Another portal burst to life and both men dove to the floor as the sound of gunfire flooded through it.
Taylor looked up at the portal and saw a cavernous warehouse on the other side. A soldier came into view, he dropped behind an overturned table and used it for cover before he raised an AK-47 to his shoulder and unleashed a barrage of bullets at someone. As he reloaded, he noticed the portal.
"COLONEL, THE PORTAL'S OPEN." He fired another burst from his rifle and moved out of frame.
A few seconds later that universe's Taylor appeared. He wore military issue combat fatigues, and a harried look.
"Everything's gone to shit." He ducked as several bullets splintered the overturned table. "I don't know how she found us, but—"
Several bullets slammed into the other Taylor's chest and he fell out of view.
The sound of gunfire died down and there was a moment of silence before that universe's Senator walked into view, smoke still wafting from the barrel of the Walther P99 handgun. She turned to examine the portal and smiled when she saw Taylor on the other side.
"Why is it that in every universe you're trying to spoil my plans?" She holstered her weapon and clapped her hands. A grenade came into view and she caught it. She pulled the pin and turned back to Taylor. "It looks like I'm destined to kill you in multiple universes."
She cocked her arm back, but before she could throw the grenade, the other Taylor crashed into her and they both fell to the floor.
"Oh my god, where is it?" the Senator screamed. There was the sound of a scuffle before a giant explosion poured smoke and debris through the portal and knocked Taylor off his feet.
When the smoke cleared the other Taylor was lying halfway through the portal, his upper body protruding into Taylor's universe.
Taylor coughed and wiped dirt from his eyes.
"Oh shit," he said when he saw the body. He pushed himself off the ground so he could check on it, however before he could get close enough, the portal started to collapse. It dragged the other Taylor up as the plasma ring shrunk and sliced the body in half before disappearing.
The body thumped against the floor.
Taylor walked over to it. The body had been severed just below the shoulders. There should have been blood and guts everywhere, but the portal had cauterised the wound, leaving just the smell of seared meat.
"Fuck."
"Fuck indeed," the Professor said. He leaned through the broken window to get a better look at the body. "I'm guessing that wasn't part of the plan."
Taylor looked over at the Professor.
"No, it wasn't." He stepped away from the body. "He was supposed to give me something but now there's no way for me to get it."
The Professor looked confused.
"Can't someone else just reopen the portal?"
Taylor shook his head and looked down at his watch.
"There's a force field around this house that prevents portals from opening."
"So how did that one open?" The Professor pointed at the space the portal had just occupied.
"The force field alternates its frequency every sixty-seconds." Taylor raised his wrist so the Professor could see the watch. "This allows me to lock onto that frequency and sync the portals to it. But once the frequency changes the portals collapse, so we only have sixty-seconds." Taylor twisted his wrist so he could look at the watch face.
"Right... but why can—"
"Sorry Professor, you might want to step back. Another portals about to open and after what just happened I can't guarantee your safety."
YOU ARE READING
The Basement
Short StoryA disgraced soldier is given an opportunity to redeem himself when he's sent to stop a rogue scientist from developing a weapon that has the power to destroy life as we know it.
