Vitality [Teaser]

Chapter 7: A Brotherly Watch

The odor of burnt fish and overcooked patacones circled the dining room and up the stairs. Nikos and Orion quickly finished their meals while their mother was taking her time. Nikos stood up and walked upstairs as Orion shortly followed after.

Orion sat at the edge of his bed as Nikos did the same. They glanced at each other and then looked away. They remained silent for a few minutes until one of them suddenly decided to speak.

"We should probably start packing," Nikos said. "We're going to have to get up early tomorrow to meet the other Advors at the escape site."

"Yeah, you're right. I should probably start now since I know as soon as I fall asleep; I'm not getting back up." Orion said.

He picked up his backpack from school and poured all of his papers on the mattress. He then walked over to the dresser at the foot of his bed and began taking things out. He packed only one set of clothes and filled the rest of his backpack with resources and knick-knacks he collected over the years.

"You should probably pack more clothes than just the one set," Nikos recommended.

"Mom said that all we need is one set of clothes. Plus, I want to get all these loose materials. I could create something out of it on the way to El Cono."

"Well, I'm not helping you carry it. Keep that in mind."

Nikos then began going through his dresser. He packed a set of clothes, a switchblade that his mother gave him, and a bottle full of water. He then looked over at Orion and saw that his backpack was utterly stuffed.

"Jesus, Orion. You can leave some of this stuff behind, you know?" Nikos said.

"I want to take my watch collection. And with this extra Jarlt and other materials maybe I could modify some of these watches."

"Haven't you already done that?"

"Yeah, but I want to make a watch that does everything. From communication to pulse readings to electromagnetic shields. Imagine if I made an electromagnetic shield that covers your entire body and reflects Jarlt bullets. That'll be awesome."

"Well, good luck with that," Nikos said.

After Nikos packed those few things, he sat at the edge of his bed and watched Orion attempt to fill his backpack to the brim with more stuff. He then looked at his desk and saw the note from his mother that she left the other night. Nikos picked it up and folded it inside his pocket. Orion then began tossing some of his stuff on the floor that he didn't want to keep. He threw down a bunch of loose material as well as an old black and red antique watch. Nikos picked up the wristwatch and examined it.

"You're not keeping this one?" Nikos asked.

"Nah, it's a bit too old to be modified. That watch was made back in the late 2020s, and it's not even rare."

The black and red watch was made out of Carbon Nanotubes and had a few buttons on the side as well as one on the front. On the underside of the wristwatch was a plastic panel covering the watches' battery. The word: 'Demo' was carved out underneath it.

"Hey, what does this mean?" Nikos said as he held up the watch.

Orion squinted at the watch and took it from Nikos. He then turned it on, and a hologram menu appeared. He began going through it until he found a file that he created inside the gadget.

"Oh yeah! I forgot I actually attempted to modify this watch! It didn't come out as well as I hope though." Orion said.

He handed the watch back over to Nikos. He then began going through the menu himself seeing what else the wristwatch was able to do.