"Gateway is coming around the back side can she make it? She only has forty seconds left and neither Speedster nor Torch are letting up."

"I don't know Riv, I don't think Emilio can defend the base for long. Emilio's out of juice and while Lamia's dynamic duo has some great potential Emilio's got a bad habit of falling off if the games run for too long. They have less than ten minutes and-"

"Holy shit! Gateway has opened up a portal and pulled the Speedster inside! Where did he go? There's only person on the Yggdrasa team on the map! Do we have a portal cam? Can we get a portal cam?"

The screen switched to the infrared camera pinned on Liana's shirt, showing the Yggdrasian zipping around the Nullspace, dodging each creature's attempting to bite him.

"Getting animals to do your dirty work? You've really fallen from your throne Li," the Speedster laughed, "oh wait that's right. The only thing you've ever been queen of is 'potential™'."

Liana struggled to dodge Speedster's hits, stumbling at every punch or kick. As much as she would have liked to say that the man was all speed, he also had the strength to go with it. She crawled on the ground, quickly regretting her decision to pull the man with super speed rather than the one who smelled like barbeque.

"Looks like Gateway's not doing such a hot job with the camera work."

"Well it comes with her power. Speedster's moving slower now that he has to work through the Rift, but Yggdrasians are known for their physical talent. They actually have the highest win rate of all the poor countries since they have the highest chance of mutation."

I'm betting Gateway wishes she were born there now."

"Sorry I'm not you Speedster," Liana mocked, looking up at the Yggdrasian, "I still have room to grow."

With a sweep of her hand, a portal tore open under her, leading back to Yggdrasa's base.

"No! Get back here!"

Speedster dived into the portal only to find himself stuck between the two spaces and Liana standing tall.

"You should say potential with such disdain," Liana murmured, grabbing the flag, "it means that there are still mountains to climb, GBUs to win."

"N-now don't be hasty. I was kidding. Please I have a fami-"

The gate closed above her, leaving the upper half of the athlete on the floor while she walked away with the flag.

"Emilio!" she shouted, looking around.

Where was he? For that matter, why wasn't he headed toward her. She picked up her pace, running toward the middle of the field to find Torch with Lamia's flag.

"So it's come to this, dueling in the middle of the field. Aren't we past this? Aren't you tired? Just give up and drop the flag."

"You think I'm going to give up so easily after ripping Speedster to pieces?" Liana's voice cracked. "I don't care how many mouths you have to feed Mother Torch but I'm taking this thing back to base."

"I'm sorry to hear that Gateway. I didn't want to hurt you."

"And with that Torch is sending one-no two-no three-it's a trinity of fire balls to make Lamian kebabs using our favorite Lamian."

"But it's not without opposition. Gateway's going with her tried and true Portal-Fu, delivering a barrage of punches and kicks through each portal. Is that a scorpion?"

"She's sending them one after and-Oh! I do not believe it. Torch is hurling them back on fire. Who knew those buggers were flammable?"

"Probably not Gateway. She's going to have to think of a better way to end this match unless she wants Lamia to have to play the loser's bracket. She's made another portal all that's doing is buying time. One wrong move and Torch can just zip past her."

"Gateway's backing off, she's trying to run no-there's the leap! There's the scorpion and there's the fire and she's turning! She goes for the sting. Torch tries to ring around the rosie but she rips the gates open and they flood her! She goes down and I do not believe it. With a double K.O. we have a winner."

Liana exited the field, heading back to the locker room in order to clean up. It was her only match for the day so after a nice shower she could relax and pretend that she didn't just kill another man...or so she thought. When she actually entered the shower, robe on body and comfortable but gross clothes in hand there was an old man, an old and short man. Given that he was wearing clothes far out of date and that he had a beard she might have thought him a crazy hobo, but the fact that there was a rather sizable rip behind him. She hadn't opened a portal there before (she didn't see any reason to given that everyone knew about her powers) so that meant that either Null had entered through here or someone else had.

"Secur-"

"Wait, wait! Please wait! These were not the circumstances I imagined meeting you. Let me explain."

Liana crossed her arms, but cocked her head to show that he could go on.

"Aye so I am a visitor from the beyond. You are needed young one. You are destined for great a many feats."

He attempted to walk closer, but the appearance of a spider-like creature discouraged him.

"You may not know this but your universe isn't the only one. It is but one of many in this great brain we call existence. Every nerd, every neurobe, and every court-ex is but a parallel universe. We are all connected, but-" he raised a finger off of his staff "-this connection is not always so safe. We need people, people like you to fight."

"Literally none of the things you listed are actually part of a brain, human or otherwise, and secondly, how can anything parallel intersect?"

She took one of the complimentary towels and started feeding it to the spider as the Grand Elder reiterated his statements, sighing when she realized that this man was being serious.

"We are the Grand Elders we don't have to follow the laws of physics."

"Why should I believe you? How do I know that this isn't a trick by one of the other nations to poach a team."

"That is true but," he paused, thinking for a minute, "do you have any more alcohol?"

"Top shelf of the refrigerator," Liana sighed.

He really was a hobo wasn't he?

After a long shower and examination of the tear she'd seen she came to the conclusion that it was similar to The Rift (with a capital "The") in Killaka but it was cut of a different cloth. She could use it for sure, it didn't appear to be anything of this world.

"Alright Grand Elder..."

"Naghum."

"Naghum, what does being a part of your team entail?"

"You are to join a team of other peers from other universes and prevent the fallout of all there is by traveling into multiple worlds and preventing certain things from happening."

"If I'm right, you are asking me who you know hates everything about this world to protect the existence of this universe. This universe. The one where kids are engineered by the thousands in hopes of winning some stupid war? The one where I had my childhood taken away to fight for a country that colonized my home country? The one where they're trying to make animal-human hybrids now because being able to shoot fireballs isn't enough? What use is it saving a place like this?"

"Oh you are over thinking this," Naghum shrugged, "good or bad this is still a world with people on it wouldn't you agree? And there are many worlds better than this that equally worth saving."

He let out a burp before tossing the bottle into a trash bin.

"Besides, if you weren't considering this offer you would have already ousted me aye?"

Liana stared at the old man before looking out the window of the Uni landscape. Athletes in body bags, amputees walking out as cyborgs, and the broken hearts of families who were told they would no longer be living in luxury, no this world wasn't worth a damn.

And yet...

Yet she'd gotten dressed in her favorite battle gear and combed her hair.

"Then you should already know where to take me."

With a tap of his staff, the Grand Elder brought Liana to the Cortex of Creation. It was a strange feeling, but nothing that Liana's portal days wouldn't give her immunity to. The more important thing was the fact that there were others in the room.

"Be warned," he whispered, "we will know if your resolve has weakened."

Liana turned back, but found the Grand Elder tending to some drinks.