Portal

I looked around, taking a deep breath and immediately wished I hadn’t. The lakeside wasn’t always clean.

Where I emerged had once been the site of a steel mill, but the land had given way decades ago, sending most of the mill into the lake. The city felt it wasn’t necessary to rebuild or repair, so this area had been mostly off-limits in the past twenty or so years. Long enough for the water to reclaim some of the metal and wood, and more than long enough for the chemicals to leach into the surrounding area, killing off vegetation and wildlife.

The stench was oily, clingy, and it never quite left your clothes. I’d have to burn what I was wearing at some point down the line. The squat buildings gave off an air of melancholy and loneliness in their dilapidated state. Broken windows stared out at me, almost accusative, as if their state was my fault.

Weeds and dandelions jutted up from cracks in the pavement at irregular intervals. Here and there, the concrete had been ground down to rubble from heavy use. I saw more than one raccoon scurry away from me as I walked towards my destination.

I located an overturned crate and dragged it out to the end of one of the long piers, giving myself an unobstructed view of the massive lake. It wasn’t the ocean, not quite, but it was peaceful here.

I don’t know how long I sat there, looking out over the lake that day, but it was nearly dawn when I noticed him.

He was of middling build, in a t-shirt and jeans. Brown hair framed an average-looking, clean-shaven face with brown eyes. He wasn’t watching me, but rather seemed to be enjoying the view with me, seated on a chair that I hadn’t seen earlier. When he noticed me noticing him, he nodded politely.

“Hello, Portal.” My blood ran like ice in my veins. I knew that voice.

“Mr. No-Face. I never expected to actually meet you. I trust you’re doing well?”

A satisfied grin spread out across his face. “I am, thank you. And you? How is your soloing going?”

I huffed a laugh in spite of everything. “I’m sitting here looking out over Lake Mishigami at dawn next to what I’ve been told is one of the most dangerous people to ever live after Mysterious.” I sighed softly. “I came back home after a botched bit of unintentional heroism out in Santa Francesca, and I didn’t even get to eat dinner.” I created a door to the refrigerator at home, pulling out a pair of beers, then handed one to No-Face. “I’d say it’s going swimmingly.”

No-Face gratefully accepted the beer with a smile. “Thank you for the gift, Portal. I’ve not had a beer in several years.” He popped the top and took a swig with a grunt of pleasure. “Just as good as I remember.”

I sat there, a bead of sweat rolling down my temple, sipping at my beer. I knew better than to drink on a mostly empty stomach, but at this point? Fuck it. What the hell else could happen?

After a while of this, No-Face spoke up. “May I offer you some friendly advice, Portal?”

“Sure. Whatcha got?” I said absently, watching as a fish hawk dove down, snatching a fish, then beat its powerful wings, lifting away with its prize.

“Marvelous animals, are they not?” No-Face sighed in appreciation. “Anyway, what I have to say is this: None of us - and I mean none of us - are good at this at first. Not Paladin, not Lich, not you, and certainly not me. It has taken me fifteen long years of watching my back and hiding in the shadows to build my empire. Am I respected? Yes. But I’m also feared, Portal. I didn’t set out to be feared. It’s a sad side-effect of what I’ve done to build my empire over the last fifteen years. I am wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of the boy of seventeen when I began this journey.

“By all measurements, you only just began to try and make a name for yourself in this world. You’re going to be bad at it for a while, and that’s okay. Be bad at it. Just don’t stay bad at it.”

He drained the last of his beer and threw the bottle far into the lake. I watched as it caught the light, tiny diamonds of rainbow reflecting back at me. I looked over at him, and he smiled, brushing his long red hair out of his green eyes.

“Wait. Wasn’t your hair short and brown before?”

“Was it?” He shrugged, scratching at his bushy black beard. “It might have been, I don’t know. Damn Power.” He sighed softly.

“Can’t be easy, I guess. I’ve met others with constant passives before. They have their issues with it, too.”

“No, Portal. It is not easy,” he said in a quiet voice. “There are no photos of me as a child, no mirrors allowed in my home, and nobody knows what I look like, not even myself. The only thing that has never changed is my voice. This life, while it has a great many perks, also has some serious drawbacks. I cannot trust anyone. Hell, I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now, but I saw you and decided to take a chance. I have no other strengths beyond my constantly shifting visage, and no weapons with me, should you attempt to kill me. My life is, as is your friend’s, rather difficult. However, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

He checked his watch and stood. I rose with him. “And now, I must go. I’ve a meeting to attend, and Japan hates to be kept waiting. Take care of yourself out there, Portal.” He extended his hand, and I took it, shaking it warmly.

“Thank you for sitting with me, sir. And for the advice. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He gave me a curt nod, gold ringlets of hair cascading over his shoulders, then turned on his heel and walked away.

I walked to the edge of the pier, the ancient wood groaning beneath my feet, and leaned against a pylon, digesting the words of the leader of The Alliance. “Be bad at it, but don’t stay bad at it, huh? Easier said than done, but I suppose he’s right,” I murmured to the lake. The lake responded with its constant droning as the waters ebbed and flowed.

I stood there a moment more, then opened a door to my room and stepped in, letting it dissolve behind me. I put the beer bottle down on my nightstand, then went across the hall, knocking on Lab’s door.

“Lab? Buddy, you up?” A soft groan answered me.

“Hey man, can we talk?”

“Jackson? Talk? Since when do you talk?” Lab opened the door, and I saw the bandage on his shoulder.

“How’s the arm?” I motioned to the gauze he had taped to his arm.

“Bah. It’s fine. Stopped bleeding a couple hours ago, I think. Where the fuck’ve you been?” He leaned on his door jamb, crossing his arms.

“Sitting on the pier, drinking a beer with a rather interesting fellow. Goes by the name No-Face.”

Lab let out a low whistle, his eyes going wide. “You have the devil’s own luck, man. How’d you survive? And what happened to that asshole at Tommy’s?”

“Eh… No-Face is chill as long as you’re not trying to mess with him, I’d say. Gave me some real good advice, actually. And Diego is alive - for now - and the guys over at Tommy’s are going to keep it all quiet.”

“Seriously? How’d you manage that?”

“I didn’t. A ‘friend’ did. Sent someone out to fix the surveillance vids. I think I’m going to focus on my training. I…I can’t be doing that anymore. I’m seriously not ready. But first and foremost, I’m going to get some sleep. Glad you’re okay buddy.”

Lab nodded sagely, then poked me in the chest with a stubby, muscular finger. “Damn proud of you, bud. Glad you’re waking up and growing up. Not the same shithead I met a few years ago, are ya?”

I snorted and rubbed the place he poked me. “Nah. I guess not. Thanks for looking out for me, man.”

“Alright, Jackson. Get some rest, and if anyone comes knocking for you, I’ll send them away.”

I yawned and nodded. “Okay. Sounds good. Oh! Uh… if it’s a woman about this tall” -I placed my hand at chest high, slightly higher than Lab’s head- “and says her name’s Anna, come get me.”

Lab nodded. “If you say so. See you when you wake up.” He shifted from his position with a grunt and went downstairs. Probably to eat the rest of my damn sandwiches.

I went back to my room, shucked my clothes and was out before my head hit the pillow.

****************

I awoke in the strange stone room again. I opened the door once more onto the alien landscape. The glowing grass seemed to pulsate in a rhythm not unlike a heartbeat. I watched, spellbound as the glow rolled out in waves, seemingly from the building I was in. Remembering that I fell through the ground the last time, I created a heavy duty trapdoor immediately outside the room I was in and stepped onto it.

The air smelled sweet, like someone was making candy. It filled me with a heady rush, and I felt alive and vibrant. I wanted to run through the field I found myself in. A field with nothing but the glowing grass and the stone building. I crafted more doors to make a staircase of sorts, and got about thirty feet into the air.

Looking around, I saw a lazy river behind the building, which wasn’t much more than the room I had found myself in, and a path leading towards it. I opened a pair of doors to the ground, gingerly testing my footing before fully trusting it. Finding the ground to be solid, I stepped out, letting all the doors I had created dissolve.

Once more, I focused on the sweet-smelling air of this alien landscape, appreciating the odd euphoric rush. I wiggled my feet around, feeling the solidity of the ground I was on, how the dirt was spongy and soft, but not like a squelchy mud. Deciding to follow the path, I walked through this strange world, seeing mostly the glowing grasses, but also some low shrubbery with a tree line not too far ahead. Of animals, there were but a few, mostly resembling rabbits and raccoons, but with decidedly odd colorations. They showed no fear, several wandering up to me and sniffing my bare feet before bounding away. The trees ahead of me were yellow, but this seemed normal for them, as they were still in full leaf, and several had flowers drooping from their branches. Flowers which filled the air with the sweet, sugary aroma which only grew stronger the closer I got to them.

Intrigued, I plucked a couple of the palm-sized blooms and examined them. They resembled hibiscus flowers in color and aroma, the difference being these smelled much sweeter. I shrugged as I walked and pinched off one of the petals and shoved it in my mouth. The flavor was nearly the same as hibiscus, just once again, much sweeter. I smiled and continued to munch on the flower, eventually reaching the water.

The river flowed by languidly, a few fish visible in its depths. Kneeling, I dipped a hand into the water, scooping it to my mouth. The water was clean tasting and bitingly cold, but refreshing. I stood and walked upstream, trying to find a place to cross, slowly munching on the flower I had begun to disassemble.

Its seven petals had surrounded a core with three stamens and a jelly-like substance in the center that held it all together. The petals tasted faintly of a mix of cranberry and strawberry, but the center? The center jelly bit was like biting into a gummy made of pure sugar with a hint of citrus. It was ungodly delicious.

As I popped the last of the flower into my mouth, I felt myself sinking into the earth. I shook my head, expecting to wake up -

and wake up I did.

Low beams of sunlight were streaming into my window, which had struck my face, waking me. I stretched and yawned, feeling energized and ready to face the rest of the day. I threw back the covers, only to find dirt in my bed.

Dirt, and a large flower, vaguely reminiscent of a hibiscus.