Seeing the customer off, Victor briefly glanced outside of the windows. Well well well, I guess there still are people that don't mind the weather. What a chump, didn’t even bother to bargain with me.

Deeply exhaling cold air that lingered near the windows, Victor walked steadily to the cash register. 49 Remis. It will get me by for a few days and I can go get some sweets too.

Looking around the store, nostalgia hit him for a moment. He went to pick up the novel he was writing and lodged his ass firmly on the comfortable couch and blankly looked at the black covered tome he held.

One year already, huh? It feels like just yesterday when I came to this strange, new world. Thinking back to the event that led him to his current situation, he still felt that it was absurd.

One year ago

''Victor? Did you run the parameters for the new test through the brand new program?'' Andre asked curiously while scanning through a stack of papers.

''Yeah. It has shown no irregularities whatsoever. It's amazing how much easier things have become with new technology.'' Victor replied to his project leader in a cheerful manner.

''Mmmh. Still it doesn't hurt to be extra careful. We are researchers and it is our duty to verify. The test this time is super important and some bigwig investors will come to observe the result of our blood, sweat and tears.''

''Aye aye bossman! Man I hope this will be the breakthrough we have all been waiting for. I mean we have been working on this day and night for years. My foster mom said I start to get gray hair from all the stress that has been piling on.''

''I feel you Vic, I mean we are the slaves that do the work while upper brass and investors call the shots. They just want the particle accelerator to just magically work in their time constraints.'' Lamenting, Andre shook his head.

''Yeah...I do get where they are coming from but it's reckless to just rush our work. Some people have even theorized that with the parameters we currently have it could cause micro black hole on collision. It really would not be funny to destroy the entire planet by accident just because of corporate greed.'' Victor shook his head in dejection.

The project leader rubbed his head with both of his hands as if in pain and sighed loudly. ''Well orders are orders man, we can't stop the test because we don't have conclusive data. Fuck. Look at me man, I have not seen light for so long that even my hair starts to drop out.'' Andre shook strands of hair from his pure white lab coat and started to head out of the door.

Chuckling, Victor could not help but remark. ''As you well know that GRQ is secretly dubbed as get rich quick, but that only applies to the investors and brass. Everything has a price, but here it is our hair, tears and freedom. Of course they are willing to pay that price.''

''Right, Vic. After this test is over, lemme buy you and the team a nice dinner in the restaurant by the 6th street. Everyone on the team deserves it after all this.'' Turning his head over his shoulder, the project leader called out to Victor and without waiting for an answer he headed out.

''Sure thing Andre...'' Victor mumbled.

Setting personal subjects aside, Victor did final simulations before the demonstration to the board of directors and investors. Let's see how the upper brass reacts when we have created something that the world has never seen before. He chuckled a moment, before printing copies of the results of the simulation and putting them inside a folder that had ''Top secret'' printed in bold red letters.

Inside the observation deck there were 20 or so well dressed men and women drinking champagne. Looking down to the largest hadron collider ever built, expectation was dripping from the cheerful atmosphere.

One of the directors raised his bohemian crystal glass indicating a speech.

''Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Switzerland on behalf of GRQ. Today is a momentous day for us all as we witness history in the making. Without further ado, we will start the demonstration of our work in a few minutes.''

Loud clapping echoed inside the observation deck in a jubilant manner.

Victor looked up towards the observation deck in disdain. Fucking vermin. If this works as it should, none of the scientists will be credited 100% guaranteed. No wonder kids these days want to be metube streamers or influencers. Underrated scientists and engineers go unnoticed.

Listening to the countdown for the test to begin, Victor swore at the upper brass for their shameless attitude towards the working man.

Turning his attention back towards the project, he walked briskly in his white lab coat towards the platform the test would be conducted on.

Andre the project leader nodded towards Victor and they both grabbed safety equipment from the walls and both inserted unique keys on the safety box near the platform entrance. ''On the count of three. One...Two...Three.'' Andre called out. Unlocking the safety box, the insides revealed a dark unknown substance. ''Do you want to do the honors Vic? You gotta be fast though since it can't be in open air for long.''

''Why not I guess.'' Victor picked the substance with his safety gloves.

Andre opened the safety doors for Victor and he walked inside with the substance. This is the culmination of our hard work... I heard it took an arm and leg from the company to buy this piece of meteor and now we get to smash particles into it near the speed of light. When this succeeds, I can gloat to my stupid uncle about my contribution to science.

Placing the unknown substance on a pedestal of sorts, Victor heard the countdown announcement.

**T Minus 3 minutes**

Glancing around the test area, Victor sighed a breath of relief and exited the test platform. Hearing heavy doors slam behind him and Andre smiling from ear to ear, he knew that all that could be done was done.

''Cheer up mate, now we just cross our fingers and hope for the best.'' Andre slapped Victor on the back and looked at the platform.

''You know Vic, that thing you carried there will change our lives. I will go back to my station and you should do your thing. Nothing can go wrong, trust me.''

''Yeah yeah bossman, I get it.'' Victor replied with a bright smile and sat down in his workstation near the safety doors.

''Just make sure that everything is going well on your end, the others will do the same and we are done.'' Andre still tries to convince Victor that everything will be fine, as if trying to hypnotize himself at the same time too.

Nodding with a wry smile to his project leader, Victor got back to his work.

Why can’t Andre be honest with himself? It’s obvious even to blind hobo that he is worrying about the success of this project most of us all.

**T Minus 30 seconds.**

**T Minus 10 seconds.**

**T Minus 5 Seconds.**

Hearing the countdown nearing its end, Victor could hear charging sounds overwhelming all the other chatter. Focusing on his work, Victor followed the parameters that were perfectly within the calculations and expectations.

''Fuck yeah, everything is as it should be!’’ Now only the finale and sweet sweet vacation here I come!

Observing the experiment from his display, the particles were nearing the speed of light. Victor picked up his comms and informed Andre. ''Phase 1. No irregularities, 95% of the speed achieved and rising. Ready to switch to phase 2 on your mark.''

''Continue as planned. You may switch to Phase 2 whenever particle speed reaches the mark.'' Andre replied in a tense manner, authorizing him to continue.

''97%...98%...99%... 100%. Executing phase two in 3...2...1...Now.'' Victor executed the commands on his display and nervously observed the situation.

Just as Victor was about to celebrate their success, his jubilant mood was cut off short. Almost instantly afterwards an enormous explosion was heard and light started to flicker.

The shock wave blew Victor a few meters away from his work station like a rag doll. Bulletproof glass proved to be excellent as shrapnel and a really bad decision from the research center.

Covered in small wounds, Victor had almost no part of his body intact and without wounds.

The only thing Victor could think at that moment was: Am I dead?

Barely regaining his wits, he saw destruction around himself. The observation deck was in shambles and pieces of metal and glass had instantly reaped the lives of the upper brass.

Seeing the nightmare around himself, Victor went into panic. ''Andre!!! Julia!!! Anyone?!?'' Victor frantically looked around only to see his team unmoving in a bloody mess.

Observing his own condition, Victor knew that his time was also limited. Fuck my life... If I had a chance for a do over, I would have skipped physics and math. So much time, tears and life wasted on this fucking dream that kills me.

Propping himself up, Victor saw that Andre was moving himself a little.

''Andre! Thank god you are alive.'' Slowly limping towards Andre, Victor could see that Andre was trying to say something but could not hear it.

Moving closer and closer to Andre, he finally heard what his boss was trying to say.

''You have to shut it down...It has gone out of control...Please for all of us...''

Startled Victor finally turned his tunnel vision towards the project that had doomed them all. If I survive this, to hell with science and higher learning. Why try something big and meaningful if it's going to fail anyway.