[Testing blood sample...]
[Blood sample successfully tested!]
[Comparability rate - 99.9%]
[Beginning binding process...]
[Successfully binded!]
An interface shot up from the panel of the watch, displaying strange holographic panels with several inscriptions on it.
"What the hell is this!?"
[Ding! You have unlocked the Harem Space System!]
[The Harem Space System is now fully operational.]
Ethan tried everything to get the watch off, but no matter how hard he pulled or twisted, it wouldn't budge. With the way things were, it seemed the only way to remove the watch was to cut off his arm, and that was out of the question.
"Damn it all!" He slammed the watch against a chunk of rubble again and again, hoping it would shatter, but it didn't even get so much as a scratch.
"This was the last straw. Of all the terrible things that had happened to him today, this was the worst—a foreign object clinging to his wrist like a curse, refusing to let go.
"S-someone... Please... Help my son..."
A faint murmur in the distance pulled his attention away, and he froze for a moment. Then, without hesitation, he ran toward the sound. What he found stopped him cold, a woman pinned beneath a massive slab of stone, her lower half crushed beyond saving.
"Ma'am!" Instinct took over him, and he rushed to her side. He threw his weight against the boulder, straining to lift it, but it was far too heavy and impossible for someone like him to move.
"It's too late for me... Please... Help my son.." With the last of her strength, the woman spoke weakly, her voice barely more than a breath. Her life was slipping away, but she managed to lift a trembling finger, pointing towards her son who partially buried beneath a pile of rubble.
"But ma'am!"
"Please..."
He saw it in her eyes, genuine pleading, a flicker of hope that her son might still be saved. Gritting his teeth, Ethan immediately ran towards the boy.
He dropped to his knees beside the rubble and began digging through it with his bare hands. Stone by stone, he dug with desperation, until at last, he pulled the boy from underneath the rubbles.
The boy was unconscious, most likely knocked out by the shockwave when the watch crash-landed beside them. Still, aside from a few cuts and bruises, he seemed mostly unharmed.
Ethan gently lifted the boy into his arms and carried him over. Kneeling beside the woman, he carefully laid the child in front of her, close enough for her to see him.
"My sweet boy, everything is going to be alright." With the last of her strength, the woman reached out and cupped her son's cheeks. He couldn't watch, her words reminded him of his mother moments before she died.
"What's your name?" The woman spoke with a faint smile stretched across her face, her voice barely audible.
"Ethan, Ethan Kaiser." He replied with a sniffle.
"Ethan huh." She let out a faint chuckle, the sound fragile and broken as she coughed out a bit of blood.
"That's the name of my grandfather, thank you for saving my son." With her final breath, her hand slipped from her son's face, falling limply to the ground. Her eyes, now glassy and distant, lost their light as her consciousness faded into the darkness.
"Over there!" As the woman took her final breath, another voice called out from behind him. Ethan froze, then his instinct kicked in. He quickly stood and darted away, slipping behind a crumbling building scarred by the meteor's impact. From the building, he watched as two police officers approached the woman and her son.
"Christ." One of the officers murmured something under his breath, his voice low with sorrow. Both men removed their caps, bowing their heads in silence, paying the final respect for the woman who had given her life to protect her child.
"Tch." One of the officers let out a quiet grunt, and his jaw clenched as he shut his eyes tightly. It was was too much to bear, a mother's sacrifice, an incident that undoubtedly could be avoided.
"What good is trying to protect the planet if you let them die from something like this... What good is it..."
For an organization that called themselves Earth's defenders, it was questionable that they allowed something like a mere meteor to bypass their defenses.
..
After a couple of minutes, Ethan reached home.
"Please Mr John, just two more days and I'll swear I'll have it ready by then." As he approached the main door, he overheard his aunt on the phone with their landlord.
"Yes I do sir, I know the rent is due but if you can just spare me three more da-"
The line cut.
Thelia dropped the phone on the table, and pressed her hands against her head. She didn't know what else to do, the rent was overdue for the past month and their landlord refused to wait any longer.
Ethan walked in the next moment, and she immediately regained her composure.
"Ethan." She blinked, then sniffled softly before forcing a smile. "When did you get back?"
"Just now."
"I see. You must be hungry, dinner isn't ready yet but there's some food leftover in the fridge, if you want I can warm it up for you."
"That won't be necessary Aunt Thelia, is everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine, just some work stuff."
Ethan saw through her lies. Not only did he eavesdrop on her conversation with their landlord, but her body language betrayed her even it was just for a second.
In truth, the true reason Thelia wanted Ethan to try out for the S.T.A.R program wasn't because of the money involved, she didn't want him to live the life she did.
For her, S.T.A.R was an opportunity to turn his life around, and he wanted to throw it all away.
"Go freshen up, dinner will be ready in five minutes." She left the living room and headed to the kitchen without even looking back.
Ethan could only watch as she left, he knew with his intellect, it wouldn't be hard to secure a good paying job. But that was the problem, the only place you could find those kind of jobs was in the upper sector, and Ethan already failed on the basic requirements.
Ethan walked into his room and slammed the front door behind him. He wasn't just angry about the woman's death, he was furious that it was the police who showed up, not the so-called heroes of earth who were supposed to protect people when it really mattered.
He dropped to his bed with heavy shoulders. It was too much, watching someone die like that reminded him of his parents. The memory, the pain, the helplessness, it all came rushing back.
BUZZ BUZZ
His phone vibrated in his pockets, and with a soft sigh, he stuffed his hand into his pocket and picked up the call.
[Michael: Ethan! Are you alright!?]
[Ethan: Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit shakened up from the crash.]
[Michael: That's a relief, could you imagine the damage that meteor would have caused if anyone was around it.]
[Ethan: Yeah...]
[Michael: Alright, I gotta go, see you later man.]
As the line got disconnected, Ethan sighed heavily as he dropped his phone on the couch, trying to relax his head for a bit, after all surviving a meteor strike wasn't exactly a feeling you could shake off easily.
[System integration...99%]
[System Integration complete.]
[D.E.L.T.A is now operational.]
With a gentle flicker, a holographic panel shimmered to life from Ethan's watch, revealing a series of inscriptions.
"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!" As the watch lit up, Ethan jumped to his feet, filled with rage.
He clawed at it wildly with an unrestrained anger. To him, the woman's death was because of whatever the hell it was that came out of that meteor. He wanted it off. He wanted it gone, but no matter how hard he tried, it stayed firmly on his wrist.
[Integrating....]
[Integration complete.]
[Good evening master.]
A voice echoed in his head, clear and sharp, and Ethan froze mid-motion. His hands stopped cold as the sound cut through the air, stopping his desperate attempt to tear the device from his wrist.
"Who said that?" Ethan stared down at the watch. He examined it closely, shaking his head slightly, refusing to accept that the voice had just come from the very device he'd been trying to rip off moments ago.
[I did.]
"And who the hell are you?"
[I am the Highly Advanced Virtual Assistant, , and I am at your service master.]