Chapter Text
You hate this job.
You scowl as you type code angrily into the computer, wishing you could’ve just stayed home in your warm bed and hide away from the world instead. Oh sure, you would think being a physicist working on such a momentous project would be a great thing. But, being the only one who has the level of coding skill needed to run this whole operation has taken a toll on your health. Not to mention you hate, no, despise your current co-workers.
They are all men who are almost twice the age of you, which alone made your skin crawl. But of course because of this, they tend to get a little too comfortable making offhanded comments towards you. You would think people in the science field would be happy to have more women in the field, and not to mention it’s 204X. But apparently old habits die hard for some people.
You push your chair back from your desk, rubbing your face trying to calm the headache building behind your eyes. You just wanted this project to be over. They took all the credit for your work, constantly mocked you, as if this whole operation wouldn’t crumble if you just walked out. The worst was the way they all looked at you. The way they continued to undress you with their eyes, the devilish glint in their smiles, the way they tried to get as close to you as possible without being in violation of any workspace codes. Your skin itched as their comments echoed in your mind. You knew you had horrible self-esteem, comes with being overly self aware, and their comments don’t make it any more bearable.
The only reason you haven’t walked out on this project is your boss threatened your whole career if you didn’t comply. You didn’t spend this many years of schooling to wind up working at a grocery store. You were terrified of what would happen if you retaliated, you never could bring yourself to break the rules, which results with you going with whatever they throw at you.
‘Fuckin Goodie Two-Shoes over here’ You thought as you read over the code you had just finished. The project was almost over, and you could get your life back together again. It was all going to get better, and that was the only hope that was keeping you going at this point. You set up the program to run as you walk out the door into the testing room.
This project had been in the works for years, but only now had it been given the greenlight to be brought to life. That’s when you were added to the team, the brain behind the whole machine so to speak. The project was the construction of a portal that could reach other universes, or multiverses. To expand our reach past just the space above us, but beyond our own reality. You have no clue why this project has been given as much attention as it has, sure you thought the concept of different realities was an engaging one, but you feel like our resources could be used for much better things. We still haven’t learned everything about the ocean in our own damn universe but sure let's go invade an entirely different timeline and screw with space and time.
You bring yourself back to focus on the finishing touches as you enter. The other people on your team were all there, preparing the first test, and you feel your entire body stiffen. You force your legs to continue to move, and pretend to be fine as usual. They, of course, don’t seem to notice or care as they look over to you.
“Code is all set, everythin should be good to go.” You tell them as calmly as you can, standing a few steps away. The team lead nods, and looks over as the finishing touches are put onto the frame. He usually had some sort of comment to make, but seemed he was too focused on the preparations to pay you any mind. The portal’s frame was circular in shape, and made of reinforced metals. Wires and screens were connected all over to give the bare frame a purpose, all ready to power and diagnose the test you were prepared to run.
The more you looked at the frame, the more uneasy you felt. Something about it felt…. wrong . There was a feeling deep in your gut that something was going to happen, but you couldn’t figure out what. Everything was double, even triple checked, that was standard procedure. Your skin itches as fear slowly fills your insides, like a dripping faucet. You stick your hands in the pockets of your lab coat as you try to push it aside, you always overthought things, maybe you were wrong? That didn’t stop you from biting the insides of your cheeks to try to distract your nerves.
Everyone was settling in to start the first trial run, as the last of the monitors were being set into place. But, just as the last wire was connected…
The lights flash
VROOMSHHHH
The portal roared to life, a loud and swirling mass of inky blackness had filled the frame. The lights fought to stay alive, struggling against the darkness leaking from the portal's opening. The room was flashing, wind was blowing around the room flinging papers everywhere. The noise was deafening, your fear boiling over as the others tried desperately to turn the cursed machine off. The darkness was menacing, an overpowering threat that made it hard for you to breathe as you tried to grab onto something, anything , to stabilize yourself. You KNEW this was a bad idea, not that anyone would’ve listened to you anyway. Just as you didn’t think it could get worse, your heart stopped.
You topple over before struggling desperately as the portal’s harsh winds sudden change in direction, trying to pull you towards it, into it!
You screamed as loud as your lungs could manage, but it fell on deaf ears. The rest of the team was so focused on trying to stop it that no one could see you being pulled closer towards the portal's evil clutches. You clawed at the floor, fighting desperately to save yourself from the fate you have found yourself with. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes, hair a mess as the wind tore through it, through your body as if you were hollow. You’re shaking, from the cold or fear you didn’t care anymore.
You were too far from anything to grab onto, the suction was too strong.
‘This is how you die’ You thought. Pulled into the depths of whatever hell they had unleashed into this testing room. Dying to a creation you didn’t even want to be a part of. A small, fragile girl was fated to be a victim to whatever eldritch horror had caught her. You hands and knees bled from scraping against the hard ground, but you continued your desperate attempt to free yourself. You clung onto the frame of the portal in one last effort, screaming out for someone to save you. You looked with blurry, tear-filled eyes for salvation, but was met with just the harsh cold winds around you. They didn’t even look up at you as they started trying to pull the machine apart to stop its unwavering assault.
No one noticed…
No one cared….
You are going to disappear, and no one will even acknowledge the suffering you are in…
You are worthless
These thoughts screamed through your skull, clinging with the last strength you had left to the edges of this hellish black hole. Suddenly, you could feel something wrap around your torso. It was cold, painfully cold, as if it was a tentacle made of ice. Its grip was strong and brutal, almost crushing your ribs as you struggled to breath. With one effortless tug you were ripped from the frame and sent flying into the swirling darkness, the dim lights of the lab room flying away from you at high speeds before disappearing completely from sight.
As soon as you were pulled through, the portal had shut down, and the lights returned to normal. Just as quickly as it happened, it was over. You were gone. Your team didn’t seem to notice.