Forefront HQ, portal room. Previously
"Well, then. Let's get started right away, shall we? This portal is the largest we got, and controlled from the booth behind me. So, that's where we're going", the engineer responded, pointing over his shoulder to the dividing wall with his thumb. Turning around, the engineer approached the door, it sliding open with a soft pneumatic hiss on his approach.
On the other side of the door, the room the ceiling and walls were covered by plates of white polymer, while the floor was covered by a black, rubbery material. At the window, was a console, about at chest height, a screen displaying data, and several lights shining. The engineer approached the console, and pressed a button twice, closing the portal. He then input furter button presses, making most of the console go dark.
"Okay", the engineer began, looking towards the mages. "You'll note that the portal is ring-shaped, and segmented. That's because the ring is like a track. When powered up, the device sends two particles along this track, going on opposite directions. Inside the segments, are electromagnets, which push the particles along as they pass, giving them a small boost. Think of it as a rail with a ball in it, with people standing along it, to give the ball a push as it passes them.
Now, when these two particles have accelerated enough, they collide. The resulting bang caries enough energy, that it tears a hole in the fabric of space-time. And that's the start of a portal. The systems in portable generators we have are a little different, to compensate for the smaller size, but the principle is the same.
It used to be that this process took up to a minute to complete, but as we've discovered ways to improve on the accelerator system, we've cut this time down to a few seconds."
[hr]
Forefront HQ, presently
"I believe the chances of this agent leaving her post to meet with our mutual friend aren't too high, and that someone else would be send, instead. If that's the case, contact us, and we can come up with a different plan. But, let's hope that won't be necessary, and everything goes smoothly.
If there is nothing else, that would be all."
