Chương 79: Chapter 78 – On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Elios didn't notice Mordak when he walked into the laboratory. His focus was swallowed by the teleport, its components scattered across the floor and worktables like the aftermath of a mechanical storm. Wires, plates, crystalline cores, and half‑disassembled conduits lay everywhere. He crouched over a cluster of parts, turning one over carefully, trying to understand how each piece interacted with the next. Mikale stepped out from behind the teleport carrying another component.

"Elios…" His voice faltered the moment he saw Mordak standing near the wall, arms folded, watching Elios.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood, sir," Mikale said loudly, in a way that was clearly meant to get Elios' attention.

"I'm not deaf. No need to shout." Mordak said, his eyes fixed on Elios. Elios froze mid‑movement. Slowly, he turned. The look on Mordak's face sent a cold ripple through him. His stomach tightened.

"Let me explain, sir," he said, stepping carefully over scattered teleport parts.

"No need to explain. It's quite obvious what you're doing…" Mordak stepped closer, his tone and demeanor made Elios' skin prickle.

"You and your little helper here are destroying my machine." The shout cracked through the room like a whip. Elios inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself.

"Sir, we're not destroying it. We're trying to determine which components are interfering with transfers to the other realm." He lifted the part in his hand.

"I suppose you could say we're fixing it."

"If I may interject here, sir." Mikale said quickly, edging forward.

"Elios discovered the machine might not be malfunctioning at all. It may have been designed to block nonorganic materials. That's why weapons, machinery, and tech can't transfer properly." His words tumbled out in a rush. Mordak's gaze flicked to Mikale, skeptical.

"Is this true, Elios?"

"Yes, sir." Elios lowered his eyes.

"What I am having a hard time with…" Mordak paused, glaring at Elios.

"Is why would you tear the thingy apart instead of starting over and building a new one?" He said behind clenched teeth.

"A spare would be nice to have. It would be great to have… actually. Then we could send more troops there. We could round up the fairy scum quicker. I have been..." Mordak began counting on his fingers.

"Five years to catch them. Do you have any idea how long five years is, Elios?"

"Sir?" Elios asked, confused about which question he wanted him to answer. Mordak huffed loudly.

"I didn't think it was a difficult question, Elios. Why would you dismantle our only form of teleportation to the other realm, instead of creating a new one? Then you could have figured out all that geeky stuff that way. You could have played with it all you wanted. You would have your toy, and I would still have my machine," he said, folding his arms.

"Not too smart Elios, now we are stuck here. Can't send agents through. Can't bring agents back. We are now blind to what is going on over there. For all we know they could be planning an attack. Or our guys have the fairies on the other side of the door thingy." He grumbled, looking disheartened at the mess.

"The machine does me no good in pieces! I have a teleport. I should be able to use my teleport. I can't exactly use it when there is a piece here…" he said pointing down.

"A piece there…" he pointed off in the distance.

"And another one there… there… there and there!" This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"You're right, sir," Elios said softly.

"I should have considered the implications. I was thinking scientifically, not strategically. I'm sorry. I messed up again." His throat tightened.

"I should have known better and asked for your guidance before doing something this careless. You should fire me. I should never do anything without checking with you first. Now I just messed everything up. I'll collect my things and be on my way." Mordak got closer to Elios and put a tender arm around his shoulder.

"No need for that Elios, I know not everyone is as smart as I am. It's no wonder that something like that would escape your notice." He sighed.

"That's why I'm the one in charge Elios. I understand these things. I know what needs to be done. I tell people what needs to be done. When everyone listens to me… well things work out right now, don't they?

"Elios, I know you thought you were doing something to help me achieve my ultimate goal, so your heart was in the right place. I am not going to fire you this time, but you really should check with me first. You know before you do things…" he paused looking around, "well things like this."

"Oh, thank you sir," Elios said, relief and shame tangling in his chest.

"You're right. I didn't consider how disruptive taking the machine offline would be. I'll start putting it back together immediately. It'll be as good as new. I promise. No, it will be better than brand new!"

"Perfect! That's what I like to hear!" Mordak said, patting Elios' cheek.

"So, how long will it be down?"

"A couple of days, I would imagine." Elios replied, almost cringing, bracing for another tirade. Mordak stepped back and put his hands behind him. He clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly. After a brief pause he turned back to Elios.

"You and your friend here have twenty-four hours, not a second more. If this thing is not up and running by then I cannot be responsible for the wrath you two will suffer," he said, half smiling.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir, we will work around the clock if necessary." Elios said, relieved at the reprieve but his stomach clenching at the thought of trying to put everything back together properly in such a small window. Mordak walked away from Elios, causing him to relax slightly. Mordak quickly turned to Mikale.

"I'm sure you caught that, but just in case you didn't…" he paused, stepping mere inches away from Mikale's face.

"You and Mister Fix It over here have twenty-four hours to get this put back together and fully functional, not a moment more." Mordak said, looking at his watch.

"Just so we are all on the same page," he said turning to Elios.

"That means you have until eleven o two tomorrow morning to rectify this situation." He turned to Mikale.

"If I come down here at eleven o three and I am unable to send a team over there…" He paused, clearly unable to think of a punishment, then finished with, "Trust me… you won't want to find out." Mikale exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck as he surveyed the sea of parts covering the lab.

"How are we going to do this, Elios?"

"One piece at a time, I guess. We better get moving, the clock is ticking. We have approximately…" he paused, looking over at the clock, "twenty-three hours and fifty-five minutes to do it, and every moment we stand here staring at it, the less time we have to do it."