Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Exploring the City: A New Home
Ethan's metallic footsteps echoed softly as he ventured through the park, trying to blend into the shadows. The city ahead was a sprawling metropolis, its skyscrapers rising like giants from the earth, their glass and steel facades glowing with an almost hypnotic rhythm. The air was thick with the hum of technology—car engines, digital signals, and the occasional distant siren—all weaving together to create the pulse of a city that never seemed to sleep.
He moved cautiously at first, peering out from the edge of the park, concealed behind some trees, as he observed the world around him. The architecture was striking—futuristic yet grounded in the practicality of everyday life. Neon signs and billboards blinked overhead, casting colorful reflections on the wet pavement below. A few people walked through the streets, unaware of the new arrival watching them, each wrapped in their own routines and lives.
Ethan observed them from the tree line with a mix of wariness and relief.
"How do I get around without being noticed?" he wondered aloud, his metallic voice reverberating softly in the cool night air. The sound still felt strange to him. "It's not like I can just stroll past someone like nothing's wrong. They'd probably freak out if they saw me."
His glowing eye scanned the area, eventually settling on a row of cars parked along the road beside the park. An idea struck him. "That could work," he murmured, a note of hope creeping into his tone.
After ensuring the coast was clear, Ethan moved swiftly toward one of the parked vehicles, a grey sedan. With a fluid motion, he dove into the hood, immediately beginning to merge with the car. An electric hum resonated as his liquid-metal form seamlessly integrated into its structure.
The car appeared unchanged on the outside, but inside, Ethan was fully in control. He could feel the vehicle's systems as if they were extensions of himself—the engine, the battery, the GPS, and even the headlights. It was a simple machine compared to the advanced technology he now understood and could manipulate, but it would serve its purpose.
"Now, time for some upgrades," Ethan murmured, his voice resonating faintly through the car's speakers. Focusing his thoughts, he initiated subtle changes. The engine became significantly more efficient as he enhanced its overall performance and minimized the noise. The headlights adjusted, their brightness fine-tuned for better visibility, and the windows darkened with a layer of tint to ensure privacy while avoiding unnecessary attention.
Satisfied with the initial changes, Ethan turned his attention to something more ambitious. He reached inward, accessing the compact form of the ship now integrated into his body. The ship's advanced systems hummed to life, ready to be deployed. Slowly and deliberately, he began merging its technology into the car's interior, seamlessly combining the vehicle's basic mechanisms with the ship's cutting-edge tech.
The process was seamless, almost second nature to Ethan now. As his Mechamorph abilities flowed into the car's systems, faintly glowing circuits began to pulse beneath the dashboard, giving the interior a subtle, futuristic aura. A screen materialized in the center console, displaying a digital representation of his green, ring-like eye. It rotated slowly, serving as both a status indicator and a direct interface for Ethan's consciousness.
The interior of the car transformed, adopting a sleeker, more modern design. The previously plain dashboard was now adorned with additional buttons, dials, and touch-sensitive panels, each serving a specific function. Ethan added features he instinctively knew would be useful: enhanced navigation, a multi-channel communication system, and a heads-up display that projected critical information onto the windshield. The car's overall structure shifted subtly, becoming more durable and comfortable, blending functionality with style.
Even the steering wheel evolved, integrating biometric sensors and haptic feedback, allowing Ethan to maintain perfect control without any unnecessary movements. As the upgrades settled into place, the car no longer felt like a simple machine—it was now an extension of him, a fusion of human ingenuity and alien technology. It was ready for whatever challenges the city might present.
"Perfect," Ethan muttered, a faint hum of satisfaction in his voice as he finished the upgrades. He could feel the seamless synergy between the car's systems and his own consciousness. "This'll do nicely."
Turning his attention to the GPS, Ethan scanned the surrounding area. The city sprawled before him, its streets a maze of glowing arteries, alive with activity even at this late hour. Neon lights flickered against towering skyscrapers, and clusters of vehicles moved rhythmically through the main roads. Amid the chaos, one location caught his attention—a secluded warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
The building appeared abandoned, its faded exterior and lack of activity suggesting it hadn't been used in years. The location was ideal: isolated enough to avoid unwanted attention but close enough to the city to serve as a convenient base of operations.
"Looks like I've got a destination," Ethan remarked, his voice echoing faintly through the car's speakers. With a subtle motion, he started the car and effortlessly guided the vehicle onto the main road, its enhanced systems ensuring a smooth and silent drive. As the city lights passed by in a blur, Ethan couldn't help but feel a growing sense of ease.
As Ethan drove toward the warehouse, he decided to test the car's upgraded capabilities. Tapping into the phone that had been left in the vehicle, he accessed its cellular connection and merged it with the car's integrated systems. A faint hum resonated through the cabin as the connection was established. Streams of data poured into his consciousness—news articles, videos, social media posts—all at once.
"This is… incredible," Ethan murmured, his voice echoing faintly in the car's speakers. "I'm literally connected to the internet. It's like I can feel the information flowing into me." He paused, overwhelmed for a moment as he processed the sheer volume of data. "But it's also a lot. I need to pace myself."
He focused, filtering the flood of data to find relevant information. Scanning the latest news, a few headlines caught his attention:
"LexCorp Announces Revolutionary Energy Initiative: Luthor Promises a Cleaner Future."
"Superman Saves Airliner from Catastrophic Crash Over Metropolis."
"Batman Rumored to Be Involved in GCPD Sting Operation."
"Justice League Members Reportedly Meet at Secret Location—What Could They Be Planning?"
Ethan's glowing ring-eye widened in shock on the central console's screen, the light intensifying as he read the news. "Superman… Batman… the Justice League. I'm in the DC Universe!" His voice carried a mix of excitement and disbelief, but his tone quickly shifted to concern.
"I mean, sure, it's familiar, and I guess that's a good thing… but which version of this universe am I in?" he wondered aloud, the glow of his eye dimming slightly. "And then there's the big bads. Darkseid's out there somewhere, and if he's anything like the stories, he's a walking apocalypse. Not to mention Brainiac…" His voice trailed off as the thought settled uncomfortably.
"Brainiac would love to rip me apart and study me," Ethan muttered, his voice tinged with unease. "A techno-organic lifeform with all these abilities? Yeah, I'd be at the top of his wish list." The glow of his eye flickered erratically, mirroring the surge of anxiety building within him.
Taking a deep, unnecessary breath to steady himself, he added, "Okay, Ethan, focus. One problem at a time. Find a safe place first, figure out the rest later. Freaking out isn't going to help."
Reaffirming his resolve, Ethan turned his attention back to the road, his newly enhanced vehicle gliding smoothly toward the warehouse as he began mentally preparing for the challenges ahead.
The drive had been quick and uneventful, the enhanced car gliding through the streets of the sprawling city without drawing attention. Ethan's mind, however, remained active, processing the wealth of information he had absorbed during the journey. His glowing ring-eye had long since returned to normal, and the initial shock of discovering his new surroundings had given way to a more focused sense of purpose.
The warehouse loomed ahead, its silhouette barely visible in the distance as Ethan neared the outskirts of the city. The road grew quieter the further he traveled, the hum of city life fading into a low, distant thrum. He turned off the main road, taking a winding path that led to the secluded building. The faded, gray exterior of the warehouse looked every bit as abandoned as it had seemed on the map. The once-pristine paint had long since chipped away, leaving only the skeletal frame of the structure behind.
Ethan brought the car to a smooth stop just outside the large, rusted gates that marked the entrance. The car's sensors scanned the area, but nothing seemed out of place. There were no signs of movement or activity, and the area was as desolate as it appeared from afar. Still, he wasn't taking any chances.
He slid an arm out from beneath the car, his metallic form blending into the shadows with ease. The sleek, dark chromium arm shimmered slightly in the moonlight, giving it an otherworldly appearance. As Ethan reached out, his fingers extended into liquid-metal tendrils that effortlessly slipped into the lock mechanism. The gate's security system was outdated, and within moments, it clicked open with a soft, almost inaudible sound.
The moment the gate creaked open, Ethan drove forward, into the dimly lit grounds of the warehouse. His senses were on high alert as he cautiously approached the entrance, his glowing eye flickering occasionally as he scanned for any signs of life or surveillance. So far, nothing.
"Looks like no one's home," he muttered to himself, the metallic resonance of his voice echoing in the quiet night. "But I'm not letting my guard down just yet."
The entrance to the warehouse was a large steel hanger door, reinforced with thick metal bars. He slid an arm out from beneath the car and examined the lock. After a brief moment, he began working on it. The door's locking mechanism hummed and groaned as his liquid-metal form slipped inside, dismantling the lock and allowing the door to open. Within seconds, the door creaked open, revealing the dark, cavernous interior of the warehouse.
The car's headlights illuminated the interior as he scanned everything, the light reflecting off the dusty crates and rusted machinery that filled the space. The air was stale, the faint scent of oil and metal lingering in the stillness. There was no sign of life, just the empty remnants of whatever had once been stored
here.
"This should work," Ethan muttered, driving the car inside and allowing the door to close behind him. He exited the vehicle, and his glowing eye flickered as he surveyed the room, already running through his mental checklist of what to do next. He now had a place to hide out for a while, assess his situation, and maybe—just maybe—figure out what his next move would be in this strange new world.
As his mind raced with possibilities, his thoughts began to take shape, plans slowly forming in the quiet space as he prepared himself for the challenges ahead.
For now, though, he had a home base. And that was all that mattered.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone