Despite its appearance to the outside observer as a busy movie studio, Opfer Productions hadn't made an actual film in its existence, and all the activity on the lot was a sham to cover its true purpose.

Evan Wallace entered the main gates, passing the two security guards with a nod of acknowledgment. He walked by numerous movie sets, ignoring both them and the people moving about with single-minded determination. A palm scanner verified his identity before allowing him into building nine. The interior was dark, and Evan marched through the artificial jungle and around mechanical dinosaurs currently on set to reach a janitorial closet near the back wall. Despite being alone, Evan still examined his surroundings, taking no chances on anyone observing what he was about to do.

Entering the janitorial closet and closing the door behind him, Evan reached past the bottles of cleaning chemicals crowding the wall mounted shelves to press a concealed switch. The rear wall sank into the floor, opening the way into a hidden part of the building.

The secret room, barely larger than the janitorial closet next to it, was lit by a single overhead light. A circular disk resided in the middle of the floor, and a ring of soft blue glowed around the perimeter. Even stepped upon the disk, and a deep humming filled the room around him.

"What is the status of the matter transmitter?" a commanding voice demanded to know from the darkness all around Evan, and he recognized it as his superior. Although the head of Opfer Productions went by the name Axel Schafer, it was a fake identity, much like the studio itself. He didn't know the man's real name, but it didn't matter. Obedience to the Master was what mattered, and Evan's devotion was absolute.

"The last test subjects didn't survive, Master," Evan reported. "We're making progress."

"Progress is not enough," Axel countered sternly. "We need success. It's nearly time for the Arrival. If preparations are not completed, everything will have been for nothing."

"I will not fail you," Evan promised.

"Finished or not, we must proceed with the next step of the operation," Axel went on.

"How may I serve?" Evan asked.

"I've got an idea for a movie," Axel stated. "A research team goes to the moon in search of extraterrestrial life and finds it."

"It should serve as an excellent cover for our operation," Evan agreed.

"Because of our limited time, we can't afford interference," warned Axel. "Handle any breaches of security as you see fit, and eliminate any loose ends."

"As you command, Master," Evan accepted.

Evan stepped off the disk, leaving the communication room and closing the hidden door in the janitorial closet behind him. His pace was swift as he departed the building as he had much work to accomplish.

The days that followed were a blur of activity. Finding actors to fill the roles in the fictitious film was a simple matter as many were always in need of a dollar and willing to do almost anything for a paycheck. The earlier test subjects had been gathered from such a group, and they became just another statistic of those who had tried to become famous only to never be heard from again.

Evan didn't have the slightest twinge of conscience over those deaths because he knew his master was guiding them true. After all, greatness never came without sacrifice.

   ***   

It took time to conduct the casting calls and select the actors they required for the next step in their project. Evan made the most of the lengthy procedures required to keep up appearances of a legitimate movie company, supervising work on the matter transmitter whenever he wasn't needed elsewhere.

Several more casualties were caused before the device worked successfully, but Evan cared only about results, not the cost in getting them. By the time of the first day of shooting, everything was ready.

The actors were on a set designed to resemble a space station on the moon. Evan was underneath the set in the basement, powering up the magnetic infusion coils on the transportation array.

When the power indicator turned green, Evan pulled the main lever. A surge of energy flooded through the circuit pathways with a deep thrum. The lights dimmed, and the air around him waved in a resemblance of the intense heat in a desert.

Exhaustion hit him hard, a side effect of the transportation process. Having been expecting it, he quickly sat down on the floor a moment before he was overcome and fell asleep.

   ***   

Evan was the first to wake. Several power relays had overloaded due to the number of people being transported, and the relays intermittently released bursts of sparks. He hurried upstairs to find everyone unconscious on the floor, but they were slowly starting to revive.

The actors were upset as they regained consciousness, all of them demanding answers. Evan ignored them until everyone was awake. He pressed a control he removed from his pocket, retracting a covering from a window to let them all see the dusty gray of the cratered moon and the distant blue of Earth. Everyone went silent.

"Long ago, Visitors came to this world," Evan explained. "They had powers and abilities you cannot comprehend. Magical or technological, it doesn't matter. The people of Opfer Productions have long awaited their return. You are to be our offering to them, to prove our loyalty."

Some of the actors looked around, only to discover the camera crew now carried guns.

"The power of the Visitors shall be ours," Evan continued reverently, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. "Our efforts have been successful so far, and we will not be denied. The Visitors are on their way here even as we speak, and we have only to wait for the Arrival. Praise the Master for his guidance."

"Praise the Master," chanted the cult masquerading as a movie crew. "Praise the Master. Praise the Master!"