Not in Kansas anymore (Open)

[Tori Jacobs]

When Tori came to everything was much colder, darker, adn damp. There was a blue azure light all around her as she got up to her feet. Dressed in her Gaia costume. She looked around and saw the strange demonic structure that had stairs stretch around its walls to a ceiling she couldn't see from here.

In her memory she was fighting Medusa in Athena's armor. And now she was in some kind of demonic tower. What had happened? All she could remember was a bright blinding light and then everything went black. Gaia decided it was time to determine where she was. She opened the double oak doors that were in front of her and came out to see a frozen wasteland of ice.

'Now I know I'm not in Kansas anymore,' she thought.

But the question remained. If it wasn't Kansas City, where was she?

[Lara Croft]

Tori wasn't alone. Another woman had appeared inside the tower not knowing how she got there. A woman by the name of Lara Croft from London, England. Dressed in a blue tank top and brown shorts with brown boots. Twin pistols strapped to her hip and a small brown backpack upon her back. She got up to her feet and looked over to the doors that opened allowing the redhead to leave the tower.

"No wait!"

Lara needed answers and right now that redhead may be the only one who had them. Lara quickly followed the woman out of the tower and right into the damn cold. Nothing she hadn't seen before, in some ways. In other ways she hasn't seen these sights before. A black tower that nobody could see the top of. Hidden in the clouds above. Crystal ice without any snow and what was that underneath? A whole city? It was both incredible and frightening and answers were what she needed.

"You there. What's your name? Do you know where we are?"

It was freezing and Lara wasn't equipped for the winter conditions. Neither did it seem the young girl was. Dressed in some weird superhero costume. What was this the DC Universe? Lara looked back at the tower.

"Let's talk inside it'll be much warmer."

[Tori Jacobs]

Gaia heard the doors behind her open up again and she turned to see another woman now in front of her. Asking who she was. Gaia didn't know whether to give her alias or her real name, but given her current attire of a red bicycle helmet and black goggles covering her face she chose to do the former.

"Uhh... I'm Gaia, and by the looks of it the middle of nowhere."

The other woman wanted to take this conversation back inside, and for good reason. Neither one of them were dressed for the cold.

"Good idea."

Gaia went back inside the tower and turned to face the woman once again.

"So, what's your deal? You some type of Dora the Explorer?"

[Lara Croft]

Gaia. Weird name. It made Lara wonder if the woman was Greek. She certainly wasn't the Greek Mythology personification of the Earth. But after some of the things Lara had seen back home she wouldn't be surprise by anything now. Lara followed Gaia back inside the tower and the two began to speak.

"Dora the Explorer. No. I'm Lara, Lara Croft. I'm from London. Where are you from?"

If she had to guess by the accent, America. Not a place Lara ventured to too often, but she had some dealings with Americans before. They were a weird bunch and didn't do things like the rest of the world. They called football soccer and drove on the wrong side of the road, but Lara wasn't here to criticize America.

"This tower looks centuries old with many floors. It could take all day to reach the top. And look at these symbols. There unlike any language I've ever studied. Do you know anything about this place?"

[Tori Jacobs]

"Kansas City."

This Lara was definitely from London. Gaia could tell that much by the accent alone. She wondered if it sounded like she had an accent to Lara. Did Americans even have accents? There was the Chicago accent, the Brooklyn accent, and the southern accent. But did people from Kansas really have an accent? Now wasn't really the time to ask.

"I literally just got here so I have no idea about this place. We need to find someone who does, but there's no telling what's all outside of this tower."

[Lara Croft]

Kansas City. A bit vague, but gave Lara an idea where the girl was from. She never understood why there were two Kansas Cities in two states right next to each other, but maybe she should have brushed up on her world history more. Finding out that the girl had also just arrived was a bit disheartening to Lara. She was hoping the girl would have some answers, or at least was here long enough to have some idea of what was going on. It appeared that wouldn't be the case.

"I agree. Maybe we can find something inside this tower that will help us. Or at least some winter clothing. Do you want to start with the second floor?"

Lara's eyes scaled up to the second floor. The steps all around the walls going in a never ending circle. Whoever built this tower certainly wasn't afraid of heights. Luckily for Lara neither was she. There was no telling what kind of danger laid up above, but that was kind of rush she lived for.

[Tori Jacobs]

Gaia shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess that's as good a place to start as any."

Gaia walked over to the steps and began to walk up them. Coming to the door that led to the second floor and opening it. Inside was a large room with these doorways that looked like transporter machines. There was a panel right by them and Gaia looked to see if she could activate one, but no cigar.

"I swear if I didn't know any better I'd say these things were transporters. But transporters to what?"

[Lara Croft]

Lara followed Gaia up the steps and to the second floor. She closely examined the constructs that resided on the floor and it brought her back to the symbols. She took out a piece of paper from her backpack and began to trace over the symbols to get them on paper so she could study them further. For whatever reason her gut was telling her the answer to this puzzle laid somewhere in the symbols which was glowing with a raw pulsing energy.

Lara then went over to where Gaia was standing. Looking at a panel of some kind. "Here. Allow me." Lara brushed Gaia aside and started messing around with the panel herself. She pressed random buttons, pulled levers, flicked switches, but nothing would happen. The symbols were also on the panel and when she spun one of them around as if they were suspended in water a portal to a forest area popped up in one of the transporter's doorway and caused Lara's eyes to grow wide.

"Do you know what this is?" Lara asked as she took a closer look. "It's an inter-dimensional transporter. That's how we got here. This tower can transport people to other worlds."

[Tori Jacobs]

"Well, alright if you insist."

Gaia stepped aside and watched as Lara figured out the controls well enough to open up a portal in one of the transporter constructs. As she explained what was going on Gaia was somewhat amazed. So the theory of the multiverse was true after all.

"Then... who activated the tower to bring us here?"

[Lara Croft]

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Lara didn't know who transported them here. If anyone. The tower could have malfunctioned and acted on its own. Bringing them here against their will. The fact that someone even made such a construct was both amazing as it was terrifying. A device that can traverse the multiverse. That seemed like the kind of thing that could lead to disaster.

"The answer is in the symbols. Just touching this one was what prompted that portal to open. The symbols are the controls not the actual switches and levers. We need to find someone who recognizes these symbols if we want to find a way back to our world."

But the question remained, who? And where?

[Tori Jacobs]

"You're way over my head, Lara. You some kind of archeologist or something?"

It would make sense if she would. That would explain how she knew so much about symbols and old artifacts like this tower appeared to be. There was no telling how old this tower was in fact. Could be a few years old, or it could be centuries years old. Who the hell knew?

"Should we try another floor?"

[Lara Croft]

"More or less."

Lara considered herself more of a tomb raider than a proper archeologist. She was in it for the sport. The thrill. But this was more than mere sport. This was survival. They had to find some form of intelligent life in this land to learn more about the tower and they weren't going to find it in here.

"I think we've discovered all we need of the tower for now. It's best for us to go traverse the land outside of here and look for some people who can provide us with some much needed answers. But there's the problem of our current wardrobes not being best for the cold temperatures outside. What do you suggest?"

[Tori Jacobs]

"Oh, I got that covered."

Gaia knew better than to take from the earth materials in the room because they were on the second floor, but she could still use her plants. She created two extremely warm coats out of plant vines and flowers and gave one to Lara and then slipped one on herself.

"I have the power to manipulate both the earth and plants. That's why they call me Gaia. I'm kind of a big deal back in my world. You?"

[Lara Croft]

Few things in this life truly surprised Lara. She had seen so much of the supernatural and paranormal that it felt like second nature now. But she never saw someone with control over the earth and plants before. Like some kind of god. Gaia easily made jackets for them out of plants and flowers and Lara looked hers over before looking back at Gaia.

"This is incredible. Why didn't you say anything before?"

Lara put the plant jacket on her back and zipped it up.

"I have a question for you. How far does your control over the earth goes? Can you feel nature itself? Would you be able to project yourself through this world and learn more about it?"

[Tori Jacobs]

Gaia suddenly felt uncomfortable by the question being asked by Lara. Yes, Gaia could do that, but it wasn't something she liked to do. It was an aspect of her power she couldn't fully control and that kind of intimacy with the planet was something that scared her.

"I mean, I could. But it's not something that's easy to do. I don't think - I mean just... I don't want to do it."