Clash of Dimensions Prologue
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The Project
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Retrieving Data…

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Error: Data is Corrupt. Continue? Y/N

Y

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Done.

"Sir…I don't think-"
"Hush. It's too late now. We need this data, no matter the cost."
"…Yes, sir."

Downloading…

"I hope you're right about this video sir."
"Trust me, this will blow the whole thing wide open."

Download at 20%

"How old is this video, sir?"
"Almost ten years. According to the law, the person in the video, Xavier is dead. But I know better, and this video proves it."
"You mean, he's alive?"
"Yes, he's lost somewhere, but even with this video, we won't know where he went."
"A shame, sir."
"Yes, it is. Yes it is."

Download at 60%

"Sir, if nothing is going wrong, why did it say the data is corrupt?"
"…To scare us, Johnson. Luckily, I am a man who is not easily scared."
Johnson sighed. "Don't I know it, sir."
"Will you stop that? Just call me by my name, Johnson."
"Sure thing-"
The rest was drowned out by a monotonous voice.

"Download complete."

"Finally…Now, witness, Johnson, the proof that Xavier is alive!" He said, with a somewhat crazed look in his eyes.
Johnson looked at him questionably, but focused on the screen.
What they saw…no one could have prepared themselves for.

--
I was your average man. A job, a wife, two kids, and a home. What more could a man want? Well, I don't know about anyone else but I wanted…no I needed knowledge. It drove me. I pushed the boundaries of my imagination, and planned so many things.

But of course, things almost never go as planned…

One day I was working on a project. Project Open Route Towards Any Land, or PORTAL, for short.
I did all the research, as usual, while the others were finishing the last part, which opened the door, and inside was the PORTAL. The name was, if you can believe it, a complete accident, but we rolled with it.

Anyway, I was in front of the door, and they told me to brace myself. I almost never ask questions, and this wasn't the time, so I did as I was told. …Too bad that doesn't always help.

As soon as they hit that button, hurricane force winds came from the door, and I felt like I was being pushed. It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Then, the unthinkable happened.

You know the saying, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."? Well, We thought we did. Our worst case scenario was that the door wouldn't open. But the real worst case scenario was happening now, with no way to stop it. I was being pulled in, not pushed. I then realized that the winds didn't come from the door. It was the sheer force of the PORTAL that dragged me in.

By the time everyone else noticed, it was too late. I was hurled in, and I heard the door slam behind me. I saw nothing while…"traveling", and the shock of it all on top of the near mach 2 speed, I blacked out.
--

Johnson was terrified at what he saw.
The other man smiled, as if he knew that Sullivan was safe.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Don't you see it? This is the proof! PORTAL was a success, not a failure! Xavier is alive!"

"…And he isn't coming back."
Johnson and the other man turned around to see a figure standing behind them.
"Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"How I got here is not important, but you can call me X. I need to use the portal used in that video…where is it?"
Johnson was shivering.
The other man laughed. "Some guy and his three friends bought the house it's in. They don't even know what it is, let alone how to work it."
X growled.
"But…They don't live there yet…maybe if you're lucky you can sneak in." And prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my project was a success, and that my plan is far from being foiled.
X nodded. "Thanks…I didn't need directions, I just needed to know if I could use it." He laughed, and left the room.
Johnson's jaw dropped.
"Don't worry son, it's all part of the plan…"

"…It seems that Johnson was scared of me. Maybe that's a good thing. I couldn't get a read on that other guy though, and that stupid computer drowned his name out. Oh, well, can't win them all. At least now I have a place where, finally, my dream can come true." As he walked away he chuckled. "Science is such a wonderful thing, but it can't heal all wounds." He held up a faded picture of a woman holding hands… "Don't worry though, Angel. Soon, I will fix the biggest mistake ever made." With Xavier. He put the picture back in his pocket, and kept walking towards the house.