Dimension shuffler

Chapter 6: Cosmic proportions: part 2

"Hello? You're not dead, are you? I hope not. Of course if you're dead you won't be able to respond." Stephen awoke to the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Getting up, he saw a figure looming over him.

The figure had a similar body structure himself but was also vastly different. Instead of flesh and blood, the being was comprised of what looked like space itself. It wasn't transparent or anything but instead actually comprised of a dark blue substance and white dots. It had no defining features, not even eyes. Instead there were two 'stars' in their place but were cosmetic at best. It's only facial feature was it's mouth which was hard to view unless it opened. It looked... cartoonish but also mystical.

"Oh! You're awake!" The being helped him up, "First and foremost, I should apologise. I let Benny here out for a walk and he was attacked by UNIT troops who thought he was a threat." The colossal beast from before, apparently named "Benny," walked up alongside it and whined. It was amazing that Stephen hadn't spotted it before now. "Of course natural instincts kicked in and poor Benny attacked back in self-defence. He must have mistaken you for one of those awful troops. So, I brought you back here to make sure you were OK. Oh! But where are my manners? My name is Cosmos." Cosmos gestured for a handshake.

Politely, Stephen accepted the handshake, "Well, I'm Stephen." He kept it short and brief in case this 'Cosmos' tried to pull anything. Something about him seemed safe, Stephen couldn't pinpoint what though.

"Wonderful to meet you Stephen. How about I show you around my abode? You know, seeing as you're here."

Cosmos' home wasn't very big at all. It was merely an abandoned military storage base with a few computers and gadgets laying around here and there, some broken, others working. Nothing too appealing.

On the tour, Cosmos explained a bit about Benny. Cosmos found him running about frantically a couple of months ago and took him in. He had a tag on him that had an address. He apparently belong to a "Dr. E." When Cosmos went to return him however, the place was abandoned. All that remained were the rooms that used to house what appeared to be experiments. The only one that was legible was numbered 45 and read the name C_ic_ but some of the letters had been worn away. Stephen made a mental note of the address to tell his friends later but dared not mention a word to Cosmos.

Cosmos led Stephen into a hole into the wall which had clearly been the work of some kind of explosive. Beyond it was a cave that led into a small room. Wires lay scattered on the floor and a single light swung on the ceiling. The walls were lined with computers and tables. The very centre of the room held a white machine connected to both the ceiling and floor with a gap in the middle holstering a glowing blue crystal, hovering.

"This crystal powers my defences and gadgets. It's my best shot of going home." Cosmos touched the casing it was in.

"Going home?" Stephen asked

"Yes. I'm not from here. I used to live in a entirely different world. I'm this thing called an interdimensional being, you see."

"Really? Sounds familiar."

"Wait. You mean you're..."

"Yep. Met this old man, he told me I was one and apparently I'm to stop a massive crisis."

"Don't listen to a word he says."

"What?"

"You heard me. He's a liar. He's the reason I'm here. Apparently, I could go home when I mastered my powers but here I am, at the pinnacle of my abilities, like he said and I can't do a thing. He trapped me. He betrayed me."

"I'm sure it's some misunderstanding."

"I haven't been able to go home in years. But I will. Mark my words, I will." His voice had gone significantly darker. The feeling of safety was gone. "I can go everywhere but home. That's what this crystal will do. I have machines that will be able to pinpoint my dimension and then I will bring it to me."

"I'm no expert on this subject but won't that cause some-oh, I don't know-catastrophic tragedies in this dimension."

"No, no, no. I'm planning on bringing all dimensions into one superdimension. A Pangaea, I think your dimension would call it."

"But that's nuts. It can't end well."

"Not with my current technology and abilities but with your help I can achieve it sooner. Here, let me teach you something as a sign of trust." He clicked his fingers(?) in front of him and a purple portal, similar to the one Stephen came to this universe in, appeared. "Just extend your hand and think about having the portal appear. Despite being wary of these new revelations about Cosmos, Stephen tried it anyway. It worked. He didn't even need to snap his fingers. "These portals can be used to traverse between two points in a dimension. If you join me, I could even teach you how to travel between dimension on a whim. So, are you with me?" Cosmos extended a hand.

There was a moment of silence. "...No. I'm not." Stephen responded.

"Excuse me, what?"

"Your idea is crazy. I'm sure you can get home but you're planning on destroying countless others to do so."

"Fine. You've made your choice. I'll let you know though. Your precious prophecy? It's already happened. Thousands of years ago. The art was made in commemoration of victory. Don't believe me? Ask the old man. He knows."

"...Goodbye." Stephen had nothing else left to say to the madman.

Cosmos chuckled and his usually featureless face now housed to angry, pupiless, red eyes, burning with energy flowing out of them. "So be it. Benson! Destroy him."

The monster appeared as if from nowhere and attempted to attack once more. Deciding not be caught out by the same attack twice, Stephen used the new portal trick he learned to not only evade the attack but also leave the building and return just outside the shack that housed his friends' base.

Cosmos was dangerous. That much was obvious. He seemed so familiar too. But was what he said true? Was the old man really a liar? Was the prophecy actually a piece of commemorative artwork? Perhaps time would tell. He considered all this and hurried inside.

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"Good work, Benson." Cosmos patted his pet. "We'll meet again, Stephen and then you'll have nowhere to run to."