It was a typical day in Toronto, Canada. The street was bustling with cars and people. It was always noisy, with cars honking, people shouting, and screaming their heads off. I don't blame them, though; it's not every day that a nuke is set to explode in a minute and a half. So, I guess it's not your typical day.

  By the way, did you know I could fly? Yeah, that's what I'm doing right now, carrying a nuclear bomb despite it being twice my size. My clothes are torn after getting into a scuffle with an evil Captain America, and now I'm most likely going to die with a good chunk of people in Toronto. I can't believe I'm doing this crap; I'm only freaking ten years old. It's a lot, I know.

  The only thing repeated in my mind as I soared in the air with the bomb was:

  "How the heck did we get here?"

  RED

  ??? Earlier

  JUSTICE

  I sighed deeply as I stared at the boy in the mirror: a boy with messy black hair, big nerdy glasses, and a squishy face. I sighed deeply at my appearance and the predicament I was in. It was the last day of school before summer break, and my classmates and I were going on a field trip today. If it were any other kids, they would be ecstatic. Unfortunately for me, I'm not like most kids.

  I wanted to stay home and sleep through another boring summer until September. I hope my reputation status will reset by then. However, my parents wanted me to go, as they couldn't leave me at home alone while they were busy at work, which I found unfair. My sister, Athena, was at a family friend's house, along with my dog, Poochie. They say that since Athena was only in grade three, her not going to school isn't as serious as me skipping a day. So freaking unfair.

  I stared at my reflection, ensuring there wasn't anything wrong with my appearance or clothing. I don't need my reputation dragged lower than it already is. Black hoodie shirt and black pants, perfect to blend in with the crowd. The only thing messing up my appearance is these big, dumb, dorky glasses. If it weren't for the fact that I would be blind without them, I would have stepped on this thing.

  With everything seemingly decent, I left my house. It didn't take long for me to get to school—only a three-minute walk—one of the reasons my parents allowed me to walk alone. I'll spare all the details of some checkups and attendances. I wasn't paying attention anyway. After everything was settled, my classmates and some kids from the other class entered the bus.

  I sat on the bus chair on the window's side. It felt okay, but it was not good or bearable. I stared at the empty seat beside me as the other students loudly talked among each other about the trip. I sighed deeply and lay my head on my seat, only to find someone lightly kicking my shin. I groaned internally, already knowing the one responsible.

  My head shifted to meet a tall boy, a year older than me. He had dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes. All of his clothes were black, and his sweater had a cartoonish skull insignia in the middle. The boy looked to be your average bully because he was one: Jimmy Bullard, the biggest bully in our school. Despite being eleven years old, he looks like he could pass as sixteen.

  His large, hulking frame towers over me, and his blue eyes look at me coldly.

  "You know the drill."

  I quickly dug into my pockets and handed him five dollars in cash. He looked at the money before giving me a nod and then leaving to bother another student for money. I glared at his back and clenched my fist. It was irritating that he kept getting away with his bullying. His uncle was a teacher and often protected him from trouble.

  The only good thing about Jimmy is that, unlike most bullies, he usually leaves you alone as long as you pay up. If you don't, he will annihilate you. Everybody hated him. Huh, that's an exciting idea; will I be recognized as a hero if I beat him up? I could already imagine it: the entire school cheering my name as I defeated the terror of Harvest Hills School. But that was nothing but a pipe dream; my noodle arms might just shatter if I were to hit Jimmy. I sighed deeply as I felt the bus finally start to move. I just hope this last field trip is at least fun.

  RED

  45 Minutes Later

  JUSTICE

  After a long bus ride, we finally arrived at the science center. The Uni-Labs, a renowned laboratory, attracts the best scientists from around the globe to research and develop innovations for a better future for mankind. This was one of, if not the best, places for tourism. I've been here a few times with my parents, where I've seen some really cool technology.

  Like, there was a guy there who had a helmet that could control a robot and make it match his movements. Another thing I saw was a small Asian woman lift a large beam with her futuristic gauntlets. There were many pretty cool things in this place. The problem is that I had people to talk to, like my parents or my sister. And unfortunately, no one on this bus was really inclined to talk to me.

  Everyone already has their own established friend groups, and I doubt they'll let me in on the last day of school. Hopefully, after next year, my reputation as a weird kid will be gone. But knowing my luck and after years of being alone, I'm not holding my breath. We got off the bus, and before we entered the large building, the teacher gave us the usual rules of staying close together and not running. After five minutes of the teacher yapping, we finally could go inside.

  Uni-Labs is always tidy whenever I come over, but today there seem to be a lot of people. Men and women of varying ages, all wearing lab coats, were running around frantically from one destination to the next. I'm not surprised; after all, this was a special day for Uni-Labs—its demonstration day. You see, Uni-Labs is basically a super college for lab geeks. Anyone who gets in is offered prestige and a lot of job opportunities from the government.

  Though it's like a college, I've heard from my mom that not anyone could just get in, and no matter how much you have, you cannot buy your way in. You already have to be an accomplished scientist with an extremely good résumé. You'd have to be the best among the elites to even have a chance of becoming a student here. The best and easiest way to enter was through demonstration day, where you showcase to everyone the thing you invented. It had to be an invention of some kind.

  So even if you find the mathematical formula of infinity and godhood, you're still going to get overlooked. No, it has to be an interesting technology that could greatly benefit humanity. Our class was greeted by our tour guide, who led us throughout the building, showcasing a myriad of inventions as well as Uni-Labs history. I tuned the history gibberish off and looked at the fantastic inventions that were built here.

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  Like gloves that can stick to any surface. A gun that shoots out white goo that freezes people in place and also a flying glider. While I wasn't a lab geek—far from it—I was still amazed and curious about how these things were built.

  "Follow me, everyone." A pretty young woman gestured toward us.

  We were led to a large metallic door which opened automatically. There were many scientists who set up their own booths showcasing things to people. A lot of them were tourists, and some of them were men wearing military uniforms looking at inventions with cold interest. What instantly caught my eye was that in the middle was a large circular device. When I say it was big, I mean itwas really big.

  It towered over anything I've seen in the lab. It took up most of the space, too. From what I could see, the circular ring had a lot of wires connecting to it. It must use a lot of electricity to power it. Curiously, though, the scientist wasn't there showcasing and showing it off. Maybe they left it there for intrigue for a future demonstration? I mean, it got me hooked.

  I wonder what this machine could do? Before I could dwell on it a bit further, my teacher informed us that she would let us wander around, but that we needed to be back at a specific time and location. Honestly, that's kind of irresponsible—leaving ten-year-old kids to go around wherever we want. But hey, that's how the plot will go forward. So other kids instantly dispersed, going around to look at the coolest inventions.

  Meanwhile, I immediately headed to the washroom, locked myself in the stall, and started playing Super City on my phone. While I do love Uni-Labs and its fantastic technology, seeing it a billion times and experiencing other cool stuff made it dull a little. And besides, there being a lot of people—even if they aren't talking to me—makes it hard to breathe. I probably might start to experience a panic attack. So it's best for me to just chill in the washroom and wait for the day to be over.

  Time passed for who knows how long. Too entranced with beating Jester with Soup Man before the washroom door was opened loudly like someone kicked it. I nearly dropped my phone in the toilet, too. I pulled my legs up in order not to be spotted by whoever it was that just entered. I saw two pairs of legs walk inside and begin to converse.

  "Richard, this is stupid! We haven't tested the damn thing!" a fearful voice said.

  The other pair of legs swiftly turned to the other one; I could hear the other man growl at his colleague.

  "You're the dumb one here; you almost blurted to the others that we weren't ready!"

  "We aren't; we didn't test it in this machine like the smaller one!"

  The angry man scoffed. "Look, it will work just fine, okay? I know what I'm doing."

  They paused for a minute before the angry man sighed and spoke softly.

  "It was our dream that we could finally become scientists for Uni-Labs. Isn't this what you want?"

  "...We're done, Richard. I'm not going to part with this."

  The other guy turned around and was about to walk away before the angry man shouted.

  "Are you going to walk out on me too? You're just like your mom, abandoning people when things get tough!"

  The other man froze at the angry man's words. But instead of replying, the other man just silently left the bathroom.

  "Wait—" Richard tried to stop the other guy from leaving, but the words died in his throat.

  After a few minutes, he just silently stood there, not moving an inch or making a sound. A loud sigh escaped his lips before he went over to the sink, and I could hear the running water as the man splashed his face. I didn't know what else happened before he finally left. I was once again left alone in the bathroom. That was hardcore and awkward; I let out a deep breath. Is this how kids feel when their parents argue? Yikes.

  RED

  30 minutes or something???

  JUSTICE

  I rejoined my classmates and teacher after some time passed. It was almost time to head back, which made me sigh in relief. Finally, I can go home and do something more at my speed.

  "Attention, everyone!" a loud voice called out.

  Everyone turned to the source of the voice, which turned out to be a young adult man that seemed to be in his twenties, possessing combed brown hair and circular glasses. Honestly, he kind of looks like he could pass as a live-action Peter Parker. I smiled, amused at the thought. My eyes darted to look at the expressions of the other scientists; some seemed to be annoyed.

  After all, this man just took everyone's attention away from their inventions and onto his. Although I could see some curious faces amidst the crowd. I mean, why wouldn't they be? This guy was standing behind the large circular machine I saw earlier, the one that dwarfs other inventions in this room. And we would assume that this was his creation.

  "I'm Richard Dracos. And here today is my invention." Richard said, oozing with confidence, and presented the large machine to everyone.

  Wait, Richard? Could that be the same guy that I heard argue with another person back in the washroom?

  "Richard, this is stupid! We haven't tested the damn thing!"

  I swallowed a lump in my throat, and all of a sudden, my body started to heat up. It didn't take long for my hands to get clammy and cold sweat to drip down my face. I tried to calm my beating heart, but each time the words repeated like a broken record.

  "Richard, this is stupid! We haven't tested the damn thing!"

  Okay, calm yourself, Ben Armstrong. He seems confident in what he is doing! I mean, he is a scientist; they're supposed to be smart! The calm ressuring thoughts made my heart steady a little, though the desire to run away was still present. I looked at the teacher, who looked fascinated with the machine and its possible function.

  I could tell her, but would she believe me? I don't want to humiliate myself for being wrong. I could already see the other kids giggling and the adults giving disapproving stares. Yeah, I don't want that heat; I'm sure everything is going to be fine.

  "You see, everyone uses cars which emit harmful gases that affect the environment, and sometimes the distance is far too great or costly to travel."

  He walked around the machine, never losing his confident smile.

  "That's why we—I built this machine called GATE: Go Accelerate Teleportation Electronics. It serves as a portal for fast travel."

  As the man spoke those words, people whispered among each other in disbelief. I also couldn't believe what the man was saying. I've seen many fantastic inventions in this place but I've never come across something like that. Not even close. This is sci-fi levels of madness!

  Despite everyone's whispers and doubts, the man never lost his swagger; in fact, the disbelief made him even more giddy.

  "Yes, I know, I'm aware that it sounds impossible, like a portal? That only exists in science fiction. Well, folks, it is science, but it is fiction no more..."

  Richard paused dramatically, letting his words sink in.

  "But words are empty; allow me to demonstrate my life's work... I would suggest stepping back a little, everyone."

  He pulled the goggles out of his lab coat and put them on. Almost immediately, everyone heeded his words and took a step back. The crowd's curiosity peaked; people wanted to see if it failed and Richard becoming a laughing stock, or if we could witness something beyond our wildest imaginations. However, I was an outsider; I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to see if it would succeed or fail.

  I just wanted to run off; the bad feeling choking me made me breathe harder. Richard gave a thumbs-up before quickly going to the side of the large machine and seemingly started pressing buttons. After a minute, we could hear a whooshing sound. It reminded me of an old PC struggling as it played a modern AAA game. Electricity sparked in the center of the GATE.

  The electricity soon became wild; the zaps of lightning hit other smaller inventions and caused sparks, causing everyone to gasp in alarm. Now they were feeling what I was feeling: uncertainty and fear. Before anyone could bolt, Richard flashed his pearly whites at us.

  "It's okay, everyone, that happens normally!" he shouted.

  Though I could just be imagining it, I could have sworn that his voice shook a little. After a few minutes of button-mashing, Richard's face slowly devolved into panic as he pressed a lot of unseen buttons. His fearful expression caused my heart to freeze. After a while, he slowly backed away from the machine before dashing toward us.

  "Everyone, run away! The machine is going to—!"

  His words were cut off when the machine suddenly illuminated a bright light and, not only that, there was a shockwave that caused everyone to tumble back; I could hear the screams even as my ears rang. Once my eyes refocused, I could see the GATE's empty space wasn't nothing but empty air anymore. Instead, a glass-like wall shimmered with different colours, mainly blue, in the middle of the portal.

  "What is that..." I uttered in a horrified voice.