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I scan the crowd as subtly as I can. Sloane is nowhere to be seen, which means she started her infiltration. Unease fills me, and I feel both too still and like I’m fidgeting too much all at once.
My mind is also constantly filled with troubling thoughts. What if she’s been caught? She said that Salvatore man was dangerous. Who knows what he’ll do to her? She could be in trouble right now, and I’m just standing here smiling and greeting people.
I grit my teeth and try to ground myself back in reality. It’s Sloane. She’s the Cyber Thief. She’s broken into tons of places with advanced security and comes out like a rose. She can handle this.
Remembering who she is calms my nerves a little, but it doesn’t completely quell the anxiety. Valentina steps up next to me and nods to where Craig is set up. “He’s about to go up.”
My jaw ticks at just seeing him. Almost as if he can sense my stare on him, he turns his smug, scaly face to me and grins. I level him with a withering glare that’s usually enough to send grown men running.
Craig, though, is too stupid and arrogant to be scared. He lifts his chin before making his way towards the stage.
“Don’t let him get to you,” my VP murmurs. “Our product is solid, and if he throws us a curveball, we’ll handle it.”
Valentina has always been there to back me up ever since Jarn Enterprises took off. I made her my VP for that very reason. Adding her name to the suspect list was probably the most painful of them all, but considering who she used to work for, I had no choice.
So I simply give her a curt nod. “True. I haven’t seen anything here yet that we can’t compete with.”
The products on display here today were impressive. Anyone specializing in tech products in the surrounding area was showing off all their latest gadgets. We saw everything from smart appliances to software to wearable tech like mine.
However, we did seem to have an advantage in the wearable tech department as there weren’t many competitors here today. The main competition, of course, was Craig, and that was only because he kept sabotaging me and stealing my ideas.
Except this time Sloane and I had planned for this. Now we just had to hope Craig had taken the bait.
Speak of the devil, Craig is now on stage and taking the microphone from the stand. “Thank you all so very much. I’m so pleased to be able to present our latest product to you all today. Months and months of hard work and dedication have gone into this product I personally designed.”
“Dedication and hard work in stealing it perhaps,” I mutter.
“It is my great privilege to present to you today, Prankster Bandana.”
One of his assistants pulls the tarp off of the display case behind Craig to reveal three colorful bandanas. It takes everything in me not to burst out into a grin. He really went for the AI prank wear that’s supposed to read people’s minds based on behavior? And he made it into a bandana of all things?
Keeping my face as neutral as possible, I watch to see just how he thinks he’s going to pull this off.
“The Prankster Bandana is a wonderful device for all ages. Inside each of these bandanas is a micro camera that watches and assesses the human behavior around you. Using that, the powerful AI inside will give you an idea of what your friends, family, and even enemies really think about you. And best of all, they won’t suspect a thing.”
On the screen behind him, a scene plays out of two teenagers demonstrating what he just said. Except, of course, massively exaggerated and with overdone graphics and music. From somewhere behind me, I can practically feel Gage cringing at the less-than-stellar promotional. No wonder Craig has had to resort to stealing our ad ideas.
“And our bandanas come in a variety of colors, including gradients,” Craig continues in his usual over-the-top way. “Custom patterns are also available for an extra fee.”
He gestures one hand in a dramatic flourish as he wraps up his speech. “This is the future of prank wars and developing AI. So be on the lookout soon for this incredible creation my team, my family, and I have put so much into. Available for pre-order soon for only $49.99, not including shipping and handling. No price can ever match the lifelong memories you’ll make with your Prankster Bandana.”
Everyone claps, though nothing enthusiastic. Around me, I start to hear people murmuring about ‘Craig’s’ new idea.
“A bandana? Really? I would have thought earbuds or even earrings would be more practical.”
“I’m not crazy about this whole having an AI watching and predicting human behavior thing. And that micro camera sounds like it could be a problem.”
“It sounds like it could be fun, but that price is a little steep for a mood ring in a bandana.”
The corners of my lips twitch upwards with every comment I hear. It’s all the exact reasons why this idea was scrapped in the first place.
The distrust of AI among the public was a big one. Then there was just how much it would cost not only to make it but to also make it subtle, too. Not to mention how glitchy the device was. It never even got out of beta thanks to how inaccurate it was.
The bandana thing, though, was all Craig, and the perfect cherry on top of this whole mess.
“That was… interesting,” Val murmurs. Her eyes are narrowed suspiciously on Craig, and I wonder for a moment if she remembers that I had once proposed something similar to it.
“More like a mess ready to cave in on itself,” I murmur back. The stage manager gestures towards me, and I nod. It’s our turn.
