Fight to Write (Write To Rank 2021)

Hacked (Science fiction×Action)

"I did it. I finally did it. I made it.
I can't believe it. I have built it.
Finally! After all the sacrifices, all the suffering, all the mockery and disrespect I suffered throughout these years. I have finally achieved the results of my hard work.
All those people who laughed at me, didn't believe in me, will be so sorry now.
I can already hear the applause.
I feel like dancing, I feel like singing, I feel like crying, I...I...I can't breath khak I can't breath."

I run over to the table in my office cum lab cum apartment.
"Inhaler? Where is the inhaler?" I wheezed, shoving aside the box of leftover pizza to get my inhaler.

After two sprays, I regained my breath. My eyes trailed off from a picture of me with my mother, old science fair prizes, pictures of my graduation day, picture of me and my girlfriend on our anniversary celebration and my MIT degree all sticking out on the rickety wall just like the wet red bricks around them, toward my most precious possession.

A green lounge chair sat in the middle of the lab, on it rests a headset attached to wires and Virtual Reality goggles, the wires are connected to a big black box that connects to a number of monitors with cameras on a separate table in front of the chair. The box also connects to a bunch of antennas set up on the roof.

This was my beautiful bahamut. My invention. My machine. The Machine.

When I was a kid I read a story about two brothers who could talk through their minds, they could transmit their thoughts to one another. I was amazed by the idea.
I knew I was different from others, my mother told me I was special. She didn't need to tell me that, I knew I was better. I was a superior being of higher intellect.
That's why I always wondered what it felt like to be someone inferior? I wanted to see how the world looked like through the eyes of a commoner.

That's why I spent my life building the machine.
The box is the main part of the machine, it searches for target's or people within a certain length of radius with the help of the antennas, to capture their brain waves. Then it hacks into that person's occipital lobe, which is then transmitted to the person wearing the headset who can see whatever the subject is seeing through the VR goggles.

Theoretically it should also transmit, sound and touch but I don't have the necessary equipment and the machine isn't advanced enough to hack into a complete human brain, only parts of it. With further research and experiments it can even be possible to control another person completely.

But for that I need funds which I have run out of. I sold everything I owned, even my girlfriend's house. She wasn't happy about it, but she is a commoner, her premature brain can't comprehend what a marvel I was inventing. She moved away after that. Am sure she will be back once she finds out I finally achieved our dream. And funds shouldn't be a problem now. Government will be happy to buy the machine for billions.

I turned on the machine, set a radius of 1 mile, pressed record on the camera and lied down on the chair wearing the headset.

"November 1st, 2019. B. Vlog 269. Trial 154. Time 21:30."

At first all I saw was darkness from the goggles. A white light, slowly turned into a picture, like fog disappearing after rain. The picture consisted of a high end restaurant, a young man sat in front of me, square jaw, dark eyes, neatly combed raven hair, wearing a $2'000 suit complimented with an omega watch and a dazzling ear to ear smile

"Subject's arm looks slender and white. Subject appears to be a woman on a date with a male." I narrated. "Male is leaving the table, subject is reaching for her phone. She is texting someone named Brenda.

Dudes so lame. But so handsome. What do I do?

Is he rich?

Very.

Keep him then, get some gucci out of him.

Then he'll want something too.

There's one question left.

If he's married?

No fool. How big is he?

I pulled off the headset and strode toward the table.
"At least someone's getting laid."
I decreased the area of the radius and took back my position on the chair.

Same, darkness followed by a white light and a picture.

This time it's a dimly lit road from inside a car. Unlike last time this subject isn't moving, steady as a rock staring at the doorway of a building few feet away. I felt cold sweat running down my neck as I noticed s green snake tattoo peeping out of the sleeves of right hand. Its mouth open, red tongue slicking in the air, fangs ready to bite its prey.
A man waked out of the doorway with a dog. My subject moved out of the car and walked across the road leaving a bakery shop from 42nd street behind.

"Subject appears to be following the man"

Suddenly the man turned around and looked at me. His piercing stare studied me with unforgiving judgement.
He said something I couldn't hear. I said something I didn't. His nostril flsired wide, his eyes bulging out. His dog seemed agitated and the man grabbed it tighter.

He tried to say something but couldn't, instead my hand shot up holding a gun, a spark in the dark and the man was lying on the ground clutching his chest while the dog ran away. I turned around to find a boy of 10 standing, holding a plastic bag and a scoop.
His eyes looked similar to the man, but scared.
I pulled my arm up again.

"No no no NOO"
I shot up from the seat and threw away the headset lunging for the inhaler on the table.

After few seconds I called the authorities.

"Hello, my name is Bardus Finch. I live on 46th Street and I just witnessed a murder on 42 street."

Five minutes later I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to welcome a tall man with grey hair and shrewd blue eyes. Wearing a jacket and cheap trousers

"Hello I am detective Carter from NYPD, you just reported a crime?"

"Yes, please come in. I was testing my machine, it can hack into anyone's mind and let us see what they see and I saw someone kill a man and his child."

"Is this the machine?"
I nod.
He strolled in my lab touching everything against my wishes.

"Did you see anything that can help identify the shooter?"

"Yes he had a green snake tatto on his right hand. Wait. I didn't say it was a shooting"

Suddenly I felt an immense amount of pain in my abdomen as I saw a hint of green from the man's right hand that held a gun. His eyes cold as ice.

"Sorry kid. You are smart but saw something you shouldn't have. Goodbye"

Bang!