Dexter stepped inside and walked toward the large bookshelf against one wall. The room was orderly, with books, equipment, and several personal belongings arranged in their usual places. Jenny glanced around briefly before noticing Dexter examining a particular section of the shelf.
"Now, there's something I want to show you," he said.
He pressed a concealed mechanism along the shelf's frame. A quiet mechanical click sounded, and the entire bookshelf shifted sideways, revealing a hidden passage and a platform behind it.
Jenny's eyes widened.
"Whoa! You have a secret passage in your bedroom?" she exclaimed.
Dexter stepped onto the platform beyond the opening and glanced back at her. "It leads directly to my laboratory."
Jenny followed him inside, looking around at the enclosed platform. "Wait, this is an elevator?"
"Precisely," Dexter replied, reaching for the control panel. "It would be rather inconvenient to walk all the way down there."
Dexter stepped onto the platform, and Jenny quickly followed. He pressed a button on the control panel, causing the hidden entrance to close behind them. A moment later, the elevator began descending.
Jenny looked around, trying to estimate how far underground they were going.
"How big is your laboratory, anyway?"
"Quite large."
The elevator continued downward before eventually slowing to a stop. Its doors slid open, revealing a vast underground complex.
Jenny stepped out and stopped.
The laboratory stretched far beyond what she had expected. Multiple levels of workstations, specialized equipment, computer systems, and research facilities occupied the enormous space. Large monitors displayed streams of data, while automated machinery operated in designated areas. The ceiling rose high above them, and the entire facility was illuminated by carefully positioned lights.
Jenny slowly turned her head, taking everything in.
"Whoa..."
Dexter stepped beside her. "Welcome to my laboratory."
"This is your lab?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief. "I thought you meant you had a pretty big workshop or something, but this is enormous!"
"It serves as my primary research facility. I also have several other locations dedicated to specific projects."
"Several other locations?" Jenny repeated. "How many laboratories do you have?"
"Enough to accommodate my research."
Jenny looked at him. "You really don't like giving straight answers, do you?"
"I prefer to avoid unnecessary details."
She laughed and followed him as he began giving her a tour.
Dexter explained the layout of the facility, showing her the main engineering section, his computer stations, and several specialized workspaces. He described some of the research taking place in each area, although he deliberately avoided discussing certain projects in too much detail. Jenny was interested in practically everything she saw, and her questions occasionally prompted Dexter to explain the purpose of equipment that would otherwise have remained a mystery.
She was no stranger to advanced technology. Her creator, Dr. Nora Wakeman, had equipped her with sophisticated systems and capabilities that most engineers could only dream of developing. Nevertheless, Dexter's laboratory was on an entirely different scale from anything she had encountered before.
It was also considerably larger than her mother's own laboratory.
"So this is what you've been doing all this time?" Jenny asked as they passed another workstation.
"Among other things," Dexter replied. "I did promise that we would spend some time together after San Fransokyo, but circumstances became rather complicated."
"That's putting it mildly," Jenny said with a playful smile. "You disappeared for a while."
"I had a vacation planned. When I returned, preparations for the Dextrotech expo took up most of my schedule. Several experiments also required my attention, and I have been spending time with a musical group."
"A musical group?" Jenny asked.
"Yes. I'm part of a band with some friends. We're preparing for an upcoming festival."
"You play in a band?," Jenny remarked, looking at Dexter with newfound curiosity.
"I play guitar," he explained as they continued walking through the laboratory.
Jenny's expression brightened. "Really? That's so cool! What kind of music do you play?"
"It depends on the song," Dexter answered casually.
"Well, you're going to have to let me hear you play sometime!" she said with an enthusiastic smile.
Dexter glanced at her before giving a small smile of his own. "Perhaps I will."
They continued walking until Jenny suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Oh, before I forget!"
She raised one arm. A section of her forearm shifted open, and a small metallic compartment slid outward. From within it, she retrieved a tiny data chip and held it out to Dexter.
"Here. The formula for adamantium."
Dexter's attention immediately shifted to the chip. He accepted it carefully, examining the small device before looking back at her. "Thank you for this, Jenny. I owe you one."
Jenny shook her head and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. You said you needed it, so I got it for you."
Dexter smiled. "I appreciate it nonetheless."
He walked over to a nearby workstation and inserted the chip into a secure data reader. A moment later, the monitor illuminated, displaying a series of technical diagrams and molecular specifications.
Adamantium.
It was one of the materials he had been searching for, and a particularly important component in a project he had struggled to complete. The metal was renowned for its extraordinary durability, possessing a molecular structure that made it virtually indestructible once properly bonded. Even extreme temperatures, reaching approximately five hundred thousand degrees Celsius, would not melt the finished material.
It was precisely what Dexter needed for his talisman project.
He had been developing a device capable of safely storing and containing the energy of multiple talismans. At present, his body could only handle the power of one talisman at a time without suffering excessive strain. Combining two was possible, but only for a brief period. A suitable containment system would allow him to overcome that limitation
.
Adamantium was one of the essential materials required for the device.
The problem had been obtaining the genuine formula.
Dexter had known about the metal for some time. With access to the databases of several major organizations, including S.H.I.E.L.D., GDN, and Providence, he had searched for information about its composition and manufacturing process.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records contained classified information about adamantium, but even after accessing them, Dexter had discovered that the available formula was deliberately false. He had already attempted to reproduce the metal using those specifications, only to find that the results were useless.
The only reliable information he had uncovered concerned the metal's creator, metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain, and his family. Following that trail had eventually led him to Dr. Nora Wakeman, Jenny's creator and mother.
Myron MacLain was her great-grandfather.
That connection had provided Dexter with a possible way to obtain the real formula. Jenny herself was also an ideal source of information. Her body was constructed primarily from adamantium, with vibranium incorporated into its design. The combination was part of what allowed her to withstand the tremendous forces, explosions, and impacts she regularly encountered without being destroyed.
Dexter had approached her with the explanation that he wanted to improve the armor he used when helping people. That wasn't entirely untrue as Dexter will certainly benefit from stronger materials to help him withstand the power in those talismans.
Still, there was more to his interest than that.
Inviting her to spend time with him had therefore served two purposes: obtaining the formula he needed and getting to know someone whose technology fascinated him.
Of course, he had also genuinely wanted to follow through on his invitation to hang out. He hadn't forgotten their conversation in San Fransokyo, even if his busy schedule had delayed it.
Dexter saved the data to his secure database before carefully removing the chip and placing it in a storage case.
"Everything all right?" Jenny asked.
"Quite," Dexter replied, adjusting his glasses. "This is exactly what I needed."
"Glad I could help."
He gave her a small smile before gesturing toward another corridor. "Come along. There's something else I want you to see."
Jenny followed him, her gaze wandering across the laboratory as they walked.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Dexter smiled. "I want you to meet some guys who are living in this lab."
"Some guys? You mean other scientists?"
"Not quite."
They reached a large door at the end of the corridor. Dexter stopped in front of the access panel and entered a sequence of commands. A soft chime sounded, and the heavy doors began to separate.
Jenny expected to see another laboratory or perhaps a large storage room. Instead, an enormous stretch of natural terrain unfolded before her eyes.
Trees rose from the ground in thick clusters, their branches spreading beneath an artificial sky. A broad lake shimmered in the distance, reflecting the light from above, while patches of grass and dense vegetation covered the landscape. The environment extended far beyond what the entrance suggested, creating the impression of stepping into an entirely different world hidden beneath the facility.
Jenny stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the forest. "Wait... What?"
Dexter stepped beside her, looking toward the landscape with a small, satisfied smile.
Jenny took a few steps forward, trying to take in the sheer size of the place. "There's a whole forest down here?"
"Indeed."
She looked from the trees to the lake, then back at Dexter.
"How is this even possible?"