Delayed Travel

{Interdimensional Travel}

As the weighty footsteps of four figures garbed in suits for underwater operations resounded through the passageway, Port Til intently scrutinized their movements via a surveillance camera inside his office. "They look pretty weak. Remind me again, why the awakening center is sending even more people?" he questioned while casting a glance at an official document bearing the word 'Granted' in green ink on his desk.

Sitting on one of the couches, a man named Soren, spoke with an air of certainty. "Their purpose is to set up communication channels, using research from a very good friend of ours, 'Telepathic Industries'. Also do not let their appearance deceive you, Mr. Port. These four are far from ordinary. They go by the names E006, E007, E008, and E009, otherwise known as the 'Armored Titans'.

Port Til arched an eyebrow, inquiring, "What sets them apart?"

"Their capabilities are nothing short of astounding," Soren responded, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "We subjected them to a series of trials to gauge their resistance to heat, impact, and radiation. For heat resistance, we exposed them to enough thermite to melt an entire tank. There was no damage to their suits, not even a scratch."

He paused to rise from the couch before adding, "In terms of impact resistance, we struck them with an old nuke, similar to the one that was dropped on Hiroshima. After the explosion, we found them sitting on the ground, exchanging jokes and laughing as if nothing had happened" As he went on his voice grew increasingly energetic. "And as for radiation resistance, we stationed them beside radioactive material that emitted a whopping 100,000 rems of radiation. To put things into perspective, 5,000 rems would instantly kill a person upon contact. But these four emerged more hale and hearty than before the experiment had even started!"

With a light nod of his head, Port Til turns his gaze to the four individuals while muttering, "Indeed, appearances can be quite deceiving."

As the four titans entered the portal room. One of them pulled out a vial of blood labeled: E049 and crushed it in his hand, allowing its contents to freely flow from his hand onto the floor. It then stood there motionless, waiting for the portal to activate.

However, after waiting for an hour, the atmosphere began to heavy with Soren's eyes narrowed to a slit. "Why isn't the portal taking them away?" he demanded with anger evident in his voice.

Port Til calmly shrugged his shoulders while picking up a cigar and offering one to Soren, who declined with a wave of his hand. "It means that the portal can't find the person," he explained as he reached for a remote, grabbed it, and pressed button 1 to connect to the teleportation room's microphone. "Go ahead," he said, gesturing for Soren to speak.

"Experiment 006, pour the other vials with half an hour delay between each pour," his voice firm and commanding.

E006 nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to pour out vial E142.

Five hours later, Soren glared at Port Til with frustration in his eyes. He pulled out a stress ball, squeezing the life out of it, before speaking words containing venom, "Explain this failure?"

Rolling his eyes, Port Til explained, "There are two possible reasons for this failure." He rose two fingers. "They're either all dead, and their corpses destroyed," he stated as he lowered one of his fingers. Continuing, he added, "Or someone on the other side has found out about this and is causing the portal to fail. Of course, there's also the possibility of their DNA having been tampered with, although that is highly unlikely."

Soren listened to Port Til's explanations with a scowl, his mind preparing for the worst. "What are the chances of them dying?" he asked, his tone tense.

Port Til shrugged nonchalantly. "Hard to say," he replied, having a smoke from his cigar. "It's far more likely that someone on the other side has stopped us from connecting to their world."

Soren Took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out while loosening his muscles, asking "Do you have a solution?"

"Given my current knowledge, it could take up to ten years to solve this problem," Port Til replied, his voice tinged with regret. "However, there are reports of alien teleportation technology at Area 51. If I could get our hands on that, I might be able to expedite the process significantly."

Soren snorted derisively. "Area 51 doesn't exist. It's just a myth concocted by the masses to entertain themselves."

As he released those words, a phone in the room suddenly rang. Port Til grew a smirk before answering it, and a voice coming from the other end eagerly asked, "How much time reduction can we expect from the alien technology?"

"As long as you bring a few of their scientists along, I bet I can get this done within five years," Port Til asserted.

". . .Make it three, and you've got a deal," the voice countered.

Port Til grinned triumphantly. "Did I say five years? I meant three," he said with a chuckle.

A beat passed, and then the phone went dead.

"I didn't hear a no!" Port Til exclaimed.

Soren could only shake his head in disbelief at Port Til's antics, his hand slapping his forehead. This was going to be a long day.