Portal Panic: Chapter C1

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>The chief hadn’t even traveled a mile from the lab and he was already facing problems.
>Portions of the road have become adversely affected by the portals.
>Some parts have been washed out due to portals redirecting ocean water.
>Others parts have been completely swallowed up by portal-generated sinkholes.
>Still other portions suddenly had mounds of muddy earth deposited on top of them.
>Rounding a bend, the chief found himself at one such sudden mountain, this one blocking the whole road.
>He tried to slam on the brakes, but the rain-slicked road didn’t award his tires any traction.
>Only making matters worse, a portal opened up right in front of him, large enough for his car to enter.
>He simply tried to remain in control of his car as it skidded into the murky blue.
>It filled his vision and he braced for whatever was to come next.
>Seconds later, a large portal opens up on a rain-drenched thoroughfare.
>Out of this portal rockets the chief’s car.
>After wrestling for control of the vehicle and recovering from the impact, he finally manages to stop the car and pop the door open.
>The first thing he does is look back at where he came from.
>The portal that spat him out is already long gone, cars that were stuck behind it moving forward again.
>”Guess we won’t have to test with vehicles,” he mused before looking around.
>Sirens from emergency vehicles fill the air.
>The chief scientist cannot peel his eyes away as a portal opens in front of a fire truck, consuming the entire machine.
>He searches for a moment before spotting another portal form and disappear, stranding it on top of a four-story building.
>The bewildered driver opens his door, unable to believe what he saw through the truck’s windows.
>The rest of the crew leave the truck as well, surveying their current surroundings.
>After what seems like an eternity the chief scientist finally stops staring at the vehicle’s current resting place.
>He goes back to his car and hops inside before his lab coat becomes any soggier.
>The car starts up after three tries.
>At least something was going right today…
>He starts going down the roadway, trying to navigate the fleeing, panicking populace.
>A humming behind him forces a glance at his rearview mirror.
>Where his car was a few seconds prior is now the half-sphere of another portal.
>He entertains the thought of where that portal would’ve taken him as it closes shortly after and leaves a new pothole in the street.
>”This is insane!  How am I supposed to get people back to the lab with all of this going on?!”
>A horn blaring to his left distracts him.
>He turns to look and his eyes widen.
>One of the city’s transit buses emerges and comes to a squealing stop, terrified driver still pressing his fist into the horn like his life depended on being as obnoxious as possible.
>The onlooker shakes his head with a grin.
>He never would’ve guessed one of the things his portal project was supposed to replace would be a potential solution.
>”That could work, but one wouldn’t be enough…  Where is the bus depot?  And for that matter, where am I?”
>By this time he’s a mere twenty feet from an intersection.
>However, the near-gridlock of the road ahead means a snail’s pace is the best the chief can hope for.
>As the car inches closer, the radio gives a dull, repetitive buzzer.
>”We interrupt this broadcast with a breaking news update.  The mayor has declared a state of emergency. National guard as well as regular armed forces are being deployed from…”
>He ignored whatever else it said in favor of the task at hand.
>Finally, he’s able to reach the intersection, and looks at the names of the two streets.
>He then takes out a GPS from the glovebox.
>Now is not the time to be making guesses.
>The device zeroes in on his location.
>When he locates the bus depot, he groans audibly.
>”Of course I’m halfway across the city from it!”
>He turns the car down the left street, which seems to be emptier traffic-wise.
>He only makes it a block and a half before he’s stuck again.
>”Great.”