Amber opens his eyes, feeling the cool tiles beneath him as he lies on the floor of Maxwell’s lab.

  “Hello?” he mutters, pushing himself upright as Maxwell turns to him.

  “You… You’re awake!” Maxwell remarks, his hands leaving the keyboard as he backs away from the computer. “How are you feeling?”

  “I… I’m Fine, I guess… Where are we? Is Lana okay?” he adds, turning to Lana, who lies beside him, still unconscious.

  “Don’t worry, she’s fine. There was a large explosion, and when I went to investigate, I found you two. My name is Maxwell, Maxwell Corleno,” he answers, watching as Amber grips his head.

  “Maxwell? Like, the Maxwell?” Amber mutters, slumping against the wall. “I… I read your book, the one about alternate realities. I didn't really understand it, but it was still a good read,” Amber remarks.

  “I spent most of my life on it. It would have been impressive if you had managed to understand the material. How about you? What’s your name?”

  “Amber Menzando,” Amber answers, looking up at Maxwell, who stands in the center of the lab. “What… happened?”

  “If you’re referring to the metal covering my body, Maroon found me.”

  “I’m… sorry,” Amber adds. He turns to Lana, watching as she opens her eyes, groaning quietly.

  “Good, you’re both awake. Perfect timing, too, as I just finished repairs,” Maxwell announces. Lana looks up at Maxwell, pushing herself to her knees.

  “Hey… You look like the guy from the book,” Lana mutters, gripping her head. “Damn, my head hurts…”

  “Thank you, I am. Before you ask, my body looks like this because Maroon attacked me. I have important stuff to ask you, so both of you, please stay quiet for a moment,” Maxwell remarks, looking down at them. “Where did that massive explosion come from?” Amber exhales, glancing at Lana.

  “I… don't remember… Do you?” he mutters.

  “It’s gonna be hard to believe, but… I could have sworn it came from Amber. He… Are you okay with me telling him this?” she asks, turning to Amber, who nods. “Well, he punched her, and next thing I knew, there was a bright light, then I was knocked unconscious.”

  “Interesting… Lux, what do you think of this? Do I still need to report Maroon?” Maxwell asks. Lux stares at Amber, the pupil shrinking slightly before flashing purple.

  “Reporting Maroon remains the only option… though I suggest taking these two with you,” Lux answers.

  “Who… are you talking to?” Lana asks, staring at Maxwell.

  “Can you two… not hear Lux?” Maxwell questions.

  “No,” she replies, glancing back at Amber again.

  “Me neither,” Amber adds. Maxwell exhales, turning to the machine on the wall.

  “Anyways, I want to invite you… I have some important things I’m doing, things that should solve the whole… Ammolite problem,” Maxwell remarks, watching as Amber and Lana stumble to their paws.

  “What is it you’re doing?” Lana asks.

  “Honestly, I doubt you’d believe me,” Maxwell adds, approaching the machine.

  “After what happened to both of us just… earlier today… or maybe yesterday… anyways, try us,” Lana remarks.

  “Both of you?” Maxwell mutters, turning to her. “What happened to you? You made it sound like he was the one who attacked Maroon.”

  “He was, But I… I actually think you might not believe me… It’s hard to explain… maybe I should just show you,” Lana adds, turning to Amber, who backs away slightly. Lana stabilizes herself before flicking her wrist, her guitar appearing in her grasp. Maxwell’s eyes widen, his ears twitching. He takes a step toward, staring at the instrument.

  “That's… incredible! But what… what can you do with it?” he asks. Amber leans against the wall, watching as Lana grasps her arm, inhaling.

  “I, uh…” she stammers as Maxwell stares at her. She turns to Amber, exhaling.

  “It explodes,” Amber answers, causing Maxwell to turn to him. “We don't know much else… This all happened what feels like an hour ago.”

  “What causes it to explode?” Maxwell questions, his gaze shifting to the guitar as he approaches.

  “When I swing it, I think… It happened when the guitar broke last time,” she mutters, holding it out to him. Maxwell carefully grabs the neck of the guitar as she releases her grip, allowing him to lift it to his face and inspect the surface.

  “How did this happen?” he asks, flipping it over to look into the opening.

  “Well, there was this old legend… called Celestial Inheritance,” Lana begins, watching as Maxwell sets the guitar on the floor.

  “I’ve heard of that one… Mount Emerald, correct?” Maxwell asks, watching as the guitar suddenly vanishes with a crack, causing his ears to twitch. “That legend was from an old book that was written over ten thousand years ago.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Well, it… was real, I guess,” she mutters, looking away as Maxwell stares at her again. “And there was… something else… According to a medic, I had died, and then came back.” Maxwell exhales, glancing back at the computer.

  “I guess after everything that’s happened, my story isn't too strange. I tested my machine after Maroon found me, and ended up in… another world… According to the person there, what I had made was called a Stargate… at least that’s what I gathered. This machine,” Maxwell begins, gesturing to the device resting against the wall. “Is a combination of their tech and mine… I am attempting to return there, because according to Lux, which is the thing I was talking to, there are people there who are capable of containing Maroon. I want you to come along, because I don't know what else is there,” Maxwell remarks, turning to the computer. Amber turns to Lana, then back to Maxwell.

  “As long as Lana’s up for it, I guess I’m in,” Amber replies.

  “I'm… I’m in,” Lana adds, turning to the machine. Lana opens her mouth to speak, freezing as a knock echoes from the door. Maxwell turns to the entrance, taking a slow breath as he glances at Amber.

  “If it’s Maroon, do you think you could pull that stunt again?” Maxwell asks, watching as Amber swallows.

  “I… could try… But I don't even remember what happened,” he answers as Maxwell approaches the exit. He peers through the small hole in the center of the door before reaching up and grasping the handle.

  Shari stands outside the door, her hand clamped around her right arm as she takes a deep breath. She glances up as it creaks open slightly, Lux’s red pupil staring at her from the thin opening.

  “Shank?” Maxwell questions before pulling the door open fully, staring at her. “Why… are you here?”

  “I… I wanted to help,” Shari begins, looking away. Maxwell stares at her for a moment before stepping aside.

  “Come in,” he adds.

  “You… just like that? You trust me?” Shari mutters. Maxwell continues to stare at her, holding the door open. Shari glances inside at Lana.

  “I know you won't hurt us,” Maxwell adds, watching as she steps inside. She looks around at the machine, then back at Maxwell.

  “How… do you know I won't hurt you?” she mutters.

  “Because I know the people in that town by Mount Emerald,” he replies, turning to the computer. “And you’re just bad at keeping secrets.” Maxwell’s hands begin typing on the keyboard as Shari approaches Lana and Amber.

  “Shank, you… changed your look,” Lana mutters, staring at her.

  “Maroon… Didn’t like the idea of me… I prefer this form,” Shari adds, still holding her arm. “And… I prefer the name Shari.” Lana nods, watching as Shari leans against the wall.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Lana remarks, giving Shari a gentle smile.

  “You’re… welcome…” Shari replies, looking away.

  “Well, Shari, how about you join us?” Maxwell announces as the screen before him displays a line of text.

  “Join you? What are you doing?” Shari asks, staring at Maxwell as he turns around.

  “I am planning to use that machine over there to go somewhere that might be able to stop Maroon,” he answers.

  “Where… would that be?” she mutters, glancing at the device once again.

  “Another world,” Maxwell replies, leaning against the computer. “Or… reality, I suppose.”

  “You… You found a way to… to go to other worlds?” Shari asks, her grip on her arm tightening.

  “Yeah… but you don't seem as surprised as I expected.”

  “That’s… how we got here,” Shari admits, looking away again as Maxwell exhales.

  “Well, then you should have experience with this… Will you join us?” Maxwell asks, staring at her. Shari nods, looking back at Maxwell as he turns back to the computer. “This machine is the first of its kind, so in theory it should work flawlessly, but it's impossible to know for sure.”

  Amber glances at Shari, inhaling before speaking.

  “So… You were… not with Maroon?” Amber asks, watching as she turns to him.

  “I… technically was… but I never… killed anyone,” she answers, looking down at the floor. “She… I wanted to do something, but she’s… stronger than I am… I only got away because I managed to catch her off-guard.”

  “Well, you saved Lana… so I trust you,” Amber adds, looking up at Maxwell as he steps away from the computer.

  “Lux, activate the stargate,” he demands, turning to the machine. He watches as purple and blue energy radiates through the arch, shocking the ground around it and causing the building to shake.

  “This should create a two-way stargate between here and some place called the heart!” Maxwell calls, shouting over the loud hum of the machine. With a loud thud, a faint wave of energy pulses through the lab, causing the tiles around the stargate to crack.

  “There is also a chance that it pulls everything around it inside, so I’ve made some preparations in case that happens!” he adds. With another thud, the floor near the machine shatters, small fragments being lifted into the air as electricity crackles inside the arch. With one last thundering crash, a large fracture appears in the air beneath the thin walls, shaking violently with light as Amber, Lana, and Shari shield their eyes.

  “Chance of success has gone from thirty-two to sixty-four,” Lux remarks. Maxwell watches as a blurry image appears in the opening, a faint outline of the tower visible.

  “It’s working!” Maxwell shouts, staring into the fracture before his grin starts to fade.

  “I detect a faint pull coming from the stargate… chances of success are down to forty-seven percent,” Lux adds. Maxwell shields his face as a burst of electricity shoots from the image, a whip-like stream of energy striking the computer behind him before ripping it from the wall. The computer crashes into Maxwell, throwing him forward as strings of energy latch onto the metal walls around the stargate. Maxwell stands, stumbling back before a web of electricity slams into his chestplate.

  “Is this normal?” Shari shouts, grasping onto the window as she, Amber, and Lana begin sliding towards the opening.

  “No! This isn’t supposed to happen! Lux, block off the stargate!” he demands, listening as a strange, distorted sound radiates through his mind.

  “Systems… interference…” Lux manages to mutter, most of its speech warped. Maxwell watches as the image slowly sharpens before the energy connected to his chestplate arches, ripping him off the ground and throwing him through the opening, the impact causing the cracks to spread rapidly as he bursts through, causing the image to distort again.

  “Maxwell!” Amber shouts, the wind causing him to fall to the ground. He sinks his claws into the space between the tiles, holding himself in place as Shari stares at the large fracture, the wind growing stronger. Lana grasps onto Shari before the entire structure around them buckles, sending a loud crash echoing through the air as the barriers are ripped towards the opening. Lana grabs onto Amber’s arm as the tiles shatter, the winds growing stronger as the walls continue to warp. A shockwave shoots through the chamber, the winds dying slightly before a string of energy strikes Amber, causing his muscles to tense. The electricity then arches, ripping him out of Lana’s grasp and flinging him through the opening, causing the image to become fully distorted once again. Lana releases Shari, reaching for Amber before another string wraps around her arm and throws her into the stargate after him. Shari then exhales and leaps forward, energy surrounding her before pulling her through.