"I can't believe we are doing this." Jenny sighed while resting her chin on her clenched hand, staring at the passenger window inside the news van, feeling a cloud over her head.

"Oh, come on, it will not be so bad." Eddie drove the van, keeping his eyes on the street through the city. "The Thunder Tech Convention is pretty cool."

"Easy for nerds like you to say."

Eddie chuckled as he steered the van. "But we nerds do like to dream."

Jenny rolled her eyes. She never thought she would ever drive to the corporation's presentation at the Javits Center. The corporation her father used to work at before his tragedy. She wanted to avoid the company as much as possible, but she couldn't say no to her boss.

Mr.Coleman, editor-in-chief of the Daily News Network, was one of the meanest bosses who Jenny had ever met. If she didn't do what he said, he could fire her in an instant. Everyone had to put up with his questionable decisions to keep their jobs.

He heard the corporation decided to present a new invention, which might astonish the entire world. And he wanted to get the announcement before another news studio gets it.

If Jenny said no, then she would lose her job. No job, no roof over her head. And Jenny wouldn't survive without a roof over her head. The city was like a wild jungle.

Eddie glanced at her after he stopped toward an intersection. "May I ask why you don't want to go to the convention?”

Jenny sighed. “It’s complicated…..”

“You know we been working together for almost two years. Your secret is safe with me.”

Eddie was right. She had known him since their boss assigned him to be her cameraman. Sure, sometimes he was annoying, but he was also a good friend who kept her spirits up during her stressful times.

She bit her lip, hissing through her teeth. “My father worked for Thunder Tech.”

“Cool! What department did he work at?”

“Engineering. He was an inventor there, but an accident killed him.”

“Oh….. I am sorry.” Eddie drove forward. “What happened?”

“They never told me. They said it was classified.”

“Really? That totally sucked! Everyone should know what happened to their relatives.”

“I know…..” Jenny remembered two men in black suits arriving at her mother’s old house. They said Jenny’s father, Barry, died in an explosion, but they couldn’t specifically say what caused it.

For years the mystery of her father’s fate burned inside Jenny’s mind for a long time. She wanted that painful memory to go away so it wouldn’t ruin her life. It worked since she never dared herself to visit her father’s old job. Never daring to see the spot where he probably died at. It would haunt her for the rest of her life until she could no longer feel anything. Now she was afraid her own job would bring back those bad memories she buried a long time ago. 

Some journalism degree I earned, she thought.

Eddie stopped the van in traffic. “You think the convention will remind you of your father?”

“Sort of…..” 

“Well, whatever happens in there, I will always be by your side. You can do this.”

Jenny smiled at him. Where would she be without him?

*****

The convention center was glassy and bright, bathed by the glaring skylights from above the pipelines that covered the ceiling. It was properly centered around vendor booths with hallways linked to conference rooms where events were held. Crowds of visitors, both business and local fans, scattered through the area, blurred in nosy conversations. The excitement seemed to be filling up the cool air.

Each vendor contained a scientist, presenting their own projects from the corporation’s engineering department. A lady in a white lab coat tossed a tennis ball toward a wall. Before the soft green ball hit the cardboard wall, a robotic dog caught it between its metal jaws. In the next booth, two kids walked around a pole, wearing VR helmets. And an armored robot soldier marched through the crowd, gaining a lot of attention.

“Wow!” Eddie couldn’t keep his eyes off the vendors while his mouth hung.

"Remember, we are only here for the presentation," Jenny whispered. "So no fooling around!"

Tears dripped down Eddie's face. "But they are showing cool-looking gadgets over there! I want to see all their inventions!"

"No, I want to get this over with before-"

"Jenny?" A familiar voice echoed through the crowd.

Jenny turned, glancing upon a tall African American man, wearing a clean gray suit, approaching her. He was bald but handsome in his middle age.

"Walter Freeman!" Jenny gasped.

Even Eddie was surprised to see the CEO of Thunder Tech.

Walter was her father's boss who funded his secret project. She hasn't seen him since her father's accident.

When he approached her, he looked at her, up and down. "Wow, I am surprised to see you here."

"Yeah….. Me too!" Jenny held up her badge. "Our boss sent us here for your presentation."

Walter grinned with satisfaction. "Oh, so you are a reporter now. That is awesome."

Jenny smirked with her upper lip raised, showing some teeth. "Yup!"

Eddie placed the camera down and held out his right hand toward Walter. "I'm Eddie Burgos, by the way. Big fan!"

"Why thank you." Walter shook the cameraman's hand.

"Ca-ca-ca-can I have your autograph?"

"Sure, but I can't see a paper on you."

Eddie blushed. "Oh, let me find something!"

He pulled out a one-dollar bill and held it toward Walter. “Can you sign here?”

Walter chuckled and took the bill. With a pen, he signed his name and handed the bill back to Eddie. “Don’t spend it.”

Eddie stared at the signed bill and smirked. “I will hold it with my dear life.”

Walter laughed softly and glanced back toward Jenny. “I am very sorry for your father’s loss. He was a good and  respected man in our department.”

Jenny frowned. “Thank you….. It meant a lot to me.”

“Good. Well, I have to go to my presentation. It will start in five minutes.”

“Can you please give us a hint of what it will be?”

Walter curled his lips up. “Something that will allow us to travel through space and time.”

After Walter walked away, Jenny and Eddie kept their eyes on him as he entered the corridor.

Something that will allow us to travel through space and time? What did we mean? Jenny thought.

*****

“Welcome everyone!” Walter faced the audience on the stage inside the large conference room, about as big as a movie theater.

Jenny stood behind the audience on the upper back floor near the exit while Eddie stood next to her, aiming the video camera at Walter. Large gray curtains covered the backstage, but whatever was behind the curtains will be revealed to the audience.

“Before we begin, I would like to mention a good friend who was responsible for our secret project, which I am about to reveal,” Walter continued with his hands toward below his waist. “His name was Barry Summer, known as Professor Summer in our engineering department. I knew him since I hired him, and he was a true genius. Unfortunately, he passed away in a terrible accident. But his sacrifice didn't fell in vain. If it wasn't for him, Thunder Tech wouldn't be where we are now. I am glad to continue his project, but the credit should be given to him. Rest in peace, Professor Summer!"

The audience clapped their hands, bringing tears to Jenny. She thought bad memories would come if she meets Walter again. But hearing him honor her father brought warmness to her heart. He must have been a close friend to her father.

“Now I will present our latest accomplishment!" Walter stepped aside as the red curtains raised.

On the center stage was a giant metal ring, standing between two towering power generators, positioned on a short walkway. Pipes, wires, and cables connected the ring at the bottom from the generators. One of the cables connected to a computer panel, resting in front of the ring.

“That looks like the Stargate!” Eddie whispered.

Jenny snickered although she didn't care about Eddie's joke. He was too interested in sci-fi movies and comic books. So much, he sometimes compared things to his nostalgia.

"You are sought a dork," Jenny whispered back.

Walter held up his hand toward the ring. "This machine is called the Transgate. Short for transportation gateway. Observe."

From the left side, a woman in a white business blouse and a brown skirt stepped onto the stage. Long brunette hair stretched down her back, and she walked like a supermodel. What a show-off.

"She's cute," Eddie mentioned, which shuddered Jenny’s back.

"This is Ms.Elliott," said Walter, "our brave test subject."

He approached the computer panel and typed on the keyboard. After he pushed a switch down, the inner ring within the metal halo spun faster and faster. At the speed of light, electric bolts flashed together, and then an energy sphere appeared within the ring. It motioned like water as white light glimmered around its surface.

The audience's faces turned to astonishment. "Oooooouuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Walter picked up a remote and pushed the bottom on it. "Now for the demonstration."

A large flatscreen lowered next to the ring. On the screen, the display appeared showing another spinning metal ring with a glowing ball inside a warehouse.

Walter pointed his finger at the screen. "We have another Transgate in Hong Kong. Now watch carefully." He glanced at the woman. "Ms. Elliott, may you please step through the sphere now."

The woman nodded and strolled toward the ring. As she stepped through, her body vanished inside the sphere.

On the screen, the woman stepped out from the other energy sphere, and she waved to the audience. She turned back toward the ring and walked through it, vanishing again. Then she reappeared on the stage from the machine.

The audience gasped.

Walter shook the woman's hand. "Thank you, Ms.Elliott."

After she left, Walter faced the audience. "What you witnessed was only the beginning. The Transgate generates a particle acceleration, which can open a wormhole through time and space. When you step through the portal, you will arrive on the other side in one second. Imagine, with more Transgates, people will no longer need to rely on normal transportation. No more airlines, ships, or trains. People could travel anywhere without taking hours to reach their destination. We could also use the Transgates to travel to other planets in a split second."

Jenny couldn't believe her father invented the Transgate before his death. No wonder his old friend decided to continue his project.

"This is the future," Walter continued. "If it weren't for Professor Barry, we wouldn't be here. Let us congratulate him for his-"

"Look!" A man within the audience pointed his finger at the screen. "Someone is approaching the machine in the warehouse!"

Walter checked the monitor. On the screen, a hooded man in a gray sweater placed a cardboard box in front of the second Transgate. He then ran off before the box exploded, and the screen fuzzed.

“What the-” Before Walter could finish his sentence, the gate buzzed as the sphere flickered. Bolts danced along the ring, and the floor shook, sending sharp vibrations through Jenny’s skin.

Not only the ground tremored, Jenny felt the air flowing straight toward the portal. Dust particles and a woman’s hairpin flew toward the gate. 

“Everyone, evacuate now!” Walter jumped off the stage and sprinted past the audience.

Everyone else followed him, screaming and running fast. Behind them, the gate began to suck everything in its path like a giant vacuum cleaner. Whoever sabotaged her father’s project had caused it to go berserk.

Before Jenny reached the exit, someone screamed behind her. “Help!”

She spotted a woman holding onto the front seat as her body waved in the air. If she let go, the machine will suck her into the unstable portal.

“Oh no!” Without thinking, Jenny raced down past the seats. She just knew she has to save that woman when she has the chance.

“Jenny!” Eddie’s voice cried as Jenny kept running.

She clambered over the seats until she reached toward the young woman. Then she held out her hand toward her. “Grab my hand!”

The woman’s glasses flew off her face. She shuddered, but she did hold out her hand toward Jenny’s reach.

Jenny grabbed her hand and pulled the woman from the front row with all her strength. After the woman could move freely, she climbed over the seats and sprinted to the exit.

Suddenly, Jenny’s felt her body levitate off the front row. “No!”

She flew back until she grabbed onto the front seat. Now she was in the same danger as the woman.

“Hold on, Jenny!” Eddie descended over the seats and held out his hand toward Jenny. “Grab my hand!”

Jenny reached for his hand, but she slipped before she could reach it. As she flew straight into the portal, the last thing she heard was Eddie, screaming out her name. “Jenny!”