The Portal: Somaliland

The Unseen Epoch

In the bustling city of Hargeisa, a group of Somalilander scientists had established a lab hidden from the public eye. Their mission was not just groundbreaking, it was reality-shattering. They were on the verge of exploring alternate realities.

Dr. Aaden, the team leader, was a physicist with a wild imagination. His team consisted of brilliant minds: Faduma, the quantum mechanic expert; Abdi, the computer scientist; and Halima, the biologist. Together, they had built a machine capable of tearing the fabric of reality to open portals to alternate dimensions.

One day, they decided to venture into a reality where the Paleolithic era never existed. The machine whirred to life, its lights flickering as it began to open a portal. The air crackled with energy as a shimmering gateway appeared.

Stepping through the portal, they found themselves in an alternate Earth. The absence of the Paleolithic era meant that humanity had not experienced its first technological revolution - the creation of stone tools. This had profound implications on the development of human civilization.

The world they stepped into was drastically different. Without the advent of basic tools and control of fire, humanity hadn't risen to become Earth's dominant species. Instead, they found a world where evolution had taken a different turn.

In this reality, dinosaurs had not gone extinct but had continued to evolve. They were greeted by a sight of large reptilian creatures roaming in herds across vast plains. Some of these creatures had developed primitive forms of tool use and social structures.

The scientists spent days studying this world from their temporary lab setup. Faduma was fascinated by how quantum mechanics worked in this reality while Abdi marveled at the natural computing systems formed by interconnected trees and plants.

Halima studied the dinosaur species that had developed tool use. She observed their behavior and made notes about their societal structure which seemed to be matriarchal.

Dr. Aaden, meanwhile, pondered on the philosophical implications. In their reality, humans prided themselves on their intelligence and ability to create technology. But here was a world that had developed entirely differently due to one missing era in history.

After spending a week in this alternate reality, they returned to their own world, minds buzzing with new ideas and theories. Their view on life and history had been irrevocably changed.

Back in Hargeisa, they began to compile their findings, ready to share it with the scientific community. They knew this was just the beginning of their journey into alternate realities.