Prologue:
In a secret military base, nestled deep within the heart of a mountain, scientists and military personnel were huddled around a large monitor, their faces illuminated by the glow of the screen. The room buzzed with tension as they analyzed the data before them.
“Interdimensional energy levels are off the charts,” one scientist said, adjusting her glasses as she scrutinized the numbers. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
A gruff military officer stepped forward, his brow furrowed in concern. “What does this mean for us? Are we in danger?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not good.” said the Scientist.
Chapter 1:
Ethan Green and President Ava Thompson were sitting in the Oval Office, surrounded by the impressive décor of the White House. The two friends had been catching up on their lives and discussing world events, reminiscing about old times. Ethan leaned back in his chair, his large frame taking up most of the space, and asked, “How have you been?” before bursting into laughter.
“I’ve been great! I ran for president!” President Ava replied, grinning from ear to ear.
Ethan laughed along with her, his deep belly laugh echoing through the room.
“That was awesome! You were the most popular person during the campaign! I remember now!”
The two continued to chat, recounting their past achievements and the challenges they faced. They were engrossed in their conversation when suddenly, there was a soft knocking on the door. A mysterious man in a blue suit, his presence unexpected, walked into the room. Ethan and Ava looked up, their curiosity piqued by the unexpected entrance.
“President Ava? Is this President Ava’s office?” The man asked, his eyes darting between the two, his full face not visible due to the shadows.
“Yes, this is Ava’s office, of course,” Ethan replied, his voice tinged with confusion.
“Uh, who exactly are you? Who gave you clearance?” Ava demanded, her voice firm as she stood up, a mix of concern and caution on her face.
The man paused, taking a step forward and revealing his face. The lines on his forehead were deep, as if etched by a lifetime of experience. His hair, slicked back, was a shade of dark brown that had a hint of mystery. He spoke in a methodical way, his voice laced with intrigue. “My employers have deemed it necessary to convey a message to you, Ms. President. They have decided to terminate my services, and as a consequence, I find myself without an allegiance. I must confess that I am entertaining offers from your future enemies, but I am willing to negotiate on your behalf should you find the terms agreeable. Let us call it as we see it, Ms. President.”
Ethan watched as the man grinned, his eyes gleaming with a mix of mischief and hidden intentions.
“I don’t know who you even are, so go talk to my enemies.” Ava said, raising her gun, pointing it at the strange man. The room was filled with an eerie silence, as if time stood still, allowing the tension to mount.
“I SAID BEAT IT!” Ava yelled, her voice echoing through the room. Ethan stood up, his massive figure ready to spring into action, his instincts kicking in. But in a blink of an eye, the man seemed to disappear into thin air. Ethan looked over to Ava, who had her gun aimed at the now-empty space where the man had previously been standing.
“Ethan, check out where he went,” Ava said, gesturing toward the door, her voice filled with a mix of urgency and curiosity.
As Ethan went to investigate, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen the man before. The way he spoke and carried himself was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. His mind raced with possibilities, trying to connect the dots that seemed just out of reach.
“Uh, we are going to need backup here,” Ava said as she was pressing a small button on the bottom of her desk, her voice filled with a sense of urgency.
“Ava! You’re going to want to see this!” Ethan yelled into the oval office, his voice carrying a hint of excitement mixed with concern, his words echoing through the room.
“What’s out there?” Ava yelled out to Ethan, her footsteps quickening as she came around the corner of the doorway, her eyes widening in surprise and disbelief.
“Oh my god…” Ava’s voice trailed off as she took in the scene before her, her mind racing with questions and uncertainties.
Ethan pointed at the window. A black hole, slowly growing in size, was floating over the forest from afar. Ava was speechless as she gazed out the window. The black hole seemed to be emitting a small amount of light. It didn’t make any sense. Ava thought of everything she could do. Nothing would save them from this.
“You got any ideas?” She said to Ethan. Ethan looked over at her, his mouth still lying ajar, and with a small shake of his head, Ava felt a small feeling of dread. There was no way out of this, well no way out they could influence themselves. Just as Ava thought about this, a large flash of light came from the window, almost like a nuke went off. She walked over to the window, and she was no longer in the White House. She was in a white space, a solid white room. It was so alien to her, but she saw Ethan. Just as she saw him, he disappeared, almost like walking through a door. She heard a sound behind her. Turning around she saw an opening into a large dirt circle, with rocks around. She was becoming uneasy with this strange new white space, so she had to take the leap of faith out into this dirt ring. She jumped out and around to see she had jumped out of a weird multicolored rainbow portal. She hit the ground with a thud and quickly stood up, looking for Ethan. She quickly took stock of her situation. It looked like she had jumped into a Stonehenge-type circle with a vast forest surrounding her. Patting her person, making sure she was intact led her to her latest conundrum: her gun holster was empty. She needed protection, after all, she had just been in the White House seconds before. She found her pistol lying on the ground, near where she had landed. She picked it up, scanning around.
“What kind of trickery is this?” Ava exclaimed, keeping her pistol steady, almost expecting someone to answer her question. She looked around at the sky, feeling the scorching heat on her skin. Where had she been taken? This place was much hotter than D.C. She slipped off her coat, laid it on the ground, and raised her pistol once again, scanning her surroundings. The ground started to tremble, lightly at first, then slowly getting more noticeable. Ava’s senses heightened as she heard a moan of distress coming from behind her. She swiftly whipped around, her gaze landing on Ethan lying on the ground.
“Ethan! There you are, buddy!” Ava rushed over to him, her hand reaching out to grab Ethan’s, pulling him up from the ground.
“Where are we?” Ethan said, coughing twice, his voice filled with confusion and concern.
“I couldn’t tell you, because I don’t even know.” Ava’s eyes darted around again, searching for any landmarks or clues to help her understand their location. Suddenly, a small mountain peak emerged over the trees, barely visible but catching Ava’s attention.
“Why is the ground shaking?” Ethan asked, his voice trembling slightly as he struggled to maintain his balance. Then, all of a sudden, the shaking came to a halt. There was a brief moment of silence before it was shattered by a multitude of unfamiliar sounds. Portals began opening up all around them, each one radiating a vibrant array of colors, much like the ones Ava and Ethan had encountered before. From each portal, a person emerged, one after another. As a man in an orange metal suit landed gracefully on his feet, causing the ground to vibrate, Ava’s grip on her pistol tightened. She stood tall and confidently adjusted her glasses.
“Oh boy, not another unknown person…” Ava muttered, her gun now aimed at yet another enigmatic figure.
The man glanced over, casually picking up a crowbar from the ground and tucking it into his belt. He then pulled out a strange glowing orange gun, captivating everyone’s attention.
“I don’t think you want to try anything, buddy,” Ethan warned, his fists raised in a defensive stance.
“Don’t intimidate, DROP THE GUN!” Ava’s voice rang out, her tone firm and commanding. Ethan prepared to sprint towards the man, ready to take action if necessary.
“Maybe we should try and communicate first, instead of becoming enemies right away,” Ava suggested, hoping to find a peaceful resolution.
“I guess we should remain cautious until we know for sure though.” Ethan pondered, his voice filled with uncertainty. “We need to assess the situation—UGH!”
Before Ethan could finish his sentence, the man swiftly fired his machine, sending Ethan back into a nearby rock, knocking him unconscious.
“HEY!” Ava shouted, her anger fueling her actions as she opened fire on the orange-clad man. However, the bullets merely ricocheted off the man’s impenetrable suit as he slowly turned towards Ava. He lifted a blue glowing gun and shot a blue beam of lightning at Ava. Ava dodged out of the way, but instead of landing on the ground, she landed on a man, and he yelled with pain in his voice.
“HEY, watch it! Ugh, you’re lucky; I’ve got cat-like reflexes! … Ow, ow, ow, I think you broke my spine though. Can someone get me a Medic?”
TO BE CONTINUED…
