Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds as Ethan sat up, rubbing his eyes. Sally was already awake, tail wagging like she'd been waiting for him for hours.
"Morning, partner," Ethan said, stretching.
He got dressed, slung his camera over his shoulder, and walked to the door. But as he opened it, Sally darted forward and bit his pant leg.
"Hey, what are you doing? I'm going to work!"
Sally growled softly, refusing to let go. Ethan sighed, tugged half-heartedly, and finally gave up.
"Fine, fine. You win. You're coming with me."
At the portal gate, the rest of the crew was already gathered — the shimmering silver gateway humming softly behind them. When they spotted Sally trotting beside Ethan, everyone's eyebrows shot up.
Natasha was the first to react.
"SALLY!" she squealed, dropping her data pad and rushing over. She scooped the dog up, spinning her around with a laugh. "You adorable menace, I missed you!"
Ethan's voice came in as narration:
"That's Natasha. The editor of our crew. Fastest hands in the Inner Zone — red hair, glasses, and a mind sharper than any lens I own."
When the narration ended, Ethan grinned. "Alright team, good morning!"
Evan gave him a skeptical look. "You sure you're okay today?"
Ethan nodded confidently. "Perfectly fine. Today we're getting the perfect shot."
Everyone groaned at once.
"You said that last time," Natasha muttered.
Ethan just laughed. "Yeah, but this time I mean it."
Eric, the coordinator, checked his wrist console. "Okay, listen up. Today we're covering a strength-type chosen one. Name: Charles. Super name: Supernova. Location: across the street from where we filmed the speedster."
Ethan snapped his fingers. "Got it."
Evan frowned. "And… you're taking Sally in there?"
Ethan shrugged. "She's good luck."
Natasha gave him a look. "Good luck? Last time you took her, we nearly lost a whole segment because she chased a butterfly."
"Hey, she's learned," Ethan said, scratching Sally's head. "Right, Sally?"
The dog barked happily.
Eric sighed. "Whatever. Let's move before we lose light."
The group stepped through the portal — and just like that, time froze.
They arrived on the other side — a city street mid-motion, cars frozen, people hanging mid-step. The world looked like a paused video.
"Alright, everyone in position," Eric said.
Charles — or Supernova — was right where he should be, mid-action, about to wake up in his apartment.
Ethan crouched behind a bench, camera in hand. "Angle one: domestic start-up shot," he whispered, then looked at Evan. "Sound ready?"
"Rolling," Evan replied, setting up his mic gear.
Natasha floated beside them — literally — fingers moving so fast on her holographic tablet they blurred. Screens flickered with real-time edits.
"Cutting lag by 2.7 seconds," she said, eyes scanning a dozen feeds at once.
Time resumed. Charles stretched, yawned, looked out the window, and then — like the world itself took a breath — he exploded into motion, saving a construction worker falling from a crane.
"Got him!" Ethan shouted, moving to a rooftop to catch another angle.
"Audio clean," Evan said, adjusting the feed.
"Editing smooth," Natasha added, typing faster.
Everything clicked. Even when Ethan's gaze wandered for a moment — distracted by the thought of the girl — he snapped back fast.
Evan noticed but didn't say anything.
By the time the sun started to dip, they had more than enough footage. Supernova was done, waving goodbye to his family.
Eric clapped his hands. "Alright, pack it up. We've got it."
But Ethan hesitated. "Wait. There's still something missing."
Evan groaned. "Here we go…"
"Come on, just one more angle! If we catch him heading home under the sunset, that'll wrap the emotional arc!"
Natasha sighed. "Fine, fine. One more angle."
They kept filming for another hour — laughing, joking, even competing for the best shots. It almost felt normal.
Until evening fell.
They began walking back toward the portal when Ethan suddenly stopped. His eyes widened.
Across the street — there she was.
The same white-haired girl,Different hoodie, same calm aura. A book in her hands, completely lost in her own world.
Ethan blinked, then turned away quickly. He wasn't going to get distracted again. Not this time.
He followed the crew toward the portal — but then froze.
"Sally?"
No response.
He spun around. Sally was gone.
"Not again," he muttered, scanning the streets. He spotted her — small white fur and glowing blue streaks — running into the streets.
"Wait here," he told the team.
Evan frowned. "You can't just—"
"I'll be quick!"
Eric held up a hand. "We're out of schedule, Ethan. Let it go."
Ethan shook his head. "Not without her."
Eric sighed. "Evan, go with him. Make sure he doesn't make it worse."
Evan nodded and followed. "You owe me for this," he said under his breath.
They searched through the streets, calling her name. "Sally! Sally!"
Then, finally, they found her — wagging her tail near a fruit stand.
"There you are," Ethan said, crouching down.
But before they could grab her — the sky rippled.
Something was flying up there.
At first, they thought it was just another effect from the Inner Zone. But then Evan's face went pale.
"That's… not one of ours."
The object spun once — then came crashing down.
But it didn't hit. It didn't crash. It simply… merged. Like it phased straight into the frozen world.
And then — the ground began to shake.
Buildings trembled. Streetlights flickered.
"Back to the portal! Now!" Eric shouted through the comms.
Everyone ran. The crew dove into the gate one by one. Natasha turned around just in time to see Evan throw her a small, glowing object.
"Keep it safe!" he yelled.
She caught it — and then the portal sealed shut.
Evan, Ethan, and Sally were left outside.
The shaking stopped.
Ethan stood there, frozen. His voice came out small, almost lost in the silence.
"…We're doomed."