As they emerged on the other side, Richard felt a strange sensation, like his molecules were being rearranged. He blinked, taking in their new surroundings. They were in a sleek, high-tech facility, the walls lined with futuristic equipment.
Ronald grinned, feeling a thrill of excitement. "We're here,"
Richard exhaled sharply, running his hands over his body to make sure nothing was missing. "I still can't get used to your low-budget portals. Seriously, get an actual mage to craft a proper one."
Ronald rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Next time, we'll just drive here by road like normal people."
The two stepped out of their vehicle, their boots echoing against the steel flooring. The hangar was massive, a bunker-like expanse filled with high-performance vehicles, all gleaming under the artificial light. Only a handful of people were present, all clad in black suits, their expressions unreadable.
Richard surveyed the space, unimpressed. "Shall we get this over with? I've got places to be."
"Places? You mean bars."
Richard smirked knowingly. "Same thing, Ronald. Same thing."
They crossed the hangar, approaching an elevator embedded in the far corner. The moment they stepped inside, it descended, not just to another floor, but deeper, far beneath the Earth.
Minutes passed before the doors slid open to reveal a single, massive room. It was a really large room, with walls made of metals and various machinery occupying the spaces.
But the most eye-catching piece of tech, which occupied the heart of the space was a colossal machine. A circular construct towering sixty feet tall, its intricate design resembling an advanced gateway. Blue energy flickered around its rim, barely contained. A long horizontal platform stretched beneath it, almost like a futuristic airstrip.
Technicians in lab coats moved frantically around the machine, tinkering, welding, and calibrating its inner workings. Sparks flew. Machinery whirred
Beyond the gateway, a reinforced glass-walled observation deck loomed, housing personnel monitoring the operation.
Ronald and Richard approached the deck and entered it. They ignored the chaos, heading straight for a wide control console manned by a woman in her early thirties.
Her raven-black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her sharp emerald eyes barely flicked toward them. Her fingers moved expertly across the controls, monitoring the fluctuating readings. She noticed the presence of the two attractive men standing in front of her, but didn't acknowledge them.
"Come on, Gina," Ronald said with a playful grin. "At least pretend you don't hate me."
She turned her gaze to him, expression unreadable. "I don't hate you, Ronald. I just don't like you either."
Without waiting for a response, she turned her gaze back to the console, and flicked a switch. The control panel buzzed to life. "What do you want this time?"
Ronald maintained his smile, he couldn't be offended by her behaviour. She was in charge of the place and they needed her help.
"Well, Gina," he cleared his throat. "Richard and I need to use the portal machine, it's urgent,"
Richard, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. ""Yes, it is quite urgent. We're in dire need of a portal, so if you'd please grant us access. That would be much appreciated," he muttered, his voice calm and polite. Which was quite surprising
Ronald smiled and nodded. "Yeah. What he said," he muttered with a pleading expression. Normally, he wouldn't have to go through any trouble before accessing an inter-realm portal, but that was mostly because he would be on a mission for SPECTRA
Gina sighed and turned to face them again. " You do realize the realm portal machine isn't some casual teleportation service, right? The RPM is our most powerful gateway, linking every registered dimension under SPECTRA's jurisdiction. I can't just open a portal for anyone who asks, you know this," she stated, looking at Ronald with a displeased gaze.
Ronald sighed. "I do, but you also know I won't ask you if it wasn't urgent," he replied, staring at Gina with a large, imploring eyes
Gina sighed deeply and faced the console again. "Where do you even wanna go?" she asked, before signaling to the technicians behind the glass. They responded immediately, stepping away from the portal machine. She was about to turn it on.
"Vulkanis," Ronald replied
"Alright, stand back guys. Running major testing, stage four," Gina muttered and began operating the console. Her hands moved swiftly over the controls, flipping switches, pressing buttons, entering sequences. The machine began to hum, its rims glowing an eerie blue.
Ronald and Richard were filled with excitement, they thought she was complying, that she was opening a portal for them. If only they knew how wrong they were
And after a series of pushing buttons and flipping switches, Gina placed her hands over the final, large red button. Her hands hovered above it for a while and then...
CLICK!
She pushed it, completely activating the portal machine. Then, a spark of energy ignited at its center. A small, shimmering blue orb appeared, hovering in the middle of the massive ring. Slowly, it expanded, widening until it filled the entire circular frame.
A portal had been opened.
Realms were like large pocket dimensions where certain nonhuman races thrived. But not all these beings possessed realms, there were many other supernatural racees that didn't have their own special realms and therefore had to live in the human realm.
That was where S.P.E.C.T.R.A came in, the Supernatural and mythological phenomena enforcement, coalition and tactical regulation agency. They monitored these supernatural creatures and beings living with them and regulated the peace between these realms.
They were also responsible for keeping these mythical elements hidden from the masses, as knowledge about the supernatural wasn't exactly something that could just be shared with the world. See them as your typical MIB, but way cooler.
Ronald and Richard smiled in satisfaction, they began to leave. Afterall, they had gotten what they came for.
"Thanks, Gina. I owe you one," Ronald muttered as he walked away with Richard.
But then...
The portal flickered.
The hum died. The energy collapsed in on itself. The blue glow vanished.
The machine went dark. It had been turned off
Ronald stopped in his tracks. "Oh, come on."
He turned back to Gina, who was casually flipping switches to power down the system.
"Really, Gina?" Ronald sighed, walking back to her. "Really?"
She finally met his gaze, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "I never said I'd open it for you. That was your mistake."
Ronald sighed even deeper, Gina was right. She never agreed to open a portal for them. They simply assumed
But Richard on the other hand was already getting impatient, there was only so much nonesense he could take, especially from a mere human. He stepped forward, his piercing gaze locking onto Gina.
"Look, 'Gina'. I don't have time for this, Every second wasted puts my sister's life at risk," Richard said, his voice dangerously low. The air around him tensed. "So do me a favor, be a dear and turn the bloody machine back on."
A flicker of discomfort crossed Gina's face. She gulped. But then, she steeled herself. "Look, even if I wanted to, I can't open a portal to any realm. Not right now."
Richard's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"The system is undergoing maintenance. We're only in stage four out of ten. It'll take a few more hours to complete." she replied softly
Richard exhaled sharply, his temper barely in check. "And you didn't think to tell us this before wasting our time?"
Ronald quickly placed a calming hand on his cousin's chest. "Alright, Richard. Calm down, take deep breaths. Let's not murder the nice lady, yeah?" he said, putting Richard at ease
Richard glared at Gina, his expression murderous. "I should snap her neck for wasting my precious time," he muttered softly, not taking his eyes off her. Like as if one wrong move from Gina and he would rip her head away from her shoulders.
"Easy, Cousin. That's just the rage talking, you don't really mean that," Ronald muttered quickly before shifting his gaze to Gina. "He doesn't really mean that," he whispered softly to her.
"But everything's going to be fine, I'll handle it. How about you wait outside, hm?" he said to Richard, pointing towards the door.
It was the only way Ronald could ensure that heads wouldn't roll, because if Richard decided to attack Gina, he wouldn't be able to stop him. And not because he was his cousin, no. But because Richard was an Immortal, the IMMORTAL. Only a fool would try to pick a fight.
Richard exhaled sharply but nodded. "Fine. But fix this." His gaze darkened as he turned back to Gina. "Or else, no one leaves here in one piece."
As he strode out, Ronald rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I apologize for him. He has a temper."
Gina let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "No kidding. Now I see why he's so popular around here even though he's not a part of the agency," she replied
"I think he might even be more popular than me.. the legendary night agent," Ronald chuckled. "But tell me, when will the maintenance be finished? Perhaps we can wait,"
Gina sighed. "I'm sorry, it might take up to 24 hours to complete all the stages. And even if it were complete, I still can't open a portal for you," she explained.
Ronald took a deep breath. "I know you're still mad about earlier, and I am truly sorry. But we really need to get to Vulkanis, it's important," he said with a pleading expression
"It's not that. It's Vulkanis that's the problem," Gina said softly.
Ronald raised a brow, his curiosity was piqued. "How so?" he asked
"About six months ago, we received a transmission from Vulkanis, hailed by the Prime Alpha himself. He requested that we revoke portal access to Vulkanis for the time being, though he didn't state why," She replied
Ronald clicked his tongue. "Which means even if we got the portal working, we wouldn't be allowed entry into Vulkanis."
Gina nodded. "Exactly."
Ronald sighed. "I understand. Thanks, Gina. See you around," he muttered turning to leave.
Outside, Richard paced impatiently. The moment he saw Ronald, he smirked. "Let me guess. You failed to convince her, and you were too self righteous to compel her. I should have snapped her neck when I had the chance," he said with a frown
Ronald chuckled. "Forget the RPM. We're going to Rome," he smirked.