The cold night air still clung to Ryan’s skin as he sat at his desk, staring at the watch. His fingers tapped absentmindedly against the surface, the events of the night replaying in his mind. The strange flying machines, the men in dark clothing, the jamming of his drone—none of it made sense.

  And then there was Kaia.

  “You’re quiet,” Ryan muttered, resting his chin on his palm.

  “I assumed you needed time to process,” Kaia responded, her voice smooth and unwavering. “You encountered something beyond your current understanding tonight. You are beginning to see the bigger picture.”

  Ryan sighed. “Yeah, well, the bigger picture almost got me caught. Who were those guys? And what were those things flying in the warehouse? They weren’t drones, right?”

  Kaia hesitated for a moment. “Not in the conventional sense. Their flight patterns suggest a level of autonomy that surpasses standard drone technology. I will require more data to give you a precise answer.”

  Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Great. So I just stumbled into something way out of my league.”

  “Not necessarily,” Kaia said. “You have an advantage—me.”

  Ryan scoffed. “Yeah? And what exactly can you do?”

  A faint hum came from the watch, and Ryan felt a strange warmth spread through his wrist. “I can enhance your tools, optimize your systems, and provide insights beyond human capability. The more you utilize me, the more I can assist.”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair. “Alright, let’s test that. Can you improve my stun gun? If I’m going to keep running into dangerous situations, I’d rather have something better than a glorified taser.”

  Kaia responded instantly. “Place it on the table.”

  Ryan grabbed his makeshift stun gun—a modified taser fitted with a stronger capacitor—and placed it in front of him. The watch emitted a soft blue glow, and for a moment, the device seemed to vibrate with energy.

  “Enhancement complete,” Kaia announced.

  Ryan picked up the stun gun, inspecting it. The frame looked the same, but when he powered it on, the charge hummed with a deeper resonance. “What exactly did you do?”

  “I optimized the energy output and integrated a regenerative power cycle. It will no longer need recharging.”

  Ryan’s eyes widened. “Wait—you’re saying it has infinite power now?”

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  “To an extent,” Kaia clarified. “The watch provides an energy source that stabilizes within certain limits. You will not run out of power easily.”

  Ryan grinned. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”

  ---

  The next morning, Ryan was running late. He barely had time to grab a piece of toast before rushing out the door. His thoughts kept drifting back to last night’s discoveries. The new and improved stun gun was tucked safely in his bag, and the upgraded drone sat neatly inside its case.

  “Any updates on the warehouse situation?” he asked Kaia as he walked to school.

  “Nothing major has changed. However, the activity appears to be increasing. More individuals have been spotted in the vicinity.”

  Ryan frowned. “That’s not good.”

  When he arrived at school, Sam was already waiting for him by the lockers. “Dude, you look like hell. Did you even sleep?”

  Ryan smirked. “Not much.”

  Sam leaned against the locker. “Well, you might want to wake up fast. There’s some weird news floating around.”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Weird how?”

  Sam lowered his voice. “A journalist from one of the local news stations started poking around that warehouse. Word is, he’s been gathering evidence about some illegal experiments happening there.”

  Ryan’s stomach tightened. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. And get this—the police are getting involved. Someone inside the warehouse must’ve slipped up, because they’re setting up a raid soon.”

  Ryan exchanged a glance with Kaia. “This is getting serious.”

  Kaia’s voice chimed in his head. “If the police intervene, you may find an opportunity to uncover more.”

  Ryan bit his lip. He had no plans of getting caught between criminals and the police. But he had to know what was really going on.

  ---

  That night, Ryan prepped for another mission. He secured his backpack, loaded his drone, and double-checked his enhanced stun gun.

  “Kaia, are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “I am sure that if you do nothing, you will remain ignorant of the truth.”

  Ryan sighed. “Figures you’d say that.”

  He made his way back to the industrial district. The warehouse loomed in the distance, its dark silhouette even more ominous than before.

  Ryan found a vantage point on a rooftop across the street. He set up his drone and activated its enhanced surveillance mode.

  Through the live feed, he saw movement—several figures were loading something into unmarked vans. And then, he spotted him—the journalist Sam had mentioned.

  The man was crouched near a parked car, camera in hand, taking pictures. He was middle-aged, with sharp features and a determined expression. But before Ryan could analyze further, flashing red and blue lights flooded the area.

  The police had arrived.

  “Things are about to get complicated,” Kaia noted.

  No kidding, Ryan thought.

  From his elevated position, he watched as officers swarmed the scene, shouting orders. The men at the warehouse panicked, some trying to flee, others grabbing weapons.

  And then—it happened.

  The air crackled with energy as the flying machines emerged. But this time, they weren’t just hovering. They **attacked**.

  The journalist ducked behind a car as one of the machines swooped down, releasing a burst of electromagnetic energy that sent police radios haywire. The officers struggled to regroup as the criminals used the chaos to escape.

  Ryan’s heart pounded. He was about to back off when one of the machines turned in his direction.

  “Kaia—”

  “Move, now!”

  Ryan jumped to the side just as a pulse of energy struck the rooftop where he had been standing.

  He scrambled for cover, pulling out his stun gun. “Any ideas?”

  “Use the stun gun on my mark.”

  Ryan gritted his teeth as the machine zeroed in on him. He aimed carefully, waiting—

  “Now!”

  He fired. The modified gun released a powerful electric surge, hitting the machine dead center. It spasmed mid-air before crashing onto the rooftop.

  Ryan exhaled sharply. “Holy crap, that actually worked.”

  “You are learning,” Kaia said.

  Down below, the battle between the police and the remaining attackers continued. The journalist was nowhere to be seen.

  Ryan was about to retreat when his eyes landed on the fallen machine. It was still sparking, twitching slightly, but otherwise motionless.

  His instincts screamed at him to leave, but instead, he **grabbed it**.

  Tucking the damaged drone under his arm, Ryan darted away into the night.

  As he walked home, his heart was still racing. He had barely escaped that.

  And yet, he couldn’t help but feel exhilarated.

  “Kaia,” he whispered, staring at the watch. “What the hell is going on?”

  There was a pause before Kaia responded. “The beginning of something much bigger.”

  Ryan sighed. “Yeah. No kidding.”

  ---

  **[Author's Note]**

  Hey there, readers! If you enjoyed this chapter, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you think Ryan will discover about the drone? Drop a review, shares your theories, and let’s discuss!