Maximus' voice fades when I focus on the large, green glowing portal in front of us. Thousands of whispers beckon me to come closer, to walk through and follow after them.

A soft object hits me in the face, breaking the trance.

"Hey! Grayson, pay attention!" Maximus says, picking up a bag with the title Marshmallows from the floor and smacking me with it.

"Sorry, I'm listening." I declare turning my back to the portal.

"These suits that I've given both of you have chameleon-like abilities. To activate the camouflage, just press the center of the right palm, and no one will be able to spot you. If you manage to damage any part of the suit, it will not become hidden like the rest of it and that will  result in your death. Because these only cover up to your neck, you will need to find a way to hide your head in order to be fully hidden." Maximus declares, pulling out a small knapsack for each of us.

"In here I've put some small, high energy snacks, water, and a communicator that also has the capability to open a portal on your side that will bring you back through this one. Be very careful with these devices, if you manage to break both of them, there's no way for you to get back till new years eve. It's unlikely that either of you will manage to survive there that long, don't break the devices." He hands us the knapsacks made of the same micro ball-like black and dark blue material that the suits are. "These will blend in with your suits if pressed against them."

Turning to Kai, Maximus gives her a tight hug. "Be careful Kai, if things get too dangerous, I want you to come back immediately."

She pulls away, her face gravely serious. "I'm not coming back without my parents, but I'll try to be careful."

I take a deep breath, going back to the place I barely escaped seems like a stupid idea, but I don't have much choice in the matter. This is for Kai and the survival of all galaxies. "Are you ready Kai?"

"Yes." She says grabbing my left hand tightly.

We walk forward together, stepping into the portal. The whispers grow louder, surrounding us like a chorus, and the world disappears from view. I feel nothing but the warmth of Kai's hand in my own. Green tendrils snake around my legs, traveling up my body, I fight against their pull, as they attempt to separate us.

The tendrils grow stronger ripping her hand from my grasp, "Kai!" My voice is lost in the nothingness when the world turns dark.

.............

Inhaling slowly, I open my eyes. The familiar dreary grey sky of my home world greets me. "Kai, I have to find Kai!" I spring to my feet, seeing the mirror that I had originally used to enter Maximus' mansion shattered on the ground.

The abandoned facility taunts me, promising to clear the muddled memories in my head, if I abandon Kai.

No, I can't do that. She doesn't deserve to be lost alone in a world like this. I pull out the disc shaped, black communicator, "Kai, this is Grayson, can you hear me? We got separated in the portal, where are you?"

Two minutes pass by with no response.

"Kai, if you can hear this answer me."

Panic begins to set in . She could be anywhere on the planet, I don't know where to start looking. This is bad, this is really bad. What do I do? Maximus, maybe he has a way to track her suit, he could tell me where she is.

I press the far left button, labeled with a white house symbol for home. "Maximus, this is Grayson, me and Kai got separated in the portal, I'm not sure what happened. She's not answering her communicator. Is there a way to track her suit?"

"What do you mean you got separated? That portal is supposed to go to one location, it's a good distance away from a military facility. Where are you? I'll see if I can pick up on her energy and trace her with that." Maximus' voice says, crackling slightly.

"I'm back at the place I entered your world from. Is the facility you're talking about the same one from the video of your first entrance into this world? If so, she might not be far, I'm at the military facility, it's abandoned now, at least it seems to be." I state walking towards the gates.

Glass shards crunch beneath the boots that Maximus gave to me, if he hadn't they'd likely be digging through my shoe into my foot right about now. For someone that seems to hate me, he sure does a lot to help. Maybe it's all an act, and he cares the tiniest bit for my well-being.

I put the communicator away, scaling the fence with as little movement as possible. My ribs ache each time I lift my arms towards the next chain-link grip point. I grit my teeth, not allowing the pain to stop me. Upon reaching the top I stop, wire with barbs and what looks to be an active electrical wire runs along it.

Crap, what am I supposed to do now? Maybe if I avoid gripping the electrical wire, I'll be fine, and it'll just be like a small zap.

A small demore flitters its fuzzy wings, lowering its scaled, long body to rest on the wire. It lets out a single squeak, before falling dead to the ground smoking.

Or not...All I have to do is avoid the wire, the barbed pieces are hovering but not in contact, I just need to get enough push to jump over it. Kai's alone in a world she's unfamiliar with, I can't waste time sitting here.

I close my eyes, walking my feet close to my hands. Bouncing slight I test the strength of the fence before kicking off and releasing my grip. My body sails high into the air, flying over the wires, my face and upper torso clear the danger zone before gravity begins to pull me towards the ground.

Pain shoots down my calf, and my descent halts.  I look up from my upside down position, barbed wire clings to the suit, digging into my skin just above the top of the ankle high boots. My foot begins to fall towards the electrical wire. I tense my body, pulling against the barbs piercing my flesh.

Twisting my body, I grab the chain link fence behind me. Once my grip is tight, I reach one hand further down than the other, yanking my leg roughly in an attempt to free it. The force of the pull sends my legs over my head, I lose my hold and free fall to the ground twenty feet below.

Unable to recover, my right leg impacts with the ground, a loud crack accompanied by intense burning pain makes me crumple to the ground. "Dammit!"

I sit up, looking at my leg to access the damage. Blood soaks through a visible hole in the suit, I look closer, seeing a white piece sticking out.  "That's bone, shit."

Using the fence for support, I stand up on my left leg. The right is twisted inward at a sickening angle. There's no way I'm going to be able to put weight on that. Regardless of this knowledge, I take a step, gasping and falling forward.

If I find a med bank, I can fix this. At least here we have advantaged enough medicine to heal bone injuries and speed general healing. I just need to locate one. But first, I should hop along, perhaps using a stick for support, to find Kai.

I locate a perfect size stick, using it to balance myself as I drag my useless leg on the ground. Lifting it hurts far too much to walk miles like that.

The communicator beeps, luckily not broken by the fall. I stop, taking it out of the knapsack. "Did you find her?" I ask gritting my teeth when another wave of pain shoots up my leg.

"Yes, she hasn't moved far from the starting position of the portal, she's probably waiting there for you." Maximus says.

"Okay, I'll let you know when I find her." I declare, dropping the communicator back in the bag.

I awkwardly hop, dragging my leg for what feels like hours, going towards the place Maximus directed me to. A building becomes visible in the distance, the closer I get the larger it becomes.

Stopping far enough away to not be visible, I pull the communicator out. This can't be right, if Kai's where Maximus said, that means she's in there.

"Did you find her?" He asks.

"No, where is her energy showing up again?" I ask watching people in lab coats mill about in the front door of the towering, white building with barred windows.

I hear the tapping of keys from his end. "She should be no more than half a mile away, and at a slightly lower elevation than you, perhaps a canyon of something."

My heart skips a beat when my fears are confirmed. Kai's in that building.

WC: 27, 179 (Even though it did not make it through the next round, I'm curious as to how many words it will be upon completion.)