Chapter 3 – The Grid

The dust was gone.

Everything was so clean. Even the air smelled different, like ozone. Ed swallowed and forced himself to take his time, and observe everything he could.

There was a flash of light and a rush of adrenaline hit Ed's system like a truck. He sucked in a deep breath and he snatched up the tablet backed away from the low window. He had no idea what was happening. Instinct made him pause before he opened the door. He listened.

There was a faint rumble of distant thunder.

He looked at the tablet to see if he was getting any type of signal. Frowning, he noticed that it too felt different. He became aware of the information in the tablet even without looking at it. Like a subconscious awareness and it left him deeply shaken.

"Do not freak out, Ed," he told himself through clenched teeth. "There has to be an explanation." His mind was working a million mile an hour. The only logical (!) explanation was an insane one: he had been transported to a different dimension. It made sense. Until he had more information to go on, this was the theory he was going to run with. The machinery he had heard in the other room had transported him here. Wherever here was.

Looking around, he saw the machinery was gone. However he got here, it was not the way back.

"Ok, Ed," he said in his best Alan voice. "Let's work through this. Break down the problem. Solve each component and then you will have the solution." The thought of Alan helped. The years of late night brain-storming difficult issues together cleared his thinking.

Problem: Stuck in a different dimension.

Solution: …

There had to be a way back. He just had to find it. After all, someone had built the machinery to get here. He stifled a laugh of shock as he realized that he had finally solved the mystery of Where Kevin Flynn Was.

The thunder rumbled again.