Chapter 2: An Unexpected Parting.
Dr. Bruce Banner was feeling very excited. At last he was at the controls of his creation, or rather, he and Rick were at the controls. They had launched the ship from the Launchpad on top of the Baxter Building and were at the moment breaking through the last layers of the atmosphere and navigating to where the portal-ring satellite had been set up. As he was about to contact Reed to tell him to activate it, he realized that Rick was asking him a question.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying Rick?"
"I said, could you please explain to me again why this ship needs two pilots?"
"The machine requires complete concentration to run, Rick. As Reed explained, this universe that we are entering has an extra complicated version of the space/time fabric surrounding it. It takes such complete concentration to navigate that it takes two minds to handle the ship. Because of our bond that was strengthened by Dr. Strange, we are "Drift Compatible," which means that we can link our minds to pilot this ship. This also ensures that no one will steal the ship because only our brainwaves have been programed into its computer."
Bruce rechecked the dashboard of the ship and radioed Reed.
"All systems go," he said. "Activate the portal."
Reed's voice crackled back over the speaker.
"I read you loud and clear," he said. "Mind drift activate."
Instantly Bruce felt a rush in his mind as it was licked to Rick's. He could see and feel all of Rick's memories and knew that Rick was feeling the same effect on his end.
"Portal, activate," yelled Reeds voice.
At once the satellite ring filled with a swirling green light and the ship's rockets flared up with a power boost. The ship accelerated forwards at tremendous speeds towards the portal. Bruce and Rick could feel the energy crackling around them as they penetrated the dimensional rift and entered the void of nothingness that lay in-between realties. Vibrations rippled through their bodies as they entered a trance-like state and focused all of their attention to piloting the ship and preparing to enter the other dimension.
Despite being a void of nothingness, their surroundings were far from calm and empty. Other energies were moving all around them, manifesting themselves in light flashes, extreme temperature changes, and sonic booms. This was the result of the space/time fabric that surrounded their goal, and it did indeed take the complete concentration of the linked minds of Bruce and Rick to avoid getting fried, blasted, or frozen. At last, they reached the area of space/time where it was thin enough that they could enter the particular universe that was their destination. Bruce punched a series of buttons on the control panel and two small cannons on the sides of the ship fired blasts of green energy that formed to create another portal.
Because his mind was liked to Bruce's, Rick didn't even have to ask what was going on. He instantly knew that this action of creating portals from pure energy was only possible in the void and that to get home, they would need to assemble another portal satellite using the supplies in the back of the ship.
As the portal formed, it began to draw the ship closer to itself with a gravitational pull.
"It won't last long" thought the collective thoughts of Bruce and Rick, "We need to get through before it closes and crushes us with its gravity."
This was true. As quickly as it had opened, the portal was already becoming unstable. In a quick, simultaneous action, Bruce and Rick reconfigured the ship's power to activate an engine boost. The ship's rockets flared up a second time and propelled the ship through the portal just as it began to collapse on itself. The strain on their minds was tremendous. After making it through, they blacked out.
…
After Bruce came to, he realized that he was feeling a new sensation. Like a new part of himself was breathing for the first time. A feeling of intimacy with the whole universe. It was as if he had been a fish living on land for all of its life that had taken its first dip into the water.
"This must be the unique energy that we have been studying" he thought. "It feels so invigorating. I hope that we can find a way to replicate it back home."
He woke up Rick, who was still knocked out.
"What's going on?" he asked groggily. "What happened? Are we still connected?"
"No" said Bruce. "Our blackout and dimensional change broke the drift, but it's just as well, since we don't need it anymore until we return home."
As Rick began to wake up more fully, he began to feel the same sensation that Bruce had felt. He told Bruce about it and, as they flew the ship towards a nearby planet, they started speculating possible reasons and uses for way they were feeling.
"Whatever it is," Bruce said, concluding the conversation, "it is most defiantly worth learning more about. Remember Rick, we are completely on our own now. The communications with Reed won't work across realties. Perhaps we can find someone on that planet who can help us when we land. "
"If there's even anybody living down there" said Rick. "That planet looks like it's just one huge desert from up here."
"Oh, there's people down there all right." Bruce said complicity. "I don't know how I know, but I can sense them somehow."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge dagger-shaped ship appeared only a short distance from them and started to fire laser blasts at the ship.
"What's going on!" yelled Rick.
"It appears that our first encounter is going to be a hostile one." Bruce yelled back. "Get to the escape pod in the back and shuttle down to the planet. I'll keep them busy and meet you down there once I've secured the supplies."
While Rick left to follow his friend's orders, Bruce did his best to evade the blasts, but they were tearing through the hull of the ship far too quickly. He felt it shudder as Rick's escape pod detached from it and felt better knowing that his friend was safe. As the oxygen began to run out due to the leaks in the hull, he felt himself blacking out again.