Liam's heart raced.

He could feel each beat thumping wildly in his chest. He couldn't see her but he could hear. Johir had lured her into a secret room in the building. He wasn't aware of the room before now, it hadn't showed up in the building plans that he obtained. Anger began to well in his chest.

"Boss.." a voice said into his ear.

"Hold," he simply replied back.

Charlotte's heels clacked on the ground then went silent as she entered onto what he assumed was carpet. Her phone was being moved. He could hear shuffling sounds. Holding his breath, he listened, waiting for her to finally speak. The SUV felt void of air and the darkness outside did nothing to help his mood. Nighttime always brought out the unwanted of society in his experience.

"It's dark," Charlotte finally said, her voice hollow.

The room is soundproof.

Liam knew from experience what was going on. He had been in many such rooms in his career. And recently too.

"I want you to follow my voice. Trust me," Johir cooed.

Liam clenched his fists and ground his jaw. He wanted nothing more than to get her out of there. But Johir had gone rouge on the group, and the boss ordered him to let this meeting happen with Charlotte. He had no choice.

"Jeremy, I can't see a thing.."

Her voice escalated with fear.

"Follow my voice," he repeated.

A soft click could be heard, and Liam froze. He thought it sounded like a bolt. From a gun.

"Boss.."

"Hold!" he said.

He couldn't rush in and risk the bigger boss finding out. But he wasn't prepared to let her die. Not on his watch.

"Almost there. That's it. Ok. Ready?"

Charlotte swallowed; her body audible to Liam's trained ear.

"Yes."

A loud click sounded again along with the hum of something.

"Oh my God.." she said.

"This is the only machine in the world like it."

Liam's ears rung. He couldn't believe that Johir had taken the steps to do this. It blew his mind. He had lost the mission purpose.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked, her voice soft.

He better not tell her.

"What do you know about the temple of Seti? I know you visited once."

Charlotte walked a few steps; that Liam could make out.

"It was formed back in the late 1200's.."

"Wrong. The site was there way before that. But you already know don't you? I know that you are well acquainted with Liam."

"I..." she hesitated.

"We work for the same organization. This is something that they wanted to keep for themselves, and I plan to bring it out to the world, in stages."

Liam's pulse quickened. The boss was texting.

Go in if he harms her.

He didn't have to tell him twice, in fact, he would send a team in now.

"Go team one. Not engage."

"Copy," a voice said over the earpiece.

He watched out the windshield of his SUV as a team ran in the night, barely visible, towards the headquarters building a block over. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he listened intently to what was happening inside the soundproof room.

Johir will feel what I am feeling.... I guarantee it.

The thoughts swirled in his head and caused his senses to heighten even more.

"Stages, to give them the power as well? So no one feels powerless?"

Charlotte was smart and she began to get onto Johir's level. Empathize.

"That's it exactly. I've dedicated my entire life's career goals to making this operation a success. I gave up control of my company for it. Lost my wife and my kids for it. Now it's time that I get what I want. I want my name to be known. For the right things this time, not as some Denver businessman."

"That is too small fry for you, and not who you really are."

Liam's lips curled into a tiny smile as he listened to Charlotte deploy psyops techniques. She might not even realize she was doing it, but she was doing it well.

"You understand. I knew that you would," Jeremy softly said, moving towards Charlotte on the carpet, which Liam could detect.

"Of course I do. I feel a connection to you Jeremy. I can call you that, right?"

His voice became closer, indicating that he was very near Charlotte.

"Yes, you can."

Suddenly, sounds of another nature emitted from the phone. Lips, on skin. Not lips on lips though, as Liam feared. This was much worse. Johir was touching and caressing her on other parts of her body. He clenched his jaw again. It better not escalate.

Charlotte breathed outwards, an audible nervous sigh. She was still in character, and he knew it. Racing thoughts entered his mind at what she might be thinking. He hoped she was formulating a plan to get him to stop. He couldn't tell the men to engage, not yet. And they were mere feet away, inside the building with Charlotte.

"Jeremy. Show me how it works. I want to see," she breathed softly.

The kissing noises stopped, and Johir cleared his throat.

"Alright."

His footsteps padded away from Charlotte but then Liam heard her walking too.

He can't be serious. He knows that turning it on was risky as fuck.

"This is what our group calls 'the way back'."

"The way back?"

"Oh can you explain it first?" Charlotte asked.

"Good girl..." Liam said out loud.

He was glad that she stopped whatever Johir was planning to do. Namely, starting the damn thing.

"It's complex, but not too complicated. There are things you can't see Charlotte, all around us. Things that exist but people deny."

"Like other dimensions?" she asked.

Liam grunted. She was smart. Too smart.

"Yes, exactly. You are already aware of it then?"

"If by it you mean, we can travel to other points in the dimensions, then yes. I learned about it from the professors at Stanford. They have a secret program that studies this," Charlotte said.

She cleared her throat and Liam knew that she was preparing to say more. He hoped it wouldn't be too much tip Johir off.

"Yes, I know that program. There are far more studying it though, than just colleges."

"Like the secret ops programs in the gov," she quipped, without naming any.

Johir walked further away from Charlotte, as he could hear footsteps on the floor muffled.

"Do you think that it is possible to visit one of the dimensions and then come back? Or do you think that a person would ultimately disappear into one forever."

This was the most studied black ops concept to date that the DOD was focusing on. Liam knew of its implications, and he also knew how dangerous the device was. For him to take it, he had to have plans far beyond making his name known.

"I do think so. Is that what this device does? Sends you out then brings you back?"

"Yes. But I don't think we need to turn it on, not yet."

His footsteps moved closer again towards Charlotte.

"I need to use the bathroom. I don't think I can wait any longer.." Charlotte quipped.

A silence filled the room as Johir decided what to do.

"Of course."

He opted to be the gentleman and Liam breathed a sigh of relief. Once she was out of the room, his team would escort her out of the building. Then she could text him saying she had to leave. Make up some sort of excuse.

Footsteps again could be heard from Charlottes phone. Then, a door opening.

"I'll leave this open for you, take your time my dear."

Johir wasn't going to escort her to the bathroom. Liam was surprised at that. He heard her barely exit the room when he got the all good.

"Got her boss. Extracting."

His team already found her and were bringing her outside of the building. He could hear the muffled sounds of boots on the ground outside. His heart began to race, and he wondered if she was scared or surprised even. Not having to ponder for long, the team lead ran up to the SUV with Charlotte in tow. Too dark to make out much, he unlocked the doors.

"Trying to give me a heart attack?" she quipped, sliding into the seat.

"Take the team to the drop site. Supervise the next shipment coming in, no fuck ups, ok?"

"Roger that," the team lead said, shutting Charlottes door.

At the newfound privacy, she exhaled, running a hand through her hair haphazardly, mussing her curls.

"Did you have chest pains running into my guys?" he asked with amusement in his voice.

She reached over and socked his bicep.

"Yes! Of course I did. I didn't give you the signal. So what do you think?"

"I want you to text Johir. Tell him you had to go, chasing a hot lead. Had to be tonight. That you will contact him as soon as you are free."

Charlotte nodded as he started the vehicle and pulled away from where he was parked.

"Ok. Are you taking me back to the hotel?"

Turning onto a larger street and joining traffic, Liam coughed.

"Nope. Taking you to a different place. It's time you see."

"See?"

"A black site."