Chapters
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Kaelynn watched from within her tank. It was all she could ever do. While her friends were out there putting themselves at risk to fight for her, protecting her from danger, she swam around in a tank, accomplishing nothing and putting everyone at greater risk.When they arrived at their first real alien city, she was stuck inside the tank, swirling around with only what she could see above them for a view. More than once she started assembling the rebreather, preparing to put it on. But the water had been…-
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Jordan knew beyond any doubt that he had made a mistake. He should have pressured Ryan to go negotiating with Blake, and stayed back with Kaelynn. The fish might not be much of a conversationalist, but at least that way he wouldn't get himself into trouble. He'd barely been in the other world for a week and already his mind was filled with strange things.But if there was one way to fight back strange thoughts, it was work.A bell rang loudly as they stepped into the shop, loud enough that his ears twitched…
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194.6 K •
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BlakeWalking into Klugetown was a little like seeing a town of survivors after the apocalypse. Considering the state of the waystation where they arrived, maybe this shouldn't be surprising to him. When they eventually returned with an expedition, maybe they could take the time to learn how the world had gotten this way. Maybe it was as simple as immigrants from hundreds of years ago not being able to adapt to having the wrong number of legs. Maybe they were barely surviving after centuries of war?Whatever…
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194.6 K •
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Dear journal, Here's a list of some things that suck. Item one: traveling through the desert Item two: drinking gross water through a life straw Item three: starving to deathItem four: slipping into quicksand Item five: The way they look at meItem six: knowing I'm going to die out here. Item seven: knowing I only have one change of batteries for my voice recorder. Item eight: being so close to discovering something that might change the world, but knowing I'll be dead and won't get to enjoy it.That is my…
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194.6 K •
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Blake led the way into the desert. The location alone was by no means the strangest place they'd gone. At least if he ignored every specific detail about the trip. But for all the abandoned subway stations and hidden churches and bomb shelters they'd snuck into over the years, none had presented them with such directly hostile factors.The otherworldly waystation had little in the way of useful camping supplies. Given they had expected to spend the night in a hotel, neither did they. But Blake had been a…
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194.6 K •
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Jordan paced around the edge of the room, watching Ryan and Blake work. This was the largest of the ancient outpost's structures, large enough to hold a dozen carts. He might've guessed it was for stabling horses, but that would require animals. As hard as it was to adapt to the conditions of this strange place, having animals around that looked almost identical to them was one bridge he wasn't mentally ready to cross."We need more redundancy against leaks," Ryan said, gesturing away from the cart they…
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194.6 K •
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I don't know what time it is. I don't know where this is. I don't know when this is. I don't know what I am. Right. Deep breath, Ryan, we can do this. We can do this. I can do this. Okay, good. The others can't hear me here. God only knows how this recording is going to turn out when this is all said and done, but if I don't get it all down, then I never will.I'm going to die in this desert, and no one will ever find it. But hey, at least if future archeologists ever find this voice recorder they’ll be…
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194.6 K •
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Kaelynn passed through the opening in the world to much the same sensations as her first time. First a current that she couldn't resist, blinding her with light that shouldn't be there. She spun in the water, only this time she had strong fins to right herself. She'd adapted to the absence of her legs so quickly that she managed to keep on course as she passed through.She could even mark the exact moment that her body changed, an impossible instant where she was suddenly holding her breath again. Where the…
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194.6 K •
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Jordan Little hacked and coughed, fighting the burning in his lungs that came from water swallowed where it shouldn't be. The body spat it back up well enough, but the danger was in the second half of that reflex, trying to take in more. He bit down hard, hard enough that he tasted coppery blood against his tongue.But it worked. Despite the strange numbness in his limbs, and the weight of fabric and gear trying to drag him down, he finally broke the surface of the water. He gasped, and allowed himself to…
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Blake Hodges knew a desperate situation when he saw one.It wasn't like leading a group of clandestine, urban explorers had ever been an entirely safe way to spend his time. If anything, the danger was part of the appeal of the hobby. Only an urban explorer could venture down where law enforcement, dangerous gases and structural collapse, were only the beginning of the danger. But going somewhere that others hadn't seen for decades, maybe even centuries was a thrill that could be matched by little else.…
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