At the Hoover Dam, which straddled the mighty Colorado River, a shimmering, star-dusted portal materialized out of thin air. Amon stepped through, followed closely by a very curious Ilyana.
Ilyana looked up at the midday sun, a puzzled expression on her face. "This doesn't feel like New York anymore. The sun is in a completely different position."
"Ah, you have good observation skills and can even use your brain," Amon praised, a playful glint in his eye. "We have indeed left New York. This is the Hoover Dam."
The Hoover Dam is located in Nevada, which has a three-hour time difference from New York. Although it was already afternoon in New York, it was still high noon here at the colossal dam.
Ilyana said proudly, "Of course I can! I'm very smart!" She looked around at the massive concrete structure. "But what are we doing here? What's so fun about a dam?"
Amon's smile was enigmatic. "Of course there are fun things here. Haven't you always been envious of Scott's motorcycle? There's something here that's even more fun. Something that can give life to mechanical creations. With it, you could have a motorcycle that transforms into a loyal companion."
Ilyana's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? Where is it? I don't see any special items here except this giant dam under my feet."
Amon chuckled. "There is more to this place than just the dam. Or rather, this dam was built specifically to house that very special item."
"You mean, that thing is inside the dam?" Ilyana said, stomping on the solid concrete beneath her feet.
Amon looked her up and down critically. "Yes, but your clothes simply won't do."
Ilyana looked down at herself. She was wearing a stylish black, close-fitting mesh top with black shorts and stockings underneath. "What's wrong with them?"
"Special forces wouldn't dress like that," Amon smiled and snapped his fingers.
With a soft bang, a cloud of smoke exploded and completely enveloped Ilyana. After the smoke dissipated, her clothes had been transformed into a crisp, formal suit, making her look like a capable and powerful young woman.
"This is much better." As he spoke, Amon's own clothes changed, shifting into a pristine white lab coat, making him look like a lead scientist. He placed a hand on Ilyana's shoulder, and the two of them instantly vanished from the top of the dam, reappearing deep within its interior.
The inside of the dam was a massive, hollowed-out cavern, brightly lit and filled with the bustling activity of hundreds of busy people.
"This place is so big, and there are so many people here!" Ilyana exclaimed, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space.
"Let's go. I'll take you to see something truly interesting," Amon waved to Ilyana and walked forward with purpose.
"Why are you walking so fast? There are so many things here that are way more interesting than the training room at the school," Ilyana said as she hurried to catch up.
The two of them passed by numerous staff members, all of whom greeted Amon and Ilyana warmly when they saw them, as if they were familiar faces.
Ilyana leaned in close to Amon and whispered in his ear, "Why do they seem to know us?"
Amon replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I am a lead researcher here, and you are the new junior supervisor. Of course they know us."
"Ah? But didn't we just sneak in here in disguise? Did you have this prepared in advance, or did you use your ability to modify their consciousness?" Ilyana asked, trying to piece it together.
"You guess!"
Ilyana pouted and reached out to pinch Amon's waist, but she missed as her attention was suddenly captured by something else entirely.
"What a huge robot!"
What had come into Ilyana's view was a humanoid robot that stood more than ten meters tall, forged from dark metal and radiating an aura of raw violence and breathtaking mechanical beauty.
Ilyana asked with awe, "Is this the robot you mentioned? It's so big! Does it have a cockpit inside so I can go in and control it?"
"Have you been watching too many mecha anime?" Amon chided gently. "This is not a Gundam. It is an intelligent creature, technically a silicon-based life form. An alien."
"Is this our goal? I think it would be nice to have a big robot," Ilyana put forward her idea.
Amon shook his head. "You should focus on taking good care of Lockheed first. In your hands, he can only be used as a stuffed toy. Besides, this robot is not one you'd want to take care of. Its primary directive is to destroy humanity."
"Forget it, then. Lockheed would never want to destroy humanity." Ilyana defensively pinched the stuffed dragon hanging from a chain at her waist. It was Lockheed. Lockheed had two forms. Normally, it was a puppet that Ilyana played with, but it could also transform into a real, fire-breathing dragon to fight. Amon had brought it out of the toy dimension where Mikhail and the others had been trapped, much to the crowned doll's fury at the time.
There were many scientists in white coats conducting research and discussing their findings at the feet of the giant robot. Among them stood a man in a black trench coat, looking completely out of place. Nick Fury had been very anxious recently. He had received news from the military that mechanical creatures, suspected to be aliens, had attacked the US military base in Afghanistan. This was a matter involving extraterrestrials, so he, as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., had been immediately notified. The event reminded him of the Kree fleet's invasion of Earth thirteen years ago, but this time there was no Captain Marvel, and the Avengers initiative he had envisioned was still nowhere to be found. On the mutant side, the X-Men were doing well, but this was a different kind of threat.
"Oh~" Nick Fury sighed. When he heard the term "mechanical creature," the first thing he thought of was this giant robot that had been discovered decades ago. It had been studied for decades, and many of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-tech advancements were the result of reverse-engineering its technology. Nick Fury now suspected that the aliens who had attacked the US military base were looking for the big guy in front of him, so he had come here today to see if he could find any new clues. But it seemed that he was destined to be disappointed.
Ignoring the anxious Nick Fury, Amon led the way while explaining to Ilyana, "What we are looking for is not him, but a magic cube. The Allspark. It is the very soul of these mechanical creatures, the source that can give them life."
Soon, the two came to a large, reinforced gate. Amon simply waved his hand, and the guards on both sides tapped a sequence on a keypad. The heavy gate slid open. Amon took the lead and walked in, and Ilyana followed quickly behind him.
Inside was an enormous cube, as tall as a four or five-story building. It was a complex, silver-gray color, covered with intricate, glowing patterns. It was tilted at an angle in the center of the room, connected to a vast array of tubes and conduits.
Ilyana exclaimed, "Wow! This is even bigger than that robot! This is what you're looking for? This Rubik's Cube is really huge. Is it for Godzilla?"
Amon walked to the bottom of the cube. There seemed to be invisible steps materializing in the air before him. Amon stepped on the air, ascending step by step until he came to the middle of the huge cube. There were also many researchers here, but they simply continued with their work as if nothing unusual was happening.
Ilyana also wanted to imitate Amon and walk into the air so coolly, but after trying several times without success, she shouted up to Amon from below, "Hey, that's a really cool trick! Go back and teach it to me!"
"Then you must practice seriously." As he spoke, Amon placed his hand on the surface of the cube. The Allspark began to change. Small cubes began to emerge from its surface and then shrink back in, and the whole massive structure began to rotate like a real Rubik's Cube being solved at impossible speeds. Soon, the huge cube was compressed down to the size of a human head and was held securely in Amon's hand.
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Hey Thanks for reading this story. If you like it then throw some Power stones. They are free so don't be stingy.