Rebirth of a Rebellion; Stranded in a Parallel Universe

CHAPTER TWO: Captain Detrich

As the machine appeared in the center of the woods, all trees in a fifty-yard radius were vaporized due to the energy of the machine cutting through space and time. Chloe was the first one out of the device, followed by Jason. Aidan stayed behind to gather some gear. Inside the machine, eight chairs circled around the central control seat.

            He opened a floor panel in front of the control seat and grabbed a black backpack; he then unzipped it and checked it to ensure he had everything he needed. After a quick inventory, he joined the others outside.

Jason picked up some dirt, shuffled it in his hands, dusted his hands off, and looked around amazed.

             Meanwhile, Chloe looked confused and couldn't tell if they were in a different world. The only thing she knew for sure was that they were in the woods. "Did it work?" She asked.

            "Of course," Aidan said, tapping the screen on his watch, sending the machine back to their universe. "This is the designated spot when we are ready to return home. If we somehow get separated, we meet here."

            Jason nodded. "Can we get this adventure started?"

            Aidan nodded his head in agreement. "We should get going while there is still some daylight left."

The sun just began to set as they reached the road in the middle of nowhere, still surrounded by trees. The streets were empty, and there was absolutely no one around.

          They walked down the quiet, open road, and chills began running up Chloe's spine as it

began sinking in that she was no longer in her world. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more but to go back home. However, she remembered that she came of her own volition, so Chloe figured she had no choice but to continue, at least for now.

            On the other hand, Jason was like a kid who had their first trip to an amusement park and was curious to find out what it was like there.

            Meanwhile, Aidan is anxious to see his parallel parents and fiancé; of course, he finds them.

             By the time they'd reached a town, it was nighttime. They stopped at the intersection under the only streetlight. The neighboring streets and the rest of the area were completely blacked out. They would all agree that this place really began giving them the creeps.

            "This looks like a ghost town," Jason said, "something you'd see in a horror film."

            "Yeah, it does," Chloe said, holding on to him.

            "We can go back," Aidan said.

            "No. We made it this far." Jason said.

            Aidan looked at Chloe. "Chloe?"

            As badly as she wanted to leave, she didn't know how to tell them. She shrugged her shoulder, and Aidan interpreted it as if she didn't mind if they'd continued.

            Aidan reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of black gloves that looked like something bikers would wear. He extended his right index finger, and a bright light appeared from his fingertip. He then raised his index and middle fingers, and the light brightened from both fingers.

"Flashlight gloves—dude, that's awesome," Jason said, smiling.

            "Believe it or not, I just made them two nights ago. They're just a prototype. However, they seem to be doing the job."