"So why us?"
"So why us? Why do you need me and...and them? What does this," she gestured to the opened book, "have to do with us?"
"If you would let me finish I will tell you. No more interruptions, got it? I'll take your silence as a yes. So, the creatures we call sphinx and kitsune have to come from somewhere, right? Those are no ordinary creatures, am I correct? Well, you would be right, they aren't. They come from that universe. They have come here, they have been coming here for centuries, trying to share their knowledge with us. Why? We are still uncertain, but if they wanted us extinct, do you not think they could have? That question is still unanswered, and by the look of your expression, you aren't sold. So let me continue.
"These creatures have shown up in every culture since they first appeared in drawing on cave walls. There is always some artistic freedom when drawing them, yes, but the themes are all the same. All knowing, vengeful or malevolent spirits that bring plentiful harvest or damning conditions. The portals are random and cannot be tracked. But, that is part of what they want. They want us to harness their power to create a portal ourselves."
"Why?"
The man went silent. He walked over to the window and stared at the grand machine. "I do not know." He turned back to her and reached out to her. "My dear, you are the last piece of the puzzle. For years we have been experimenting, and your age group was the most widely susceptible to the experiments. Flawless is the word. So, SPH-003F, I ask you: would you be the first?"
"The first to what?"
"The first," he said with a smile, "to achieve what no man has ever achieved before. To break the ideals that we once thought were concrete. To bring new knowledge into this new world."
"You...you want me to-"
"This started so long ago. So, so long ago." He dropped his hands and turned again to the machine. "But you are the final piece of to the puzzle that has been eluding me all these years. I now have the means and the technology to bring about change to this dying world. Just think what knowledge we could bring back! What awaits us through that portal is an endless well of knowledge. Yes, the risks could be very dangerous. But, the risks do not outweigh the advantage that this opportunity brings. So, I ask you, since you are the last person to be changed into a more fitting skin, will you bring about change? Will you be the one to acquire knowledge that may even be used to save this world one day?"
He swiveled on his heels, extending his hand once more. "SPH-003F. Will you help me open the portal?"
Written by Cole Stryker on 13 September 2015
The end (for now)