Let's start at the beginning, before the world collapsed. It was past midnight, and the air was beginning to grow cold and damp. In a few moments, a young scientist would invent the most incredible, and the most dangerous thing in the history of man. His eyes were bagged with fatigue and exhaustion, his eyes half-closed as he continued to slave away at his desk. Ying was a young man around the age of 16. He was small, smaller than most, standing at around 5'2. His hair was medium length, jet black, and tended to spike and stand up if left uncombed. He had a severe case of baby face, and his eyes were bright red (a side effect of an earlier experiment involving some gnarly chemicals and red phosphorus). He was wearing a lab coat that was just slightly too long, and a pair of loose fitting sweatpants so he could work comfortably through the night.
The room was small and bland, discarded mechanical parts sprinkled all around. The light on his desk was dim, making it hard to see. His whole body ached from being in the same place too long, but he would not let himself quit. Not when he was so close. He continued to pry and screw and weld, getting ever closer to his goal. He was putting together a small box that, unbeknownst to him, would soon become his greatest success, and his biggest mistake. As he added the finishing touches, the device suddenly lit up. On the outside it was just a metal box with some fancy lights. On the inside, a vast array of complex machinery and wondrous science worked together to create something truly beautiful.
Ying's crusty eyes widened as he saw the box begin to glow. His heart began to race, and he gulped with anticipation. This was it. How many times had he done this? How many attempts had it been? Every time he got to this stage, he was ultimately disappointed by the outcome. Time after time he got his hopes up, only to be met with soul-crushing failure. This was it. He had got everything right, he was sure of it. Once he pressed that button, 3 long years of work would finally pay off. He gingerly approached the box with his index finger and pressed the only button.
All of a sudden, a small green light shone above the box. Ying blinked a few times. The new light was much brighter than his dim desk lamp. When his eyes were adjusted, he raised head with cautious excitement. Sure enough, standing before him was his new creation. A small hole with a green hue around the edges, and a texture like broken glass. Ying held his breath, and his heart skipped a beat. This was it, he had done it. As he began to fully realize the extent of his success, his joy continued to grow. He started bouncing up and down in his seat, and before long he could no longer contain himself. He leaped out of his chair with an energy he hadnt shown in a long time, and let out a victorious cry for all to hear.
"I JUST CRACKED SPACETIME!"
He ran around his small lab like a kid on christmas. His whole teenage life had been building to this point. And finally, finally he had proven to himself and the world that he was right. The dream he had been chasing since middle school had finally been realized. He had never felt such joy before. His heart was full, and his mind was content. After relishing in his newfound bliss for a few minutes, he figured he had to tell someone. He couldnt keep this to himself anymore. He decided to call his coworker, Kadie Briggs.
Kadie was also a young scientist, around 19 or so. She had been hired by Ying after she flunked out of college, and they worked together ever since then. Kadie was a bright girl, but she was riddled with anxiety. She had light brown, very curly hair that she could never keep under control. She had freckles all along the bridge of her nose, and big brown eyes that were covered by half moon glasses. She wore her hair in a ponytail, along with a neat lab coat and long pajama pants that dragged on the floor.
"Whaaaaaaat…" groaned Kadie, "its so-"
"I DID IT BRIGGS!" Cried Ying, his voice cracking from excitement.
He sent her a video of him creating 2 small portals, and throwing a ball of aluminum through one and out the other. Briggs paused for a moment as she fully woke up, and then…
"HOLY- THAT'S AMAZING!" Yelled Briggs, finally grasping the importance of the situation.
"I KNOW! I KNOW I KNOW!" Ying yelled back, his inner child showing a little.
After several long minutes of excited screaming and celebration, they finally began talking about the future and the implications of portal travel.
"Do you think you'll be able to find the source of your dreams?" Asked Kadie as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Either that, or I'm crazy," said Ying, "they're equally possible options."
Kadie sighed and looked at the time. "Maybe once you get your answers you'll finally let it go."
Ying became a bit defensive. "Look- these dreams are a plague, ok? I wanna get rid of them. They're the source of a lot of my personal problems, you know this."
Kadie sensed his sensitivity and doubled back a bit. "I know I know, I just can't believe that's the reason you invented the greatest thing in history. Because of some nightmares."
"Me neither, but here we are. Soon, the world is gonna change forever." Ying gave a contented sigh as he laid his head on his desk.
Kadie raised a curious eyebrow. "Why?"
"You'll see." Ying gave her a mischievous smile.
"Well, whatever. I'm happy for you, Ying. This is gonna be huge for your career, and mine if you let me piggy back off ya." Kadie said gleefully.
"Cmon what did I say about first names? We gotta be professional right now." Ying said sternly.
Kadie sighed, exasperated. "Don't be so formal. We're friends, not just coworkers. You just invented teleportation for god's sake! You should relax."
"Alright alright," said Ying, giving in with a smile, "I'll see you tomorrow. We have a lot to prepare for."
"Again, prepare for what?" Kadie pried.
Ying chuckled. "You'll, see."
Ying had been trying to invent portal travel for around 3 years. When he was around 10, he began experiencing disturbing visions that sent him down a massive spiral of depression and paranoia. Somehow, in the deepest part of his heart, he knew these visions were real. He knew they were real, and he was terrified of the implications and the dreams themselves. He tried to tell people, he tried to get help from his parents and friends, but no one ever believed him. After around 3 years of being in and out of clinics, therapist offices, and being on and off a thousand different medications, he was pretty checked out of it all. He was done with all the problems, and decided to pour himself into finding a way to reach the place in his dreams.
This invention was what his whole life was about now, so it was important to make it big. Ying put together an event for people to come witness history's brightest moment 2 weeks from that day. After an initial demonstration of his portals, he would answer any questions that people may have, and a government-operated squad would enter the portal. At least, that was the general idea. There were likely to be a few hiccups along the way, like a difficult question or a wild accusation, but it would work itself out. He had practiced for these interviews, and felt fairly confident in his public speaking skills. Nothing Ying couldnt handle.
He had always been smart, incredibly smart. By the time he was 11, he was in high-school level geometry and algebra, as well as AP chemistry and robotics. Sure, he got picked on in school due to his young age and unique circumstances, but he always felt satisfied somehow. He knew he was better than all these dull brutes that would put him down. While they were struggling to read and write properly, Ying could compete with juniors and seniors if he really put his mind to it. So, after the dreams (along with other things) finally pushed him over the edge, he decided to put it to good use. He got his diploma 2 years early at the age of 13, and went off to be a freelance scientist.
That Sunday afternoon, there was a massive crowd around the city center. 100,000 people had come to see the spectacle of portal travel. News helicopters and reporters were everywhere, and the noise of the crowd was deafening. Ying had decided to unveil his invention in the small park in the middle of town. Ying and Kadie were behind a stage that had been built for this event.
"Here we go." Ying mumbled as he hopped up and down, "I upped the scale for this one."
"You did what?" Said Kadie, concerned.
"I said I upped the scale. I pumped more power into it and did some reconfiguration, so if my estimations are correct it should be about 600 feet tall by 300 feet wide. Taller than all of the skyscrapers in the city." Ying said absent mindedly as he jotted down some notes on a clipboard.
"You really do like to go big or go home… Are you sure that's safe?…" Said Kadie, twiddling her thumbs nervously. "Why didn't you run this by me? Where did you even get that much power?-"
Ying cut her off. "Kadie, I'm never fully sure if any of the stuff I do is safe… but I'm confident this will be fine." Ying said with pride. "And I borrowed the city's power, if you must know, along with these massive generators."
Ying showed her a photo of 6 ginormous cylinders that were waiting for them on stage.
"Mmmmmrrrrrrr" Kadie growled, "you know I don't like to be unsure of things."
"It'll be fine. And if it's not, we try again." Said Ying as he tightened some screws on his portal device. "What's the worst that could happen?"
The portal device was an interesting piece of machinery. On the outside it was just a fancy metal box, but on the inside lay a vast array of futuristic machinery capable of ripping holes in space and time. The best way Ying had found to describe his machine is, quote: "If punching a hole in a piece of paper is like creating a 2d portal to both sides of the paper, then my machine punches holes in space time to create a 3d portal to 2 places in the universe."
Ying put on a wonky-looking helmet and started tightening the straps.
"What's that for?" Kadie said as she poked at the strange looking hat
"This will allow me to create a portal in any location I want just by thinking about it. I'm going to aim for the place in my dreams." Ying said as he finished his preparation.
Ying took a few deep breaths as he prepared to go out before the public.
"Here we go… no turning back." he whispered to himself.
He took a deep breath, and walked out from behind the curtain to take his place on stage. Cheers erupted from the crowd, a cacophony of nonsense sound louder than any noise Ying had ever heard. Immediately reporters began badgering him with questions, but he waved them away.
"I'm sure you're all very curious, but please save all questions for after the demonstration. We wanna show you what our portal technology is capable of." Ying said confidently.
Ying attached his box to a pile of wires that connected to the 6 generators. Each was about the size of an oil tanker's load, and it was frankly a miracle the stage could hold them. Along with the city's power, this would give Ying enough energy to create a portal that reached the skies.
"Oh before I forget, Kadie, will you grab me that little emergency 'home' button I made?" Ying said as he was setting up.
Kadie quickly rushed behind the curtain and handed Ying a small device with only one button.
"Thank you" sighed Ying as he finished twisting a knob on the box.
"Everyone! We are about to make a portal bigger than anything most of you were expecting! Hopefully this will give you all a glimpse into the other side! We dont wanna leave anyone out after all!" Cried Ying, "Can everyone give me a countdown from 3!?"
The crowd was ecstatic, their cheers making it hard to think. 3. Ying braced himself for the biggest moment of his life, his entire career was hinging on this. 2. Everything had been leading up to this, all his life decisions, all his mistakes. He had to get this right. He raised his hand over the button that would change history for good, and focused on his dream. 1.
Ying shakily pressed the button. Almost immediately the sky began to split open. The very fabric of space and time began to crack, bend and fold to reveal a split in the seam of reality. It was massive. It dwarfed practically the entire city. It almost looked like a crack in a pane of glass, with a bright green glow around the edges. Ying instantly knew that something was wrong. The portal should be see-through, but instead it was just… black. Empty, haunting blackness with a hint of green. The crowd was silent. Everything was silent. The whole world had paused in suspense. Kadie and Ying exchanged horrified looks, and then…
All of a sudden, a truly gigantic claw reached through from the other side. From the rift came a petrifyingly horrific… something. Its claw was the size of a school bus. It came down, and gently, carefully, almost precisely, crushed… the portal box. Ying's blood ran cold. The second that the box was crushed, he knew in his heart there was no stopping this. That box was the only way to open and- more importantly- to close his portals. Time seemed to be frozen. The crowd was not reacting, everyone was still frozen in suspense. Then… a second claw reached out from the breach, followed by a boney, skinny arm with 3 arm sections instead of the normal 2. The skin on the arm was pure white, and where fingers were supposed to be, there were 7 thick tendrils with tiny needles covering them like a bush.
The claw crashed down into the crowd, killing who knows how many people in an instant. Time seemed to resume as soon as the hand reached the crowd. A stampede of 100,000 people ran rampant through the city, trying to get away from whatever that thing was. Everything began to fall apart immediately. Cars caught on fire, the sound of glass breaking could be heard from every direction, and the screaming was loud enough to reach all the way up to the ignorant god that let this happen.
Out from the portal came a massive creature that towered over the city. Its head had no eyes or nose, just a disgusting maw for a mouth filled with tongues that took up its entire face. It had 6 ears, and its ears almost resembled gills as they shivered about, trying to hear in this new environment. It had 4 arms, and each arm had 3 sections instead of the normal 2. It had nearly 100 legs, all long and spindly. Each leg split off near the bottom into 3 spikes that were used as feet. On its back was a large spinal fin, much like a spinosaurus, only this monstrosity used its fin as a spine-chilling rattle. Its skin was pearl white, and it looked like old leather. Its stomach opened up to reveal a hollow cavity, most likely for storing prey for later consumption. Behind this cavity you could see its internal organs, pumping and shaking about.
Ying looked on in horror as this wretched creature from the other side reared up its head, rattled its spinal fin, and… shrieked. A haunting, high-pitched, other-worldly, deafening scream. As it cried this cry of death across the city, thousands of smaller aliens flooded out of the bottom of the portal. These smaller creatures were about the size of a person. They were skinny and frail looking. Their mouths were somewhat human looking, except for inside their mouth there were hundreds of tiny needles, much like the larger monster's fingers. Their face was as barren as the Kaiju, only possessing a mouth and 2 ears. Their ears were just 2 holes in their head, and their neck was so skinny its a wonder they could even hold their head up. Their arms had 3 sections and their hands had 7 massive claws at the ends. their torso was bent forward like an old man. They only had 2 legs, but their legs ended in a talon much like a bird. Their skin was also a bright white color, but these had a more slippery texture.
They poured out like water into the streets screaming and clawing at one another, desperate to be the first to get to their soon to be victims. Ying held his head in his hands as he started to hyperventilate. What had he done? Why was this happening? His eyes were wide with fear and regret. He turned to Kadie. Kadie was acting similarly, and she was muttering something. Kadie met Yings eyes.
"What… what's happening? What did we do?… What do we do now!?" She stammered, her eyes wide with fear.
Ying couldn't answer. He was frozen. He looked out on to the sea of people, now being swarmed by these new critters. He saw people being ripped apart, helpless as they were descended upon by horrors of his creation. He then spied a little girl, cornered and alone behind a burning car. He watched, petrified as a creature slowly approached her, her screams unable to reach anyone through the wave of noise. Closer, closer still, and then… CRUNCH.
Ying was distraught, terrified, so many emotions overwhelmed him and… nothing. Suddenly he felt a rush of numbness come over him. He knew what he had to do now. There was nothing left. This was the path to his dream, he knew it. He had to at least get answers before everything went to hell. He looked back at Kadie who was rushing to find something to defend herself. She met his gaze again. She was panicked, her eyes wild with fear. He looked at her with tired eyes, and he gave her a wide smile. She guessed what he was thinking. She ran towards him yelling something, but Ying couldn't hear her over all the noise. He stepped back for a moment, took a running start and jumped head first, into the portal.