It was 5:47 AM. The room was dimly lit, shadows lingering in the corners, when suddenly Mika's phone buzzed with a notification. Without hesitation, she unlocked it. On the screen, an encrypted message appeared.
"Coordinates received"
Mika immediately showed it to Jun, Sanju, and Mahi.
"These are the coordinates," she said calmly.
Sanju wasted no time. He activated the teleporter console and began manually integrating the coordinates. The system responded with a soft chime:
Location verification: Successfull
Atmospheric Pressure: 101.3 kPa.
Ready to go.
The machine hummed low, its energy building. Jun and Mika checked the final setup like energy calibration, suit synchronization, GPS tether, emergency recall timer.
Sanju and Mahi slipped into their suits. Jun and Mika followed, equipping swords, utility gadgets, and energy reserves. Each of them activated their temporary location signal.
On Frank's console, their signals blinked. His voice came through the comm-link:
"Listen carefully. This location is temporary. Once you arrive on Icolis, the teleporter will shut down and the signal will vanish. Beware of the aliens. Your first priority is to install the teleporter."
Everyone responded in unison. Jun gave them one last look,"Ready?"
They nodded.
Inside the machine, Mika set the countdown to five then Energy surged, light intensified, and in a blinding flash, they vanished dispersed like fragments of matter.
A brilliant flash erupted in the ruins of Icolis, the moon of Earth Elysira. As the light faded, the team stood amidst towering ruins with broken stone pillars, half-buried structures, and blackened walls.
The pressure here was around 97.3 kPa. Gravity felt heavier, but the air was clean and breathable.
Frank's voice echoed faintly through the comm-link: "Your journey begins here. Install the teleporter first, then move forward."
Static distortion crept in.
"Time is limited," Frank added, before the link cut off.
Sanju looked the ruins carefully,"Let's split up and inspect the area first."
Mika suggested, "We should move in pairs."
Mahi replied, "You and Jun, I'll go with Sanju."
Sanju shook his head. "No. I'll go with Mika. You pair with Jun."
Mahi looked Sanju and agreed. Thus, the groups divided Sanju and Mika to the right, Jun and Mahi to the left. For nearly seven hours, they explored the ruins before regrouping in the central hall.
Jun and Mika began the installation process. The portable core was deployed. Energy anchors embedded into the ground. A reactor-like battery was connected, supported by foldable solar panels mounted atop the ruins.
Sanju and Mahi secured the shielding plates. The ground vibrated faintly but remained stable.
Moments later: Teleporter Sync – 38%... 73%... 100%
Mika initiated a trial activation, sending a signal to Frank's lab teleporter and Jun's home unit. Within seconds, a return signal confirmed stability.
"Stable," Mika said to everyone.
Relief washed over them. Jun added, "I'll install teleporters in each of your rooms."
Each of them chose corners of the ruins as their quarters. Jun moved from room to room, setting up and activating teleporters for everyone.
With the base secured, they finally changed into fresh attire, preparing for what lay ahead.