The pizzeria was closer to his house than the park, and he still needed to ride the bus to get there. Despite the comfortable temperature, chills shook his body, and he clutched the chip until his knuckles turned white. People stared at him.

He threw himself to the concrete at his stop and didn't stop running. His heart raced faster than his footsteps. In his head, his mother told him to slow down. No way. If the idea of walking there made him want to explode, how would he feel if he tried it?

Locked between two empty stores, the pizzeria looked just like it always did. The details were sealed into his brain. Words scrolled along the awning. WELCOME, read the blue letters. ONE SLICE $1.50. On the window, glowing before the green booths inside, neon letters flashed PIZZA.

He threw the door open.

"Jill!"

Strangers stared back. His throat closed up. Every table was full. People from all over the city looked up with their slices halfway to their mouths. Even the robots on the small stages throughout the restaurant looked to the door. Owen pulled back, face burning.

Jill jumped the railing that helped separate the dining room and rushed towards him.

"What's wrong?"

He looked into her almost silver eyes and shuddered. "I-" he whispered. "I need to talk to you."

Jill nodded, ponytail bobbing. "Alright." She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Owen kept his eyes to the ground as she led him past the tables. The animatronics she'd built twisted at the hip to follow them. His eyes burned, but he wasn't going to cry. This was too serious for that.

He didn't hear her open the door, and didn't see the boxes that lined the hallway. Together they walked down the hall that connected to the old grocery store, her workshop. A door squealed, and machinery hummed. Owen lifted his head.

Something electronic chirped. Owen relaxed under the glow of neon and screens. Jill's workshop was the safest part of the city. No tracing beacons could penetrate these walls, and any attempts to see who was inside would reveal nothing. When he wanted to disappear, this is where he went. Jill led him to the long white table, then pulled a chair out from the wall by the kitchen. Owen sank into its glow. He was tired. When did that happen?

She walked to the blue kitchen and opened the fridge. Owen looked away. Pink and white lights, built into the walls, danced behind the computer servers and furniture. The bed built into the far side wall was unmade. A blanket had been thrown into the rolling chair at her desk. Three computer screens showed waves on a beach. The half-dozen holograph screens were inactive and pale blue.

A plate clicked to the table. Owen blinked and looked down. Cake. Cake and a glass of milk. Jill sat down across from him.

"What happened?" Jill folded her hands together. "You've never done something like that before. And you always come in through the back, too."

His throat closed up.

"Mom's okay. She just called about rearranging the house. And Dad's okay, too. I would've heard before you if he was in trouble. So what's wrong? Did something happen at school? Or did you see something on the way here? Or-"

Owen jumped to his feet.

"Specter's going to take over the world again!"

Jill jerked. Wide eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed as she frowned. She leaned forward.

"Sit down. Start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

He obeyed. Stuttering, stumbling, he told her everything he'd seen, from meeting Specter at his home to to seeing him at the park. He talked and tried to ignore the horror growing in her eyes.

"This is pretty serious stuff," Jill said. "Are you sure you heard him right?"

"I have proof." She'd believe him. She had to. He lifted his fist. "One of the monkeys dropped their box. It spilled everywhere. I got most of them but it didn't – it missed -"

His hand wouldn't open. His fingers wouldn't move. Jill reached out and pried his fingers away one by one. She sucked in air.

"That's a weapon chip." She pulled it from his hand. Skin stuck to the skin, and snapped into grooves embedded deep into his flesh. Jill rubbed her fingers over the markings. Owen flexed his hand. It was already starting to tingle.

"Eat your snack." Jill pushed away from the table and headed to her desk. "I'm going to look into this."

Owen stared at the food in front of him. He wasn't hungry. Maybe he was too anxious to feel it. He tucked in. Lemon-vanilla flavor. Delicious as always.

He finished before she did. She hadn't moved. Text ran through the holograph screens as she stared at the physical, center screen. The blue-white light turned her into a ghost, a vessel for the information she needed. Owen took his dishes to the sink.

Over the rush of the faucet, something beeped. Owen turned off the water and grabbed the pale blue hand towel.

"Got the info." Jill's voice was tight. Owen's stomach flipped. He dumped the hand towel on its hook.

"And?"

"It's definitely a weapon chip." Owen took a breath. "Used for guns, mostly. Military-grade, not for civilian use." Jill shook her head. "I'm sorry, Owen, but I think you're right."

His heart leaped. Proof. "We have to go to the authorities! They can stop this!"

"No."

Owen flinched. "No? Why not? The evidence is right here!"

"This isn't enough." She sighed. "One kid's story and a stolen chip. Big deal. It'd be easy for Specter to sweep this under the rug."

"But I was there!" Owen's hands balled into fists. "I saw it! I heard him! And why would Specter want a weapon chip anyway?"

"Specter doesn't have the weapon chip. You do." Owen froze. Jill studied him. "You could've gotten this from anywhere, and made something up. You have as much reason to lie as anyone else. More, even." He set his teeth. "They have no reason to trust a child – and every reason to trust him."

"But..." Owen shook his head. "No, there's got to be something I can do. I won't let this end here!"

She folded her arms. "The burden of proof is on you. If you had concrete evidence, that would convince someone."

He blinked. "Evidence?"

"Yeah." Jill drummed a finger on her arm. "More items. Photos, video, audio. Things that are hard to fake and easy to check. Stuff like that."

The burden of proof. He calmed. His mind cleared, and the anxiety washed away. Owen inhaled, and it was the easiest breath he'd ever taken.

"I'll do it." Owen said. "I'll get the evidence."

Jill paled. Owen stepped towards the door. She blocked his path and gripped his shoulders.

"Owen, no!" He could see the whites of her eyes. "What are you thinking?! You can't do this! If Specter catches you, he'll kill you!"

"He won't catch me." Owen pulled her hands off his shoulders. "He'll never know I'm there."

"But what about the monkeys?" Her fingers dug into his. "They'll report to him if they see you!"

"I'll be sneaky," Owen said. "You know what I'm like when I'm sneaky."

"But that won't be enough!" She released him and wrapped her arms around herself. "You can't do this alone! You'll need tools. Guidance! And-and-"

She paused. Jill took a deep breath and turned back to him.

"Wait here."

She strode into the door by her desk and didn't close it behind her. Owen shifted. When she returned, she held something red in her hands.

"This is the Tablet Cam." She offered it. It was lighter than it looked. "It's an advanced camera capable of short- and long-range photography, and audio/video recording." She pressed a button on the side. Something red and white popped out. She unfolded it. Headphones. "These are wireless headphones with a hidden built-in microphone."

She placed the headphones around his neck. "So no matter where you are, I'll always be nearby."

He looked up at her. "You're… helping me?"

She sighed. "I've been your sister for over ten years. I know you. Once you make up your mind, nothing – absolutely nothing – can stop you. I don't want you going off on your own and disappearing, or worse. So, even if this is wrong, I'll help you get that evidence."

Owen smiled at her. "Thanks, Jill."

Jill smiled back. "You're my brother. I have to look out for you." She laughed. "Or Mom and Dad will have my head."

"They're gonna have our heads anyway if they find out about this!" Owen laughed and ran his fingers over his head. "I'll go back to the park and check that place out. Good a start as any, right?"

"Mmm." Jill snapped her fingers. "One more thing!" She rustled through the papers on her desk. Owen tried to peer around her, but saw nothing.

Turning around, she held out a metallic wristband. "I was going to ask you to check this out anyway. Maybe it'll help you out."

He secured it to his wrist. "What is it anyway?"

"I call it the Static Baseball!" She grinned. "Give it a twist, a flick of the wrist, and you'll get a holographic ball to throw at whatever you want. It has enough power to temporarily disable most cameras. It might even be strong enough to stun a monkey." Jill shrugged. "You'll have to find out."

"… We're not prepared for this," Owen said.

Jill hesitated. "We'll make do with what we have." She said. "And hey, I can try to get in touch with the inventor of the Helmet. Maybe he can help us."

Owen smiled. "Yeah, maybe."

They stared at each other.

"I'm gonna be fine," Owen said.

She looked away. "Yeah. This should be easy for you, right?"

"Right."

That's what he said back at the workshop. But the wind rustling through the trees over his head made him wonder.

There was a little security guard this time. The monkey snored against the door. Something dropped from a tree and it snapped away. It looked around for the source of the noise, shrugged, and slumped back against the door. In a few moments, it was snoring again.

Owen raised the Tablet Cam. It took the picture without a sound. Pulling back behind the tree, he stared at his hands.

He couldn't afford to wait. Nervous as he was, he knew that. Owen flicked his wrist. The Static Ball formed in his hand, glowing and silent. He stepped out from behind the tree and threw the ball as hard as he could at the monkey.

Chapter 4 is partially written. Chapter 5 is plotted out. Stay tuned.