“Initiating launch in T-minus ten seconds.”

Under his lab coat, a fresh layer of perspiration soaked through Dr. Valdez’s shirt. If the experiment was a success, they could move on to animal trials. From there, the technology would become available to the masses. The world would change.

His hopes rested on a single ripe pear that sat within the metal platform.

“T-minus five seconds!” said Professor Tiffany Stewart, the team’s metallurgy expert.

Dr. Valdez closed his eyes.

“Zero!”

The platform activated. A soft purple light surrounded the pear, where it compressed and shivered out of existence. A similar purple field appeared on the linked platform, and the pear rematerialized.

“Experiment 10986 is a go,” the team cheered, and Dr. Valdez wiped away a tear before the others could see. He had an image to maintain.

Dr. Valdez cleared his throat and went over to the second teleportation platform to inspect the organic matter, which was also certified organic by the USDA. Dr. Valdez didn’t want pesticides interfering with the breakdown of the fruit when they examined it to see if there were structural differences after it’s multidimensional trip.

Dr. Valdez picked up the pear in his rubber gloved hands and turned the fruit over.

Tiffany made a choked noise and Dr. Valdez froze.

“If this is somebody’s idea of a prank, this is not funny.”

A tiny, single bite was missing from the pear.

Dr. Valdez clenched the pear. His fingers gouged the skin.

“Who thought this was a funny idea.” After months of tests, he wasn’t going to let any smart aleck ruin his life’s work.

“No one touched that pear, sir,” Dr. Valdez gazed at his perspiring assistant, Mark Gans, “We bought it earlier today, and after I sanitized it, I hid it in the back of the fridge so no one would eat it.”

“Let’s do the experiment again,” Dr. Valdez's eyes narrowed, “Did we buy any more?”

Mark swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, “Yes.”

“Go get it.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Mark left. The rest of the team stood in awkward silence at the hostile atmosphere.

Dr. Valdez clenched his hands. Mark returned to the room.

“Here,” Mark handed another pear to Dr. Valdez, and took the one with the small taste taken out of it.

Dr. Valdez inspected the new pear, turning over in his hand again and again. There was not a single blemish on the product.

“Let’s try this again, people,” Dr. Valdez set the pear on the platform.

“Initializing launch in T-minus 10 seconds.”

The crew waited in silence until zero, and again the machine activated, its purple light swirling.

The pear rematerialized.

“No way.” Dr. Valdez clutched his chest, his heart stuttering.

The pear was eaten to the core.

The entire team was mute in shock.

“Get me a pen and pencil,” Dr. Valdez broke the stupor the crew was in. Several people rushed about the room. Mark was the first to hand Dr. Valdez a blue pen, and another assistant whose name Dr. Valdev couldn’t pronounce, due to a childhood speech impediment, handed him a paper.

Dr.Valdez scribbled something on the paper, placed the paper and pen on the platform.

“Do it.”

For the third time the technician started the countdown. Some held their breath as the items disappeared, and some some stared, unblinking. The paper reappeared, and Dr. Valdez picked it up.

He’d written on the paper:

Hello. My name is Salvatore Valdez, and I’m a human from Earth.

Written below, in neat and clear handwriting was:

Hello. I’m Jean Jacks. Thank you for the pear. I don’t know how you reached my room specifically, but it’s been annoying me when your random debris appears in my room. Can you relink your teleportation portal to travel through somewhere else? I recommend using the Haxoris Belt, no lives in that pit.

Dr. Valdez showed the paper to the others, his hand shaking. His lack of control over this mess was unraveling him.

“We need to tell someone,” said Tiffany.

“Wait,” Dr. Valdez wrote something on the other side of the paper and put it back in the machine.

He’d written:

Where are you from?

To which Jean had responded:

Earth B7. Your Earth must have just invented teleportation. In my dimension we already know all about this. During the transfer, the matter will travel through another dimension. In your case that’s Earth B7, through my room. I recommend you let your world leaders know about this, because. I have. The higher ups here will be sending people to investigate you soon. Dimensional travel will soon be possible between our planets.

I’m excited to see what kind of movies you guys have!

Cheers!

“Well, we better make some calls,” Tiffany said, “Or they’ll be making them for us.”

Dr. Valdez grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

“Hi, this is Salvatore Valdez from Branker Research, branch seven. We need you to get the President informed of this as soon as possible. You see, while we were conducting a trial today…”