Nathan woke to the jolt of turbulence and the low rumble of the plane’s engines. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he stretched in his seat, rolling the stiffness from his shoulders. By the time the plane touched down at JFK, he was fully awake, the rush of travel excitement settling in his chest. He hadn’t told his sister that he was coming, and since he had a full day before he was due at the docks, he figured he might as well do some sightseeing.

  New York was new territory for him and he wanted to make the most of it. He hit all the major spots, Times Square with its blinding billboards, the towering financial institutions of Wall Street, the sprawling concourse of Grand Central Terminal, and finally, Battery Park, where he took in the Statue of Liberty from a distance. The city pulsed with life even in the early morning hours, a stark contrast to the quiet, methodical routines of his life in Denver.

  By the time he’d exhausted his short sightseeing tour, it was only nine AM. With nothing else pressing, he pulled out his phone and dialed his sister.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Yoli.”

  “Nate? What’s up, turd? It’s, like, seven in the morning. What are you doing so early?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Where’s ‘here’?”

  “In New York.”

  “WHAT?! WHERE?! I’m coming to get you!”

  “I’m at Battery Park, looking at the Statue of Liberty.”

  “Okay, it'll take me like twenty minutes to get there if I leave now, or you can grab a cab and come to me?”

  “I’ll come to you. Probably easier anyway.”

  Nate swiped and tapped through his phone till an Uber was on its way. He was surprised to find that leaving Manhattan was far faster than trying to get into it, even in morning traffic. The car pulled up outside a modern high-rise building in Brooklyn, the kind with floor-to-ceiling windows and an air of quiet affluence. He buzzed Yoli’s apartment and as soon as the door clicked open he made his way to the top floor.

  Yoli greeted him at the door, and he stepped inside, immediately taking in the space. The apartment was impressive, modern like the outside, yet lived-in. Across the room, a glass garage-style door led to a lush green terrace, letting in a flood of natural light. The kitchen had a nordic and minimalist design, with clean white countertops and matte-gold fixtures. The apartment was full of mid century modern furniture and decoration, completing a full contrast to his cramped one bedroom back in Denver.

  Putting a cherry on top to the difference between their lives, a white cat leaped onto the kitchen counter, its tail curling as it padded toward him. Nathan held out his hand, and the cat rubbed against it, purring softly.

  “That’s Oli." Yoli said. “Short for Oligodendroglioma.”

  “Short for what now?” Nate’s eyebrows raised.

  “Oligodendroglioma. It’s a type of brain cancer.”

  “You named your cat after a type of cancer?”

  “Yeah, I’m a doctor, remember?” She smirked.

  “Yeah, how could I forget?”

  Yoli put a cardboard box on the counter. “Now, pick that up and help me pack.”

  He frowned. “Why, are you moving?”

  “I’m putting my stuff in storage until I get back.” She began sealing up a box with packing tape. “I don’t know how long it’ll take to learn alien medicine, but I figure it’s gonna be awhile. My first go around was about 12 years so I figured I'll be gone that long or shorter?”

  “I didn’t even think about that." Nathan admitted. “I didn’t think I’d be gone long enough to worry about rent. I didn’t even quit my job, I just told my boss that since I worked so much during the arrival of the gateway, I’d earned an extended leave.”

  Yoli shot him a knowing look. “I know. That’s why Mom and Dad arranged for movers to pack up your stuff too. They already broke your lease, and they’re gonna call your boss in a couple of weeks to quit for you.”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!” Nathan nearly dropped the box.

  “You’re leaving, Nate." she said firmly. “And you’re not coming back for a while. I’m not letting you make the same mistakes this time. We’re doing this together, and I’m gonna make sure you make better choices.”

  “You can’t make choices for me, Yoli.”

  “No, I can’t." she admitted. “But I can try.”

  Nathan sighed, setting the box down on the counter. His gaze landed on a framed photo of an old picture of the two of them, arms slung around each other at the edge of a lake, grinning like idiots. They must’ve been twelve and fourteen at the time, standing on the slope near the rope swing they used every summer.

  “The lake was the best, wasn’t it?” Yoli said softly coming up behind Nate.

  “Yeah." Nathan said. “I miss it.”

  “We should go when we come back.”

  He looked at her. “You think we’ll be able to?”

  “I don’t know." she admitted. “But we’ll find a way. I can’t leave Oli forever, and I know how attached you are to Charlie.”

  Nathan chuckled. “Yeah. Not to mention Mom and Dad.”

  “What are you doing with Charlie while you’re gone, anyway?” she asked.

  “Mom and Dad are taking him.”

  “Same. I’m sending Oli to them.”

  “You're not flying him out yourself?”

  “Nah, Special courier service.”

  “Sounds expensive.”

  Yoli pointed at herself. “Doctor, remember?”

  Nathan groaned and went back to packing.

  By the time he was finishing up in the kitchen, Yoli reappeared, brushing her hands off. “I think that’s everything. I have a friend coming by to oversee the movers and turn in my keys. We’ve got a few hours before we have to be at the docks. Should we grab some dinner?”

  Nathan set the last box down and stretched. “Sounds good.”

  Nate and Yoli pulled up to a restaurant with a line stretching out the door and around the corner. The warm glow of the interior spilled onto the street, illuminating the crowd of well-dressed patrons waiting for a table. Without hesitation, Yoli led the way past the line, heading straight for the hostess stand.

  The hostess greeted her with a polite smile. "Name?"

  "Foster." Yoli said confidently.

  The hostess checked the list, nodded, and gestured for them to follow. As they walked inside, Nate glanced back at the line of people still waiting, eyebrows raised. "How’d you pull that off?" he asked under his breath.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Yoli smirked. "I made a reservation, obviously."

  They were led to a candlelit table near the windows. As soon as they sat down, Nate picked up the menu and nearly choked when he saw the prices of the entrees were in the hundreds of dollars. He slowly lowered the menu and stared at Yoli, who was already watching him expectantly.

  "My treat." she said before he could protest. "Think of it as our last meal before the big adventure."

  "But... it’s so expensive." Nate muttered, flipping through the pages as if the numbers would change.

  Yoli let out a long sigh "I’m a doctor, remember?"

  Nate shook his head with a half-smile. "You say that way too often."

  Dinner started lighthearted, filled with reminiscing and catching up. But as the meal went on, the conversation took a more serious turn.

  "So, you're really going to stick with the doctor thing?" Nate asked. "Going to an alien world, more advanced, hell, even magical, and still doing medicine?"

  Yoli nodded without hesitation. "I took an oath. And I wasn’t planning on breaking it just because we’re heading into uncharted territory." She swirled her drink, then added with a grin, "Besides, now I can be a magical doctor. That sounds pretty cool to me."

  Nate exhaled and leaned back in his chair. "I don’t know. I might go the magic route, but I think I need to get my bearings first. I bet it’s going to be completely overwhelming."

  "If you could do anything, no restrictions, no obligations what would you do?" Yoli asked, studying him carefully.

  Nate took a moment to think. "I’d probably go the magic route," he admitted. "Learn what my options are, train with it... Maybe I’ll become a magical doctor too. Who knows?"

  "That’s a good start." Yoli took a sip of her wine, then set the glass down. "Nate, you need to go into this with an open mind. This is a fresh start, really think about what that means."

  "I will." Nate promised. "I didn’t fly all the way out here just to slum it with you for nothing." He gestured to the upscale Manhattan restaurant they were eating at.

  Yoli let out a hearty laugh.

  By the time they arrived at the pier, the sky had deepened into the rich hues of twilight. The massive ship loomed ahead, its bright lights shimmering across the dark water. As they stood near the boarding area, they pulled out their phones and video-called their parents. The screen filled with the familiar, smiling faces of their Mom and Dad.

  "Hi, my babies!" their Mom cooed, beaming. "Are you getting on the boat?"

  "Yeah." Yoli said. "We’re at the pier now."

  Their Dad nodded approvingly. "Don’t forget to stick together at least for a little while."

  Nate and Yoli exchanged a glance and gave a small nod in unison.

  "The news says the vote results won’t be official for a few days, maybe even a week." their Dad continued. "So the ship should get there in plenty of time before anything changes. Since you won’t be reachable once you leave, we just want to say that we love you both. And we’re so excited for you to jump headfirst into this new adventure together."

  "Please look out for each other." their Mom added, her voice thick with emotion.

  "We will." Nate and Yoli promised in unison.

  A deep foghorn bellowed from the ship, signaling it was time to board.

  "Wait." Nate said suddenly. "Can I see Charlie?"

  Their Mom took the phone and panned it down to show Charlie, curled up in his bed between their parents' chairs. The old dog wagged his tail lazily, eyes drooping with contentment.

  "He’s doing just fine." their Mom assured them. "Now go. We’ll see you when you get back."

  The boarding process was smoother than Nate expected. It had been years since he had been on a cruise, but this ship was on another level. It was an absolute behemoth of luxury and technology. At the intake station, an older man greeted them warmly and motioned for them to leave their bags with him. After clearing security and identity checks, they finally made their way to their suite.

  Yoli was the first through the door with Nate following closely behind. Just like when he had stepped into her apartment earlier that day, he was immediately struck by the sheer opulence of the space.

  The room was massive, much larger than a typical hotel room which meant something when accounting for the limited space on a cruise ship. A curved staircase led up to a lofted sleeping area, while a set of floor-to-ceiling sliding doors opened onto a spacious balcony overlooking the dark waters of Long Island Sound. The whole suite felt more like a penthouse than a cruise ship cabin.

  "Yoli, this place is insane." Nate said, still taking it all in.

  "Yeah, I know." she said smugly. "Doctor, remember?"

  "Good hell." Nate muttered, shaking his head.

  Yoli walked over to the entryway, where a pair of large frame backpacks sat neatly by the door. "Hey, come look at this." she called. She held up a card attached to one of the bags and read aloud, "As requested by your hosts from the other side of the gateway, we have provided you with these frame backpacks for you to transfer your luggage to. Your original luggage will be returned to your billing address once you depart from the ship."

  Nate frowned. "Huh. I wonder why they want us to use these?"

  "My guess?" Yoli said, adjusting the straps on one of the packs. "There’s going to be a lot of walking on our first day, and this will make us more mobile."

  "Yeah, that makes sense." Nate agreed.

  Yoli grinned. "Yeah, I know, I’m a-"

  "DON’T say it." Nate cut in before she could finish.

  She chuckled.

  Nate stretched his arms and let out a breath. "Hey, I’m gonna get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

  "Same." Yoli said, tossing her jacket onto the bed. "See you in the morning."

  A couple of days passed and Yoli and Nate had been enjoying the cruise, indulging in the ship’s amenities and entertainment. The voyage had a theme, “The Last Voyage.", symbolizing the one-way journey for those who had chosen to step through the door. Despite this, the ship felt eerily empty. The lounges, decks, and dining halls were mostly vacant.

  Curious, they asked a crew member about it. A staff member, one of the cruise director’s assistants, explained that this was one of the first commercial transport ships making the journey. Ticket sales had been surprisingly low, and there were already rumors of an airport being built on the island if the vote passed. "Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they shut this down." the assistant said. "Most people are hesitant. Maybe they’re waiting to see what happens to the first wave." Before walking off, they mentioned that the island should now be visible from the front of the ship.

  Intrigued, Nate and Yoli made their way forward. As they reached the bow, they saw where all the missing passengers had gathered. Hundreds of them standing shoulder to shoulder. A thick silence hung over the crowd, reminiscent of the day the meteor first appeared in the sky.

  Nate spotted a less crowded vantage point on a higher deck and nudged Yoli to follow. They climbed the stairs and crammed into a space pressed against the railing. And there it was, the island, meteor…thing. A vast, floating platform, impossibly suspended in the middle of the ocean. Near its center stood the gateway.

  “We should finish packing." Yoli turned to Nate.

  “Yea…” Nate replied, the last vowel drawing out like the sight of the island put him in some kind of trance.

  A couple of hours later, it was time to disembark. Nate and Yoli collected their things and joined the line descending the gangway. Now that they were standing on solid ground, the sheer scale of the island became apparent, it looked big enough to house a big town or city. Nate had heard rumors about building an airport and now those made perfect sense.

  Shuttles waited nearby for those unable to make the long walk. Nate wondered if some of them were heading through the door seeking a cure or some miraculous treatment on the other side. Many of the passengers were elderly. Were they here out of desperation, or just to witness history firsthand?

  After a half-hour walk they arrived at a stone building with modern architecture, the last stop before the unknown. Union personnel in familiar dark green uniforms greeted them. A young woman stepped forward, addressing the new arrivals.

  "Welcome to the Visitor’s Center. In a moment, we’ll split you into groups for a brief but important introduction to what you’re about to experience, and what to expect once you step through the gateway."

  The briefing was short, just as promised. A young man, an alien, but still human, stood at the front of the room.

  "I come from a planet much like Earth." he began. "Humans, or species similar to them, are surprisingly common across the galaxy."

  The explanation covered the basics. There was no trick to the gateway as they called it, just walk through. On the other side, there would be options, choices to make. Tour guides, some human, some not, would be available to provide a brief sky tour of The Hub, giving newcomers an aerial view before dropping them off at a destination of their choosing. There would be representatives from some various companies interviewing for jobs, looking to recruit the eager newcomers to the galactic stage. There would also be a few reps from the Intelligence Consortium for those who’d like to jump right into academics.

  On their way out, each traveler was handed a small pouch. Inside was a metallic card-like device and a list of suggested first stops such as places tailored to healing, education, or an introduction to magic. The card functioned like a credit card, preloaded with a generous sum from The Union to help newcomers integrate into society.

  Nate and Yoli stood before the gateway. It was big, like the size of some of the entrances to the skyscrapers he had seen in New York a few days ago. At the same time though he felt like it was small, probably from playing up this moment in his mind, he expected something more grand. Taking a few moments to analyze it he noticed the stone was neatly cut and organized into a perfect arch. The pale stone that framed the archway was interrupted only by a thin green line tracing its curvature in the middle of the stone. In the center of the arch was a neon green blanket of light that didn’t blind the eyes and barely lit up the surrounding area.

  People began stepping through. Each time, the light rippled like liquid, distorting slightly before settling again. Nate turned to Yoli. For the first time in his life, she looked uncertain. His big sister, the fearless one, was hesitating. For the first time, she needed him. He reached for her hand. She looked up at him, took his hand, then gave a small nod. Together, they stepped forward, into the unknown.