Sitting on my sofa when I get home is a card. No name, no address, just a number. Never a good sign. A prickle of unease runs down my spine. Never can be too careful, I think, as I grab my backup phone from the drawer and walk across the street to dial the number.

  “Hello, Mr. Duke,” an unnatural voice says. They were using one of those cheap voice-changers. “Just wanted to tell you to be careful where you speak, ‘cause you never know when other ears might pick up something you don’t want them to hear.” Before I can make a smart remark about their pathetic voice-changer, the line goes dead.

  I sigh. So, I’m already being tracked by the guy I’m trying to catch. I walk back across the street to my house as Bella and Jim’s cars pull up at the same time. Perfect, I think. We can get started. I walk in and hold the door for the pair to come into my living room. Bella’s eyes widen.

  “Why,” she starts. “Is there junk all over your family room?”

  I laugh. “One: Family rooms are for families, and my family is seldom in here. Two: It’s not junk, it’s my new T.I.T.A.N.”

  Jim’s jaw drops as he looks at the jumble of high-tech debris littered the floor, walls, and even the coffee table. “What the hell’s a T.I.T.A.N.?”

  “Tactical Ion Technological Assault Nexus,” I answer. “I’m a fan of acronyms,” I add, still smiling.

  “What’s it supposed to do?” asked Bella.

  “Since my old Hunting gear was more offense than defense, I created a suit with both.”

  Jim nods. “So no more brain trauma?”

  “Yep. You guys ready to see what it does?”

  Jim sits up and Bella leans in. “This does something?” ask Bella, pointing at the mess.

  My smile broadens. “T.I.T.A.N.,” I say. Somewhere in the room, one of the bits of tech beeps. “Activate and link.”

  Jim’s jaw drops again as the bits and pieces click and clank together to form my new Hunting suit. The whole suit gets up and walks up to me. It spreads its arms and the whole suit opens, allowing me to simply step in. The suit adjusts itself to fit.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  “If you got rid of that ridiculous collar you seem so keen on keeping, you’d look like a Power Ranger, Sam,” snorts Jim.

  “‘Power Rangers’ was the inspiration for this thing, Jimmy,” I retort. “Anyway, the real fun starts when we get outside…”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” breaths Bella, grabbing my arm. “We have bigger fish to fry.”

  Jim frowns. “You’re such a killjoy, Bell.”

  “So is the gigantic mechanical beast that could be tearing through Neo-Veridian as we speak,” snaps Bella.

  Having these two on a team’s going to be fun, I think. Then, out loud, I say, “So what’s the plan, brains?”

  “What did you just call me?”

  “You’re the brains, I’m the brawn, and Jim’s the guy with a fancy college degree that gets him access to things we don’t got.”

  Jim sighs. “That was a very concise answer, mate.”

  Bella rolls her eyes at us. “Whatever. But I thought the plan would be obvious from here. There is only one thing we can do.”

  “When you feel like telling us,” I say. “Let us know, will you?”

  Bella shakes her head and looks at me with clear irritation. “We need our brawns to check out the facility the beast ‘escaped’ from. We need to see-”

  “Wait,” Jim interrupts. “We’re not sending same in there alone.” Then he adds, “You never know what might happen to him in there.”

  “Are you forgetting,” Bella begins slowly. “That he is possibly the most skilled Hunter in this city?”

  That caught me off guard. It was unheard of for a Duke, of all people, to place a Hunter above themselves or their associates. Before I can say so, though, Jim counters with, “Well, the most skilled Hunter is still recovering from a bad battle.”

  “So we should just wait until Sammy is all better then?” Bella asks with mock concern. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s let other people get hurt so my little brother is all safe and healed.”

  “Enough,” I say, standing. It felt weird to break up an argument because usually, that’s what Bella does. “I’m going in. But,” I add before Jim can say anything. “I won’t be alone.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Jim and Bella simultaneously.

  I throw a small box to each of them. Inside they find a pair of earbuds. “The T.I.T.A.N. is equipped with an excellent mic system. Everything I hear, you’ll hear, and you’ll be able to talk to me through those. The T.I.T.A.N. also has a camera and vitals sensors so Jim here will connect those to his new computer, and you’ll see what I see and be able to tell if I’m still alive.”

  Jim’s jaw must weigh a thousand pounds because he’s having trouble keeping it from dropping. “And you built this?”

  “I built the S.O.L.A.R.I.S., didn’t I?” I say in response.

  While Jim is at a loss for words, Bella simply sits back with an air of being deeply satisfied. “So no more arguing then, eh?”

  “No,” I say. “But we need a more specific plan than raiding an abandoned research facility.”

  Bella’s eyebrows shoot up. “Who said I didn’t have one?”