Talaria

Every idea starts with good intentions, but self-interest often twists those intentions into something darker.

In 2021, engineer Jasper Hawk revolutionized how people thought about air travel.

As a boy, Jasper was fascinated by magnets. He’d spend hours holding two small magnets in his hands, feeling the invisible force that pushed them apart or snapped them together. He couldn’t explain it then, but the mystery hooked him. By 13, he’d read De Magnete, the classic text by William Hilbert, where the physicist declared that Earth itself was a magnet. That revelation electrified young Jasper. If the Earth was a giant magnet, maybe its fields could be harnessed, manipulated—even recreated.

It was a scorching afternoon in May 2021 when Jasper launched his experiment in a dusty, remote location. A drone buzzed above him, humming as it created its own magnetic field. Jasper tossed a magnet into the air. It didn’t fall. Instead, it hovered, spinning gently, caught in the drone’s invisible grip. Jasper’s heart raced. It worked. The ancient gods hadn’t impressed him much as a child, but Hermes’ winged sandals—Talaria—those had sparked his imagination. Now, they had come to life, but through science, not myth.

His magnetic boots, powered by the drone’s field, allowed him to float, effortlessly adjusting his altitude with a tilt of his foot. But he wasn’t the only one watching.

Virgil Factor’s car sputtered to a stop nearby. He cursed under his breath, kicking the tire, but then his eyes caught the sight above him—Jasper, suspended in midair. Virgil’s jaw dropped. It wasn’t just wonder; it was opportunity. He saw it clear as day—this invention could replace cars entirely.

Virgil was the heir to the crumbling Factor family car manufacturing business. It was all but bankrupt, a relic of the past. But this? This could change everything.

The two men quickly became friends—partners, even. Jasper perfected his magnetic boots, and Virgil crafted the business plan that would turn the invention into a global revolution.

But in December 2021, everything changed.

They stood in a barren field, the night air cold and biting. Jasper hovered above the ground, demonstrating a new adjustment to the boots. Virgil paced below, his breath fogging in the air, his hands clenched into fists.

“This is it, Virgil,” Jasper called down. “The boots are perfected!”

Virgil wasn’t smiling. “You’re missing the bigger picture, Jasper. This technology belongs in cars—flying cars! We could be untouchable. You can’t keep thinking small.”

Jasper shook his head, the frustration evident in his voice. “You don’t understand, Virgil. Hundreds of flying cars in the sky would disrupt the Earth’s magnetic fields. We have to be careful!”

“That’s your problem, Jasper!” Virgil snapped, his voice trembling with anger. “You’re too careful. Too slow!”

Without warning, in a flash of anger, Virgil reached for the control panel and deactivated the magnetic drone. Jasper’s eyes widened in shock as the field disappeared beneath him. He plummeted, crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

Virgil froze, staring at the crumpled body of his friend. What have I done?

The cold wind whipped around him as he crouched next to Jasper, his breath coming in shallow gasps. There was no pulse. Jasper’s lifeless eyes stared up at him, wide open, reflecting the dull, clouded sky.

Virgil staggered back, running his hands through his hair, his heart hammering in his chest. No one can know. He had to fix this—quickly.

His mind raced, and before he knew it, his hands were moving. He shoved Jasper’s body into the back seat of his car, barely noticing the blood that smeared across the leather. His breath came in ragged gasps as he gripped the wheel, driving aimlessly until he found himself at his family’s junkyard.

There, under the pale light of the full moon, he stood in front of the colossal magnet his family had used for years to crush cars. The irony wasn’t lost on Jasper. He had spent his life obsessed with magnets. Now, one would be his grave.

With shaky hands, Virgil activated the magnet. His car, with Jasper’s body still inside, lifted into the air and hung there, suspended like a grotesque offering. Then, with a flick of a switch, the car was crushed in the press, reduced to scrap metal in seconds.

Virgil stood there, his hands trembling, staring at the pile of metal. It’s over. No one will ever know.

But even as he thought it, a part of him knew the truth: secrets like these don’t stay buried.

Months later, Virgil Factor’s business skyrocketed. With Jasper’s technology in hand, he launched the world’s first flying cars, now known as The Factor. The company, once on the brink of collapse, now commanded a billion-dollar turnover. But with every success came the weight of the secret he carried. Beneath the wealth and success, there remains the secret of Jasper Hawk’s death, hidden beneath layers of metal and ambition.

In the glint of every polished car, in every deal signed, Virgil could see the shadow of Jasper Hawk, watching, waiting.