End of a World

Chapter 7

Infinite whiteness, pure nothingness. Andy lay unconscious in the middle of literally nowhere, slowly waking up and looking around, having lost all sense of direction. He looked at his mechanical arm, trying to figure out his location.

"Andrew Pandy." A woman spoke, appearing behind him.

Andy quickly stood up, aiming his arm at her. "You're..."

The woman looked at him, standing perfectly still, calm. 

"Why am I here?" Andy asked, still aiming at her.

"You are the leader of an organization known as The Rogue Force." She said.

"Yeah..." He replied. "What's it to you?"

"Unfortunately, the TRF has become an issue." She explained calmly.

"How do you figure?" 

"After being informed that a dimension must be destroyed, and that rifts should not be opened anymore," She explained, "your organization continued opening rifts. More rifts than in the past. Larger rifts than in the past. Directly contradicting our previous instructions."

Andy stared at her in silence, taking in the information, slowly stepping away. "Are you saying we can't at least spare those in the other dimension?

"The deaths of the few is better than the deaths of the many." She replied.

"I'm not letting that happen." He stated. "I'll open as many rifts as I need if it means saving people."

"I admire your dedication to saving those you don't know." She said, walking away from him. "However, it is something I will never understand. It benefits you in no ways."

"It's what's right." He replied, following her at a distance. "Nobody deserves a cruel death like this. Isn't losing their home enough?"

"It appears as though the three I gave the decision to are not fit to make such a choice." She spoke, ignoring Andy's previous inquiry.

"What do you mean by that?"

"They have opened multiple rifts, more than usual, and larger than usual." She explained. "They have summoned monsters and beasts from different worlds than their own, and have been making their own situation worse."

"I don't disbelieve that..." Andy muttered. "But I trust them. Whatever it is they're doing, I'm sure they have a reason."

"Regardless, I have decided to pass the decision onto you, Andrew." She told him. "You've 24 hours. And I do not want to have to see your face here again."

Andy froze and stared at her in shock. The woman walked over to him, passing him a small device, with a single USB port on the side. Andy held it, confused.

"I hold a USB that contains two files." She explained. "Put the USB onto your computer. Each file is aligned with a dimension. One is titled '211', and the other '1127'. Choose which dimension you want through this USB."

"That... makes no sense..." Andy stuttered. "You can teleport us through dimensions, seemingly into nowhere... But you give me a USB to make my choice?"

"Do not question our methods." She said calmly, passing him the USB. "Plug the USB into this device, and in 24 hours, the device will be retrieved. If no option is selected, both dimensions will be destroyed.

Andy held the USB and the device, in utter shock. 

"Now, return home." She said.

A sudden flash of white, and Andy awoke in the medical bay of the TRF. He was hooked up to multiple monitors, watching his vitals. 

"What the hell?" He said in confusion.

Kelly stood by his bed, surprised to see him awake. "Andy?"

"What happened?" He asked.

"You feinted, you've been knocked out for a whole day now." He said, confused. "I had no clue what to do, so I brought you here."

"It's been a day?" He shouted. "I've been out for a day?"

"Yeah, calm down, are you okay?" Kelly tried calming Andy down.

"I am not okay, Kelly, I am not-" He shouted, getting out of the bed, ripping the wires off of himself.

"Slow down, and explain yourself." Kelly ordered.

Andy looked at him, taking a deep breath, before speaking.