Return to Atlantis

Chapter 14 - The Portal

The portal could have been one of the greatest inventions of all time.

But such a dream is nothing but a dormant display in the airship's museum---useless and abandoned.

Alec and Phil stood by the life-size, tubular structure in front of him. As Alec skimmed through the plate inscriptions on the stand, he couldn't help but feel the loss of what was to be man's greatest invention. A machine that can transport you anywhere is a stuff of dreams. Still, despite being just a display the amazement was there. For the tubular machine may be inactive but it is 100% operational! Yet the one that's standing in front of him right now, the only existing one, sadly is barred for used.

It had been a global sensation when announcements of the breakthrough came. Now, it only stood there as a monument of the many unsuccessful attempts to perfect it, waiting for that inspired young genius, if there is one, who is going to break through the pitfalls of its perfection and offer solution to its frailty.

The airship's museum is just one of the primary exhibitions of the WAC, organized for all intents and purposes as a means to its agenda of motivating the youth to future productivity, to inspire towards advancement, to enthuse the exploration of the unknown for the good of the demanding, present civilization.

Teleportation has always been a long time celebrated scientific notion. Then finally some scientist-inventors broke through the mystery of the raw process. The portal broke time and space barrier. It showed so much promise in its early days. It was seen to serve so many purposes; mainly for transportation not only across the globe but also possibly, theoretically, inter-galactic.

Then the novelty ended abruptly. The delicate process of molecular alteration that allows space transmission proved to have unsettled complexities. The very first human subjects to undergo teleportation develop malfunctions in their physiological systems medical science can't resolve. Up to date, no one has come up with the resolution.

Teleportation is not safe; and science seemed to have given up on it.

And so the World Government, even as a forceful advocate of technological advancement, had the brilliant idea of' teleportation available to the masses' put on hold for the time being until someone comes to claim 'Eureka'.

It's been 8 years since then.

"So this thing actually works? Like if I step on that red, round platform and punch in the right buttons I'd go 'Kapoosh!' like magic? Amazing!" Alec clamored.

"Then you'll find your body parts in the wrong places afterwards," Phil was serious when he said this.

Alec turned to Phil at that, amazed and horrified at the same time. "Is that what really happens?"

"It could be. Your molecular compositions will dissolve then re-form. There could be complications during the process. But I don't really know. The results of the experiments were classified. If you're not part of the research body you won't really know."

Then Phil looked at him, quizzing. "Well, what do you think would happen after you become a beam of light?"

Alec thought for a bit then interposed. "I have no idea but I sure do hope it's not the exchange of body parts places!"

"But that might just be it," Phil said seriously. "Anyway enough of this - stop getting distracted we need to keep focus. We are not here for sightseeing,"

"C'mon, Phil. You have to admit you are finding all these artifacts interesting..heck everything is on this airship I am sure you are finding interesting!"

"Sure they are - but unlike you I am not easily distracted."

Alec sighed at that, rolling his eyes.

"We haven't had any luck so far. I am going to phone her quarters from the lobby in case she's gone back. Keep your eyes peeled while I'm away. We need to work double time. We only have less than 48 hours to complete this mission.""

"Roger," Alec nodded.

As soon as Phil was gone, Alec stood over the Portal again and ruminated over a name on the plate inscription: Professor Waldo Kinski, the man whose daughter is his mission. He had a certain reverence for the man. This brilliant genius saved the world from falling into the clutches of the alien invaders. Earth technology back then, before the arrival of the adversaries, was at its primitiveness compared to the space invading race. If it wasn't for Kinski Earth would have rendered itself defenseless. Kinski revolutionized the military armament in one quick turn of events. The WDF came into existence and because of him it continues to thrive despite the seemingly never-ending siege by the anonymous invaders. Day by day, for 10 years now, the world is at the brink of surrender. Countless lives had been lost in a war wage by enemies who kept themselves out of contact. Earth's interaction with them had been purely physical, nothing more, nothing less. As to their real intentions, Earth perhaps will never know unless they would decide to make it known.

But in utter reality, Alec thought, though this battle has not reached its conclusion yet, in truth Earth is already held captive; a prisoner in the hands of these enemies. It cannot run, it cannot hide, always at the mercy of these adversaries who are seemingly formidable but had been holding back for some reason...

And so Earth had to keep its defenses up as enemy reinforcements kept on - quite an effective defense thanks to the Professor. Alec can say that Kinski is truly an important man in the WDF, in the world. Ok he is a sociopath but the world needs him; and his disappearance...or...er...defection is one that can be considered as a nightmare. He is wondering how the powers-that-be in the WDF are coping.

When Alec joined the federation all these things came as a shock to him. He had not known all these when he was still a civilian. Well, the civilians are in fact oblivious to many things.

The masses were made to believe that the aliens are passive, have not attacked for years now, and their numbers dwindling --- which are far from the facts.

The WDF had cared for the civilians; letting them lived normal lives by sanitizing information about the true gravity of the situation. Civilians are cautiously kept innocent and oblivious over the true matters. They wouldn't know much about the greatest scientist that ever lived either.

'So he was one of the contributing minds in the making of the portal but it wasn't really his project,' he noted, noticing the more prominent names engraved on the plate. During the conception of the portal, Kinski was focusing on weapons of destruction so he was mainly a consultant for the project - he recalled from WDF's Insider Bulletin.

Phil is taking a while, he thought. He turned about and started looking around. He honestly don't know what he is doing looking for a girl he had never seen. He has no idea what she would actually look like. That photo Phil showed him didn't really give him a clear cut picture.

He went for the bench facing the portal, just two steps from where he stood. The museum's premises was still quiet with only a handful of people around.

As he was about to sit down, turning, there stood just on the opposite side of the glass tube of the portal from where he stood, yielded by her white complexion and the fogginess of the portal's translucent glass, stood Ava Kinski like an apparition he stopped short of sitting down. There was no mistaking it. He immediately recognized her from the rough photo to his amazement.

He didn't think she would be this strangely and disconcertingly stunning.