Brandon sat on his bed. He was reaching inside his watch. The fog in the watch remained, covering most of the content inside. Brandon tried to tap the fog and felt himself being bounced back.

It has been days since the incident with Jaison. After what happened, Jaison seemed to be much more respectful to Brandon. In fact, it was as if he was admiring his older brother. Brandon didn't think much of it. He only did what he, as a brother, should do. That’s it.

In the meantime, Brandon has continued to explore the contents in the watch. He has managed to make quite the discovery. For instance, he learned that it was possible to shift the form of the sword and the gun with just his mind. The handgun could also be a sniper rifle. The sword could be a dagger as well as a spear. In alternate modes, the firepower and function of the weapons vary. The science behind this was way beyond his understanding.

He has also dug deeper into the interface. It took him a day to find out there was an AI in the interface that could help him utilize the interface better. Brandon simply called it Alpha Interface. He never cared for using fancy names.

Brandon’s watch included 3 orange crystals and 15 red crystals. After a few tests, he realized orange crystals contained much more energy than their red counterparts. They lasted longer when placed in weapons and armors.

Aside from the set of gadgets, Brandon also found a lot of strange items. Whoever the previous owner of the watch was, he was a world traveler. Some of the items were obviously useful while others weren’t as much.

The sound of the garage door opening caused Brandon to exit his watch and go downstairs. His parents must be back, which meant it was time to help make dinner.

When he reached the door between the garage and the house, he was slightly taken back as her mom entered, obviously distraught. He didn't need to have an artifical intelligence to see that.

“Mom? You alright?” He frowned. As a child, it was his duty to help his parents however he could.

“I’m fine.” Mrs. Bai bit her lips. Moments ago, she was fired by the hospital she worked in for a bullshit reason. She has worked there for over a decade, and as of a few hours, she was officially jobless. The transition from a member of the middle class to one looking for job wasn’t easy. Of course, she would never tell her children that.

Brandon’s frown darkened, but he didn't press forward. If his mother didn't think it was best to tell him, then pressing forward couldn’t do much. He changed the topic.

“Do you know if dad’s coming home soon?”

“I don’t…I don’t know. But it shouldn’t be long. I’ll get the food ready. I don’t feel like making food today so I’ll probably just heat up some leftovers from yesterday.”

“Ok.” Brandon could see his mom wanted some time along, so he nodded obediently and walked upstairs to his room. As soon as he got to a private environment, he armed himself with the white arm pieces. He tapped the one with the mini-computer.

“Alpha, hack into my mom’s phone and find out what happened today.”

Brandon knew, just like his weapons, the computer probably could be controlled by his mind as well, but as of the moment he wasn’t able to clearly convey a complicated idea to the computer without using words. It was one thing to imagine an axe. It was another to pose a detailed mission.

Given the order, the mini-computer jumped into action. It might be the size of an index card, but it was stronger than any supercomputer on the planet. It punched through Mrs. Bai’s phone’s firewall and searched through every bit and piece of information and device contained. The AI automatically got rid of the unrelated data, combined those related, and formulated a response.

“Your mother has just being fired by the Howard Hospital for violating health and safety codes. Wait...there’s something else.”

“What is it?”

“Two seconds ago, your family’s bank account has just made a transfer. $500,000 was moved to an alternate account without the approval or knowledge of your parents.”

“What?” Brandon’s eyes went wide open. That $500,000 was most of his family’s savings. Unlike most Americans, his parents believed it would be wiser to save money rather than blow them away on useless pleasures. That money was the product of a decade of sweat and tear. Who could’ve done such a thing?

If his parents found out, it would be a heavy blow.

“Can you track the account the money is sent to?”

“Affirmative.”

Ok. Brandon took a slight breath of relief. At least he wasn’t completely useless against what just happened. Now that he had a few seconds to think, he realized something. There was no way all these bad news just came in at once by chance.

There’s someone behind this...someone that wanted to rip his family apart.

“I need to find my father.” Mr. Bai was a lawyer. In a situation like this, he was the perfect person to deal with the unknown adversary. Even with his watch, Brandon didn't even consider the idea of stepping in himself. It was one thing to hack into his mother’s account. It was another to take down a foe. Like he told Jaison, he didn't want the wrong people to know what he could do.

“Alpha, call my father. Use my phone.”

Alpha took control of Brandon’s iPhone, which was lying on his table. The phone switched to speaker mode and started dialing his father’s phone.

The dial continued, but there was no response.

“Alpha…” Brandon was just about to issue another order when someone picked up the phone. “Dad! Listen to me…”

“This is Officer Carrie Thornwood.”

“What…” Brandon felt like he needed to stop being so easily surprised, but he just couldn’t help it. He considered himself above most teenagers his age, but with everything that has happened, even he wasn’t able to keep a solid face.

“What is your relationship with Mr. Jonathan Bai?”

“Uh...he’s my father.” Brandon gestured toward his phone. It was meant for Alpha. Just as he hoped, Alpha understood what he wanted. It quickly got into the public website of the Chicago Police Department and looked up the name. There was indeed a match. Seeing the green check on the interface, Brandon turned back to the phone.

“What’s wrong? Is he ok?”

“Not so much. Your father has been involved in a traffic accident. He is being brought to the Howard Hospital right now via ambulance. I’m sorry to inform you that.”

“Ok...we’ll be on our way.” Brandon quietly ended the call. For a moment, he was really panicking. His father was in life threatening situation. His mother has lost her job, and his family was practically out of money. He acted tough in front of the school dean and resource officer, but he was, in the end, a high school student. He had no experience with situations like this.

His eyes laid on the watch on his right wrist...

Perhaps he might not be so hopeless after all.

Brandon quickly ran out of his room and informed his family. Well, the rest of his family. Within five minutes, they were in a car, heading for Howard Hospital.

“The patient’s situation has stabilized, but he needs immediate surgery.”

Thanks to Mrs. Bai’s familiarity with the hospital that has just fired her, the trio was able to reach the surgery room minutes after they parked their car.

Brandon let out a small smile when he heard the good news.

“Well, then get him in surgery.” Mrs. Bai urged. She was in the doctor mode already. Hours of being jobless couldn’t wipe out decades’ of habit. She knew in a situation like this one, even minutes were precious.

The nurse looked down, almost out of guilt.

“You need to pay the money first. You already owe the hospital the cost of the emergency treatment.”

Mrs. Bai was taken back, paralyzed in shock. When she was the one bearing white, she would never demand a patient’s family to pay before she operates on the patient. But she knew arguing could only lead to more time wasted. The nurse wasn’t the one making the call anyways. She quickly left her children and ran toward the front desk with her debit card in hand.

It took Brandon a few seconds to remember his family’s bank account was just recently emptied. His expression suddenly turned ice cold. There was no doubt the one that hacked the bank account was also the one that got his father into the traffic accident. This was all part of his plan.

Whoever it was behind the scheme wanted Brandon’s father dead.

Maybe that person was the reason these medical personnel insisted on payment before treatment. The mastermind knew they wouldn’t be able to pay.

The teenager’s fist closed. Who would do such a thing? He didn't think he had any noteworthy enemy, and neither should Jaison. Maybe it was someone with a personal grudge against his father? Lawyers don’t get the best reputation.

“Look,” Mrs. Bai ran back. Panic was on her face. “Something went wrong with my bank account...but I promise you, I will pay the money! Just perform the surgery first!”

The nurse sighed. “I’m sorry, madame, I really am, but it’s not my decision to make.”

“I work here!” Mrs. Bai suddenly slammed her fist into the wall. “I have worked here for twenty years, and I have never turned a patient away just because there was something off with his bank account! Perform the surgery now!”

“Madame, I will need you to calm down.” A security guard walked up from behind and touched his baton threateningly.

Brandon knew a fight here wouldn’t help anyone, so he held onto his mother and pulled her to a chair on the side. He turned to Jaison, who has been observing this entire event unfold in silence.

“I need to go to the bathroom. Watch mom and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“What?” Jaison was confused, but Brandon was done explaining. He quickly left his family and headed into the hospital’s bathroom. He entered a compartment, locked the door, and started to whisper to Alpha Interface.

“Alpha, give me a list of the items in my watch…”

When Brandon left the bathroom, he was in white armor from top to bottom, not that anyone would see it. The armor cloaked him. He could still be touched, but visually, he didn't exist.

Just one of the many tricks the armor had.

Brandon walked past his mother, who was arguing with the nurse. Jaison placed himself between the security guard and his pissed off parent. But Brandon didn't stop for them. He opened the door slightly and slipped into the surgery room.

Jaison rose an eyebrow when he saw the door opened and closed without anyone touching it, but his attention was quickly dragged back to the heated situation.

A surgeon and two nurses were inside the surgery room, but Brandon wasn’t here for them. His eyes quickly landed on the man on the bed.

“Dad…”

Brandon could feel his heart shivering. Ever since he could remember things, his father has being standing tall like an oak. No matter how heavy the storm was, he could always react calmly and protect his children. Deep down, Brandon sought to become someone like that. Someone who wouldn’t drop a sweat in the worst situation.

Now the oak has fallen.

Doesn’t matter. I will take care of you now.

Brandon’s took out a tranquilizer from his watch and shot all three in the room. Of course. This wasn’t the medieval ages. Already, Brandon’s AI has found its way into the security network of the hospital, altering the surveillance footage of this room.

When his tracks were covered, Brandon finally knelt down beside his father. He took out a green potion and slipped it into Jonathan Bai’s mouth.

At first, nothing seemed to have happened. Good. Brandon would do anything for his parents, but he realized if his father suddenly went from dying to perfectly healthy, questions would rise. The potion was designed to slowly heal a person. His father’s return to health would still be surprising, but it wouldn’t be an impossible miracle.

That’s the best for everyone.

Brandon dragged the surgeon and the nurses to three chairs and laid them down. Half a minute later, the surgeon was the first to wake up.

“Oh my…” He was speechless toward himself. Falling asleep inside a surgery room was one of the most severe acts of negligence. Plus, the last thing he remembered was standing up. But he didn't have much time to think. His eyes quickly landed on the computer screen with the statistics of the patient.

“That’s...odd…Kim! Julie! Wake up! Wake up!”

But Brandon didn't have the time to deal with all the commotion. He walked out the surgery room and walked by his family. When he was going by Jaison, he paused and whispered.

“Jaison, tell mom I have to go somewhere. It’s an emergency. Do whatever you have to do without me.”

Jaison turned around and found nothing.

“Brandon?”

“Do it.” Brandon didn't leave any room for question as he left his confused brother.

What he did wasn’t perfect. In fact, it had countless flaws. The surgeon and the nurses were definite loose ends. But this was the best he could do. If he was given sufficient time, he might be able to formulate a better time, but his father was dying. Taking some risk for the man who raised him and took care of him for nearly two decades was worth it.

As he walked, Brandon clutched his fist.

His father was safe, but this wasn’t over.

Someone wanted to destroy his family, and there’s no way in hell he would let that go unpunished.