Party Day.

<General perspective>

After informing her parents of their sleepover plans, Ava, Regina, and Elena left Regina's house and headed towards an unexpected destination.

Ava turned to Regina with a glint in her eye. "Let's go shopping; we need clothes for the party tonight."

Regina's eyebrows shot up. "Party?"

Ava nodded, her smile widening. "The big surprise I mentioned is a party tonight."

"But what's the party for?" Regina asked eagerly.

Ava placed a finger on Regina's lips. "That's a surprise."

Regina turned to Elena with hopeful eyes, but Elena shook her head. "I can't say anything. It's a surprise, and I don't want to ruin it."

Regina sighed. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll find out."

Ava nodded. "But first, we're going to wish Baby good luck for his race."

Elena blinked. "You mean today is his race?"

Ava nodded again, and Regina's confusion deepened. "But how can we get to San Francisco today? All the flights are booked because of the race."

Ava exchanged a knowing smile with Elena. "Well, I have another way."

Elena smiled back, while Regina looked more perplexed as they entered a garage.

"What do you mean, 'another way'?" Regina asked as Ava approached the wall.

With a grin, Ava opened a shimmering portal on the wall.

Regina's eyes widened. "What is this?"

Elena gently placed her hand over Regina's mouth to muffle her surprise. The garage was soundproof, a necessity given Ava's secret activities involving modified vehicles with changed identification numbers.

Ava explained, "I created a teleportation device, and it's in my body."

Regina's curiosity got the better of her. She started patting Ava's body, searching for the device.

Elena blushed and intervened, "Regina, what are you doing?"

Without stopping, Regina replied, "I'm trying to find the device."

Ava's cheeks reddened as Regina's hands roamed. Finally, Regina stepped back, puzzled. "Where is it? I didn't find it..."

Realizing the awkwardness, she looked at Ava's embarrassed face and turned to Elena, who wore a blank expression.

Regina's face flushed. "I'm sorry. I was just curious."

Ava sighed, patting Regina's shoulder. "Next time, just ask. So I won't get embarrassed."

Regina nodded, her face still red. "But where is the device? I couldn't find it."

"It's in my blood," Ava replied.

Regina pondered for a moment. "Can I have one too?"

Ava chuckled. "How about I give you one on your birthday?" She thought privately, 'I have a plan to create a device in a few months.'

They stepped through the portal, arriving in a vast warehouse filled with mechanical arms and a sleek supercar.

(Pic in the comment)

Regina's eyes widened as she ran her hand over the car. "You really like cars, don't you, Ava?"

"Of course," Ava said, sliding into the driver's seat. "But why do you need the device?"

"It might be useful for traveling long distances," Regina replied.

Ava nodded, and the three of them climbed into the car. They drove to the race location, where Ava parked and led them to a private entrance. A security guard stopped them.

"Miss, this entrance is for participants or VIPs only."

Ava produced a black card embossed with an ornate "R" and a rose. The guard scanned it, then bowed. "My apologies, Miss. You may proceed."

(Pic in the comment)

Ava smiled graciously. "You're just doing your job."

As they walked in, Elena asked, "What was that card? It didn't look like a pass."

Ava showed it to them. "It's a perk from Roses Corporation for its executives. It grants access to places owned by the company."

Regina's eyes widened. "So this place is owned by Roses Corporation?"

"Yes, we're the biggest sponsors of this race."

Elena scanned the crowd. "Will Deborah be here?"

Ava nodded. "Of course."

They soon spotted Deborah and Baby, along with Joseph. Baby, clad in racing gear, looked up as Deborah waved. "Ava, over here!"

Ava led the group over, and Deborah hugged her. "I thought you forgot about the race."

"Never," Ava said, turning to Baby. "Are you ready for the race?"

Baby nodded just as an official approached. "Sir, the race is about to start."

Baby followed the official, and Ava called out, "Good luck!"

Everyone else echoed the sentiment before Baby disappeared into the prep area.

Later, the trio drove to a mall, where they shopped for new clothes for the party.

Regina looked at Ava and asked, "Are Deborah, Baby, and Joseph not invited to the party?"

Ava replied, "Well, you see, the second round of this race is going to take place at night. Even if I wanted to invite them, they wouldn't come because Baby isn't returning to the race."

Regina just nodded.

Ava glanced at her watch and said, "Okay, it's time." She opened a portal to her villa in Houston. Ava, Elena, and Regina stepped through it.

As they emerged, they saw Queenie, Andy, Ares, Helen, John, Lucia, Ramsey, and Dylan waiting for them.

Ava smiled and opened another portal, this one leading to the other Earth. "You guys go ahead. I have to pick someone up," she said.

Everyone nodded and passed through the portal one by one. After everyone had gone, Elena looked at Ava and said, "I'm coming with you." Regina nodded in agreement.

Ava sighed and said, "Okay, you can come, but you must remain silent. And here, you need to wear these before the party." She handed them masks.

(Pic in the comment)

Regina took a mask and asked, "Is it a mask-themed party?"

Ava nodded.

Ava then opened a portal to a garage where Deckard was waiting with Cipher, who was blindfolded. As Ava stepped through, she chuckled. "Bro, I never thought you'd bring her blindfolded."

Deckard had gotten used to Ava calling him 'bro.' "Well, I'd rather stay safe than take risks," he replied.

Ava nodded. "You're not wrong."

Cipher interjected, "You know I can't see you, but I can hear you."

Ava chuckled again. "Of course, I know you can hear. But it's surprising that you didn't bring any transmitters."

Cipher was slightly taken aback but didn't show it. She replied calmly, "I can't ruin my first impression, can I?"

Elena and Regina remained silent as they donned their masks, following Ava's instructions.

Ava nodded, putting on her own mask. "So, let's go to the party." She opened a portal to the newly built city on the other Earth. "Go ahead, bro."

Deckard nodded and guided Cipher through the portal. After they left, Regina asked, "Who was she, and why is she blindfolded?"

"She's going to join us in the future, so don't worry," Ava replied. "As for the blindfold, she hasn't joined us yet."

"Isn't it dangerous to take her to the other side?" Elena asked. She understood that the existence of another Earth with only 6 to 7 percent of the human population could incite greed.

Ava replied, "I won't let her return until she joins us. Otherwise, I can use a VR helmet to make her believe it was all virtual reality."

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"You'll know soon. Let's go," Ava replied.

They passed through the portal and emerged in a vast, futuristic city with lush trees and grass surrounding a central, gigantic circular structure. Elena, having seen the city's design before, wasn't as surprised. Regina, however, was wide-eyed in amazement.

(Pic in the comment)

"Okay, everyone is waiting for us," Ava said. She led them to a spaceship where Deckard was waiting with the still blindfolded Cipher.

"Did you guys really create this city in such a short time?" Deckard asked, astonished.

Ava nodded with a smile. "Katie created it all by herself."

Deckard, still processing the information, nodded. Even with thousands of construction robots, creating such a city in a short time seemed impossible, even if Katie was an advanced AI.

Regina was equally shocked by the city and the spaceship.

The ship took off and landed on the rooftop of the central building, where another ship was already parked. They disembarked and saw Dylan waiting for them while the others had gone downstairs.

"What is this place?" Dylan asked.

"Our new base, of course. And today we're having a party because its construction is complete," Ava replied.

Dylan sighed. "One day, you're going to give me a heart attack with your surprises."

Ava chuckled and signaled Shaw to take off Cipher's blindfold.

Shaw removed Cipher's blindfold. She closed her eyes again because of the sunlight, but she frowned, realizing that when she had left, it was 6 PM. Why was the sun now at a 30-degree angle?

"Guys, let's go," Ava said as she headed downstairs, with the others following her.

They arrived on the floor where the party arrangements were ready. Ava leaped directly onto the stand from the fifteenth stair. Everyone was wearing party masks.

Ava took the mic and, once everyone was downstairs, announced, "Now that everyone is here…"

She continued, "Congratulations, everyone. You are about to witness a historical moment, the creation of a new government and a new era."

Everyone cheered, except for Regina, Cipher, Ramsey, and Dylan, who still didn't know what was going on.

To be Continued...

[Author's note: Please write a review; it motivates me to write.]