"Knock! Knock!"
"Come in."
Alex Hernandez entered the boss's room, anyone could notice the uneasy expression on his face.
"Hello, sir! Good morning," Alex greeted the man standing by the glass window, staring out into the distance. He was a man of many tales, a living legend, and a successful entrepreneur. Despite recently celebrating his 52nd birthday, he possessed an aura of confidence and a solid build that defied his age.
Without turning to face Alex, the man commanded, "Sit down. Now, Alex, tell me what is happening and why. Everything was going so well!"
As Alex took a seat in one of the chairs facing the desk, he began to explain the situation.
"Sir, we are equally perplexed. We conducted extensive testing before delivering, and there were no anomalies detected then. Yet, the incident occurred."
"How is the media and the government handling this?" the man inquired.
"Sir, the government seems to be handling it reasonably well, but the media..." Alex was hesitating.
"Speak.", the man commanded.
"It appears that our rival companies are fanning the flames. The situation is spiraling out of control."
"Some small fish trying to eat a wounded shark, huh!" the man remarked, turning around to face Alex.
"Withdraw all the products we have sold and provide compensation," the man instructed.
"But, sir, our company will suffer significant losses, and..." Alex began to protest.
The man raised his hand to silence Alex. "I don't care. I will personally apologize live on air. Prepare the team. Also, contact the media from our side. Let the fire die down. I will show them then…", he took a pause and continued with unwavering confidence, one word at a time, "A wounded shark is still a shark,".
"Somebody's life will soon become hell," Alex muttered to himself. Then he requested permission to proceed, "Alright, sir. I will arrange everything as swiftly as possible."
As the man turned back to the window, waving his hand to give his permission, and Alex stood up to open the door.
BANG! As soon as he opened the door, he collided with someone and fell to the ground.
"Ouch! Goddammit!" rubbing his head, Alex looked up to see who he had bumped into. "Mia! What the hell are you doing?"
"Sorry, Alex!" Mia, the girl who had fallen outside the door, quickly apologized and hurriedly got to her feet. Although her head hurt, it was a minor concern. She ignored Alex's complaint and looked past him. "Mr. Khan, come to the research center. You need to see this."
#####
As Mr. Khan entered the research room, a man approached him, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Hello, Mr. Khan. I am Inspector Russell, in charge of the case."
"Nice to meet you, Inspector," Mr. Khan replied, glancing around the room. Several people were busy at work—some monitoring large displays, others engrossed in other devices, and a group of three individuals standing around a workbench in the middle of the room.
"Follow me, Mr. Khan," Mia said from behind him, leading him toward the workbench.
Upon reaching the workbench, Mr. Khan noticed two wristbands connected by cables on the table. In a corner lay a pair of goggles and an earbud.
"His companions?" Mr. Khan speculated.
"Yes, sir," Mia confirmed.
"They appear to be in perfect condition," Mr. Khan observed.
"We were also puzzled at first. However, after testing them, we became even more confused," Mia paused.
"Clarify," Mr. Khan commanded.
"They're empty," Mia stated dramatically.
"What?" Mr. Khan inquired, seeking further explanation.
"Actually..." Mr. Khan turned towards the voice. Among the three individuals, the most experienced-looking man spoke this time. "Actually, the memory of these two wristbands has been completely wiped. It's as if someone or something erased all the data and reset them," he paused, then delivered his verdict, "Technically, that's impossible."
Mr. Khan took a moment to process the implications. After a brief silence, he asked, "Did this 'someone' or 'something' transfer data from these two?" He pointed towards the wristbands.
"Maybe," the man answered uncertainly. "We have no way of knowing."
"Anything else?"
Another member of the group adjusted his eyeglasses before responding, "We also monitored the activities of Model 000311 and Model 000367. They connected to the internet at 10:35 a.m. on the day of the incident. But after 20 minutes, they were deactivated."
Turning to Inspector Russell, Mr. Khan questioned him, "Inspector, do you know the time of death?"
"The forensics team stated it occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m."
"Oh! And the cause of death?"
"That's the bizarre thing. Our doctors have never seen a body like the victim's. There were no external or internal injuries, and no poison was detected. The body was not only cold but slightly frozen. Additionally, all the fat in the victim's body had partially liquefied. The doctors hypothesized that the body required an immense amount of energy to sustain something, causing the fat to burn and provide energy. And, well..." Inspector Russell glanced at the wristbands.
"Yes, those wristbands changed themselves by utilizing the user's thermal energy," Mr. Khan finished Inspector Russell's statement.
Inspector Russell shifted his gaze to Mr. Khan. "Not only that but there were also no signs of forced entry into the apartment. Although some decorations were out of place, they provided no substantial leads in this case."
Inspector Russell paused and awaited Mr. Khan's response.
"Listen, Mr. Inspector. We express our condolences to the victim. You know he became our spokesperson. This incident has damaged our reputation and financial stability. However, I can guarantee you that we had no intention of harming him, and we will fully support a thorough investigation. Our reputation is at stake," Mr. Khan stated firmly.
With that, he turned towards the others in the room and spoke loudly, "Listen, everyone. I want you to make this your top priority and solve it as soon as possible. And thank you, Inspector, for involving us in the investigation." With those words, Mr. Khan turned and walked towards the exit, with Alex following closely behind.
######
"Ugh! Where am I? Why is it so dark?" Osim's voice echoed in his mind.
"Welcome back, sir. I'm miniAI. I'll assist you until model 000311 and model 000367 wake up from their hibernation. I have limited functionality and no decision-making capabilities. Please bear with it, sir."
Confused, Osim questioned, "Hey, are you talking in my mind?"
The miniAI took its time before replying, "I don't have an answer to your question. I apologize, sir."
Wondering if he was dead or hallucinating, Osim pressed further, "Can you enlighten me about what's happening here?"
"Sorry, sir. I cannot synchronize with your vision as it seems your goggles are turned off. Please turn on your goggles," the miniAI replied.
Osim attempted to switch on his goggles, but to his horror, he realized he couldn't feel his hand or any other part of his body. In utter darkness, his senses were not working. Panic filled his voice as he called out for help, "Hey, anybody there? Are you pulling some silly prank? Please stop it, please..." Though he didn't know if anybody could hear him, whether he was speaking or shouting in his mind. The darkness and the absence of his physical sensations added to his growing fear and confusion.