"So, you're saying that this headcrab, Lamarr, is some kind of creature from another world?" Alex was quite confused.
"That's correct," replied Kleiner. "Headcrabs may be small, but should not be underestimated. The primary attack of a headcrab is to jump at a victim's head, using its beak to pierce the skull and take control of the host's body, mutating it in the process, turning them into a horrid zombie."
"...And you keep something like that for a pet?!" cried Alex, suddenly concerned about becoming a necrotic.
"Oh heavens, no need to be worried! Lamarr is debeaked and utterly harmless!" chuckled Kleiner. "The worst she might do is try to uh...couple with your head. Fruitlessly, of course!"
"What do you mean, 'debeaked?'" asked Alex, clearly perplexed.
"Why, she has had her fangs completely removed!" said Kleiner. "That's not to say that it's not a bit shocking for her to couple with you for the first time."
"What do these things look like, anyway?" inquired Alex.
Dr. Kleiner rummaged through a desk drawer and produced a conveniently full-color picture of a headcrab:
"How big are these things?" Alex asked, not understanding much about this creature.
"Oh, I'd say upwards of about two feet in length or so," replied Kleiner.
Just then, some crates on the other side of the room shuffled.
"Lamarr?" called Kleiner. "Are you back there?"
Just then, Alex felt something pounce on his back and crawl upwards toward his head.
"Augh! Dammit, get it off me!"
The culprit emitted a sharp shriek, and proceeded to couple her mouth with the top of Alex's head. She then rested on his head.
"This the thing?" Alex asked to Kleiner, who was still rummaging in boxes.
"Wha...? Oh, Lamarr! There you are! How on Earth did you get out of your cage?" said Kleiner.
Lamarr made a small squeak and popped herself from Alex's skull, only to climb up Kleiner's back and do the same thing.
"Urgh...that felt so weird." sighed Alex, checking his hair to make sure some disgusting slime wasn't left behind. His hair came up dry.
"Oh, goodness, she does this when she's hungry," replied Kleiner, who reached into an icebox to take out a watermelon. Excited, Lamarr sprung off of Kleiner's head and onto the table. Kleiner cut a slice of the watermelon, which Lamarr immediately began to consume.
"An alien head-humper from another world, and it prefers watermelons," mumbled Alex. "Any chance it came from that portal in the center of town?"
Kleiner left Lamarr to eat her watermelon and rejoined Alex. "Who knows what's on the other side of that portal...the guards never let anyone through. Some say it's where the inventors discovered the magic. Others say it's a side effect of the magic, and people have just been afraid to go through."
"It takes a lot to spook me," said Alex, completely forgetting what happened five minutes ago.
"I don't know..." said Kleiner. "It would take a lot of convincing for them to allow you through. They put the safety of the population first, and one person travelling through to another dimension could entice whatever's on the other side to invade our world. Besides, that armor you have is clearly antiquated. There's no way you could survive in that world."
"Well, Doc, unless you have something better..." suggested Alex.
"I do, but I don't think it's ready for field use yet," said Kleiner. "It's essentially a sort of powered armor, utilizing extreme heat conjured from the magic to fuse two very heavy metals, crystalline cetanium and pure firanadium, to release the vast energies inside these metals. Most of the energy is dedicated to the armor's functions, while a little is allocated to maintaining the fusion reaction. See, the magic is only used to spark the reaction."
Alex was a little lost, but he understood the concept that Kleiner was trying to explain. "What exactly can this armor do?"
"The suit keeps tabs on your vitals and administers white magic to whatever injuries you might have, as well as keep track of the energy levels of whatever magic-based weaponry you might have," explained Kleiner.
"If only I had one of those lasers..." said Alex.
"I've constructed one similar to the handheld magic lasers the guards have, though not as powerful. There's also no telling what could happen to the laser if you were to cross worlds," warned Kleiner. He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a large, rifle-shaped weapon. "This is it. It's powered by the same reaction as the suit, but the power is directed into an energy blast."
"Hot stuff," said Alex.
"Hot stuff indeed," replied Kleiner. "If you're going to enter the borderworld, we might as well get you suited up." Kleiner led Alex to a closed set of double doors. Kleiner pressed a button and they slid open, to reveal the powered armor he mentioned.
The suit was fully-enclosed, including a helmet, sealed hands and feet. The suit was black, but glowed blue out of various grooves in the suit where joints met. The suit's outer layer was smooth in texture, made from an unknown metal.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Alex?" asked Kleiner. "Once I start the fusion reaction, it cannot be stopped until the supplies of the metals run out..."
Alex looked at the suit, the rifle, and out the window to the portal leading to the borderworld. "I'm sure."
