Chapter 3 - Let the Bureaucracy Begin

The corridors of the Hanover University of Technology stretched like tunnels in a mine – narrow, lined with gray linoleum, intersected by bundles of cables hanging from the walls like veins of some mechanical beast. Erich followed Adalbert and Dr. Weltzinger, feeling each step echo in the empty space. The air smelled of ozone and hot metal, and in the distance, the quiet hum of fans could be heard. They reached the Institute for Research on the Theory of Parallel Worlds – heavy, steel gates with the engraved "Section Q" slid open with a mechanical screech as the doctor swiped a magnetic key.

Inside, a laboratory stretched out – a hangar-sized room, flooded with the harsh, white light of halogen lamps hanging from the ceiling on thick chains. The walls were covered with shiny metal panels, stained in places with black streaks from experiments, and the concrete floor was furrowed with scratches from moved machines. The air was filled with the smell of burnt insulation and chemicals, irritating Erich's nostrils. On the sides stood rows of tables cluttered with equipment – oscilloscopes flashing green lines, piles of cables coiled like snakes, glass test tubes with remnants of purple dust. In the center of the room stood the portal – a massive structure of black alloy, three meters high, entwined with pipes and wires that pulsed with a faint blue light. At its heart were three purple crystals, embedded in a console like the eyes of some ancient machine – their glow was weak but hypnotic, as if they lived their own lives. Around the portal scurried two scientists in white coats, their paws moving quickly over keyboards and knobs, and a quiet beeping mixed with the low hum of machines. Erich stopped at the threshold, squinting in the glare.

"Quite a nice piece of equipment," he muttered, more to himself than to others.

"Activate the gate!" the doctor shouted.

"Listen, Erich," Adalbert said, "in two minutes you'll be teleported to Interpolis."

"There you'll have to discover what's behind the loss of contact," the doctor said. "If you find out what happened there and take care of what you have to take care of, we'll send you the coordinates where the portal to our dimension will be located."

"Understood, doc!" Erich said, putting his helmet on in the meantime.

"Teleportation in one minute," Adalbert shouted.

"Be careful, Erich!" the doctor shouted. "Find a way to maintain the connection, and maybe even restore the portal's stability. You're our only link. We're counting on you."

"I'll do everything I can!" Erich shouted a few seconds before teleportation. "Auf Wiedersehen!"

"Auf Wiedersehen und viel Glück!" the scientists replied.

The countdown ended. The teleporter emitted a bright flash, and Erich felt his body being torn apart by an invisible force. He lost his bearings, and his thoughts began to swirl in chaos.

After a moment, everything went quiet. Erich opened his eyes and saw that he was in a strange place, resembling a highway intersection. Flickering lights were visible everywhere, and futuristic buildings loomed in the distance.

"Damn, where am I?" Erich said to himself. "Interpolis... Is this it?"

Nearby, he noticed a booth resembling those on highways – a small booth by the side of the road and a barrier blocking the way. Erich ran to it to see. Inside sat a robot that seemed to be a customs officer.

"Good day, tin man," Erich said uncertainly.

"Greetings," the robot replied. "To Interpolis, right?"

"Yeah... to Interpolis."

"Alright," he replied, nodding. "Your documents, please."

"Here they are," Erich replied, handing him his ID card, military booklet, and Deutsche Bahn service ID.

The robot looked through the documents for a moment, then looked at Erich.

"Mr. Erich von Stein, right?"

"Von Stein-Różewski," Erich replied.

"Born August 20, 1919, in Mainz."

"Yes."

"Son of Jurgen von Stein and Anna von Stein-Różewska, born in the Wrocław Plain..."

"In Wrocław," Erich corrected him.

"That's a strange name," the robot replied.

"Because all of Poland was under Russia's yoke for 123 years."

"Wasn't it the partitions and division of Poland between Russia, Austria, and Prussia?"

"Umm... No."

"Then who did East Pomerania belong to?"

"First to Poland, then to Russia, and then back to Poland."

"And Silesia?"

"First it belonged to the Poles, and the same as with Pomerania."

"And Galicia?"

"Galicia?"

"Galicia belonged to Austria-Hungary..."

"I didn't know Austria-Hungary had its own colony in Spain."

"I mean Galicia in Eastern Europe – the territories of southeastern Poland and western Ukraine. Otherwise, the Austrian partition."

"I don't know that Galicia," he replied. "I only know the Spanish one."

"Strange... Since..."

"And have you heard of the British People's Republic?"

"British People's... Rep..."

Then the robot looked at the computer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have the wrong system set up."

"What do you mean?"

"You're from Dimension 2, and I was transferred to handle Dimension 1 after the last failure."

"Did your circuits overheat on the motherboard?" Erich asked.

"A bit, after the last change of position."

"You know you can break down from overwork."

"I know, but management told me to work, so I'm working," the robot replied. "Alright then... I'll rewrite your data to the correct system."

In the meantime, the robot rewrote and took out a stack of many strange papers.

"When you're there... in Interpolis, you'll have to take these papers to the appropriate institutions."

"Ah, this damn bureaucracy," Erich muttered under his breath.

"These are our procedures," the robot replied. "I can't help you."

"Alright then..."

"I'll open the inter-dimensional gate for you in a moment, and you'll be able to reach your destination."

A moment later, the barrier rose and the gates opened. Erich could calmly enter them.

"Interpolis, here I come," Erich said to himself and walked towards the gate.