Leandre Renard witnessed the suicide death of his wife Elise outside in the hallway of the Physics building. He returned to the laboratory where he picked up a communications tablet and began to scroll through the screens. Leandre’s eyes were now wide-awake and his face wrinkled with lines of purpose as he concentrated on the screens scrolling by. He knew he had to act quick.

On the tablet, Leandre flipped through a website called “RedPage.” Profiles of young-looking, salacious women flipped by until he stopped at one of them. In the window was a photo of a sexy young woman with flame red hair, a cute nose, extra white teeth and shapely legs. A profile description was written underneath.

Mistress Lilou. High-class escort for discerning gentlemen. Your fantasies come true. Full female companionship. Incall/Outcall available. No agency. Contact me direct. I’m expensive, but you’ll agree that I’m worth it!

Leandre’s finger hovered over the telephone icon for Miss Lilou while he considered the profile text he just read. With resolve, he tapped on the “call” button. On the tablet, the profile picture of Lilou was superimposed with the ringing icon while attempting to reach her. After a few rings which seemed to last forever, Leandre almost changed his mind when Lilou picked up the call. The call was audio only.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Lilou sounded like she looked.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Are you looking to hire an escort?”

“Yes. How about tonight?”

“As in, right now?”

“Yes. Can you come over right away?”

“Where is the appointment going to be?”

“Come to the Physics building at the University of the UEN.”

“Oh! What fantasy do you have in mind?”

“I’m a professor here at the University. Can you play the role of a High School schoolgirl?”

“Yes, I can, but on such short notice, I don’t know if I can be ready.”

“I’ll double your price if you can come now. Half up front and the rest in the morning.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, completely.”

“All right, you win. I’ll see you soon, Professor.”

“The name is Leandre. I’ll be watching for you when you arrive.”

Mistress Lilou, female provider of men’s fantasies, disconnected the call.

Leandre knew there was no time to lose. He ran off to make preparations for Lilou’s visit.

Thirty minutes later, outside of the Physics building, a tall, very thin young woman walked up and upon approaching the locked front doors, stopped to look around and check her wristwatch. Although her watch said it was past midnight, the campus of the University of the UEN was lit by bright lights so she did not feel unsafe. After all, the UEN was a modern, clean and orderly nation with a very low crime rate. On the surface, it did seem like a utopia. The young woman’s flame red hair tumbled behind her back in loose curls. She wore a red, plaid, high-waisted, pleated skirt with matching suspenders on the bottom and a white, long-sleeved blouse with a rounded collar and a black ribbon tied into a bow at the neck on top. Over-the-knee white socks and three-inch high block-heel, black Mary Jane shoes completed this fantasy schoolgirl look. Mistress Lilou arrived for her appointment with Leandre and wondered where her client was.

Leandre, expecting Lilou, saw her approach the building and headed outside to greet her.

“Mistress Lilou, I presume?”

“Why yes, and you must be Leandre?”

“That would be correct. Please call me ‘Professor.’ Come this way to the side entrance. I will take you to my ‘secret’ laboratory.”

Lilou sensed the role play had already begun. She did her best to play along to this fantasy. “I’m eager to see what happens in your ‘secret’ laboratory, Professor. Nothing naughty, I hope?”

“That’s why it’s a secret now, isn’t it?” Leandre sounded nervous, but still tried to tease.

Leandre led Lilou to the side of the Physics building and through a side door entrance. Once inside, he stopped Lilou before they descended down a flight of stairs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope bulging with cash.

“Thank you for indulging my fantasy for tonight. I believe this is for you.” Leandre handed over the money. “Half up front as we agreed.”

Lilou took the envelope and opened it. She took only a few seconds, but still took the time to count the money. When she was satisfied that the correct amount was in the envelope, she put it into the satchel she carried.

“Thank you for being such a gentleman!” Lilou was happy to be paid up front. She intended to make tonight unforgettable for her client.

Leandre resumed role playing. “Now, young High School girl, would you like to see that secret laboratory of mine where we perform experiments on bad schoolgirls who don’t do their homework and talk in class?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“It’s right down these stairs. Just follow me.”

Leandre led Lilou down into the underground laboratory beneath the Physics building. As she entered the large room of the underground laboratory, Lilou felt the air charged with a slight amount of static electricity. It was not enough to make her suspicious, but it was something that tingled her skin and it lifted the ends of her red hair. In her ears, she heard a quiet, but alien sounding hum that came from everywhere no matter which way she turned her head. Several cabinets of rack mounted server computers with their cables twisted into a mess and their many miniature lights flashing occupied one side of the room. The laboratory’s room lights were dimmed and against the back wall she saw a large machine with coils of very thick cables wrapped around two chambers which glowed just a little bit green with phosphorescence. Lilou did not know what she was looking at, but it was the University’s research Transportal. The large and heavy size of it unnerved Lilou.

“Professor? Isn’t it a little scary down here?”

“Don’t be frightened. We’re only here to have a good time, right?” Leandre tried to put his guest at ease. “Let me get you a drink.”

“But I’m too young to drink!” protested the fake schoolgirl.

“Don’t worry, it’s only some water. Please sit down while I get it for you.”

Lilou found a seat at the control panel for the research Transportal. In front of her was an expansive table packed with digital gauges and monitors and a touch screen surface near the bottom within easy reach of an operator. Scientific text which she did not understand labeled everything and told the operating status of the Transportal to those who could understand the jargon. Lilou noticed that some of the gauges twitched with readings and the touch surface displayed graphs which updated with information each second that passed. Lilou was afraid to touch anything.

Meanwhile, Leandre pulled two glasses from a cabinet and then a bottle of water. As he poured the water into the two glasses, he hesitated for a moment after putting the bottle down. He reached up with his hand to his face and grabbed his forehead and closed his eyes. He tried to find the resolve to push ahead with his plan, but his will was failing. But then, he opened his eyes, removed his hand from his forehead and with his other hand, he dropped a small pill into one of the glasses. The pill dissolved into a color of blue and within a second or two, became clear.

Back at the control panel, a cautious Lilou looked over the digital gauges and graphs when Leandre returned with the two glasses. He gave one to Lilou and kept another one for himself.

“So, you’re curious about what this control panel does?”

“Not really, Professor. I don’t understand anything about what it does.”

“It’s a miraculous device that I invented.” Leandre reflected with seriousness in his voice. “It makes the impossible possible. It has the potential to change the world and help all of mankind. It gives its master God-like powers; the power of magic; the power of life over death even. Yes, it can.”

“That sounds both beautiful and scary.”

“Yes, I suppose it does.” Leandre snapped out of his seriousness. “Let’s have a drink then for the hope of a better future. A better future for all.”

Leandre grabbed his glass and raised it in Lilou’s direction and then swallowed some of the liquid.

Lilou did the same.

After a few gulps, however, Lilou began to feel dizzy and drowsy and panicky all at the same time.

“Oooooooh…did you spike my drink? You didn’t have to. I would have done anything you asked.”

Before she could get a response from Leandre, Lilou collapsed onto the control panel of the research Transportal. She was unconscious but otherwise unharmed. The glass she held tipped over and spilled its contents over the touch surface of the Transportal controls. Through the drugged liquid spilled onto the control panel, a message in yellow underneath a progress bar displayed status information.

Transportal energizing 78% complete. Prepare for teleportation.