Portal.

What could be described as a growl emerged from the hole in the wall. Nearby scientists scrambling amongst machines, taking down every important piece of knowledge. Not one of them spoke of the child that just entered the hole. Not one of them tried to show the regret and fear they were feeling. For no matter how ashamed they were, nothing was worth what their boss would do to them. Derrick Todd was the first to leave the room, followed quickly by Dr. Meissner. Mark Tene was the last to give a look at the man in the suit before he, too, left for the second observation room. Rockwell didn't notice. His eyes were locked onto the hole in the wall.

Minutes turned into hours, and Rockwell made his way to the conference room. Leviller had paged him a few minutes ago telling him that his package had arrived. Rockwell commended her on her quick success, as he believed that it would have taken much longer. Leviller said nothing in return. Her squad had only gotten the orders that morning, and though it was difficult finding the package, securing it was far too easy. She simply told him that she had work to do, and didn't have more time for his errands. He reminded her who her superior was. She hung up. Rockwell only smiled, Leviller's attitude was merely a distraction at most. She would do her job because whether or not she would like to admit it, she enjoyed it. She was like all of the others who worked for him. Rockwell reached for the doorknob to the room.

"Time." The Voice was barely a whisper now. A simple gasp in Rockwell's ear, teasing him to stop his action, but Rockwell persisted. There was work to do.

The room was dark, empty except for a table and two chairs. The Good Doctor sat in one of them, his head in his hand, long hair draping his face. He didn't even move when Rockwell walked into the room. Rockwell didn't bother to sit down, but simply waited for the man to respond to his presence. However, the first to speak was not who Rockwell expected it to be. The Voice ran through Rockwell's mind. "Hunger." A dry cough of a phrase rang through the air that only Rockwell understood.

"Why?" the man asked out loud. Rockwell was caught momentarily off guard. The Voice would have to wait yet again. Rockwell stepped closer to the man at the table. "You know perfectly well why. I have my goals and you have yours. I am prepared to do what I can to achieve mine, but you on the other hand, have given up on your goals." The man barely stirred. Rockwell leaned in closer to him over the table. "We are long past the golden age of the Holders, where they would keep all of the Objects. The Objects are almost all in the hands of humans, which are arguably worse. The few Objects that are not held by humans or Holders are kept by much sinister beings. That is the world we live in. That is the world we thrive in. That is my world."

"No," the man's response was quick and cutting. Rockwell, himself, was taken aback as the figure at the table lifted himself up from his pathetic position, revealing something in its clutches. Something it held onto tighter than one should hold anything. In its grasp was the book. The Book of Legion. "No, Rockwell," the man spat out. "That is only the beginning." The two men locked eyes as a chill went through the room. Rockwell started to respond but the death rattle of The Voice flew through his mind again. This time sharper than before. More desperate. "Smile." Only a moment later did Rockwell realize that that wasn't The Voice, but something darker, something much more powerful, and infinitely more dangerous. The hole was talking to him, piercing his mind, taunting him. Sacrifice was a word Rockwell would have to understand.

But that was a moment too late to do anything, as the door smashed open, as the three that had left the portal room ran in. Tene was the only one who could speak. "Something is wrong." The five of them ran through the underground laboratory as fast as they could. They charged through the hallways, and ran up to the doors. Barred shut by something they could not see, they could only watch through the observation window as the hole began to growl once again. Scientists stood in shock at the hole, paralyzed with fear, and possibly more. Fallen clipboards and notes were left untouched. Nobody dared to move. But the growl turned into a deafening scream as the reality of the room seemed to melt away. As black oily tendrils erupted from the hole, grabbing hold of the men and women in the room, dragging them screaming back into the black abyss. Finally, the tendrils retracted into the blackness, but something once again began to exit the portal. What appeared to be a gigantic ribcage attached to a tendril made its way through the portal, stopping when it touched the floor of the room. The "mouth" then parted, depositing something into the room. As the aberration returned to its world, the doors became unlocked again, almost as if by magic. The group made their way into the room warily. Almost no collateral damage was made to the room, as it simply appeared empty. If not for the hole, one wouldn't be able to to believe what had just happened has ever occurred. The only noise came from the machinery and the low rumble from the scar in the wall. However, when they saw what was left for them, the silence returned to deafen the room once more. The child lay on the ground, naked, covered in sweat and black liquid, laying there shivering, but unconscious. The Good Doctor made his way over to his offspring immediately, whereas Derrick couldn't move at all. Tene absentmindedly took out a cigarette and lit it, without breaking his gaze on the hole. Sarah was the first to notice the machines, nearly gasping back sickening tears as she made her proclamation.

"It worked."