April 4th, 2026.
The sun hadn't even fully risen over the city when the sell orders for Void-Tech finalized.
[ORACLE]: Sell Orders Executed. Average Exit Price: $13.15. Total Profit: $3,328,000. Balance: $3,443,160.
Xavier stared at the screen in the dim light of the Old North Lab. Three million dollars. In his past life, it had taken him fifteen years of grueling labor to see that kind of money, only for it to be snatched away. Now, it was just the "seed" for his first real operation.
"Xavier, look at this," Claire said, sliding her tablet across the makeshift workbench. "The 'Battery-Ghost' metrics are insane."
They had released the app only twelve hours ago under the name Thorne Softworks. It was a simple, minimalist interface with one button: Optimize. Behind that button lay a Multi-Level Voltage Scaling (MLVS) algorithm that Xavier had adapted from the year 2038. It didn't just 'close background apps'; it communicated with the smartphone's kernel to flatten the discharge curve of the lithium-ion cells, effectively extending battery life by 40% without losing performance.
"Two million downloads in twelve hours," Claire whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of excitement and fear. "It's the #1 trending app on the App Store and Google Play. People are calling it a 'digital miracle.'"
"It's not a miracle, Claire. It's math," Xavier replied, his eyes fixed on a different screen. "But more importantly, 85% of those users have 'Auto-Update' enabled. The backdoor is set."
The Grand Gala
That evening, the Grand Ballroom of the Sterling Plaza was a sea of black ties, silk dresses, and the scent of expensive cologne. Tonight was the global launch of the Sterling Titan-1, the phone Thomas Sterling claimed would "End the reign of Apple and Samsung."
Xavier stood in the corner of the balcony, a glass of sparkling water in his hand. He wore a tailored charcoal suit—bought that afternoon—that made him look less like a student and more like a young predator.
Below him, Leo Sterling was basking in the attention of several tech journalists, holding a sleek, gold-trimmed device.
"And here she is," Thomas Sterling's voice boomed from the stage, amplified by the state-of-the-art sound system. "The Titan-1. Using our proprietary 'Sterling-Max' battery technology, we guarantee three full days of heavy use. No more chargers. No more anxiety."
The crowd erupted in applause.
"Xavier," Claire whispered into his earpiece. She was standing near the stage, looking stunning in a simple navy dress, acting as the 'anonymous' guest. "The Sterling engineers are monitoring the local network. They've blocked all outgoing signals from the demo units to prevent any 'glitches' during the livestream."
"They're smart," Xavier murmured into his collar mic. "But they're thinking in 2D. I'm playing in 4D."
Xavier tapped a command on his modified smartphone.
"Oracle, initiate 'Feedback Loop'."
The Face-Slap: Live on Air
On the massive screen behind Thomas Sterling, a live stress test was being shown. The Titan-1 was running a high-end 3D game, its battery percentage sitting at a rock-solid 98%.
"As you can see," Thomas bragged, "even under maximum load, the Titan-1 doesn't even break a sweat. It's cool, it's fast, and it's—"
Bzzzzzzzt.
A sharp, static sound cut through the ballroom.
Suddenly, the 'Battery-Ghost' app—which almost every journalist and guest in the room had downloaded that morning—began to behave strangely. Every phone in the room vibrated simultaneously.
On the big screen, the Titan-1's battery percentage began to dance. 98%... 60%... 10%... 100%... 0%.
"What's happening?" Thomas shouted, looking back at his tech team.
"Sir, there's a massive electromagnetic interference!" his lead engineer yelled from the wings. "Something is forcing the battery controllers into a 'Calibration Loop'!"
Xavier watched from the balcony, a cold smirk on his face. He wasn't hacking the Titan-1 directly. He was using the two million phones in the room and across the city that had 'Battery-Ghost' installed.
He had turned every "Optimized" phone into a tiny, synchronized signal booster. Together, they were creating a Targeted Pulse that exploited a hardware resonance frequency in the Titan-1's cheap, 'cut-corner' capacitors—the same ones he had warned Thomas about.
BOOM.
The Titan-1 in Thomas Sterling's hand didn't explode like a grenade, but it let out a violent hiss of grey smoke. The screen cracked as the battery swelled, forcing the casing apart.
The ballroom went deathly silent.
"It seems," a calm, clear voice echoed from the balcony, "that cutting corners on insulation has its price, Thomas."
Every head in the room turned. Xavier stood at the railing, looking down at the billionaire.
"Who are you?!" a journalist shouted, cameras swiveling toward Xavier.
"I'm just a concerned consumer," Xavier said, his voice amplified by the 'Battery-Ghost' network he now controlled. "My company, Thorne Dynamics, ran a simulation on your 'Titan' architecture this morning. We found a 94% failure rate under high-frequency resonance. I tried to warn Mr. Sterling, but he was too busy selling a 'dream' that is actually a fire hazard."
Thomas Sterling looked at Xavier, his face turning a deep, royal purple. He recognized the boy from the video call.
"You... you did this!" Thomas roared, pointing a trembling finger.
"I didn't make your battery swell, Thomas. Your greed did," Xavier said. He looked at the cameras, addressing the millions watching the livestream. "If you want a device that actually works, I suggest you wait. Thorne Dynamics will be releasing our first hardware prototype next month. It won't just be 'Titan'... it will be 'God-tier'."
Xavier turned and walked away before the security could even move.
The Aftermath
Back at the Old North Lab, the air was electric.
"The Sterling stock is in free-fall!" Claire shouted, jumping up and down. "They lost two billion dollars in market cap in thirty minutes! And Xavier... our website just crashed from the traffic. Everyone wants to know what Thorne Dynamics is."
Xavier sat at his desk, but he wasn't celebrating. He was looking at a encrypted file the Oracle had just flagged.
"Claire," he said, his voice grim. "The Sterlings are finished, but we just kicked a much bigger hornet's nest."
He opened the file. It was a communication log from an offshore server.
FROM: [REDACTED]
TO: T. STERLING
SUBJECT: DISPOSE OF THE ANOMALY.
MESSAGE: We noticed the interference. This Thorne boy isn't using 2026 tech. He's a threat to the Timeline. Eliminate him immediately. We are sending 'The Fixer'.
Xavier's heart hammered. Threat to the Timeline?
He wasn't the only one who knew about the future.
"Pack your bags, Claire," Xavier said, standing up. "We're leaving the lab. Now."