiot.' It was very nostalgic."
Pepper laughed, a wet sound. "Well, at least Maria Stark has common sense. But Tony, you look different. Your skin... you look like you've been photoshopped in real time."
Tony smirked, leading her over to a pair of leather chairs amidst the scattered components of the Mark IV armor. "That's the other thing I secured. Think of it as an insurance policy. A very, very long term one. Aryan suggested a biological upgrade… Beta Level Regeneration."
"Regeneration?" Pepper asked suspiciously. "Like a lizard? You're going to grow a tail?"
"Better. It's a dual protocol anchor," Tony explained, gesturing broadly. "It gives me high speed regeneration… and it grants a five hundred year lifespan."
"How long?" Pepper asked, blinking.
"Five hundred years," Tony said casually. "Give or take a decade for leap years."
Pepper stared at him. She didn't blink. "Tony, I think inter-dimensional travel broke your math. Humans don't do five hundred years. We barely do eighty if we eat our greens."
"Not anymore. I've got this…. let's call it a 'metaphysical anchor.' It's a regeneration system. I could get hit by a bus no, a train, actually, I could be sliced into Stark sliders and I'd be back on my feet before the ambulance arrived. And as a side effect? We stay exactly this age for the next half millennium."
Pepper stood up, pacing the small clearing in the lab. "Tony. This is insane. You're talking about magic. Or aliens. Or alien magic. You're joining a cult, aren't you? That's what this is. You've joined a very expensive dimensional cult."
"It's not a cult!" Tony protested, though he was grinning. "It's a private parliament. Very different. Better security."
"You're a cult leader," Pepper insisted, pointing a finger at him. "You've spent billions of dollars to live forever and you're going to make me wear a robe and chant things, aren't you? Is there a compound? Do we move to a secret island?"
Tony barked out a laugh, catching her hand. "No robes. And yes, there is a little bit of chanting involved, but only for the setup. Think of it as a voice activated software key for your soul."
Tony's expression became serious. "Pepper, look at me. The world is changing. Hydra was just the start. And I can't do this for five hundred years if I'm doing it alone."
Pepper looked at their joined hands, then up at his eyes. She saw the honest sincerity there. "You want me to do it. You want me to stay with you."
"I need you to," Tony corrected. "I already paid the tribute… double the price since you aren't a 'Tarot Club' member. The Castle has the 'blessing' ready. But you have to anchor yourself to the source. You have to recite the Honorifics."
Pepper sighed. "Fine. If it keeps you from blowing up the planet out of boredom in the year 2400, I'll do it. What do I have to do? Do I need to sacrifice a goat? Because I'm drawing the line at livestock."
Tony chuckled, pulling her close. "No goats. Just me. And some words that are going to sound very, very weird."
Tony took her hands in his. He felt the "Anchor" within his soul… the permission he had purchased from the System. He felt like a conduit for a power that rewrote fate.
"Okay, Pep. Close your eyes. I'm going to hold your hands. Just repeat after me."
Pepper rolled her eyes but closed them. "This is definitely going to be on my performance review."
"Just say it," Tony whispered. The basement grew quiet. Tony spoke the ancient titles of the Sefirah Castle.
"Repeat after me," Tony murmured. "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."
Pepper hesitated, but followed. "The... The Fool that doesn't belong to this era?"
"The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog..."
"The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog," Pepper repeated, her voice growing steadier as a cool sensation began to creep up her arms.
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck," she echoed.
"The True Creator who embodies luck, deception and fate."
Pepper felt a chill race down her spine, the words tasting like ozone on her tongue. "The True Creator who embodies luck, deception and fate."
Tony leaned in, his voice a rhythmic command. "We pray for your grace. We pray for your blessing. We pray for the mercy of your gaze."
Pepper finished the plea, her voice a breathless harmony. "We pray for your grace. We pray for your blessing. We pray for the mercy of your gaze."
The moment the final word left her lips, there was a profound sense of settling. It was as if an invisible weight had finally found its balance. The "Anchor" had attached to her essence, linking her to the timeless power of the Castle.
Pepper gasped, her eyes flying open. The chronic fatigue of managing Stark Industries and Tony's latest crisis vanished in a heartbeat. Her mind felt like a calm lake, reflecting a vitality she hadn't known since her teenage years.
"Oh," she whispered, looking down at her hands. She flexed them, expecting to see a change, perhaps a glow or a shift in her skin but they looked exactly the same. "Tony... what did you do to me? I feel like I could run a marathon, but I don't look like... well, I don't look like a science experiment."
Tony watched her with a mixture of relief and scientific curiosity. "That's the beauty of it, Pep. You've got the full package. The physical enhancement of a Super Soldier and the Beta Level regeneration. You're effectively the most durable person on the East Coast right now."
Pepper's expression shifted to a flash of worry. She walked over to one of the lab's scanning beds. "If I go to a doctor, Tony, or if I get a blood test for insurance... what are they going to find? Is my DNA a mess of glowing green strands now? Because I'd like to keep my medical records somewhat grounded in this century."
Tony walked over, leaning against the equipment with a reassuring smile. "That was my first question too. It's a metaphysical power. It's a blessing from the Castle that sits on your essence, not your genes."
He tapped the holographic display of her vitals. "No scientist, no matter how good their microscope is, will find a single anomaly in your DNA. Your double helix is exactly the way it was fifteen minutes ago. There's no trace of the serum, no exotic proteins to replicate and nothing to clone. You're biologically human, but metaphysically... you're a five hundred year masterpiece."
Pepper let out a long breath, a playful smile returning to her face. "So I'm a secret immortal. No DNA evidence, no glowing eyes, just... me, but better."
"Exactly," Tony grinned. "The ultimate stealth upgrade. You're still Pepper Potts… just the version of Pepper Potts that can live to see the 26th century without a single wrinkle or a genetic glitch."
Tony was watching her, his breath held. "Well? Do you feel like a cult member now?"
Pepper blinked, then looked at him, a mischievous spark returning to her eyes. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him thoroughly.
When they finally broke apart, she was grinning. "I feel like I'm going to be able to nag you for the next five centuries, Anthony Stark. Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
Tony laughed, picking her up and spinning her around the lab. "I think I've just made the best investment of my life."
"Five hundred years," Pepper mused. "We're going to need a lot of hobbies. And a very good estate lawyer."
"We've got time, Pep," Tony said. "We've got all the time in the world."