Device {Complete}

Chapter 1

Isaias Redding sat on a park bench catching his breath, heart racing, staring into the night. His eyes scanned the horizon around him, searching for anyone who may have followed.

His thoughts shifted to just a few minutes ago. The scientist, she shouldn't have been there. She had seen him. Isaias had easily taken care of all of the video and audio that could have recorded him, but she was the wild card he hadn't expected.

He knew there was a risk, but he really wanted to try out the new tech that KenoLabs had been working on. The virtual reality device had been teased to the public for months, and the initial release date was long past. Isaias had always been caught up with the newest tech, and he was more than excited about the device. The device wasn't like its predecessors. It was touted to be a completely immersive experience.

Holding the device in his hands, he smiled like a kid. The small, curved item fit neatly in his palm. To the casual observer, it wouldn't look like anything special. It slightly reminded him of the old headphones that used an earbud, but fit over the ear for a more secure fit. The device had a silver coating that was reflecting the moon's light in the sleek surface.

Isaias's hunger for new tech hadn't always been easy to sate. In legal terms, he was an orphan, losing his parents before the age of ten. He had been placed with a foster family shortly after the death of his parents, but he knew he would never feel at home. What the city officials hadn't known was that his parents had taken him somewhere many times before they died. It had been like a second home to him, and a fine home for him now.

He rose from the park bench with one last scan across the landscape, satisfied that no one had followed him. Isaias made purposeful, quick strides across the freshly mowed grass, still occasionally looking for anyone in the area. He reached a line of small trees, skirted through, and turned left to follow the sidewalk on the other side of them. He took off at a slight jog. He was ready to get home and try out the VR device.

A few minutes later he arrived at a building that others might find uninteresting, which was completely the point. The brick, well kept, two story façade looked like every other house in the general vicinity. The manicured lawn contained a few tastefully placed shrubs and flowers, along with a couple tall oak trees in the back. What others didn't know is that this house was special. No one knew that more than Isaias.

He knocked on the white door, waiting patiently for an answer. He knew it might take a while since it was two o'clock in the morning. They typically had a guard on duty, but he also inevitably fell asleep. The door opened a moment later and Isaias stepped in. The door was quickly closed behind him.

"Hello, Frederick," Isaias greeted the guard. He watched Frederick rub the sleep from his eyes. Isaias smiled. "Asleep again? You know we really should hire a new guard."

"Yeah, yeah," Frederick shrugged it off. "How are you doing, boss?"

"Never better!" Isaias replied, holding up his prize for Frederick to inspect. The guard gently turned the device around in his hands, trying to decipher its importance. He started to lift it towards his ear, but Isaias snatched the device away.

"You're welcome to try it out... but only after I do!" Isaias said with a smile. "I didn't even think you cared about technology."

"I care. You can't not care about it these days. I just was trying to figure out what made it so special," Frederick explained.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know. Well, good night," Isaias called as he turned to continue into the house. He always thought it was funny that Frederick called him 'boss.' He wasn't at the top of the food chain around here. He was closer than he used to be, but not there yet. The first and second floors of the building looked like a middle class family lived here. It needed to look like that, so people didn't get too curious.

When he reached the kitchen, he opened the pantry door and stepped inside. After closing the door, a light clicked on and a holographic screen projected from the ceiling. After stating his name, the voice recognition triggered the unlock sequence. A quiet click was all you could hear as a door under the floor slid open and the pantry floor started gliding downward. It jerked to a stop on the next floor down and the moment Isaias stepped off of the platform, it zipped back up into place. He watched the second door slide closed once again, locking with another quiet click.

The hallway before him had multiple doors, all of them closed. Most of them were for storage, but if someone were to find this part of their home, they wouldn't know that. They would waste time looking through the rooms while the residents made their escape. Everything was so well thought out and it filled him with pride. His parents had designed the home, and had been frequent visitors.

He quickly traversed to the end and took a right. A device scanned his face and a click sounded above him. The door's steel bar lock mechanism released and Isaias opened the door, making sure to close it behind him.

He was greeted with near silence since almost everyone was asleep. He noticed Bree and Alder on the couch. They briefly looked up to acknowledge him, as Isaias responded with a quick wave. His stomach knotted as he spotted Logan. Logan was sitting in a tall backed arm chair, staring straight at Isaias. His eyes were foretelling trouble, and it made Isaias want to turn around and escape. He stood as Isaias got closer.

"Isaias," Logan rumbled. Isaias was tall, but Logan seemed to tower over him. And where Isaias had muscle, Logan had triple. It made Logan look like a big volcano with his red hair. "Xara wants to see you." Without waiting for a response, he prodded Isaias along in front of him towards the control center.

"What did I do now?" Isaias turned to ask, although it probably had to do with his most recent mistake. He was greeted with silence, but dutifully made his way to the real 'boss.' A few more turns took them to the control center.

The door was wide open, revealing all of the monitors from cameras around the home for security purposes. Below them, an array of buttons controlled various cameras and sensors. Isaias never knew what each was for because it had never interested him. A few paper thin televisions seemed to float on another wall, all turned to news stations. TV was broadcast in standard 3D, full-color holograms projecting into the room.

"Isaias," a familiar voice sounded. He turned to see Xara walking towards them. Her dark skin reflected the lights in the room. Her braids swung slightly as she shook her head at him in disappointment. "You got caught. A very rookie move for someone so experienced, not to mention dangerous."

"Wait, how do you know that someone saw me?" Isaias asked, suddenly nervous.

"It was on the news. They don't specifically name you, but I'm sure they would know you by face," Xara explained. "Hand me the device." Isaias did as he was told, hoping that she would still let him be the first to try it out. Xara had a soft spot for Isaias, but there was no arguing with her. Her word might as well have been law in this house. Xara shrugged. "This is what you risked your well being for?"

"I know. I won't know what is so great until I try it on myself," Isaias said, motioning for her to hand it back. When she did, it was deliberately slowly.

Xara scowled, but what she said was, "You're lucky I was friends with your parents. Anyone else would be in serious trouble right now. And make no mistake, you are, but wait until tomorrow to try that out. And make sure you have someone with you. It's still a prototype, after all."

With a nod, Isaias proceeded to his room. He knew Xara was just looking out for him, but he was old enough to take care of himself. He turned the device over in his hands as he walked. As excited as he was, the scientist's words rang through his mind, 'Don't use the device! It's not ready yet!'