Chapter 2: C: Audio Feedback

👉 [Previous choice]: You chose Option C – Broadcast directly through home smart-speakers to trick intruder.

I quickly unmuted my headset and toggled the external broadcast function. “This is Maya Holloway,” I projected, my voice resonating through the smart speakers installed throughout my home. “You are trespassing on private property. Police are en route. Leave now.”

On the live camera feed, the hooded figure in Clara’s room flinched. He looked up, directly at one of the small white smart speakers mounted on the wall.

Then, the static began. It wasn’t just my headset; it was a loud, high-pitched shriek that emanated from the speakers themselves. The lights in Clara’s room flickered, then died. Darkness engulfed the feed.

“What was that, Holloway?” Captain Evans’ voice demanded from behind me. “Your line just went wild!”

The screen showing my house feed went black. All the cameras, all the smart devices, dead. A massive power surge.

My hands flew to my ears, trying to block out the piercing feedback. It felt like something was being ripped apart.

“Power outage,” I stammered, pointing at the dead screen. “It blew the system.”

“A complete system failure across an entire grid block triggered by your personal smart-home device?” Captain Evans stared, his face grim. “That’s not just a protocol violation. That’s criminal negligence, Holloway.”

Local news channels, even on our dispatch monitors, were already reporting a widespread power failure in my neighborhood. The cause was under investigation, but the timing was damning.

I stood there, numb, as the officers arrived at my now dark and silent house. All evidence, all camera footage, gone in a flash of corrupted power. My home was truly vulnerable now, and I was implicated.