Here Somehow

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

“Alright Mr. Stranger-Person-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before! Mori will be back soon and when he does then he’ll be able to help you be whoever you are again!” She said confidently with a nod. “Man, I’m such a good person! I did a good thing, after all. Oh, I know! I should make some hot chocolate for when Mori returns!” She snapped her fingers and then skipped over to the kitchen.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

Whatever. Anis probably set off some alarms or something, she needed to leave. So out the window she went- running effortlessly across the rooftops to her apartment with Mori.

It was so BORING, being alone in the apartment all day.

So what else was she supposed to do but sneak out and learn about this world and it’s citizens? So long as it wasn’t after curfew she couldn’t get in trouble right?

The rooftops also had a special post-apocalyptic feel to them, and if she found any scraps she could try to CRESTROY them to see what would happen. So far shiny and non shiny things seemed to work the same as back home, which was good.

Anis skipped alongside the rooftop of one building over to some windows to apartments, looking inside them. A family, some messy guy- oh that person was sick, yikes- and…? Anis squinted through the window.

Uh- what was she supposed to do again when this happened? Call 911? Was that even a thing here?

Anis shrugged. Well, clearly this stranger needed help. No one knew about her and she didn’t know where people who could help lived, so the best think was, obviously, to bring the stranger home and have Mori handle it!

Without a second thought, she took a few steps back and then ran at the window- crashing through the glass and landing on the floor by the passed-out figure. “Alright, up we go!” Anis said cheerfully, leaning down and hoisting the stranger over her shoulder.

"Hey, uh- come in you two." He greeted while opening the front doors to the lab.

"Still recovering, but I'll manage. Nothing I haven't delt with before." He mumbled while fixing his glasses. He began rumaging through a few folders.

"I have the old blueprints here. We can get started with that and go from there. Anything to add before we start?"

"That actually reminds me. I'm aware of the frame skipping, but what other abilities do you two have? If I remember correctly you had a button of some sort, right?" He asked, glancing at Mori. Not much had been explained to him, but if anything it might be helpful to the project.

They decided not to mention their own power, as it wasn’t anything particularly awe inspiring.

"That is rather impressive. Should come in handy when we get to actually assembling this thing." He said with a hand on his chin. Last time he had to do all that himself. Some extra hands would be a huge help, especially if one had hightened physical strength.

"Alright, if that's everything then we can begin. Anis, you managed to get here on your own. From what I understand, magic is quite common in your world. Was your way of getting here technology or magic based? Or maybe a mix?"

"I.D.A.B.? Mind expanding on that?" He could only assume it was an acronym for something, but for what he wasn't sure. The difference in technology and names for things between the two worlds makes it a bit harder to determine what is what.

"So you fixed that and it sent you here? Well, I still have the pieces and scrap from the machine in the backroom. You could check in one of the piles for your device. Can't promise it'll be in good condition though. Everything was fried in the explosion." He said, gesturing to the backroom where he had built the first machine.

"I do have a question for you that I noticed you didn't bring up earlier when we were on the subject of abilities." He said, resting his head in his palm while leaning his elbow on the desk.

"Regarding your eyes specifically. They changed color back when the power was out and you looked at the screens to help. Plus a few other instances here and there. It's mostly just curiosity in my part, but do they correspond with emotion by chance?" He ask curiously. It seemed more like just a passive ability than anything, but he was curious and now seemed like a decent time to ask.

"Alright, thank you." If it was something important or useful to their cause, Stein figured Mori would expand on it. But he could understand not wanting to discus something you can't change about yourself that you don't like. He subconciously rubbed the stitches under his hand with a small frown at the thought.

"... Anyway, you mentioned something about skill levels or something back during the power outage. Could you explain that a bit?" He asked, changing the subject. Although it could be helpful to know more about this in particular.

"As for the buttons, is CREATE the only one people from your world have? I seem to recall you saying something about CRESTROY?" He asked, thinking back to one of their first conversations. Back when Mori wasn't quite as open with information or details.

“… my buttons are not the example that should be used here, as they are… not in the best condition- but I’m the only one here who can show you.” They admitted. “CRESTROY is a button very unique to Anis, and its the only one of it’s kind. Essentially, it is the fusion of both a CREATE and a DESTROY button- hence why she doesn’t have buttons for CREATE or DESTROY.”

“Since she’s the only one who has managed to accomplish this, not much is known about CRESTROY. Then again, there is much we still don’t know about the other buttons- but that is a topic for when we have time to discuss it.”

"Alright, that should be it for now then." He concluded while gazing back at the door Anis had dissapeared behind. He hoped she could find her device in at least semi decent condition. It would seriously speed this whole thing up. He was even more anxious to get out of this city, especially now that he knew Procyon was lurking around.

Anis demonstrated by tilting it down, and a few random parts could be heard moving inside the used-to-be-functional machine.

"It's tricky. The first machine had connected so well the first time because Anis met it half way in a sense. But without that data it's a very sensitive process..." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"For now, replicating the machine should be a decent start. Getting new materials could be tricky, so just keep an eye out for anything that might be useful." Stein already had to be careful, having had no choice but to tap into the resources his bosses provide him with to make the first machine. It was insignificant enough that noone had noticed, but it was very risky. He only had so much scrap metal and stuff in his basement, acquiring the more delicate pieces was the real issue.

"We'll need to take this apart to draw up decent blueprints first. There's tools in those drawers over there if you can start on that. If there's anything you think we can salvage, set it aside. I'll see if I can find any data that survived the explosion in my systems." He mumbled while opening a few windows on his computer.

"It'll take longer than I thought, but it looks like I may be able to salvage some of this. Can't be certain what survived though." He mumbled while typing in a few commands. A new window popped up with a loading bar that didn't even seem to be moving. Stein just frowned and minimized the window before glancing back at them.

"I've started a backup scan, if any data survived it'll show up. But it's gonna be a while." He pulled his first blueprints up and studdied them for a moment.

"We may want to aim for a combination of the two devices. Combining the technology could help pinpoint your universe more easily." He mumbled in thought before rolling his chair over to where they were working with the machine.

"How's it looking so far? Anything we could potentially reuse?"

"We'll also need to work on security for the lab when we have time. A... Certain person of interest as apparently become active again and we can not risk anything." He explained, tone growing serious as he frowned to himself.

"Shit... Actually that might be a high priority..." He mumbled, holding his chin in thought.

"When you two are out you need to be extra careful. Contact me immediately if you notice specifically racoons acting strange around you. Following or staring or anything like that. I'm aware it's a weird request but it's important. Those things are the eyes and ears of a very dangerous man." He warned, looking from Anis to Mori.

"Sounds good. Anis, mind coming with me?" He asked while standing up from his chair.

"What experience do you have with this sort of thing?" He asked curiosuly.

"Don't worry, they move. There's a mode where they go back and forth on their own, and one where they track movement. All full color and very much not magical. I'm assuming there's multiple brands of surveillance cameras where you're from, but here it's either provided from the government or you make it yourself. These are government provided, but I've modified them for my own use." He switched to a camera at the front of the building amd meased with the control panel.

"A few of them I can zoom in on. Specifically the one at the front enterance and the one at the far end of the walkway by the street." He explained, zooming in on the camera he had selected to show her. He thinks he covered all her questions. She was going pretty fast though.

"All set, go for it."

"Hey, uh- come in you two." He greeted while opening the front doors to the lab.

"Still recovering, but I'll manage. Nothing I haven't delt with before." He mumbled while fixing his glasses. He began rumaging through a few folders.

"I have the old blueprints here. We can get started with that and go from there. Anything to add before we start?"

"That actually reminds me. I'm aware of the frame skipping, but what other abilities do you two have? If I remember correctly you had a button of some sort, right?" He asked, glancing at Mori. Not much had been explained to him, but if anything it might be helpful to the project.

They decided not to mention their own power, as it wasn’t anything particularly awe inspiring.

"That is rather impressive. Should come in handy when we get to actually assembling this thing." He said with a hand on his chin. Last time he had to do all that himself. Some extra hands would be a huge help, especially if one had hightened physical strength.

"Alright, if that's everything then we can begin. Anis, you managed to get here on your own. From what I understand, magic is quite common in your world. Was your way of getting here technology or magic based? Or maybe a mix?"

"I.D.A.B.? Mind expanding on that?" He could only assume it was an acronym for something, but for what he wasn't sure. The difference in technology and names for things between the two worlds makes it a bit harder to determine what is what.

"So you fixed that and it sent you here? Well, I still have the pieces and scrap from the machine in the backroom. You could check in one of the piles for your device. Can't promise it'll be in good condition though. Everything was fried in the explosion." He said, gesturing to the backroom where he had built the first machine.

"I do have a question for you that I noticed you didn't bring up earlier when we were on the subject of abilities." He said, resting his head in his palm while leaning his elbow on the desk.

"Regarding your eyes specifically. They changed color back when the power was out and you looked at the screens to help. Plus a few other instances here and there. It's mostly just curiosity in my part, but do they correspond with emotion by chance?" He ask curiously. It seemed more like just a passive ability than anything, but he was curious and now seemed like a decent time to ask.

"Alright, thank you." If it was something important or useful to their cause, Stein figured Mori would expand on it. But he could understand not wanting to discus something you can't change about yourself that you don't like. He subconciously rubbed the stitches under his hand with a small frown at the thought.

"... Anyway, you mentioned something about skill levels or something back during the power outage. Could you explain that a bit?" He asked, changing the subject. Although it could be helpful to know more about this in particular.

"As for the buttons, is CREATE the only one people from your world have? I seem to recall you saying something about CRESTROY?" He asked, thinking back to one of their first conversations. Back when Mori wasn't quite as open with information or details.

“… my buttons are not the example that should be used here, as they are… not in the best condition- but I’m the only one here who can show you.” They admitted. “CRESTROY is a button very unique to Anis, and its the only one of it’s kind. Essentially, it is the fusion of both a CREATE and a DESTROY button- hence why she doesn’t have buttons for CREATE or DESTROY.”

“Since she’s the only one who has managed to accomplish this, not much is known about CRESTROY. Then again, there is much we still don’t know about the other buttons- but that is a topic for when we have time to discuss it.”

"Alright, that should be it for now then." He concluded while gazing back at the door Anis had dissapeared behind. He hoped she could find her device in at least semi decent condition. It would seriously speed this whole thing up. He was even more anxious to get out of this city, especially now that he knew Procyon was lurking around.

Anis demonstrated by tilting it down, and a few random parts could be heard moving inside the used-to-be-functional machine.

"It's tricky. The first machine had connected so well the first time because Anis met it half way in a sense. But without that data it's a very sensitive process..." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"For now, replicating the machine should be a decent start. Getting new materials could be tricky, so just keep an eye out for anything that might be useful." Stein already had to be careful, having had no choice but to tap into the resources his bosses provide him with to make the first machine. It was insignificant enough that noone had noticed, but it was very risky. He only had so much scrap metal and stuff in his basement, acquiring the more delicate pieces was the real issue.

"We'll need to take this apart to draw up decent blueprints first. There's tools in those drawers over there if you can start on that. If there's anything you think we can salvage, set it aside. I'll see if I can find any data that survived the explosion in my systems." He mumbled while opening a few windows on his computer.

"It'll take longer than I thought, but it looks like I may be able to salvage some of this. Can't be certain what survived though." He mumbled while typing in a few commands. A new window popped up with a loading bar that didn't even seem to be moving. Stein just frowned and minimized the window before glancing back at them.

"I've started a backup scan, if any data survived it'll show up. But it's gonna be a while." He pulled his first blueprints up and studdied them for a moment.

"We may want to aim for a combination of the two devices. Combining the technology could help pinpoint your universe more easily." He mumbled in thought before rolling his chair over to where they were working with the machine.

"How's it looking so far? Anything we could potentially reuse?"

"We'll also need to work on security for the lab when we have time. A... Certain person of interest as apparently become active again and we can not risk anything." He explained, tone growing serious as he frowned to himself.

"Shit... Actually that might be a high priority..." He mumbled, holding his chin in thought.

"When you two are out you need to be extra careful. Contact me immediately if you notice specifically racoons acting strange around you. Following or staring or anything like that. I'm aware it's a weird request but it's important. Those things are the eyes and ears of a very dangerous man." He warned, looking from Anis to Mori.

"Sounds good. Anis, mind coming with me?" He asked while standing up from his chair.

"What experience do you have with this sort of thing?" He asked curiosuly.

"Don't worry, they move. There's a mode where they go back and forth on their own, and one where they track movement. All full color and very much not magical. I'm assuming there's multiple brands of surveillance cameras where you're from, but here it's either provided from the government or you make it yourself. These are government provided, but I've modified them for my own use." He switched to a camera at the front of the building amd meased with the control panel.

"A few of them I can zoom in on. Specifically the one at the front enterance and the one at the far end of the walkway by the street." He explained, zooming in on the camera he had selected to show her. He thinks he covered all her questions. She was going pretty fast though.

"All set, go for it."

"Hey, uh- come in you two." He greeted while opening the front doors to the lab.

"Still recovering, but I'll manage. Nothing I haven't delt with before." He mumbled while fixing his glasses. He began rumaging through a few folders.

"I have the old blueprints here. We can get started with that and go from there. Anything to add before we start?"

"That actually reminds me. I'm aware of the frame skipping, but what other abilities do you two have? If I remember correctly you had a button of some sort, right?" He asked, glancing at Mori. Not much had been explained to him, but if anything it might be helpful to the project.

They decided not to mention their own power, as it wasn’t anything particularly awe inspiring.

"That is rather impressive. Should come in handy when we get to actually assembling this thing." He said with a hand on his chin. Last time he had to do all that himself. Some extra hands would be a huge help, especially if one had hightened physical strength.

"Alright, if that's everything then we can begin. Anis, you managed to get here on your own. From what I understand, magic is quite common in your world. Was your way of getting here technology or magic based? Or maybe a mix?"

"I.D.A.B.? Mind expanding on that?" He could only assume it was an acronym for something, but for what he wasn't sure. The difference in technology and names for things between the two worlds makes it a bit harder to determine what is what.

"So you fixed that and it sent you here? Well, I still have the pieces and scrap from the machine in the backroom. You could check in one of the piles for your device. Can't promise it'll be in good condition though. Everything was fried in the explosion." He said, gesturing to the backroom where he had built the first machine.

"I do have a question for you that I noticed you didn't bring up earlier when we were on the subject of abilities." He said, resting his head in his palm while leaning his elbow on the desk.

"Regarding your eyes specifically. They changed color back when the power was out and you looked at the screens to help. Plus a few other instances here and there. It's mostly just curiosity in my part, but do they correspond with emotion by chance?" He ask curiously. It seemed more like just a passive ability than anything, but he was curious and now seemed like a decent time to ask.

"Alright, thank you." If it was something important or useful to their cause, Stein figured Mori would expand on it. But he could understand not wanting to discus something you can't change about yourself that you don't like. He subconciously rubbed the stitches under his hand with a small frown at the thought.

"... Anyway, you mentioned something about skill levels or something back during the power outage. Could you explain that a bit?" He asked, changing the subject. Although it could be helpful to know more about this in particular.

"As for the buttons, is CREATE the only one people from your world have? I seem to recall you saying something about CRESTROY?" He asked, thinking back to one of their first conversations. Back when Mori wasn't quite as open with information or details.

“… my buttons are not the example that should be used here, as they are… not in the best condition- but I’m the only one here who can show you.” They admitted. “CRESTROY is a button very unique to Anis, and its the only one of it’s kind. Essentially, it is the fusion of both a CREATE and a DESTROY button- hence why she doesn’t have buttons for CREATE or DESTROY.”

“Since she’s the only one who has managed to accomplish this, not much is known about CRESTROY. Then again, there is much we still don’t know about the other buttons- but that is a topic for when we have time to discuss it.”

"Alright, that should be it for now then." He concluded while gazing back at the door Anis had dissapeared behind. He hoped she could find her device in at least semi decent condition. It would seriously speed this whole thing up. He was even more anxious to get out of this city, especially now that he knew Procyon was lurking around.

Anis demonstrated by tilting it down, and a few random parts could be heard moving inside the used-to-be-functional machine.

"It's tricky. The first machine had connected so well the first time because Anis met it half way in a sense. But without that data it's a very sensitive process..." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"For now, replicating the machine should be a decent start. Getting new materials could be tricky, so just keep an eye out for anything that might be useful." Stein already had to be careful, having had no choice but to tap into the resources his bosses provide him with to make the first machine. It was insignificant enough that noone had noticed, but it was very risky. He only had so much scrap metal and stuff in his basement, acquiring the more delicate pieces was the real issue.

"We'll need to take this apart to draw up decent blueprints first. There's tools in those drawers over there if you can start on that. If there's anything you think we can salvage, set it aside. I'll see if I can find any data that survived the explosion in my systems." He mumbled while opening a few windows on his computer.

"It'll take longer than I thought, but it looks like I may be able to salvage some of this. Can't be certain what survived though." He mumbled while typing in a few commands. A new window popped up with a loading bar that didn't even seem to be moving. Stein just frowned and minimized the window before glancing back at them.

"I've started a backup scan, if any data survived it'll show up. But it's gonna be a while." He pulled his first blueprints up and studdied them for a moment.

"We may want to aim for a combination of the two devices. Combining the technology could help pinpoint your universe more easily." He mumbled in thought before rolling his chair over to where they were working with the machine.

"How's it looking so far? Anything we could potentially reuse?"

"We'll also need to work on security for the lab when we have time. A... Certain person of interest as apparently become active again and we can not risk anything." He explained, tone growing serious as he frowned to himself.

"Shit... Actually that might be a high priority..." He mumbled, holding his chin in thought.

"When you two are out you need to be extra careful. Contact me immediately if you notice specifically racoons acting strange around you. Following or staring or anything like that. I'm aware it's a weird request but it's important. Those things are the eyes and ears of a very dangerous man." He warned, looking from Anis to Mori.

"Sounds good. Anis, mind coming with me?" He asked while standing up from his chair.

"What experience do you have with this sort of thing?" He asked curiosuly.

"Don't worry, they move. There's a mode where they go back and forth on their own, and one where they track movement. All full color and very much not magical. I'm assuming there's multiple brands of surveillance cameras where you're from, but here it's either provided from the government or you make it yourself. These are government provided, but I've modified them for my own use." He switched to a camera at the front of the building amd meased with the control panel.

"A few of them I can zoom in on. Specifically the one at the front enterance and the one at the far end of the walkway by the street." He explained, zooming in on the camera he had selected to show her. He thinks he covered all her questions. She was going pretty fast though.

"Hey, uh- come in you two." He greeted while opening the front doors to the lab.

"Still recovering, but I'll manage. Nothing I haven't delt with before." He mumbled while fixing his glasses. He began rumaging through a few folders.

"I have the old blueprints here. We can get started with that and go from there. Anything to add before we start?"

"That actually reminds me. I'm aware of the frame skipping, but what other abilities do you two have? If I remember correctly you had a button of some sort, right?" He asked, glancing at Mori. Not much had been explained to him, but if anything it might be helpful to the project.

They decided not to mention their own power, as it wasn’t anything particularly awe inspiring.

"That is rather impressive. Should come in handy when we get to actually assembling this thing." He said with a hand on his chin. Last time he had to do all that himself. Some extra hands would be a huge help, especially if one had hightened physical strength.

"Alright, if that's everything then we can begin. Anis, you managed to get here on your own. From what I understand, magic is quite common in your world. Was your way of getting here technology or magic based? Or maybe a mix?"

"I.D.A.B.? Mind expanding on that?" He could only assume it was an acronym for something, but for what he wasn't sure. The difference in technology and names for things between the two worlds makes it a bit harder to determine what is what.

"So you fixed that and it sent you here? Well, I still have the pieces and scrap from the machine in the backroom. You could check in one of the piles for your device. Can't promise it'll be in good condition though. Everything was fried in the explosion." He said, gesturing to the backroom where he had built the first machine.

"I do have a question for you that I noticed you didn't bring up earlier when we were on the subject of abilities." He said, resting his head in his palm while leaning his elbow on the desk.

"Regarding your eyes specifically. They changed color back when the power was out and you looked at the screens to help. Plus a few other instances here and there. It's mostly just curiosity in my part, but do they correspond with emotion by chance?" He ask curiously. It seemed more like just a passive ability than anything, but he was curious and now seemed like a decent time to ask.

"Alright, thank you." If it was something important or useful to their cause, Stein figured Mori would expand on it. But he could understand not wanting to discus something you can't change about yourself that you don't like. He subconciously rubbed the stitches under his hand with a small frown at the thought.

"... Anyway, you mentioned something about skill levels or something back during the power outage. Could you explain that a bit?" He asked, changing the subject. Although it could be helpful to know more about this in particular.

"As for the buttons, is CREATE the only one people from your world have? I seem to recall you saying something about CRESTROY?" He asked, thinking back to one of their first conversations. Back when Mori wasn't quite as open with information or details.

“… my buttons are not the example that should be used here, as they are… not in the best condition- but I’m the only one here who can show you.” They admitted. “CRESTROY is a button very unique to Anis, and its the only one of it’s kind. Essentially, it is the fusion of both a CREATE and a DESTROY button- hence why she doesn’t have buttons for CREATE or DESTROY.”

“Since she’s the only one who has managed to accomplish this, not much is known about CRESTROY. Then again, there is much we still don’t know about the other buttons- but that is a topic for when we have time to discuss it.”

"Alright, that should be it for now then." He concluded while gazing back at the door Anis had dissapeared behind. He hoped she could find her device in at least semi decent condition. It would seriously speed this whole thing up. He was even more anxious to get out of this city, especially now that he knew Procyon was lurking around.

Anis demonstrated by tilting it down, and a few random parts could be heard moving inside the used-to-be-functional machine.

"It's tricky. The first machine had connected so well the first time because Anis met it half way in a sense. But without that data it's a very sensitive process..." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"For now, replicating the machine should be a decent start. Getting new materials could be tricky, so just keep an eye out for anything that might be useful." Stein already had to be careful, having had no choice but to tap into the resources his bosses provide him with to make the first machine. It was insignificant enough that noone had noticed, but it was very risky. He only had so much scrap metal and stuff in his basement, acquiring the more delicate pieces was the real issue.

"We'll need to take this apart to draw up decent blueprints first. There's tools in those drawers over there if you can start on that. If there's anything you think we can salvage, set it aside. I'll see if I can find any data that survived the explosion in my systems." He mumbled while opening a few windows on his computer.

"It'll take longer than I thought, but it looks like I may be able to salvage some of this. Can't be certain what survived though." He mumbled while typing in a few commands. A new window popped up with a loading bar that didn't even seem to be moving. Stein just frowned and minimized the window before glancing back at them.

"I've started a backup scan, if any data survived it'll show up. But it's gonna be a while." He pulled his first blueprints up and studdied them for a moment.

"We may want to aim for a combination of the two devices. Combining the technology could help pinpoint your universe more easily." He mumbled in thought before rolling his chair over to where they were working with the machine.

"How's it looking so far? Anything we could potentially reuse?"

"We'll also need to work on security for the lab when we have time. A... Certain person of interest as apparently become active again and we can not risk anything." He explained, tone growing serious as he frowned to himself.

"Shit... Actually that might be a high priority..." He mumbled, holding his chin in thought.

"When you two are out you need to be extra careful. Contact me immediately if you notice specifically racoons acting strange around you. Following or staring or anything like that. I'm aware it's a weird request but it's important. Those things are the eyes and ears of a very dangerous man." He warned, looking from Anis to Mori.

"Sounds good. Anis, mind coming with me?" He asked while standing up from his chair.

"What experience do you have with this sort of thing?" He asked curiosuly.

"Hey, uh- come in you two." He greeted while opening the front doors to the lab.

"Still recovering, but I'll manage. Nothing I haven't delt with before." He mumbled while fixing his glasses. He began rumaging through a few folders.

"I have the old blueprints here. We can get started with that and go from there. Anything to add before we start?"

"That actually reminds me. I'm aware of the frame skipping, but what other abilities do you two have? If I remember correctly you had a button of some sort, right?" He asked, glancing at Mori. Not much had been explained to him, but if anything it might be helpful to the project.

They decided not to mention their own power, as it wasn’t anything particularly awe inspiring.

"That is rather impressive. Should come in handy when we get to actually assembling this thing." He said with a hand on his chin. Last time he had to do all that himself. Some extra hands would be a huge help, especially if one had hightened physical strength.

"Alright, if that's everything then we can begin. Anis, you managed to get here on your own. From what I understand, magic is quite common in your world. Was your way of getting here technology or magic based? Or maybe a mix?"

"I.D.A.B.? Mind expanding on that?" He could only assume it was an acronym for something, but for what he wasn't sure. The difference in technology and names for things between the two worlds makes it a bit harder to determine what is what.

"So you fixed that and it sent you here? Well, I still have the pieces and scrap from the machine in the backroom. You could check in one of the piles for your device. Can't promise it'll be in good condition though. Everything was fried in the explosion." He said, gesturing to the backroom where he had built the first machine.

"I do have a question for you that I noticed you didn't bring up earlier when we were on the subject of abilities." He said, resting his head in his palm while leaning his elbow on the desk.

"Regarding your eyes specifically. They changed color back when the power was out and you looked at the screens to help. Plus a few other instances here and there. It's mostly just curiosity in my part, but do they correspond with emotion by chance?" He ask curiously. It seemed more like just a passive ability than anything, but he was curious and now seemed like a decent time to ask.

"Alright, thank you." If it was something important or useful to their cause, Stein figured Mori would expand on it. But he could understand not wanting to discus something you can't change about yourself that you don't like. He subconciously rubbed the stitches under his hand with a small frown at the thought.

"... Anyway, you mentioned something about skill levels or something back during the power outage. Could you explain that a bit?" He asked, changing the subject. Although it could be helpful to know more about this in particular.

"As for the buttons, is CREATE the only one people from your world have? I seem to recall you saying something about CRESTROY?" He asked, thinking back to one of their first conversations. Back when Mori wasn't quite as open with information or details.

“… my buttons are not the example that should be used here, as they are… not in the best condition- but I’m the only one here who can show you.” They admitted. “CRESTROY is a button very unique to Anis, and its the only one of it’s kind. Essentially, it is the fusion of both a CREATE and a DESTROY button- hence why she doesn’t have buttons for CREATE or DESTROY.”

“Since she’s the only one who has managed to accomplish this, not much is known about CRESTROY. Then again, there is much we still don’t know about the other buttons- but that is a topic for when we have time to discuss it.”

"Alright, that should be it for now then." He concluded while gazing back at the door Anis had dissapeared behind. He hoped she could find her device in at least semi decent condition. It would seriously speed this whole thing up. He was even more anxious to get out of this city, especially now that he knew Procyon was lurking around.

Anis demonstrated by tilting it down, and a few random parts could be heard moving inside the used-to-be-functional machine.

"It's tricky. The first machine had connected so well the first time because Anis met it half way in a sense. But without that data it's a very sensitive process..." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"For now, replicating the machine should be a decent start. Getting new materials could be tricky, so just keep an eye out for anything that might be useful." Stein already had to be careful, having had no choice but to tap into the resources his bosses provide him with to make the first machine. It was insignificant enough that noone had noticed, but it was very risky. He only had so much scrap metal and stuff in his basement, acquiring the more delicate pieces was the real issue.

"We'll need to take this apart to draw up decent blueprints first. There's tools in those drawers over there if you can start on that. If there's anything you think we can salvage, set it aside. I'll see if I can find any data that survived the explosion in my systems." He mumbled while opening a few windows on his computer.

"It'll take longer than I thought, but it looks like I may be able to salvage some of this. Can't be certain what survived though." He mumbled while typing in a few commands. A new window popped up with a loading bar that didn't even seem to be moving. Stein just frowned and minimized the window before glancing back at them.

"I've started a backup scan, if any data survived it'll show up. But it's gonna be a while." He pulled his first blueprints up and studdied them for a moment.

"We may want to aim for a combination of the two devices. Combining the technology could help pinpoint your universe more easily." He mumbled in thought before rolling his chair over to where they were working with the machine.

"How's it looking so far? Anything we could potentially reuse?"

"We'll also need to work on security for the lab when we have time. A... Certain person of interest as apparently become active again and we can not risk anything." He explained, tone growing serious as he frowned to himself.

"Shit... Actually that might be a high priority..." He mumbled, holding his chin in thought.

"When you two are out you need to be extra careful. Contact me immediately if you notice specifically racoons acting strange around you. Following or staring or anything like that. I'm aware it's a weird request but it's important. Those things are the eyes and ears of a very dangerous man." He warned, looking from Anis to Mori.

"Sounds good. Anis, mind coming with me?" He asked while standing up from his chair.