Trapped

Chapter 8

The journey through the portal was anti-climatic. I was expecting myself to be flying through a black tunnel, towards my destination.

Instead, hopping through the portal felt almost as if the destination was literally right below my feet. I landed unceremoniously on my back, cushioned by a plushy purple rug.

Rupert landed neatly on his feet.

"That was a lot quicker than I expected," I commented while simultaneously rubbing my back.

"Everyone who hops through my portals say that," Rupert said with a grin.

I looked around. I was in an average-looking office. The only thing that stood out was the purple carpet covering the entire floor of the space.

"So are we currently in one of Team Dreality's branches?", I asked.

"That's right. My portal is programmed by default to take me to any three locations, which I have configured to be all three branches of our team," Rupert explained.

"Wow, that's pretty neat," I declared. "How is the portal activated?"

"Think of it kind of like a keyboard command. You know how when you press certain keys, you can initiate a command on a computer?," Rupert asked.

I nodded.

"In my case, when I visualize one of the three branches, the portal is activated; it will appear near me and all I have to do is hop in. Another thing to mention is that the portal can only take up to three people including the user. I haven't had the means to upgrade its features; maybe one day," Rupert said scratching his chin.

"That is very cool. Where can I get one of those?", I asked hopefully.

"One step at a time bud," Rupert laughed. "Let's  first get you acquainted with the space and some of the members of the team."

He paused. "Consider this a house tour."

I had no objections.

I took a deep breath. *Free at last. It feels like ages since I was back home.*

"Hey, you done daydreaming?", Rupert asked with a smirk.

"Alright I'm coming," I called out, hurrying to his side.

"Welcome to the hideout," Rupert said, dramatically opening the office door.

I looked in awe at what was beyond the door. I was looking at a ginormous warehouse which was...mostly empty. Awe was quickly replaced with disappointment.

Rupert noticed the shift in my face.  "Not impressed, huh Coy?"

I nodded glumly.

"Try walking up to the red tile ahead of you. You'll thank me later." Rupert pointed towards a red tile that was roughly a foot away from where I was standing .

Skeptically, I walked towards the red tile, expecting nothing to happen.

On the contrary;  rooms, stairways, and furniture began to materialize in front of my eyes. My life since being captured by Simba will never cease to surprise me.

Rupert was right behind me, obviously pleased by my reaction. "You owe me a thank you," he said playfully.

I smiled. "Thanks man. This is similar to the portal, right?"

He beamed at me. "Smart guy. That's right. The red tile is programmed to make what you see in front of you visible to the naked eye. They are regular buildings laced in dream magic; it turns what is visible into invisible."

I eyed him. "That's great, but to play things safe, I'd like for you to take the lead, just in case your magic wears out." I took a step back to allow him to come forward.