Searching Far and Wide

[intricate_engineer]

Glen was creating a prototype for a new gate design. It was meant to be affordable and provide quick transport between individual homes. She tests several objects and a rat and everything seems to be working.

She steps through. Instead of finding herself in the room next door, she finds herself standing on a sidewalk in an empty city. The buildings are tall and perfect, colorless with doorways far too tall for any human. The roads have no straight lines and twist in on themselves. There is no life or sound.
Glen tries to stay calm. She begins to walk along the road, randomly opening doors and exploring buildings that are as silent as the rest of the world.

She opens a door that she hopes will lead onto a roof and is instead met with warmth, and soft noise, and color.

Comments

[intricate_engineer]

Translated into words, the account statement reads:
Glen. Don't die. I found your portal. Should I go through? I will bring supplies. Alex

Glen chokes slightly on her coffee.
"Bar, please tell him no!"

[alicornucopia]

How shall I encode that?

[intricate_engineer]

"Same way as before please."

[alicornucopia]

Done.

[intricate_engineer]

"Thank you. I really hope he doesn't do anything stupid."

[alicornucopia]

You're welcome.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen orders two breakfasts and takes them upstairs to see if Bella is awake.

[the_very_best]

Bella is just waking up and delighted to accept breakfast!

[intricate_engineer]

"Ready to test this thing?"

[the_very_best]

"Sure!"

[intricate_engineer]

"You might want to sit down again."
Glen drags the portals to opposite ends of the room.

[the_very_best]

Plop.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen turns the portals on. After cycling through various shades of black, they reflect the view outside of each other.
Glen's back is to Bella, but Bella can see her front through the second portal.
Glen takes out a marble and rolls it through.
It pops out at the other end of the room.

[the_very_best]

Bella applauds.

[intricate_engineer]

"I've still got it! How safe is the place outside your door?"

[the_very_best]

"Quite, it's in a town and stuff."

[intricate_engineer]

"Can we try it now? You can hold the door."

[the_very_best]

"Sure."

And Bella goes and holds the door.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen gets a trolley, and lugs one of portals outside the door. She rolls a marble through, then runs upstairs.
She comes back holding the marble and grinning.

[the_very_best]

"Next test should probably be if it works while the door's closed, just in case that affects something."

[intricate_engineer]

"Close it and I'll put it through upstairs."

[the_very_best]

Bella steps back into Milliways.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen runs back up the stairs, and then back down.
"Alright! Let's see if it worked."

[the_very_best]

And Bella opens the door again. (People are looking curiously at the gate from across the street but don't seem all that interested.)

[intricate_engineer]

The marble lays on the ground outside.
"Yes! Now usually I would test a worm, and then a rat, but I don't have any on hand and I doubt the Bar sells life."