Déjà Vu: Chapter 1: Heart Company!
A loud humming can be heard throughout the facility. The mechanical tube of an electromagnetic motor spinning up. Soon the building began vibrating from the spin up.
" Activate Atlas!" Director Richard barks.
"Sir! Atlas active! Stabilizing frequency matched!" The private answered.
"Begin decompression." Richards voice trembling from the stress. He knew exactly what failure would mean for him and all of the Lumerian power plant.
The island was man made to float in the Pacific outside of all jurisdictions so that science could march forward outside of world laws. Lumeria, also known as the Lumerian Plant focused on energy harvesting.
Their current project led by Director Richards was a sun-thermal decompression reactor. Made to isolate the atomic particles in water and hit them directly with radioactive material.
Director Richards had no real purpose he did things just to do them and see the outcome. He just liked toying with things to be honest. Lumeria was the perfect place for him to call home. As no law could arrest him no matter what he did. They did however, have their own ways of handling things. Decompressing a body is gruesome, shooting them into space is worse. They really don't even make it all the way. You end up with red rain instead.
Richards was under a ton of pressure for results. He hasn't really contributed to science so much as just having fun little experiment meet ups. Knowing his neck was on the line he needed something valuable.
"Sir! Reading stabilized. We're clear for room entry!" The private said smiling ear to ear after he seen the tear rolling down Richards face.
"It'a so beautiful. He gave me all the knowledge… everything I would need…. For this magnificent experiment…." Richard says tears rolling down his face. The smile of a maniac spread ear to ear as he slowly turned and looked at the private.
"De….compress….." Richards let's the words slip out of his mouth… the very last step before they can confirm success.
"Sir!"
The air hissing into the room as the private begins to stabilize the room. As the air is hissing in and the vaulted door opens Richards and the private approach for a closer look.
The radiation coming off wasn't even enough to make it a cm away from the surface before dying off, yet as you touch the liquid surface you can feel the energy course through your fingertips almost like a small zap from a battery.
The water so still and cold it appears as a mirror is packed with enough energy to end the world. Director Richards is playing with Earths very life by making this reactor.
Yet as his fingers slide across the perfectly still liquid surface he can't help but think how all of the trouble was worth such a beautiful result. The water hovers flat in the air like a mirror. Suspended between two devices beaming the liquid with a combination of radiation and nitrogen to keep the liquid cold.
"Contact Heart Company! It's time." Richards quickly pulls his fingers from the mirror whispering to himself.
"I can't have it. He would destroy me."
as Richards turns to leave he barks an additional command.
"Private! Decompress the room upon closure. Afterwords I will change the lock code. Station alpha on patrol."
"Sir!"
Hours later after the success of the reactor Heart Company is now arriving on Lumeria Plant on helicopter.
Director Richards standing by the heli pad eagerly awaiting the arrival of Heart Company as the sound of the helicopter grows louder and louder his smile becomes more sinister.
Lumeria now in full view of the helicopter Arthur the leader of Heart Company begins speaking to his members. His blue eyes cut your soul and make you bend an ear for his message. His hair the color of chocolate so dark brown you drool thinking about taking a bite.
"There are many things we have yet to discuss. However, hold your hearts and your weapons high men! By throwing your lives away and joining Heart Company you have chosen a death worthy of a ruler! What we see on the other side no one has ever seen before. What the first people on each planet I. Our solar system experienced is only a fraction of what we will. Ladies…. Gentlemen… we are going to a different dimension."
Faces of terror filled the helicopter. Followed by laughter.
"We fought many battles together Arthur. I would say we are an amazing band of Knights if you believe in the old folk lore. We have liberated cities, assassinated horrible people, and drove the word in the direction of the heart. Allowing people to focus on each other. Instead of stressing about war."
Franky's voice just as stern as it was the day they had met. Franky was a loyal man. To his very core he was loyal to Arthur. The scars on his face prove his loyalty. He is without hair so that it will not disrupt his view in battle. Franky was a feared man on Earth.
"Franky. You are a good man. A good soldier. And a best friend. But you guys….. we many never come back."
Arthur wanted to make that clear. From the beginning this was taken as a suicide mission. No one is expected to return.
All of Heart Company staring at their feet afraid to say anything wrong.
"We will return. Something feels nostalgic about all of this. Like we have been here before. But it's telling me. We will be okay."
Claires words cut the tension in the room into a billion pieces. The sheer cheesiness of what she said caused everyone to burst out in laughter. Her eyes lit up like a firework when she knew she made everyone feel better.
As they stood in front of the giant vaulted iron doors while it decompresses there were only so many words that could be said.
The room finally decompressed opens wide revealing the mirror like water to Heart Company. As they approach Arthur bugs the Director with questions. The last one being the most notable.
"Where did you get the idea for this…. Portal?"
Richards turns and locks eyes with Arthur. In the most serious tone with a look alone that made Arthur's knees buckle he responds.
" I think you know exactly where I got the idea for this my good Arthur."
After answering Arthur his face immediately goes back to enthusiastically happy.
" I will not lie. We know nothing of what's on the other side. No one wanted to go in. I doubt it could be good though. You are doing us a great service."
Richards chuckles and allows Heart Company to enter the chamber.
Each member of Heart Company touching the liquid surface in amazement. The portal itself is rectangular and the size of an average door. The machine however, was much much larger than even the room the they were in.
In the background Arthur and Richards are going over the technical procedures of the portal. All the while Todoroki a member of Heart Company became curious and shoved his head through.
He quickly pulled his head out.
" Guys! You're not going to believe this…. Have you ever seen a mushroom forest. I'm talking mushrooms larger than trees. A whole canopy of them! I wonder what they taste like!"
Todoroki shoves his head back through the portal followed by the other members of heart company.
"Form wall!"
Arthur commanded.
All members of Heart Company quickly fell into a wall formation.
"Are you so childish that before I give you the order to lay down your life, that you run and do it eagerly. Now stay in formation. Not another word."
Arthur frustrated that the team about to lay their life on the line for the sake of the world is acting like adhd rattled children.
"Apologies Director. We are simply eager to head in. I will keep everything you said in mind. We will do our best to contact you from the other side. But as for now…. We're going in."
Arthur glanced at the mirror like portal before barking one last thing.
"Heart Company, line up and follow me."
With that last command Arthur gathered his things and walks through the portal.
When Arthur opens his eyes on the other side…. There was nothing. No land. No air. No water. No one. Nothing in front or behind him. They were all simply gone.
"So you have come to play…. You know. It is called the forbidden zone for a reason."
A thunderous voice boomed so loud it felt like Arthur's brain would explode.
"Where am I, where is my team!"
Arthur now panicking tosses his back pack and grabs a long object wrapped in silky cloth.
" So you don't even know where you are? Allow me to inform you…. You have gone beyond time…. Beyond space…. Beyond everything…. You are before the very beginning. And after the very end. All at once. This. This is the forbidden zone. My name is Euriel. It would be my pleasure to punish you for coming into my creators personal space. Maybe five-thousand years and all of your memories is enough to return the payment for what you have CHOSEN to do."
Euriel may say everything with pure confidence but you can hear it in her voice. You can see it in her eyes when she talks. She is so lonely. So broken. Her body and soul calling for help. Even when her voice refused too. Yet somehow, going ignored.
Before he could even respond…. That very moment her mouth closed…. It was gone. He forgot how to speak. He knew words… but how did you operate your mouth.
Wait. What's a mouth.
his thoughts raced. His memories one after another in no specific order vanishing. Slowly forgetting things until the only thing he remembered how to do was breathe. That's when everything went dark…. For what seemed like a million lifetimes. Breathing. The sound of his lungs filling and emptying. That's all he heard. That's all he knew.
For 5,000 years.
He lie there. Hoping to free her. Without truly knowing he wanted anything. He just knew he was breathing. But his heart still had the anxiety. The anxiety to find her and save her.