The view from the hundred and ninetieth floor of the Onyx Corporation's sleek skyscraper was rather...dull today. Storm clouds envelope the building, as well as the surrounding cityscape of New Bazine. A light rain patters against the impressively reinforced, wall sized windows, and thunder can be heard in the distance.
Dr. Rachel Carosa sips from her coffee mug as she gazes out the window. November is a frigid month, and even inside the modern technological marvel that is the Corporation's headquarters, the air still seems brisk and hostile. Not just from the temperature however. Other factors in play have created a strange atmosphere within the facility. The project is nearing completion. And with it's completion there is great uncertainty, but also the possibility for great reward and progression.
"Arthur," Dr. Carosa calls out to the office's AI,"Can you change the scenery? Something more pleasant if you will."
"Of course, any preferences Director?" The voice responds charismatically.
"Hmm," she thinks for a moment," How about a beach somewhere. This storm is making my skin crawl."
On command, the windows pixilate into a beautiful setting on a tropical beach overlooking a brilliant sunset. Orange, yellow, and pink hues give off a tranquil glow, and small waves seem to lap up against the bottom of the window.
"Perfect," the Director sighs. She walks over to her desk and sits down, activates the monitor, and keys in her password on the translucent, holographic keyboard. More pixels gather in the air above the desk, forming the screen. Her eyes flick over to the date.
November 23, 2149.
Has it really been that long since the world fell apart?
Dr. Carosa sighs and takes another sip. Panning over to a news page she taps twice on a small wristpad and a shimmering pair of reading glasses take shape around the front of her head. Her eyes focus on one headline.
Reconstruction Effort of North America Shut Down
Well that figures. It had been a long time in coming. World War III ended over fifty years ago, but humanity almost tore itself apart. Countries lost billions of both innocents and military. And they were the lucky ones. Japan? Gone. New Zealand? Gone. Australia? You guessed it, gone. Annihilated from both nuclear warheads and the struggle for a novel, powerful new resource. Human advancement. Cybernetics. Whatever you want to call it. Every country in the world sought after perfecting their people. To make them stronger, smarter, and ultimately more dangerous. The problem didn't arise until a few countries joined together and began waging war on the others in an effort for global domination. That backfired, and resulted in the third ever world war. The damn thing lasted almost thirty years. The countries that were left embarked on a path toward shaky peace, and that tension hasn't gone away since.
She leans back in her chair and stares at the ceiling, focusing on the subtle noise coming from the virtual waves coursing back and forth on the window. An alert dings on her monitor and Dr. Carosa turns back towards it. Her heart drops.
Incoming message from Overseer Kaliban
"What the hell could that fool want?" Dr. Carosa thinks while opening the message. Kaliban. By far one of the most manipulative individuals she had ever met on her sixty four years on this earth. Unfortunately, he also happens to be the face of Onyx Corp...and her boss. Dr. Carosa didn't gain her position by being weak or stupid. Rising through the ranks cost a piece of herself, one she'll never be able to gain back no matter how hard she tries.
She scans the message and clenches her fist in anger.
I regret to inform you that as of next tomorrow, Project Abyss is being abandoned. Far too many resources and hours have been poured into to your little plaything, and no real results have been produced. With this, also comes your removal from the Corporation.
Dr. Carosa screams in frustration, chucking her coffee mug across the room. It shatters on the floor with a crash.
How dare he. That bastard. He doesn't know the half of what I've put into this project.
Suddenly an incoming call flashes on her holographic spectacles. From the Lab. Half a mile underground the Onyx Corp tower. The site of the gateway. She tilts her head to the right, accepting it.
"Hey Doc," a man's voice comes through.
"Yes Trey?" Dr. Carosa responds, concealing the fury from moments before. "What is it?"
"I've been trying to reach you for a couple hours, have you not received my messages?"
"No I haven't. Why?"
"That confirms our theories then. The artifact has been giving off energy pulses. Must have disrupted communications. I'm trying to-"
"Wait, energy pulses?!" Dr. Carosa interrupts," How long has this been happening?"
"Every couple of minutes. We've been trying to weaken them with different frequencies but they're getting stronger. You need to get down here as soon as possible, I think it's about to happen."
"On my way."
Dr. Carosa puts on her jacket and exits her spacious office, striding down the dark marble corridor towards her personal transport lift. Typing in her access code, she selects the option for the Laboratory. The only ones in possession of the codes to the labs are the director herself and a few of her most trusted researchers and scientists. The lift begins to descend swiftly and she stares out the glass wall into the surrounding skyline. The storm is still brewing, more violently than before. Which makes her think of the gateway. A few years ago, she discovered it along with her team. At the very bottom of the Mariana Trench. The artifact is a massive, ornately designed ring decorated with markings and symbols from an unknown, ancient language. Even at the deepest point in the ocean, whatever stonelike material it was constructed out of hadn't decomposed or decayed in the slightest. As if it was never hidden underwater for millennia.
The view from the lift soon goes dark as Dr. Carosa descends underground, getting closer to the lab. The door opens with a hiss and she walks out, greeted by Trey.
"You're just in time Director," He smiles.
"How has the Gateway been acting recently?" Dr. Carosa asks as she begins down the hallway towards the laboratory.
"Its pulses have been increasing by the minute. I think we finally cracked the code with this recent experiment."
"Excellent. Let's hope this is for real this time."
They reach the large, reinforced security door to the lab, and the Director inputs her retina scan. The entrance slides open and she's greeted by the bright lights of the laboratory. About twenty workers are both rushing around and working at stations. The lab is built as a massive square, with glass walls facing towards the Gateway chamber about fifty feet below in an excavated area. An wrap-around observation deck perches out from all sides of the square, with one metal staircase descending down to the ground level of the chamber.
"Another pulse incoming!" A scientist shouts. Everyone in the lab holds onto something sturdy. A light electric humming fills the air and steadily grows louder. Soon a tremor bursts throughout the lab, not enough to do any damage, but it rattles the room.
Dr. Carosa dashes through the lab and onto the observation deck, casting her eyes down upon the twenty foot tall Gateway. It's visibly rippling with energy, small sparks of electricity erupting every few seconds.
"Call off the blocking frequencies!" Dr. Carosa shouts back into the lab.
"Are you sure director?" Trey calls back,"The strength will keep growing if there's nothing to stop the pulses."
"That's the point," she responds. Without hesitation she descends the stairway, ignoring the calls of the scientists behind her. Another pulse vibrates through the chamber, causing her to lose her balance. She quickly clutches onto the railing and continues down, heart racing. Standing a couple dozen feet away from the artifact, she can almost feel the energy growing stronger.
Suddenly the entire ring begins coursing with cobalt, electric waves of energy. The currents begin circling and spinning in a clockwise direction, speeding up and sending another powerful tremor through the lab. This time Dr. Carosa stands firm against the impact. The electricity reaches an almost blinding rate of circulation, and suddenly stops, redirecting bolts of energy towards the very middle of the Gateway. Each of them connecting and fusing together, adding to a circling sphere in the middle of the artifact. The director's eyes grow wider as the portal in the middle expands, reaching close to the structure of the Gateway. Another pulse blasts through the air, sending Dr. Carosa flying off her feet. She lands a few feet back, and feels a strong breeze coming from the Gateway. Looking up she sees the environment on the other side. Staggering to her feet, she gazes upon the dreamlike setting through the portal. Tears water her eyes and she smiles, dropping to her knees.
"It's about damn time."
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