This is a strong opening. The sibling dynamic feels
The sound of snoring filled the dim bedroom.
A black-haired man in his early thirties lay sprawled across the bed, long legs hanging awkwardly off the edge. He looked like someone who had collapsed onto the bed.
A knock echoed from the door.
"Alex, wake up."
A feminine voice said.No response.
The knocking grew louder.
"Alex! I know you can hear me, so open this goddamn door before I break it down!"
On the bed, the man groaned and pressed his pillow over his head, trying to block her out.
"I'm going to count to three, Alex. One-"
His bloodshot eyes snapped open instantly.
"Fine! I'm coming! Just don't break my door, sheesh," he muttered.
He dragged himself out of bed, shuffled to the door, unlocked it,then immediately dove back onto the mattress.
The door swung open.
Julia Shaw stood in the doorway, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.
She sighed.
"I know you're tired after whatever insanity you pulled yesterday," she said, stepping inside, "but you've been asleep for over twelve hours. You even missed your Jiu-Jitsu class."
"I'll see them tomorrow," Alex replied lazily, sitting up and rubbing his face.
"You better. We're not paying that instructor for nothing."
She turned toward the hallway.
"Come to the basement. I've got something to show you."
Alex's exhaustion faded instantly.
"You finally completed it?"
"Yeah," she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "Come see."
She disappeared down the hallway.
Alex stood, walked to his desk, and picked up his prosthetic arm with his left hand. He aligned it with the mechanical joint at his shoulder and pressed it in.
Click.
The locking mechanism engaged.
He rotated it a full 360 degrees, testing responsiveness. Satisfied, he walked to his closet, grabbed a black tactical vest, slipped it on, and headed downstairs.
---
The basement was chaos.
Oil stains marked the concrete floor. Scrap metal littered one corner. Half the space was a workshop filled with tools, monitors, wires, and half-finished machinery.
Julia stood behind the main workbench. As Alex descended the steps, she tapped the table dramatically like a drumroll.
Then she pointed.
Sitting in the center of the table was a white minimalist smile mask.
"I present to you," she announced proudly, "Prototype Two of your mask."
Alex picked it up, turning it over in his hands.
"And what's different this time?"
Julia grinned.
"I'm glad you asked. Kevlar lining for protection against small firearms. Don't test it against armor-piercing rounds though. Lead lining for security purposes. Reinforced carbon fiber shell. Night vision, UV, infrared, and AI-assisted recognition software."
Alex blinked.
"…That's a lot."
"I know."
"You really outdid yourself."
"Obviously. Now try it on."
He slid the mask over his face and secured it.
Immediately, everything went dark.
"Why is it so damn dark in here? I can barely see."
"You haven't activated it yet," Julia replied. "Tap your left temple."
Alex tapped as instructed,The darkness vanishing instantly.
His vision sharpened instantly as digital overlays flickered to life. Objects in the room were outlined in faint green. Data scrolled softly at the edges of his vision.
The system was analyzing everything.
"Okay," he murmured. "That's impressive."
"To switch modes, just swipe along the side," Julia explained. "Oh,and with that mask on, you're immune to inhalants. Battery life is six hours, plus an extra two in reserve."
"Pretty good," Alex admitted.
"And right now, I'm highlighted in green, correct?"
"Yes."
"What about now?"
She casually slid her right hand behind her back.
Alex's HUD shifted. Julia turned red.
"Let me guess. Threat detection?"
"Exactly. Anyone within ten meters holding something that can be used as a weapon, within reach of one, carrying one, or displaying suspicious posture gets flagged red."
"That's actually useful," Alex said, removing the mask. "Better than a plain one. Though it's kinda heavy now."
Julia shrugged.
"Lead and Kevlar aren't exactly weightless. But now I can track you and guide you through it. Whatever you see, I can see from my PC."
Alex paused.
"…Come again?"
"You can turn that feature off anytime," she added rolling her eyes. "But I recommend keeping it on mos of the time."
"Riiight," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Julia ignored the look and ducked under the table.
"And finally…"
She emerged holding a sleek metallic prosthetic arm and placed it gently on the workbench.
Alex stared at it.
"So that's what you needed the titanium for."
"Yeah. I was sick of watching you use that clunky arm from Wayne Tech. You'd think the best tech company in Gotham would make better products. That thing sucks."
"For real," Alex said, unclipping his current arm and tossing it into a pile of scrap. "It malfunctions randomly and looks like it was ripped off a broken robot. But what do you expect? It was free. From a hospital no less."
He fitted the new arm into place.
Click.
He gave it a test swing.
"…Why do you like making heavy stuff?" he asked.
"Heavier equals stronger," Julia replied. "It may look simple, but titanium isn't easy to mold. I did a hell of a lot of metalwork for that. And I added something extra."
She grinned."Contract your fingers."
Alex did.
Schlk.Metal claws slid smoothly from the fingertips.
He raised an eyebrow.
"And this is for…?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "It looks cool. But it could help with climbing."
Alex flexed his hand, watching the claws retract and extend.
"…Okay. I can't say I dislike it."
Julia stretched and yawned.
"That's all for now. Which means I officially have no projects. So if you've got any crazy ideas,not too crazy I'm listening."
Alex shrugged.
"What about an arc reactor that we'vediscussed before?"
She stared at him.
"I've told you. Something like that is currently beyond me,I'm no nuclear engineer. At best, I could maybe make a normal reactor with enough time and resources. A mini one? Absolutely not."
"Okay… what about a glider? Invisibility suit? Super soldier serum?"
Julia blinked slowly.
"What do I look like to you? Be honest."
"I don't know. A super genius scientist living under the same roof as me."
She rolled her eyes but smirked slightly.
"Thanks for the compliment. But how exactly do you expect me to make a super soldier serum?"
"I don't know," Alex said casually. "Some formula that accelerates muscle growth, improves bone density… then boom. Add some Vita Rays. Boom. Super soldier."
"Right,boom," she repeated flatly. "Super soldier."
She crossed her arms.
"There is no such thing as Vita Rays."
"we could figure something out or we could attempt that." He said wiggling his eyebrows.
"Absolutely not. And I am never attempting a spine implant on you either. One mistake and you're paralyzed for life,i dont even know where you are coming up with these ideas."
Alex raised both hands.
"Alright. Glider it is then."
"I'll start working on it when I have time," Julia said, yawning. "I pulled an all-nighter finishing this stuff."
"Understandable."
He headed toward the stairs.
"Tomorrow, I'm taking you out for a day at a spa. My treat."
She perked up.
"That would be nice. How much did you get paid anyway?"
"After debts? One-fifty. He walked away with seventy. Should be enough to cover essentials and fund your projects."
Julia nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"Anyway," Alex said, climbing the stairs, "I'm heading out. I'll be back this evening."
"Where are you going?"
He didn't stop walking.
"I'll be right back."
And with that, he disappeared upstairs.
End of Chapter.