“The elevator’s just ahead.” Gerri’s voice carried easily over the hum of massive generators. “Fair warning—it goes deeper than most people expect.”
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, revealing an interior that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel rather than an industrial facility. Polished brass fixtures gleamed under warm lighting, and the floor was actual marble.
This keeps getting stranger.
Gerri pressed a button marked with symbols Lila didn’t recognize, and the elevator began its descent. And kept going. And going.
“How deep are we going?” Lila’s ears popped as they plummeted far below any reasonable sub-basement level.
“Deep enough that nobody asks questions about unusual energy signatures.” Gerri’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “City power grids are excellent cover for interdimensional travel. All that electromagnetic interference masks the portal energy beautifully.”
The elevator finally stopped with a gentle bump, and the doors opened onto a stark white hallway that stretchedimpossibly far into the distance. A single door waited at the end, looking like a pinprick of gold in the sterile expanse.
Their footsteps echoed as they walked, and Lila noticed the subtle thrum of energy in the walls around them—not electrical, but something deeper and more ancient.
When they reached the door, Lila’s eyebrows shot up. A gold nameplate read “Gerri Wilder” in elegant script.
“You actually have an office down here?”
“I have offices everywhere, dear.” Gerri produced an ornate key from her purse. “The universe requires a lot of administrative support.”
The door opened to reveal the most anticlimactic space imaginable—a simple desk, a chair, and absolutely nothing else. Not even a window or a plant to break up the stark white walls.
“This is... minimalist.”
“I don’t spend much time here.” Gerri moved to the desk and opened the single drawer, retrieving what looked like a small metal egg. “This room serves only one purpose.”
The egg was warm to the touch when Gerri handed it to her, humming with the same energy Lila had felt in the hallway walls.
“Earth-side access to the wormhole.” Gerri took the egg back and held it close to her lips. “Ready for the ride of your life?”
Lila’s heart hammered against her ribs.Last chance to run back home and pretend this never happened.
But something deep within her pulled her forward, toward whatever waited on the other side of that portal. The same inexplicable certainty that had made her accept this mission in the first place.
“Do it.”
Gerri whispered words in a language that sounded like music and starlight. The egg began to glow, soft blue light spilling between her fingers. The light expanded, stretching across the white wall until it formed a perfect circle six feet across.
And through that circle, Lila could see another world.
Oh my God. It’s real. It’s actually real.
Volcanic ridges reached toward twin suns—one bright yellow, the other a deep blood-orange that painted everything in warm, impossible light. She could see rivers of actual lava winding between black cliffs, and in the distance, a pink ocean that sparkled like liquid gemstones.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Gerri’s voice was soft with something like maternal pride. “Nova Aurora has that effect on people. Especially people with the right blood.”
Right blood? What does that mean?
But before Lila could ask, Gerri was stepping through the portal, her white bob disappearing into alien sunlight.
Here goes nothing.
Lila took a deep breath and followed.
The sensation hit her like diving into warm honey mixed with lightning. Space stretched and compressed around her, colors bleeding together in impossible spirals. Her body felt simultaneously weightless and heavy, as if gravity couldn’t decide which direction to pull.
This is either the most amazing or most terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me.
