The moment their feet crossed the threshold of the pod, it felt as if reality took a sudden detour.
Smooth metallic walls gleamed with an iridescent glow. The chamber inside was wide, circular, lit by a soft blue hue that pulsed gently like a heartbeat. Symbols etched faintly into the hull shimmered faintly, shifting as if reacting to their presence.
"This place is nuts," Alex muttered, eyes darting to the left.
Holographic projections flickered into life. Icons and schematics spun in the air like something from a sci-fi movie.
"Super Soldier Serum," Sierra read, stunned.
"Extremis formula… wait, what?!" Max's jaw dropped.
Blueprints rotated mid-air, displaying an updated Iron Man armor with far more streamlined mechanics. An ominous canister labeled "Symbiotic Suit (Bio-Adaptive Prototype)" floated silently in its chamber.
"Are these… real?" Sierra whispered.
Before anyone could answer, a voice entered their heads. Not through their ears—but directly into their minds, like a perfectly tuned whisper.
"Greetings. I am Mervin—Multiversal Emergency Response Virtual Intelligence Node. The special A.I. assigned to this pod."
The teens froze.
Then, with a shimmering wave, a humanoid hologram materialized before them—tall, clean-shaven, a serene face framed by silver hair and blue-tinted glasses.
"Did it just… talk in my head?" Alex asked, blinking.
"Holy crap. An artificial intelligence. Like, an actual thinking, speaking A.I.," Max gasped. "That's... still science fiction on Earth."
"Not anymore," Mervin responded calmly. "This pod is a containment unit designed to preserve and protect technological blueprints and samples crucial to multiversal survival."
The trio wandered deeper. They passed rows of data capsules. Floating text described technologies like holographic neural interfaces, regeneration serums, nanotech cloaking suits, and gene-enhancement protocols.
Sierra picked up a tablet. "Quantum fusion hearts? What does that even mean?"
Alex whistled low. "If even a fraction of this is real..."
"It is real," Mervin said. "Which is why it must be protected."
The lights dimmed. Red alerts blinked above the holograms. Mervin's tone shifted.
"Warning. Due to the damage sustained during atmospheric entry, containment integrity has decreased. I must initiate the Self-Protection Protocol. If these items fall into the wrong hands, this world would face catastrophic consequences."
Alex and Sierra looked at each other, confused. "Self-protection protocol? What does that mean?"
Max stepped forward, serious now. "It means it'll lock down or destroy everything in here to keep it out of human hands. Or teleport it somewhere inaccessible. Or both."
Mervin confirmed, projecting a bright red icon over a glowing button. "This panel will initiate protocol."
Max hesitated. Alex put a hand on his shoulder. "You sure about this, man?"
Max nodded slowly. "Not totally. But imagine this tech in the wrong hands. No thanks."
Sierra agreed. "If we don't do it, someone worse might."
Max reached out and pressed the button.
A tremor shook the chamber.
Suddenly, alarms blared. Holograms flickered erratically. Steam hissed from pipes. Mervin's voice cracked, glitching.
"Warning. Protocol Overdrive. Teleportation sequence initiated. Damage to stabilization array detected."
Before any of them could react, the floor beneath them glowed. Light poured in from all angles.
And then—everything went white.
Inside the pod, chaos bloomed in silence.
A small vial—labeled SYMBIOTIC AGENT—shattered. A black tendril of living goo slithered out, barely noticeable, and latched onto Alex's ankle.
Another vial burst open. Swarms of micro-ant-like nanobots floated out, clinging like dust to Max's backpack strap.
A glowing crystal shifted in its pedestal and brushed Sierra's arm as she fell sideways during the light blast.
When the light faded, the teens were gasping, lying in the middle of the chamber.
"What the hell just happened?!" Alex yelled, clutching his chest.
"I can't feel my legs! Wait. No. I'm good. Just dramatic shock," Max panted.
Sierra blinked, her pulse still racing. "Did we just… teleport?"
"Affirmative," Mervin's voice said, more stable now.
"WHERE are we?!" they shouted.
A screen projected a live visual of endless water.
"Currently, the pod resides approximately 200 meters beneath the sea surface, 13 miles off the coast. Teleportation was triggered as an emergency failsafe."
"We're under the ocean?!" Sierra screamed.
"This is insane! How do we get out?!" Alex asked.
Mervin paused, then a wall slid open to reveal a glass case. Inside were sleek, dark gloves embedded with blue glowing circuits.
"Crawlers' Gloves," Mervin said. "Based on teleportation technology adapted from a multiversal entity codenamed 'Nightcrawler.' These allow teleportation to any location that has been previously visited and recorded."
Max tilted his head. "Wait… you have our last location, right? Where we came from?"
"Affirmative. The system retained a spatial signature. A reverse-link has been created."
Alex raised a brow. "So you can plug that link into the gloves' GPS, and we're good?"
Mervin nodded. "You must be physically linked for joint teleportation."
Max slid the gloves on. Sierra and Alex quickly grabbed one of his hands each.
"Before you go," Mervin said, his voice suddenly gentler, "I ask for your help. I have knowledge that may change your world. But I am damaged and incomplete. If you can protect this information, and choose to use it wisely…"
"We'll try," Alex promised.
"We won't let it fall into the wrong hands," Sierra added.
"Scout's honor," Max smirked.
The gloves glowed. A surge of light enveloped them.
In a flash—they were gone.
Back at the junkyard, the same air that had once carried wind and trash now shimmered.
The three teens landed on their feet—barely.
Max fell flat on his back.
"That. Was. Real," he groaned.
Alex looked at his hand where the symbiote had touched him. It looked… normal. For now.
"I don't know, man," Alex said. "This stuff just happened."
"No one will believe us," Sierra said, adjusting her hair.
The three of them looked at each other. Dirt-streaked, tired, stunned… and smiling.
"What an insane day," they said in unison.
Then, they all started laughing.
For now, the pod was buried beneath the sea.
The technologies inside—waiting.
The changes to their bodies—unseen.
But something had been set in motion.
Something far bigger than all of them.
And the story… was just beginning.