Ethan's eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat as the world around him came into focus. But this wasn't the green void he had been in just moments before. Instead, his vision was filled with the sight of a vast blue planet looming below him. For a moment, he was struck with awe at the beauty of it, but that wonder was quickly replaced by confusion and a twinge of fear.
He realized he wasn't free-floating in space—he was encased in a mechanical sphere, streaking toward the planet at an incredible speed. The capsule was sleek and metallic, its surface gleaming faintly as it reflected the light of the nearby sun. It reminded him of something—a memory tugged at the edge of his consciousness, like the meteor-like capsule from Ben 10 that carried the Omnitrix to Earth.
As the capsule hurtled closer to the planet, it began to spin wildly, the g-forces tugging at him. The chaos made it difficult to think, and the growing roar of atmospheric friction drowned out all other sounds. Flames erupted along the surface of the capsule as it tore through the planet's atmosphere, the friction igniting into a blazing inferno.
At that moment, a surge of something entirely unexpected flooded Ethan's mind—knowledge. It came like a tidal wave, powerful and relentless, filling every corner of his consciousness. The information was intense, overwhelming, and yet, somehow, it all made sense. It was the inherited knowledge of the Mechamorphs.
In a span of seconds, Ethan understood everything: the biology of the Mechamorphs, their ability to merge with and control technology, their history, and even their cognitive processes. He could feel it all settle into place within him, as though this knowledge had always been there, waiting for him to claim it.
Just as quickly as the flood of information had come, it stopped, leaving him gasping for air and clutching his head. He felt disoriented but also strangely exhilarated, the weight of his new identity pressing down on him. Yet there was no time to fully process it all. The capsule had slowed, but only slightly, and he realized he was still barreling toward the planet at an alarming speed.
Panic threatened to take hold, but Ethan found that he couldn't give in to it. Somehow, he knew—he felt—that he had time. His descent had decelerated enough to give him a window. He calculated it almost instinctively: 35 minutes until touchdown.
With a deep breath, he tried to center himself. There was no point in wasting these precious moments on fear. Instead, he focused inward, attempting to sift through the torrent of knowledge that had been unlocked within him. His thoughts raced as he began to piece together his new reality, his new abilities, and what they might mean for the life awaiting him on this unfamiliar world.
"Where am I now?" he wondered, as the planet grew ever larger in his vision. For better or worse, he knew the answers would come soon.
As Ethan continued his descent, he noticed that it was night on the side of the planet he was approaching. Below him stretched a sprawling, modern metropolis, its lights glowing brilliantly in the darkness. Skyscrapers towered over the bustling streets, their windows reflecting the neon glow of advertisements and signs. The faint hum of distant traffic reached him even at this height, giving the city an almost rhythmic pulse of life.
As he drew closer, he realized he had slowed enough to minimize the force of his impact. His trajectory shifted slightly, guiding him toward a park nestled within the heart of the city. The area appeared empty, much to his relief, with only a few scattered streetlights illuminating the open space.
Moments later, with a deafening boom, the meteor-like capsule collided with the ground, creating a crater approximately 10 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep. Dust and debris shot into the air, settling slowly as the mechanical sphere remained partially embedded in the earth.
For a few tense seconds, all was still. Then, with a faint hiss, the capsule began to open. Metallic panels slid apart, revealing its unusual contents—a mass of liquid metal. The substance oozed out of the capsule in a fluid motion, its surface shimmering between gunmetal gray and silver. Glowing circuit-like markings danced across its form, with vibrant neon green and blue light, giving it an otherworldly appearance.
After the substance oozed out of the capsule, it began to shift and reshape itself. Slowly, it formed into a humanoid figure, standing approximately 6'5" tall. Its body was sleek and smooth, with four fingers on each hand and a circular, glowing ring where a face would typically be. The figure was adorned with intricate, circuit-like markings that pulsed faintly with vibrant neon green and blue light, giving it a futuristic and otherworldly appearance. (Upgrade from TheHawkDown in DeviantArt)
"That was a rough landing. Luckily, no one was here to witness it," Ethan muttered, the voice resonating in a strange, metallic timbre, as though multiple frequencies were harmonizing at once. The sound startled Ethan a little.
His new form felt… alien, yet strangely natural. As he flexed his hands and examined his sleek, metallic body, the glowing circuit-like patterns flickered softly, responding effortlessly to his thoughts. He took a tentative step forward, the movements smooth and fluid, as if he hadn't just plummeted from the sky in a meteor-like capsule or ship. His "face," now a circular, glowing ring, pulsed faintly in rhythm with his inner thoughts, a subtle reminder of how profoundly he had changed.
"This is… super cool. Bizarre, but in a good way," Ethan murmured, his voice resonating with a strange, harmonic quality. The words felt foreign and yet unmistakably his own. He paused, lowering his gaze to his hands, watching as the fingers shifted slightly in shape, stretching and reshaping before returning to their original form.
"Now, what do I do about the ship? I can't just leave it here, and someone definitely heard that crash landing."
As Ethan studied the ship, an idea struck him—he could merge with it and take it with him. The thought triggered a surge of inherited knowledge, flooding his mind with details about merging, upgrading, and manipulating technology on a molecular level. It wasn't overwhelming, though. Instead, it felt familiar, like remembering how to ride a bike—a skill he already knew but had simply forgotten until now.
Ethan stood there for a moment, staring at the metallic wreckage of the ship. The idea was simple, yet the potential seemed vast. He could feel the hum of the technology beneath him, sensing its intricacies, the way each component could be manipulated and altered. He wasn't sure how exactly he was going to do it, but with the knowledge now flowing through him, it felt less like a question and more like an inevitability.
His gaze shifted from the wreckage to the city skyline in the distance. Time was ticking. The thought of being found before he could figure out what was going on was unsettling. He could feel the subtle pulse of the ship, like it was calling to him, waiting for him to make the first move.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan stepped forward, extending his hand toward the jagged remains of the capsule. His fingers brushed against the cold metal, and immediately, he felt it—a connection. It was like his body and the ship became one. His fingers tingled as a soft hum filled the air, and the circuits on his body lit up, matching the rhythm of the ship's own technology.
With a slight flex of his fingers, he imagined the ship merging with him, reshaping itself to fit his needs. His body responded, shifting, his arm and ship both stretching and twisting together. Moving the vessel's technology and structure, and fusing it with the fluidity of his Mechamorph form. The liquid-metal nature of his body flowing into the ship's systems was relaxing.
It was like breathing new life into the broken remains. The capsule began to restructure itself, its surface smoothening, growing more streamlined and compact. It no longer resembled a crumpled wreck but something far sleeker, almost like a new, smaller version of its original self—one that could be hidden away and carried.
Ethan marveled at the process as the ship adjusted and reshaped itself, folding into a more manageable size. His arm and circuits pulsed with each adjustment, guiding the transformation, until the ship finally merged with him into a form that he could take with him.
He could feel the weight of it now, not like the burden it would've been had he carried it in its full size, but rather a compact version that blended seamlessly with his new form. The ship's systems and tech were still within him, humming softly as it adapted to his body.
As the last bits of the transformation settled into place, Ethan realized something—he didn't need to hide anymore. He was the ship now, or at least a part of it. The knowledge, the power, it all surged through him in perfect harmony. His mind raced as he thought about the possibilities, but then the sense of urgency came back. He had to go, now.
He glanced once more at the park, ensuring there were no immediate signs of life. His enhanced senses told him the coast was clear, but he knew time was of the essence. With a final deep breath, he moved, now equipped not only with his new form but with a compact ship that could carry him to wherever he needed to go.
The city stretched out before him, a beacon of the new world he had entered. He wasn't sure what lay ahead, but for the first time, he felt ready.
He knelt at the edge of the crater, looking out toward the distant city. "Alright, time to figure out where I go from here. Let's see what this new life has in store."
Ethan stood and began to walk. His steps were purposeful, his body now fully in control of his new form. He was no longer just a stranger on this world—he was something more. He was a Mechamorph.
And this world? It would soon know what that meant.