Humble Abode...

~Alex's Pov~

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We must have been driving for about an hour so, so far... But, I didn't mind the silence with the drive, I still needed to sort out the fact that I'm some theoretical super alien.

"Alright kid, we're here." 

Carter slowed the car while we approached a large, rustic-looking warehouse... Interestingly enough, the place had a bit of an industrial charm to it, with the weathered brick walls and a metal roof that had clearly seen better days... Still, if this was where we hanging, I kind of dig it.

"Alright, kid," Carter said to me, pulling the car to a stop. "This is where we'll be staying for the time being."

I glanced around, taking in the space. Even though it wasn't the high-tech lab, or sleek facility I'd been half-expecting. "Here?" I asked, more-so to myself.

"Yeah. It's quiet, away from prying eyes and secure, enough. It'll give you some space to figure things out." Carter gestured for me to get out, and as I stepped onto the gravel, I wondered what all the stuff I'd be able to do from here on.

Yeah, aliens are likely horrible news, but aliens were also awesome news, I can get access to cool tech, new planets and all that jazz... I also realized I keep using the word cool... Must be be due to me childish mind.

I glanced ahead, seeing Carter walk in front of me, motioning me to follow, he opened the doors...

"Whoa..." 

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. The inside was surprisingly spacious, with high ceilings and large windows that allowed a decent amount of sunlight to filter through. It was filled with an eclectic mix of furniture, some old tech, and what looked like tools and equipment just scattered about. In one corner, there was a large chalkboard covered in notes and sketches that looked almost like a map of the galaxy.

"Welcome to your new home," Carter said with a smirk. "You might find it a little chaotic, but it's functional."

I stepped a little inside to get a better look. The walls were all lined with shelves holding everything from books to strange devices I couldn't even begin to identify. A makeshift kitchen area was off to the side, complete with a tiny stove and a fridge that looked like it had seen better days, but still functional.

"This place is... something," I said, trying to mask my surprise with a casual tone, "I mean, it's not what I expected, but I could get used to it."

Carter chuckled, "Trust me, kid, it has character... You'll be fine here as long as you keep your head down and stay out of trouble." He leaned against a table cluttered with various gadgets, eyeing me with a mixture of seriousness and amusement. "This is a good base for you to learn about your abilities without the pressure of anyone watching you."

I nodded, still processing everything. "Right, learning about being an alien super project and all that," I muttered. I turned to Carter, "So, what's the plan? Am I supposed to just hang out here until someone comes looking for me?"

He turned towards me...

Carter straightened up. "Not quite. We'll be setting up a few security measures to keep you hidden, and I'll be checking in regularly. In the meantime, I'll help you understand what you can do. You might have some abilities that need honing, and we'll have to figure out how to keep you safe."

"Uhh... Safe from what?" I asked, my stomach tightening again.

"From those who want to exploit your abilities or, worse, eliminate you," he replied, his tone pretty serious. "You're a target now, Alex. We'll have to be careful. That's why I brought you here—this place will practically be your sanctuary for the time being."

I looked around again, 'Sanctuary,' trying to let it all sink in. "Yeah, I guess I can get behind that."

"Good. Now, let's get you tested." Carter said.

"Yeah, we should get settled... Wait?... Did you say, tested?"

Carter nodded, a glint of evil in his eyes. "We need to understand the extent of your abilities and what you're capable of. It's crucial for your safety and ours. Plus, it'll help us figure out how to help you control whatever it is you can do."

I swallowed hard. "Umm, what kind of tests are we talking about here? Like, scientific lab tests? Because I'm not exactly keen on being poked and prodded man."

Carter raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Nothing that extreme, I promise. Just some basic assessments. We'll start with things like your physical capabilities. I need to see how you respond to various stimuli too..."

I crossed my arms, a little interested now. "And if I can't do anything?" I asked, seeing what he would say.

The dude just shook his head, "That's impossible, the chances of you NOT being able to do something given what you are is infinitesimally smaller."

His certainty was almost contagious, but doubt still gnawed at me. "Infinitesimally small, huh? Sounds both reassuring and terrifying at the same time."

He chuckled softly, then motioned for me to follow him deeper into the warehouse. "First, we'll assess your physical capabilities. I want to see what you can do beyond what you might consider normal."

'Normal,' If only he knew, half-laughing. "Yeah, that sounds like a long-lost concept for me."

We stepped into a spacious area filled with various equipment, some of which looked like it belonged in a gym, while others appeared more advanced. "Let's start with some basic exercises," he said, gesturing to an open space. "Push-ups, sprints, that sort of thing."

I nodded, but a hint of skepticism crept in. "You really think I'll impress you with push-ups?" Maybe because I'm a child, he wasn't expecting that much.

Carter raised an eyebrow, his expression a little serious. "Just, trust me. You'll surprise yourself more."

With that, I dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups, the things I got used to for the past two weeks. As I moved, I powered through them, my muscles warming up a bit. I lost count after a hundred, feeling well warmed up and energized rather than fatigued...

"Alright, stop," Carter called out, his eyes widening slightly in surprise... "Let's move on."

I stood up, a bit of pride. "What's next?" I knew he was likely a bit surprised with what I did.

"Let's try a sprint," he said, leading me to a marked stretch of ground. "I want to see your speed."

I took my position, focused on the distance. "Okay, here goes nothing." 

At Carter's signal, I took off. My surroundings quickly blurring while I pushed myself to go faster. I barely felt the strain in my legs when I crossed the finish line, glancing back at Carter, who looked a bit surprised, at least compared to before...

"Not bad kid... Nat bad at all...", shaking his head approvingly, I knew it was really good, I'm probably faster than Usain Bolt was now. "Your results are decent enough."

"Now, I want to see your strength levels... Walk over to those weights over there..." Without wasting either of our times, I walked over to the barbell, standing just behind it... Soon after, he started coming down towards me... 

"Alright, all you need to do, it to lift thing thing... Starting off at 30 pounds..." I immediately picked up what he was going for, slowly raising the bar until I hit my limit... A classic but effective way to test someone out.

"Sure." I said simply, knowing he's gonna shit his pants when he knows I can lift 300 pounds. It pleases me to know what his reaction will be like. Doing as he says, I easily lifted the 30 pound weight off the floor. Seeing his current reaction, he wasn't really fazed... I'm likely doing the barest amount a child of my age, weight and height could do, instead I just dropped the weights to get this rolling...

"Alright kid, next we go up to 50." He walked over placing more weights onto my barbell...

This time, I did the same thing he wanted me to do, but I got a look this time. We went up to 70 pounds next, and I easily lifted that too. He was showing slight reactions, but was still relatively unbothered by it all so far. He quickly bumped it up to 100 pounds.

I did this with relative ease as well... Finally earning a raised eyebrow from the guy. This time, he grabbed multiple large weights... Knowing how to count the weights individually, this time it was an even 150 pounds; and to my knowledge 13 year old kids can't lift this unless they were genetic freaks.

I easily picked this up too, keep in mind, this isn't my deadlift, this was just how much effective weight I could curl at once. I could tell Carter was getting more impressed when I dropped this one. And this time he added around 50 pounds more. Making it 200 pounds.

I lifted it, feeling a bit of resistance as it was nearing my limit. Carter had an expression of curiosity... The kind of face saying -how far could I push this kid- This time, he went for more weights, being two 50 pounds. This was my natural limit...

"Alright kid, you're up again." I knew that. Without hesitation, I began to lift, getting into a curling motion with clear hints of struggle, because I was struggling a bit. But I lifted it, dropping it a few seconds later...

"Not too bad..." Carter said, walking away.

Really? This guy seemed like too much of a tough guy to please, but still, I couldn't help but smirk a little, "So, I guess that's a good sign?"

Carter nodded, clearly impressed. "Somewhat." He said, like dude, what could be more impressive than a kid running faster than you can in your entire life? I saw him close his book, walking towards the back entrance.

"This is just the beginning kid. We'll need to see just how far your abilities really go... For now, you can take a break. I need to make a call."

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~Carter's Pov, a few minutes later~

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Carter leaned against the wall just outside, pulling out his phone. The line buzzed once, then Max's voice cut through, low and steady. "Carter. What's the update?"

Carter gave a quiet, almost impressed chuckle before he answered, "Yeah, Max... I have some interesting news."

He glanced back through the open door, watching Alex catch his breath with that youthful smirk still on his face. "Turns out the kid's more capable than we thought," Carter continued, his voice lowering. "If I had to guess, he could've left a professional sprinter in the dust—and that was without breaking a sweat."

There was a pause on the other end before Max replied, a hint of both surprise and skepticism in his tone. "So, you're saying the Alex's already showing results?"

"More than results," Carter said, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I'm not even sure he's aware of how much potential he's holding back. The ZET project… Max, I think it's more alive in him than we could've anticipated."

"Keep me updated," Max replied, his tone edged with urgency. "If he's only scratching the surface, we'll need to accelerate the plan. And Carter?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure he stays under the radar. We can't risk any eyes on him yet."

Carter nodded to himself, glancing back toward Alex, who was still blissfully unaware of just how deep he was in this. "Understood," he replied, ending the call with a click.

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END