This was going to be both my financial success and legacy to the world. A new form of technology that would improve the response times of emergency services and save lives.

‘This is going to be a game changer. I did it. All I need is to make sure is that the presenta-’

At least that was the last thought running through my brain before the moment I saw an empty and stripped warehouse before it exploded. The blast caught me off guard and my last piece of technology saved me from dying. Not recovering. That took far longer.

‘Sir? You need to stay down. Just, just stay down right now. A mess, his body is a total mess. I need to check his condition, give me a hand here.’

‘How is he still moving? He looks lucky to be alive. Pulse rate is standard which is impossible. This guy must have ice for blood.’

‘His flesh, what happened to him?’

‘Ma’am just keep away. I said you need to keep away. Back away from the site. We’ve found one survivor, no other bodies. No, no comment right now.’

‘Help him, you need to-’

‘I have all the authority to be here, just check out my credentials. I’m not a reported. My name is Ma-’

‘Sir? Can you respond to me? You’re going to be ok, we just need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me? There, he moved. Let’s get him loaded up in three…two…’

‘Idiot. Nikolai, you should have listene-’

Voices. Fragments. Someone spoke my name before there was a loud slam and my mind shut down and then I woke up inside a pristine white hospital room with a nurse hitting a button next to my bed and leaving the room.

After a month in the hospital of thinking and slowly recovering. The doctors called a miracle a waste of time the police told me regarding their investigation. An explosion in a warehouse destroyed all clues in a place that was due for demolition anyway, they asked me if I had insurance on the property as though I caused it myself to make a claim and make a get-rich-quick scene.

My savings were mostly wiped after the hospital payments were covered, my medical healthcare insurance had partially covered the costs and the rest was directly charged and then paid from my bank account. The rest of my money went on securing a new place to live which was hard to find given that I paid cash directly. I didn’t feel like going out and applying for new jobs or freelance work was a good idea given that all my efforts and proof of identity had gone up in flames.

Currently, I was sitting in a half-finished room surrounded by several desks with a few different monitors and radios tuned in to various news networks trying to pick up any new information. Filled-up notebooks were scattered in a rough pile by my feet, next to a wastepaper bin filled with scrunched-up old paper. I had been fortunate to set up a few recording devices that could filter the most relevant information, but this entire process was taking a long time.

I saw it on the news, which was my first clue. A notification flashed up with a video that gave me a direct clue. An impossible road robbery heist had been committed and the authorities were at a loss to track down the perpetrator. It was a breadcrumb that I had been searching for, it was the specifics that I was interested in.

On a major motorway, an unmarked security truck with several police escorts had been broken into before a person had jumped out of the back and a motorcycle had just appeared in the air before leaving them all in the dust. The odd thing was that the hole in the vehicle had come from the inside, the driver of the motorcycle was a fully covered figure who had jumped from the roof of a bus right into mid-air on a moving highway right after the security vehicle began swerving in busy traffic.

A local news report made it clear that it was being investigated at the federal level but wasn’t warranted enough to make major news. Plenty of people discussing it though, someone had coined the theory that it was a military experiment or a new type of technology that had been stolen by a criminal gang.

The answer was spot on. The reason is that it didn’t go any further in the media. Nothing was stolen from the transporting truck. No money, no valuables, not even an injury to the two security personnel who both swore that the hole in the vehicle had grown from the inside before a dark cloud had flown right out.

It sounded like something straight out of a movie and not many people were willing to believe the whole thing had happened. There was a great deal of chatter about the whole situation but on the whole, those witnesses who saw it, in first-person, quickly became silent when they had a visit from either a corporate type offering a substantial payment in return for signing a non-disclosure agreement or men in suits who represented a government branch of the armed forces.

I was able to track down that much by being given access to the police records. The whole thing had been called a movie stunt with all involved being unwitting participants. I knew that it had been a test run of an amazing new technology that had yet to be replicated and developed in society. The reason that I knew all of this was that it had originally been developed by me.

It wasn’t a secret of the military nor a development from a major corporation. No, it had been stolen and untracked until that little incident on a minor news network, where it had been promptly ignored and filed away as a minor incident. Aside from a few people it had completely slipped under the radar. My efforts in arguing that my life’s work had been stolen had been returned

I had been sitting in a partially built building at this time because it was still awaiting completion the electrics were yet to be installed but the essential structure was there. According to the sign outside, the building was under construction and should only be accessed by the owners or workers. I had been posted a key with specific directions to find the house along with a letter of authority from the owning company that permitted my occupancy.

This building had no address and wasn’t listed as a recognisable location. I had been told that the safest place for me to stay for short periods would be in homes that didn’t exist yet. This was one of the hidden places of the world, if you drove past a construction site then you’d be more likely to forget it, especially if the construction crew were on a break for a week.

The only issues that I had were the dust and the flooring. The rough half-built area that was meant to be my temporary home. A single military-style cot bed, a few crates full of water and nutritional if bland food packs and a few of my belongings. A few worn-out books I had read through dozens of times, a couple of comics and a metallic-style necklace that I had taken off and put on the side.

I was sitting on the bed at this time reading through old newspaper cuttings that had been dropped off in front of the building in a cardboard box, some of them were even crumpled as though whoever had dropped off the box had thrown it from a moving card.

A cell phone rang at this point. It rested on top of one of the food crates, buzzing before it rang in a soft tone. I had turned down the volume to almost mute to avoid any unnecessary sounds in this place. I did have a daily exercise routine of press-ups, sit-ups, and squats but that had been forced on me as I had been told that to maintain a healthy and able mind then I needed to religiously stick to an exercise routine. Apparently, for a person with little social contact exercise became a necessity.

Possibly my only contact these days and I felt that it had been out of a sense of boredom more than anything else. She was the one who offered me decent advice that I did have to take on board. A good exercise routine and a balanced diet for one.

I picked up my brick-sized white phone and glanced the restricted caller ID number that was on the light green screen before pressing the answer button. I sighed deeply, gazing around my surroundings before talking.

‘Hello, Nikolai speaking.’

‘Hey, idiot. How’s your waste of time search going?’

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

‘…How did you find out so quickly?’

‘We’ve been over this, I’m better than you at so, so many things. Information gathering for one.’

I sighed at this. She was rude when talking directly to me but not in a demeaning way. More like she just said what she thought about me at the time. Her military training I supposed.

‘What are you calling me about this time?’

The voice on the other end of the line paused for a moment.

‘Hello?’ I called out before a strangled noise came out from the other side of the conversation.

The choking noise was making me become concerned for a moment before I picked on the fact that it was an attempt to stop laughing out loud. Great, another joke at my expense.

‘Nikolai.’ The tone sounded serious this time.

‘…Yes?’

‘You...you are…’ Mariko struggled to get the words out.

‘I don’t want to be called idiot over and over. Enough with the insults already, you have more information and better connections than me. I got it. Why can’t you just leave me alone?’

‘Hah. Sorry, hard to keep a straight face even over the phone after you admit the blatant truth. Got to do my job and help out the needy, weak and poor. Oh, and don’t forget losers. Well, you’re only a semi-loser.’

‘Riko…don’t test my patience.

‘Oho. Are you challenging me now?’

‘I’ll do it. Just come and see me in person. Let’s get it out, I’ll tell people about you.’

‘No Nikolai you won’t. You’re a passive-aggressive person who’s too scared to take the time to track me down and challenge me to a real fight. Weak. To make it short, I’ll kick your ass in so many ways that you’ll be sitting down for years. Don’t worry though, it’ll be a valuable learning experience just for you.’

‘I’ll still do it. You still think I’m scared you? Military or otherwise I still kept records of our full conversations and meetings.’

The voice on the other end of the phone took on a more serious tone now. It sounded angry and dangerous. When her tone changed, I knew that she had stopped joking at my expense and would mean every single word she said.

‘’You do that, and I’ll release your information directly to the local authorities. A few trumped-up charges and you’ll be arrested for theft.’

‘Hah, I have nothing right now. Just an idea of revenge, that’s not a threat to me.’

‘What about the necklace?’

‘It’s not a piece of costume jewellery.’

‘Right. You wouldn’t mind me taking a closer look at it then?’

‘I would mind. In fact, how about you just never touch it in your lifetime. No offense.’

‘Touchy guy. Rude as well. It’s not as though you’re making any money off it right now. Just a few days for an off-site R&D department to take a quick analysis….’

‘No. The answer is no. This prototype belongs with me.’

‘Either way, it’s a useful technology to the right bidder. The military has a lot of different branches, even the private sector would be keen to dissect it. In the right hands, it’s worth serious money. You could always sell it.’

‘Nope, won’t happen. It’s already bonded to my genetic makeup. I’m unable to remove it.’

‘Fine, take the hard way. Use your made-up theories instead.’

‘Check it out, Dee En A. Go and use your connections to check it out and stop wasting my time. You’re only calling me out of boredom.’

‘Is that right? Tell me, Nikolai, how many friends do you have?’

I didn’t like the tone of her voice when she spoke like that. She spoke the words with pure purpose. Sometimes her words cut deep.

‘I’m not going to answer that question, Riko.’

‘I’ll tell you then Nikolai. You have zero friends, same for any acquaintances. All due to your desire for vengeance. It’s made you a paranoid freak who has this incredible talent for ignoring basic human instinct and making friends. Just a tech fiend.’

‘Right. You don’t count as a fellow tech fiend?’

The voice struggled again like she was trying to stop herself from bursting out with laughter.

‘Sad, that’s sad that you’re saying that in the first place. I’m not your friend Nikolai, more like an interested private citizen. An information broker and support worker. Out of a sense of boredom, honest.’

‘Shut up and give me the information or I’m going to smash this phone.’

‘I’ll send a box of replacements then. Oh, wait your current address is meant to be hidden isn’t it? You really shouldn’t accept help from strangers too often.’

‘Mariko.’ I clenched my jaw shut. ‘Where did you track the motorcycle?’

‘Oh, you wanted information. Why didn’t you ask for specific information, to begin with instead of defending your lonely and paranoid lifestyle? Idiot.’

‘…I give up. You win.’

‘I want you to say it. The main thing is that you’re willing to listen to my advice and act on it. I don’t want you getting hurt or worse. I’ve invested time and energy on your behalf.’

‘This is bullying.’

‘Definitely. Now shut up and I’ll get the information sent over to your present address by courier. Do you need any further money for expenses?’

‘No. I just need a place to sleep, food to eat, water to drink and sufficient knowledge to track down my missing tech. I’m not clear how much longer I should be staying in this location.’

‘The paranoia part of your life flares up again. You need to find some new hobbies Nikolai; your present location is secure. For now at least.’

‘The information will be on its way. By the way, don’t you dare to break your phone? I will send a boxful your way if needed.’

‘….Got it. Thanks for the help, Mariko.’

‘Hey, I’m just a bored rich girl remember? Catch you later. Idiot.’

I pressed the red button on the phone at this point cancelling the call. I believed that if I did smash the phone then she would send me an entire crate of the things just to prove a point. She was spiteful that way. I’d call her my guardian angel, but she was more like a bored tiger pretending to be a cute cat. The funny thing was that I’d only met her in person once but the impression that she made on me was unforgettable.

Given that she was so far ahead of the information curve than me in terms of technology and accessibility it was no surprise that she was able to track down one of the culprits who had got hold of my technology in the first place.

When I received a call on a public telephone telling me that she had had been told of my situation through local authorities and the hospital and was willing to provide me funding free of charge I thought that it was a prank call.

I figured that certain highly placed people in the armed forces, including a few weapons designers, would have picked up on rumours of what I was developing.

Even private sector equipment suppliers had an idea that a new prototype weapons system was being created. Exact details of my location and specific understanding of what I had been building It was a near impossibility.

This woman Mariko simply knew details about me that shouldn’t have been possible without intensive research. The only reason that I had agreed to meet her in the first place was an unnamed box appearing at my address at the time filled with my favourite chocolate bars.

Despite setting up a basic security system for my own protection it failed to track anyone drop it off and I’d never told anyone that it happened to be my preferred type. A white brick of a phone had been included in the box and I had received a message after opening the box and eating a few of them. It simply read: ‘I’m not a friend but I’m keen to support your search. Enjoy your junk food.’