Across Dimensions

“Bring him back” yelled Director Stevens.

“We’re trying sir, but the cross-dimensional flux is unstable and we can’t get a fix on him.” The pad in the center of the room was pulsating with energy. A three meter globe of blue-white energy forming, then fading above the pad. Cables running from several super computers fed power to the three meter pad. Four lasers positioned above and equal distance around the pad fired bursts of energy into the globe at precise calculated moments trying to stabilize the energy. The super computers making billions of new calculations as data returned via the cables. The scientists at the consoles around the room frantically adjusting parameters and settings based on the new data.

“We have him sir!” cried one of them.

The blue-white globe of energy stabilized, then started pulsing, growing in intensity. Suddenly, there was a burst of blinding white light, and then, it was gone. In it’s place on the pad stood a man. He took one step, and then, he collapsed.

——————————

“I think he’s regaining consciousness Director” said the nurse. Director Stevens got up from the chair he had been sitting in for the last hour and went to the bedside. The man in the bed was hooked up to monitors tracking his heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels. He was middle aged with black hair, a hint of gray at the temples, with rugged features and a strong jawline. He was starting to stir.

“Professor Hawkins, Professor Hawkins, can you hear me.” The man in the bed started to open his eyes trying to focus on his surroundings.

“What…. what did you say?”

“Can you hear me Professor?”

“Yes…. yes I can hear you.”

“What was it like? What was there?” asked Director Stevens excitedly.

“What was what like?”

“The other dimension! You were there for over two hours. What did you see there?”

“I…. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He focused on the man asking him all the questions.

“Do I know you?”

Director Stevens was taken aback. “I’m Daniel Stevens’ he said slowly, “the Director of this facility. You don’t remember me?”

“I don’t remember….. anything.” Just then, an attractive woman with long blond hair and a shapely figure rushed into the room. She ran over to the man in the bed and put her arms around him.

“Thank god you’re alright darling” she said, “I was so worried when I heard what happened, I got here as soon as I could.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently moved her off of him so he could get a good look at her. “I’m sorry” he said slowly, “I don’t know who you are.” She looked at him in shock.

“Sandra, I’m sorry” said Director Stevens, “I wish I could have warned you, it seems Robert has a case of amnesia.”

“Robert. Is that my name?”

“Yes” said Sandra, tears welling in her eyes, “Robert Hawkins, and I’m your fiancee Sandra Woods.”

“I wish I could remember all of this, but I…. I just don’t, I’m so sorry.” There was a pause and then Director Stevens spoke.

“All the tests show that you are in perfect physical health Robert, however, in the morning we will do a full neurological exam. Tonight, however, you should go home and get some rest. Maybe being around familiar surroundings will help jog your memory. Could you take Robert home Sandra?”

“Of course.”

——————————

Robert walked around the living room with Sandra at his side. “Does any of this look familiar?” she asked. There was a couch and two chairs in the room in front of a fireplace with a mantle, pictures on the mantle and on the walls.

Robert examined the pictures. A picture of him and Sandra on a rustic trail with a mountain in the background, him in what looked like a family portrait, the others in the picture having similar features, a picture of him with Director Stevens and three other distinguished gentlemen accepting the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He paused at a picture on the mantle.

“Beau” he said softly under his breath.

“What did you say?” asked Sandra.

“Beau, that’s my dogs name.” He was looking at a picture of him with a beautiful Golden Retriever.

“Yes, that was your dog Beau, but…. he passed away a few weeks ago.” The sudden happiness of remembering Beau was replaced by the sadness of seemingly losing him for a second time.

——————————

That night Robert slept fitfully, visions of dark shadows and monstrous shapes haunting his dreams. He also dreamed of happier things, memories resurfacing of him playing catch with his dad in the backyard, teasing his brother about a girl his brother liked, and a special dream where he was on his knee on a beach proposing to Sandra with the sun setting in the background. But those dark dreams kept returning and during one of those, as a monstrous shadow he was running from was about to catch him, he woke up in a cold sweat, panting.

Robert went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked in the mirror. He had bags under his deep brown eyes and he was tired, oh so tired. And then his eyes narrowed and a smile began to spread across his face, and his eyes, the pupils of his eyes turned from black to red.

“This fragile vessel will do” he spoke, “what must be done, will be done.”

——————————

The next day Robert went back to the Einstein Particle Physics Facility. He spent the morning getting a full series of neurological exams, and was now sitting in Director Stevens office waiting for the results.

“I’m glad to hear that your memory is starting to return” said Director Stevens, “but I can’t clear you for research until I get approval from the medical department.”

“But I feel just fine, and I’m remembering more things all the time, like…. that conference you and I attended in Las Vegas a few years ago,” he said with a smile.

“That you could forget!” Director Stevens said pointedly. “I’m sure your memory is faulty on the details anyway.”

“No…. I remember the details quite vividly from that trip” Robert said, his smile widening. Just then, the door opened and Sandra burst into the room.

“Have you gotten the results back from Robert’s tests.”

“Not yet, but they should be arriving soon” said Director Stevens.

Robert walked up to Sandra looking her in the eyes. “I remember us” he said “everything!” She looked deeply into his eyes and tears started running down her cheeks.

“I love you, Sandra.”

She rushed into his arms and they embraced, their lips meeting.

There was a knock on the door. Doctor Baylor entered the room. “I have the results from Professor Hawkins neurological exams. The complete report is being sent to your inbox, but suffice it to say all the results are in the normal range.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. Robert, you are officially cleared to resume your research” said a relieved Director Stevens.

“Great” said Robert who was still hugging Sandra. “I need to see all the data from the computers and the adjustments made that stabilized the cross-dimensional sphere.”

“Fine” said Director Stevens, “Tell me, have you remembered anything at all from your time in the other dimension?”

“No, like I said earlier, I’m just having those disturbing dreams that I told you about, which may or may not have anything to do with it.”

“Well, if any memories do resurface, please tell me.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

——————————

Robert and his team spent the afternoon going over all the data, settings and parameters from the day before, running several computer simulations. The cause for the instability of the cross-dimensional sphere was still a mystery, but computations were being put in place to adjust instantaneously for any future instabilities. It was getting late in the day, everyone preparing to call it a day and go home, when Director Stevens showed up.

‘Were getting close” said Robert, “we should be able to compensate for any instabilities in the sphere next time, however we still need to run a few more simulations to be sure.”

“That’s good” said Director Stevens, “but we still don’t know what caused you to lose your memory.”

“It could have been the instability itself, or just a byproduct of cross-dimensional travel. We won’t know for certain until we send someone again.”

“Well, I’m not authorizing that, until we know a lot more about what happened yesterday.

“Come on Daniel, science involves some risk, you know that.”

“Fine, how about we talk about it over dinner?” offered Director Stevens. " We could go to Giovanni”s, what do you say?”

‘Sounds good, But I’m going to stay a little while longer, I want to set up the simulations for tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, but don’t stay too late, we don’t know if there are any long term effects from your memory loss, you need to get some rest.”

“Yes dad” said Robert smiling, half an hour, promise.

——————————

When Robert finished setting up the simulations, he packed up his briefcase and headed for the door. Everyone else had already left, so he turned out the lights as he was putting his ID card in the security door reader.

He stopped just before inserting it, his eyes narrowing, a sly smile coming to his face, and the pupils of his eyes, turned from black to red. He went back to the computer terminals and began to furiously input data and computations.

——————————

Manuel of the janitorial staff was making his rounds as he entered the lab, emptying the trash and cleaning the floors.

“Oh, Professor Hawkins, you’re still here…. working late again?

“Something like that,” he said as Robert got up and approached Manuel.

“Professor, what’s wrong with your eyes” said Manuel alarmed. Robert thrust out his arm hitting Manuel in the chest with his palm so hard it threw him five feet through the air into the wall. Manuel slumped down unconscious.

——————————

Director Stevens woke up to the ring of his cell phone. He looked at the time, it was three o’clock in the morning. ‘Who could it be at this hour” he said sleepily to himself.

“Director Stevens, this is security, the cross-dimensional sphere lab is starting to power up.”

“What!” said Director Stevens, suddenly wide awake.

“It’s Professor Hawkins, sir, he’s locked down the lab and he not responding to our calls.”

“Well, keep trying, I’m on my way.” Daniel Stevens ended the call, and then dialed another number.

“Sandra, this is Director Stevens, Robert has locked himself in the lab and is powering up the cross-dimensional sphere.”

“Oh my god!”

“Meet me there, I’m leaving now.”

——————————

Director Stevens and Sandra arrived at about the same time. Security informed them that Professor Hawkins was still not responding to their calls. They raced through the facility and up the stairs to the observation deck overlooking the lab. There at a computer console below them sat Robert Hawkins.

“Professor Hawkins, this is Director Stevens, stop what your doing and unlock the security door to the lab.”

Robert Hawkins looked up at the two of them in the observation deck. “You’re too late….. they are coming” he spoke flatly through the intercom system.

“Robert’s eyes! remarked Sandra, “they’re red.”

“That is not Robert anymore” replied a startled Daniel Stevens.

“Oh Robert, what has happened to you” cried a distraught Sandra.

Robert looked up, and for a moment, his pupils turned black again and his expression softened. Then they were red again and he was back to work at the console.

“Did you see that” said Daniel, “Robert is still in there, we need to reach him.”

Just then, a mass of blue-white energy erupted on the pad, not a globe as before, but a three meter oval was formed. The oval was flat and the surface rippled with blue-white energy like liquid metal. And out of that portal stepped a being.

The being was nine feet tall, somewhat human shaped, but massively proportioned, it’s incredible weight cracking the floor tiles beneath it. It’s skin was red and leathery, claws on it’s hands and feet and there were horns on it’s head. It’s face wide and frightening with glowing red eyes and it sported a tail that whipped around, a sharp point at it’s end. It was the thing of nightmares and legends, every culture had a name for it, Iblis, Mara, Beelzebub, Lucifer or just the devil; the Demon Lord.

Daniel and Sandra stared in horror at the demon that had emerged from the portal.

“Sandra, you need to reach Robert now!” pleaded Daniel. Sandra looked back at Robert.

“Robert, I love you….. please come back to me” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “I need you Robert….. I will always love you Robert, no matter what!”

Robert slowly looked up, his pupils black again, a tear running down his cheek. “I love you too Sandra.”

“Robert you have to shut down the portal” implored Daniel.

Robert looked at the demon in front of him, just as several lesser demons were emerging from the portal. There were flying ones; the size of hawks, scaly and red, demon dogs; red and powerfully built and various others, some the size of grizzly bears, all of them with red glowing eyes.

“What have I done” cried Robert. He bent down to the terminal and began frantically working.

A second Demon Lord then emerged from the portal along with more lesser demons. The first Demon Lord had reached the security door to the lab, and with a flick of it’s wrist, tore the door from it’s hinges, sending it flying into the room beyond. The Demon Lord and the lesser demons left the lab spreading out into the facility itself.

——————————

Robert stared down at the terminal looking defeated. He then gazed at the portal as more and more demons emerged every second. And he made his decision.

Robert Hawkins bent down to the terminal and entered several passwords, commands and overrides into the system.

He looked up at Sandra and Daniel in the observation deck.

“I can’t shut down the portal from here” he said sadly. “I love you Sandra, I always have, from the moment I met you, and I always will.”

“Robert, what are you saying.”

“I’m saying you have to leave the facility and get as far away from here as possible in the next five minutes.”

“Robert, what have you done!” gasped Daniel.

“I’m sorry Dan. It’s the only way to shut down the portal.”

Just then, one of the flying demons hit the observation window, cracking it in several places, the cracks spreading rapidly.

“This is Director Stevens” he said over the facility intercom, Code 0, Code 0, evacuate the facility.”

“We have to go” insisted Daniel, as he grabbed Sandra by the arm pulling her toward the stairs.

“No, we can’t leave Robert” pleaded Sandra. Another flying demon hit the observation window and it shattered into a thousand pieces. They rushed down the stairs to Daniel’s car and sped toward the front gate of the facility.

At the front entrance to the building, two guards were firing on a Demon Lord as it smashed through the glass doors, their bullets having no effect. A flying demon and demon dogs were on them is an instant, tearing them limb from limb.

——————————

Daniel and Sandra’s car smashed through the barrier arm at the front gate and began speeding down the road away from the facility. A few other cars joined in behind them.

“What did Robert do” implored Sandra, “what did he mean when he said it’s the only way to shut down the portal?”

“It means…. that he has initiated a containment breach in the matter antimatter reactor that powers the facility. When the matter and antimatter meet, it will vaporize everything within a mile of the facility.”

“Oh Robert” and Sandra began to cry again.

——————————

Robert was sitting at the terminal thinking about the time he had first met Sandra. She was so beautiful, it had taken his breath away, but somehow he had managed the courage to introduce himself and talk to her. He had been quite awkward, but still she had found him quite charming.

One of the Demon Lords looked over at Robert. Seeing his black pupils, the demon approached Robert with contempt in it’s glowing red eyes. Robert stood up as it approached, and finding that courage again from when he had met Sandra, he stood defiantly before the Demon Lord.

“Go back to hell, where you belong!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, as the Demon Lord lashed out to strike Robert down.

——————————

Daniel and Sandra’s car was still barreling down the road away from the facility, when a blinding flash of white light engulfed them. Daniel hit the brakes to slow down the car. Fifteen seconds later the roar and shock wave of the explosion hit them. The car jumped slightly in the air, and then skidded sideways, and spun around a few times before finally coming to a stop.

Daniel and Sandra got out of the car and looked back toward the Einstein Particle Physics Facility. It was completely gone, the only thing remaining was a half-mile wide smoldering crater.

Out of the corner of his eye Daniel saw something and looked up. There, flying away to the south-west was a single flying red demon. Hopefully, the only demon to escape the explosion.

“Robert saved us all” said Daniel, “he saved mankind.”

“But no one will ever know, will they?” added Sandra with tears in her eyes.

“I’m afraid not. The portal across dimensions must never be opened again. Everything that happened here will be deleted and forgotten.”

“But we’ll know…. we’ll know.”