Glass Ceiling

Chapter 2-1. Research Centre

"It begins…”

A tall man with snow-white hair, buttoned up to the neck in his sweater, wearily wiped his brow with a handkerchief. He had become so engrossed in his work that he even managed to break a sweat in the somewhat cool room, completely oblivious to it.

The buttons on the enormous devices and tiny machines flickered sporadically, creating an otherworldly and somewhat hazardous ambiance. The silence was a foreign concept here; a constant murmur, growl, or occasional click accompanied the researcher as if serving a reminder that it was not just he and his colleagues working actively and tirelessly in this brightly lit yet confined space.

Once again, the man reminded himself that this was far from his first time having to swiftly alter strategies that had been meticulously developed over an extended period, strategies that had put the health and even lives of numerous scientists, integrators, analysts, and various other experts at risk...

At least now, the process of inputting new data has become significantly simpler and safer: he merely needed to connect to the touch panel, press his palm against it, and enter the necessary information into the microchips. Simultaneously, no outsider could tamper with it, as only a select few residents of the scientific research department were entrusted with such a weighty responsibility.

Unlike how it used to be! A laborious and prolonged endeavor... Reconfiguring almost all programs, altering button functions and levers, manually inputting different information, and scrutinizing every new signal... Not to mention the once-celebrated protection against outside interference, which has proven to be almost non-existent.

However, nothing truly new was unfolding, as the employees had grown accustomed to working in an almost perpetual state of emergency, prepared for any eventuality.

"Even unto death," joked one intern from Sirius on one occasion, though he was immediately compelled to explain to his new colleagues what "death" entailed. As if they themselves had never experienced it."

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to claim that all these professionals were outraged or angry because of this uncertainty, but the new reality had been astounding both hardcore skeptics and true research enthusiasts for quite some time. Some embraced it as new conditions that required doing something different, while others openly marveled at it, taking on the role of observer, trying not to intervene unless absolutely necessary.

"Yes, we don't understand what's happening. But this is such an enormous playground for studies, experiments, creating something new, and finally, work!" The man recalled with enthusiasm, the words of an analyst from Orion, or maybe from Betelgeuse, or perhaps from Pleiades, who passionately convinced him.

"Some lunatic!" the intern gasped in surprise, overhearing that exuberant readiness for risk. However, someone quietly explained to him that this zealous colleague had dedicated almost his entire life to work and had never left the research center. Moreover, he even slept here, in this cool room once filled with buttons, levers, and control panels, and now adorned with touch screens. As a result, it was challenging to remember where his actual home was.

"Where are you now?" the man spoke aloud, addressing an unseen presence.

"Are you talking about Safiros?" a voice replied from behind, and he turned around.

The moderately sized room felt tranquil and cozy, despite the slight chill and the constant, albeit soft, background hum of a multitude of equipment. Due to the high ceiling, one would need a couple of ordinary ladders to reach it. Small white spheres with colored stripes occasionally darted freely underneath it, emitting a faint buzz. These were thought relays used here for safe interactions between different races, dimensions, and worlds. It was far better than approaching unknown beings, especially if a particular race proved overly aggressive...

Some devices emitted occasional sounds, others had bright yet unobtrusive lights, and some required constant attention and monitoring during operation.

The young man visiting the room stood by a tall frame that scanned him with green and blue rays, waiting for the process to finish.

"Place your hand over there," the man pointed to a small screen to the left of the frame.

The young man complied, and suddenly the rays swiftly transformed into a green-blue flash and faded away. The frame lit up with a soft white glow.

"Wow!" the young man marveled and entered the room. Behind him, the frame closed like a door. "That was fast!"

"Not for everyone," the man replied, returning to one of the machines and holding his open palm toward it. "You could say it's only for the chosen."

"Oh, so I'm chosen?" the young man playfully joked, plopping into a bright yellow chair and propping his feet on a table.

The man turned off one of the machines and chuckled, "Yanif, it's time you allowed yourself to be among the integrator group. Your decision will be awaited as long as necessary, of course, and no one, myself included, is rushing you. But you see what's happening in the galaxies we're working with."

Yanif closed his eyes and leaned his head back. After a few seconds of relaxed silence, he replied, "You're entirely right. But I won't lie: I'm scared. Terrified, actually. You know, I had such a strong desire to realize my vision—to create... well, it's painful to talk about it now because hope is all but gone. The damned Earth ruins all plans."

The air became slightly heavier. The man coughed and quickly took a gulp from the bottle.

"Sorry," the young man blinked. "Marour, I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it in."

The man chuckled, set the bottle aside, and said, "The 'damned Earth' has its advantages. When you return from it, you feel like you're knee-deep in an ocean. See how calmly you dampen the vibrations, and it doesn't affect you. But we, who have never been to that planet, are more sensitive to even the slightest jolt in space."

"I'm not so sure it's an advantage," Yanif sighed sadly. "Our worlds have changed. It's like we're all turning into... into... I can't even describe it. If before, there was only tenderness, care, faith, and love all around, now it's like our sensitivity has decreased. It's as if we brought something from Earth here, like some kind of virus. We're poisoned, and we're poisoning you too. Damn, I don't know how it works. It's some kind of curse."

Marour quickly jumped to his feet and lowered a metal lever.

"What is this?" Yanif asked, surprised.

"I've blocked access to our center for the nearest 2 astronomical minutes. No one will find us during this time."

In response to Yanif's bewildered look, the man continued, "Understand, now's not the time to talk about evil forces. We don't fully understand how they gained access to our dimensions, but somehow, they started appearing periodically, like insects."

"Do you think it's connected to Earth too?"

"I think we shouldn't blame everything on Earth. Let's be fair: our center has been specifically focused on this planet for quite a few astronomical years. And on Earth itself, it's been around 500 their time years, if not more. So, we've been concentrating on it. However, it's evident that we can't see all the reasons behind these inexplicable changes because they're not related to this little planet."

Yanif leaned his head back again, feeling exhausted.

"Tired? Did you do something strenuous?" Marour asked.

"Nothing special. Once again, I begged for permission to return to Earth for regeneration or at least just to visit it. But it's been futile. I get no answers as to why I can't go and what I need to do to obtain permission."

The young man let out a heavy sigh and continued, "You see, Safiros is there. That's why I came when you mentioned him. His passion for experiments is getting to me."

"Do you want to meet him?" Marour didn't understand.

"More like, I want to get revenge on that planet. It devoured so many of my close friends, literally absorbed them into themselves alive..."

Tension rose again. Marour trembled and grabbed the bottle, taking several quick sips. This time, Yanif didn't notice anything.

"They say it's not a metaphor," the young man continued. "As if all those friends of ours who didn't return after regeneration on Earth got stuck inside its depths. They're trapped there..."

Tears welled up in his eyes. Marour quickly unbuttoned his shirt and wiped his face with his hand. The usual coolness of this part of the research center was suddenly replaced by an intense heat.

Yanif also noticed the change. "What's this...?" he began, but his sentence was cut short by the flickering of a passing frame. It shimmered with various colors, and a second later, the doors slid open. A blue-green flash (someone from their group, someone who had access to the research center with just a touch of their palm, without additional scanning) followed by a white radiance, and a startled man rushed into the room.

"Marour! Things have gone off plan!" he exclaimed.