BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik, Amber, Gwen, and Floyd were in Amber's car. The vehicle was different than the usual one, not only because of the model but also because of the color, which was a vibrant fire red.

Everything in that car screamed luxury. From the plush seats to the fine carpeting on which they rode, from the air-conditioned interior, the gleaming dashboards ending to the radio, constantly tuned to some jazz channel.

Inside the car, there was a mini fridge full of champagne, beers, and the highest quality wine one could buy. Many parts of the car were pure gold plated, including all the door handles, as well as the steering wheel spoke and the hubcaps.

There even seemed to be an abundance of chrome trimming along every edge: inside, outside, front, and back. It almost looked like a jeweler had taken over the job of designing it!

Erik felt overwhelmed by all this opulence, and he wondered if he would have this kind of thing in the future.

"We have never seen your house," Floyd said.

"Well, it's not something pleasant to see..." Erik replied.

"Oh, c'mon, how bad could it be?" Floyd said.

"Well, it's not as good as this car..." Erik said.

"C'mon man, we are friends!"

"Floyd, really, I don't feel comfortable..."

"Don't worry, Erik, we won't force you," Amber said with a smile, gesturing for Floyd to shut up for once.

After ten minutes, the group finally arrived in front of Erik's house, and after having said goodbye to his friends, Amber's car levitated high on the ground and started speeding toward Gwen's house.

Erik then grabbed his keys from his pockets and went through the main entrance. After that, he slowly went upstairs, but once he was in front of his door, he found it busted open.

"Fuck..."

The young man couldn't initially see how the inside was but as soon as he peered inside, what he did see left him speechless.

He saw furniture everywhere in disarray. They had been previously and carefully arranged, but now everything was scattered around the room, broken into pieces and splinters. His table was broken, his couch was torn to pieces, and his computer was nowhere to be found.

Erik went inside and checked the kitchen. The cabinets were all on the ground, broken off their hinges, the stovetop turned upside down, and pots and pans shattered.

His food reserves were littering on the floor. He checked his bathroom to ensure no further damage was done. Luckily it had been left unharmed.

"They robbed my house!"

Erik was angry and confused. He was as poor as a church mouse and didn't understand why people did this to him. It wasn't even just that they took his computer. The problem was that they destroyed everything inside the house. Judging by what they did, It was almost like they were searching for something, as if...

It was at that moment that Erik understood. It has been wishful thinking that the same people chasing his father wouldn't have done anything to him.

Whoever did this came here to search for whatever his father brought him. The biological supercomputer. Erik didn't know if they knew what they were searching for. After all, his father could have brought him documents, information regarding the sinister cold, and whatever.

The biological supercomputer was something many people would have trouble even imagining. Hence, it was highly unlikely they knew about its existence. Though he couldn't be sure, he needed to hide...

The logical thing to do now was to call the police, but Erik didn't know if the people who came searching for the biological supercomputer were from the police, the military, the government, or some criminal organization.

He couldn't risk asking for the police's help and maybe ending up in the perpetrator's hands. But where to go? How to get away from them? He had to think fast, but Erik couldn't think logically in that state of mind.

The young man took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. As soon as he was calm again, Erik thought about what to do, and the only thing that came to his mind was to call for Amber. She was rich and related to the stone family. If he could gain their protection, maybe he would be safe in the future.

Nothing, though, excluded the stone family from this situation; what if it was them that searched his apartment for the biological supercomputer? Erik didn't know, but being related to Amber, he at least had a small chance that wasn't true.

<But what if...>

What if it was really the stone family that sent the men? If that were true, everything would make sense! Erik couldn't understand why she decided to befriend him. He wasn't handsome, he wasn't strong, and he wasn't funny. So, why? Was it possible that she was asked by their parents to befriend him to find out where whatever his father gave him was?

That was a possibility. Here Erik had to make a choice, trust his friend or sleep on the streets. He did have enough money to sustain himself in a hotel for the following months since he robbed Logan, Conal, and Orson, but he wouldn't gain any protection, and he wouldn't be able to stay in a hotel for a long period of time.

In the end, Erik decided the best thing to do was to trust his friend. If Anything went bad, he would find his way out and flee the city through the breach. It would be risky, but it was better than becoming a lab rat or losing his freedom.

Erik picked up his phone and called Amber.

"Amber... I need your help..."

After ten minutes, Gwen, Floyd, and Amber were in front of Erik's house. They quickly entered the building and reached the third floor. Once they were there, they found out what had happened.

"You got robbed?" Gwen asked with incredulity. If she was playing dumb, she played very well. "Do you hint about who could have done this?"

Erik shook his head.

"I don't know."

Floyd looked at the mess and shuddered.

"Whoever did this must've known you," Amber said somberly.

"Why do you say so?" Gwen asked.

"For sure, if Erik was a powerful individual, he would have had much more money than currently and would have probably been living in a better place. So by looking at his house, they excluded that he was a powerful individual. Besides, just by looking at the state of your house, it is clear they were searching for something. A common thief doesn't destroy furniture like this," Amber said with conviction.

Floyd nodded.

"They are targeting you, Erik..." the young man was already aware of this, but he couldn't obviously say it to them.

"We'll take care of this; we're not letting anyone harm our friend, are we, Amber?" Floyd said.

She smiled back.

"Of course not. I will personally ask dad to search into this matter. In the meantime, you can stay at my place. We have plenty of rooms, so it won't be a problem," The young woman said. On her face, there was a look Erik had never seen.

She was angry but also determined. There was no doubt that she cared deeply for him. For all these reasons, Erik felt worse about having thought she could be implicated in the matter. But still, what if this was a ploy?

"Thank you, Amber..." He said.

The young woman then made a lengthy conversation with his father, who agreed to send an investigative squad to trace the thief back.