Former Specialist, and now current 1st Lieutenant by the age of 30, Kevin Patterson could simply be seen as a soldier that had spent his time serving his nation quietly. He wasn’t a particularly social person, but he easily fell into the role of a leader and led large groups of people ever since he joined the army alongside Mike Randall at the age of twenty-four.

Peering from the structure he now inhabited, the Lieutenant could only recall his past, the things he did within the small time he had been alive. His high school graduation had to be something to take note of along with his time within the US Army. His most prominent memory was related for being selected and given the opportunity to go to OCS and given the chance to become a Ranger alongside Randall’s training unit at Ranger School and RASP. Along with the treacherous journey through the Frontier, the memories that stuck out to him lingered in his mind even as his thoughts began to fade.

Part of the reason he had made it this far into his life on a mission no one expected to have been due to a single person—Mike Randall. The younger sergeant was a person that was outgoing person that helped the new Lieutenant at every major choice in his life, but now he seemed to grow further away—perhaps even dead. He had temporarily accepted the possibly reality formed within his mind, and he had somewhat grown accustomed to the familiar feeling he had felt four times in the past, a feeling of hollowness and emptiness, something no one could ever decipher.

Now here he was standing without half of the people that swore to have his back…

In the middle of a white void, he looked up to the empty sky. The soft white light that shined everywhere made his eyes squint. After some time had passed since they entered the portal into a world of white, they had travelled for a total of sixteen minutes based on Malkovich’s wristwatch, which still worked. Upon reaching a clearing in the grassy plains, they found a stone structure that was surrounded by an empty moat. Considering both himself and the others lucky, they entered the structure to seek shelter from the harsh light beating upon their already battered and tired bodies.

If there was one thing that he always had, it was his luck that helped him move in the background without being spotted. Once in a sea of people not his own surrounded by both allies and enemies, he always found a way to fix the problems he saw away from the prying eye.

Reaching an opening within the large stone structure, he looked out to the seemingly endless fields that surrounded the place he stood. Just at the edges of the empty moat, he eyed the same white floor that he had walked on once before during the “summoning” of those that survived in Peshawar. Comparing the place, they walked to where they took shelter now, the Lieutenant was able to gain a sense of direction being unable to use his compass. His current circumstances along with the other three was something he never expected to prepare for. Though he was now trapped in a void of white once more, it was something he had grown accustomed to and gladly accepted in the face of the reality they had just exited. Hearing steps behind him, he readied himself for the oncoming conversation.

“Hey.” Turning around and seeing the drained corporal behind him, Patterson shook his head lightly as he waved his hand next to him leading the younger man to a clear spot next to him.

“You’re probably wondering why I called you up here.” Patterson began as he opened a pouch on his plate carrier and took out a small granola bar that was squished. Tearing it open and taking a small bite, he paused to collect his thoughts before continuing, “I just wanted to check in on you, make sure you’re ready for what’s to come.”

“This place…” Looking up and towards the empty sky, Richard smacked his lips as he found the words he wanted to say. “This is the exact same place we entered when the mission went awry in Peshawar. We momentarily entered this fucking void in the Frontier, right?”

“Yeah.”

Stepping away from the catwalk that revealed the outside world, the Lieutenant led Richard back inside down a set pair of corridors. The darkened interior was only lit by three chem lights that had been placed to mark a path to the central room, a storage room, that was being used as a temporary common room for the four.

Sitting on the right side of the room, Leccamaradel wrapped a small strand of her mana around her finger as she looked towards the light that emerged from the small torch sitting on adjacent from her. To the left Malkovich silently rested against a wooden chair as he did a check on the remaining gear he had, a pile of bags rested beside him waiting to be inspected. Walking behind Patterson, Richard considered himself lucky enough to avoid the question that the lieutenant had asked him not a minute ago.

Providing a nervous wave to the princess sitting on the ground, Richard knew he was not ready for the future.

“Sergeant. Princess.”

Nodding his head, Richard spoke in a low voice as he entered the dimply lit room. The orange glow of the torch sitting beside him warmed his body and made him breathe slowly as he thought back to the painting-like picture he had seen not long ago.

He received no response as he found his place against the floor just under the only torch in the room. His hand patted the spacious area around him, given by the room he and the other three inhabited. Painted on his face, dirt had dried on his skin and small circles laid under his eyes as he looked upon the firm standing and formidable Sergeant Malkovich who had just zipped up the bag he was inspecting and standing up removing his rifle from the sling on his chest. Richard remained silent, choosing to study the silent environment that was created by fireteam’s thoughts remaining in solitude.

Leccamaradel was placed in such solitude, such seclusion in her mind. The thought that occupied her mind was something she had visited several times before; The Reclaimers, the Rangers—warriors that were summoned from another world. Once believed to be unkillable men that became a tale within the frontier, she had just witnessed a catastrophe where the possibility of the other four men were killed with the sudden appearance of the Reavers on that hill was more than a mere possibility.

“Princess.”

Calling out to her in a deep voice, Malkovich settled against his chair as he flexed his arms keeping them loose.

Drawing her eyes away from the single strand of mana around her finger, the princess looked at the man who had called out to her with a somber expression that was quickly replaced when the sergeant called out to her in a softer voice once more.

“Did you see the others get caught in the middle of that wave?”

The question was something vague, though it provided a proposition that could very well imply the survival of Captain Thompson and the fireteam he led straight into the hellscape that rushed towards their position. Unsettled by the words provided by the sergeant, Lecca found it near impossible to respond coherently as she tucked her knees against her chest while folding her arms just under her head trying to preserve the small amount of warmth held within her body.

They would all be lying to themselves if they didn’t consider the very reality that the men could very well be alive, thus, the “Schrödinger's Cat” theory once more reared its ugly head. Are the men dead, are they not? No one saw their deaths, but circumstantial evidence would only “suggest” that they were mauled to death by the large wave.

No one had an answer to such a question.

Even with the power of nullification, it was simply too much to ask for a single mage to fight against an entire army of otherworldly and dammed beings that feasted upon humanities mistakes and strives to understand magic. There was no doubt that the Federation had made significant progress with the theory of ‘Magical Sciences’, yet whatever gave every living being the ability to use magic was something that the world yet understood.

“We can only hope they made it out in one piece.” Lieutenant Patterson spoke in a firm tone shoving away the dread that had built up between the three sitting in the room.

Nodding her head to the sentiment provided by the Lieutenant, Lecca brushed the dirt from the worn sleeves of her olive-drab jacket as she withdrew the miniscule thread of mana circled around her hand. She had the power to change the world, but she wasn’t going to do it alone; it was imperative that she always keep a close-knit group with her, especially when understanding the fact that she will someday ascend the throne of her kingdom. “We still have a mission to complete.” She said speaking to the men before her. “Our objective is to bring the information we have regarding the Frontier and the Federation; we will present it before the king in order to prevent war.”

The statement was bold. Malkovich, Patterson, and Richard just how ballsy she would be in this situation, she, placed them into.

“Not that I disagree…” Patterson said scanning the room and furthermore the rest of the stone structure, “How will we get this information back?” He questioned eyeing the unusual, faint, blue glow emanating from the cube that Commander Holt had given to the silver-haired warrior. “From a simple observation the portal that was formed by some sort of magical reaction; this created a worm-hole and opened a rift to this place somewhere in the universe.” He said kneeling next to the object and running his gloved hand over the top.

“What are you saying?” Lecca said somewhat impressed by the man’s observations. She could only half-understand the concepts that the Lieutenant suddenly spouted out.

Explaining his thoughts, Patterson remained calm as he formed a hypothesis, “If we can replicate the frequency that was emitted by the device, we can reopen a portal back to the Federation, or even the Kingdom.” Shifting his foot, he picked up the box and examined the device, “Based on the low amount of light being emitted, we can guess that the device relies on a power source or an internal charge.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Can I be a conduit?” Lecca questioned putting together what Patterson was saying.

“Possibly?” He said in return with a puzzled expression on his face. “I don’t know if it’ll work the way we want it to.”

Biting her lip, Lecca held her silence making the other two men look amongst themselves trying to figure if this attempt would even be worth the risk. Fueling an unknown device with mana could be disastrous, yet it could also be their ticked out of the void, not that their last attempts to activate the device worked…

“Fuck, if it’s our only chance to stay alive…” Richard said not knowing how to put his thoughts into words when regarding the current choice presented by the lieutenant.

Placing the cube on the ground, Patterson grabbed his gear and shifted it into the semi-lit hallway giving out orders for Malkovich and Richard to do the same. Being the only one within the room after the others vacated the immediate area, Lecca raised her finger and placed it near her mouth. With a single motion she bit into her finger tearing away the layers of skin protecting her blood vessels and veins within.

In her sudden desperation to make sure the theory that the lieutenant presented worked, the princess felt the taste of iron in her mouth as she removed her saliva-covered finger and allowed a larger strand of pure mana to flow out of her body making the men watching from the hallway look on in wonder, disgust, and hope.

As she focused her mind on wrapping her mana around the cube, her arms were lit with fire as she focused all her might causing major fatigue throughout her body. Her feet shifted over the ground shifting a small pile of gravel that was scattered across the floor; her bodyweight remained pressed into her legs as she stood firm preparing herself to take a blow if the cube rejected her mana.

Peering from the corner of the door, Lecca saw as Patterson was the only one that exposed himself within the doorway as he watched with exhausted eyes. “Princess!” He called out to the woman casting the sudden fluctuation of mana being released. “Get us back to the Federation!” He shouted choosing the place to return. His words made Lecca shiver, she did not expect him to make the choice to remain in this world; if what he said was correct, this place, this void was a way for them to return to Earth.

As she focused on her mission to reactivate the device, a sudden sound that was like an explosion ruptured from the opposite side of the stone ruins. Patterson swiftly turned around towards the origin, he completely stopped moving as he eyed Malkovich and Richard who nodded their heads while picking up their rifles from against the wall.

Taking out the magazine attached under his rifle and tapping it against his helmet, Malkovich silently motioned for Richard to follow while whispering, “Stay here, sir.” To the lieutenant. Understanding what the sergeant was saying, the man regretfully stepped aside as he allowed the two Rangers to investigate the sudden cause of the sound. Their boots echoed within the halls, and they disappeared around a sharp corner daring to venture deeper into the ruins they occupied.

With his sergeant taking the lead, Richard held mixed feelings of just the two of them moving to investigate what could be guessed to be a possible enemy attack. He had long removed his gloves and placed them on his battle-belt, his hands were coated in a small layer of sweat as he rubbed his thumb against the fire-selector of his M-5 carbine. It was more than true that Malkovich would assure his safety; the sergeant was a warrior forged by the deserts of Africa. A precise weapon tempered only by time and the unending passage of the world he once inhabited. At the age of twenty-eight he was a seasoned veteran worth his salt. Why he was still only stuck at the rank of ‘Sergeant’ was something the corporal questioned to this day, but he supposed promotions were temporarily stifled by the African-Eurasian war and the counter-insurgency operation in Pakistan.

To those who found themselves under the command of Malkovich within the field, there was a calming reassurance that nothing would go drastically wrong. He had always assured his men’s survival, and his combat record was a testament to such a statement. Now with support from the US and her allies gone, the well-oiled machine that assured both survival and victory seemed almost impossible, not to mention Green’s death seemed to happen out of the blue.

As his brain churned, he and Malkovich broke every fighting doctrine and tactic they were ever taught as they turned down a second set of hallways. His rifle was aimed into the pitch-black darkness, the NODs he had on barley provided a highlight of the surrounding area, but thankfully, Malkovich activated the infrared light attached to his rifle lighting up the entire area in a bright glow.

As they walked further into the halls, rubble, rocks, and small debris were scattered around. They were not caused by age or erosion, but the sound that had echoed throughout the entire site had made this mess. If anything, the two were assured that something had detonated nearby, as of what did explode, they didn’t know or have any idea.

Malkovich led his only soldier down a small ramp leading below the main floor of the ruins. The steepness of the slope made him grab the wall next to him to secure his footing, but eventually his boots ran over the jagged edges of what looked to be heavily weathered and unrecognizable stairs. Lowering his rifle and descending one step at a time, his jaw shifted as his mind attempted to comprehend what he might have seen at the bottom of the stairs. With steady breaths and a determined mindset, the two stumbled into the darkness at the bottom of the stairwell.

Letting out several curses, Richard finally stopped on the opposite side of Malkovich; they stood just in front of a door, a metallic one painted in a white coat. At what looked to be the door handle, an ominous red light lit up the surrounding environment making the two men remain silent. “What is this?” Richard question, only gaining an unsure shrug from the sergeant who grabbed his radio and spoke into the microphone attached to his headset.

“Lieutenant, found a door, could possibly lead to whatever caused that explosion.” He spoke in a collected, nervous voice.

After a short moment of silence, his radio crackles as Patterson’s distorted voice emerged from the other side, “Got it. Lecca couldn’t activate the device, give us you location and we’ll meet you there.” He sounded drained as he finished his words, almost as if he was looking for a reason to rendezvous with the two.

“First floor, southwest corridor.”

“On our way. Stay out of trouble.”

“Heard.”

It wasn’t long before the two officers arrived. The princess seemed to be less fortunate of the entire group, her undershirt had collected a fair amount of sweat, and she tried over-and-over to calm her breaths which were sporadic and garnered the concern of Malkovich and Richard who questioned her about her physical health; she placated their doubts, but it wasn’t enough to fully convince them that she was in the best state to carry on the mission to get out of the void.

“What the fuck is this?” Patterson asked as he stood just to the side of the door next to Lecca and Richard. Peering at the dirt-covered door, Malkovich shrugged his shoulders as took his hand and ran his gloved fingers over the metallic surface.

“No idea.” He responded with a sigh.

“Could it be some kind of nerve center?” Richard suddenly asked, a though appearing in his mind. “It looks to be like one of those secret lavatories or bases underneath some old ruins; a few comics I’ve read had something similar, and not to mention the cube could be connected to this place.” The argument the corporal provided was thought provoking for the princess and the lieutenant. Considering everything that the survivors of Task Force Spare had been through, it wasn’t out of the question to think that a comic book could be a source of inspiration to help explain the current problem, hell, it was Malkovich that implanted the idea of being thrown through a “isekai” like situation like that of the Wizard of Oz.

“Alright.” Lecca said stepping forward brushing several dirtied strands of hair out of her eyes. “Get this door open.” She ordered stepping aside while placing the cube along a makeshift strap across her chest.

“No visible doorhandle ma’am. We could be dealing with a sliding door.” Richard said, moving alongside Malkovich, the two began to wipe away the dirt and check the surface of the door looking for an opening. “Don’t know if a kick will work, but we could probably use some sort of wrench or crowbar to get this thing open.” Taking off his backpack and unlatching a strap on the side, the corporal took out a collapsible crowbar, one that had become common place amongst SOF operators during the 23rd century during international peacekeeping operations in Southeast Asia. Made from a special aeronautic metal alloy, it stood the brutality test that was demanded by the special operations community.

Finding the point where the metallic door met the wall, Thompson took out a piece of tape from his plate carrier and placed it in the location letting Richard step the front without wasting any time. Securing the crowbar into place, Richard twisted his head and looked into Malkovich’s eyes; the sergeant gave him the go ahead with a swift nod. Pressing his weight onto the bar, Richard applied a massive amount of force as the internal lock on the door snapped and the door jiggled loose making the four operators step back as they raised their weapons. Grasping onto the now unaligned door, Malkovich pulled it open as Corporal Richard took the lead sweeping vision to the left, while Patterson took right, and Lecca took center clearing the room. Malkovich followed behind and gentle shut the semi-operable door to cover the large set of tracks they had just made. Scanning the entire room, the barrels of the weapons held in the air slowly lowered, silence was all there to be heard.

Looking around at the furthest corners of the large room they had entered, Patterson was the first to speak up, “So we’ve entered some kind of science lab? What is this shit?” His words were laced with confusion and uncertainty as he stepped forward keep his hands attached to his rifle, though it laid against his chest, unmoving.

“A bunch of terminals and stuff around, but I think they might be a bit to big for us to use…” Malkovich said looking up at the grand display before him and the others. Passing one of the large structures that was seemingly held below ground, he rubbed his hand against the seemingly over-sanitized surface, the smell of nothing made him shiver and cringe as he tried to understand why such a place existed within the void.

“See, a nerve-center.” Richard said with disappointment as he extended his hand toward the large room they had just entered. “I’m willing to bet someone here oversaw our transfer from Peshawar.”

“If someone was responsible for overseeing our transfer to the kingdom, that would imply that someone in the castle wanted this to happen.” Voicing his thoughts, Patterson moved to the side as he stared at the large ominous structures above. His eyes trailed down one of the many pillars within the room until he spotted an abnormality at the far-left corner. “What is that?” He whispered gaining the attention of the other three behind him.

“There’s only one way to find out.” Richard hummed making the lieutenant nod his head as he picked up his boot and placed it upon the ground just in front of him. With their breaths and footsteps being the only audible sounds to be heard under the still watch of the artificial room that seemingly larger than the ruins above, each held themselves in a prepared state waiting for the moment for something to suddenly pop out and attack them.

The blinding lights high above shined upon their steps, and any remnants of dirt, dust, or mud were quickly digitalized and burnt away under a blue hue.

Leading from the front, Patterson remained silent as the distance and lonely pillar grew ever so close. His thumb rubbed against the pistol grip on his carbine and his sharp gaze had soften considerably with the advent of a wave of exhaustion brushing over his body and face making it hard to not simple close his eyes and collapse into a deep, dark sleep that would last for an eternity.

Publicly Available Information: Line of Succession – Executive Branch – Federation of Zivaland:

President – David Harding.

State Speaker and Representative: Norman Kilo.

Speaker of the Senate – Alvin Perenchio.

Secretary Attorney – Thorn Indigo.

Secretary General – Zackary Powers.

Secretary of Defense – Sullivan Falk.

Secretary of State – Henry Oppenheimer.

Secretary of Civilian Recourses: Alexandra Ling.

National Intelligence Agency Director: Richard Junes.

Office of Military and Federal Security Director: Thomas Polanski.

Office of Homeland and Foreign Intelligence Director: Zane Conway.