Chapter 13: 13
'.....'= Thoughts
"....."= Conversations
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John had decided not to continue his training for the day, as he had plans to visit Tony. This visit was in regards to a topic that John had put aside for the past six months.
In reality, John had actually forgotten about it. He had been careless, completely absorbed in his training, causing this topic to slip from his memory, until two days ago.
When John discovered that Nick already knew about him ingesting the serum, both he and Tony became suspicious that something may have been added to the serum that John had consumed.
While the serum had been created by John's parents, they were clearly unaware that he would eventually drink it. It was possible that they had added something to the serum, or perhaps SHIELD had made an error in the materials provided to Ross and Rachel for its creation.
John instructed Tony to gather all the necessary technological equipment for the process. Once everything was ready, John asked Tony to inform him.
In the morning, John received Tony's message asking him to visit the Stark Tower in order to have his body examined for any foreign objects.
If John's Observation Haki had been more proficient, he could have checked it himself; however, John had not yet reached that level.
Deciding to heed Tony's request, John made his way to the towering Stark Tower. As he arrived, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the state-of-the-art building, with its sleek design and advanced technological features.
"Good morning, sir," Jarvis greeted him as he reached the entrance.
"Good morning, Jarvis," John reciprocated.
"It's been a while since we've met. How is the training room working for you?" Jarvis asked.
"It's quite good," John replied as he saw Pepper walking towards him.
"John, it's good to see you," Pepper said with a warm smile. "Tony told me you'd be coming."
"It's good to see you too, Pepper," John said, flashing a smile of his own. "How have you been?"
"I've been busy, but things are going well," Pepper replied. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"Pretty good," John answered.
Pepper looked at him with a tinge of worry and said, "You know you can visit any time, right? We're a family after all."
"Oh, you're marrying Tony?" John taunted her.
"You know what I mean," Pepper lightly smacked John's shoulder. "Follow me, Tony is waiting for you."
John was escorted by Pepper to a pristine laboratory where Tony was waiting for him. Tony greeted him with a smirk, his charismatic personality shining through even in such serious circumstances.
"So, John, you finally made it," Tony quipped, his hands sweeping through the air dramatically, inviting John to settle onto the examination table. "I've been itching to take a peek under the hood, so to speak. Don't worry, I promise to keep it strictly figurative."
John chuckled nervously, feeling a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
Tony began the examination, hooking up various machines and devices to measure John's vital signs and perform scans.
After what felt like an eternity, Tony finally looked up from his equipment, a serious expression on his face. "Well, John, it seems that there is indeed something inside of you."
John's heart skipped a beat. "What is it then?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
"It's a minuscule chip, so small it's practically microscopic. And right now, it's snugly nestled in your forearm. No need to fret though, it won't harm your body in any way. Its sole purpose is good old-fashioned tracking." Tony replied.
"I guess that's how Fury found out that the serum was injested by me," John said.
"Clearly, SHIELD had this burning desire to constantly monitor the lucky individual who consumes the remarkable Super Soldier Serum. But, lo and behold, little did they comprehend that the honor would fall upon none other than you," Tony smirked.
"It can be removed right?" John asked the important question. He didn't want spent the rest of his life being tracked by the SHIELD.
Tony smirked, his eyes gleaming with unwavering confidence. "Yes, it can be removed. It shouldn't be a complicated procedure. I can do it right here in the lab."
Relief washed over John as he realized he would soon be free from the constant surveillance.
Tony smirked confidently. "Don't worry, John. I've got this covered. Sit tight and enjoy the ride. We'll be done in no time."
Tony retrieved a small surgical instrument and began the process of carefully extracting the tiny chip from John's forearm. John watched anxiously as Tony worked, grateful for his expertise and precision.
After a few minutes, Tony removed the chip and held it up for John to see. "There we go. All done."
After he was done showing it to John, Tony immediately destroyed it.
John couldn't help but feel a sense of liberation as he looked at the small, harmless chip that had caused him so much worry. He knew he could now move forward without the constant fear of being tracked.
"Now that this is out of your system, it must be a relief," Tony said, offering John a genuine smile.
John nodded, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you, Tony. I really appreciate your help with this."
Tony let out a nonchalant gesture. "Hey, what are friends for, huh? Just keep in mind, if you ever need anything, I'm always here for ya."
John smiled gratefully. "I won't forget that, Tony. Thanks again. Also, isn't it weird to call the son of your friends a friend?"
"Well, well, well. Your parents were older than me by almost fifteen years. Can you believe that? But hey, age is just a number, right? And besides, I don't think it's weird at all to call you a friend. In fact, I find it quite amusing." Tony grinned.
"Whatever," John smiled, gleeful with the joy of getting that chip removed from his body. He also promised himself that he would be more careful in the future and not let such important things casually slip his mind.
"Hey, another important thing. After the chip was removed, the cut on your forearm made by the machine started healing itself slowly. Just like a mutant I know, although that man has a terrible regenerative ability," Tony said. He further asked, "Is this also part of your mutant abilities?"
"No, it's not my mutant ability. I think it's because of the serum," John answered, observing the cut on his forearm as it slowly healed.
John was lost in his own fantasies about the future while Tony wondered about the regenerative ability of the serum.
'How incredible would this ability be if I increased its proficiency to more than 50%? Would I become like Wolverine? What if I increased the proficiency to 100%? How powerful would the regeneration actually be? Maybe I could regenerate my entire body with just a single cell?' John wondered.
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