I. The Material Imperative (1976)
By early 1976, Tony Stark was six years old, and Project Prometheus was generating unprecedented profits from the commercial rollout of the Omni-Core architecture. Stark Industries, no longer focused on outdated ordnance, was now the global leader in computational processing and solid-state energy solutions. Pepper Potts, now fifteen, managed the financial flow with clinical precision, her authority unquestioned within Tony's segregated division, The Crucible.
The immediate bottleneck in Tony's Five-Pillar plan was not technological design, but material science. He needed Vibranium.
Vibranium was the ultimate counter-threat asset:
The Cosmic Shield: Required for creating a shock-absorbing, energy-dampening planetary shield capable of withstanding Thanos's initial salvos or Kree orbital bombardment.
Iron Legion: Essential for the light, durable, and highly adaptive chassis of his future Iron Legion suits, providing energy storage and sonic nullification.
Preventing Ultron/Zemo: Acquiring his own supply preemptively prevented Zemo's inevitable attempt to weaponize it, and ensured Ultron would not have access to a synthetic body (The Vision) unless Tony allowed it under controlled circumstances.
Wakanda, the primary source, was impenetrable. The strategy of diplomatic engagement was deemed a 98% failure risk at this stage. Tony's future knowledge, however, indicated the existence of scattered, secondary deposits—meteorite fragments that had broken off the main impact decades ago, settling in deep-sea trenches, far from the African continent.
The target was the Antarctic Abyssal Plain, a region beneath the permanent ice shelf, where tectonic activity had preserved the fragments in a highly localized, high-pressure zone.
II. Stark Hydro-Dynamics and The Triton Class
To acquire the material covertly, Tony needed a perfect cover operation. He established Stark Hydro-Dynamics (SHD), presented to the world as an ambitious, philanthropic initiative dedicated to sustainable deep-sea energy prospecting and the study of oceanic pollution migration—a brilliant early move in environmental activism that shielded the true mining objective.
The technology required for this operation was the pinnacle of 1976 future-tech, all designed by Tony himself and secretly manufactured within The Crucible.
The masterpiece was the Triton Class Ultra-Deep Exploration Submersible.
Propulsion: The Triton was powered by a highly stabilized, miniature Pulse Generator—the immediate predecessor to the ARC Reactor. This unit provided near-unlimited energy without combustion or radioactive isotopes, making the sub's operation silent and emissions-free.
Hull: The hull utilized a new high-strength, low-density ceramic alloy—a pseudo-Vibranium composite designed by Tony—capable of withstanding the crushing pressure of the abyssal plain.
Quantum-Locked Manipulators: The core innovation was the Triton's extraction system. The armatures were equipped with quantum-locked manipulators, capable of sensing and handling materials at the molecular level, ensuring that the highly resonant Vibranium fragments were handled without triggering a catastrophic sonic feedback loop.
The Triton was deployed from a discreet, remote SI research vessel disguised as a fisheries patrol cutter, operating under extreme secrecy in the desolate Antarctic Southern Ocean.
III. The Extraction Protocol
The operation began in the austral summer of 1977. Tony, now seven, oversaw the mission from a shielded command center in his home lab, flanked by complex screens and attended only by Pepper.
"The resonance signature is weak, sir," Pepper reported, monitoring the deep-sea sonar readings, her brows furrowed with concentration. She handled the technical aspects of logistics, communicating coded data to the submersible pilot—a hand-picked, non-questioning former Navy deep-diver.
Tony, sipping a glass of orange juice, stared intensely at the cascading, multi-frequency sonar display. "It won't be a monolith, Pepper. It will be dust, suspended in high-pressure sediment, remnants of the initial impact cloud. Isolate the acoustic anomaly at five thousand meters below sea level. Use the molecular sieve attachment."
The challenge was immense. At that depth, a single structural failure meant instant destruction. The Vibranium itself, even in fragmented form, was wildly resonant, threatening to tear apart the Triton's delicate sensors.
Hours crawled by. The tension in the small room was palpable. The display finally pinpointed the target: a cluster of objects registering a unique, low-frequency, energy-dampening signature—the unmistakable ghost signature of the metal he sought.
"We have it," Tony breathed, a rush of cold relief washing over him. "Initiate the vacuum seal and molecular transfer protocol. Lock the sample into the Gamma-Shielded canister. Confirm external pressure equalization before ascent."
The extraction was a success. The Triton surfaced twenty-two hours later, bringing with it a single, reinforced canister. Inside was not a mountain of metal, but twenty-five kilograms of densely compacted, raw, fragmented Vibranium—enough to initiate years of research and stabilize the first prototypes of the Cosmic Shield components.
IV. The Emotional Core: Trust and the Omega Anchor
The stress of the operation, spanning nearly twenty-four continuous hours, was enormous, even for Tony. As the final confirmation came through, the small, seven-year-old prodigy slumped back into his chair, the weight of the future momentarily crushing his young shoulders.
Pepper immediately shifted from COO to Anchor. She didn't ask about the dangerous metal or the ethics of the covert operation. She simply knew her role was to provide stability.
She crossed the room, pulling a thick cashmere blanket over his shoulders, and handed him a lukewarm glass of milk. She then sat beside him, placing a hand on his tiny shoulder. It was a gesture of profound, non-verbal connection, a grounding force in the chaotic world Tony was trying to manage.
"You did it, Anthony," she murmured softly, her voice low. "It's over. You can rest."
Tony leaned into the contact, finding inexplicable comfort in her presence. His Alpha need for an Omega Anchor wasn't just physical or romantic (though he knew that would come later, naturally, as they both matured); it was a deep, primal need for emotional and mental equilibrium. Pepper's practicality was his spiritual stabilizer.
"This metal, Pepper," Tony murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion. "This is the difference between surviving Thanos and losing half the universe. You secured it. This success is yours as much as mine."
"I just handled the paperwork and logistics," she replied, ever humble.
"No," Tony insisted, looking up at her with clear, serious eyes. "You protected the process. You are the only person I trust with the full scope of Project Prometheus, even if you don't know the full details yet. You manage the empire so I can save the world. You are my Anchor."
He shifted slightly, laying his head against her side, a natural, deep bond of trust that went beyond conventional age differences. It was the first profound, non-sexual act of their Omegaverse alignment—the Alpha finding peace and balance in his designated Anchor.
He confided a future dream, still abstract but deeply felt. "One day, Pepper, this family… it will be huge. A collective of power, brilliance, and stability. Witches, Queens, scientists, soldiers… It takes immense emotional strength to keep that stable. It takes you."
Pepper smiled, stroking his hair lightly, feeling a profound, inexplicable sense of destiny settle over her. "Well, someone has to make sure the bills get paid and the emotional support logs are filed correctly. I suppose I'll start preparing the nursery budgets now."
V. The Initial Vibranium Research and the First Suit
With the raw Vibranium secured, Tony initiated the research phase, codenamed Project Aegis. He designed a miniature, shielded particle accelerator within The Crucible to safely study the metal's resonant properties.
The immediate goal was to stabilize the Pulse Generator and create the first durable, wearable defense system—the ultimate 'training wheels' for the Iron Man armor.
Tony spent the next two years, from ages 7 to 9, focusing on:
Vibranium-Polymer Composite: Creating an initial composite material that integrated the Vibranium's energy absorption properties with a high-tensile polymer, designed to mimic the eventual durability of the true suit.
Repulsor Principles: Laying the foundational theory for the Repulsor system, utilizing the Pulse Generator's energy output to create directional magnetic fields for thrust and concussive energy.
J.A.R.V.I.S. Beta: The Omni-Core PPE began hosting the early, linguistic-focused iteration of J.A.R.V.I.S., which functioned primarily as a high-level assistant and security system, learning Tony's voice and personality patterns.
By his ninth birthday in 1979, Tony successfully integrated these elements into the first, purely defensive prototype suit: The Aegis I. It was bulky by future standards, worn under his clothes, utilizing a small, integrated Pulse Generator over his sternum—a clear predecessor to the chest ARC Reactor. It could absorb kinetic energy, stabilize his movements, and, most importantly, give him an unassailable defensive edge.
The Aegis I was not for fighting; it was for survival. It was protection against any Hydra attempts, any premature mutant conflict, or any industrial sabotage that might target the vulnerable, nine-year-old Alpha-Prime.
VI. SHIELD's Notice and the Military Path
The operation of the Triton, though disguised as environmental research, was too technologically advanced to go unnoticed by the intelligence community. The US Navy and the fledgling organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. noted the anomalous energy signatures and the impossibly quiet operation of the sub.
A classified report detailing the Stark Hydro-Dynamics findings landed on the desk of a fast-rising, ruthlessly efficient Lieutenant in US Intelligence: Maria Hill. At this point, Maria was in her late teens, driven, and already demonstrating the exceptional organizational and tactical prowess that would later define her.
Maria Hill's immediate analysis flagged Tony's operation as a grave security risk, noting: "The technology displayed by the SHD submersible is at least twenty years beyond current US military capabilities. The source of the power and the secrecy of the payload must be investigated. Stark Industries is now a geopolitical threat based solely on the genius of Anthony Stark."
Tony, monitoring the highest levels of US intelligence chatter (courtesy of J.A.R.V.I.S. Beta's passive scanning), saw Maria Hill's name appear repeatedly on the critical reports. He smiled, a calculating glint in his eye. She was already on the path to becoming one of the most formidable military minds in the world—a crucial Alpha Equal and future Anchor.
The path has been laid, Tony reflected. The Vibranium is secure. The Shield has begun. Now, it is time to engage the military-industrial complex and steer Maria Hill directly into my orbit.
The next phase: using the Aegis I and his new wealth to establish a controlled, highly public presence, drawing the attention of both the US government and the clandestine organizations that Hydra infested. The 1980s were about to begin, and the world was about to meet the new, calculated Anthony Stark.