LOCATION: INCURSION #0032-SAHARA
AREA: THE SAHARA DESERT, ALGERIA
DATE: APRIL 25, 2032 | TIME: 6:00 AM
The gentle winds blew across the sands of the Sahara. It was 6:00 AM and faint streaks of gold and yellow crossed the darkened sky, as if trying to erase the night. The sun had yet to make a full appearance, but the heat in the desert was already rising.
Trevor and a group of Peacekeepers sat around a large table under an enormous tent set up with medical beds, cooking stoves that ran on nanites, and other equipment needed to keep soldiers in top shape and fighting.
“I’ve been briefed at Celestial Intelligence about the threat from the other world,” Trevor said. “What else can you tell me about the portals themselves?”
The mission had been eight days in the making. When Trevor first arrived at CIS, he was ushered into a conference room. He met Erik Drexler and Nathan Rourke, both for the first time.
He had heard of them, of course. They knew all about Trevor and the great sacrifice he had made for Earth. And the suffering he had incurred for his generosity.
Now they were asking him to do more.
But when Trevor learned what they required of him, he knew the truth: he was likely the only person on the planet who had the capability to do this.
He spent six days with Rin Shale, learning everything he could about their way of life. About the clothes they had to wear. About the way they spoke. How to keep your head down when you walk the streets.
And crucially, to never look the Black Guard in the eyes. When you see those long coats, you are to keep your gaze pointed at the ground.
Even when spoken to by the Guard, the citizens of Nocturnus were not to raise their heads. It was one of many crimes against the State that were grounds for immediate termination.
With Rin’s input, three sets of clothes were created for Trevor. The outfits appeared to be woven from the same scratchy, low-grade fabric which Rin herself had been wearing when she first arrived on Earth.
But the three outfits made for Trevor had a few special enhancements. There was one outfit for each of his persona slots.
The Fighter set, which he assumed would be used the least, if at all, was infused with an impact-dampening lattice. When struck with a bludgeoning attack, the impact would be spread out over a larger area.
Since the Black Guard carried metal batons, this function would work well if he ever did have to fight them.
The Rogue set, which he was wearing this morning in the desert, was infused with incredible stealth technology. When obscured by even the slightest amount of shadow, Trevor could stand still and become nearly invisible against nearly any backdrop.
Since everything over there was gray and black, the camouflaging tech didn’t even need to compensate for colors.
Finally, the Mage set was a true marvel of engineering. The nanites woven into the fabric itself absorbed mana from the air and stored it like a battery.
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Trevor would be able to use it to augment his own mana pool, which he had discovered when he switched to the Varris persona, was quite vast.
Speaking of the Varris persona, the skill list he had acquired astounded him the first time he read it.
It was a long list, broken down into categories.
The offensive spell list was several pages long. The defensive list was short but still quite powerful. But it was the third category that would serve Trevor on this mission the best: Charisma-based spells.
This list ranged from extremely useful spells to obtain information, to cringe-worthy skills of forced seduction. And it just got worse from there.
Trevor shuddered just thinking of it. Varris was a horrible man. That much was true. But Trevor was determined to use that man’s acquired skill set to his advantage.
In fact, Earth would depend on him doing so.
Trevor’s attention was drawn back to the desert.
“The portal opens at different times every day, but it’s always somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30 AM.”
Samir al-Mansoor was leading the briefing himself.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take someone with you?” he asked. “We could always postpone it and train someone up—”
Trevor shook his head.
“Thank you, but no. My Hollow Mantle class is perfectly suited for this kind of infiltration. I just wish there was a way to stay in touch with this side. I have no idea how long it will take. But Rin helped me to craft my entrance into Nocturnus society.”
“What if they shut the portal down and you’re stuck there?” Brick asked.
Trevor smiled.
“You’ve been there for me through it all, and I am proud to call you a friend. I appreciate your concern. But even if they close the portal, I will learn how to open my own. That is my purpose for traveling to Nocturnus, after all.”
Brick was pacing, but Samir calmed him down the best way he knew how.
“Brick, why don’t you stay here instead of heading back to the States? Battle the incursion with us. It will help you release some of that tension I’m sensing.”
Brick stopped and turned toward Samir. He studied the Dune Viper for a moment and came to a decision.
“I was trying to decide whether you’re fucking with me or not. But if you’ll have me, fuck yes.”
Samir laughed.
“Just save some of the kills for the others, okay? They need the XP more than you do.”
They continued their briefing for a bit longer, until the air at the top of the hill in the distance began shimmering in the morning light.
A sonic boom sounded out, and a stable portal popped into existence. Trevor stared at it, marveling at the jagged edges.
“Why is it not more—"
“Time to go, Trevor. We wish you good luck and godspeed. You’ll be on your own once you go through, but I have faith in you.”
Samir offered his hand and Trevor shook it.
Trevor selected his Rogue persona, and his black clothes activated automatically, making his outline blur, even to those standing right next to him.
Brick pulled Trevor into a hug and wished him good luck.
Then Trevor was on his way.
He jogged toward the portal, and as he approached, Brick watched as the shadows wrapped around Trevor’s figure. By the time he slipped through the shimmering rift in space, Brick couldn’t even make him out.
“He’ll be fine,” Samir said, drawing his daggers from his waist belt. “Let’s go burn off some of that energy. They usually begin with buffalo-like creatures, but later they start sending warriors through. You’ll get your fill today.”
The world was dark on the other side, and Trevor quickly ran to his left and away from the spot where he had entered. Large, huffing beasts that were the size and shape of buffalo stampeded up a winding path and through the circular rift.
Six men and women stood around the portal, their hands resting on some sort of equipment. Their eyes were closed and they were clearly concentrating hard.
“Am I going to be able to do this myself, or will I need five others?” Trevor wondered.
But there was no time to worry about that now. He found the rock Erik told him about, and with a herculean effort, moved it to the side.
Trevor dropped into the tight tunnel and crawled for what felt like a mile. At long last, his outstretched hands landed on a wooden ladder leading upward.
Trevor listened for several minutes, and hearing nothing above, he inched the hatch open to confirm. The coast was clear, and he ascended into the storehouse, letting the hatch drop silently into the floor.
He was in.
“Now for the fun part,” he whispered, pulling the door open and slipping out into the street.