Project 52 - BC (1)
Fantasy AU | 1.5K Words | Mystical, Adventurous, Invention |Bangchan x AFAB Reader
TW: fantasy peril, accidental dimension travel, isolation, fire/electrical accidents, emotional distress, and mild language.
Summary: When an invention gone wrong sends you through an experimental dimension-travel machine, you're unexpectedly transported to a mysterious world far from home. Lost in a magical forest inhabited by fantastical beings, you must navigate an unfamiliar realm with only a dying camera to remind you of where you want to get back to. As you form new friendships—including with a man who captures your attention—a growing threat casts a shadow over the land, forcing you to confront challenges you never imagined.
"So what do you think 's going to go wrong with this one?" Jae asks as the two of you get off the bus to walk towards the warehouse Mina spent most of her time in.
"Don't say that," You nudge him, careful not to spill the tray of coffee in your hands. "She's gotten a lot better with her inventions."
You didn't even believe yourself when you spoke. Mina...had a background in creating different machines, and then the three of you would most literally watch them go up in smoke the moment she turned them on. There wasn't a singular doubt in anyone's mind that Mina wasn't a genius, and only at the age of 26. She just had a hard time bringing her ideas and creations out of her head and into the real world.
Her current invention didn't have a name like the others, but she'd been working on it for the better half of a year, way longer than anything she'd made before. She had called you both the night before and asked you to meet her at the warehouse first thing in the morning. Reluctantly, you agreed and promised to bring caffeine for everyone, not that she needed any more anyway. You couldn't remember a recent time when she had blinked, much less slept.
You hear her music before the warehouse even comes into view, too loud to understand words. She said she understood them just fine, but you knew it was just another way to keep herself awake. Getting closer, you could see the decently sized building, a gift from her parents for when she went off to college to be an engineer...little did they know she dropped out over a year ago and still hadn't told them. She had hoped one of her inventions would take off and they'd be too blindsided by her success to care about her dropping out.
Inside, everything was illuminated by giant LED lights hanging from the rafters. At first glance, Mina was nowhere to be found, but a few more steps inside, and you saw her walk out of a large metal dome. It was the size of an SUV and made entirely out of scrap metal. It was easily 10x larger than anything she'd shown you before.
"Mina, I mean this as your friend," Jae starts, dropping his bag by her crowded desk. "What the hell?"
You snickered and nudged him. Mina didn't take any offense; if anything, her smile grew larger as she approached, removing her black gloves. Her hair was tied up on top of her head, messy and dark with streaks of purple. "You like it?"
"What is it?" You ask, walking closer and examining the outside. Nothing special...just a big hunk of metal.
Jae poked his head inside the dark doorway and looked at you, shaking his head like he couldn't figure it out either.
"It doesn't have a name yet, but I'm calling it Project 52, and I can tell you what it does!" She squeals in excitement, bouncing on her heels with her hands clasped underneath her chin.
Her smile was contagious. Even with her dark circles and her obvious lack of rest, she was still a ball of energy and excitement. "Tell us then!" You laugh, handing out coffees.
She skipped over to the laptop right outside the machine. When she opened it, numbers and letters covered the screen, completely foreign to both you and Jae. Then, through the window before you, a light barely lit up the inside of the machine. There was nothing inside.
"So, I think I figured out how to access an alternate dimension." She said it as if it were the most normal statement on earth. Like you'd asked her what she wanted from her favorite lunch spot.
"Did you?" Jae asks sarcastically, propping himself onto her desk, sipping away at his straw. You shot him a glare, causing him to throw his free hand up in defense.
Again, Mina didn't notice. "I did! Last week was my first time trying it. I sent a bottle cap."
"How do you know you didn't blow it up?" Jae asks, and you couldn't even scold him because you were thinking the same thing. She had a track record of causing fires and small explosions in the past.
"Because, Jae," She says matter-of-factly. "Nothing blew up. It just...vanished. So I tested it again with bigger items like a baseball and a stuffed animal."
"Okay...so say it does work. How do you know you aren't sending these things to, like... Sweden?" You counter. You wanted to believe she'd created something amazing...you really did. But an alternate universe? It was impossible.
There was no such thing. All there was was what you could see. Unfortunately, that is how things are.
"I don't know." She admits and then holds up a small GoPro, no bigger than her palm. "So, I'm sending this."
"A camera?" Jae asks.
"Yes! I'm going to turn it on and send it out to wherever the other items have gone...and hopefully we'll be able to see what it sees." She explains. "I just need to get it fired up."
"Do we need to find shelter?" Jae half-jokes, sliding off the desk.
Mina rolls her eyes. "No, just cover your ears because it's really loud...and maybe cover your eyes too."
"Oh god, Mina." Jae whines.
"Mina, how can I help?" You ask. You wanted badly to support her. Before the two of you became friends all those years ago, you saw how people treated her. She'd always been creative and strongly outgoing, and because of that, she was seen as an outcast. You wanted her to know that there were still people who believed in her as much as she believed in herself.
"I'm glad you asked," She smiles, handing over the camera. "I need you to simply turn it on and put it on the platform inside."
"Easy enough." You nod, take the camera, and step inside the dome. It was still dark when you shuffled around. Your shoe hits a bump, and with the dim lighting, you can make out what looks like a black plate on the floor.
"Mina, is this it?" You call out, holding down the power button for the camera and smiling small when the red light comes on.
"That's it!" Her voice muffled through the thick metal.
Without further ado, you kneel down and place it on the plate. "Like this?"
Unbeknownst to the three of you, while Jae leaned over Mina to watch you through the small window, his coffee slowly dripped onto the switchboard connected to the invention.
"Is it-" Mina begins to call out to you when sparks begin to erupt from the keyboard. The machine whirs to life, startling both of your friends and causing them to stumble back in shock. It was loud...very loud, and the light emitting from it was blinding.
Jae dropped his drink completely, needing his hands to block the sound from ringing through his ears. Mina did the same while trying her best in the chaos to unplug it.
A small fire broke out along the power lines, making the sound slowly begin to diminish. Mina ran for the extinguisher as Jae ran out of the warehouse for safety.
A few minutes later, everything fell silent. The machine had stopped and gone completely dark. The fire was out, and now only a thin sheen of smoke covered the room.
"It's fine." Mina coughs, waving her hands through the smoke. "It's out, guys."
Jae pokes his head back into the building. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Mina calls back, frowning at her now destroyed project.
"Y/N?" Jae calls out, slowly stepping into the room. "You okay?"
No answer.
Alarm bells quickly went off in their heads as they ran to the entrance of the machine. Jae used his phone's flashlight to illuminate the room, and what they saw sent chills down their spines.
Or...who they didn't see, to be exact.
"Where is she?" Jae panics
Mina steps inside and finds that it is completely empty, and that's when it clicks. "The camera."
"No one cares about your stupid camera, Mina! Our friend is gone!" Jae panics, continuing to call out for you.
"Jae, the camera!" Mina shouts, running out of the machine and to her laptop.
"Mina, have you lost your mind?" Jae was full-blown hyperventilating now.
"Wherever the camera went, she went with it," Mina explains, desperately trying to get the screen to turn on.
"Or they both were abliterated." Jae cries out, looking up at the ceiling, hoping maybe you had gotten up there somehow in the chaos.
"Oh my- Jae, come look!" Mina squeals.
"Mina, I don't-"
"COME LOOK!" She demands with a wide and proud smile.
Reluctantly, he walks over, and his eyes widen when he sees the screen. The camera had made it to wherever it was sent. It was toppled on its side, facing trees...or what looked like trees. The trunks were dark, almost black, but from the light they reflected blue. The tops and surrounding foliage were a very dark teal, as was the grass, which swayed gently like water.
"This looks like a desktop background." Jae mumbles, completely mind-blown.
"Where is she?" Mina mumbles, silently cursing herself for not building it into a camera with robotic legs.
Before Jae could begin to fear the worst, they heard a quiet groan on the speakers. Then the camera shifted and rose, exposing more of the strange forest.
A/N: I've had this idea for a very long time, and I think it's time to put it into words. I'll still be working on Wasteland, but I've been having daydreams about this plot for months. I hope you all enjoy it!
