~Alex's Pov, a few hours later~
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"This should be everything I own..." Thankfully, I didn't have much things to carry. It's just a shame I couldn't keep my refrigerator. Now, I'm just curious as to who Max's friend was, and was he even trust worthy in the first place... I hated these kind of thing, I lacked a whole lot information, more than I'm comfortable with...
*Knock!* Knock!*
The sound of a knock echoed through hall. It was late, and I wasn't expecting anyone. I stood still for a moment, glancing toward the door. 'Could it be Max's so-called friend already?' The thought made my stomach twist a bit, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for whatever this little get-together would bring.
Another knock—firmer this time.
I took a deep breath and walked over, opening the door cautiously. Standing there was a man I hadn't seen before, tall and dressed in dark clothing, his face was relatively expressionless. He had a serious air about him, the kind that made it clear this wasn't just a casual visit.
He looked down at me, "Alex?" he asked.
"Yeah," I answered, "And you are?"
He gave a small nod. "Carter. Max sent me. Mind if I come in?"
I stepped back, motioning for him to enter. 'Well, here goes nothing...'
Carter stepped inside, his movements deliberate and measured, like someone who was used to keeping control of the room just by being in it. I shut the door behind him, my mind racing through a thousand possibilities. Who was this guy really? Max seemed to trust him, but something about the way he carried himself felt... off.
Carter looked around, his eyes were sweeping the space like he was taking stock of everything in just a matter of seconds. "You're packed light," he said, his voice low but with an edge of curiosity.
"Didn't have much to begin with," I replied, leaning against the wall, trying to play it a little cool, "Besides, it's not like I plan on sticking around here much longer."
He stood for a while before nodding, then crossed his arms, his gaze settling on me giving me the smallest grin I've ever seen in my life... "Good. That'll make things easier. Max told me a bit about your situation—though I'm guessing there's more to the story."
My eyes narrowed. I didn't like the way he phrased that. "Depends on what you mean by 'situation.'" I didn't know the story he was talking about, but telling him I'm possessing the body of a kid out in the middle of nowhere isn't realistic, not even by this world's standards.
"Look," he said, taking a step closer, his expression still unreadable. "I'm here to help, but I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. Whatever's happening with you? It's very dangerous, and it's only going to get worse kid. Max trusted me to step in because he couldn't do it alone." He paused, as if gauging my reaction before continuing...
"The question is, are you ready to trust me too?"
I felt some uncertainty with all this. This guy was talking like he knew more than I did about whatever was going on with me, which he very much clearly does, but at the same time, I wasn't about to just roll over and let him take control. Max had sent him, but how far could I trust someone I just met?
"I... I don't know... I don't know you," I said slowly, crossing my arms in return, "so why should I trust anything you say?"
Carter sighed, running a hand through his hair, a brief flicker of impatience crossing his face. "Fair enough. But the fact is, you don't have a lot of options right now. You can either trust that I know what I'm doing, or you can try to handle all of this on your own. But take it from me, whatever you think you're prepared for? It's worse kid."
He let those words hang in the air, and for a second, I hesitated... He didn't have to tell me, and the way he was going across this made it seem like it was big...
"Fine," I finally said, meeting his gaze. "But if you're lying or trying to pull anything, I'll figure it out."
Carter gave a small nod, "Smart. You'll need that." He glanced at his watch, then back at me. "We should leave soon. Things are going to get complicated."
I grabbed my bags, feeling the weight of everything—both literally and figuratively—press down on me a little, "Complicated how?" This was genuinely starting to interest me at this point...
However, Carter's eyes darkened slightly while he moved toward the door, "It's best we talk while we ride..."
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~Omniscient Pov, 20 minutes later~
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Carter and Alex had been in the vehicle for about half an hour, with both sitting silently. Finally wanting to have the discussion, Alex spoke up first, "So... What's going on here?" He asked.
Carter kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the wheel, but his jaw tightened at Alex's question for a second. The silence between them had lingered for a bit too long, and Alex wasn't the type to sit patiently, especially with so many unknowns hanging over his head...
After a moment, Carter sighed, "There's a lot you don't know. Things are... shifting. Max didn't want to worry you before it was necessary, but this world isn't as simple as you think."
Alex frowned, knowing that much already; but leaning forward slightly. "Shifting how? I already know this isn't normal. I mean, look at me... Apparently I'm not exactly normal judging by how you guys are handling this..." Alex decided it might not be best to play the simpleton in this.
Carter glanced at him briefly, his expression slightly unreadable. "I think me and you are going to get along kid... And since I'm the blunt type... I'll keep it real with you,. You're an alien, and not just A alien, but a collection upon tens of thousands of aliens..."
Alex simply turned towards the older man, "What?"
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~A few days Earlier, Omniscient Pov~
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Vrmmm~
The phone vibrated in Max's hand as he leaned against the side of the Rust bucket, his eyes scanning the horizon. A part of him had hoped he wouldn't need to make this call, but the situation had gotten out of control. He pressed the phone to his ear.
Vrmmm- "Hello, Carter?"
"Yeah, Max... I've got something." Carter's voice came through the line, low. The man had always been to the point, being blunt was his specialty.
Max let out a slow breath, "What are we dealing with here?"
"Yeah, it's something big." There was a pause, as if Carter was contemplating how to break the news. "Alex isn't just some kid without parents who stumbled into all this by accident. He's part of a project… something called ZET."
Max stopped mid-step. "ZET!?" Maxwell had heard of that name before, around a little over a decade ago to be exact, 'No way... Didn't that nightmare of an experiment fail?' He contemplated to himself.
"Apparently, it means, Zenith Evolutionary Threshold," Carter clarified, his voice low but steady. "Alex is the living embodiment of the project—a collection of tens of thousands of alien genomes, engineered to push the boundaries of evolution. The kid is the key to something far beyond just being another run of the mill alien. Based on what I'm seeing, he's literally designed to reach the evolutionary peak—whatever the hell that might even be."
Max's grip tightened on the phone, the weight of Carter's words sinking in. "Zenith Evolutionary Threshold..." he repeated under his breath, the memories of that name clawing their way to the surface. He remembered hearing whispers about the project years ago—an experiment so dangerous it was supposedly buried deep in classified archives. It had been dismissed as a failure, an impossible feat of playing god with evolution itself.
"You're saying that Alex is... The ZET project itself?" Max asked, his voice tinged with absolute disbelief, though he already knew Carter wouldn't joke about something like this. It was still a lot to bare.
"Unfortunately, that's exactly what I'm saying, Max," Carter responded, his tone grave. "The kid isn't just a random anomaly. He's the culmination of years of experimentation, a living blueprint of what those scientists envisioned as the peak of evolution. And if that information ever gets out... well, you can imagine what kind of attention that'll attract. I almost got myself in trouble just snooping around for it..."
Max closed his eyes for a moment, trying to process everything. "Damn it. I thought we were dealing with something simple here—another young kid trying to figure things out. But this... This is something else."
Carter let out a heavy sigh. "I wish it was just that simple. But no, this is bigger than we thought. He's not just in danger; he's a walking target for anyone who knows what he really is. And judging by how things are playing out, it won't be long before others start catching on."
Max ran a hand through his hair, looking back toward the Rust Bucket, where his grandchildren were probably still packing up. "So what do we do? How do we protect him from something like this?"
"First, we have to make sure no one else finds out," Carter said. "The kid probably doesn't even know what he is yet, which might be for the best. We get him to a safe place, keep a low profile until we can figure out what to do next."
Max nodded to himself, determination hardening his features. "Alright. I'll keep him close for now. But Carter, this is on another level. If he's really the ZET project... We might be sitting on a intergalactic time bomb."
Carter's voice came through quieter, but more serious. "Yeah, Max... we are. And the clock's already ticking. It's only a matter of time before the wrong people catch wind of this. We need to stay ahead of the curve, keep Alex out of sight and out of mind. But be prepared—once this secret's out, things could go sideways fast."
Max nodded, even though Carter couldn't see him. "I'll do my best to keep him safe. But I'm not sure how long I can keep this hidden from Ben and Gwen. They're sharp, and they'll start asking questions."
"They'll both have to stay in the dark for now, Max. The less they know, the safer they'll be." Carter's tone was firm, almost like a warning.
Max let out a frustrated sigh, glancing at the Rust Bucket again. He could already see Ben's curious nature poking holes in any story he might try to come up with. Gwen, on the other hand, wouldn't let anything slide without a full explanation. "Yeah... I know. But I'll figure something out."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Carter spoke again. "Max, just be careful... This isn't just about Alex or even you. This is bigger than all of us. If the wrong people get ahold of him, we're looking at a nightmare-level scenario. Governments, corporations... even off-world threats. They'll all want a piece of whatever he is."
Max stood still, feeling the weight of the responsibility settling on his shoulders. "I understand. I'll keep him safe for as long as I can... Still, how are you so sure that Alex is even ZET in the first place?"
Carter took a while to respond, but eventually did, "It's because you mentioned something about a ring embedded in his hand; for some odd reason they called that the Karisma-ring, but there hasn't been anything much on that part of the documentation, it feels like it was purposefully expunged..."
Max rubbed his nose bridge hearing that, "I see... I think I just needed confirmation about this before we even continued. I think we're set now, at least for the most part."
"That's Good." Carter replied. "I'll check in again with you soon. If you need backup, don't hesitate to call. We're in this together, Max."
As the call ended, Max slipped the phone into his pocket, his gaze lingering on the sunset... He knew the situation was spiraling into something much bigger than he had anticipated, just like with the Omnitrix. Protecting Alex wouldn't just be about shielding him from danger—it would mean keeping the world from finding out who, or what, he really was.
Turning back toward the Rust Bucket, Max took a deep breath. He couldn't let on that anything had changed, not yet. But the game had shifted, and now he had to be ready for whatever was coming next, no... His family needed to be ready.
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~Alex's Pov, present~
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"And that's all of it so far kid... I'm supposed to take care of you until you can defend yourself." Carter finished. Now I see why things were the way they are...
I was definitely more screwed than I thought I was... I wasn't just some kid who got mixed up in alien business. No, I was part of some twisted experiment—ZET, Carter called it. So basically, I was engineered to be some kind of super alien—probably a level just below the Omnitrix in terms of how dangerous I was in the grand scheme of things.
Which means I wasn't just, well... me anymore; I was a walking collection of tens of thousands of alien genes standing, walking, talking and breathing... Yeah, that's totally not freaky at all.
That meant a lot more people would be after me than I could have ever imagine.
'Yeah, this is just what I needed...' I'm tired of all this so far. I knew I wasn't exactly normal, which means this likely explains my rate of growth, sort of at least.
Just what type of kind of aliens were I made of though? You know what... I've been bombarded with enough for today... I think I just need some well needed sleep...
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END