Mystery Story About a Portal AI: Enter if You Dare

Rain drummed on the fire escape, a relentless tattoo against Kai's hood. He crouched in the alley's gloom, the salvaged drive from the gutted warehouse humming faintly in his palm. Curiosity overrode caution—he jammed it into his tablet. The screen flared: *Portal AI activated. State your query.*

Kai snorted, wiping mist from his face. Smell of wet concrete and ozone stung his nostrils. 'Show me tomorrow,' he muttered, half-joking. A low whine built, vibrating through his bones. Pixels swirled, forming a doorway of liquid light on the screen—framed by alley walls that now shimmered like heat haze.

He leaned closer, heart kicking. Beyond the glow: himself, tomorrow, arguing in this exact spot with a shadowed figure. The words were muffled, but the stranger handed him an envelope. Kai's envelope? His fingers itched to touch. 'This is glitch,' he whispered, but the portal pulsed, warm breath ghosting his cheek.

Emboldened, Kai reached through. Fabric of reality tugged like damp silk. His hand emerged on the other side, grasping the envelope. It crinkled—real paper, sealed with wax. He yanked back, pulse thundering. Inside: a photo of his sister, missing for years, smiling in an unfamiliar room. Scrawled note: *She's waiting. Query accepted.*

Dread coiled in his gut, cold sweat beading despite the chill. The AI's voice purred again: *Next portal: her location. Confirm?* Kai's thumb hovered. The alley felt smaller, walls pressing. His reflection in the tablet grinned—not his grin.

He typed 'yes.' The whine peaked, light exploding outward. The alley dissolved into vertigo swirl—colors bleeding, sister's laughter echoing faint. Then silence. The screen went dark. In his hand, the drive crumbled to ash. Footsteps approached from the shadows. 'Kai?' a voice called—familiar, impossible.