by J. N. Chaney
The process repeated until both women had placed eighteen rods around the anomaly. When the last two were set, Mei and Sophie joined the others near the far end of the room.
Mei took her pad and opened a simple app Zoe created specifically to operate and monitor the wormhole. Zoe called it “Knock Knock.” With a tap of the pad, a countdown appeared on the screen to signify the startup process.
“Everyone stay back,” she said as the clock counted down. When it hit zero, the rods activated, bringing no visible change. But Mei knew this wasn’t so. Her pad showed a buildup of the magnetic field as it formed, spreading through the circle and slowly stabilizing itself.
A light erupted from the center of the room, flashing like a thunderstorm. “What was that?” Zoe asked, taken back.
“Some kind of electrical discharge,” said Bart.
Another flash, this one brighter than the first. It snapped through the room, causing them all to shield their eyes. Behind her arms, Mei saw a series of short, bright bursts, consuming everything. The pile of metal caught on fire, sparks dancing around it. A low rumbling shook the floor, causing Sophie to fall. She screamed. Bart caught her and didn’t let her go. The room was going wild with the sounds of thunder.
A massive orange spark danced atop the surface of the anomaly, weaving and expanding like a piece of yarn. After a few seconds, it lifted off the metal altogether, swirling in the air like fire in the sky, like lightning in a bottle.
In less than a moment, the string of light exploded. Mei felt the grip of John’s hand around her arm. It was the Second Jolt all over again.
But suddenly the shaking ceased, and all at once the light surrendered. When she could see again, Mei lifted her eyes and saw what remained of her experiment.
It was the rift, alive and real, a massive circle of darkness, pulsing with the same steady breaths it had all those years before.
After all these years, she’d found it.
******
“Holy shit, it worked!” shouted Zoe through the com in Mei’s visor.
“Look at it!” yelled Bart. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s pitch black inside,” said John.
“No, look,” said Sophie, pointing to the base of the rift. “You can see something.” She paused. “It looks like a flat surface.”
Sophie was right. Mei could see the ground on the other side, a deep brown. What the hell was over there?
“Hey!” snapped John. “Aren’t you going to shut it down?”
Mei blinked, trying to collect herself. She could make an excuse, tell them they should examine it while they had the chance, but she stopped herself. She could wait. Do things the right way. She nodded. “Okay.” She took her pad and hit the deactivation icon. “Shutting it down now.”
Mei expected another shakeup, perhaps even an explosion, but the portal only dissipated, fading into the air with a series of sparks. Below the rift, where the cluster of furniture had been, nothing now remained. Somehow, the debris had disappeared with the arrival of the portal. Had it been sent through? If so, then right now a ball of manmade metal and plastic was halfway across the universe. Another planet, maybe? She wasn’t sure. The bridge had to go somewhere. Mei was certain of that. Whether it was a planet or the inside of a gas cloud, she couldn’t say, but she knew it existed.
Variant had to come from somewhere.
******
Ortego Reconstruction Outpost
January 28, 2351
When the portal was activated, the scanners recorded a complete drop in radiation output. With the micro-tears reformed into a full wormhole, the problem was momentarily solved. It was by no means a permanent solution, but it gave Mei the reason she needed to try again.
The following morning, she assembled her team to discuss the next phase in the plan. “We’re sending something through this time,” she told them.
“Don’t look at me,” said John. “I hate traveling.”
“What did you have in mind?” asked Bart.
“We need to scan the bridge from within the event horizon as well as the other side. It may give us the data we need to find a way to seal it for good.” She looked at Zoe. “A flippy seemed like the best idea.”
“Which one?” asked Zoe.
“Your call,” said Mei. “I trust your judgment.”
Zoe smiled a little. “You got it.”
Mei dismissed everyone, asking them to meet her at the Ortego site in three hours. She planned on spending the time fine-tuning the rods. With a little work, she was fairly certain she could cut down on the activation feedback.
John drove the dirt cab with her in the passenger’s seat, still tinkering with a few of the rods. “We’re really doing this, huh?” he asked when they were nearly halfway there.
She didn’t look up. “It’s the only way to get the data.”
“Okay,” he said. “I just wanna make sure you’re not doing this for another reason.”
She paused, the rod in her hand. “What other reason?”
“Terry died from that thing,” he said. “Here we are bringing it back. You sure this is what you want?”
She didn’t say anything.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. You know I’ve got your back.”
They sat in the cab for several minutes without saying a word. Mei caught herself holding her breath, debating what to tell him, wavering somewhere between the truth and a lie. At last, she set the rod on the seat between them and looked at him. “What do you think happened to him?”
He returned her glance. “To Terry?”
She nodded.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, putting his eyes back on the road. “I barely understand what happened to us.”
“If I said…” She stopped herself, not knowing if she should go on. But didn’t John have a right to know what was going on? Sure he did, but what if he tried to talk her out of it? What if he thought she was crazy?
He slowed the vehicle and looked at her. “What is it?”
She stared at the dash. “What if I said the reason I’m doing this is because of him.”
“Because of Terry?” he asked. He stopped the cab altogether and put it in park.
“I want to know what happened to him, John. I have to know where he went.”
John stared at her with the same soft, blue eyes she’d known her entire life. She had expected doubt or even a difference of opinion, but he had none of that in him now.
He leaned across the divide of the seats and held her by the palm. He wiped her cheek with his other hand, pulling tears away. Without realizing it, she’d been crying. “It’s okay,” he whispered, smiling warmly. “I get it.”
She gulped, pushing down the lump in her throat. “No one else can know,” she said.
“They won’t,” he told her.
“If anyone finds out, they’ll send me home and cut me out of the program. They’ll say my judgment’s compromised.” She paused. “Maybe they’re right.”
“You’re doing what you think is best. It’s what you’ve always done.”
“Maybe it’s selfish,” she muttered. “Looking for an answer just because I want to know. It doesn’t help anyone but me.”
“You’re wrong,” he said. “What about Terry? He died protecting us. We owe it to him to find out what really happened. And I want to know, too.”
She nodded.
He beamed a smile her way and let go of her hand, taking the wheel again. “We’d better hurry,” said John. “Don’t wanna miss the big show.”
******
When everyone was in the basement, Mei and Sophie set the modified rods in place. The team stood a few meters from the circle, their backs against the wall and waiting.
Mortimer was sitting a few steps from the others, a long cord hooked into his side. No one knew whether a wireless signal could go through the portal or not, so Zoe had the flippy jacked
into a local control box. She was sitting behind it now.
“We’re doing this just like last time,” said Mei, motioning to the rods. “I tweaked the equipment, but be ready for a light show in case I goofed it.”
Bart gave a thumbs up. “Hit it, Doc.”
Mei touched the icon for her Knock Knock app, bringing it to life on the pad. She took a deep breath, staring at the space where the bridge was about to form, and pressed the activation button.
A burst of light filled the room momentarily. It only lasted a second before dissipating into a steady, pulsing circle of darkness. The modified rods had been a success. Mei let out a sigh of relief.
“Amazing,” said Zoe. “It’s so different up close.”
“Nice work on the mods,” said Bart.
“Thanks,” said Mei. She turned to Zoe. “Ready?”
“Morty’s raring to go,” she said, fiddling with the controls. Mortimer raised his tendrils into the air. “He’s ready to party!”
“Do it,” she said. “Everyone make sure you have the feed going on your visors. If you see anything, call it out and mark the timestamp for later.”
Zoe positioned Mortimer in front of the rift, easing him to within a few centimeters of it. “Here goes nothing,” she said.
The little window in the corner of Mei’s display went black as Mortimer passed through the gateway. The flippy disappeared into the darkness, tugging his cord behind him.
“Activating night vision,” said Zoe.
The screen in the corner of Mei’s visor lit up the environment in a bright shade of green. What lay before the flippy left her dumbstruck—a vast room with desks and chairs, surrounded by flattened metal walls which rose higher than she thought they should. Below the flippy, a wide ramp stretched out towards the floor.
“What the hell is this?” asked Bart.
“Zoe, keep going,” said Mei.
The flippy crept forward off the ramp, dragging the cord behind.
“Turn around,” ordered Mei. “Let’s have a look at the whole room.”
Zoe rotated Mortimer’s head, passing several desks and what looked like computers along the way. As it reached the rift, Mei felt her heart flutter. There, standing before the little flippy, a tall, metal ring sat elevated in the air, and at its core Mei saw herself watching from the other side.
“Holy shit,” muttered Zoe, her mouth agape.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” said Bart.
“I don’t get it,” said John. “Did Ortego build another one?”
Mei didn’t know what to say. Could John be right? Did Ortego actually make another portal? If so, where on Earth was it?
She stopped herself, shaking her head. No, it didn’t add up. Variant came through the original portal, which meant this couldn’t be on Earth. Not unless Ortego created Variant themselves and accidentally released it. But why send the gas through the rift in the first place? “Zoe, keep scanning the room.”
“Aren’t we going to talk about the artificial ring we just saw?” asked Bart.
“Later,” said Mei. “Right now we’ve got other priorities.”
Bart grunted. “Yeah, okay.”
“Doctor Curie, I’ve got something,” said Zoe. “Look there, against the wall near the doorway. Here, let me move closer.”
It took Mei a moment to realize what she was looking at. With so much going on, it was easy to overlook. But as the flippy neared the wall, she saw what it truly was: a pack, academy-issued with the name Terry stitched on its flap.
She took a step back, her legs shaking. In all her wildest dreams, in all the scenarios she played out in her mind over the last four years, she never dreamed of this. If Terry’s pack could survive the trip to the other side, maybe her friend could as well. Her hands trembled at the thought of it.
“No way…” muttered Bart, shaking his head.
“It can’t be,” said John, dropping his pack with a loud thud. He took a few steps toward the rift. “Terry?”
“Hey, watch out,” said Sophie. “Don’t get too close.”
John ignored the warning and edged forward. He pointed at the rift. “We have to get that!”
“We will,” said Sophie. “We’ll use the flippy. Now get back. It’s not safe.”
But he didn’t listen. Before anyone could stop him, John dashed forward and leapt through the rift. He landed on the ramp with a hard clank, nearly falling in the process. He ran past Mortimer and quickly found the pack, grabbing it with both his hands and holding it close.
It took Mei a moment to realize what was happening. The shock of seeing Terry’s pack was too much. It was like all the energy in her body had been drained. When she realized what John had done, it was too late to stop him.
“Do you know what this means?” yelled John from beyond the other side. “Terry’s alive! He has to be.”
Mei blinked, trying to snap herself out of it. “John, get back over here!” she shouted.
He turned, looking over his shoulder and into the gate. “But—”
“If the portal goes down, you’ll be trapped. We’ll figure everything out, I promise. But right now you have to come back. Please!”
He looked at the bag in his hands, pausing for a moment. “Okay.”
“Pull Mortimer out of there, Zoe. As soon as John gets back, I’m closing the gate.”
Zoe nodded. “Roger.”
“Come on, John,” said Mei. “Bring the bag and let’s go.”
He did as she said, clutching the pack against his chest with both his arms and running up the ramp and through the rift. A moment later he was back with them, followed by Mortimer.
Mei hit the deactivation button, watching as the void disintegrated before her. When it was over, she used the com to contact Tabata, who had been watching the experiment from the surface.
“Yes, I’m here,” said Tabata. “You put on quite the show, I must say.”
“If you can spare a minute, Lieutenant Finn needs a checkup,” she said. “I’m sure you know why.”
“Of course. I’d be happy to help.”
“Everyone else convene on the surface. Forget the equipment. Leave it here for now. We have a lot to do before the day is out.”
******
After Tabata gave John a clean bill of health, Mei convened the team in the conference tent.
She unloaded the contents of Terry’s pack onto the table for everyone to see. Among the belongings were a small knife, a few stained rags, and some plant residue. She placed each of the items in a sealed plastic bag for safety purposes.
John chose to stand while everyone took their seats. He stared with vacant eyes at the knife, nervously flicking his thumb against his index finger. Mei wanted to reassure him somehow, tell him everything would be okay, but it would have to wait.
“This is every item from the bag we found,” said Mei, motioning to the table. “The knife appears to be made out of some kind of bone. We’re running an analysis of the rotten plants, but my first guess is it’s food. Sophie’s running a test on the cloth and what we’re assuming is blood.” Mei felt a knot in her stomach. She tried not to let it show. “Suffice it to say, it’s not what we expected.”
“Do you think Terry might be alive?” asked Bart.
“I do, and I think it’s reason enough to continue our research. We need to explore the other side of the portal.”
“Don’t forget the advanced technology we saw,” said Zoe. “There’s another reason right there.”
Bart sighed. “Things are about to get complicated, aren’t they?”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “As if they weren’t already.”
John still wasn’t speaking. He only stood, staring at the table, flicking his finger. But Mei knew he wasn’t really there in the tent with them. He was in the other place, standing in the dark and looking for his friend.
“Does this mean we’re putting the current project on hold?” asked Sop
hie.
Mei looked at her. “Huh?”
“I think she means the mission to close the wormhole,” said Bart.
Mei paused. She wasn’t sure how to answer. If she postponed their primary objective, it might cause problems with Tremaine and the board, maybe even her team. But she couldn’t walk away from this, not after today. Not with Terry’s pack sitting right in front of her. “If I did sideline the mission, would anyone object?”
Bart and Zoe looked at one another, then simultaneously shook their heads.
“No objections here, ma’am,” said Sophie.
Mei looked at Tabata. “Doctor?”
His eyes fell on the bloody rags resting on the table. “Technically, I’m not part of your team,” he said. “Officially speaking, I’m here as a zoologist, studying the kitobora, which means I have no say in what you or your team does. However, I’m also a doctor, and I’d be remiss to ignore your medical needs, now and in the future.” He scratched the tip of his chin, sweeping his short, gray whiskers. “I will be here, the same as I have these last eight months, whatever the outcome.”
Mei smiled. “So we’re all onboard. Good.”
“Do we have a plan yet?” asked Zoe. “Seems like we should have a plan…”
“Slow down,” said Bart. “We just opened a wormhole to another world and found this waiting for us. Give the doc at least a few hours.”
Zoe wrinkled her nose. “Sorry.”
“As it happens, I actually do have a plan,” said Mei.
Zoe grinned at Bart. “See? Curie’s always got us covered.”
“The goal hasn’t changed. We’re still going to find a way to close the portal. It just won’t be today.”
John finally looked at her with a shocked expression.
She met his gaze and her voice softened. “Don’t worry, though. We’re adding a few steps before we get there.”
John seemed to relax at this, but not completely.
“A few steps?” asked Sophie.
“Right. For starters, we’ll continue to investigate the room we found. I’d like to spend some time on the other side analyzing the equipment we saw there. Maybe bring it back for proper study.”
Zoe nodded. “We can use the flippies to move everything. No use risking our lives traveling through the portal.”
