Chapter 71: The Suit (2)
"It’s not this one. Where... is it?"
Albert had been rummaging through Bernard’s mound of forgotten inventions for several minutes now. He was buried in the pile, digging through layers of abandoned tech in search of the old helmet he was looking for.
Riley, meanwhile, stood quietly, waiting. But after the third minute passed, he began to slowly wander around the barn, his eyes scanning the scattered remnants of his father’s discarded genius. This barn had been filled even when he was younger, but now it was just... overflowing, almost suffocating... it became worse.
"Oh?"
Something buried caught Riley’s eye. It was jutting out of one of the piles. He reached for it, gave it a few tugs, and finally yanked it free. The mound threatened to collapse, but a quick wave of Riley’s hand pushed the surrounding objects back into place.
He examined the item in his hand for a moment, then casually slipped it into his pocket without another word.
"Aha!" And finally, after a few more seconds of waiting, Albert finally emerged from the pile, holding a white motorcycle helmet triumphantly in both hands.
"This was one of your father’s early prototypes—his third helmet, I believe. He only used it for two days before deciding to build a custom one from scratch," Albert said, spinning the helmet lightly above his palm. "He retrofitted this when he was just a few years older than you. Despite the bulky look, it’s actually quite comfortable."
"I would prefer it in black, Mr. AI," Riley shook his head. "I do not want to be easily seen at night."
"Oh?" Albert hummed, "You’re going out at night, Riley? You truly are growing up. Wait here, I will make some modifications to it, and I assume you also want to remove the tracking?"
"Yes, please."