[ WP ] CERN is trying to open a portal to hell . Only they 're not trying to summon a demon to Earth . They 're trying to create a bridgehead for the human invasion of Hell .

The suit was hulking and clumsy. The leggings were baggy and thick, the boots anchored in the heels. Corina's shoulders hunched under the weight of the jacket and vest. Last came the helmet. Its outside appeared antiquated and reminiscent of early diver's headgear, but the inside was equipped with cutting edge tech. Holographic displays illuminated and contoured Corina's face while a steady stream of cool air flowed from above. She ran a check to ensure the suit operated without catch, then closed her eyes. She sighed and left the room. 
 
 Mission Control was abuzz with technicians and engineers and men in nondescript suits that stared from a balcony to the left. Corina walked slowly down the metal-grated walkway. Her boots clunked and announced her entrance. The room hushed as all heads turned and all eyes locked onto her. Suddenly there was clapping and well-wishing, but Corina could n't spare her attention. Her eyes were locked on the behemoth at the end of the pathway, a towering entrance, a mess of cables and lights and alarms. But mixed in with the modern was something ancient. Runes climbed the stone frame like so many reptiles, appearing to move and shift. Corina felt dizzy. 
 
 `` Doctor Smith!'' called a voice somewhere below her. She snapped her eyes downwards and found a short man beaming up. His hands were intertwined and his forehead glistened. `` I just want to express again my thanks and pride for your participation. No one on the board expected a volunteer, of all things. Despite your offer, I can assure you that proper compensation will come. The board looks favorably on those who go above and beyond.'' 
 
 `` Corina blinked. `` Y-yes, Mr. Palmer. My pleasure.'' Her eyes drifted back to the gate. 
 
 `` Of course. On your mark, Doctor.'' Palmer shuffled away and appeared a moment later on the balcony, smiling extravagantly. 
 
 Corina walked to the gate, stepping over a bright yellow line. She turned and gave a thumbs-up. Orange caution lights spun and the alarm buzzed. The wires hummed and vibrated. The machinery attached to the stone whirred. Then the runes glowed a deep hypnotizing orange. Corina thought they were communicating with her, or trying to at least. They squirmed and protested. *Abandon hope*, she thought. 
 
 A flash of red. The lights in the room sparked and sputtered, then died completely. Only the light of the runes lit the desks and walls. An insidious silence crept through the space, a presence that seemed to consume any sound. A pen dropped, but any noise it might have made was swallowed by the nothingness. Then the machinery that could be seen through the opening in the gate vanished, replaced by an unsettling darkness. Corina got the impression of a great depth beyond the black, though she could n't say why. 
 
 She turned, gave a two-finger salute, then stepped through into shadow.
