[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 Antihero System!]
[The Antihero System is now fully operational.]
[System integrating.....10%]
Mason 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, the only way to remove it seemed to be cutting 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 as Mason rushed to her side. He threw his weight against the boulder, straining to lift it, but it was far too heavy—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 toward a small figure—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, Mason 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.
Mason 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.
"Mason, Mason Harris." He replied with a sniffle.
"Mason 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. Mason 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 hats, 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, his jaw clenched as he shut his eyes tightly. It was was too much to bear—a mother's sacrifice laid bare in the rubble, an incident that undoubtedly could be avoided.
"What good is taking our jobs if you let them die... What good is it..."
..
Back home, Mason slammed the front door behind him, his fists clenched and jaw tight. 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 who were supposed to protect people when it really mattered.
He dropped onto the couch, shoulders heavy, his mind spiraling. It was too much, watching someone die like that, so much like his parents. The memory, the pain, the helplessness—it all came rushing back, raw and unbearable.
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.
[Mike: Mason! Are you alright!?]
[Mason: Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit shakened up from the crash.]
[Mike: That's a relief, could you imagine the damage that meteor would have caused if anyone was around it.]
[Mason: Yeah...]
[Mike: Alright, I gotta go, see you later man.]
As the line got disconnected, Mason sighed heavily as he dropped his phone on the couch, trying to relax his head for a bit, after all witnessing someone's death wasn't exactly a feeling you could shake off easily.
[System integration...99%]
[System Integration complete.]
[NanoForge is now operational.]
With a gentle flicker, a holographic panel shimmered to life from Mason's watch, revealing a series of inscriptions.
"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!" As the watch lit up, Mason jumped to his feet, filled with rage. He clawed at it wildly, his hands shaking with anger. To him, it was the watch's fault—the crash, the chaos, the woman's death. He wanted it off, 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 from within the watch, clear and sharp, freezing Mason mid-motion. His hands stopped cold as the sound cut through the air, halting his desperate attempt to tear the device from his wrist.
"Who said that?" Mason 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.]
"Who the hell are you?"
[I am the Highly Advanced Virtual Assistant, H.A.V.A for short, and I'm at your service, master.]