Chapter Two

Alex Roth

I forced a smile as the light from hundreds of camera flashed in my eyes.

The podium stood in front of the building with a mic and glass of water to the left.

You can do this, I thought to myself, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling from Sebastian's mysterious phone call.

I stepped up to the podium and took a sip of water before reaching into my pocket and grabbing my speaking points. Sebastian stood by my side.

He smiled and stepped forward, adjusting the microphone. "Good afternoon, everyone! It's a great day here at Centurion Industries and I couldn't be more proud of today's announcement."

Several people in the crowd burst into applause.

"Like most great inventions and movements in history, today's announcement would not have been possible without an excellent team of experts and innovative thinkers."

One of the marketing guys shouted in agreement from the sidelines.

"And although many people made today possible, there is one man behind the idea and the technology. One man with an idea to make America safe again!"

The crowd cheered loudly.

"Without further ado, please welcome Alex Roth!"

The cheering continued, getting increasingly louder as Sebastian stepped back and I took his place.

The microphone let out an earsplitting noise as I moved it slightly higher. I could feel the heat emanating from my cheeks.

"Guess I need a little more practice at this," I joked.

Reporters and bystanders chuckled.

"As a young boy, my family fell victim to a violent crime. A senseless, drug-fueled crime, which took the lives of my younger brother and my parents." My voice began to tremble, "I was shot and left for dead."

Silence fell over the large group of people standing in front of me.

"We didn't have an alarm and our nearest neighbors were miles away." I took a deep breath. "If my aunt hadn't stopped by to drop off my little brother's birthday present the next day, I would have died."

Pausing, I looked into crowd, making eye contact with several reporters.

"Since that very day, I had one focus, making America safer."

Murmurs of agreement broke the silence.

"I focused on my studies, graduated from the top in my class and was awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard. I double majored in both psychology and business. Four years later, I continued my education at Yale in mechanical engineering. You see, I wanted to understand the way people's minds worked, both the good and the bad. I also wanted to be able to run a business that would help people. Most importantly, I needed a concept I had focused on since childhood to become a reality, I needed to create something that would prevent tragedies such as the one I faced as a child."

Lifting the glass of water, I took a slow sip. People were hanging on every word I spoke.

"The last day of exams, Sebastian Taylor offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. I joined the Centurion Industries team and immediately got to work. Now, twenty-four months later, here I stand today, in front of all of you."

I set my note cards down on the podium as Sebastian joined me with a small black box in hand.

Opening the box, I smiled. A small sphere no larger than a baseball lit up and glowed a soft green. Carefully lifting the object out, I presented it in open palms to the crowd.

"Meet Georgia," I said with a smile.

Reporters focused their cameras on my hands.

"Georgia, named after my mother," I said with a soft smile, "is the most advanced safety product in the world."

I glanced over at Sebastian. He wore a knowing smile and gave me a nod.

"Georgia has the ability to monitor the safety conditions of any space anywhere in the world. That said, she isn't your typical security system, which reacts after a crime has been committed, such as breaking into a home. Georgia monitors everything from the temperature of the front door handle to the number of guests in your living room at your child's birthday party to the number of people riding the L train every day. With the help of cutting edge technology, Georgia can sense when an unwanted guest or a violent act is about to happen through the monitoring of everything from biomechanics to local feeds from systematically placed cameras around the city."

"YOU'RE INVADING OUR PRIVACY!" shouted a man with a red splotchy face. "THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!"

Sebastian nodded at two policemen standing near the edge of the crowd. They rushed through the crowd and escorted him out a few moments later.

"Although it might seem like an invasion of privacy, Georgia has one more extremely important feature," I said, ignoring the man's outburst.

"Georgia will only activate if she senses danger or if she is manually activated."

Reporters wrote vigorously into small notebooks.

"Unlike today's security systems, which set off loud alarms and flashing lights, Georgia takes a more proactive approach to keeping Americans safe. Within milliseconds of being activated or sensing danger, Georgia is able to identify an intruder, notify police, and she can even emit a non-toxic temporarily paralytic agent, which will literally stop any criminal in his tracks."

The murmurs grew louder.

Sensing the change, I held up my hands. "I know, many of you are asking yourselves, how will we control Georgia? Isn't this technology dangerous?"

I took a drink of water and set it back down on the small white napkin on the podium.

"The simple answer is that Georgia is completely safe and is not dangerous to individuals who are not committing crime. However, to ensure that Americans feel safe, we have created a short video explaining exactly how Georgia works."

I nodded to Sebastian, who turned and pointed to the front of the building. A moment later, several large screens were wheeled in front of the podium. Once they were all perfectly aligned, he pressed a circular button on a small black remote. The video we had spent months creating came to life on the screens as we stood behind, holding our breaths.

"How do you think it's going?" I asked nervously.

Sebastian stepped forward and embraced me. "You've knocked it out of the park."

A mixture of pride and sadness filled me as the video played in the background. Demonstrations of installed Georgia devices in people's homes and businesses flashed across the screen. Next, viewers watched as a man in a mask tried to break in through an unlocked back door. The Georgia device installed inside flashed red and gave off a warning beep. My voice floated through the air from nearby speakers. "Georgia is able to identify family members and friends in an instant. Simple settings allow you to add guests and visitors to Georgia's system." As the burglar placed his hand on the door handle and gave it a push, Georgia flashed and a moment later, the Police Chief's voice addressed the masked man. "You are now being recorded and the police are on their way. If you attempt to leave, you will be picked up by other Georgias in the neighborhood until you are apprehended. If you intend to cause harm, Georgia will immediately render you incapable of even the most basic bodily functions. Do you understand me?"

The man in the mask smirked and tried to run away. The camera's zoomed out and watched as the man took three large steps before a second Georgia hanging in a nearby tree let out a fine mist. The burglar immediately froze, unable to move a muscle and remained frozen in place until the police arrived. Several more scenarios were shown as well as the other safety features of Georgia, including smoke detecting software and water sensors.

The video ended a few minutes later, leaving the crowd silent once again.

Sebastian gave the command to have the screens removed as I stepped back up to the podium.

"So, what did you all think?" I asked with a grin.

Some people cheered while others remained quiet.

"Are you ready for the most powerful part of today's reveal?"

"I know I am," said Sebastian patting me on the back.

"Unlike other advanced technology, Georgia will not only be an affordable piece of technology rolling out to the general public today, Centurion Industries has also pledged to work with the New York City Police department to install over fifty thousand Georgia devices throughout public places and local businesses in New York City, completely free of charge!"

Some people gasped, while others clapped and whistled loudly.

I gingerly held Georgia in my right palm. "After today, we WILL make America safe again," I said loudly with confidence in my voice.

The crowd cheered.

"Gone will be the days filled with crime and injustice," I shouted into the microphone.

The cheering got louder.

"Children will be able to play with friends outside without fear of predators! Local shopkeepers will no longer operate in fear of robbers or gang activity! Georgia WILL make our streets and our nation safe once again!" I roared.

I lifted Georgia up and pumped my other fist into the air.

The citizens in the crowd went wild.

Just as I was getting ready to place Georgia back into the black box in Sebastian's hands, she lit up and emitted a loud beep.

I frowned as I looked up at Sebastian.

"It's show time," he said with a wink. 

***********

Cliffhangers,

Dude! Talk about an intense chapter! What did you think of it? What do you think will happen next? I'm seriously on pins and needles! 

Eek! I'm so super pumped to hear what you think of this chapter!

Until next time...

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo

P.S. All votes and comments are hugely appreciated! :)