3rd Person Pov:
Evelyn and Ariea stood before the laboratory gates, their eyes sweeping over the sleek exterior. The building wasn't tall—no towering glass spires or intimidating bulk—yet it stretched out in length, its smooth metallic panels and faint blue lines of energy giving it a quiet, high-tech elegance. It was the kind of place that looked simple at first glance, but the longer one stared, the clearer it became that nothing about it was ordinary.
With a sudden hum, the gates slid open. Evelyn's eyes lit up, and Ariea let out a small breath of excitement as the two of them stepped in. Their footsteps quickened, almost running with the eagerness of seeing Alex after days apart.
Inside the wide lobby, Alex and Peter were waiting, standing just a little behind the main reception console. Both men smiled the moment they spotted the two women, stepping forward to greet them.
But Evelyn froze mid-stride. Her eyes narrowed as they swept from Alex's hair, messy and darker with shadows of exhaustion, down to his slouched shoulders and Peter's equally drained expression. Her excitement drained into worry. She walked straight toward Alex, her pace heavier, voice sharp before he could even open his mouth.
"You look beat up," she said, her tone a mix of worry and anger. "What the hell happened to you two? How long has it been since either of you even rested, huh?"
Alex scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, caught in her piercing stare. "Uh… well, we might've gotten a little carried away. We were too busy—and too excited—over the new discovery. Time kind of slipped away from us."
"Carried away?" Evelyn's eyes widened. "Alex, you look like you haven't slept in a week. This isn't healthy."
Ariea folded her arms, stepping up beside Evelyn, her expression softer but no less firm. "She's right. You can't keep pushing yourself like this. You always do this—throwing everything into your work until you forget you're human."
Alex raised his hands as if to calm both of them. "Okay, okay, I hear you. I promise we'll rest soon. I just didn't want to lose momentum while everything was falling into place."
Evelyn shook her head, crossing her arms now. "Momentum won't matter if you collapse. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you even think about yourself at all."
Alex forced a sheepish smile. "That's why I've got you two, right? To remind me when I go overboard."
Ariea sighed, but there was a small smile tugging at her lips despite her concern. "Just… don't make us remind you like this again. You're not invincible, Alex."
"I know, I know," Alex said, his voice gentler now. "And you're both right. But I can't explain everything right here, not yet. Let's wait until everyone's here—Aunt May, Aunt Maria. Once we're all together, I'll tell you everything. Deal?"
Evelyn studied him for a long moment, her worry not fully fading. Finally, she exhaled, muttering, "Fine. But you'd better not dodge this conversation again."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Alex replied with a small grin, though the tiredness in his eyes didn't escape either woman's notice.
___
Thirty minutes later, the soft chime of Elena's voice echoed through the lab's intercom.
"Sir, Maria and May have arrived. Should I let them in?"
Alex straightened from his chair, glancing at Peter before replying, "Yes, let them in."
The main doors slid open with a quiet hiss. Maria and May stepped inside, their gazes immediately drawn to Alex and Peter waiting for them in the central room. Both men had taken the time to tidy themselves—faces washed, hair quickly combed, lab coats straightened. They had clearly tried to mask the fatigue, but no amount of neatness could fully hide the dark circles under their eyes or the heaviness in their posture.
Maria's brow furrowed almost instantly. "You both look tired."
May followed with a sigh, her sharp eyes narrowing on Alex. "Really tired."
Alex raised his hands before either of them could press further. "I'll explain everything at once. Just—let me finish before you interrupt."
The two women exchanged a look, then nodded.
Alex took a steadying breath. "We… lost track of time while working. The research pulled us in, and before we realized it, hours had turned into days. We didn't stop, didn't rest. It wasn't intentional, just… momentum. But we're fine. After this last talk with everyone, we'll take a proper break, I promise."
The room fell into a quiet pause, broken only when May stepped closer, her voice softer but firm. "Alex, discoveries can wait. You should learn to take breaks while working. Even the brightest mind burns out if it doesn't rest."
Alex gave her a faint, sheepish smile. "I know, Aunt May. Point taken."
Maria glanced toward the hallway, then back at him. "Where's Evelyn? I saw her car in the parking lot."
Alex's expression eased into something lighter. "They're already here—Evelyn and Ariea. Waiting inside." He gestured toward the inner corridor. "Come on, I'll take you to them."
With that, he turned, leading Maria and May deeper into the lab.
Alex led May and Maria down the corridor, the quiet hum of machines following them until they reached the waiting room. Through the glass panel, Evelyn and Ariea could already be seen sitting close together, speaking in low voices as they waited.
Stopping at the door, Alex turned to Peter. "Why don't you go in with May and Maria? They'll want to see Evelyn and Ariea. I… have something else to take care of for now."
Peter gave him a questioning look but nodded. "Alright. I'll stay with them."
With that, Alex pushed the door open, stepping aside to let May and Maria through. The moment they entered, Evelyn and Ariea rose to their feet. The air in the room shifted instantly, worry melting into warmth as greetings and soft laughter filled the space. Peter stayed back only for a moment before joining in, letting the four women's reunion unfold with genuine relief and affection.
Alex lingered just long enough to see the smiles on their faces. A faint smile tugged at his own lips before he quietly turned and walked down the opposite corridor, leaving them to their heartwarming meeting.
He moved deeper into the lab until he reached another chamber—its door sliding open with a muted hiss. Alex stepped inside, the sterile glow of holographic screens reflecting across his face as he entered the room.
Inside the chamber, Alex paused before a reinforced glass door. Beyond it lay a space alive with motion—rows of precision machines humming in unison, lights flickering across polished steel, the air thick with controlled energy. At the very center stood a massive containment unit, surrounded by a shimmering barrier of dense force fields. The monitors beside it displayed the raging temperature—nearly six thousand degrees Celsius—yet the core inside refused to liquefy.
It was no ordinary metal.
It was Ryvenium. Over five tons of the liquid alloy swirled within the container, constantly siphoned into conduits that fed a complex conversion system, breaking the bulk metal down into microscopic particles.
Alex stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the glowing currents of silver fluid.
"Elena, how is the liquid Ryvenium nano-particle project going?"
The AI's voice answered with its usual calm.
"Sir, after the first prototype nano-particle you created proved successful, I proceeded according to your instructions. It has been two days since production began, and we now have sufficient nano-particles to complete Project S perfectly."
"Good," Alex said, already pulling up the control console. "Transform all the data I gave you into them—and for now, compress the final output into necklace form."
"As you command."
For the next ten minutes, Alex worked in silence, his hands moving across the console with precision, streams of complex code transforming into compact command sets. Holographic displays flickered as data was funneled into the nanites. When he finally stepped back, five necklaces lay before him. Each bore a gemstone-like core at its center, glowing faintly with condensed power—miniaturized Ryven Cores designed to sustain the systems they would unlock.
He carried them toward the far corner of the chamber, where five humanoid statues stood in stillness. With deliberate care, he placed a necklace onto each. The moment the devices activated, the air rippled. Swarms of nanites spread like living metal, cascading over the statues. In seconds, the necklaces dissolved into full-body constructs, reshaping into unique suits.
Four of them took on the form of elegant female attire. At first glance they appeared to be simple, normal clothing—yet they shimmered faintly, betraying their hidden complexity. Alex smiled faintly. These were not combat suits in the traditional sense, but life-saving systems. Despite the illusion of exposed fabric, every surface was reinforced by invisible force fields strong enough to withstand high-caliber sniper fire. The suits enhanced strength and agility far beyond human limits, carried more than fifty non-lethal defense options, and adapted seamlessly to whatever the wearer already wore. Each was guided by an embedded AI, capable of assisting its user in combat with preloaded techniques, ensuring that even the untrained could stand and fight if forced.
Then there was the fifth.
The one Alex had designed for Peter.
It stood taller than the rest, the design sleek and metallic—bearing the spider motif like the suit from Far From Home, but forged with the density and brilliance of the Iron Spider. Its surface gleamed like liquid chrome, segmented with red and blue plating. This was more than armor. Its force-field layering gave it near-impenetrable durability. Over a hundred variations of web-shots were stored within, alongside every function from both the comics and the MCU's versions of the suit. Reflex amplification, heightened senses, combat optimization—it was a fortress disguised as a second skin. (IMAGE)
"Elena," Alex said, eyes scanning the data, "what's the current energy optimization of these?"
"Seventy-nine to eighty-three percent," the AI replied. "Optimization is relatively low. I have been unable to locate areas for further improvement."
Alex exhaled, lips pressed thin. "Yeah, that is low. And the nano-particles?"
"Optimized up to ninety percent, sir. Sufficient for the women's suits, but for the Spider-Suit, it remains inadequate."
"Well…" Alex's tone shifted, firm with decision. "I'll handle that part myself."
His body shuddered—and then melted.
Skin rippled into liquid-black circuitry as his human form dissolved, replaced by the shifting, alien contours of Upgrade.
The transformation was seamless—his body flattening into a living mass of technology, luminous green circuits glowing along his surface. With a fluid motion, he surged forward, merging with the first of the suits.
Immediately, nanites writhed and restructured under his influence. He worked at the molecular level, rewriting code, reinforcing latticework, and weaving optimizations into every joint and thread. One by one, he moved through the four women's suits, his alien form engulfing them, reshaping, perfecting. Within seven minutes, they were transformed—energy efficiency raised to ninety-five, nanite performance nearly flawless at ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent. They had become something far beyond prototypes.
Finally, he turned to the Spider-Suit.
The merge was faster, more intense—his form rippling across the metallic shell as its systems flared to life. Circuits cascaded and split, reformed and multiplied. In just three minutes, the work was complete. The Spider-Suit now matched the others, its energy optimized, its functions refined. It had become not just armor, but a living fortress.
Upgrade pulled free, collapsing inward as Alex reformed into his human body once more. He looked upon the five suits, a proud smile tugging at his lips. A low, satisfied laugh escaped him—quiet, but full of pride.
Carefully, he detached each necklace from its statue and placed them into sleek individual cases, closing them with a click. Lifting the boxes into his arms, Alex turned toward the door.
It was time to rejoin the others—and to deliver his creations to the people he cared for most.