Doctor Balens slammed himself into the wall as he turned the corner. His breathing was deep and heavy from the dead run he was in. He couldn't understand what was happening, why he was being chased, why he was trying to be killed. All he knew was that the masked man in the long black coat was after him, his intentions murderous. As the Doctor gasped for air, he couldn't help but think that how he was assured that this facility, it's location, it's purpose, was completely off the books. To anyone looking at the building from the outside. They would simply see an old, run down warehouse, nothing more. No one the wiser to the science that was going on here. No one suspecting the amount of technology that was held in it's walls. Yet here he stood, desperately out of breath. Being stalked by a faceless assailant.

   These thoughts however, were cut abruptly short as his would be murderer slowly walked around the corner of the long hall. His outfit seemed almost as if he was from some dark comic. He wore a coat, long enough to reach the ground. No face, or features could be seen as he wore a hood that was completed by a mask. The mask itself seemed horrid enough. Just a featureless cover. The only thing visible were the two eye slots that were pointed downward, and covered with some fine mesh, to even hide the wearers glare. All of this struck a seemingly child like fear into the doctor. His wonders as if there was something under his bed; within his closet, waiting to leap out and snatch him up in his slumber. However, all of this was nothing when he looked to the faceless man's hands. There he held the objects of his intents.

   Two one handed axes being wielded by each hand, menacing, and cruel in their shape. The main blade was curved as if to mimic the Moon in it's crescent state. On the back was a wicked crafted sharpened spike, with deep serrations on the bottom. The top sported a spike of it's own, slender and round. With an almost impossible piercing tip that would ensure penetration in almost anything it stuck. All this, terrifying to the Doctor's eyes, and it was just one of the set. It's twin being loosely grasped in the man's other hand.

   The Doctor's taking in of the man that intended to take his life was cut short when he saw his stalker raise his right arm. The motion, and the body movement giving away his tactics. With a grunt filled lunge, the Doctor was able to dodge just right as the man in black garments let loose the axe he held. The weapon stuck hard into the plaster covered wall, a resounding thud filling the empty hallway as it landed. Doctor Balens let a thought slip into his mind of taking the weapon out of the wall, and using it in his defense. His fight or flight instinct however, leaned more to the flight as he once again began a mad dash down a connecting hallway.

   The horror of his decision came to him quick however, as he realized that this hallway only had one room at it's end. No other doors, no other turns. Just the room at the end that housed the reason for the clandestine look of this building. With one more look behind him, to see where his attacker was, he smashed through the heavy wooden door, to see what he already knew in despair. A room filled with computers, diagnostic tools of all shapes and sizes, and the uncomfortable chairs he had to sit in everyday. There were the center pieces to the room. Two large glowing pads, each one as large as a diesels wheel. All of these things were present. There were however, absolutely no devices to give him the ability to call for aide. No phones, not even walkie talkies, even the high tech state of the art computers did not have internet access, save for the access to the on board satellite interface. Doctor Balens, his lungs burning then came to know that this room. It was going to be the place he was murdered in.

   A knocking came from behind him, as if someone was tapping their fist on the door frame. Doctor Balens dared not look behind him. All he did was do a quick stride over one of the glowing pads, and behind a control console. A poor excuse for fortification, but it was all he had, it was what he could do. He spun on his heels to see the masked man, standing there, filling the entire door way. " My, my. Aren't you spry?" a voice came from beneath the blank mask. It's tone was low, and there seemed to be a sinister chuckle in it's inflection.

   "Please." Was all the Doctor could get out, as his whole body started to shake from the feelings that his life was about to end.

   "Please?" the voice from the mask said, in a very mocking tone. " Please what?" the dark clothed man asked as he took a casual step into the room.

   Doctor Balens swallowed hard as he grasped onto any courage he could muster. "Please. Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to kill me?" His voice was cracking as he spoke his words, his lips trembled in anticipation for an answer. The axe wielding attacker looked down for a mere second. Then back to his target as he stepped further into the room.

   "Oh. I suppose there would be many reasons I could tell you why. However, I find that telling the truth always seems to put people's minds at ease, you see. It relieves any questions that may be racking ones mind." With this, the hood and mask covered head tilted slightly to the side. Doctor Balens somehow knew that under that expressionless mask was a grin of evil born glee. "The answer is, however. Because I can." He then did a quick flourish with one of the axes as he reached his arm back for another throw. "Because I want to!" he added as he let the weapon fly.

   Everything seemed to slow for the Doctor. Time ticked away in a terror filled slide show in Balens mind and eyes. He couldn't move, couldn't react as the the bladed projectile sliced through the air. However, for whatever reason, it missed. The axe flew just a mere inch from the doctor's head, and smashed into the wall behind him. It made his head instinctively turn to glimpse where the weapon had landed. That's when he figured out the reason for the throws misaim. Out of his peripheral vision, Doctor Balens saw the masked man take a long leap forward, his other axe baring hand pulled back to strike a final blow.

   Something else also caught the Doctor's attention, the control console he was standing by. The screen was blinking a phrase  that gave him the ever so slightest ray of hope. 'System active. Pad one, enabled. Pad two, inactive. Continue?' He couldn't believe what he was reading. In his own hurry to leave tonight. The professional, and by the book scientist had forgotten to power down his machines. Something that if there were people under him. He would have fired immediately for incompetence. He looked again at his soon to be killers position. His jump was now half finished, right over the object called pad one. The Doctor moved with speed he did not know he had, pure reflex driving him to his goal. His fist pounded on the console, causing the pad underneath the masked man to spring to life as all sorts of light, alarms and even verbal warnings filled the room. telling all in the vicinity to clear the area.

   The light show that the pad produced was brilliant, and blinding to behold. Dancing arks of electricity flew from the pad to the ceiling. They bounced off walls, and struck anything that would house a current in a spark filled blast. This lively show of power made Doctor Balens cover his face with his arm as he fell backward, slamming into the wall behind him, then quickly sliding down to come to rest on his rear. He could see nothing, he couldn't make out his attacker, or if his advance had been halted. He did hear the computer's voice. It cried out, almost in a panic. " Warning! Pad two unable to respond. Compensating. Please wait."

   All was merely silent after the process was complete. All except the gentle hum of the system powering down. Doctor Balens slowly removed his arm from his line of vision, his knees that had been pulled tightly up to his chest were starting to relax. He swallowed hard as he forced himself to look to the side of the console that had shielded him from the blast of his machine. He dreaded looking to see the masked axe murderer standing there. With nothing more than burns to his clothing. For some reason he dreaded more seeing a burned corpse laying lifeless on the floor. Even in self defense, the good doctor was a man that believed in the preservation of life. However, what he saw was, nothing. No corpse, no angered killer ready to reap his pain wounds on his target. Just an empty space where the man in black once was. Save for the pad, and a few after sparks that sprung from it's workings.

   It was over, he had survived. Through a mistake that he should have never committed, he was now safe. It was then that Doctor Balen's body gave way to all the fear, stress and horror that it was put through. He slumped to the floor, and began to weep. He dared not try to stop the tears that fell freely from his eyes, he wanted them there. He wanted to feel them rolling down his face. He savored the salty taste as one dripped into his open mouth. He rolled over onto his back, where his crying slowing started to turn into laughing. An uncontrollable burst of loud wails filled the room as he shouted something that he wasn't even sure were words. Just joyous screams to reassure himself that he was alive.

   To him, it seemed as if hours had gone by. Hours of just him laying on the cold floor of his workspace. He was still in disbelief that he was able to come out of this with his head still firmly attached to his shoulders. His thoughts of being alive were interrupted however. The computer gave out three beeps, beeps that the Doctor recognized as a successful teleport. Almost without thinking, he jumped to his feet. His gaze pinpointed across the room at pad two. His hopes of surviving almost crushed as he expected to see his would be killer standing there. Waiting for his prey to show his head so he could violently lop it off. Nothing stood there though. No masked man, just the dull glow of the inactive machine. The computer beeped three times again, trying to gain the attention of it's controllers. Balens looked at the screen, then let his mind take in the information that was presenting itself. Words that he a man of fringe science could not quite take in, in his current state of mind.

---Pad one, active.---

---Pad two, unresponsive---

---Unable to complete sequence. Please wait----

---Alternate coordinates located---

---Diverting power to Shift Matrix, buffering. Please wait---

---New coordinates locked---

---New file saved as location 378378742---

---Sequence complete. Continue?---

   With a confounded look on his brow, the Doctor jumped into work mode. Something new, something fantastic had just happened, and he planned to find out what. In all of the machines trials, in all of the experiments that he had performed in this lab. He had never once thought of trying to move something without the receiving pad online. The thought of doing simply never crossed his mind as he figured the system would simply not function. Yet it did. The computer itself saw the error and tried to deal with the problem as best it could. Soon his figured were moving at a blazing speed. He was pulling up all kinda of diagnostic programs, theory generators, past histories of other trials. Nothing seemed to make any sense of what just happened. That's when he decided to ask the computer itself. Maybe someway it could explain it's own actions. He often avoided communicating with the computer. While it was one of the best ever constructed by human minds. It's human interface was, lacking in some areas. Something that he planned to have his partners upgrade, as silent as they were. With a mad curiosity driving him, he started typing his questions to the machine in front of him.

   ---Confirm successful movement of subject 4587.---

   ---Confirmed. Continue?---

   ---Explain successful movement without the presence of receiving pad.---

   ---Error detected. Pad two unable to respond. Organic defense protocols brought online. Continue?---

   ---Confirm coordinates of subject 4587.---

   ---Coordinates confirmed at location  378378742. Continue?---

   ---Bring satellite tracking and GPS location online.---

   ---Satellites enabled. GPS markers enabled. Continue?---

   ---Show location  378378742 on visual display.---

   ---Please wait---

   ---Please wait---

   ---Error found. Location  378378742 invalid. Continue?---

   ---Are you telling me that location  378378742 does not exist?---

   ---Correct. Continue?---

   ---Subject 4587 was sent to location  378378742 correct?---

   ---Confirmed. Shift Matrix history confirms sequence complete at location  378378742. Continue?---

   ---But location  378378742 is invalid correct?---

   ---Correct. Continue?---

   Doctor Balens almost fell over as the information the computer was telling him hit his brain like a monster truck. These coordinates made no sense. They didn't exist anywhere on Earth. Nowhere on the planet could he find anything remotely close to the spatial proximity that the computer confirmed something was sent to, but simply was not there. He looked at the screen again. ' Organic protocols' He knew the function of this program. It was there to make sure that any detected danger to humans would either shut down the system. Or reroute the subject to a new pad. The only problem was, there were no other pads. Just the inactive one silently glowing across the room. Add onto the fact that he hadn't even started human trials. He was years, maybe even decades from such experiments. However, the facts, and definitely the computer don't lie. It isn't an employee that was scared of losing it's job because of a detrimental failure. It wasn't trying to cover it's tracks, or blame a fellow co-worker. It did it's job, it just wasn't sure what it did. The reality was clear though. That man, that horrible masked killer was sent somewhere. The Doctor however, in all his knowledge, just didn't know where.

       Next Chapter: The Night begins Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 11 Minutes