The Insertion Chamber was lit by a dim glow. The room could best be described a metal box. Featureless walls surrounding a central plinth. Toby was sure there was wires and motherboards hidden within somewhere but the outside of the plinth was as blank as his service record. Basic Training, Battle Field Engineering I and II, Battle Field Information Technology I, *Redacted* (Dimensional Survival I), then here. D.R.E.A.D.
Toby had of course chosen to be placed here. As much as the Worldwide Democratic Governmental Alliance let you choose anything. It looked like an easy choice. 1 1/2 years of training, 1/2 year of apprenticeship then 10 years of mandatory service? or (special offer what a joke) 2 years of training and 4 years of mandatory deployment with a giant bump in exit salary? It is times like these where you should kick the gift horse in the mouth because there is no way in hell that the lunch it is offering you is free (when's this goddam portal opening).
"Tobias Anderson, D.R.E.A.D. Operative # 000 000 081, intake 6. Prepare for Insertion, in 2 minutes." The voice was androgynous, tone flat, emotionless.
Could be AI. Could be one of those cyborg technicians. Toby thought it was pretty funny, the more advanced technology got the more human like AI became and the more robotic people became. Not for the first time Toby wondered why the portals interfered with technology so much.
He was no expert by any stretch of the imagination but there he got a whirlwind explanation in Dimensional Survival I class. The theory was that for an instant as you crossed the boundary you ceased existing and the recreation of yourself on the other side is slightly imperfect. Not important for simple humans but destructive for any active technology.
Toby with his 10 minutes of Dimensional theory lessons, disagreed. He Believed that it was because each dimension had slightly different laws of physics and that somehow created an EMP shutting down technology upon entry. He definitely continued to exist through the whole process. There was no chance of something going wrong and him getting stuck part way in the non-existence part of the transition (I am going to be fine, nothing to worry about).
Either way, it meant Cyborgs were removed from the Recon pool, drones too. They could bring technology it just had to be powered down. The more complicated ones needed to be modular in case something was damaged. Or in the case of his Environmental suit with integrated Exo skeleton it needed to be analogue, no electricity needed.
"... one minute"
Toby mentally shook himself (should be doing some last minute checks not thinking about bullshit). Looking at the various dials and meters of his analogue Hud, no holographic allowed, he saw: His Enviro Suit integrity was %100, Exoskeleton Fully operational, Oxygen Filters Green, Nutrient Paste Full, Waste Processor Capacity empty. He went over his equipment mental check list all power drained ready for Insertion. Scanner, check. Drill, check. Sample container, check. Components for supercomputer and fabricator, packed away and ready for construction.
"Dimensional insertion into Dimension Designation, DD# 000 000 000 149 103 967 in Ten, nine, eight"
Toby approached the plinth.
"Seven, six, five"
Toby tensed ready to rush in.
"Four, three, two"
(No time to think just rush through don't give your self time to think)
"One"
A Glowing oval appeared in mid-air. It lit the room bright as day in shimmering white light. Looking into the portal was impossible only white light emanated from the rift. Toby fulfilled his mandated and without thought stepped onto the plinth. Just in time to see the portal wink out of existence.
"Dimension DD# 000 000 000 149 103 967 has collapsed, unable to re-establish connection. Please step off of the rift platform and wait for re-designation. Please enter Rift promptly upon formation."
Toby stomach dropped (If I had been a half a second faster I would have been cut in half NO stop thinking just wait and charge).
"Dimensional insertion into Dimension Designation, DD# 000 000 000 149 103 968 in Ten, nine, eight."
(Nothing has changed, no thinking just walk in, no no sprint in)
"Seven, six, five"
Toby noticed that something had changed. One his dials had moved.
"Four, three, two"
Waste Processor Half Full.
"One"
Toby didn't look, this time, didn't bother stepping on the platform. He closed his eyes the light from the portal piercing his eye lids in spite of it and leaped toward where he knew the portal would be. The light got brighter or an instant and then disappeared.
For a moment he felt weightless. Almost like he had been sent to Outer space. Opening his eyes he saw... nothing. Trying to look around he realized he couldn't. He couldn't move at all. He couldn't feel at all. Actually that wasn't quite true he had a slight sensation of movement. As if someone had a string attached to him and he was being tugged very slowly through the void. All of a sudden it dawned on him (I don't exist...)
Toby thought he should feel panic or perhaps horror but he didn't, he felt nothing. He felt almost peaceful. (maybe not existing isn't so bad) The years of hardship other called childhood were of no consequence. He no longer cared about money or survival, why would he he was nothing. All at once he no longer cared about anything. (I am okay with just staying here)
The tugging slowly ceased leaving Toby stationary in the vast nothingness of no where.
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When Lex opened his eyes he saw blackness. His movements were slow almost like he was stuck in molasses. (Better than the feeling of nothingness glad I kept my eyes shut). Flailing his legs he realised he could feel no ground beneath him. Reaching towards his suits waist he grabbed one of the of the tubes that hung there. Using just the right amount of force he felt the tube bend and deform. Emanating a dim glow, reminiscent of the room he was in what seemed like both moments and years ago.
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Casting about Lex saw nothing not that the light illuminated much. Just a little ball of light in endless dark. ( Am I in an ocean?) Lex questioned. Checking his suits' pressure gage he saw he was under 300 atmospheres of pressure. The pressure was decreasing so that was something. I must be rising to the surface.
Releasing the Glow stick, he watched, as it began to sink sideways? (God dammit my orientation is off). Twisting and rolling Lex got it to where his feet pointed towards the dimming light and the top of his head pointed towards where he assumed the surface was.
(How deep am I) He wondered continuing to stare after the distant glow. Suddenly a large shadow obscured the light, gone the next instant. Terror gripped Lex's heart as he scrabbled to release an arm from the Exo-Skeleton.
"HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT" Lex screamed at no one in particular.
Fumbling with the switches in the suit he managed to hit the release valve on his spare oxygen tank. Intended for emergency use in case the Oxygen Filters malfunctioned Lex desperately hoped it would increase his buoyancy. With a hiss he felt as if the suit became roomier. Almost like he was inflating like a balloon. Fulfilling his hope he saw the pressure decreasing faster and faster.
As the pressure gage began to near 100 the water around Lex became Infinitesimal brighter and brigher.
Bright enough to see shadows, so many shadows. Big, small, some close, some far. Shapes conforming to traditional fish and a few that look like octopuses or squids (Do squids have more than 10 tentacles?). One of the dark blobs was above him. Angling his body Lex managed to be carried side ways a bit, just enough to doge the filaments hanging below the main mass. (avoid giant jelly fish check).
The water around him got brighter and brighter. Soon he could see like normal. The sea life he could make out didn't scare him too much. Sure they were big and weird but as far as he could tell, not aggressive. (how can they live if it's so crowded?). One moment he was surrounded by sea life the next he was alone. It was light enough that he could tell he was approaching the surface but what had Lex's attention was the wall of fish milling about below him. For some reason they would not leave their cluster. As far into the distance as he could see he they suck together at the same depth none rising. (is the pressure too low?).
It was curious but something he would have to investigate a later date. Right now he need to surface, find land and set up a base of operations. He was about fifty meters from the surface when he was yet again fleetingly coved by a shadow. (not again) he internally moaned he was getting accustomed to the fear of shadows. Glancing up he saw no amorphous shape in the water. No where around him was there a new exciting Cosmic horror waiting to be glanced at. He was alone. (surely it wasn't in my head)
Surfacing, Lex once again took stock of his surroundings. (water, water, water and would you look over there? water)
(At least I can see the sky, the beautiful green? sky? Huh must have a lot of copper up th-)
Lex was slammed into the from of his suit. He watched as the surface of the ocean rapidly became distant. Glancing up he saw he was in the talons of some kind of huge bird. Lex grabbed a claw attempting to free himself but the bird was too strong. Lex began punching the foot hoping to cause enough pain the monster would just drop him. To no avail.
"Let me go you som BIIIITCH" Lex screamed, never ceasing his struggle.
Lex tried to unsling his pack, reaching for where the manual power generator was hopping to turn on and deploy his drill. (If it can chew through diamonds It will cut this oversized bird to pieces). His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a deafening screech. Swiftly accompanied by a groan of metal his suit. Panicking Lex looked at his Hud, Suit integrity, %80 and falling fast. Looking left Lex could see the muscles in the birds feet clench ever harder.
With speed fed by desperation Lex jammed the manual generator into an outer socket of his suit and began cranking it's lever. Glancing to the Hud once more, Suit integrity %40. Cranking for all he was worth he felt hope bloom in his chest when his holographic came online.
"Alexander Wilson, D.R.E.A.D. Operative # 000 000 082, intake 6." The titular monotone voice asked "Please, repeat for vocal confirmation."
"A-Alexander Wilson, D.R.E.A.D. Operative... uh... # 000 000 082, intake 6. Now divert all power to left hand drill, NOW!"
"A-Alexander Wilson, D.R.E.A.D. Operative... uh... # 000 000 082, intake 6. Is invalid. Voice confirmation failed. Please try again in 30 seconds. 29. 28."
Snatching a glance at his Hud he saw suit integrity was at %10 and about to fail.
Shouting "FUCK Y-"
Lex was cut off by the sound of tearing metal. The birds talon shattering his ribcage, punching through his lungs, and obliterating his heart. The last thing Lex ever saw was a RCP corporation approved count down. 26, 25, 24... Then he was gone.
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Leah was a two weeks into her stay in on this rock. She felt pretty good about how things were shaping out to be.
When she arrived she was standing on the edge of a massive drop. The ledge jutting out a cliff. She had thanked her lucky stars because a couple of meters in either direction and she would have been dead. But hey why think of that when there was so much work to do?
Leah had started by powering up her suit. Voice confirmation was so tricky, had to say the whole thing exactly right without a pause or else it wouldn't validate it. (RCP Corp. more like RCPeice of poop corp. hah) Nothing but the minimum required. Step two was a bit of light scouting. Leah gave up once she got about 500 meters down the cliff and still couldn't see the bottom. Going up from the ledge resulted in the same. (Is this whole planet just this one cliff?) Cracking a glow stick she had thrown it over the edge only to watch it disappear. No end in sight.
Giving up she had decided to dig a cave starting at the ledge. Cutting out the cave took hours but once Leah felt she had enough room to construct everything she would need she started to take stock of what she had.
The fuc- fudgers had promised fully deconstructed equipment. Yet when she had gotten around to unpacking her storage pack she noticed the super computer was missing a few of its' parts... No need to worry though all pieces for the fabricator were there. Just build that then go find some Water, Copper, Iron and a fudge ton of other poop too. You have a scanner and drill after all.
(Fudging lying, poop fudges.) Leah thought as she reminisced on the first day she arrived here. (When I get back to earth, I am going to shove my dril- No no, don't think like that, you have found the materials. Now you just got to load them in, hit the button and you will be playing games on the PC in no time or hell you can watch a movie! Come on Leah you can do it!)
The primary purpose of the super computer of course was to run a bunch of complicated math and physics algorithms that would be fed to a dimension anchor. This would act as a beacon for RCP to create a more stable and long lasting portal. What would be the purpose of searching for and finding a resource rich alternate universe if there was no way for you to go back and forth?
With the compact size of the computer it would obviously take a long time to do the calculations, around a bout 1 year. Enough time to survey a chunk of the surrounding area and collect the raw materials to build the dimension anchor.
The first order of business was to create a human liveable habitat. The fabricator was tough but the super computer was delicate. It needs a certain atmosphere and temperature to turn on at all. It was a blessing though. Since the computer needs a human friendly environment to work RCP naturally ensured their operatives had the training to build one. Leah didn't think she could have stayed sane the last two weeks had she been forced to stay inside the suit the whole time.
After loading the materials and necessary provided parts into the fabricator Leah laid down on the habitat floor. The fabricator needed plant fibre at minimum to create fabrics. Not much chance of that considering petrified wood had been the closest thing to life she had found. Thus smoothed stone floor was the best on offer.
"Leah Hardgrave # 000 000 083, suit set alarm for 8 hours please." Leah requested voice slightly raspy with disuse.
"Confirmed, Alarm set." Her suit replied.
It was to the sound of the fabricator whirring and buzzing that Leah fell asleep. Dreams of re-watching her favourite movies whirling in her head. It was due to a manufacturing fault in the fabricator resulting in the over heating of the super computer's volatile battery that she never woke up.