Crossing The Threshold (editing)

"What's up Dante?" I sternly inquired as I shifted back through my papers to continue my work.

"Well you know, I was just in the vicinity, thought I'd stop by and see what you're up to." He awkwardly kicked his feet on the ground while looking around the room as if he hadn't done this yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.

"You know exactly what I'm up to Mr. Caruso, what is it?" He let out an exasperated huff and admitted, "Ok, I really just want to help you! I know all there is to know about time travel and relativity and I think I can be really useful." I inattentively walked back over to my technology equipment and made a few adjustments with the bolts and turned on the power button, it just shut down like all the times before.

  "Dante, you know that this isn't a game. This is nothing like those comic books that you read and frankly, you're just an apprentice. Are you even supposed to be in today?"I checked my touchscreen watch, 4:16 p.m. I, once again, walk back towards my desk with my marker in my hand, prepared to make some corrections.

"Yeah I know that but don't you think that we shouldn't rule anything out because I believe these methods could be applied and if you only let me show-"

  "As I've made clear many times before. you don't need to trouble yourself with my work. And when I say that, I mean leave me to my work-"

Dante interrupted as he began twisting screws and putting in administrations into my computer, "If you only give me a chance I know I can impress you and we can work together on this! Look I took a couple sample experiments from your lab—"

What did he say?

"You went through my things?" I walked back towards Dante, nudging him away from the computer.
"What else did you touch?" He looked at me guilt ridden but then resumed. "I only transferred your prototype experiments onto my computer and used the information paired with my adjustments. I didn't change anything I promise!" I clicked around a few tabs to confirm his statement. Everything appeared to be intact.

"Dante, go. This isn't up for discussion." I was ready to test the performance of my new implements in my system, so I scurried over to my monitor, too hopeful to acknowledge Dante's presence next to my computer. I stalled, checking the time again, 4:19 p.m., before moving my mouse over the bold button on my screen that read 'RUN PROTOTYPE'. I looked up to watch, and to my shock was Dante, typing away at my computer. My eyes shot down, and there was a USB protruding out the side of the machine.

"Dante what are you doing?!" I flinched, and before I could even step away my fingers pressed the button, and the lights began to flicker. I then caught sight of huge bulging eyes staring back at me. A cataclysmic surge was sent through the entire building, and the ground had a distant tremble. The evacuation sirens rang, and the whole building went dark, besides the red flashing lights that came with the alarm.

"Dante! Stay there, I'll come to you!" I tried to steady myself and get to the middle of the room, but things all around were shaking and falling, making it difficult. I heard Dante trying to speak back to me, but the rumble beneath us was too thunderous. I got around my desk, crouching as the ceiling began to crumble, and making careful steps as the floor began to shake. Then it happened in a blink of an eye. A flash appeared, sending me to the ground roughly. My vision went blurry as my glasses were knocked off my face, and I quickly went looking for them. Once they were back in my possession, I could see that Dante was standing in front of a pocket of bright light that seemed to distort the space it took up. As my eyes focused a little more, it seemed to ripple and flow. I stumbled closer, but my inspection was interrupted by a massive lurch from the ground, and that's when Dante fell through whatever had opened up before him. I could hear voices of other scientists running from the stairwell right behind my door, the sirens deafening.

I took one more look down at my watch. 4:25 p.m. That's when I lost Dante Caruso, my 20-year-old college bound novice apprentice.