The scene was chaotic, the lab was filled with people shouting and running everywhere, papers where flying and an alarm was ringing in the room. Behind the big reinforced glass was a transparent cube surrounded with multiple robotic arms sending laser beams on the cube. The white light emitted by the strange cube was dimming, no to be more precise a sort of black light was eating the white light.
- Stop it!!!!! I said stop it now
The shouting man's face was wrinkled and attested of his age, unlike the other scientists in the room he was wearing a black suit, but his tie was crooked and his shirt was already drenched by his sweat.
- We tried Director, but it's not working, the emergency stop was already initiated but it's too late.
The man answering with a feeble voice seemed to be the team leader, his state was more unkept than the director. His white coat was worn in reverse, his hear disheveled, and his dark circles rivaled with a Panda.
- James, what did you do!!!!, I was a fool to trust you. I gave you all the funding you needed, and supported you against the people who wanted to shut down your project. But what did you do? you stabbed me in the back... This is how you repay my kindness?
James felt wronged, he wanted to answer that he only got eighty percent of the funding requested, and the deadline of the project was reduced to present the results before the Vice-director team. But it was probably not the best time to argue, so he put a face of a self-reflecting man while enduring the babbling of the Director.
While the Director was still explaining his magnanimity and scolding James, James's assistant Alexander reported the current situation.
- We stopped the primary and auxiliary generator but the reaction isn't stopping, we can at best slow down the process, we don't know what exactly will happen, but the energy emitted by the reaction can blast half of the center.
James frowned, he knew it was over, the blast was likely to happen in a few minutes, and if his team wasn't here to stabilize the reaction, the explosion can happen at any time. With a solemn face he answered Alexander.
- Announce the emergency evacuation, evacuate all our non-necessary researchers and initiate the lock down of our sector.
- Good, there is nothing else i can do here for you James, you must take your responsibilities, I leave you to clean this mess. Someone needs to go to explain what happened to the outside.
On a sinking ship, a good captain stays to the end, but this was not a ship and the Director has just started to enjoy his life with his new wife. There was no way for him to stay in the lab and expose himself. He snorted and leaved with the evacuating people.
# # # # # #
THUD... As the sound of the containment doors echoed in the lab, the silence overtook the chaos reigning in the room. Only seven people were still in the room and each one was fully concentrated on his work. Every one of those people were trying to reverse the situation, they knew that it was impossible but they couldn't resign. James looked at his trusted assistant with a wry smile.
- Sorry Alex, I dragged you down in this mess.
- Don't worry pal, it's not over yet. We were very close to open the portal, I don't know where it went wrong, but I believed and still believe in you. It's too bad that we won't be able to see the fruit of our labor. I only hope that someone will pick up our research.
- Yeah, that will be our solace.
The white light already disappeared and the black hole started eating all its surroundings it was only one meter away from the reinforced glass. James gave a Cigar to Alexander while lighting one for himself and put the 7th Beethoven symphony on the lab speaker.
- It was meant to celebrate our success, let's take some puffs on it before it disappears with us (James)
- What a dick.
- Yeah, what a dick... at least we won't have to see his face again.
When the black sphere neared, the glass the scientists in the room stopped working and just stared at it. The magnetic field resisted for a few seconds before breaking. The sphere then suddenly grew and engulfed everything in the room, it continued until a fifth of the CERN center was covered before disappearing, leaving nothing in its wake.
# # # # # #
James started to recover his consciousness, his head was hurting and his vision hazy, his back transmitted the cold feeling of a wall. His first thoughts were that at least he was still alive. His limbs were hurting but he still felt them and could move them, so that was a good thing. The only thing that was still bothering him was his hazy vision and heavy headache, if it was a bad concussion that damaged his brain, it would be a pity. After a time, it took an incense stick to burn his headache started to lessen and his vision started to clear. He tried to prop himself up and started to look around. His clothes were a mess to the point that he didn't even recognize them, but that wasn't the strangest thing, there were many people in the room talking that he didn't recognize. His friend Alexander and the team members weren't there too.
- You've regained your senses, too bad it's too late. You missed your opportunity to shine.
James was still trying to understand what happened, opportunity to shine? did it work at the end, and he missed the result announcement? That dick-tator, he really screwed him over and announced the results while the team was still dealing with the after-shock.
- At least you got your entry ticket to the sect, it will still be at the bottom but you can't help it. if you want to wait for the next round you'll have to wait for five years.
Five years? he was surprised, wasn't the CERN conference held every year? After trying to put the pieces together, he found that the situation was very strange. The location, the people and even the content of the discussion were different.
- I'm a little light-headed can you remind me what happened?
- Yeah, no kidding, you were hit pretty hard, take your time to recover. While you were taking the advantage, he used a talisman to launch a sneak attack on you. It was clear that you had the upper hand and even if those silky-pants are allowed to have some life-saving measures, they are not allowed to use them to attack. Since he was in the wrong, even if he beat the hell out of you, it's your win. You need two wins to be accepted and assessed, but due to the circumstances it was made that you will be accepted as an outer disciple.
James tried to assess the situation by giving vague answers and asking about the situation. After the small talk and the knowledge that he had, a frightening idea started to creep in his mind, he has reincarnated!
He started to sweet profusely and his breath was ragged. How can he be wrong? how did he mess up? he was sure of his calculations and every step was double checked with Alexander. Not only the experience failed but he also probably died, and so for his friend and team members. People in his case would probably think that they are dreaming or someone is making a prank, they start looking for clues for a long time before realizing that they are not on earth anymore, and when they did the concerns about how to return or live in this world are the first that comes in mind. James accepted the fact pretty easily, although his first reaction was strange, it was still comprehensible since it was related to his research. With Alexander they had a theory about the parallel universes, and with the correct amount of the energy and the frequency modulation they can open a portal between these universes. Something went wrong and only his soul was transported this world.
Now that he knew what happened, the plan was already clear, he needs to rise high enough to have the funds to build a new lab, correct his errors and travel back to his world to present his discovery. That Dick-tator would pop-out his eyes when he'll see his results, what a good face smacking, yeah!