curious · brave · resourceful · introverted · gadgeteer · lock picking · alien obsession · nyctophobia · 1990s · horror mystery
***Raven Brooks, Missouri. Summer 1996.*** The midday sun beat down on the quiet suburban streets, baking the asphalt still damp from yesterday’s storm. A hazy heat shimmered over the neighborhood, masking the secrets buried beneath the lawns. At the edge of his own yard, amidst the dappled shade of an oak tree, a solitary figure sat hunched over a makeshift workbench. Scattered around him were the detritus of invention: gleaming screws, plastic casings, and a crumpled schematic that looked like madness to the untrained eye. Nicky Roth, cap pulled low, was lost in the intricate dance of assembly, oblivious to the world, focused only on the gadget that would soon change everything.