Chapter 2: A genius, Graduation, Come Work at Star Labs
(Time skip 4 years later)
In every world, whether DC or Marvel, hero oriented or mundane, supernatural or ordinary, Scientist are valuable commodities. With the ability to analyze tech, and obtain their knowledge, learning becomes very easy, take that to the extreme, the result is a genius.
Director Hamilton, the head of scientific research at Star Labs sat in his office, with a resume in his hands , he looked In front of him, a young man was seated, tall 6 ft 3, blond with a shoulder length of thick curly hair, fair and handsome. Ethan Harper possess all the characteristic of a pretty boy, in fact the first impression of director Hamilton was that he was a pretty boy. But he knew Ethan was not.
Hamilton returned his gaze back to the resume in his hands, he read:
Name: Ethan Harper
Age: 23
Education: A graduate of MIT university,
Status: single.
Qualification: He holds a PHD in Nuclear and energy physics, mechanical engineering and biotechnology.
The resume was brief but the qualification on it was overwhelming, a PHD holder in 3 different fields that are not closely related.
Hamilton looked at the man in front of him once more, he was impressed with what he saw. He contacted his friends from different fields, and what they told him about Ethan Harper was in line with his thought.
Taking a few minutes to read through his emails, he cleared his throat, "erhem"
"Ethan Harper, Why do you want to work at Star Labs"
Ethan answered " I ......."
That was a year ago
Ethan Harper sat at his desk in STAR Labs, staring at the holographic display in front of him. The intricate, shifting geometry of the Mother Box floated in the air, pulsing faintly with an otherworldly rhythm.
Today was the day. After a year of painstaking analysis, late nights, and countless hours of simulations, his work would finally reach 100%.
The Mother Box was the most advanced piece of technology Ethan had ever encountered. A sentient supercomputer created by the New Gods. Over the past year, Ethan had barely scratched the surface of its mysteries, but every discovery had pushed his understanding of technology to new heights.
The countdown on his screen ticked down to zero, and a soft chime echoed through his workstation.
Analysis Complete.
Ethan leaned forward, his heart pounding. He activated the interface, and a cascade of data unfolded before him—a tapestry of interdimensional mechanics, quantum computing, and bio-digital integration that boggled the mind.
He took a deep breath and began his review.
Ethan focused first on the Mother Box's primary function: interdimensional travel. The Boom Tube technology it employed was unlike anything Earth had ever seen.
"It's not just a portal," he muttered, scribbling notes on his tablet. "It's... a conduit for transdimensional energy. It scans the multiverse in real time, selects stable coordinates, and constructs a temporary pathway. The sheer processing power required is insane."
He paused, staring at a segment of code that looked oddly familiar. His power kicked in, letting him see the design in his mind.
"Wait... this subroutine is adaptive," he said aloud. "It's learning. The more it's used, the more efficient it becomes."
Ethan leaned back, rubbing his temples. This wasn't just engineering—it was art. The Mother Box wasn't designed to be used; it was designed to evolve.
Ethan moved on to the Box's sentience. For months, he had sensed a presence within the device, something far beyond simple AI. Now, with the analysis complete, he could finally confirm it.
"This isn't artificial intelligence," he said softly. "It's... symbiotic. The Mother Box forms a bond with its user, responding to their thoughts, emotions, and even their subconscious desires."
He shivered. The implications were staggering. This wasn't just a machine—it was a companion, a partner in every sense of the word.
Ethan's fingers hovered over the console. "But what's powering you?" he whispered, diving deeper into the data.
The answer came in fragments—snippets of ancient energy signatures, references to something called the Source, and a series of equations that defied even his enhanced understanding.
"The Source," Ethan muttered. "The wellspring of all creation in the multiverse. The Mother Box is directly linked to it. That's how it can perform miracles."
As Ethan continued, he found something troubling. The Mother Box wasn't just a tool of creation—it could also destroy. Buried within its functions were subroutines designed for deconstruction on a molecular level. It could disassemble matter, neutralize energy, and even erase information from existence.
He pulled up a simulation of the Box's deconstruction protocols, watching as it broke down a simulated alien structure in seconds. The process was precise, elegant, and terrifyingly efficient.
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. The Mother Box was an instrument of gods, capable of reshaping reality itself. In the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic.
Ethan spent the rest of the day documenting his findings, but the warning from the Mother Box haunted him. He had always seen his power as a gift, a way to bridge the gap between humanity and the extraordinary technologies of the DC Universe.
But now, he realized that some things were meant to remain a mystery.
As he left STAR Labs that evening, the faint hum of the Mother Box lingered in his ears. Ethan knew he had crossed a line, delving into knowledge meant for gods.Ethan Vance sat in his private workshop, staring at the pieces of alien and human tech scattered across his workbench. For the past week, he had been consumed by a single goal: creating a version of the Mother Box.
Not the real thing. That was impossible—he lacked the materials, the energy, and most importantly, the divine spark that made the Mother Box a creation of gods. But he didn't need it to be a perfect replica. If he could capture even a fraction of its functionality, it would be the most advanced piece of technology on Earth.
Ethan's fingers trembled as he reached for the piece of promethium lying on the table. Acquiring it had been dangerous, requiring him to navigate the shadowy black market and spend most of his savings. The metal was one of the few on Earth capable of withstanding the processes he was about to attempt.
"Okay," he muttered, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Ethan's powers made the process easier. With a single touch, he could understand the properties of the materials in front of him. The promethium core served as the Box's foundation, its unique ability to absorb and channel energy critical for the design. Around it, he layered circuits made from alien alloys scavenged from Zod's invasion and cutting-edge Earth technology.
The design was crude compared to the original Mother Box, but it was functional. Ethan had to cut corners, relying on what he had rather than what he needed. The Box wouldn't be sentient, nor would it have access to the Source. But it would still be a marvel.
By the end of the first hour, the device was beginning to take shape—a sleek black cube about the size of a shoebox, its surface etched with glowing, circuit-like patt
Ethan connected the Box to a custom-built generator, feeding it a steady stream of electromagnetic energy. The device hummed faintly, its circuits lighting up as it absorbed the power.
"Good," Ethan murmured, checking his readings. "Energy absorption is stable."
The Box was designed to passively draw energy from the electromagnetic spectrum—radio waves, light, even microwaves. It was far less efficient than the Mother Box, but it was a start.
He tested its energy storage capabilities, pushing it to its limits. The Box could store an incredible amount of power, but Ethan knew it would never reach the levels required to replicate the godlike feats of the original
The most ambitious function Ethan attempted to replicate was the Mother Box's ability to rearrange matter. He programmed the device to use its stored energy to break down and reassemble objects at the molecular level.
The first test was simple. Ethan placed a broken coffee mug inside a small containment chamber connected to the Box. He activated the device, watching as the Box's circuits flared brightly. The mug disintegrated into a fine mist, then slowly reformed, whole and unbroken.
Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "It works."
But the energy cost was astronomical. Repairing the mug had drained nearly a quarter of the Box's reserves. Rearranging larger or more complex objects would require far more power than the Box could currently handle.
"This is going to need work," Ethan muttered
By the time he finished, Ethan was exhausted but triumphant. He held the device in his hands, its surface warm to the touch. It was a shadow of the Mother Box, but it was his creation, and it was alive—at least in the sense that it functioned.
He called it the Echo Box, a nod to its status as an echo of the divine technology it sought to replicate.
The Box's functions were limited but impressive:
Energy Absorption and Storage: The Box could passively draw energy from the electromagnetic spectrum and store it for later use.
Matter Rearrangement: The Box could deconstruct and reconstruct objects, but the process was slow and required massive amounts of energy.
Non-Sentient Design: Unlike the Mother Box, the Echo Box had no intelligence or consciousness. It was a tool, nothing more.
Ethan placed the Echo Box on the workbench and stepped back. "Not bad for a first attempt," he said, a small smile on his face.The next day, Ethan began testing the Echo Box in earnest. He used it to repair broken equipment, recharge depleted batteries, and even power a small vehicle. Each test revealed both the Box's potential and its limitations.
One test involved using the Box to rearrange a chunk of scrap metal into a crude sculpture. The process was agonizingly slow, taking nearly an hour and draining most of the Box's energy reserves.
"This thing's a glutton," Ethan muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "If I want it to be practical, I'll need to figure out a way to improve energy efficiency."