Knox hovered high above the base construction site, his arms folded, a look of sheer boredom etched across his face. Watching people toil away on the ground had quickly lost its charm. With a sigh, he descended in a smooth arc, landing lightly next to Maximus, who was barking orders to the others.
"How's it going?" Knox asked, stretching his arms over his head.
Maximus wiped his forehead with a rag, glancing at Knox. "The blueprints are done, sir. We've started digging out the foundation, but it's going slow. The hole needs to be deep-really deep. Actually..." He hesitated. "If you're not busy, maybe you could help?"
Knox raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Why not? I'm bored anyway."
Kaelina's voice echoed in his head as he shot into the air. "What exactly are you doing now?"
Knox smirked. "Just watch."
Higher and higher he climbed, until he was little more than a dot in the sky. Then, without warning, he angled himself downward like a missile. His body began spinning rapidly becoming a blur of motion.
The others on the ground stopped working, staring in awe and panic as Knox streaked towards the earth. With a deafening boom, he collided with the ground like a drill, burrowing deep into the soil. Dust and rock, exploded into the air, but Knox was relentless, spinning faster and faster, carving through the earth like it was butter.
After what after felt like minutes, the ground shook one final time, and Knox shot back up into the air. A massive hole, 85 feet wide and 100 feet deep, stretched below him-a perfect, cylindrical pit.
"Damn..." Maximus muttered, his jaw hanging open.
Knox didn't say a word. Instead, he turned and shot off toward the ocean, disappearing into the horizon. Moments later, he returned, water streaming off his suit, his body glinting clean under the sun. "Had to wash off all the dirt," he explained casually, landing next to Max. "So... this good enough?"
Max's wide eyes traveled over the massive hole. "More than enough." he said with a nod.
Knox stepped back as Max's hands began to glow, burning a bright crimson. The iron collected by the team floated into the air, spinning like metal tornadoes. "Watch this," Max said.
Knox crossed his arms, intrigued, as the glowing metal lunged toward the massive hole. The iron swirled downward, clanging and sparking as it sharped itself into solid walls. Circuit boards, wires, and computer parts followed, weaving seamlessly with the iron as if guided by an unseen force.
There was a blinding flash of red light, and when it cleared, the hole was sealed with a massive iron vault door at ground level. The other stared in stunned silence as Max stumbled, wiping sweat from his brow. "The entrance is done," he panted.
Knox landed next to the door, kneeling to examine it. With a deep rumble, the iron vault door split apart and opened, revealing the deep, hollow pit below. Knox grinned as the door sealed itself shut again. "Automatic? Nice. No annoying buttons."
Max smiled faintly. "It's just the door that's finished, though. The real base will take time. At our current pace, maybe five months."
Knox tilted his head thoughtfully. "Five months, huh? What if I got you all the materials you need right now? How long would it take then?"
Max blinked, his exhaustion forgotten. "If we had everything? Maybe two days, tops. The real issue is that we get tired quickly with a project this big."
Before Knox could respond, a new voice cut in. "If you're talking about materials, I can speed things up a bit."
Knox turned to see a man with fiery red hair and a rugged build, standing casually with his hands in his pockets. His eyes were a sharp green, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"And you are?" Knox asked.
"Isaiah," the man replied. "I've got powers similar to Max, but mine take longer. I can't do things instantly like him, but give me time, and I'll get it done."
Knox gestured toward the materials piled up nearby. "Show me."
Isaiah stepped forward, raising his hands. The iron gathered by the team began to float, but unlike Max's quick bursts, Isaiah's movements were steady and deliberate. The iron flowed into the hole like liquid metal, coating the dirt walls and solidifying into sleek, smooth panels. At the bottom, the iron spread across the floor, covering it completely.
Then, like before, circuit boards, wires, and tech parts lifted into the air, guided by Isaiah's glowing hands. The components merged seamlessly into the iron floor, and in moments, a circular platform began to take sharp in the center-a massive elevator.
Five minutes later, Isaiah let his hands drop, breathing heavily. The others stared in amazement as Knox floated down to the floated down to the bottom of the pit to inspect the work. The dirt was gone, replaced by polished metal walls and a reinforced floor. The elevator platform gleamed in the center like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Knox smirked as he landed back on the ground. "This is really coming together."
Max stumbled forward, still recovering from his earlier effort. "The entrance and elevator are done, but we need to start digging outward now to make space for the real base."
Knox's grin widened. "You guys take care of the details. I'll handle the heavy lifting."
Isaiah smirked faintly. "You sure are confident, huh?"
Knox chuckled, cracking his knuckles as he glanced at the growing structure. "Of course. I'm building a future here-my future."