Manhattan, Upper East Side – Outside Helen Cho's Apartment
Leon gently set Helen down at her door.
She unlocked it, then turned back nervously.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark… I got blood on your suit."
"It doesn't matter, Helen."
"There's one thing you must understand—nothing is more important to me than your safety."
Leon smiled warmly and turned as if to take off again.
But Helen suddenly gathered her courage.
"Would you… like to come in for a moment? I could wash your uniform before you leave."
Leon paused.
Helen stood there, fingers trembling lightly on the doorknob, lips pale, eyes soft and vulnerable.
He couldn't refuse.
…
Three Hours Later
Leon pressed a gentle kiss to Helen's forehead.
She had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Carefully, he carried her to the Regeneration Cradle and activated it to repair the shallow cut on her neck.
Unfortunately—
He made a minor mistake.
Having never used the Cradle before, and with the system having provided a vial of compatible biological medium, Leon assumed it would simply repair the injury he intended.
What he didn't realize—
The factory default setting restored all biological tissue damage.
All.
The Cradle flawlessly repaired the cut on her neck—
And every other minor form of tissue damage as well.
Arcee later questioned whether Leon had done that intentionally.
Leon swore he hadn't.
He simply underestimated how comprehensive the system was.
Well—
What was done was done.
Next time, he'd… be more mindful.
…
The Next Morning
Leon woke in Helen's pink bedroom.
She had already left for work.
Whether she had enjoyed her birthday night—
He could only guess.
A familiar prompt appeared.
[Daily Sign-In available. Proceed?]
"System, I swear…"
[Sign-In Complete. Congratulations. You have obtained: Tsunade's Necklace.]
Leon froze.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Tsunade's necklace.
A cursed heirloom from another universe—infamous for bringing misfortune to its wearers.
"System, if you want me dead, just say so."
Without touching it directly, Leon summoned it into midair—
And immediately incinerated it with a palm blast.
Better safe than sorry.
…
Malibu Mansion – Sublevel Workshop
Leon handed everything to Arcee.
The Vibranium.
The Regeneration Cradle.
And the lengthy instruction manual.
He knew his limits.
Arcee absorbed the data at quantum-speed processing levels.
"Incredible," she murmured.
"This metal—Vibranium—its atomic structure allows perfect compatibility with biological cells. It can integrate at a molecular level."
"Exactly," Leon replied. "Why else would I go through all that trouble?"
Arcee's optics flickered.
"You intend to integrate Vibranium into your own physiology?"
"That's impossible. The Regeneration Cradle prints tissue from base biological matrices. It doesn't disassemble living cells—and your tissue density alone—"
Leon interrupted her.
His palm opened.
The skin, muscle, and fascia receded like liquid, peeling back layer by layer—
Until only a gleaming Adamantium skeletal hand remained.
Arcee froze.
Leon's Super Self-Regeneration had evolved.
Though rarely triggered due to his natural durability, over time he had refined control over his cellular structure.
He could now consciously disassemble and reassemble his own cells.
Not to extreme shapeshifting precision—
But enough.
Enough to execute his plan.
He intended to integrate all sixty-five kilograms of Vibranium into his body—
Creating a Vibranium-infused physiology rivaling, perhaps exceeding, Vision's synthetic form.
"How is that even possible…" Arcee whispered.
Leon restored his hand effortlessly.
"Darling," he said lightly, tapping her cheek casing, "there's a lot I can do."
He briefly examined the internal mechanical framework beneath her synthetic shell.
Gold-titanium alloy.
Durable—but inflexible.
Perhaps, once he mastered Vibranium integration fully—
He could upgrade her entirely.
And when that day came—
He smiled faintly.
The possibilities were limitless.
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