Outskirts of Delhi
Klaus Moren stood straight at the end of the room facing both screens and people as he spoke to them with a tone of authority that came from generational wealth.
His blonde hair neatly combed to a side of his head to reveal a clinical obsession to show the side parting, a gap whiter than his skin.
His eyes a pale blue with a tinge of silver reflection from the screens opposing him. Flitting to and fro between his audience. A little shaky like his resolve.
"Guten Nachmittag! It's good to meet. If it isn't obvious my English is a bit choppy so apologies for that."
"Allow me to collect my thoughts. We'll begin shortly."
He gazed across the room a little nervously.
'Is this it? The moment I've always dreamt about?' He thought to himself.
Sitting opposite him in person was Doshan Malik. Once a stooge under his father, Cline Moren, who runs the multinational conglomerate Cline Group, Doshan had since branched out and made a name for himself, even earning a table worth competing with them.
Except what Doshan had done was snatch a subsidiary and make it his own. Despite his father's obvious displeasure he hadn't denied the admiration with which the nameless Indian had pulled off such an act.
It had been the worst betrayal, personally to Klaus, when he was forced to sit at the same level as someone he considered nothing but a common thief. And that his father gave more importance to such a man was like rubbing salt on a wound.
But he wasn't the only one. There was also Gazen, the leader of the Dark Awakeners in an online screen looking at him with distrust.
Besides these two there were other investors but they based their opinions off of Doshan so he had to be careful.
"I started this project as a simple question. What are realms really?"
"I mean the 3A lies to the world just like most governments do so what is the truth about it? In my findings I stumbled across research papers from an imprisoned scientist in Wuhan. Yes, a Chinese. Despite the war I'm not prone to distancing useful people, no matter their allegiance. We are in the business of money after all. What borders sorts human greed right?"
Klaus shifted and switched on a console which hummed slowly as the glass lifted to reveal a gigantic space filled with workers in overalls and lab technicians standing in two long lines.
Klaus pressed the intercom, "project director, I hope we're ready."
One short man in glasses turned from afar and spoke into his earpiece, "Affirmative. We're a go."
Klaus smiled and turned to his hybrid audience, "shall we?"
"Wait, wait. Is that what I think it is?"
Gazen's impassioned voice broke through and Klaus grit his teeth.
"You lied to me. You said this was over. What the hell are you still doing with that thing?"
"Gazen, please. I am grateful," Klaus paused to consider his words, "or was until a point. You made yourself useful. Your resources, your network, your people. Yes very effective. But you seem to think I work for you. You're wrong about that. This isn't even about us."
"It's actually funny. It's not even about you or me. Its about mankind. Man's achievement. Our intellect," Klaus had a crazed look as he pointed to his brain and tapped it twice then pointed to the machine outside.
"Look what I did with a bunch of Chinese workers and their disgruntled employees. I did what you Awakeners couldn't even do. I bridged worlds dammit."
"You're fucking crazy!"
That was the only response Gazen could muster but it didn't deter Klaus.
"Nein! I'm not crazy enough, though I wish I was." When he saw Doshan barely move from his seat Klaus felt emboldened, "all you Awakeners, Inborns fighting for supremacy like little children while here the adults build empires under your fucking noses. You're the fools to think we—us humans will just sit back and let it go."
"Begin transport." Klaus turned and barked.
The machine whirred loudly as the workers wore special body suits and stared at the humongous sphere glow and glow till it burst into a bright light.
"Portal established. We're in transit."
"Gentlemen, I present to you Realm travel!"
Klaus watched with glee as he saw the members sit up straight, some even leaning forward to look as the workers slowly entered the portal with large bags.
Some minutes later they began to filter out, their bags and sacks heavy as they began to dump their loads onto the floor. It was filled with rocks, minerals, soils, ground matter.
That it was from another realm entirely wasn't lost to anyone witnessing it. This was huge. The implications mind numbing.
They kept going in batches and coming out, after a point questions or rather statements came from Klaus's audience.
"How long can it be open? What's the cost? Is the machine mobile? What are they collecting?"
But before Klaus could further bask in his glory, it was shattered by the voice of his project director.
"Mr. Moren! It's happening again. We need to shut it down now!"
Klaus cursed in German, "hell won't break out if you keep it open a few minutes longer."
"...well it might."
Klaus eyed the sudden change of mood and mainly Doshan who had a dark look on his face, "what aren't you telling us Klaus?"
"You stay out of this fatso. This is not your time to shine." Klaus grabbed the walkie-talkie and shut his eyes, "it's purely mine," he muttered to himself.
"Oh God, it's happened."
The ground suddenly shook and the machine rattled violently sending Klaus into a tumble against the wall.
"Oh fuck! Close the damn thing." He shouted in German as he rushed out in panic.
The project director Yize ran across the room, "wait, wait."
"Jesus what?" Klaus yelled at him.
"There's people still inside."
Klaus felt like he was talking to a buffoon and pushed past him, aiming his Ruger at the controllers face. "Shut it down."
The man afraid to disobey, stayed in his seat and pulled out his key to close it.
The machine took a while but it did close where upon Klaus turned to face a distraught Yize.
"You...you heartless man."
"Hau ab! You useless donkeys always embarass me. No wonder we went to war with your kind."
He stumbled back to the conference room to face an even more tumultuous situation. "Everything is under control. It's nothing, just a little–"
Doshan increased the volume of the TV which blasted a breaking news segment, "...people are calling it the sky hole which has just appeared in the border state of ludhiana, east India. With the Government of East Britain now involved too, things are getting pretty complicated over boundary issues as both countries..."
Silence ensued for a moment before Gazen's high pitched voice rang out, "you absolute moron! You knew this would happen didn't you? You piece of—"
Klaus cut off all the online feeds as he breathed heavily and sweat dripped from his blonde forehead. "This is not...it's not me. How are you sure it's me?"
His words were empty as Doshan stood up, buttoning up his coat.
"Don't you dare, don't you dare look down upon me!"
Doshan patted his pockets and smiled, "I'm just filled with pity son. Your dad didn't raise you to be like this. Him I respect. But you," Doshan eyed him up and down, "you're a goddamn mess."
"You walking out of here means one thing. Shall I take it to my father then, Doshan?" Klaus suddenly grinned and straightened up, sure that he had backed the older man to a corner.
Doshan sighed. The brat was right. Doshan's business survived on the protection the Cline Group offered. Without which he was at the mercy of all the rivals, factions and free mercenary groups to name a few who constantly sought out targets to loot and plunder.
But for some reason Klaus saw him smile, "what?"
"I think I have a solution to that too." He stared straight at Klaus without blinking, "guess you'll have to tell your dad you turned me independent." Doshan left with a smug and satisfied smile.
"Fuck you. Thief." Klaus cursed as he watched him leaved and turned around to look at his grand mess.
"I will win. If not now then soon. I always win. You'll see." He muttered with resolve.