Click!
With a snap of his fingers, the lights came on. Ellen sat at his computer and opened the chat group for his toy-making friends.
"Kai: Leo, my friend wants a big robot toy. Can you make it?"
"Tom: Kai, you know Leo always says yes!"
"Sarah: Yeah, Leo's the best at this. Why are you even asking?"
"Kai: Wait! This time it's different - he wants a HUGE one!"
"Kai: My friend really loves Gundam robots. He's rich and wants a big metal one for his special collection house!"
"Mike: Wow Kai, you know rich people?"
"Lily: Kai, can I be your friend too?"
Ellen saw the chat going off track.
"Leo: @Kai How big does he want it?"
"Sarah: Leo's here!"
"Mike: Leo, will you teach me how to make toys?"
"Tom: Leo, come hang out this weekend! My treat!"
"Lily: Leo..."
When Ellen wrote something, everyone got excited. The group only had about twenty people who loved metal toys, and they didn't usually talk this much.
"Kai: Everyone quiet! Should I add my friend to the group? @Leo"
"Leo: Sure. Must be a big order if you're scared to name a price! @Kai"
Ellen smiled as he typed. Soon, someone named "Harry" joined the group.
"Sarah: Welcome!"
"Mike: Hi new friend!"
"Tom: Hello rich person!"
"..."
Everyone was being extra nice to the new person. When money was involved, nobody joked around.
"Harry: Kai says there's a toy expert here. True?"
"Tom: Yes! Leo made over 100 metal toys! Each one is special and worth lots of money now. @Harry"
"Sarah: Leo makes the best toys and charges fair prices. @Harry"
"Mike: @Harry, our group has all the best toy makers in New York! We can make anything if you pay enough!"
Ellen shook his head smiling.
"Leo: @Harry What kind of toy do you want? But remember - a metal toy taller than 1 meter is really big and heavy."
"Harry: I want one taller than me!"
"Tom: A person-sized metal toy would weigh 1000 pounds! Maybe make the inside from wood and just cover it with metal?"
"Harry: No. All metal. 1.3 meters tall! @Leo"
"Leo: All metal? 1.3 meters? That's expensive. How old are you?"
"Harry: How much? I'm 8 years old!"
Ellen was shocked. An 8-year-old wanted a 1.3-meter metal toy? Was he serious?
"Leo: @Kai?"
"Kai: Leo, it's ok... his parents will pay."
"Harry: How much? @Leo"
"About fifty thousand dollars, @Harry," Ellen typed after thinking. This included $5000 for Kai and was a fair price.
"Harry: Oh, I thought it would be $100,000. My allowance is enough! $50,000 is cheap! When will it be ready?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone was shocked. *Fifty thousand dollars was allowance money for an 8-year-old?*
Ellen was surprised too but stayed calm. "OK. Send half the money to Kai first. Then send me the picture of what you want. I'll start working."
After sending the message, he looked at the metal bars on his shelf and walked to the garage.
This was his workshop that Jenny and George made for him.
Aunt May had gone home - it was only two blocks away.
Ellen closed the garage door. He liked working alone here. The bright lights and metal parts everywhere made him feel safe.
He sat down and made some metal blocks fly to his work table.
'I lost my special knives in the big fight. Need new ones.'
Ellen's hands shaped the metal like play-dough. Soon, three shiny throwing knives were done. He tested them in his hand.
He sighed. 'Normal metal isn't strong enough. It's OK for regular people, but not for monsters like the Abomination. I need better metal. Maybe I should check what the army has?'
He waved his hand and the knives flew to their spots on his legs.
Next, he made metal strings and small metal bars. The metal changed shape quickly under his control. In one minute, he made thin metal wire that flew into his pocket.
He made two thin metal rods and put them aside with other tools.
"I wish I had super metal like in the movies," Ellen complained to himself. "I should visit Wakanda someday! That would be awesome!" He almost drooled thinking about it.
But he knew his limits - he could control normal metal perfectly, but super-strong metal might be too hard for him right now.
Then he remembered something. He went to a corner and took out a small box. Inside was a special shiny metal block.
Special airplane metal!
He found this special metal when a truck passed by him once. He felt there was good metal inside, so he followed the truck and took three pieces when nobody was looking.
He already used two pieces to make knives that he lost fighting the Abomination. This last piece, he would use differently.
'I need to get stronger. I'm too easy to hurt right now. One lucky shot could take me down!' Ellen looked at the shiny metal, his eyes bright.
He held the special metal with both hands and started absorbing it. A warm feeling spread from his head, and golden light came from the metal.
The golden light covered his skin and went inside.
Stronger Body: Golden Eyes (54%), Tough Skin (4%), Strong Muscles (0%), Hard Bones (0%)
The "Tough Skin" number started going up: 5%... 6%... 7%... until it reached 8%.
The golden light faded. The metal in his hand looked dull now and was smaller. When he threw it in the trash, it broke into pieces like normal metal.
He pinched his arm. It felt tougher now.
Ding!
His phone made a sound. A message showed he received $25,000. There was also a picture of a cool robot.
Kai sent a message: "Leo, I sent the money. I get $3000. The buyer is the son of a very rich company owner. I worked hard to get this job. Please don't mess up!"
Ellen read the message and smiled. "1.3 meters... Looks like I'm working all night."
School homework?
Don't be silly. He was only in fourth grade in America, still learning easy math. That was no problem for him.