The Brockton Bay Portal is a interdimensional portal leading from Earth Bet to Earth Gimel. It was formed by an interaction between Labyrinth and Scrub's powers.[1]
Description[]
The portal is located in Downtown Brockton Bay and leads to Earth Gimel. The portal itself is in the shape of a tower with a small area of ground beneath it. It has zero depth or dimension, perceivable only by the edges.[1]
Around the portal is a solid white, windowless building, which is designed by Accord and constructed and owned by Tattletale's organization (later owned by Sierra Kiley).[2][3] The tower is taller than the skyscrapers surrounding it, and is surrounded by numerous ramps. The ramps lead into the interior of the tower, curling around the tower in an arrangement reminiscent of flower petals, with each ramp leading into the building at different heights. At the base of the tower is a system of train tracks, extending in every direction. Buildings adjoining the tower serve as administration and defense for the portal.[2][4][5]
History[]
Battle against Echidna[]
The portal was first created during a collaboration between Labyrinth and Scrub, with the overall idea being conceived by Tattletale. Using her power, Labyrinth created a temple-like tower surrounded by artificial, metal flowers. When Labyrinth was finished, Scrub fired his blasts into the structure, causing the entire thing to ignite and burn away into a white void.[1] Immediately after its creation, Tattletale was confronted by the recently outed Alexandria, who demanded that she close the portal due to the ramifications of opening a hole between worlds. Tattletale refused, and Alexandria was forced to back off by the capes around them, who had become disillusioned with the Triumvirate during Ignis Fatuus's speech.
Much to Alexandria's dismay, Tattletale directed Labyrinth to shift the portal's destination, first tuning into an unsettled Brockton Bay with squat, blocky overgrown houses (likely one of Cauldron's Earths), before tuning into Earth Aleph. In exchange for eliminating Echidna, the Travelers were offered the opportunity to return home. While hesitant, not wanting to return at first, Sundancer was eventually convinced to do the job. With Echidna temporarily imprisoned by the combined efforts of multiple capes, Sundancer conjured a sun and incinerated Echidna, killing her. Shortly after, she passed through the portal, with the rest of the Travelers following suit. With the direction of Faultline and Tattletale, Labyrinth then shifted the portal to an uninhabited world which would later become known as Earth Gimel.[6]
Post-Echidna[]
After the Battle against Echidna, the portal was quarantined from the public and covered with a tall, white tent. The property around the portal was purchased by Tattletale's organization, and with her construction crews and Accord's design, construction began around the portal, starting with a rigging of crisscrossing metal poles around the tent. In the process of being constructed around it was a solid, windowless white building, with curving ramps leading up into the portal. There was construction around the portal as well, with buildings demolished and new ones constructed for the purpose of creating a support network of buildings surrounding the tower.[2][4]
The existence of the portal triggered a great deal of national debate over whether the landowners or the government should get the rights to the property.[7]
During Skitter's interrogation by the PRT, the PRT became aware of a large amount of property exchanging hands into the ownership of Sierra Kiley. These properties included those in a wide area around the portal, and due to Sierra having close ties with that of the Undersiders, effectively gave the Undersiders legal control over the portal.[3]
Post-Timeskip[]
The area around the portal was presumably further developed as transit between the two worlds began. At some point, multiple train tracks were built at the base of the portal that extended in every direction.[5]
Elsewhere, more portals similar to Brockton Bay's were created by Faultline’s Crew.[8]
Gold Morning[]
The tower on the end of Earth Bet was destroyed during Scion's strafing run on Brockton Bay, which shattered the land beneath the tower.[5] The tower on the end of Earth Gimel remained intact.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “It’s all part of a whole,” she replied, absently. Her focus was on the others. “Scrub! Get closer to the tower! Everyone else, get back! Labyrinth, don’t use your power any more! Hold off!”
Heads turned. People had no doubt noticed the tower, but now something was happening.
Scrub stepped closer, and one of his explosions ripped through the air. Another followed shortly after, intersecting one area of altered road.
Like a gas in the air that had been ignited, the entire thing went up in a heartbeat. In an instant, it was a white void, as undefinable as Grue’s darkness, perceivable by the edges, but with zero depth or dimension. He’d shunted out the entire structure, as well as everything that had altered on the ground, but nothing had come back.
The door had been kicked out of the frame. - Excerpt from Scourge 19.7 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ahead of us, just a block away, the portal. A white tower in progress, surrounded by three cranes. A white tent was framed with a rigging of criss-crossing metal poles, and that rigging was being covered in turn by a solid white building, windowless. We couldn’t make out the base of the building from our vantage point, but I could make out the ramps that led to the interior, like the on-ramps to a highway or the entrance to an aboveground parking garage. They curved up around the building, a geometrical arrangement like the petals of a flower, and led into the tent at different heights. There were signs of construction and recent demolition in neighboring lots. The adjoining buildings would support the main structure: administration and defense.
It was so complete, considering that so much about the future of the portal was in question. Nothing had been confirmed yet, as far as the ownership of the portal. Accord’s design, Tattletale’s construction, the government’s rules on quarantine. The government had sent people inside, and Tattletale had followed suit. It was technically her property, they had no evidence it was anything but the curiosity of an invested businessperson, and they hadn’t complained. - Excerpt from Imago 21.4 - ↑ 3.0 3.1 “Property,” I said. “I expect a great amount of property just changed hands.”
“Who’s Sierra Kiley?” Miss Militia asked.
It was all I could do to keep from smiling with joy. Of all the people to serve as a public face, Tattletale had found Sierra. Someone I owed, in many ways. Someone who’d, maybe, followed recent events and rethought her initial doubts.
“No idea,” I said, maintaining my poker face.
“I don’t understand,” my dad said.
“Quite simple,” Mr. Calle told him. “I believe the PRT has become aware that properties in a wide area around the portal in downtown Brockton Bay, previously under the control of various individuals and groups, just exchanged hands, finding itself in the hands of one singular individual.”
“And that one individual is in thrall to the villains who control this town,” Tagg said. - Excerpt from Cell 22.3 - ↑ 4.0 4.1 He could see the white building, not too far away, which was taller than even the skyscrapers immediately around it. He’d investigated it just a few days ago. They’d erected a tall white tent, holding it up with a crane, they’d reinforced it with plexiglass panels and iron reinforcement, and now a more solid construction was going up around it. Slow, painstaking, careful work, filled with redundancies. The workers would be glad to be free of the hazmat suits in this heat. - Excerpt from Interlude 20.x
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rachel mounted Bastard before we got to the portal. The efforts to erect a proper support beneath the portal had been set back by Scion’s strafing run, which left the portal hanging in the sky. Train tracks extended out from the portal in every direction, twisted and broken where collapsing ground had pulled other sections away.
There had been a tower erected around the portal, but it had collapsed into shambles as the ground dropped. Now they were using the pieces to form the general structure for a tower of ramps that would lead up to the portal. - Excerpt from Extinction 27.1 - ↑ Scourge 19.7
- ↑ It was a mingled blessing and curse. The portal, the door, as some were calling it, was taking some of the spotlight from us Undersiders. There was a great deal of national debate over whether the landowner or the government should get the rights to the property. I almost wished people could ignore it. Things threatened to get out of control if and when it was verified that this thing was usable. - Excerpt from Imago 21.4
- ↑ “Stop us, then,” the Doctor replied. “Or try, as it may be. That’s one Endbringer we should be able to drive away. As Weaver said, we may have to evacuate the planet if this doesn’t work. Faultline, your assistance would be invaluable on that front. You’ve already created nine, I believe?”
“Three of which were supposed to be secret,” Faultline replied.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll pay for several more, at major locations, and we’ll arrange your transportation.”
Faultline stared at the woman. “No, Doctor.”
[...]
She turned to Chevalier, “We’ll give you a discount. Escape routes in major cities across America. Leading to the world that the Brockton Bay portal goes to.” - Excerpt from Scarab 25.5
[]
| Earths | Earth Bet • Earth Cheit • Earth Gimel • Earth Nun • Earth Shin |
|---|---|
| Continents | Africa • Antarctica • Asia • Europe • North America • Oceania • South America • Gimel.US |
| Countries | Australia • Canada • Chinese Union-Imperial • India • Indonesia • Ireland • Japan • Russia • Switzerland • United Kingdom • United States of America |
| Cities | Anchorage • Atlanta • Austin • Baltimore • Boston • Brockton Bay • Cedar Point • Chicago • The City • Detroit • Ellisburg • Flint • Houston • Las Vegas • Los Angeles • Madison • Minneapolis • New York • Philadelphia • Phoenix • Raleigh • San Diego • San Francisco • San Jose • Seattle • Vancouver • Washington |
| Schools | Arcadia High • Clarendon High • Immaculata High • Winslow High |
| Other | Ruby Dreams • The Firmament • Quarantine Sites • The Well |