"JEROLD! What did I tell you about taking apart my appliances?" Diana's voice pierced the morning silence.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jerold replied, coming down the stairs, still drowsy, trying to make sense of the commotion.
"This!" Diana snapped, holding up her dismantled air fryer—along with her toaster and blender, all in pieces on the kitchen counter.
"I didn't do that," Jerold said, eyes widening slightly.
The anger on her face shifted to suspicion. "Are you saying someone broke in last night?"
"Quick, check the sensors," she ordered.
Jerold walked over to the living room wall and tapped on the security monitor. "Seems weird that someone would break into our house just to dismantle a few kitchen appliances," he muttered.
"What if they took other stuff?" Diana said, panic rising in her voice. "Check everything!" She bolted toward the bedroom to inspect her jewelry.
Upstairs – Ulim's Room
"ULIM! … ULIM!"
A voice yelled from the other side of Ulim's door, accompanied by furious knocking.
Ulim jolted awake. He knew that knock all too well. He scrambled to remember if he'd forgotten to do something his mother had asked. Nothing came to mind—which somehow made it worse.
"Yes, Mom?" Ulim finally replied, voice groggy.
"I just wanted to check if you're okay. We think someone broke in last night. Check if anything in your room is missing. Your father and I are going to file a police report."
Ulim glanced around his room. Everything seemed norma—
"Wait... what's that?" he thought.
There was an unfinished device sitting on his desk, faintly blinking.
He swung his legs out of bed and—
CRACK!
He stepped on his tablet… or what was left of it. Wires and components were scattered all over the floor.
"Is everything okay, Ulim?" Diana shouted from behind the door.
"Yes, Mom!" he quickly replied.
"Okay, let me in so I can check for myself. I know you don't check properly," she said as she pushed the door open.
Ulim quickly grabbed the strange device and stuffed it under his clothes.
"What are you doing?" Diana asked as she entered.
"Just… putting away my dirty laundry," Ulim said with an awkward smile and cold sweat glistening on his forehead.
"Looks like the thief got in here too," Diana said, picking up the shattered tablet from the floor.
"I guess so," Ulim muttered.
Jerold walked in. "I've checked the sensors. They didn't detect any movement outside the house. None of the doors or windows show signs of forced entry—what happened here?" he asked, staring at the mess.
"Looks like a murder scene—if someone was murdering a robot," Jerold chuckled.
"I've already called the police. They'll be here soon to take a statement," Diana said, walking out of the room.
Later, with the Police
"So you didn't hear anything?" the officer asked Diana and Jerold.
"No, officer," Jerold replied.
"It's a very strange robbery. The thief didn't take anything," the second officer commented, surveying the scene.
"I'm going to check the kid's room. Maybe there's something there," he said, heading upstairs.
"Okay, I'll continue taking their statement," the first officer said.
The officer opened Ulim's door and stepped in.
"Looks like the thief was trying to build something," he said, examining the scattered wires and parts.
"Let's see if there's any hidden evidence," he muttered, activating his boost. "Come forth… Shadow."
A ghostly black wolf materialized beside him.
"Okay, boy. See if you can sniff anything out."
The spectral wolf sniffed around, eventually stopping in front of the closet.
"Bingo," the officer grinned. He opened the closet and pulled out the blinking device. "What do we have here?"
"Sir, I think I found something," he said, walking downstairs with the device in hand.
"Good work, Charles," the sergeant said.
"Thanks, Sarge," Charles replied, placing the object on the dining table.
"Have you ever seen this before?" the sergeant asked, gesturing to the device.
Diana and Jerold exchanged confused glances. "No. Never."
"What about you, young man?" the sergeant turned to Ulim.
"I… I… I don't know what it is either," Ulim lied, nervously.
"What is it?" Diana asked.
"We don't know either," Charles replied. "But it's not dangerous—I'd sense that with my boost."
"Thanks for your time. We'll contact you if we find anything," the sergeant said, standing up.
Ulim couldn't take his eyes off the device as Charles slipped it into an evidence bag and walked away.
Later That Day
"Well, looks like we're buying new appliances," Jerold said.
"I'm free this evening," Diana replied with a smile.
"I think I'll stay behind to clean up my room," Ulim said, standing from the chair.
Back in his room, he lay on the bed, deep in thought.
"Why do I feel like I know that device?" he murmured. "It feels… familiar. Important. Must be a coincidence."
He got up. "Time to clean this up, I guess," he said, grabbing the broom.
A While Later
"When I came over, I wasn't expecting to help you clean up," Delis grumbled, carrying a trash bag.
"Still weird that the thief trashed the place and took nothing. Maybe someone just hates you. I mean, most of the mess is in your room," Delis said.
"Yeah, could be. Personally, I don't think it was a thief," Ulim said. "I felt a strange connection with that device. Almost like… I built it."
"Yeah, right. We both know you're not smart enough to build that—wait, maybe your boost is sleep-building. Like sleepwalking, but you build gadgets instead," Delis chuckled.
"Very funny, Mr. Hero-Level Boost. When are you heading to the training institute?" Ulim asked.
"Tomorrow. Why? Gonna miss me?" Delis teased.
At the Police Station
"So… what is it?" the sergeant asked the technician inspecting the device recovered from Ulim's room.
"We're not sure, sir," the technician admitted. "Whatever it is, it needs a massive power source to activate. The circuitry is... unusually advanced."
"If you don't know… who would?" the sergeant asked, frowning.
The technician hesitated, then answered:
"Sir, I suggest we contact Infiniverse Labs"