Marvel's Alien Force

Greymatter looked at the complete blueprint he had drawn, checked it once, then twice. He found a few issues—not problems in the human sense, but inefficiencies that bothered him. 

He made some additional calculations and drew a slightly more advanced schematic of the plane—or whatever it was now. It no longer resembled a plane at all—more like an alien shuttle, sleek and unknowable.

After checking again and calculating the required materials, he tapped a finger on his forehead and muttered to himself, "Materials are not enough." 

He glanced at the light bulb illuminating the room, then at the wires running along the wall, connecting everything.

Greymatter nodded as an idea came to him. With a flick of telekinesis, he shut the notebook and called out, "Upgrade."

His small body, hovering in the air, began to shift. His human-like fingers stretched and turned squishy, more like a doll's than a person's. His body elongated and became almost slime-like, until something like a head popped out—if it could even be called a head.

There was only a single green circle for an eye, and the head was pitch black. The form continued stretching, slowly taking on a humanoid shape. 

It looked like a strange kind of doll, with a black-and-white body marked by glowing green circuitry lines running across the dark areas—giving it a distinctly technological feel. The color scheme and body shape alone made that clear.

"Okay! So, we're going to create a universal travelling vehicle, huh?" Upgrade said, his voice carrying a cheerful yet distinctly robotic, tech-infused tone. Just hearing it was enough to tell who was speaking.

He looked at the SUV and the scattered objects around the garage, nodding to himself. "Well, let's get started," he said aloud.

Without hesitation, his form began to stretch. First, he gobbled up the notebook and pen, then turned toward the SUV, his body beginning to consume it as well. He hadn't asked Martha for permission—but he'd apologize to her later.

With that thought in mind, Upgrade returned to his task: breaking down atoms to separate electrons, protons, and neutrons, rearranging them according to Greymatter's atomic blueprint for the specialized space metal.

This would be a different kind of smart space metal—more advanced than the one found in the Bastion drones. It was designed specifically to counter any form of hostile nanotech, disabling their self-regeneration and making replication impossible.

After all, only nanotech can defeat nanotech—if it's crafted with better materials and superior tech of course.

While metal bent and atoms restructured under Upgrade's command, a very different kind of rebuilding was happening inside the house. 

Martha and Lily were packing their belongings. Naturally, Jean was helping them as well.

"Can you get that suitcase for me, Miss Jean?" Martha asked, pointing at the large case sitting on the top shelf of the cupboard.

Jean nodded and, with a flick of her hand, used telekinesis to dislodge the stuck suitcase and gently bring it down.

As soon as it moved, a thick cloud of dust erupted into the air.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

The girls all burst into coughs, waving their hands in front of their faces as the dust bomb settled around them.

"Cough... Just how long has it been since you last cleaned this place?" Jean asked, using her telekinesis again to sweep away the dust lingering in the air.

Martha said, "Sorry about that… It's been a very long time. This room used to belong to my parents, and after they were gone, well… I never really had the time to clean it properly."

Jean nodded quietly. Then, glancing at Lily—who was busy opening the suitcase—she leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "By the way… where is your… um, you know...?"

She faltered near the end, unsure how to phrase it.

But Martha understood.

"Lily's father?" she said with a small, nostalgic smile. Her voice lowered. "He left us a long time ago."

Jean blinked, caught off guard. "Oh… I see."

Martha gently continued, "He was a good man, or maybe just good at heart. But not the family type, I guess. He left me at my parents' doorstep when I was pregnant with Lily."

Jean's eyes widened. "That… doesn't sound like something a good person would do."

Martha let out a short, amused laugh. "Heh… yeah, I thought the same for a long time. But it's been so many years now. I barely remember his face—just scraps of nostalgia. I don't know where he is, and honestly, I don't care to."

As she spoke, she pulled out an old photo from the suitcase. It showed her parents, herself, and a baby Lily—captured in a moment of warmth.

Looking at it, Martha smiled softly. "I'm just glad I had good parents."

Jean looked at the photo and gave a small nod, unaware that behind her, little Lily had gone quiet.

Her tiny fists clenched around the worn-out doll she used to play with as a child. She had heard everything her mother said. And though Martha's voice was calm, Lily could feel the weight behind it—the years of silence, of absence, of pain.

Memories flashed in her mind—those times when kids at school whispered, mocked, or questioned. She was just a child then, too small to understand it all, too fragile to shrug it off. And even now, as a teenager, the hurt hadn't disappeared.

But…

"I'll protect my mother," she whispered silently to herself, gripping the doll tighter. "And I'll become a superhero… just like him."

The pain hadn't gone. But her resolve had never been clearer.

***

Make sure to read Part 2. Throw some powerstones and comments if you like this chapter.