A glitch in the Matrix. A hiccup in "reality" that made absolutely no sense... except it did. Kind of.

To recap:

Quote:

Grissom grimaced, shaking his head. "This doesn't explain why this metathing able to transport people from one dimension to another would be so helpless confronting a mere man".

Euro shrugged, and after having glanced at Rama, who shook his head, said: "I don't know. I haven't an answer for that..."

"But I do!" said a voice from behind.

They all turned, to see Doc Quantos appearing from a open door that surely was not there before.

"I know why you have been called here..."



"Doc?!" said Grissom, surprised but wary. "Are you real, or is this just another illusion?"

Quantos' eyebrows shot up. "Me? I'm as real as you, naturally. Though in a place like this I sometimes wonder whether any of us can really distinguish between reality and fiction.

"You said you knew why we had been called here," Rama said.

"I do," said Quantos. "Or at least I'm beginning to imagine why. I think you and your team were here... to protect... her... it, whatever I should call it. Hmmm... yes, 'her' makes about as much sense as anything."

"You're not making much sense, Doc," said Thunderbird.

Doctor Quantos laughed. "As I was saying, I can only guess at the reason you were here. The Metatithenai, the... symbiotic lifeform we are currently residing in... was, well... she was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Banshee repeated.

"Yes, pregnant. Or whatever equivalent applies," said Doctor Quantos. He waved his hands all about him, looked around and said, "I had thought this was some kind of advanced technology, some kind of advanced virtual reality computer simulation, and I'm not completely convinced that it isn't that, but it also seems to be alive.

"And it's not alone. The Metatithenai is ancient but not the only one of its kind. If the Metatithenai is female in nature, then the Castle of Crossed Destinies, with its phallic spires jutting into the sky, is most definitely male."

"What are you saying, Doc?" asked Phil.

"It's why I, of all people, was chosen by the Metatithenai a couple of years back. She appeared before me on two separate occasions before now for some reason, but I didn't know why. Now I do. It was for this..."

Doctor Henry Quantos turned around, and where he had been standing there now grew a crib from out of nowhere.

"It looks like a human child, but that's just for our benefit," Quantos explained. "Isn't it beautiful?"

The child glowed with light, dimly at first, but became brighter and brighter until the light seemed to envelop the entire team.

And then the group found themselves in a large circular room, one with several doors, and a place for tables and chairs.

"What now?" Bruteforce sighed, his patience at an end. "More fun and games?"

"This is the reason we're here," Doctor Quantos said. "It wasn't simply to bring a new life into this world, as exotic as this lifeform may be, but because this lifeform, like the Castle of Crossed Destinies and the Metatithenai, serves a purpose. The Castle, this creature's father, is a nexus for shifting realities. The Metatithenai is an inn for wanderers who travel to distant lands merely by walking through a doorway. This child, this supposed building we're in, it's... he's... for us."

"Uh-huh..." Grissom prompted.

Doctor Quantos found himself unable to express himself well. The situation was just so far removed from his reality. "Don't you see?"

"Not... really..." Banshee began.

"This creature is not like another creature. Once it's born, it no longer needs a mother or father to raise it, but it does need a purpose. I somehow communicated with the Metatithenai, spoke with her... some kind of telepathy or something... but I expressed a need to her that we had, and it seems that our need matches the need of this new creature, this new Metatithenai, or whatever we choose to call it."

He paused for a moment, but no one was getting it.

"See, this place exists in no physical reality whatsoever. Unlike your physical homes and headquarters, this place cannot be attacked through conventional means. It can't even be reached by anyone but us, once the decision is made. Vanguard can meet here without fear of attack. Any one of us can travel from La Perdita to anywhere in the world, merely by stepping through a door. It's the perfect headquarters! You need never travel by air ever again."

"Ahhhh..." someone said.

"Makes sense," someone else said.

"I guess..."

"But I like to fly," Banshee muttered.

Doctor Quantos continued, "Here's how it works: All you need is a key, one that will only work for the person it is given to. With that key any door, any door-sized opening, becomes a portal into this room, and from this room you can access any place on this world or off of it."