Through the Wormhole

Chapter VI: Welcome to Downtown Greenville! (Part Precambrian)

"So... Daniel." Ben cleared his scratchy throat. "Are you and Molly... um... a thing?"

Dan looked up from his computer but refused to meet his father's eyes and focused on the traffic jam ahead. Waze said there was an accident, but it was smooth sailing after it. Thank goodness. Dan did not want to be trapped in the car with his father. At first, he didn't respond to his query.

"Daniel?" Ben touched his shoulder, but Dan shook him off and hid behind his computer's holographic screen.

"You-You know," Ben stuttered, "if you're thinking about doing, you know what, I-I think I need to give you 'The Talk.'"

Seriously? Dan got The Talk in 7th grade at school, soon after his mom passed. He moved away from Ben and typed furiously. He ended up accidentally writing something dirty and blushed.

"Dad, Molly and I are the only rising seniors who are still virgins," he finally explained.

"Who told you that? The cool kids?"

"How do you know that's what Molly and I discussed?"

"I was a teenager once, son. I know what trips them up."

"Can we change the subject, please? What's the PPMC?"

Ben ignored that question and continued the awkward small talk. "Do y'all want to do it because you like each other or because you're the only so-called senior virgins?"

"Dad, I'm about to get out of this car and fly the rest of the way to the city." Dan rested his hand on the door handle to emphasize his point. "Why won't you tell me what the PPMC is? I couldn't care less if it's another space project. I want to know why you're bringing me to the city."

Despite his plea, Ben remained in the safe zone. "You need to make sure you use protection and that Molly is on birth control."

"OMG, Dad! Shut up!" Enough was enough. Dan opened the door and nearly flew into the standstill traffic, earning him a few confused looks from other drivers.

"Daniel!" Ben shouted.

Two could play the Ignoring Game.

Dan cleared his head of his father's voice, shut down his computer, and removed his hoverboard from the car's trunk.

"Daniel! Get out of the road!" It was strange. Ben sounded panicked. Since when did he care about Dan?

He hurried out of the car and grabbed one end of Dan's hoverscooter, pulling him toward the passenger seat. "Get in the car right now!" His breaths shook, and he forced Dan into his chair.

Ben stole his board and lifted it over his head. A tear shimmered in his eye, and he started to throw it down.

"No!" Dan screamed, covering his mouth with both hands. Hoverscooter 23 was his mother's!

Noticing him, Ben caught the hoverboard an inch before it smashed into the road. "Ah!" he yelled, returning it to the trunk.

Dan heard it close and caught his breath. He listened to his dad scrambling like a scared little puppy. Once he reached the driver's seat, he swatted Dan's head and hugged him as tightly as Geico. "Don't do that ever again, Dan! I can't lose my son, too."

He was right on time. Traffic began to move.

Dan jerked Ben's arms off him. His bottom lip twitched, but he stopped himself from crying and turned on his computer again. For the rest of the trip, he and Ben didn't speak.

Eventually, Downtown Greenville's neon skyscrapers came into view, and Ben shakily said, "Here we are."

He had yet to apologize for almost breaking Dan's hoverscooter, but just seeing the skyscrapers, Dan's worries washed away. He had forgotten how epic Downtown Greenville was! A smile tugged at his lips, and his big eyes sparkled.

Ben drove across a three-lane bridge and pointed out the space center across Reedy Lake. He then gestured at the invisible Maglev train track to the right.

A spaceship-like train soared by them, floating seemingly in midair, and headed for Downtown Greenville's gate at the end of the bridge. It was arch-shaped and adorned with flashing neon letters that read Welcome to Downtown Greenville.

Dan leaned further out the window and admired the souvenir shops and visitor's center, the first things people saw when they passed Downtown's gate. Shadows from the skyscrapers crept across the narrow road and cooled him once they reached his and Ben's car.

Ben snatched Dan's overcoat and lugged him back into his seat before he toppled out the window. He held his arm up to his chest.

Seeing his father protective was an anomaly, but he still had a long way to go to earn Dan's forgiveness. He ducked under Ben's arm and casually watched the different kinds of androids roaming Downtown's sidewalks, moving or not.

A few minutes later, Ben pulled into the underground subway station and parked in a near-full parking lot.

Dan wondered why there were so many cars in the city. Were they tourists? If so, were they there for the so-called PPMC Project? He refused to rest until he uncovered the mystery.

Ben lowered the car to the ground and shut her off.

Instantly, Dan climbed out and grabbed his hoverscooter from the trunk again. Finally! He was free from his father and ready to explore Downtown Greenville!