PROJECT PARALLEL

CHAPTER ONE

As Rex watched a soccer game on his phone, he got interrupted by a rude knock. He woke up early that morning to do some jumping jacks and scavenge whatever breakfast he could find; he had attempted to read a chemistry textbook earlier but flung it away in rage.

"Knock knock!" the person at the door shouted as they continued to knock.

"What? Who is it?" the lanky youngster asked.

Stress masked his natural facial beauty from incomplete sleep. He unbolted the door and flung it open, half determined to give the person a piece of his mind for interrupting his peace of mind. At the door was a stout Latino man, a lit cigarette punctuating his sinister mustache. He maintained a humble composure instantly. The man had no expression on his face, but the youngster could tell he was angry.

"Mr. Romano?" he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "What a pleasant surprise! Please come in."

Mr. Romano entered the room. It was terribly out of order, but the man was less concerned.

"S-sir, can I get you something to drink?" the youngster asked, trembling in the presence of Mr. Romano.

"That won't be necessary, Rex," the man finally spoke. "You know why I'm here."

"For a friendly chat?" Rex stalled. "That's nice of you, Mr. Roma-"

"Fuck you, Rex!" the man snapped at him, finally expressing his disgust with a frown. "Your rent is long overdue! I cannot keep hoping that you'll pay! It's been Six fucking months!"

"Aw come on!" Rex said, using his hands to tip him off. "I assured you I'll raise the funds. Please, give me a little longer, sir. You were good friends with my dad."

"Your dad isn't with you and you're nothing more than a disappointment to his legacy!" Mr. Romano turned to the door and glared at Rex as he got to the door.

"First thing Friday morning, I want you out of this house or I'll evict you myself!" he warned him and stormed out, leaving the door open.

Rex stood at the spot, utterly mortified. He had never seen Mr. Romano that angry before. He shook his head to snap out of his daze.

"Well, fuck off! I don't need you!" Rex shouted at his landlord. He grunted as he shut his door with a hard bang. He hit his head on both sides with both his hands, panting rapidly.

"Great! Just great! What do I do now?" he asked himself, spreading his hands in the air, then dropping them on his lean hips. "I can't even afford fries and eggs for breakfast. How does he think I can raise funds to pay the rent before Friday? Inconsiderate bastard!"

He looked at the calendar. Today was the fifth of July 2027. The time on his digital alarm clock was 6:45 am.

"Holy shit!" He almost slapped himself on the forehead. "I'm gonna be late for work!"

He hurriedly picked up his clothes from the floor, throwing them on his rumpled bed, rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower, put on a red T-shirt which had "FT" boldly branded on it and each time he saw that tag, he felt a pain in his gut then grabbed his hoverboard to get to work. His workplace was at an estate in Phoenix, Arizona. There was an electronic billboard erected above the gate, displaying WELCOME TO FT INDUSTRIES. Rex stopped in front of the scanner at the gate and inserted his clearance card. The security person on duty greeted him.

"Hey, Big R!"

"What's up, Officer Joe? Good morning."

"Have a nice day, son!"

"You too, Officer Joe!" Rex hollered back, his hoverboard under his arm.

FT industries were one of the most successful companies in Phoenix. It had many buildings for various units like accounting, Parts Production, Kinetics, and so on. Without genius innovations like the electronic signposts mounted everywhere, many people would have gotten lost in the complex, Rex included. He entered the administrative office building, which was the highest building and in the center of the estate. A bot-droid greeted him.

"Welcome to work, Rex Fleming. Do you need me to bring your equipment?"

"Won't be necessary, RA," Rex answered the bot, dismissively gesturing to it, "Just mark my name on the attendance."

"Done, sir. Your time is..."

Rex gave RA a thumbs up and left for his office. He dropped his hoverboard on a shelf in his cupboard, then grabbed his cart. Coming out, he met his fellow janitor.

"Rex! What's up?" he greeted with a broad smile.

"Good morning, James," Rex flashed a smile at him. "I'm doing as I am."

"You look kinda rough," James said, squinting his eyes to figure out why. "And also, late. What's the matter, man?"

"That ungrateful and inconsiderate bastard of a landlord wants me out by Friday!" Rex hissed, his anger visible on his face. "After all my father did for him."

"Aw! Sorry for you, bro," James sympathized with his colleague, rubbing his arm to comfort him. "I, for one, had a fucking mad weekend."

"Mad? What do you mean?"

"Well, I went to my friend's nightclub. It was fucking sick, man! I drank my ass off and..." he paused, dramatically moving close to Rex's ear to whisper into it, "... I had a threesome! A fucking threesome!"

"Oh, wow!" Rex yawned. "This is what you do? And I thought I was wasting my life."

"Aw, c'mon Rex," James slapped Rex on the arm. "Get over your worries! Have a little fun! Don't be a chicken or else Kai will push you around."

"Fuck Kai! I hate him!"

"We all do, Rex," James gestured to him they had better get on with their work.

"The dick begged his way to the top," Rex continued to mutter as they headed to the starting point. "Now he thinks he can make the rest of us feel like shit. What a fucker!"

"Hey, chill man!" James shushed Rex, turning his head to his left and right side, inwardly hoping no one had heard Rex. "He's still above you."

"Yeah? Well, I don't give a fuck!"

James laughed and patted Rex's arm. "Later, man." Immediately after he left, Rex set to work with the rooms on the ground floor, went upstairs to clean the hallway.

"Hey! Cleaner boy!" someone beckoned from behind him.

Knowing well who owned the voice, Rex sighed and rolled his eyes, wishing silently that he had put on some headphones before he started working. Then again, the owner of the voice would still have been a bother whether he had the headphones. He was as tall as Rex, but he had a thicker body build. He had on a plain white long-sleeved buttoned shirt, sandy brown trousers, and black neatly polished dress shoes with a General Manager tag stamped to his shirt. "Cleaner Boy? Are you deaf?"

"What do you want, Kai?" Rex growled, turning around to face him.

"It's Mr. Rollins to you," Kai corrected, sounding impishly calm. "You better watch your tongue or else the trash won't be the only thing that we'll be taking out!"

"You know, the only reason you're in this shady position is because you have links with Toney, right?"

"You need to learn some manners!"

Rex laughed out loud and took a big step towards Kai. "You're one to talk! You didn't learn any manners when you begged your way to where you are now, did you?" he asked, staring into his eyes, unafraid.

"Don't you dare disrespect me, Rex, or I promise you, you will join your daddy wherever he is!"

"Hey!" Rex called, drawing even closer to him until their faces were only a few inches apart. "You can talk shit for all I care, but you will not mention my dad no matter what," he warned him, pointing a finger close to the other man's eyes.

Kai tried to keep an unperturbed composure, but Rex's audacity had so upset him he was now frowning, grunting, and shaking. Rex stepped back a little.

"Look at yourself right now. You're pathetic!"

"For the last time..." Kai was about to hit Rex across the face as powerfully as he could, but someone called to him before he could.

"Leave him alone!"

This, however, did not stop Kai from trying to prove to this worthless cleaner that he was still boss. He couldn't leave him without putting him in his rightful place. He believed that was the only way to get the respect he so desired from him and everyone else like him. So, he gave him a hard push, causing him to trip over his bucket of soap water and land on the now wet floor.

"Hey babe," Kai casually greeted the person who earlier asked him to leave Rex alone, cockily marching towards her.

"Do not move a step closer, Mr. Rollins," came another order which, this time around, affected Kai. The woman eyed the General Manager, disgusted by him, strutted to Rex's side.

The woman was young and exceptionally beautiful. Of average height with a fit figure and perfect posture, she had an aura of worth about her. Her long, flowing black hair complemented her adequately tanned and spotless skin. She was more attractive than usual in her white buttoned shirt, black suit, and black trousers. Her red stiletto heels matched her lip gloss and fingernails.

"Are you alright?" she asked Rex, stretching out her hand to him.

"You escape this one, Cleaner Boy," Kai said, snapping out of the daze his boss had put him in. "Natasha won't be here to save you next time you misbehave," he finished and walked away to his office a few doors down the hallway. Natasha rolled her eyes as she bent over to help Rex get up. She didn't need a soothsayer to tell her all Kai had done with Rex that morning was picking on him.

"Don't let him get to you, Rex," she pleaded with him. "Kai will always be Kai. Come on, let's go to my office. You need to rest."

"Huh? But I'm not done with the hallway."

"Let's go to my office," Natasha repeated, sounding stern this time. "That's an order, Mr. Fleming!" she added as she walked down to her office, which was behind the door at the end of the hallway. She stopped in front of the security device on the left-hand side of her office door to input her code.

"Welcome, Dr. Toney," the artificial intelligence of her office greeted her after she had unlocked it.

"Come in!" she whispered to Rex.

They entered the large and exquisite office, which Rex secretly admired because of who it belonged to and what they had done with it. As he took the seat, his boss offered him. He subtly looked around the office, marveling at the way things were neat and organized here.

The office decor was simply superb with its coffee theme, with milky brown curtains and office furniture that matched the chocolate brown and light brown walls. The office had a giant window wall on its right-hand side through which one could see much of the estate. There was a big rug on the grey ceramic tiles in the center of the room. It was squarish and soft, having three layers of dark brown, velvet red, and vanilla and covering the area on which they placed the office furniture.

On either wing of the office desk, at a reasonable distance, there was one milky brown sofa each. Behind the sofa on the left-wing, there was a dispenser, a small tea table, a mini-fridge, and a tall flower vase carved like a lioness. The large window stood behind the sofa in the right-wing. There was a bookshelf on the left-hand side of the window wall with books spruced on them.

A majestic chandelier hung over the office desk, and on the wall behind Natasha's chair was a plasma TV with two long speakers by its side and a DVD player under it, at only two steps from the left speaker was a door leading to the bathroom. A lot of awards hung on the walls, giving the office a useful touch of prestige. Yes, Rex loved it here.

"KG-13?" Natasha called out. A black bot-droid, having the semblance of a human being, arose from the sofa on the right-wing, startling Rex, who had walked to sit on the chair opposite Natasha without noticing the bot-droid.

"Miss Natasha," it responded, now on its feet, "What can I do for you?"

"Prepare two cups of coffee and get us some snacks. When you're done with that, help me schedule a meeting with Dr. Stella. We have a project we are working on."

"Noted, Miss Natasha," KG-13 assured its boss as it turned around. "Preparing two cups of coffee now!" it said, as it headed to the tea table. Natasha turned her attention to Rex and was just in time to see him open his mouth in awe.

"I guess you like what you see," she tried to joke as she took her seat in her chair. Rex frowned, not liking the narcissistic vibes he was already picking from her statement.

"Did you call me here to boast about how successful you've become? Rub it in my face to show me how good your life is?"

"Are you serious?" Natasha asked, a part of her shocked, another part offended. "I just helped you avoid getting slapped and seriously harmed."

"Yeah, you sure did," Rex muttered, rolling his eyes at his boss. "Look, just to be clear, I had things under control. I can look out for myself very well, thank you."

"Oh! So, would you rather I get Kai here so you can face him?" she smirked. Catching his terrified look before he hid it with a stern face, she chuckled and continued, "I thought you would change your mind."

"Your coffee and snacks, Miss Natasha!" KG-13 said, placing the tray of breakfast on the desk. "Enjoy!"

Natasha flashed one of her friendliest smiles at her bot-droid in appreciation. "Thanks, KG-13!"

"You're welcome. Scheduling a meeting with Dr. Stella right now!" it stated as it left for the sofa it was sitting on earlier. Natasha giggled, turned to Rex and asked him if KG-13 wasn't exceptional. This ticked Rex off before he made to leave.

"Look, Rex!" Natasha called to him. "I don't want to show anything off and trust me, I won't."

"Yeah? Sure," Rex spoke after a few seconds of dramatic silent treatment. He slowly took his seat again, staring warily at Natasha.

"Believe it or not, I genuinely want to help you. I do." Natasha said with an amiable tone. "You feel like all of this is your fault and I totally get that! But it's not your fault, Rex. It really isn't. I know you more than most other people do. So, if you're going through anything, let me know and I'll try my best to help you. Okay, I've known you since I was three years old." She finished speaking with a soft smile and placed a hand on Rex's hand.

Rex forced a small smile onto his lips.

"Good!" she bobbed her head and passed him his cup of coffee. Fortunately for them, it was still hot. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, Nat," he appreciated as he reached out to receive the cup and his plate of hot cross buns and chocolate chip cookies. "Seems you're living big, especially with your recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer."

"Oh, Rex!" she sighed and took a quick sip of her coffee. "You have no idea how tedious my workload is. If you did, you would understand that I have problems of my own."

"You probably do, don't you?" Rex said with his mouth full, sounding doubtful.

"I do, you bubblehead!" Natasha snapped playfully and nibbled her last chocolate chip cookie. "I have expectations to live up to, both from my family and society," she said and exhaled, stressed by the subject. "They want me to be my father. Heck, even greater! I must tell you, the stress that comes with wanting to be greater than someone else has the power to kill your passion for success."

A silent moment pregnant with heavy emotions followed Natasha's statement. She was trying to not let her feelings drive her, and he thought of something wise to say to cheer her up.

"Well, on the bright side, you're not so far from being like your father," he stated, "I am nothing more than a disappointment to my father's legacy," he swallowed hard, succeeding at pretending like he wasn't hurt. "With everything you've achieved at such a young age, I think you will be fine."

"Rich of you to call me young when I'm older than you."

"One year doesn't count," Rex answered, playfully dismissing her. They laughed and spent nearly two hours chattering about all issues. "Well, boss lady, I think it's time I got back to work before my day gets any worse," Rex told her as he rose to his feet. "Thanks a lot though," he added, warmly this time.

"Don't mention it, Rex," she waved it off with a hand. "Just please stay out of trouble."

"You know I won't."

"Alright then, you can get back to work!" she permitted him, rising to her feet. "Rex?" She quickly called him when he was about to leave.

"Yeah?" he answered, turning his head to her.

"You're not a failure," she said. Rex nodded in appreciation and left the office. Immediately after he left, her phone buzzed on the desk.

Natasha was to meet with the board of directors in an hour and a half before she met with Dr. Stella. So, she hurriedly marched to the boardroom which was on the second floor of the administrative office. She was glad to see all the directors sat and waited for her, with KG-13 standing somewhere around the corner of the room.

KG-13, on spotting Natasha, walked over to her to lead her to her seat on the top table. Her side of the desk had a gold-plated plaque with her full name nicely written on it. On the right side of the chairperson's seat, there sat a middle-aged man in a dark blue fitted suit, black buttoned-down shirt, and dark blue trousers. It was Dr. Grant Griffin as the plaque on his side of the desk informed and he was the Secretary-General of the board.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and bot-droid," Dr. Grant began. "I welcome you all to yet another board meeting. Once again, we are here to deliberate on matters concerning this company and also to suggest new ideas that would take the company to the next level,".

"Before we proceed, I would like to note that the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Toney, is apologetically absent. He has important business to attend to in Austria. However, the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Natasha Toney, will represent him in this meeting." The man turned to Natasha and nodded to her, gesturing that she could now address the directors.

"Thank you, Dr. Grant," Natasha nodded to him in appreciation and turned to the room, clearing her throat before speaking. "To add to what the Secretary-General just noted, in today's meeting, we would not only discuss the future of FT industries but also, we would evaluate our current situations. "

They nodded in agreement as they noted down the suggestions and challenges they had on their mind.

"So, are there any suggestions or updates on any matter?" Natasha asked, checking the time on her watch.

The blonde lady sitting close to Dr. Grant raised her hand. She stood up when Natasha granted her permission to speak. She was elegant in her black long-sleeved buttoned shirt and blue tailored skirt.

"The weapons we created for Kazakhstan have been delivered: Two nuclear detonators, a full crate of light explosives, and a completed transaction."

"Thank you, Dr. Katherine! That is splendid news!" Natasha commented, still expressing her expectancy. "What about our supply of polonium salt? Has it arrived yet?"

"No, it hasn't, ma'am," the man on the last seat on the left answered, rising to his feet. "It will arrive by Friday."

"Thank you for the information, Mr. Jacques, but please, could you make sure they arrive by tomorrow? I require it for a project."

"I will make the calls," the man promised his boss, nodding politely as he took his seat. Another lady raised her hand and Natasha signaled her to speak.

"We plan to begin upgrades on the hoverboards, which will allow the user to travel anywhere with increased speed and durability. "

"Splendid plans!" Natasha exclaimed with a soft clap of hands, which quickly turned to a pleading gesture. "However, whatever you all decide to do, please ensure the hoverboards run on nothing but organic power."

"Duly noted, ma'am," the lady stated matter-of-factly, still on her feet. "But, if I may ask, why not nuclear power?" she inquired, posing as though she was ready to write Natasha's reasons.

"Smart of you to ask, Dr. Raquelle! The hoverboards are one of our most successful gadgets because they do not run on toxic fuel." She paused for a while to allow the directors to finish writing what she stated.

"Besides that, hoverboards are for our underage demographic. Why should the fuel be nuclear?" she asked rhetorically, waiting to make sure she carried everyone. "Am I understood, Dr. Raquelle?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Dr. Raquelle replied and bowed her head as she took her seat.

"Alright then!" Natasha clapped her hands again. "Anyone else? Yes, Dr. Gray?" she said, granting permission to the young man sitting in the middle seat on the right.

"One of our investors has offered us a billion-dollar contract..." Excited whispers from members of the board interrupted him. However, Dr. Grant brought them back to order.

"...I understand that this is really exciting news, but we know that the task before us is not so easy," Dr. Grey continued. "We have to invent a time machine."

"Time travel?" came a skeptical remark from Dr. Grant. "We all know that time travel is scientifically impossible."

"That doesn't change the fact that we can do it," Dr. Katherine commented. "This is actually a positive challenge for us, especially because we have invented many devices science deemed impossible. Also, it is a very lucrative offer."

This caused a divide between the directors in the meeting with some saying that they should accept the offer while others. However, when Natasha raised her hand in mid-air, the room fell silent again.

"Thank you, Dr. Grey, for the update," she smiled at the man respectfully. "You may take your seat." She waited for him to sit down, then addressed the directors.

"Scientifically, time travel is only theory and speculation. So, until we know for sure that time travel is possible, we will leave the offer on hold. I am open to all forms of research on the subject. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," the directors answered in unison.

"Good!" she commented, satisfied with their cooperation and proud of her leadership abilities. Noticing that Kai raised his hand, she signaled to him to speak.

"Ladies, gentlemen and bot-droid, most of what we have dealt with is on updates for the company," Kai started, using the most civilized charisma in the world to address them.

"I am more concerned about how this company can move to the next level, and I'm sure you all are, too. Unfortunately, some people aren't. They break the company's code of conduct without remorse and by they I mean the junior staff, particularly among the janitors. If they continue like this, FT industries will not move forward."

"Then send a memo to all junior staff supervisors so they can handle the issue," came a suggestion from a director. "Or is there a particular person you've seen behave this way?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, there is," Kai answered. "It's no other person than Mr. Rex Fleming."

Natasha's expression turned sour at the mention of Rex's name. She should have known Kai would act on malice than reason. Such a douchebag, she thought.

"Dr. Steve's boy?" Dr. Grant asked.

"Yes sir," Kai answered. "He's one of the bad eggs in this company. If he continues to disrespect those above him, his colleagues would join in and this company would suffer."

"Besides, that he is "Dr's Steve's boy' doesn't give him the right to be disrespectful," Dr. Katherine said, "He's a disappointment to his father's legacy. He lost the opportunity to be just like his father by drinking and deciding to not take school seriously. He should be grateful that we employed him as a janitor rather than throw him on the streets."

"He's becoming a nuisance!" Kai remarked, successfully pretending to be rational. "It's high time we relieved him of his duties."

"We cannot relieve him of his duties!" the woman nearest to Natasha fired. "Why not, ma'am, if I may ask?" Kai demanded to know. "Please, don't say it's because his father played a huge role in ensuring that this company reached the height it's at now."

"I think it's an irrational solution to an insignificant problem. I'm very sure all he's done is refuse to say good morning or something. Why don't we go with Dr. Reynolds' idea and send a memo to his supervisor?"

"What do you say, Dr. Natasha?" Kai asked, turning from the other woman to his boss. "What course of action do you suggest we take on him?"

Natasha sighed heavily, completely unable to form reasonable words for a moment. The discussion about Rex was so bothersome to her. She held her head with both hands.

"I agree with you, Dr. Stella," she stated, referring to the woman nearest to her. "Relieving him of his duties simply because he erred by omission is not a rational solution. I have spoken to him and I'll handle any issues with his behavior henceforth," she promised the directors. "Until then, I want you all to be nice to him. He's a member of staff here and deserves to be treated like one. Be tolerant of his actions and his improvements will come," she advised, focusing more on Kai. They all nodded in agreement, though Kai and Dr. Katherine did so reluctantly. Natasha, ignoring them, rose to her feet and said, "Today's meeting has come to an official close. Let's get back to work. My office is always open in case of an issue."

With that, the directors rose to their feet and one by one exited the room, murmuring amongst themselves as they did. Dr. Stella, however, drew close to Natasha.

"Are we still meeting later, Miss Toney?" she asked.

"Yes Stella, we are," Natasha answered. The two women and the bot-droid left the room together.

***

It pleased Rex when the time finally struck 6 pm. It has been an endless day today. He wasn't the only one so eager to go home after all. Unlike most days in the company, everyone excitedly filed out of their offices. Seems it was a hectic day for everyone, Rex thought. He went to the janitor's office to drop his cleaning equipment and pick up his hoverboard, then moved out of the administrative building. A part of him was relieved that he was finally going home, but another part reminded him he had no food and that he had until Friday in the apartment. As fate would have it, this reminder caused him to be depressed about his situation.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he almost tripped because a man in suits behind him pushed him impatiently.

"Out of my way, Cleaner Boy!"

"I have a name, you asshole!" Rex spat, after regaining his stance.

"Yeah, I know that," the man replied as he walked with his colleagues. "But no matter what you are called, you are still a disappointment to your father's legacy!"

Rex's skin went cold with the invasion of goosebumps. He wanted to jump at the man and beat the living daylights out of him, but he held himself back. Even though he was a douchebag, the man wasn't wrong. He had messed up big time.

He galloped to the back of the Parts Production building to inspect some of the spare parts or any unused scrap there, picked up a round rusty engine and a conductor amongst other things and put them in a nylon bag then rode out of the estate on his hoverboard. Looking back at the company made his head fog and his heart heavy. He had tried to keep at bay for a long while so that before he could stop himself, tears slid down his cheeks. Not wanting to attract that kind of attention to himself, he kicked-started his hoverboard and zoomed off. He was grateful to Natasha for giving him the hoverboard after FT industries produced them earlier that year.

She initially gave it to him to test how it worked, but Natasha let him keep it. They were her idea, brought to life by the company as a smooth yet clean means of transportation that everyone, especially minors, could use effortlessly. Although it sold for $400 at its launch, FT industries made about two hundred thousand sales per week. The rate remained the same even with the increase in price to $520. Rex had considered selling his for a lesser price, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. This was the only gift he had received from anyone since his parents died.

Rex rode to a junk shop that belonged to a friend of his. It was not so far from his apartment. He entered the shop and greeted the short black man standing behind the counter. He was between thirty to forty years of age.

"Andre!" Rex hollered at the man.

"Rex!" Andre lit up, delighted to see him. He flung a rag on his shoulder and walked around the counter to meet Rex. He was all smiling. "What's up, man?"

"Tsk, Dre," Rex hissed. "I'm not here to talk about myself. I brought you some of the usual stuff," he announced and dropped the nylon bag on a table nearest to him. "Maybe you could see how valuable it is."

Andre opened his mouth in awe when his eyes landed on the contents of the bag. "What you have brought me today is worth a lot more than usual," he said. "I'll give you $0"

He dropped the bag back on the table Rex had placed it on earlier, reached into his pockets, brought out his wallet, and handed $20 to Rex as promised. "Here you go! Use it well! Bring more of these tomorrow and I'll continue to pay you," he said with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I will," Rex replied with a simple smile as he put the money in his pocket. "Goodnight, Dre!".

"G'night!" he hollered from behind, then shrugged and went back to his position behind the counter.

Rex rode his hoverboard to the grocery store, got a few things from there, especially a few bottles of beer, and rode back home. He made a small but nice sandwich, then spent the remaining hours of the day binge drinking in his misery. The way things were going for him made him angry. His life should have been better. But, like everyone else kept saying, he had screwed it up. As he laid in bed that night, pondering on his situation, even in his drunken state, he concluded that it most probably wasn't his fault entirely. But he couldn't blame his father. Everyone idolized him.

While Rex wallowed in self-pity, Natasha worked in her lab at home with Dr. Stella. They had both met earlier that day and had discussed a lot about science, research, theories, and tests. They had met again at Natasha's place to execute what they had planned together, and were now in their lab coats, gloves, face masks, and bonnets.

"Okay Doctor! Experiment four in reproductive cloning! Bring the DNA sample," Natasha ordered.

"Alright ma'am," Dr. Stella responded. She shakily stretched forth her hand to push a button on the machine in front of her. When she did, there was a sizzling noise as smoke filled the room. The doctors coughed and waved their hands like windshield wipers, trying to clear out the smoke. It took quite a while until the room was completely smoke-free.

Turning to Natasha, Dr. Stella asked, "Did it work?" Her voice was shaky. She was hoping against hope that they had succeeded.

"Only one way to find out," Natasha responded, gesturing to her colleague that they moved closer to the machine. It was a long incubator-like tank. Dr. Stella nodded in agreement with Natasha and then together, after a count of three under their breaths, they took some steps forward and peeked into the tank.

"Yahtzee!" Natasha exclaimed excitedly when both their eyes recognized a baby inside the tank. "Experiment successful!" she stated again, turning to Dr. Stella with a smile wider than the Grand Canyon.

Dr. Stella was staring into the tank, completely fascinated. She couldn't believe it had worked. Before she could stop herself, she sobbed.

"Aw, Dr. Stella!" Natasha cooed as she drew closer to her colleague to wrap her arms around her reassuringly.

"Nat! I have endured many years, worrying about the complications of my uterus, wondering if I should sign up for adoption. Now, I, I uh..."

"... hey, hey, hey Stella!" Natasha chipped in, holding her shoulders tighter in comfort. "Look at me. It worked. Okay? Our experiment worked. Now, thanks to science, you don't have to worry about your uterus or adoption. You're now a mother, like you've always wanted to be," she continued. "KG-13!!!"

"Yes, Miss Natasha," the bot-droid answered.

"Take the infant and run all necessary tests on it."

The tank screen slid open. KG-13 reached in and picked up the baby, then went to another side of the lab to do as its mistress had asked it to do.

"Come on now, Stella," Natasha urged her colleague again when she sniffled. "Wipe your tears!"

"I didn't think this would be possible," Dr. Stella confessed, chuckling as she wiped her tears.

"Well, I did," Natasha remarked, boastfully. "I've spent time researching reproductive cloning and asexual reproduction in humans. I'm happy to have helped you. Heck, you helped me too! This is my first experiment on the theory!"

"You truly are the brightest scientist of this era," Dr. Stella smiled.

"Come on, Stells... I'm not that bright. After all, my father and Fleming revolutionized technology in America," Natasha replied, taking off her lab coat, gloves, and bonnet one after one. "Hey, let's keep this experiment as our little secret, okay?" she whispered, looking around the room as though the walls had ears. Stella nodded in agreement.

"If this turned out a success, perhaps time travel would too," she stated as she took off her bonnet.

"We'll just have to see," Natasha said

The spacious grounds of the reputable Grand Canyon University silently endured the back and forth marching of her anxious students, hastily climbing up and down the stairs with bookbinders and file holders in their hands. Like diligent ants on duty, they entered or exited lecture theaters as introverted individuals or in chattering groups, only stopping in their tracks to greet their mates who were also passing by. July 1991 was a serious period in the academic calendar, especially for the spillover students who had one or two projects to execute or seminars to present.

Somewhere in one of the many cafeterias in the school, a young male student of average height was sitting at a table littered with crumpled papers on top and around. With frustrated creases on his forehead, he made various sketches and jotted down various observations, only to make a mistake, feel dissatisfied and repeat the process! He had been there for hours, tearing new sheets, calculating on them, and squeezing them up again, irritated. His mates around him were worried for him, but no one approached him until he tore his last sheet and crumpled it up again. Defeated by stress, he palmed his face and let out a heavy sigh.

"You seem really stressed out!" the stranger stated over him.

"Stressed out is a real understatement right now. " The young man laughed softly as he raised his head to note who had approached him. His eyes fell on a tall young man with a small but friendly smile on his handsome face.

"Mind if I know what's up?" he asked him, raising a brow and taking a seat next to him.

"Nothing much," he shrugged, softening up slowly. "Just trying to complete this project so I can graduate from this school," he fessed up in a sad tone.

"Wait, project?" the tall guy repeated, sounding shocked. "Did you flunk, man?"

"Yeah, man!" he slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Messed up my earlier years in this school. If I don't ace these projects, I'm gonna be stuck in this school,"

"Hm!" his audience hummed in sympathy. "Care to show me what you've been working on?" he asked again, stretching his hand out.

The shorter man hesitated at first, feeling a bit embarrassed, but brushed it off in a split second, deciding to grab his chances for help. He arched his back, still sitting, and stretched to pick the most recently crumpled papers on the floor.

"Holy Cricket!" the taller guy suddenly exclaimed after unfolding the papers, startling his mate. "You're a Mechanics and Robotics student? That's so cool, man! I study Quantum Physics," he told him, nudging him with a one-sided grin on his face. "I'm Steve, by the way," he abruptly introduced himself, having realized that he hadn't yet.

"Mark!" The shorter man followed suit, sounding cautious. "Mark Toney"

"Well Mark, I like your idea. It's clever and inventive," Steve complimented.

"Really? Didn't think so hours ago?" Mark declared, sliding close to Steve to look at his work again.

"This is genius, man!" Steve continued to praise his work, looking keenly at the labeled diagram on it.

Mark slid a small distance away from his acquaintance, eyeing him with mixed feelings. Who was this guy? He asked himself. Could he be of help? He asked him instead of allowing the questions to override his thoughts.

"Huh, you know? I could use a little help if you're not busy with your own project,"

"Project?" Steve asked in mock shock, dramatically placing his hand on his chest. "As if! I have cleared all my exams. I've got no issues with graduating..."

"... oh!" Mark bowed his head, wrongly assuming that his acquaintance was not interested in any project.

"Hey, don't bow your head, man! You didn't let me finish," he quickly cautioned him. "I was about to say that I would gladly help you. We're gonna create one Hella project, I guarantee you," he finished with an encouraging smile.

Mark lit up at his assurance, feeling a heavy rush of optimism in his system. "Outstanding!" he clapped in sheer excitement. "When do we start?"

"When do we start? Hell, tonight, man. We've got no time to waste," he reminded him, then bowed his head to scribble something on the paper Mark had given him earlier. "Here's my address," he told him and passed the paper to him.

"Alright, man! We'll make this shit happen!" Mark declared assertively, stretching out for a handshake, which the taller man reciprocated. "Thanks for your consideration, man. Let me treat you with something."

"Aw, that's nice of you! I'll just have a soda,"

In a flash, Mark cleared out the table and its surroundings, then went to order two soda pops. They spent the next few hours familiarizing themselves with each other. They were forming a strong bond together as they had laughed and noting what they had in common. Mark liked his acquaintance. He sounded like a very smart guy and had so much confidence. While they were chatting away, a very gorgeous young lady walked past them to the counter, giggling in the company of her almost equally gorgeous mates. Steve lost his focus the minute she entered. She was tall and had a delicate figure. He could swear that he had never seen a face so bright. Her cute eyes almost made him melt like wax right there. His heart raced as he fantasized about playing with her seemingly soft blonde hair. Questions infiltrated as usual. Should he take cover? Should he get her attention? Should he walk over there?

"Wow! Isn't she just fly?" Mark whistled, having found who had stolen his new friend's attention.

"Sylvie Ross, former Miss GCU, current president of the Student Union and best student at different levels in Phoenix," Steve dictated, still lost in lust.

"Huh, FYI, I know who she is. " Mark turned to him then back to the counter where she was still ordering food.

"Man, she is so hot!" Steve helplessly blurted, still unable to quit the stalking gaze.

"If you like her, why don't you ask her out?" Mark urged him. "She's single after all"

"Dude, I've watched many guys get turned down by her since the first year. Do you think I have the chance?"

Mark tried to hide his shock. Wasn't this Steve who was talking confidently a few hours ago? "You stand a fat chance, man!" he quickly assured him. "You're cool and nice and friendly"

"Didn't we just meet today?" Steve snickered, meaning at his new friend for the first time since Sylvie entered.

"Just talk to her!" Mark ordered.

Before the taller man could dismiss him, he pulled him up and pushed him towards the table the girls had perched, rudely interrupting them.

"Hey, mind how you play your games!" the girl snapped fiercely, frowning at Steve.

"Take a chill pill, miss!" Mark hollered, rescuing Steve from further humiliation. "He just wants to talk to Sylvie"

"Ha! In his dreams!" the other girl let out a short, unladylike laugh. "Why would a queen like Sylvie want to talk to a nerd like you? Get out of here, you square!"

Steve remained on that spot, wishing the ground would open and take him to his grave. He was going to kill Mark for making him do this. Luckily for him, Sylvie rescued him this time around.

"That's enough Melanie! I'll handle it from here!" With that, the girls calmed down and turned their attention to their food.

"Sorry about that," Sylvie smiled apologetically at Steve. "They can be a little intense sometimes, but they are nice girls,"

"They obviously are," Steve chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. He couldn't believe that he was talking to former Miss GCU!

"You're Steve Fleming, right?" she inquired.

"You know my name?" Steve asked in utter shock. He turned to Mark, who was still watching from behind. The latter shrugged helplessly. He couldn't make out how the conversation was going, but he was positive about it.

"Of course, silly," Sylvie giggled, daintily dabbing her pretty pink lips with her fingers. "You helped us work out some electrical issues in sophomore year, remember? You're a really smart guy though," she commended him.

"I am?" he asked and once again turned to Mark, only for the latter to shrug his shoulders again. Where was all this coming from? Steve was wondering.

"Okay, I like your friend, but could we continue this conversation elsewhere?" she asked as she rose to her feet. "I don't really like sitting and talking with someone standing,"

Her polite manners had so hypnotized him, he couldn't answer until she snapped her fingers in his face. He agreed to walk with her after both of them had told their respective friends that they'd be right back.

"To be honest, Steve, I kinda gained an interest in you recently," she confessed when they were within earshot.

"Oh, really?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah. " She stopped and turned to him, looking straight into his eyes. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but nerds are my type," she whispered, causing the young man to blush.

"Well...thanks" he appreciated her, hiding his flustered face from her, still very surprised by all of this. "I don't know. Are you free this weekend?"

"Fleming! Are you asking me out?" Sylvie asked flirtatiously, deliberately emphasizing the pronouns in her question.

"What? No!" Steve hurriedly denied, feeling caught. "I just wanted to know if you were free so we could talk or something, that's all"

"I can't promise you anything, but we'll keep in touch," she said. "After all, I'm a real busy person,"

"Alright!" Steve answered, slouching a bit in dissatisfaction. So much for taking the bold step.

"See you later, Steve!" she waved and went back to meet her friends.

"Later," he responded with a bored and disappointed tone and wave.

Mark ran to him, wrapping one arm around his waist and pulling him to his side. "How did that go, Casanova?" he asked teasingly.

"It was mixed, man," Steve answered, still slouching. "She said we'll keep in touch,"

"Aw, cheer up man!" Mark poked the taller guy on the shoulder. "If you ask me, I'll say I've got a good feeling about it,"

"You sure?"

"I'm positive!" he smiled. "Now let's leave the birds and concentrate on this project!"

With that, both of them quickly gathered some more papers that Mark squeezed last from the bin and left the cafeteria, walking to Steve's house together.

By the time they got to their destination, it was almost nightfall. Steve owned a quaint but comfortable mini flat, which Mark fell in love with the minute his eyes landed on it. Not that he was not proud of his apartment. At least, other guys with his background story would be envious of his achievement. He felt challenged to get something even better than Steve's as soon as possible. All he had to do was make sure this project worked. He also had to stick with this new friend of his, as he seemed to be a smart person. They got into the house and Mark was more astonished at the inside than he was when they were outside. The apartment had two master bedrooms, a nice and spacious kitchen, and living room. Steve slept in the bedroom and converted the other one to a makeshift laboratory!

"Welcome to my humble home!" Steve called as they entered. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I have some water in the refrigerator if you need." he offered with a smile.

"Thanks, man!" Mark appreciated. "I love your place!"

Steve shrugged, trying to be modest. "Yeah, it's not so much, but thanks. Would you like for us to start immedia...?"

"... hell, yes!" Mark chipped in, startling his friend a little.

"Alright!" Steve chuckled, eyeing Mark warily. "Let's begin!"

With this, they hurriedly freshened up and sat down in Steve's laboratory to begin their work. They started with modifying Mark's already planned invention and its functions. After about half an hour of modification, they soon got an idea that satisfied them, much to Mark's delight. Unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived after they penned down the list of materials they would need and realized how expensive it all was.

"$2000? Where the heck would I get this much money?" Mark let out a devastating cry.

"Relax, man!" Steve comforted him as he racked his brain for an alternative. Luckily for them, he got it a few seconds later. "Why don't we go to the junkyard nearby and grab as many spare parts as there are?"

This cheered Mark up. "Whoa, that's a great idea!" he beamed. "I do not regret asking for your help,"

The junkyard was located around the bend on Steve's street. They didn't need to worry about how late it was because the yard was a stone's throw from the house. Thankfully, the rusty spare parts were still working. After picking up all the parts they knew they needed, they put them in their bags and jogged home, eager to build their innovation.

On getting to the lab, Steve picked up some chalk and drew out their concept on the blackboard while Mark cleaned and oiled the parts they had collected. The duo made a perfect team. They worked together with so much speed and accuracy. One didn't need to tell the other what to do before he did it. If Steve was connecting wires, Mark was welding metal. If Mark was handling the mechanical operations, Steve was handling the electrical operations. Throughout the hours of that long night, the two worked in focused silence, screwing and bolting and sweating buckets! Of course, they took abrupt breaks to drink up energy boosters so they could go on without breaking down. Eventually, they completed their work, just when the clock struck 6:00 am the next day! With the little strength they had, they covered their invention up with a large piece of gray-colored cloth and headed to shower and sleep. Four hours later, a loud ringing sound from Steve's Nokia 1011 cellphone woke them up.

"Argh! Who could call me at this hour?" Steve groaned, rubbing his forehead soothingly, too tired to reach for his phone in the bedside drawer.

"Well, your phone sure rings loudly cause it interrupted my sleep." Mark grumbled, still lying down. A few seconds after trying to go back to sleep but failing, he rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

The irritatingly continuous call got on Steve's nerves and forced him to pick up his phone. The number calling was unknown, but they had called up to four times and continued calling even after Steve hung up. He picked up the call after Mark persuaded him to.

"Hey Steve," the caller greeted. No one needed to tell him who owned the mesmerizing voice the minute it reached his ears.

"Sylvie? Gosh, I'm so sorry I missed your calls. I had a long night!"

"Oh, no issue, Steve!" she assured the young man. "So, remember I told you I'd keep in touch with you whenever I'm not busy?"

"Yeah? So, what's the 411?" Steve asked, sounding charming and looking optimistic.

"Well, since we're graduating soon, GCU rewarded us, the Student Union, with a day of fun before we eventually graduate on Sunday," Sylvie informed him.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Steve exclaimed.

"Exactly!" she squealed, sounding more excited than Steve could guess. "Anyway, we're heading first to a theater to see Terminator 2: Judgment day. GCU got us front row tickets!"

"Wow! Perks of Being a member of Student Union! You go, girl!" Steve cheered.

"Yeah, but about that! The Vice President of the Student Union is down with bird flu and has been home for days," Sylvie said.

"Aww, I'm sorry!" Steve's brows curved in empathy, but he was also unsure what to do with the information. "Wish her a quick recovery though," he quickly stuttered.

"Yeah, hopefully, she'll be fine before Graduation Day. Now, we need someone to fill in for her," she stated, making Steve cringe a little. Wasn't the Vice President their friend? Wouldn't it be nice of them to postpone the outing until she got better?

"Do you know anyone who would like to come?" she asked teasingly.

"I would love to come!" Steve butt in, suddenly caring less about the poor Vice President with bird flu! She'll be fine. He comforted himself. As for him, he had always wanted to see the movie and he couldn't wait till it came out on Blu-ray. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he'll be a fool to let it slip!

"Oh, I don't know," Sylvie continued to tease him. "There are many people who would want to go out on a date with a Queen Bee like me. You'll have to beg a little harder,"

Steve grinned, boiling and pleased at realizing she was teasing him. He played along. "Oh, great Queen Bee, I pray thee! Permit thy servant an outing with thee!"

"Oh, poor and humble servant! Thou hast pleaded well. Thou art permitted an outing with me, the wise Queen Bee!" Sylvie continued to play, pleasing Steve.

"Oh, Queen Bee, blessed be thine kind heart! Thy servant be forever grateful to thee."

Both of them burst into laughter, unable to take it any longer.

"You're hilarious, Steve," she complimented in between girlish cackling. "The location is Chandler. Wear something real nice"

"Chandler?" Steve's eyes popped. "That's quite distant and I don't have a car,"

"We don't need a car. We'll be taking the bus." she informed him.

"Oh, okay."

"See you in 30 minutes!" she said and hung up.

Steve looked up at Mark, who had been standing over him all the while, listening contentedly at their conversation. He slowly whizzed like a whistling kettle, then burst with excitement. "I'm going out with Sylvie! Booyah!"

"Bravo, Casanova!" Mark congratulated him with mock applause. "You just got yourself a date with arguably the number one student in this uni!"

Rather than smile or laugh, Steve's face transitioned as if he had seen a ghost. "She'll be here in 30 minutes. What am I going to do?"

"First things first, get in the shower, dress up and be yourself," Mark advised. "The girl is totally into you. No need to act perfectly"

At this, Steve calmed down and happily heeded his friend's advice. He put on a plain white vest and a pair of dusty blue jeans, readily looking fabulous for his date.

"You look good, Casanova!" Mark commented.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Steve laughed, feeling on top of the world, but Mark didn't answer. He just went into the bedroom with a one-sided grin plastered on his face and came out with the black leather jacket he was putting on yesterday when they first met. "Take it. In case you get cold," Mark said.

"Thanks a lot, man. I really appreciate," he appreciated his friend. "Do you think I look good enough?"

"You look great!" Mark replied. "Now go get your Chica, man,"

"What about your project? The graduation is in two days. When will we test it?" Steve asked.

"Don't worry, man. We'll sort it out later." Mark tapped him on the shoulder.

"We sure will," Steve added confidently, pulling him in for an embrace. He then walked outside where the bus was already waiting for him and Sylvie was standing by it.

"Steve! Latecomers sit at the back!" Sylvie laughed, gesturing him to bolt. He tried to shake her hand when he finally got close, but she embraced him instead. They entered the bus holding hands, much to Steve's pleasure!