Tony Stark stared at the two syringes on the table—one filled with a pale blue liquid, the other a deep navy blue. His expression grew serious.
As the son of Howard Stark, one of the original researchers involved in the Super Soldier program, Tony knew exactly what that serum represented.
"You're telling me," Tony said carefully, eyes fixed on the syringes, "that these are Super Soldier Serum?"
His voice betrayed more tension than he wanted to admit.
Pepper Potts, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. She looked between the two men, completely lost.
"No, no, no," Ryan Cole said, waving a hand dismissively from across the table."These aren't Super Soldier Serum."
Tony shot him a sharp look.
"Then what—are you screwing with me now?"
"How could I?" Ryan replied, shrugging calmly. "Didn't I say it before? Similar. Emphasis on similar."
He casually spun the new-element Arc Reactor in his fingers as he continued, smiling.
"I call these Gene Optimization Fluids. The light blue one is the Basic version. The dark blue one is the Intermediate version."
Tony's eyes lit up instantly.
"If there's a basic and an intermediate," he said, locking onto the point like a missile,"then there must be an advanced version."
"Correct," Ryan nodded without hesitation."There is an Advanced Gene Optimization Fluid. Unfortunately, it's not finished yet."
"There's still about a ten percent chance of unpredictable mutation."
He made no effort to sugarcoat it.
Tony frowned.
"So you're saying these two are finished and safe?" he asked, pointing at the syringes.
"They're finished," Ryan replied honestly."But 'safe' doesn't mean zero side effects."
That answer immediately darkened Tony's mood.
"You expect me to trade JARVIS's source code for something with side effects?" Tony snapped."You serious right now?!"
And honestly, his reaction was normal.Anything involving genetic modification was not something sane people took lightly.
"No, Tony," Ryan said calmly, raising a finger."I'm very serious. Just be patient."
After everything that had happened earlier, Pepper trusted Ryan far more than before. Seeing the tension spike, she quickly stepped in.
"Tony," she said gently, "I don't think Ryan means any harm. Let's at least hear him out."
"Hmph."
Seeing his own secretary defend an outsider nearly made Tony storm out—if not for how insanely valuable anything related to the Super Soldier program was.
Once Tony was barely calmed down, Pepper turned back to Ryan with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Ryan. Please continue."
Ryan chuckled and shook his head.
"Honestly, Tony, I have no idea how your luck is this ridiculous," he said with amusement."Finding someone like Pepper to keep you grounded?"
He paused, then added casually:
"How about this—I won't trade these for JARVIS at all.Instead, Pepper works for me for thirty years."
Tony's expression instantly soured.
"Don't worry," Ryan continued smoothly."Pay, authority, benefits—everything will be better than Stark Industries."
"Oh, and one more thing," he added lightly."These gene optimization fluids don't just improve physical performance."
"They also slow aging."
"I'm pretty sure thirty years from now, Pepper will look even younger than she does today."
For any normal woman, eternal youth was a devastatingly tempting offer.
Pepper would be lying if she said her heart didn't skip a beat.
But before she could say anything, Tony cut in coldly:
"Mr. Cole," he said flatly,"are you joking?"
Ryan laughed.
"Just a suggestion," he said, shrugging."If you don't like it, forget it. No need to get hostile."
Seeing the two men clash again like natural enemies, Pepper once more played mediator to keep the meeting from derailing entirely.
After Tony finally settled down, Ryan picked up the light blue syringe and turned serious.
"I've already explained the benefits," he said."As for the Basic Gene Optimization Fluid, it has two side effects."
Tony straightened up, listening despite himself.
"First," Ryan continued,"it's very mild. To maintain results, it must be taken long-term."
"The dosage I'm holding here needs to be used once per week, minimum."
"After prolonged use, skipping a dose occasionally won't matter. But stop for too long, and there's a high chance your enhanced physique will regress."
That part made sense—Tony and Pepper both nodded.It sounded no different from long-term supplements.
"Second," Ryan added,"you'll become very hungry."
"…Very hungry?""…Very hungry?"
Both of them repeated it at the same time.
That side effect caught them completely off guard.
"If I didn't know you better," Tony muttered,"I'd think you were trying to lighten the mood."
"I'm not joking," Ryan said seriously.
"The human body is basically a machine. Even asleep, it burns energy constantly."
"Gene optimization accelerates growth and improvement—which means energy consumption skyrockets."
"And the simplest way to replace that energy is food."
Tony thought for a moment.
"Okay," he said slowly."When you say 'very hungry'… how hungry are we talking?"
"That depends on the individual," Ryan replied."The better your baseline condition, the stronger the effect."
"For most people using the Basic version, appetite increases three to five times."
"Three to five times?" Tony repeated.
To his surprise, that actually felt… manageable.
With his brain already racing, Tony instantly thought of solutions—high-density nutrient compounds, liquid meals, synthesized supplements.
Pepper, however, focused on something else entirely.
"If someone eats that much," she asked carefully,"won't they gain weight?"
Ryan laughed knowingly.
"Absolutely not," he said confidently."You won't get fat."
"Your body will only get better."
"Really?" Pepper asked, eyes lighting up.
"Absolutely," Ryan said without hesitation."Your figure would put world-class supermodels to shame."
Tony's mind briefly—and dangerously—pictured that scenario.
He swallowed hard and forced himself back on track.
"What about the Intermediate version?" he asked quickly.
Ryan picked up the dark blue syringe.
"It's much stronger," he explained."So it doesn't require constant use."
"One dose per year is enough with the current formula."
"As for appetite," he added calmly,"it'll be even higher than the Basic version."
Tony waited.
"…That's it?" he asked when Ryan stopped talking."No other issues?"
"If you count changes in height and weight as side effects," Ryan said with a shrug,"then sure. Otherwise? No."
Tony was tempted. Deeply tempted.
His biggest regret had never been looks or money—it was his height.
Out of the armor, Pepper was almost eye-level with him.For a man like Tony Stark, that was unacceptable.
Still, temptation didn't erase risk.
"And why should I believe you?" Tony asked cautiously.
"You don't have to," Ryan replied easily."You can believe—or not believe."
"The best solution is simple," he added with a grin."Test it on someone else first."
"Of course," he said lightly,"that kind of test isn't free."
Ten minutes later…
Deep inside the underground lab beneath the former Umbrella Biopharmaceutical Facility, a massive, broad-shouldered man lay on the medical platform.
Happy Hogan.
He was built like a tank—so solid he almost looked chubby.
"Happy," Pepper asked, unable to look away despite herself,"are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely," Happy said with a grin, forcing down his nerves."When else am I getting an opportunity like this?"
Minutes earlier, Tony had personally summoned the bodyguard he trusted enough to bring along even on dates.
After hearing the benefits, Happy barely hesitated before agreeing.
Not ordered.
Asked.
Among Tony Stark's closest people, Happy ranked right behind Pepper.
That much was obvious—especially if you remembered how Tony reacted when Happy was nearly killed in Iron Man 3.
"Shouldn't we use the Basic version?" Pepper asked worriedly.
"No way," Happy said immediately, waving his hands."If we're doing this, we're doing the best."
"I guarantee he'll be fine," Ryan said, genuinely impressed by the man's loyalty and courage.
"Alright," Happy said, nervous, excited, and pumped all at once."Let's do it."
"I can't wait."