The first dollar went in the slot. It was sucked into the vending machine as it whirred. And then, the second. It did the same thing once again, performing its odd sound of rolling in cash into its unseen bank. It was afterward that the buttons under the drinks displayed on the vending machine flashed red, an indication that one of those drinks could now be purchased.

“Feeling sleepy… so I might as well get a coffee,” said Ryan.

He pushed the black button­—currently flashing red—placed just below the displayed empty tin of coffee within the vending machine. The vending machine gurgled, and with it came a tin of cold coffee dispensed out.

Ryan bent down, and took the coffee out.

Ryan—being as who he was—preferred sipping the cold coffee on the way to his class, so he took it along with him rather than drinking on the spot. For sure, that it would get a bit less cold when he would finally drink it, but to him, the satisfaction that comes from it was all worth it.

The day was scorching hot, the sun glaring down on the bone dry asphalt road. Ryan would have definitely broke a sweat if he was to simply strut down the street, no matter even if he was just to walk leisurely, as it was just that hot. Even then, there was no other detours he could take to avoid the intense heat, and plowing through it might have been the only available option.

“I wish I wore a thinner shirt today,” grumbled Ryan.

Ryan’s attire was a simple one. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a black line running across the chest part, from his left shoulder to his right, paired with a dark blue pair of trousers that seemed a tad bit out of synch compared to his shirt. Attached on his back was a black bag that resembled a computer’s, with a red pyramid symbol sewn on it.

Fashion, as complex as it was, never mattered to Ryan. Such was because his motto for fashion had been simple.

“As long as it’s comfortable,” he would always say.

Truly enough, Ryan would wear even tattered clothes that had been laden of holes all over it, just so that he could be comfortable with his wear. Of course, logic and pride held him back from wearing such odd attires out in the open, but it definitely wouldn’t stop him doing as such if he was alone in his private space.

Out of the blue, one of Ryan’s trouser pockets vibrated intensely, almost like there was a mini-earthquake happening in it.

He tucked his hand in said pocket, and pulled out his smartphone, which had been the source of the vibration. Portrayed on it was a green screen, with someone’s name and their number just below it. Ah, I’m screwed, thought Ryan. He thought such thing because the name currently on his vibrating smartphone was one that he didn’t want to ever see popping up.

He dragged the green phone symbol—with a heavy heart—and placed his phone against his left ear.

“Good morning, professor! Almost there, in like, 5 centimetres!” said Ryan, producing a dry laugh afterward.

“If you were that close, you would have already noticed that today’s class is cancelled,” Professor Edward replied.

Ryan was caught off-guard for a moment. “S-sorry? Class cancelled? Oh… no, I meant, of course I know that, professor.”

A heavy sigh could be heard on the other side of Ryan’s phone.

“Putting that matter aside, I need your help with the Air Conditioner Compressor for the Lecturer’s section. It’s broken again.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, professor. I’m on my way. I’m expecting a payment out of this!”

“I’ll consider of voiding your last absence to my class.”

“Oh, come on!”

“In any case, be here quick.”

And just like that, the call was disconnected by the professor.

“Man, he could have given me something better for it,” complained Ryan.

In the end, he decided to shrug that matter off and rather make haste towards the Air Conditioner room within the Lecturer’s Office section. It was a hot day indeed, but if walking through it could grant him one less day of absence, that by itself was plenty of a reward enough.

With a pace that was a bit quicker than just walking, Ryan made his way alongside the empty street heading to the Department of Information Computer Technology, the building where the Air Conditioner Compressor within the Lecturer’s Offices section had broken down. In this kind of hot day, they would probably prefer that the problem was fixed quickly, or else everyone would be working while drenched in their own sweat.

Along the way, Ryan took notice of several other students, be it in groups or alone scattered throughout the scene. Some was making their way back to the dormitory, the place where Ryan had just bought his coffee drink—still cold in his hands—and was walking away from, while others were going to the cafeteria or classes located in one of the three main buildings.

A drip of sweat emerged from Ryan’s forehead, and slipped down his cheek. He was starting to feel the heat, and that had only been the beginning. He held his coffee drink close to the left side of his forehead, a source of coolness to ward off the heat, no matter how temporary it was.

Ryan arrived on the building of his destination, walking along the walls that separated him from the inside of the Lecturer’s Office section. The usual and distinctive sound of the Air Conditioner Compressor working was gone from the vicinity, whereas only the sound of distant chattering from other students could be heard.

He took a few more steps, until two brown doors stood in his path. Engraved on a silver plate on the door was the word ‘Lecturer’s Office’. Ryan took grab of the doorknob, twisted it and stepped inside. Previously, just by opening the door, a refreshing gust of cold air would slap him in the face. Now, on the other hand, it felt like he was standing in front of a dying furnace instead, steadily blowing hot air into him.

“This is… like standing out in the open under the hot sun,” mumbled Ryan to himself.

Inside, the layout of the office was simple. White tiles layered on the floor, expanding all the way as it covered the entire room. The walls was painted in green, giving off a refreshing vibe from the room in spite of the high temperature. Multiple desks were arranged next to each other, divided by thin barriers made of plastic glass. Each desks belonged to a different lecturer, and there were all sorts of books, papers and documents on each of them.

In a short moment, Ryan noticed how the office was less crowded than it usually was. Most of the lecturers probably took a run from the office, and escaped somewhere that’s less hot and constricting than being in here. The leftover of them, as in those who chose to stay inside the office, was, literally speaking, soaked in sweat.

“Ryan, is that you? Come over here,” a familiar voice called out to him in the distant.

Walking past the desk counter that was used to handle visitors—and was basically empty at the time possibly due to the heat—Ryan turned the corner and saw Professor Edward. In contrast to what he was called, Professor Edward had a very selective number of attire that he personally chose, and all of them never included a white lab coat.

Instead, he often sport a bright blue tracksuit from top to bottom, with a spiky hairstyle dyed in pitch black. The only thing on him that resembled the title ‘Professor’ was his pair of glasses that he had to wear due to deteriorating eye sights. Otherwise, it would be like calling the bright Sun as Moon itself.

“Took you a while there. As slow as ever,” complained the Professor.

Professor Edward, alongside his contrast appearance, was also known for his attitude that didn’t seem like a lecturer at all. His wordings style reflected more like that of a teen rather than a man that was in his thirties, which made him quite popular with both the male and female students. Even then, Professor Edward was strict where he needed to be, so it was all good.

“Hahaha… it was just so hot outside, professor,” said Ryan.

“And what makes you think inside here is any different?” the Professor replied.

“Okay, okay. I got it. I’ll fix the thing as quickly as I can.”

Professor Edward stepped aside, behind him two similar doors just like the Office’s entrance, except this time written on the silver plate was ‘A/C Room’.

Ryan stepped inside. The room layout was a total different from the office. Not only it was very small that it could only fit a single Air Conditioner Compressor at the middle, the floor, ceilings and even the wall was covered in a material similar to aluminium foil. Ryan never knew what their function was, but he couldn’t care enough to know.

The Air Conditioner Compressor that stood before Ryan was silent, with a big tube attached on its top. Usually, it would generate a certain amount of noise as it operated, but right now, it was as dead as a corpse. Ryan circled around the compressor that was shaped like a box, filled with mysterious components known not to Ryan.

“Yeah… doesn’t seem like there’s any physical damage. I guess it really is an internal issue,” noted Ryan.

“Can you fix it?” Professor Edward asked.

“We’ll see,” Ryan answered as he took the bag he carried off his back, and placed it against the wall of the room. He also gently placed the coffee drink he had since just now beside the bag.

Ryan turned to Professor Edward. “Take care of my body for a bit.”

“Yeah, will do.”

Ryan approached the Compressor, placed his hand on it, and closed his eyes.

“Conscious Access.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Ryan’s body dropped on the floor and was barely caught by Professor Edward who had stood behind him. He slowly dragged the unconscious Ryan outside the room, and placed him against the wall, just the opposite of the A/C Room’s entrance.

Every few brief seconds, the Compressor would suddenly make a few noise here and there with its control panel blinking like crazy, but then in another few it would be silent like it was once again. The scene repeated itself a few times over the span of a few minutes. Ryan, who was inside the machine was trying his best after all.

And then, all of a sudden, all the electronics and computers within the Office room suddenly died. It almost seemed like whatever infected the Compressor was spreading outward, something that doesn’t usually happen as the security gate to access the electronics inside the Lecturer’s Office was tightly guarded.

“What’s going on?!” shouted Professor Edward. He looked to Ryan’s body. Still unconscious.

And then, all of a sudden, the Compressor whirred very loudly. No, it wasn’t the sound of it back to being operational. It was a simple mechanical whirr at first, but slowly increased into an abnormally intensive roar that echoed throughout the Office. Professor knew by then that he had call Ryan back because things were getting worse.

But, before he was able to, Ryan returned to his body back already.

As if zapped by electricity, Ryan stood up instantly. His face was pale and full of fear, as if he had just stared at the face of death itself. He looked at the roaring Compressor just a few steps away from him, and at the Professor that stood beside him, eyes full of questions. It was then things flashed back to Ryan.

“Professor! We need to get out of here! And I mean quickly!” shouted Ryan.

Without caring to explain of the current situation, Ryan took hold of Professor’s hand and sprinted away from the room. He left his bag and the coffee drink that was still inside there, but to Ryan, that’s the least of matters he should be caring about. Something big was about to happen, and now was only a cornerstone of it.

“Ryan! What did you do?” asked Professor while he was still being dragged away.

“There’s no time to explain! We need to run away or—“

But… before Ryan could reach the door of the Office to escape and finish his sentence, he could hear it. The close sound of something tearing through the air, generating a ton of pressure and heat, crushing all those in its path. It was coming, fast. The corner that Ryan had just turned from was now flashing considerably bright orange, and the flames of it all was coming quick. The walls that had been by Ryan’s side, cracked in thousand pieces and all of them burst into one direction.

Him, and the Professor.

Yes, an explosion had occurred within the A/C room, and Ryan, alongside the Professor, was by no means far enough from it.