“…now-defunct company that was known as Teltech.”
Teltech? Defunct? That was a sentence I never thought I would hear in my life. Not only were they the sole proprietor of their signature teleportation technology, but they also had one of the largest research divisions in the world, producing dozens of successful products.
If my theories about an alternate Earth needed any more proof, this was it. As one of the five largest corporations, they were considered infallible, a pillar of the world whose bankruptcy would cause an instant regression. They had more power than any government in the world, and their private “defence force” had enough men to storm a small country.
“Hey! Arid! You there?” A loud voice cut through my thoughts. It seemed that while I had been distracted, we had exited the forest and entered a clearing with a strange crack in space, for lack of a better word. It shimmered with colours I couldn’t fully describe, similar to what was burned into my mind from my first portal experience.
Eli was waving his hands in front of my face. “Sorry, we didn’t want to disturb you. You seemed lost in thought. We’ve arrived at the rift!”
He gestured at it, as if presenting it to an audience. “Ta da! Featuring fantastic creatures and environments literally out of this world! And if you order now, we’ll add in a small chance of death if you enter!”
The portal felt strange. It seemed to be only partly in this dimension, cracks weaving in and out of existence, fading and sharpening, beating in a mystical rhythm. Scenes of forests, cities, plains, and mountains flashed in and out of focus within the largest cracks.
In the centre of all the cracks stood a gaping hole in reality. Suspended several feet above the ground was a much larger, more stable hole. Through a faint blue tint, I could make out what looked like a city street, cordoned off with large metal fences.
The others had gathered in front of the rift, checking to make sure they had all their gear. Song waved me over, holding a small amulet.
“Once we get through, you may feel a bit nauseated; adjusting to our world's level of mana could be slightly difficult for you. Additionally, you should put this on. It will mark you as a non-native of Earth, so they know what to do if you get separated from us.”
I took the amulet from her and used the carabiner it came with to attach it to one of my belt loops.
“What should I expect when I reach the other side?”
“We’ll likely be quarantined until we can be screened for any extra-dimensional pathogens that you might be carrying, and have possibly exposed us to.”
Eli and Angela looked back at us, having caught what she just said.
“Quarantined?!”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“She has an alien disease?!”
They stared at us with matching expressions of surprise.
“…” Song stared at them judgmentally.
“What?” they replied, their voices overlapping.
“We should get a move on,” said Seth. “The sooner we get out, the sooner we can get paid. Quarantine is standard procedure and should be over within an hour or two.”
Eli deflated slightly. “Yeah, we should probably get a move on, shouldn’t we. We’ll have to call the association as well.”
“I hate dealing with the association…” grumbled Angela, earlier enthusiasm at leaving the portal having dissipated. “They always spend way too long on useless questions and paperwork!”
“Well, no point in wasting time here. Let’s get out of here!”
With those words, Eli walked into the portal, his form obscured by the azure light, quickly followed by Angela and Seth. Now it was only Song and I who remained
Song turned towards me. “Don’t worry, it's just like stepping through a doorway. You’ll barely notice anything has changed until you look at your surroundings. How about you go first, and I’ll bring up the rear?”
I nodded and steeled my nerves. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be like my last experience with portals. I stepped towards the rift, feeling a strange hum in my head, as if my skull was being vibrated. I was only three steps from where the others had vanished.
I took one more step. The feeling intensified, as if there was a jackhammer going off next to me. I forced myself forward one more step. I could barely think, my mind feeling like it was melting. Something was wrong. Song had said that it shouldn’t feel like anything. Where was she? I couldn’t see anything beyond the blue light.
It felt like I was moving underwater, weights chained to my limbs. I couldn’t move. I was stuck in a cascade of light, my eyes burning, yet I couldn’t close them.
All of a sudden, I felt a hand on my back. Someone was pushing me forward, helping me escape this azure purgatory. The light grew brighter and brighter, the blue intensifying into a pale white glow.
Suddenly, the pressure faded. It was still there, but at least I could now think and move. I was standing in a well-lit street, surrounded by large fences covered with tarps. Above, I could make out the tops of mid-rise buildings, looking to be around five to six stories tall.
Before I could do anything else, however, a floating word appeared in front of my eyes, along with a familiar logo.
Welcome to the Teltech Automated Energy Infusion System (T.A.E.I.S.)
Please state your name:
Teltech! Song was telling the truth when she said that it was a Teltech product, although the logo looked off. The normal logo was three triangles arranged around a circle, supposedly to represent their first model of teleporter, an expensive, short-range, proof-of-concept that was developed in 2015.
This logo was much sharper and more angular, the triangles more stretched out. It was similar, but not identical.
Turning back to the floating words, I tried to send my name as if it were one of my implants. To my surprise, it worked.
Welcome, User: Arid. Injection of Coleman-Heidle particle commencing.
Please stand by.
The buzzing in my head intensified once again. I felt a hand on my shoulder before the world started spinning. I silently cursed Teltech before my consciousness faded away.
