Frank’s fingers frantically fumbled the front padlock. Accepting the combination, the door slid open, momentarily revealing the chaos that was his living room. Stepping in, Frank dove for the couch, dodging the orange blur headed for his face. Looking to his right he locked eyes with the culprit, his grinning six year old son Mason.
“What did I tell you about playing Hoverball in the house?” Frank’s tone was stern, but his smile gave him away. With a giggling devilish grin, his youngest took off down the hallway.
“You’re doing a great job babysitting boys.” Frank called down the hall at his oldest boys Billy and Jason as he stood and entered the kitchen. Tossing his keycard and phone on the kitchen table, Frank called to his only daughter.
“Jenny! Are you here? Who’s watching Mason!”
“She’s not home yet.” A voice called from the hall. He couldn’t tell if it was Jason or Billy’s.
“Where is she?” He waited impatiently for a response.
“I dunno.” The voice called back after a pause.
Panic swelled inside Frank as he began to pace the room desperately, thinking of the places she could be. He didn’t remember hearing anything about practice or a project after school today. He sped to the kitchen table and fumbled with his phone. The recent news reports of terrorist kidnappings were running through his mind as he typed her UEID chip number into his App. Sweat dropped from his forehead, blurring the screen. Frank scrubbed furiously with his sleeve before working on his brow. Finally the blinking blue dot appeared at a location.
The high school library. Sighing deeply in relief, Frank turned to the hallway with instructions for dinner.
“Ooof.” Spit flung from Frank as a blow to the gut knocked the wind out of him. Falling back,
he caught himself on the kitchen counter. Struggling to catch his breath, he braced himself.
“Sorry Dad.” Jason muttered, rubbing his head.
“It’s alright Jay, just be careful. And turn that news broadcast off. I don’t want your brother having invasion nightmares again.” Frank turned to call for Bill, but found his eldest now sitting at the kitchen counter. Eyes inches from the 3D gaming screen projecting from it, his right hand working the controls on the screen.
“Dad will you sign for this game? It’s free.” Billy inquired without looking up from the counter.
“So far so good, but what is it?” Frank didn’t want some Vamp or Ghoul popping up to scare his other children.
“It’s called Earth Defense, it’s a tower defense game. Aliens are attacking Earth in their spaceships and you build up the Earth’s defense. Starting with your own neighborhood. It’s really cool Dad.” Frank held up his right hand to settle Billy down.
“What is the age requirement?”
“It’s 10 and up. You can set the password. We won’t let Mason play.” Frank reached for the IntelHome Holotablet controller on the coffee table.
“Send me the link.” Frank grumbled at Billy. He was behind on dinner without Jenny home to help start it. The boys never wanted to help, but were quick to ask for a status update. Billy moved his right hand on the 3D controls and flicked his wrist forward towards his father. Not one second later, the app popped up on Franks Holotab. He placed his thumb on the home screen scanner, skipping the manual sign up for the app. Up popped a new page reading Terms and Conditions followed by an endless sea of legal jargon. Frank skimmed down to the bottom as quickly as his wrist could flick, finally reaching the bottom of the agreement. He quickly clicked on the box reading I accept the UEE Terms, Conditions, and Privacy Policy. A voice projected through the Holotab.
“Please look at the camera and say your full name after the beep to verify your download.”
“Frank William Odom” He stared awkwardly at tablet in his until it beeped in conformation. He sat the Holotab back down on the table, returning to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
---
A pounding at the door woke Frank up in a panic the next morning. He hopped out of bed, tripping over his slippers as he slid into his robe. The knocking became louder and more frequent as he approached the door. Frank, as impatient as his visitors, fought with the lock before angrily swinging the door open ready to give a piece of his mind.
“Good morning sir!”
He was interrupted by a young UEDU officer with a Holotab in hand. He glanced back at the soldiers behind him before holding the tablet up to Frank’s face. The speaker barked ‘Frank William Odom’.
“Is that you sir?” The officer’s stare made Frank uneasy.
“Yes, I’m Frank Odom. What is this about? Frank stammered. The young officer did not look up from his Holotab as he pressed on.
“Earth Defense download Conditions: Section 24.8- In the event of an actual UCT invasion, I hereby relinquish ownership of my home to the UEDU for acquisition and upgrade in order to assist with defense tactics until the threat of attack has been officially rescinded by the UE Council.”
Frank stepped forward to protest, but was pushed back by the small wave of troops that rushed into his home. He begged the officer to reconsider, but the man did not seem to hear him over the roar of the trench digger.
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