Bob's vision was completely white. The swirling colors of the world inside the portal were no longer visible, and instead he could register his body moving extremely fast. He could feel his arms getting very hot, his goggles somehow disappearing from his face, and he couldn't hear anything. Was this death, he thought, was this Hell? Had he been killed and just didn't know it, or was this a hallucination and he was actually bleeding out on the lab floor?

Then, he felt himself falling. His vision came back, and he saw another portal open. It opened into an alley. With a flash of bright purple light, he found himself in the alley. His clothes were on fire, and he instantly dropped to the ground. Everything was unbearably hot, and he tried to put himself out. He screamed, hoping someone was there to hear him, to help him.

There was so much going on, where was he, this wasn't SFIT, why was he on fire, why is it daytime, but the fact the fire wasn't any closer to being out was the thing worrying himself the most at the moment. He continued to try and do that stop, drop, and roll technique everyone had been taught in school at some point or other, but it was like his clothes had been soaked in hexane. He was about ready to give up and just burn when a door opened and he was immediately hit with the spray from a fire extinguisher.

He coughed, unable to breathe for a moment, but the fire was out. Quickly, he took stock of his situation. His clothes were burned almost black, especially his scarf- he'd have to get rid of that, which saddened him to no end. But, his legs were fine, so was his face and torso. But his arms were burned, they felt like they were still on fire- even though they weren't. They were bright red. Even his hands had gotten hit too, but they were less severe. Judging by the intense pain, they were second degree. He was by no means a doctor, but he remembered reading somewhere that third degree burns didn't hurt because the nerve endings were destroyed. His nerve endings were perfectly fine and they were telling him all about it.

Something strange had happened, and that was clear. A rainy night had become a clear day in an instant, his SFIT lab had become a small alleyway. His mind ran through all the possibilities and came up with nothing. He had not a clue about what had happened. He knew the amplifier was dangerous and could have unknown properties, but he certainly didn't expect anything like this.

He got a good look at his savior. A short boy, he couldn't be older than 14. Dark hair, not as pale as himself, and with innocent-looking dark brown eyes. He had on a red shirt with what looked like a long-sleeved white undershirt, and brown pants. And he looked rather shocked at his sudden appearance at his doorstep. But, to be fair, Bob was shocked about that too.

How was he going to explain this? He didn't even know what happened, how would he tell someone about it? They would think he was crazy. They would think he was lying, for sure. There was no way out of this unless Bob lied about what really happened. He was fine with that. He knew how to lie. He could create a whole new identity. And that's what he would do, he decided. Not for anything bad, he reasoned, it'd just be to keep things going smoothly until he could find a way back to SFIT. He saw the boy move like he was going to go inside, and spoke.

"Don't.. don't call anyone."

The boy seemed taken aback by that. Beck had to think of an explanation, and fast. What could he say to stop a concerned bystander from calling 911? Doctors would ask questions he couldn't answer, and he didn't feel like being sent to a mental hospital today.

An idea hit him, even though it would be all-too painful for him. He could re-open the mental scars inflicted onto him by his mother and father, and pretend like they were fresh wounds. He could pretend to be a runaway. He could draw on what he had already experienced in reality, the constant put-downs, threats of violence, the constant fighting, the actual violence. He didn't have to act like he had been abused. Maybe it was okay to do this, he thought. It wasn't like he was completely faking it. He was just lying about the whole running away thing. What had been done to him was real. It had been a few months for him to heal since he was last at their mercy, though. SFIT had saved him. Getting back there was paramount, even if he had to tell a few lies to get there.

He told the lie to the boy. Was it really a lie if the basis was true? But it didn't matter, because the boy bought it. He could think of more details to shore up the shaky lie later, when he wasn't in the middle of an alley with burnt clothes and forearms that felt like they were still on fire. The tear coming from his eye at the moment wasn't one of sadness, more like some dirt got into his eye, but if it sold the 'freshly abused kid' thing, Bob was fine with it.

Speaking of lies, he'd need a new name. He didn't want anyone to look him up and see through his lie. But, fortunately, he had always hated his name and how old-fashioned it was. Who named their child Bob? What 17-year-old was named Bob in 2023? He could find a much more suitable name. The problem was choosing a name.

"Okay.. what's your name?"

Damn, now he had to think. What could he pick? He'd have to work with this until he got to SFIT, and maybe after that if he continued talking to this boy. James? No, he couldn't see himself being called James. Haruki? It sounded pretty, but one of his bullies in high school was named Haruki and that just kind of spoiled it. Beck? Beck could work. Short, sweet, worked with the last name Aken (which he was intent on preserving because he liked how it sounded, and lots of people in San Fransokyo had the last name Aken anyhow). It was now time to assume a new identity until he could get back to SFIT and resume his life. From now on, he'd be Beck Aken.

"... Beck. My name's Beck."

The boy in front of him didn't seem suspicious of him. Either the boy was naive, or Beck was a better liar than he thought.

The boy introduced himself as Hiro. The name wasn't familiar to him, which wasn't strange. Beck didn't talk to many people. He had always been a loner type, with more enemies than friends. The only real friends he had ever had were Wendy Wower, the only other SFIT student to rival his intelligence and robotics prowess, and Cass Hamada, the only person at his old high school that had ever treated him with any sort of kindness. It'd make sense he wouldn't know this random kid who was probably worrying about high school mid-term tests instead of energy amplifiers and research papers.

When he was asked if he could stand, he replied by dragging himself up, using a nearby ledge for support. His arms burned red-hot. The sleeves rode up, revealing definite second-degree burns. They were already starting to blister. His hands were red too, but not blistering. That was good news, hand burns never healed well. And he liked his delicate, thin hands, he didn't want them marred by scarring.

"What happened to you?" Hiro asked.

I would really love to know the answer to that question, Beck thought. His best guess was the amplifier did something weird instead of doing what it was supposed to do. But that explained him being on fire, it didn't explain why it was daytime or why he wasn't either at SFIT or in the hospital. Beck would have to lie again.

"My.. phone. It exploded."

That lie seemed plausible. Hopefully it'd stick. He was not about to tell this random kid about the energy amplifier. He didn't even trust Professor Granville to know, why would he trust Hiro? This was just a random high schooler who probably didn't even know robotics. He looked smart, but it wasn't very likely that he had skipped years of school and graduated early like he did. Otherwise, Beck would've already known about it and probably would have already sought him out so there'd be someone near his age at SFIT.

"Krei Tech?"

Krei Tech? That startup company? They made phones? Beck didn't know about that, and he kept up with all the tech companies. He had inventions to market, after all. None of them seemed trustworthy enough for him though, and that included Krei Tech. He didn't like Alistair Krei too much. He seemed shifty. This was getting weirder by the second.

"... Yeah."

"Bummer, but hey. You're probably.. not the first guy who's had that happen."

Beck hadn't heard anything bad about the quality of Krei Tech's products. Apparently, they were shitty according to Hiro. Either that, or Hiro had personal beef with Alistair Krei, which was probably the more likely option. Beck's one meeting with Krei had proved the man to be irritating at best.

"Possibly."

"Anyhow, let's get inside. My aunt Cass might have questions if she sees you before she comes home."

Cass? Wait, no, there were probably lots of people named Cass in San Fransokyo. Plus, the Cass he knew didn't have any nephews.

"Good plan. I'll be out of your hair before she gets home."

This wasn't a lie. Beck intended to be back at SFIT in a few hours.

"Then where will you go?"

He wasn't going to tell Hiro about that. After all, he was the only teenager at SFIT. A quick Google search could reveal his real name and everything about him. And that he was the cause of a probable massive accident at SFIT, given the fire that had engulfed him upon his arrival.

"No clue, honestly. Not even really sure where I am. I...wasn't really looking at the signs when I was blindly running."

Putting his thoughts aside for a moment, he walked with Hiro through the door. He entered what looked like a cafe. It had loads of cat decor, and it generally looked adorable. The Cass he knew would love it here, she loved cats. The place was cute, it looked like it served good coffee. Beck would have to stop by again once he resumed life at SFIT. After thoroughly apologizing to Granville, of course. He would never hear the end of this from Professor Callaghan, though.

"Whoa. I haven't seen this place before." Beck said to himself.

"You're at the Lucky Cat Cafe. Aunt Cass' pride and joy."

Wait. The Cass he knew had told him once that if she ever owned her own cafe, she'd call it the Lucky Cat Cafe, after the cat that had inadvertently saved her from being hit by a runaway tram. What was going on? Things were getting stranger by the minute. He was almost certain this was a hallucination at this point, except he could very much feel the pain of the burns on his arms. What had he gotten himself into? He looked visibly surprised- he was hoping Hiro didn't get too suspicious.

Beck's back was turned to Hiro, he was looking around. This place was confusing to him. Then, he saw the calendar. It was August. What? It's December, he thought. Did the cafe not change its calendar? Then, he looked closer. The year was 2043. This isn't right, it's 2023, what's going on, thoughts were swirling in his head and he liked exactly none of them. Then, it hit him. The amplifier had sent him forward in time. He was stranded 20 years in the future with no way back. What was he going to do now?

He was in over his head. The genius was finally out of his depth, this unforeseen consequence of his own actions was making itself apparent. How would he get back to his place in time before it was too late? He didn't know anything about the future, and it was only a matter of time before something slipped. What if he messed up the future and caused some sort of time paradox? Time travel was such an impossibility to him that he had no logic to go by anymore. A flying pink cat could come out of nowhere right now and Beck probably wouldn't bat an eyelid. He supposed, he'd have to keep up this lie with Hiro for quite a bit longer. Long enough to find a way home. If his parents taught him anything, it was how to be a good liar.

He found himself being led upstairs by Hiro. The house was cute, the decor wasn't exactly his style but he could appreciate it anyhow. Beck's dorm at SFIT was almost entirely purple and red, with Lenore Shimamoto paintings printed out and taped to the walls like posters. He was a sucker for her art, even though as a loyal SFIT student, he detested all other artists. That was made quite evident when he had grabbed the SFAI statue a few months ago in one of the most successful heists in SFIT history. Damn, he was history now, given he was a time traveler- wait no, don't think about that, you don't need an existential crisis right now.

"Lemme grab the first aid kit and then we can go upstairs to my room. It'll be easier to hide from my aunt up there if she comes back early." Hiro said before disappearing into a bathroom.

It was a rather awkward time waiting for him to return. Beck was in a stranger's house, 20 years in the future, still wondering whether or not the house in question belonged to one of his friends (who would now be 37 and not 17 like he remembered her). For all intents and purposes, a stranger. A stranger who he would very much not like to meet right now. Well, Beck could be optimistic. Maybe this Cass wasn't the Cass he knew. If that was the case, then he was golden. He could keep up his lie for as long as he needed them, without any risk of being found out.

Unless, of course, he was spotted by Professor Granville or Professor Callaghan. They'd be older now, for certain, but they'd recognize him. But that might not be a problem, he thought. If anyone would understand his situation, it would be one of them. Especially since they would probably know about the amplifier. After all, who wouldn't have noticed that massive flash of light, even if there was nobody right in the lab- someone must have seen it.

After a few minutes, Hiro emerged from the bathroom, holding a first-aid kit. Beck knew very little about anything medicine-related. Flesh confused him, he was much more comfortable with machinery. He barely knew how to keep himself alive, much less another person. If Professor Granville hadn't been around to urge him into actually eating at the cafeteria, he would have probably subsisted off of nothing but ramen and energy drinks at SFIT. He was an expert hacker and a robotics prodigy, but if you asked him to do CPR he'd probably end up killing the person even more.

"Let's hope I remember my first aid class from last year." Hiro said as they both made their way upstairs.

I really am in for it now, Beck thought.