Scott sat in the waiting room of the office, examining the clock. It had read 8 when he arrived. Now it read 12. He glanced at the receptionist. She still sat staring straight ahead. She hadn’t moved since he had checked in hours before. Once or twice an hour the door opened about halfway to reveal another bald man in suit and glasses. They all had looked almost identical. He had only been able to tell them apart by their voices when they had called out a name. Each time some forgettable schmo got up and followed them through the doorway. He traced the stain on the gray cloth seat of his chair. All the chairs had stains. He’d checked. So he had picked the one with the best looking stain. He thought his had looked like The Fonz. Scott thumbed the sheet of paper he had in his lap. Slightly yellowed, college ruled with blue and red lines. There was a small tear at the bottom where it had ripped when he tried to pull it out of his notebook all those years ago. He hadn’t thought much about the assignment when the teacher gave it. The teacher had instructed the class to write down their dreams. She’d smiled fondly when someone had spoken up and said they didn’t remember any of their dreams from the night before.

“Not those dreams. Write down who you’d like to be someday, what you want to achieve, where those dreams will take you.“

He had blown off the assignment. He had been a serial underachiever and this one had been nothing new. Trying to be cheeky he had simply written. “I want to rule the world.”

Now he sat in the off white waiting room. It had that yellowish tinge to everything. The kind where you couldn’t tell if someone had picked a disturbing not quite white for the walls or if it was just poor lighting. The kind where it almost always tells you, that your experience there, isn’t going to be good.

“Scott!” The door stood open halfway. A man with a suit and glasses propping the door open with his foot. “Scott!”

Scott strode across the waiting room. When he neared, the man simply turned and proceeded down a hallway. Scott lunged to catch the door before it closed all the way and followed. They entered an office and the man turned sideways to fit through the space left between the desk and the wall. The chair for guests was pressed back against the wall already with mere inches between it and the desk. Scott had to climb in the chair and slide down into a seated position. Scott was used to far better accommodations. Bringing it up now was a moot point though.

“So you’re federation staute 18.31.093c has ended?”

“Uh.”

“The time period allowed for the pursuit of your childhood dreams has ended.” The man had explained in an annoyed tone. He had apparently ran out of patience after his one and only question, so far.

“Yes it has. I applied for an extension.”

“Yup. It was denied. ” The man tapped at his keyboard. “I see you’ve applied for and been granted multiple extensions already.”

“Yes, I have. I felt I was very close to being able to achieve my childhood dream. I just needed a little more time.” Scott smiled and put on his best doe eyes.

The man gave him a blank stare.

He flashed back to his father’s advice when he was asked how he planned to rule the world. His father had held the assignment paper out to him pointing to the top of it. The same paper he held now with an F scribbled at the top.

“How do you plan to rule the world?” His father asked, face red.

“I’d be a superhero.” Scott stood proudly. He hadn’t been serious when he wrote the answer, but since turning it in he’d daydreamed of what it meant and how he could make it happen.

His father laughed. Not a quick bark. Nor a chuckle. His father had laughed and laughed and finally with one short statement changed Scott’s life.

“Kid, nice guys _always_ finish last.”

Scott blinked as the bespectacled man stopped typing.

“Let’s see. Based on your personality test, grades, and teacher reports…you’ve been slated to be a…” the man drew out the sound of the a “Teacher.”

Scott flinched visibly.

“A what?”

“Teacher. You know what a teacher is? Someone who passes knowledge onto children and young adults.”

“I hardly think I would have qualified for that.”

“You’d be surprised what it takes to _qualify_ to be a teacher.” The man glanced over at him. “It takes something else entirely to be a _great_ teacher. We haven’t figured out how to measure what that thing is though.” He shrugged unconcerned and kept typing.

Scott twirled the ends of his red moustache.

“I don’t think this is really my thing. Is there a way to appeal the extension?”

“No.” The man replied. He stopped typing as he glanced again and noticed Scott smiling.

“Is something amusing?” He took off his glasses and cleaned them. Scott suspected he practiced this move and explanation often. “Most citizens are unhappy with their assigned jobs. Only the highest achievers usually have any amount of satisfaction in what they are assigned. I’m sorry it has to happen this way, but it does.” The man wasn’t sorry. He didn’t even bother to act like he was.

Scott smiled again. The man froze. His nose twitched. Scott noticed a wisp of smoke.

“Do you smell smoke?”

Scott shook silently with laughter.

“Why’s that funny? What’s wrong with you?”

The wall beside Scott began to bubble and Scott cackled as the smoke intensified filling the room. Horrified the bald man reached for the ancient phone on his desk and began to dial. Scott reached over and pressed the hook switch hanging up the call. The wall crumbled away abruptly and left a man sized hole looking out at skyscrapers that pierced a layer of clouds stretched out far below them. A rush of air pulled the smoke out in a rush and the room was suddenly clear. A man, wearing head to toe black clothing, stepped into the room through the newly constructed window and pulled out a neatly folded bundle placing it in Scott’s arms. Then he began helping Scott secure straps on his shoulders and buckles around his chest and legs Scott had to shout to be heard over the roar of the wind outside the opening.

“I’ve decided to continue chasing my childhood dream! I’m approving my own extension request and soon I’ll rule the world. This is just the beginning. It’s all in motion.” Scott leaned over the desk until he was nearly nose to nose with the man. “When nice guys finish last, you have to get there through other means. I’ll remember you and come calling soon.” He slipped a black card into the man’s suit pocket. His henchman stepped to the hole and gave Scott a all set pat before grabbing the rope. Both he and the rope disappeared upward as Scott stepped to the opening. He turned and faced the man with glasses.

“Vini. Vidi. Vici.” He shouted.

Then he leisurely stepped backwards into the open air. The man with glasses flinched as the roar of a ship filled the room. Out of the opening he could see Scott grasping a rope and waving. His recently acquired red cape fluttering around him as he faded into the horizon.