(Chris Hansen POV)
If you had the power to move things with your mind, what would you do?
Maybe try to lift up rocks to test your strength?
Maybe try to fly to see how high you can go…
As for me, I am doing something else… I am attempting to eat a pizza while upside down. Manipulating my own body with telekinesis is kind of like letting a gigantic hand move you around. It's an odd feeling. I also had to use my telekinesis to keep my blood flowing normally so that I don't cause all of it to rush to my brain.
This exercise I found has increased my control quite well. And yes, it is inspired by Luke Skywalker doing a handstand while lifting up rocks. But in this case, I'm lifting up my own body and trying to feed myself at the same time. Thankfully, the panic room was quite large. It's about the size of a two-story garage.
My old cradle was taken apart and tossed in order to get rid of any evidence of me being here… All that was left in here was a chair, a couple of security monitors, and a table… Thankfully, there was always a stocked fridge, and when one of the guards asked why there was a stocked fridge, my mother explained that she always wanted to be prepared in order to outlast whoever was trying to kidnap her.
Thankfully, the guards aren't exactly the smartest people, so they mostly accepted that answer… My own bed, if you could call it that, is mostly just a hole in the wall that I cut through one day.
But there was just enough room for me to practice. In this case, I have mostly just been testing my own limits… mostly seeing how much I could carry.
I tried lifting up the chair and it did so pretty easily. Thankfully, it wasn't a large recliner, but just a normal lawn chair. And seeing that I was barely struggling with that, I went to the next best thing— that being my own body.
It was strange to say the least. It felt like I was a puppet using my telekinesis similarly to a puppeteer using strings… When I first tried it, I accidentally went too hard and slammed into the ceiling. Thankfully, I hit it with my back and not my face, and there wasn't any lasting damage.
The only real hard thing was just hiding these powers from Maya, as she was coming to check on me more often after my headache a week ago… She didn't take blood or DNA, at least to my knowledge, so I don't have to worry about that. And to say I've been enjoying myself is an understatement.
Taking the last bite of my pizza, I took a drink from my water simultaneously, keeping it upside down along with me and keeping the water from falling downwards. I could almost feel the concept of gravity seething right now.
Another thing I've noticed is that my mind has evolved in some way. Thankfully, I didn't have a large cranium like the Leader has, but I could take a look at something from any angle for a split second and I could understand how it was created, when it was created, and for what reason.
I've gone through the magazines that Maya gave me in a couple of hours. They mostly had to do with space, travel, and various aeronautical fields of science. Just taking one look at a commercial airline, I could think of at least 10 different ways to improve the design while making it both faster and more spacious for the occupants.
I'm still debating in my mind what I want to do with this intelligence. I could go the route of every other Marvel scientist and try to take over the world, but I don't know if that appeals to me… In an almost childlike manner, I remind myself of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime with the idea of a shadow organization being quite an intriguing thing in my mind.
As I flipped myself right side up, I still remained floating right above the chair. If I had multiple arms, I would look like a painting out of some Hindu scripture… Using my powers was an interesting experience. It was like feeling free for the first time. Like nothing could truly weigh me down anymore. I could practically burst through the ceiling and fly into space if I wanted to.
A part of me wonders why I keep thinking to remain on Earth when there's so much out there, but then I remind myself that out there there is nonstop alien conflict similar to Earth… The Kree, the Skrulls, hell even maybe the Shi'ar Empire… Dear God, I hope that empire doesn't exist…
But what's been primarily on my mind is the Extremis formula. What my mother has created, even with the help of Tony Stark, is something revolutionary. She is right about that. The only issue is that the second it gets out, humanity is screwed.
Imagine fighting wars where people can't ever really die unless they're completely blown apart. Bullets won't stop them. Hell, it would take something like a tank shell to kill a single soldier.
An escalation of war on a scale humanity isn't ready for… I don't think it will ever be ready for it.
"Man, getting these powers has made me really philosophical… I should write a book one day." After I finish mumbling to myself, I lower myself to the ground.
The reasoning for that, as in the next second, I hear a knock at the panic room door… As it slides open, Maya comes in, seeming ever so more excited…
"Hey Chris, I managed to get you some goodies…" A small smile makes its way to my face as she lowers the cardboard box she had been carrying… As I opened it, I found essentially what would equate to junk to most people… But for me, it was like looking at the damn Holy Grail.
Various transistors, capacitors, used computer chips, and various other things… But that's not all. At the bottom of the box, I found a small laptop—just what I needed.
I almost started crying as my creative juices began to flow… "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life…" My mother just pouted at me before flicking me on the head.
"Hey, I'm right here, you know… With the way you're looking at that junk, I'd think you're about to marry it…"
"You act like I wouldn't… But that's neither here nor there. Besides, I can't just treat this like a Las Vegas wedding. You gotta be specific. It's all about the moment." She just deadpanned me before chuckling.
"Well, I'm happy you're OK with this stuff. It's mostly junk that's been laying around for a couple of months now… And the laptop is the emergency one I kept in case the other one…"
"Got blown up?" Her head slightly lowers at my truthful accusation.
In the next moment, however, she just smiles without it reaching her eyes and tries to pry away the computer from me. "Well, since you just seem happy with the parts, I'll gladly take this back…"
"Wait! Wait! Pretend I said nothing. Your knowledge puts every single scientist to shame. I am sorry!" But before grabbing it, she stops, and as we slightly laugh at each other, she looks at me with a bit more emotion than I would like.
"Listen, Chris, I know you want to immediately dig in, but just be careful and make sure not to bring attention to this place. I don't want Killian showing up because you accidentally exposed his secret science project." I nodded, as that was obvious.
For a moment, we just sat next to each other on the chair before she took a breath and sighed… "You know, I made a breakthrough today. Managed to keep the plant mostly alive before it burst into flames. Just need another year, maybe two…"
"I know, Mom, I know. However, I am afraid that Killian isn't exactly going to let you go, and I think you know that." Her brow furrowed as she leaned back in the chair.
"You are way too smart for a kid your age, but don't worry. I can use the formula to leverage him. As long as I don't write it down or keep it in a computer bank, we will be safe."
"But what if he catches me and uses me as leverage against you? Because while I'd be willing to die for you, I don't think you're willing to do that for me. We need some insurance on our side… I know this may be asking a lot, but can you tell me your current formula?" For a moment she seemed hesitant, but as she took out some papers from a folder she was holding, I looked it over.
Immediately, I could tell a decent amount of flaws, and just as quickly I could tell that based on the chemical responses, it would take her a few more years to find the necessary binding agents as well as hormonal balances just to get this thing working.
Not to mention the risks it runs, as due to the rapid cellular regeneration, it causes immense heat buildup within the body—at least this type of Extremis does…
Before I even noticed that, the world itself began to gray as my mind moved faster than most would even be able to perceive… Grabbing a pencil from the table, I began scribbling down some notes…
I could tell that she was looking over my shoulder, and as her eyes widened seeing the work I was doing, I felt a bit proud of myself… After a few moments, I put down the pencil as the new formula was complete, at least for the first version.
"Chris… do you know what you just did?" I looked up and smiled at her.
"Just made something that could revolutionize human biology in a manner of minutes. Yes. Yes, I did… Feel free to laud me with appreciation…" I was expecting some kind of response, but she seemed a bit too much in shock.
"I spent years working on that formula and you just solved it in a manner of minutes… Truly, you are his son. Both of you are freaks of nature… in a good way, of course. You're by no means as terrible as your father." Nice catch, Mom. Really feeling the love here.
As I handed her the piece of paper, she looked it over a couple more times before facepalming. "It just seems so simple. How could I not have thought of this… You completely revolutionized the process."
"It's good that you're so excited, Mom. However, this is going to be the hard part… You're going to need to fake not having an answer. At least for maybe a year…" She looked at me in surprise before getting an annoyed look in her eyes.
"You need time to prepare… What exactly are you going to make with this junk?" Looking over the various pieces, I smiled as a certain droid came to mind.
"Well, among other things, I know of a certain machine that's well-equipped for dealing with meat bags… but that's going to be a surprise. Now, I imagine you have to head back out to the lab. Killian may watch the cameras to see if you're still there…" For a moment she seems sad, but after giving me a quick hug as well as a kiss on the forehead, she takes the folder before immediately erasing what I had put on the paper.
As she heads out of the panic room, she looks back at me, and as she gives me a sign saying "I love you," I simply give her a thumbs up…
The door closes behind her as I immediately begin working on the droid. I'm thinking the computer will be revolutionary for my process… The things alone I can make from the computer, as well as within the computer, excite me to the bone.
I'm already getting ideas on how to create an advanced AI intelligence similar to JARVIS, but my own version. I was thinking about making Cortana, but that would just seem a bit cliché and I'm not exactly old enough to experience teenage hormones just yet… However, the idea still has merit.
However, as I was thinking of creating Cortana, something else surprised me as my mind itself began to create possibilities—formulas within my mind pertaining to the UNSC. I could envision myself creating my own battleships as well as various weaponry.
The more I learn, the more I create. The more I may be able to bring into the world… As the parts begin to float around me, as I begin to create my first creation, the pieces vibrate with excitement.
(Maya POV)
I could barely keep myself quiet from the excitement I'm feeling right now, as well as the amount of pride I feel in my son. At a young age, he's already showing signs of being just like him—maybe even better… I should be feeling forlorn at the thought of all of my work being solved by a child, but that would be immature. In fact, I send my past self thanks for not making that choice. That would've been so terrible.
Looking over the faded marks I erased off of the formula… He's basically giving me a step-by-step process to make it seem like I'm making progress without finishing it, but he's right—I can't give Killian the formula. Every single box is being ticked that the man will kill me as soon as my usefulness comes to an end.
I imagine that without Chris, I would've jumped into my work alone… Thinking back to Chris, I wonder what he's making. He said something about a droid made to deal with meat bags. I wonder what he means?
If anything, my current emotions just provide me with guilt, albeit slightly… He's just going to become better from here. Yet a part of me wonders if that's truly going to be better for him.
However, I decide to trust Chris. He is my son, after all… I just wonder how a father-son reunion is going to go in the future… I can almost see the look on Stark's face when his son manages to upstage him at his own game—at least if he wants to, that is…
Good luck, Chris. I believe in you.
Now it's time to go back to destroying families of mice… I apologize to any families I ruin in the future.
That reminds me— is Chris going to want a pet in the future?