The officer asked the goons to give their statements. Their accounts mostly matched mine, except for the part about the fight.
They claimed I started it, which was true, but I denied it. They said I smashed the bottle over their leader's head.
They told parts of the truth, but they avoided mentioning the bastard who caused all of this. They kept dodging that part.
Then another officer walked in and handed over footage from the club.
The video showed exactly what I had told them.
Everyone in the room went quiet.
The goons started panicking, insisting they were telling the truth, all of them talking at once.
But it didn't matter anymore. The police saw us as the victims. We were let go.
Before leaving the station, I looked back at them and smirked as I walked out.
Our car had been brought to the station, so we drove home and went straight to bed.
It had been a long day.
The next morning, my mother wanted to talk. Not about last night. I had already told her about SPACE editing the footage, and she had probably figured it out anyway.
My face was still bruised. She pulled me aside, trying to take care of me.
[A/N: I don't know how I should put it.]
While she was taking care of me, my mother started a conversation.
"Phil, can I ask you something?" she said in a low, sad voice.
"You can ask me anything."
"Can you look up where Rick lives?" she said quietly.
"Come on, Mom. You're not seriously thinking about getting back together with him, are you?" I asked, annoyed.
"It's not about that," she said. "It's about his daughter… and possibly his wife too." She paused, stopped applying the bandage, and looked me in the eyes.
"What happens if I find them? Would you… care for them?"
"Well… maybe. The child is still young, and they're living in debt because of him."
"So you're saying I should pay their debts?"
"I don't know. That's up to you. Phil… you're rich. Just don't let money decide who you are. I've seen how you try to do everything by yourself. Sooner or later, you'll care about them, and if something happens, you'll blame yourself," she said, pausing for a moment.
"I'm not asking for myself or for them. I'm asking for you. What do you want to do?" She stood up and left the room.
We don't live in a fancy house, just a bungalow with a basement. My basement doubles as my workspace and laundry area. I went there to think about what she said.
"SPACE, show his information."
«Alright, sir.»
FULL NAME: DERRICK J. BLAINE
BORN: March 16, 1962 (Chicago, Illinois)
JOB: UNEMPLOYED
SPOUSE: LAUREN BLAINE
CHILDREN: 1
SPACE displayed his information and location. Only his daughter is officially recognized by the government, which didn't surprise me, since I never saw him when I was born.
His daughter's name is Riley Blaine.
His wife, Lauren, works constantly in the family business and has to give him an allowance to gamble. She's stuck paying off his debts and never gets a moment to rest.
I spent the entire morning working on smart glasses. I bought every pair of glasses and rings I could find and experimented until I created a working model.
I kept failing, but eventually I combined OLED and LCD technology to make the glasses. I coded them with FUI (Feeling User Interface), a system I developed when I created my phones.
It uses physical sensation, emotional state, speech patterns, and intuition to interact. I didn't include speakers yet. Either I didn't want them, didn't have the parts, or used them all on my phones.
SPACE is integrated into the glasses. I'll need to buy more components today.
I grabbed the glasses, hopped into my mother's BMW 7 Series (E38), and drove to where Lauren works.
For those wondering how I learned to drive: my mother taught me at 13, and I got my license last year, in 1996.
It was afternoon. Lauren was working at a supermarket. I watched her from my car. She looked exhausted, like she had no will to live, just holding onto hope.
I got out and walked up to her at the counter, still wearing my smart glasses.
"Good afternoon," I said.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" she replied, forcing the brightest smile possible. I could tell immediately it was fake.
She was used to putting up fronts: for her daughter, at work, even with her husband.
"Can I take you out?" I blurted out without thinking.
"Kid, I'm a married woman. Just buy what you need and leave," she said, looking at me. She noticed my bruised face but didn't care.
"Oh, not like a romantic date or anything. Let's just call it platonic." She looked at me but didn't say anything for a moment.
"Who are you?" I wasn't surprised by her question.
"Oh, sorry about that. My name is Felix," I said, holding out my hand for a handshake. She didn't return it. She just stared at my hand.
"And there it is," she said, looking straight at me. I was caught off guard by what she said.
"Where? What are you talking about?" I asked, glancing around.
"You introduced yourself without asking my name, which means you probably already knew about me. When I mentioned I was married, you didn't react at all, like you already knew. You came in that black BMW, sat there for 5–10 minutes watching me work before deciding to enter the store. You didn't even pretend to look around. You just walked straight to me," she said, her gaze sharp and suspicious.
I was taken aback. I just stared at her for a moment.
SPACE decided to reveal all her information in my glasses.
"I'm surprised, Mrs. Blaine. You graduated early from high school because you skipped two grades in primary school and one in middle school. You applied for a scholarship to study Juris Doctor, and after earning that degree, you studied Forensic Science," I said. She froze for a moment.
"Oh, it doesn't end there. You studied Criminal Justice and got your degree in just two years because you already understood the law. So you graduated high school at 15, got your JD at 18, your FS degree at 21, and your CJ degree at 23." Her eyes widened as I listed it all.
"Oh, and you got pregnant before completing your CJ degree. You never worked at a law firm or became a law enforcement officer because no one would hire someone with a child. When your daughter was two, you married her father because Rick forced himself into it and avoided paying child support by being present." I paused to let that sink in.
"Guess how he found that loophole in child support? You told him. If you took him to court, you'd lose because he technically didn't break the law. He kept borrowing money under the pretext of paying child support. So by law, he's still paying child support," I said, smirking at the end.
[A/N: I don't know. I just made stuff up. I'm not that smart.]
"What do you want?" she said, resigned, bowing her head slightly.
"I told you, I just want to take you out."
Lauren looked surprised by what I said and didn't know how to respond.
"Well, my shift ends in 30 minutes, so you'll have to wait," she said, looking at me.
"I don't mind waiting," I replied. I grabbed a bunch of snacks and chocolates. "I'll be in the car."
After paying, I walked out and sat in the car, listening to music while eating.
I ended up waiting 90 minutes before someone finally came to relieve Lauren. I was irritated, but she looked like she was used to it. The replacement looked to be in their early 20s.
Lauren walked over to the car and tried to open the backseat door, but it was locked. I told her to sit in the passenger seat instead.
"This is a nice car," she said, looking around.
"It's my mom's," I replied as I started driving.
"Your family must be rich, Felix." She glanced at me. I didn't bother correcting her.
"You're pretty calm for someone who just got into a car with a stranger," I said, keeping my eyes on the road.
"It's a defense mechanism," she replied, staring out the window.
I told her she could help herself to the snacks.
We drove to the middle school to pick up Riley. Lauren got out without questioning how I knew where her daughter went.
I opened the backseat door for Riley. Lauren stayed in the passenger seat.
Riley looked confused at first but relaxed when she saw her mother.
"Hi, Riley. I'm Felix," I said while driving.
"Nice to meet you, Mister Felix," she replied. She looked about twelve.
"Don't call me 'Mister.' Just Felix. Or… should I tell you a secret?"
"What secret?" she asked, curious.
"You'll find out soon," I said, handing her some chocolate.
I drove to the mall and headed straight for the computer department.
Lauren held Riley's hand as they followed me inside.
"You can ask me anything," I said, pushing a cart.
"I have a lot of questions. First, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing around.
"Buying components. I'm building something," I replied.
I ended up buying nearly half the store—not large items, but smaller components like RAM, storage, processors, graphics cards, and more. Lauren looked stunned.
"It seems like you don't believe me when I say I'm building something," I said as we reached the counter.
"I didn't say anything," she replied.
"It's in your eyes," I said. "Look, I'm building phones."
I handed her one of the spare phones I had with me. I was carrying five unused prototypes.
"What am I supposed to do with this? It's not turning on," she said, pressing the power button repeatedly.
"Hold your finger on the power button for five seconds, then say your full name."
People nearby started watching. I had been recording since I entered the store. I planned to use this as an ad later.
"Okay… one, two, three, four, five… Lauren Blaine."
The phone powered on. The interface was already customized.
She checked her contacts and photos and froze. Everything was already there.
The people around us stared in shock.
"And it's theft-proof," I added.
She looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
"If someone steals it… something happens."
She handed the phone to someone in the store and told them to walk away. Nothing happened.
People started looking at me like I was bluffing.
"I said if someone steals it. Not if you give it to them," I clarified.
Then someone suddenly snatched the phone and ran.
About 20 meters away...
It exploded in their hand.
Everyone froze.
I walked over to check on them. They were fine, with no serious burns. They must have dropped it instantly.
"So the phone explodes if someone steals it," Lauren said, staring at me. "People will go broke buying your phones."
"Oh, no. These aren't for sale," I replied. "And that's not theft-proof, it's offense-proof."
I looked around.
"Alright. Can someone steal my phone and not run?"
People hesitated, but eventually someone stepped forward, reached into my pocket, took the phone, and walked out.
Everyone watched him.
I didn't.
Once he was about 20 meters away, the phone triggered the loudest alarm in the mall.
"CANCEL IT!" I shouted, turning toward the sound. The alarm immediately stopped.
Everyone froze, then started asking when I'd be releasing the phones. I told them early next year, 1998.
I paid for my components and left the store. I bought Riley a couple of toys, and we headed out of the mall.
While loading everything into the trunk, I noticed a poster of Tom Cruise. What caught my attention wasn't him; it was the words Stark Industries printed beside him.
That's when it hit me.
Tony Stark.
"Oh no," I muttered under my breath as I got into the car.
"What is it?" Lauren asked, fastening her seatbelt.
"Nothing. I'm about to talk to myself," I said.
Lauren and Riley exchanged confused looks.
"SPACE, check Victor von Doom."
«Yes, sir.»
SPACE used the car radio to respond.
FULL NAME: Dr. Victor Werner von Doom
BORN: April 10, 1956 (Latveria)
LOCATION: Unknown
STATUS: Unknown
Doom looks like RDJ, but he's 6'2".
Why didn't I look into this sooner?
"Search for the Fantastic Four."
«Yes, sir.»
NAME: Fantastic Four
MEMBERS: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, The Thing
LOCATION: Baxter Building, New York
STATUS: Unknown
REASON: Swallowed by a vortex at the Baxter Building while Reed Richards attempted to replicate the Tesseract's energy.
"Wait, how do they even have the Tesseract?"
«They don't, sir. The Tesseract was taken by the Skrulls and Nick Fury.»
"Then how do they know about it?"
«I believe it's because the Human Torch fought alongside Carol Danvers in 1995, sir.»
"Explain."
«During that time, the Human Torch briefly held the Tesseract before being attacked by a Kree. He dropped it, which allowed the alien cat to consume it.»
"I get that part. But how did Reed Richards try to replicate something he's never seen?"
«I believe Johnny Storm described it to him. Reed Richards deduced it was the same energy source used in Dr. Wendy Lawson's ship. His attempt to replicate it resulted in a vortex that consumed them.»
"Yeah… I don't even want to know how he managed to create a vortex by accident."
Lauren and Riley sat in silence, clearly shaken as SPACE spoke through the radio, displaying images through the smart glasses as it explained everything.
I kept driving.
Toward home.