Unbeknownst

25 April 1986

Chernobyl, Russia

"Mom, Dad, I'm back," the kid glances over after switching on the light, wondering where his parents had been after a long day of lessons. The room was quiet and lifeless. His parents are still probably hard at work to help the cause. He puts his belongings, laying on the chair seeing how life was good. Suddenly he was jolted from the yell from his mother's bedroom, "Dinner is on the table Ivan! Help yourself, your dad and I are having an important talk!"

He thinks to himself how it must be for the cause. But he inside feels something was off. "Screw it." He mumbles to himself as he lay towards the door, listening to his parent's voice.

"Diana, this machine is finished, correct?" He said as Diana nods with a hint of sadness and fear. "Yes...But...this machine...portal...I don't think it will work, Kaminev... It is still at an experimental stage..." She asks, staggering, seeming trying to stare down at him, hoping that he would not take such a risk. "Look, my beautiful wife, if it works tomorrow night, I would not only return but we would have a machine that can beat these capitalists once and for all. Besides it would be a fun trip exploring with friends for the first time isn't it?" Ivan feels a sense of sorrow within her, begging him not to go into that potential death trap. But in his eyes, he was ready and prepared to sacrifice himself for the country. She backs down and finally relents. "Before you go..." she sobs as she passes him a box. Inside was watch with the soviet insignia and a globe in the background. Ivan hears the ticking silence of the room, tensions in the air as she whispered, "Remember me."

As Ivan gets back to eat, he starts to fear for his father's safety. He gonna need to prevent it from happening, but how can he do so when he was just a child, lacking the strength to stop them. That was when he got an idea.

"Looking at the stars tonight?" His friend, Niko, confused. "Chernobyl doesn't usually have stars appearing at night," Checko said. Ivan continued, "Look trust me." He stares intently at the clock. 10:30 am. Just a few hours till it happens. With a witness, he now can observe the 'nuclear power plant' with his back behind him. "Meet me at 10 pm close to the power plant and bring your bicycles along." His friends still confused but did not bother anyways. And so it is set. At 10, they set off through the back roads and reached their destination.

"Start it up!" the commander yelled as the portal whirled to life. The lab is filled with determined men in hazmat suits. The machine made an energetic fizz as the group of men prepared themselves for the portal. Diana stared at her husband one last time from the control tower, trying to control her tears as she pulled the lever. "Good luck! For the Motherland!" Bravely, they walk into destiny, fitted with many cameras and fitted with a cable, a pistol and a knife by their side. The screens fizzled, but as he passed through, the screens came to life. Despite being fuzzy, it was clear enough to see the shocking landscape. They stopped, watching in awe and fear. The place was dark and desolate, a cursed version of Chernobyl itself, with goo dripping from the broken structures and the red sky filling the place with shards of lightning and thunder, crashing onto the ground, jerking any confidence and bravery in him. Despite this, he continues on. Passing by a tall building, creatures suddenly appeared, seemingly staring at him. They were gooey, with a slender body and spikes on their back. Their claws looked so sharp that it seemed able to slice anything in their paths. He steps back, saying how he came in peace, his hands trembling in fear. His friend pointing the guns at them, hoping to sway them from attacking. Without emotion, they pounced. The cameras were ripped off from his clothes as a muffled scream and wailing is heard, Diana sees his arm and the watch she gave him, hearing a primal roar as he tries to stabs the slime down. Tons of lead were shot into each of the slimes with their pistols but it was useless, they were soon overwhelmed before the screen goes black. Diana screams and cries, she should have trusted her instincts and stopped him. The readings go crazy and the amount of radiation is increasing. The heat going through the roof. The scientists quickly cut the cables and the soldiers man the guns, shooting through the portal to stop them from getting through. However, it was no use as the slimes managed to get through cutting down soldiers one by one. Diana freaks out, unable to move. Quickly the neighboring scientists grab onto the controls and try to stabilize the portal. But it was too late, with more slimes getting out, it was too much for the machine. Causing a huge explosion, ripping through the roof as black smoke filled the night sky.

As Ivan was packing up, he looks on in horror, the metal sheets crashing down onto the grass, memories with his father and mother flashing on his mind uncontrollably as he starts to cry, falling onto his knees. "Are you alright?" Niko asked, his jaws dropped at the spectacle as a shocked Checko lifted him up, struggling to get on his feet, they got onto the bicycle and quickly made a run for it.

It had been almost 16 hours since the explosion. His friends had managed to calm him down but he is distracted hopes for an answer to their whereabouts, "I hope they survived..." He thinks to himself, unable to concentrate as hope began to wane. Finally, he got the message he was looking for when a teacher called him over, although it wasn't what he hoped for.

"Hey, Ivan...I regret to inform you that your father is missing. However, your mum is alive in critical condition." Ivan wanted to leave badly but couldn't with the fear of the secret police, standing rooted to the ground with cold sweat. He would have to wait till later.

After school, he rushed to the hospital, feeling as though he was the fastest man in all of Russia as he worries about the injuries his mom had sustained. As he entered the ward, he was shocked to see her terrible physical state. She had survived the heart of a nuclear explosion, her face filled with third-degree burns as her eyes are filled with sadness and failure, her leg was missing and her arm shook as she tried to move. It was amazing how she was even found alive. "Mum, don't even try to hide it." Ivan shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry Ivan." She looks away, tears flowing down her scarred face, ashamed of her foolishness. She starts to breathe heavily, struggling to control herself as her body vibrates. Cold sweat drips down onto her face. "Mom!" Ivan moves close to her side, despite knowing how there is radiation in the room and especially here to get her. "Pencil and paper," she said. Her voice was so weak that Ivan was barely able to hear what she was saying. She wrote hastily and pass the paper back to him. "He is still out there...If possible, find him..." She smiled before succumbing to her injuries.

Present Day

Kathryn moves down the stairs to the secret lab. Holding the piece of paper his mom had written as she sits down. This was definitely the place. Daniel looks at her concerned, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. My father would have wanted to see him. It is best to fulfill his wish. Besides this secret can't be kept for long, they need to know. It is shocking how they have yet to find the other portal." She said.

"Must have been the elephant's foot." He replied. She looks on, giving him the green light as he pressed the button and the portal whirls to life. "Radiation level normal, Heat level normal, electric current level ok," Daniel mumbled. The portal successfully worked. She grins, saying, "We will begin now." as she stares at the preparatory suit she would wear tonight, the sleek suit gleaming, ready for action as she changes her outfit.