Riley Ross-Chapter 70: The Suit (1)

"Your father has a lot of gadgets and devices that would hide your face, Riley. What exactly are you looking for?"

"I do not know yet, Mr. AI."

"Please, Riley. Just call me Albert, there are fewer syllables in it."

"I am not comfortable changing the way I call you, Mr. AI. I like it." frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

"...Very well. If that is what you are comfortable with. Now, shall I guide you through your father’s collection?"

"Thank you, Mr. AI."

Albert escorted Riley to Bernard’s garage workshop, and from how vast it was, it was obvious that it covered an area that was wider than the building above it—but of course, that didn’t matter... Bernard actually owned the surrounding buildings, too.

The workshop itself had a strangely rustic feel. The tables looked like they were made of wood, and various stations were designed to resemble wooden cottages, making the entire space feel like a medieval hamlet rather than the garage workshop of the smartest man on the planet..

"Oh, I still remember when Hannah was still running around here," Albert sighed as it looked around the garage, as if breathing in fresh air as it reminisced about old memories, "And you, just standing at the same spot for hours without doing anything. You were so young back then, Riley. You used to like coming here every day."

"I believe I still qualify as young, Mr. AI," Riley replied, nodding lightly as he scanned the bright, open space. He slowly raised his hand into the air, and a small bird glided down to land on his finger. "And I still like it here."

Riley stared at the bird on his finger, looking deep into its eyes and seeing the hint of metal in them.

"The animals here do not avoid me as soon as they see my eyes," Riley whispered as he stared deeper into the eyes of the mechanical bird. Then, with a gentle snap of his fingers, he sent it fluttering away.

"Bernard built them for you, Riley," Albert said, turning slightly to observe him. The glowing eyes within its helmet flickered as it scanned the boy. "This entire workshop—he created it for you and Hannah."

"No, he did not," Riley shook his head, "He had this before Sister was born, Mr. AI."

"That may be true..." Albert turned his gaze toward the wooden buildings. "...But it only became what it is after you and Hannah began sneaking in and playing here. Instead of forbidding you, he made the space safer and brighter—for you. That’s how much your father loves you, Riley."

"Thank you for telling me, Mr. AI."

"Do you still not know it? What love is?" Albert’s steps halted as it turned to look at Riley.

"No," Riley shook his head, "I do not think I would ever do, Mr. AI."

"I see..." Albert sighed as it turned around again and continued walking, "...But do tell me about it once you discover it."

After that, they walked in silence. Albert didn’t speak again until they reached a small barn tucked beside a large stack of hay.

"Do you remember this place, Riley?" he said, lifting his hand. His index finger disassembled with a quiet hum, then reassembled into a sleek key.

"Your sister used to jump off the roof of this station, land in that haystack, and scatter it across the floor."

"Yes. I broke my tooth here when she pushed me, Mr. AI."

"That did happen, didn’t it?" Albert chuckled as he pushed his key finger into the barn door. Light bled through the cracks as the door let out a hiss of smoke and began to slide open. The grinding sound that followed made it clear the doors weren’t wooden at all—they were far heavier. Much heavier.

"Please, Riley," Albert gestured for him to step inside.

And what greeted them inside was... well, it resembled the interior of a barn. The animal booths were there, as expected—but instead of livestock, the stalls were packed with what looked like heaps of... junk.

Or at least, it looked like junk at first glance.

"Here you go, Riley," Albert declared, spreading his arms and spinning in place among the towering piles. "These are all the devices your father created—and then forgot. They might seem like trash, but if even a fraction of this were released to the public market, I estimate it would fetch at least a billion dollars. All of this combined could be the GDP of a small country."

"Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around, his eyes overwhelmed and stimulated by the mess, "I do not have the time to rummage through this, Mr. AI. I need something father has already forgotten."

"You’re in luck—I think I have just the thing," Albert said, raising a finger before gently lifting off the ground. He floated toward one of the taller mounds and returned with a strange-looking collar in his hand.

"This one was made by your father on September 8, 2001." Albert placed the collar around his own neck. It gave off a low hum as it lit up. "Watch."

He tapped the side of the collar, and a scanning beam shot out, passing over Riley from head to toe. Once it retracted, Albert pressed another button. In response, a swarm of nanoparticles emerged from the collar, climbing up to cover his helmet. They shifted, twisted, and pulsed with light until they formed a human head—in this case, Riley’s.

Well, the head was much larger.

"You don’t have to worry—your head only looks large because it’s layered over my helmet," Albert said, waving a hand in front of the synthetic face. "Your father made this for your sister for a Halloween party she never ended up attending. A shame, really. So, what do you think? Would you like to use this one?"

"No," Riley shook his head. "I do not want to copy anyone’s face for what I’m doing, Mr. AI."

"Oh," Albert replied simply. He removed the collar, and the nanomachines zipped back inside before he casually tossed it onto the nearest mound of abandoned tech. "Then...

...may I suggest one of your father’s old helmets instead?"

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