A/N: Chapter rewritten.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.

Chapter 1

An Uneasy Feeling

Shah Alam, Malaysia
Thursday, August 13, 2013
10.11 a.m. (UTC +8.00)

I was walking down the street of the neighborhood of a luxurious residential area in the fine morning after a nice long stroll at the local park. The warm sun fed nutrients to the plants as it shone bright across the city of Shah Alam of which I live in, the birds were chirping cheerful melodies in their nests on trees, the air smelt fresh and clean, and everyone I came across smiled at me as we crossed paths.

As I wended my way under a big tree near the sidewalk, my best friend and neighbor, named Firas, called me on my cell. The iPhone was ringing and vibrating in my pocket, so I picked it up. Without making it leave my pocket.

I held a finger on my right temple to answer. "Yeah, bud?" I answered. "Yeah, I will be coming to your place. We're playing GTA 4 today, right? Nice, okay, ciao. I'll see ya in a couple of minutes." I removed the finger to hang up.

This is me. Danial Arif is the name, I'm 13 years old, Malaysian, a multi-billionaire video games developer, iOS software designer at Apple Inc., and philanthropist. All the assets I had were earned by myself after selling millions of copies of my first person shooter game, Fields Of Battle 2: Modern Warfare, and some were inherited to me from the blood, sweat and tears of my father. He was a weapons scientist, creating a smart bullet that will explode near its target if it misses. He died in a car explosion along with my mother and dear sister back in 2011, when the 2011 Los Angeles Weapons Expo was taking place.

I was 5 feet 2 inches tall, had black hair, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and I was undergoing some teenage blues as the result of experiencing puberty. Yeah, my voice had been breaking, an Adam's apple was growing on my throat, and zits were surprisingly absent on my face. Strange.

How did I answer the phone without touching it? Don't tell this to other people, my life will be endangered because implanted in my brain is an experimental microchip, created by a British-born Caltech scientists who's name I will not reveal in these early chapters. It allows me to control any form of electronics remotely weather it's near or far, read the thoughts of people, make and answer incoming calls via a smartphone, and a very special power I will also not reveal in early chapters. It could also make me fight when I needed to, make me a very smart kid, and I sometimes misuse it. But I don't use my abilities in public. It was hunted by a man, but the professor won't tell me who.

I reached my house two minutes later, a luxurious estate with a mansion and a garden. The mansion was big as any other mansion, had 8 bedrooms, and all the essentials a mansion should have. But that's only what the topside looks like. Under it is an underground level with multiple rooms, every room for a different occasion. It's where I store my father's inherited weapons, develop my video games, and it has a shooting range which I haven't used in a long time. No one can access those parts but me. Besides that, there's an underground garage the style of a showroom, but I don't keep cars in there. All of my 500+ supercar collection were stored in a storage garage also built underground, it had the area of a soccer field and it was ten stories deep.

As I was saying, I was crossing the street to the house of my friend who lived opposite of my estate. I didn't really need to look left and right because the road was empty! Public holidays are usually when the residents of the neighborhood rest and relax from the pressure of working.

I came to the doorstep of Firas's home after entering the gates, and gave a ring at the doorbell. His parents were actually out of town for business, so he should be the one answering.

The door flung open, behind it was Firas to welcome me. "Danny! What took you so long?" he asked with a relived smile.

"Chill, bro! I was just taking a walk at the park," I answered. "So, we ready to live stream?" I forgot to mention that he had a YouTube channel. He does videos everyday after school.

"You know it! Come in!" He stepped away from the doorway so I could enter.

We went up the stairs to his room, seeing the two Xbox consoles hooked up to two separate computer screens already turned on.

"Alright, we've got five minutes till the live stream and..." His stomach grumbled like a raging monster. I turned back to see if he was okay...

Nope. His body language told me that he was having a stomachache by the way he held his belly and his face was wrinkled up like a prune.

"You okay, dude?" I wondered.

"Not really... Yo, I really need to use the bathroom! My stomach is killing me!" He rushed out the room and along the hallway to the bathroom.

"What have you been eating, man?" I said as I peeped out the doorsill.

"You know how hot my mom's chili can be!" he answered as he halted at the door.

I raised an eyebrow in reaction to his odd appetite. "You ate chili for breakfast?"

"That's the only thing my mom left me to eat before she and my dad left for their trip!" He opened the door to enter but paused. "Plus, her chili is delicious!" He slammed the door shut after going in.

I went back inside the room to wait, when I got a call from the creator of the chip. "Hello? Yes, professor!" I greeted as I held my temple again. The news the he brought was beyond disturbing. It was life-threatening.

"Danial, lock your house down. Shut the windows, lock your doors, don't make any calls, and don't talk to anyone!" he warned.

"Whoa, slow down! What's going on?" I asked.

"Caltech research labs have been breached! They were looking for the chip!"

Immediately, I turned white as if I've seen a ghost.

"Get Interpol General Secretariat on the phone, ask for protection! After that, do NOT contact anyone unless I call you!" he added. Then the line went dead.

Despite all that had happened, I didn't panic. I simply dialed the number of Interpol's General Secretariat, and listened to a couple of beeps before his secretary picked up. "Hello, you've reached the General Secretariat's office. How may I help you?" began the secretary.

"Get the General Secretariat on the line. It's urgent and an emergency!" I demanded.

"Of course. May I know who is speaking?"

"Danial Arif."

After speaking to the GS and made him understand my situation, Firas came back in from the john just as I got off the line.

"Hey, close that door...and lock it!" I ordered, rushing to the curtains to close them.

"Why? What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Do it!" I imperiously demanded. Out of the pressure, he hurriedly shut the door and pressed the lock.

"Ey, man! What's going on?" he asked again.

"Someone's hunting me down," I stated.

"Who? Why?"

"Who? I don't know. Why? Remember when I moved to California 2011?"

"Yeah. Big move for your dad's presentation of the smart bullet."

"Okay, here's how it went down. Caltech invented a microchip that allows people to remotely control computers. They needed a lab rat, so my father wanted me to follow in his footsteps to enter the world of science and permitted me to get the chip implanted in my head. Are you following what I'm saying?" He nodded, but it seemed fake. "And turn that phone off, someone might be tracking us."

He first took out his iPhone to turn it off then concluded what I had explained. "So, you're a human that has robotic abilities. Long story short, you're a cyborg?"

I immediately answered; "Exactly. And now, some whack job wants to take it and condemn the world with it!"

"Listen man, I am amused by your make-belief story but I don't buy a single thing out of it," he said.

"So you want me to demonstrate, huh? Well I'll show ya..." I turned to the Xbox consoles and held out my hand to channel out the wireless commands out from it to the consoles, popping out a shutdown alert on the screens. I chose 'yes' without laying a finger on any of the controllers, and they both shut down.

I looked back at Firas in the eye with a serious stare as he left his jaw gaped in amazement. "Okay, that was awesome," he commented.

"Don't tell anyone about it, alright? The fate of the world is at stake if the bad guy gets my chip, got that?" I said. He nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay, I'm sorry but we gotta cancel the live stream. I won't be talking to you for a few days for safety's sake, and I've called Interpol General Secretariat to send agents over here to provide protection. Don't be trippin', okay?"

"Sure man, no sweat," he said.

"Alright, gotta go barricade myself in my own house until the agents get here. Ciao!" I said, rushing out of his room.

"Be safe!" he wished.

Thea's Perspective

Thea's House
9.18 p.m. (11 hours behind, Eastern Standard Time)

Life as Interpol agents. Ever since the death of Geronimo's childhood friend, we were pledged never to stop trying to catch his murderer no matter what. Oh yeah, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Thea Stilton, a full-time Interpol Special Agent, a special correspondent for the Stilton Media Group, and the sister of Geronimo Stilton.

As I was saying, it had been three years since the tragic death of Geronimo's dear friend. His murderer has been identified, all we had to do was find and arrest him. The problem is, he hasn't shown up in the world ever since.

At the moment, I was still at my place, holding a bowl of popcorn in my arms as I walked to the living room from the kitchen. What was the occasion? That night was when New Mouse City's soccer team, the NMC Squeakers were playing in the finals of the Mouse Island Soccer League against San Mousisco FC. I took a seat on the couch in front of the flatscreen TV, turning it on and just in time when they were about to sing the New Mouse City anthem.

I stood up in respect of the anthem and set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table next to my white iPhone. That was the moment when it rang. Caller ID, Geronimo.

I picked it up and answered. "G, you're interrupting the anthem," I started.

"I'm really sorry to distract you with the soccer game, but I need you to pack your bags and meet me and the others at Angorat International Airport, ASAP. We have an urgent call," Geronimo squeaked solemnly. His tone sounded serious.

I knew that tone. It was his 'agent' tone. "How urgent?" I asked to reconfirm, dropping my voice down an octave.

"Interpol urgent," he answered.

From the declaration, I knew that we were assigned a new mission. "I'm on my way," I said.

I hung up, turned the flatscreen off, quickly stuffed everything I could into a small carry on. Toothbrush, night dress, everyday outfit, all the essentials I need. I zipped up my black motorcycle jacket and put on my pink helmet.

I went down to the garage where I stored my pink Ducati Desmosedici RR superbike. I mounted my carry on on to the luggage rack at the back of the motorcycle and tied it with the straps so it wouldn't fall off, climbed on, started the engine, and kicked the stand up. To warm it up while the garage door was still rolling up, I revved the engine with a few twists of the throttle. And when it was completely opened, I revved to max and released the clutch into first gear, burning out off the garage and into the streets of New Mouse City.

Angorat International Airport
9.25 p.m.

I entered the terminal through the automatic doors, seeing the space inside brightly lit with white light. Mice were walking here and there, outside the terminal and inside to either catch a flight or to get a cab. Between those mice, I noticed my family and Pandora, as well as Professor Von Volt grouping up in the middle of an empty spot in the terminal, holding the handles of their carry on luggage. While dodging other busy mice, I scampered to join them.

The first mouse from the group to notice me was Geronimo himself, and greeted me as a gentlemouse he always was. "Thea! Glad you could make it," he started in his serious tone. "You're just in time for the briefing."

"So, what's all of this about?" I asked, putting my arms akimbo.

"Just about twenty minutes ago, more or less, I received a call from the General Secretariat of Interpol. Caltech's research lab was infiltrated a few hours ago, and security cameras have identified a few people, one of them was him."

Benjamin bulged out his eyes in shock. "Williams is back?"

"With an army I'm afraid. With his worldwide recruits, he's became even powerful than when we last encountered him. He's now the leader of his own terrorist organization, which he calls as 'The Technologists'. Now, he's after a microchip that he failed to obtain at Caltech, the place where it was created. Right now, that chip is implanted in the brain of 13-year old video game developer, Danial Arif."

Pandora was next to be surprised. "Wait, THE Danial Arif? The guy who is the same age as me and Benjamin who also designs the iOS?"

"Correct, my dear mouseling," clarified Geronimo. He then shifts to Benjamin, who's face was looking quite more disturbed. "Benjamin, I know he's a personal friend of yours because you looked more unsettled than the others."

"How'd you know?" he questioned.

"You don't think that I use Facebook very often, do you?" Geronimo replied. Benjamin shook his head. "I checked your timeline, and among all the people you were friends with, one of them was Danial Arif himself."

"And how long have you been doing this without inviting us?" Trap asked, sounding annoyed.

"2011, before he was known globally," replied the young mouse, smiling awkwardly.

"Okay, back to the topic," I interrupted. "How significant and dangerous is this chip? And what are its abilities?"

"Very significant indeed. I was briefed that it allows a human being, possibly mice as well, the power to control any electronic device like Benjamin's Ben Pad without physically touching it. He is the world's second unknown cyborg by having the experimental chip, the first being Professor Kevin Warwick. The Technologists are hunting this piece of tech for unknown reasons, but just imagine the possible destruction it could cause in the wrong paws. Or hands, in this matter."

"So what's our mission?" Pandora asked.

"Obviously to protect Danial Arif at all cost, and to hunt and bring down Williams once and for all," Geronimo answered.

"But how did he knew that Interpol was the one to call?" I wondered.

"Apparently someone had told him to, but we have no idea who he is. Or, him being told by Benjamin that he was an Interpol operative, Interpol was the first thing that popped up in his mind."

"So, we're all going to be staying at his place?" I asked again.

"On the contrary, Thea, I think YOU should protect him," he corrected, placing his paws behind his back.

I was baffled. "Me?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, Thea," he agreed with a smile. "I've been watching you with Benjamin lately, and whenever he's feeling down, you'd always find a way to cheer him up. I concluded that you had a good way with children. And remember, Danial Arif is also an orphan. So, whenever he's mourning over his parents, you could do the same to him," he explained.

"I...guess you have a point," I said.

"Now that's settled, here's the plan when we land in Malaysia. Do NOT hire a cab. Interpol has shipped two of the agency's Dodge Chargers by air as we squeak to the country for us to get around. So, as decided, Thea, you will go DIRECTLY to the residence of Danial Arif while the rest of us will go to our hotel where we'll be staying, and we'll be stationed at Interpol's Malaysian headquarters to track down every of Williams' moves."

Then the announcer calls us in to board our flight. "Attention to the Interpol agents who will be flying to Malaysia, you are needed to report yourselves at the airfield entrance in the west of the terminal, your private jet is waiting to take off."

"We're taking a private jet?" Trap squeaked.

"Yes, Trap. We are," Geronimo said. "Now, I want all of us to give everything we've got into capturing Williams once and for all, and to not let Danial Arif fall into his hands. Whatever happens, we do our best." We all nodded in agreement. "Let's get a move on. Our new adventure awaits."

We boarded the jet, and flew off to Malaysia.