Avoiding Past And Future

(7)Intermediate

"Um, guys? Why does this point to an ON button?"

Both the two boys halted their conversation mid sentence as they rushed over to the blueprint. Just as Sam had said, there was in fact an on button. They groaned in unison as they let their heads fall to the desk. Had they really been that absorbed in the big picture that all four of them had looked over the massive design flaw? Tucker sighed as he walked over to the tube but didn't see any buttons on the outside. It was just pure smooth metal. "Did they forget to install it or something? I don't see any buttons."

Danny facepalmed as he got up and grabbed a flash light. Surely, these two geniuses wouldn't have made such a massive mistake, right? Sure enough, as he peered into the tube from the outside edge, he could see a faint glimmer of red deep inside. He gave in to his intrusive thoughts again as he slammed his head into the outer casing. "Nope. It's there. On the inside." Both his friends perked up at that and rushed over to see for themselves. "Dude, for a pair of geniuses they really are idiots. There is no way to fix this without ripping the whole thing apart and reinstalling it on the outside. All the hours we wasted on this. Damn. We could have gotten past that one level in Doom!" Tucker complained as he started to pack his stuff up. They weren't supposed to be there, so better not leave any proof of it.

"Why don't you just press it?" Sam asked innocently. "The button is right there. All you need to do is push it and it should work right?" The boys shared a glance. She was right. Success was so close, their work wouldn't have been for nothing if it does work. Why would they let a little button stop them?

Except that was exactly the issue.

The button was so deep inside it would already be quite a parkour to get to it, let alone get out again. If anything would go wrong, Danny wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He couldn't let his friends, his new family, get hurt. "I mean, you have a point. But I don't think we should. Besides, Jack and Maddie would kill me if they found out what we have been doing here." He tried to de-escalate his friend, but he could see the taunting smirk grown on her face. "What's wrong, Dann-o? You scared of a little button?"

Danny rubbed his face trying to calm his nerves. Yes, he was scared. Scared of them getting hurt and losing them just like he lost everybody else he held dear before. But it's not like he would admit that to them. "No, Sam, I'm not. It's just that we aren't even supposed to be here, let alone meddle with their inventions. They wouldn't even let me work on a basic blaster without being supervised. Maybe when we are older they'll let me, but right now is not the time." He tried, really. He tried to change her mind, but the goth girl continued her teasing.

"Oh no, Danny boy. I did not sit here for hours watching you two geek about boring ass tech that I don't understand without anything to show for it. Hell, if you won't then I will." She walked over to the closet where they safety gear was kept and pulled out a protective jumpsuit.

Danny had cold sweat going down his back. He knew damn well if she went in, and something went wrong in there, she wouldn't make it out fast enough. She might have been the most athletic of the three, but she lost all the advantages she had over them when she panicked. And she would for sure panic if it wasn't just pressing a button. Tucker would be even worse as he can barely jog for half a minute, let alone if he panicked. He pretty much turned into a defenseless flamingo when he did.

No, if somebody had to go in, it would be him.

"Hold it, Sam. I'll do it. You wouldn't fit in those suits anyway, they'd be too big on you." He desperately tried to cover his shaking hands by quickly snatching the gear out of her hands. It was somewhat true that she wouldn't fit, mostly because the smallest sizes were designed with Danny in mind. They were for emergencies, of course, but at least they were prepared.

"Dude, are you sure? You really don't have to, especially if it's only because Sam is pushing it." Tucker sent a pointed glare at the girl as she shrugged her shoulders. He knew the dangers of going in, just like Danny did. Maybe to a lesser extent but he was aware of the risks. Danny frightened a smirk as he tilted his head to his friend. "Don't worry Tuck. She's right, it's just pressing a button. In and out. Plus, imagine if it actually worked. Maybe I could score some better grades because of this." Danny joked but couldn't look Tucker in the eye. The boy didn't dare to question his friend either, even with how obvious it was that he was lying. He knew Danny was scared but refused to admit it. "Fine," he sighed, "but I'm taking a damn picture of this before she tried to call you a scary cat next time something happens."

Danny let out a genuine chuckle as he got fully dressed in the suit. He was about to go in when Sam made him pause. "Wait! Before Tuck gets that picture of you," she ripped off the ugly sticker of his foster father's face from his chest," this thing does not need to be in it."

Now with the proof for ever lasting glory, if he makes it out, acquired, Danny walked in. He remembered roughly where he saw the button as he made his way to the back of the tube. He had failed to factor in that him being in there would be blocking out most of the light in there.

It was pitch black inside.

There were cables all over the place. He did his best to be careful, but cursed be his lack of night vision as he stumbled over a cable he hadn't spotted before. He stumbled a little as he placed a hand on the walls to prevent himself from falling. Of course, with his oh so amazing luck, he just so happened to put his hand on the button. Danny screamed out in pain as he got electrocuted with who knows how many volts. The pain was so intense he could barely hear himself screaming. Every cell in his body felt like it was set on fire, ripped apart or exploded.

Sam and Tucker stood in shock as they watched their friend be surrounded by green electricity. They swore they heard multiple voices scream out until all they heard was Danny's tortured screams. Tucker finally snapped out of his shock as Sam started sobbing next to him. He quickly ran over to the main power cable and ripped it out. The portal shut down and Danny's screaming stopped. They couldn't see him as there was a lot of smoke coming out of the tunnel. Much to their shock, and admittedly horror, Danny stumbled out. He looked extremely confused and out of it. He barely set a foot without the support of the tube before his vision went black.