Chapter 5

The young man in the prison cell bore the marks of battle—tattered and worn, his eyes filled with distrust. Michael studied him, sensing a story etched into every scar. "A lot must have happened to this guy," Michael mused silently.

"Umm, excuse me," Michael began, standing at the entrance of the cell, an energy field door behind him. He hoped to initiate a conversation. "If I could just get him to talk for a little while, my translation chip will be able to learn his language, and maybe I'll be able to understand the language of this world," Michael thought.

The young man laughed, his gaze fixed on Michael. "Did I say something funny?" Michael asked, approaching cautiously.

"I've been stranded for days now, and a rookie is what they send to my rescue," the young man chuckled. "Well, don't stand there. Get us out of here." He reached his hand toward Michael, urging him to act.

"Well, I did get him to speak. Maybe he wants a handshake?" Michael wondered, perplexed. He extended his hand, shaking the young man's with an awkward smile. "Hi!" Michael greeted, taking a seat on the bench.

"Ehh! What's going on? This kid shakes my hand and sits down. Is he some sort of prankster?" The young man's confusion was evident.

"Hey! I'm seriously injured. Teleport us out of here!" The young man's frustration erupted in a yell. Michael, still puzzled, reached out to Navi. "Hey, Navi, how long until I can speak and understand this language?" he inquired.

"80% until full language acquisition," Navi responded. Michael marveled at the efficiency of his translation chip. "Gotta say, this chip is better than I thought," he reflected. "Maybe this guy is stupid," the young man concluded after a while.

"Hey, can you understand me? Or maybe you're just stupid," the young man challenged. Now that the translation chip had deciphered his language, Michael understood him clearly. "Who are you calling stupid?" Michael retorted.

"So you could hear me; you just acted like an idiot," the young man grumbled.

"What are you talking about? I was waiting for my translation chip to kick in," Michael replied, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Well, you should have said so if your translation device was still learning," the young man defended himself.

After bickering for a while, the two calmed down, leaving a heavy silence in the dim prison cell. The young man's eyes bore the weight of abandonment, tears tracing paths down his dirt-streaked face. "So this was what you wanted all along. Fine," he resolved bitterly.

Michael, still unaware of the young man's backstory, sat there, the mood somber. But then the young man spoke, his voice edged with urgency. "Listen, I don't have time to explain it to you, but can you get us out of here?"

"What are you talking about? Weren't you listening? I'm not that good at controlling my powers," Michael replied defensively.

"What are you talking about? Everyone of our race who's born with the ability to traverse through multiple dimensions is taught from a young age how to use their powers," the young man challenged.

"Wait, what do you mean 'our kind'?" Michael asked, his curiosity piqued. He had noticed the similarity in their eyes—the cosmic green hue that connected them. "Who are you? And what are we?"

The young man's shock mirrored Michael's own realization. They hailed from completely different lives until now. "I'll explain later. Just get us out of here," the young man pleaded.

"I told you I..." Michael began, but the young man interrupted. "I don't care what you can or cannot do. Right now, we have to get out of here. Just do what you did to get here in the first place."

"Ok, fine," Michael agreed, closing his eyes. "A safe place, a safe place," he chanted, focusing his mind. And then, they teleported.

"Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of it," Michael complimented himself.

"Cough. You call that good? I bet you don't even know where we are," the young man complained.

"Hey. That's not something you can say to your friend, is it now?" Michael smirked, defending himself.

"Whatever," he muttered, squinting against the harsh sunlight. "Let's find a civilization and rest there for a while. I'll explain all that I know to you there."

"We can't." Michael answered.

"What?" The young man's frustration bubbled forth. "Why not?"

"There's no civilization here," Michael replied matter-of-factly. "This planet is nothing but barren desert—a forsaken wasteland."

"Why did you teleport us here, then?" The young man's anger simmered beneath his skin.

Michael's expression brightened, as he reveled in the absurdity of it all. "Well," he began, "imagine we're the main characters of a sci-fi movie. We're fleeing from bad guys—galactic villains with nefarious plans. So, naturally, we escape in an old escape pod. Where random coordinates set, you see. And where do we end up? This godforsaken desert."

The young man clenched his fists. "You call this logical?"

Michael spread his arms wide, embracing the desolation. "Isn't it poetic? The hero me, and his unlikely companion, stranded, tested by the elements. And just when hope is all but lost, salvation arrives—a passing ship, perhaps, or a band of nomads. They'll rescue us, and our tale will be sung across the stars."

"You're insane!" The young man's voice cracked. "Take us somewhere else—with people—right now!"

They settled on K57, a planet resembling Earth but far more advanced.

As they walked through the bustling streets, Michael paused. "Why are you stopping?" the young man asked.

"It says 'free internet' there. I want to see if I can connect Navi to their internet, so I can download the available map and language data. That way, we can navigate through this place," Michael explained.

"Wow, who would've thought there's a brain in there," the young man complimented him.

"Just wait here," Michael said, running into the store.

"What took you so long?" the young man grumbled after waiting for an hour. "You really should consider upgrading your tech," he added, eyeing Michael's device thinking it was the reason Michael was slow.

"Oh, that's not what kept me," Michael replied, brushing off the comment. "I finished everything in 20 minutes. I was just asking the owner a few things. They recommend we go to a clinic near the village down south. There, they'll treat you for free, and you can rest there for the night."

"Ohh, is that all?" The young man's sarcasm hung in the air as they walked toward the clinic. Hours passed as they trudged through the barren landscape until they finally reached their destination.

"I'll head back home. I'll see you after tomorrow," Michael said, preparing to teleport back to the school toilet. The young man had been admitted to the clinic, and Michael's duty was fulfilled.

As he returned to class, finding it empty as it was already past school hours. "My sister is going to flip," he noted, checking the time. With his bag in hand, he headed back home.