Miracles Inc:
The Weird Happenings Organization (W.H.O.) has numerous secret facilities scattered around the U.K.
This is one of them.

Four people were gathered around a a computer screen. Two were dressed like an 80’s pop band, one wore a blue body suit with red boots, belt and gloves the fourth wore a sensible blouse and skirt.
The sensibly dressed woman clicked a mouse and the image on the screen changed.
“That’s it,” one of eighties styled men said. He had a receding hair line, a high forehead, prematurely white hair and a constant scowl on his face. He was Michael, one of W.H.O.’s top operatives and liaison to the loosely knit hero team, Miracles Inc.
“What is it?” The man in blue asked. He was Miracle man, one of England’s premiere super heroes.
“Dimensional rift,” Gabriel, the other part of the eighties duo, replied. Taller than Michael, he sported a full head of spiky brown hair and a friendly smile. “It was spotted during the barrier mapping project. That’s where the aliens are coming from.”
“A hole in the barrier?” Miracle man breathed.
“No sir,” the sensibly dressed woman said. “Not a hole in the barrier.”
“It’s not a hole?” Miracle man asked. “Am I missing something?”
“The rift is inside the barrier,” Michael explained. “ It’s just close enough to the barrier to look like a hole.”
“The science team believes it is leeching energy off of the barrier,” Gabriel added. “Might be why it was put there, in the first place.”
“Put there?” Miracle man said. “ So, there is somebody controlling it.”
“Put there, yes.” Michael said, “Spectrographic scans show it was artificially induced. Controlled is still a guess.”
“Okay, do we know who put it there?”Miracle man asked, stepping back from the computer screen and leaning on the edge of a nearby desk.
“No,” Michael replied. “but, we now know how and have a rough idea of where.”
“That’s the good news,” Gabriel said, earning a glare from Michael.
“And the bad news...?” Miracle man asked, hesitantly. He had a vague, uneasy feeling where this conversation was going.
“We’re sending a team through the rift,” Michael explained. “ Trace it to its source.”
“A sturdy team,” Gabriel prompted. “made up of durable volunteers...”
“I get the hint.” Miracle man said. “When do we leave?”
“We need to do some work on our equipment,” Michael said. “We’d be ready to move within fourteen hours. Few more details...”
“You want me to recruit the rest of the Miracles, don’t you?”
“Subtlety isn’t lost on you,” Gabriel said.

The next day, a W.H.O. hover platform floated several hundred feet above the ground and several feet away from the Great Barrier. Within it’s swirling colors was a large blotch of dark blue. The rift that was the source of the alien landings.
Miracle man, Big Ben, Nigel Smalls and three W.H. O. soldiers stood on the platform, peering at the rift. The soldiers were in full environmental suits, backpacks and helmets. All three carriered stubby energy rifles. Miracle man and Big Ben simply wore their costumes. Though both had added bulky belts containing communicators and emergency air packs. Nigel pulled his coat tightly around him, his dreadlocks flapping in the wind.
“Everybody set?” A voice asked from the platform’s central control podium.
“I think so,” Miracle man replied.
“All set,” One of the soldiers added, flicking the power stub on his weapon.
“Good. Then on your way. We’ll keep the platform here as long as we can.”
Everyone nodded then stepped to the opening in the platform’s railing.
“I’ll go first,” Miracle man said, stepping off the platform and into the rift.

Reality lurched about like a drunken rugby fan for several seconds. Miracle man stumbled and found himself in a large empty room. It was made of a dull gray metal. On the floor was a circular area, made of a silvery metal and raised up several inches higher than the floor.
He stood in the circle, looking around the room, when there was a flash of white light and Big Ben staggered into him.
“Blimey! That first step’s a doozy.”
“Yeah, I think we need to step out of this circle. Seems to be the door way,” Miracle man said.
A couple minutes later Nigel and the soldiers came stumbling through. The W.H.O. soldiers scouted the room and started taking sensor readings. Nigel leaned forward with his hands on his knees and tried not to throw up.
“We’ve got doors on either side of the chamber,” one of the soldiers said. “Very basic opening mechanism.”
“Are we going to do that bit where we split up and have a gander about the place?” Ben asked, casually twirling his umbrella.
“We could cover more territory that way,” the soldier added. “Since we have no idea how big this place is.”
It was then that Miracle man noticed everyone seemed to be looking at him, expectantly. Either he had a natural air of authority or he’d missed the vote that had apparently gotten him elected leader.
“Uh... that sounds fine. You’ve probably had more experience with this kind of thing, than I have... um...?”
“Glenn, sir,” The soldier replied. “ Captain Glenn. Three parties of two might work.”
“It’s like the beginning of a monster movie, ain’t it?” Nigel muttered
“True,” Miracle man said. “but, I think we stand a better chance against the monster than those girls running around in their knickers. Since I’m pretty much indestructible and can move a bit faster than you fellows, I’ll go off on my own. We might want to leave a rear guard here, just in case.”
“I soulda brought a book,” Nigel said.
“I’ll play guard, if Nigel thinks he’ll be bored,” Ben volunteered.
“What? I was just...! “
“That’ll work. “ Glenn nodded. “ Leach, you and Anderson stay here. I’ll go with Mister Smalls.”
“No heroics,” Miracle man said. “and we’ll meet back here and compare notes in, say two hours.”
Everyone nodded and set out. Nigel grumbling as he walked.
“So,” Big Ben said to the W.H.O. soldiers. “What do you want to chat about?”

Miracle man flew down the corridor. It was as bland and utilitarian as the room he’d just left.
“I’m guessing this wasn’t designed to be a vacation spot,” he muttered, stopping at a panel of buttons set into the wall. He tapped a couple and a tiny screen lit up, displaying a string of incomprehinsle symbols.
“Well, that helped.” he shrugged and flew off.
At a fork in the corridor, the left side was all lined with doors. Each door was made of the same gray metal as the walls and normal sized for a human to pass through. Each had a small panel besides it, with three palm sized plastic circles set in them. The top two were a pale yellow, the bottom one green.
Miracle man tapped at the buttons, but nothing happened.
“Can’t be the power’s out,” he said. “The lights and the rift... device... thingee work. Maybe there’s a security code or something. Have to do this the old fashion way, I guess.”
He dug his fingers into the seam of the door and pulled. Just as his arms were starting to tremble with the effort, the door gave and started to slide open. He adjusted his grip and pushed it far enough to step into the room.
It was dimly lit, so the size was hard to judge. Though, his footsteps had an echoing quality that implied great size.
“Um... hello...?”
Miracle man felt around on the wall by the door, hoping to come across the alien equivilate of a light switch. No luck.
“Figures I’d pick a storage cupboard or something,” he muttered, walking around. There was enough light to make out shapes, but they remained vague and shadowy until seen close up. There were several odd shaped containers and in the far corner a large form that seemed to be the main furnishing of the room. It looked lumpy and Miracle man had trouble figuring out what it was.
Until it moved.
“Why me?” Miracle man muttered.
The alien was human looking, except for the fact that it stood twenty feet tall and appeared to have two small, horn like projections on it s forehead. It wore a loincloth that must have started out as a bed sheet, and it didn’t look at all happy to have company.
“Um... I come in peace...?” Miracle man said, hopefully.
The giant growled in reply.
“I’m guessing you’re not in charge. Do have any idea who is running this... ship...?”
A fist, the size of a microwave oven, struck him full in the face and sent the hero flying across the room. The wall rung like a gong when Miracle man hit it. He then got to his feet as the giant strode towards him. Its fist were raised and it was saying something in a guttural voice.
“ I have no idea what you’re saying,” Miracle man shouted, hoping to get through to the alien and avoid any more fighting ( or to be more honest, avoid any more getting treated like a punching bag.). “All these years of Star Trek reruns, you really start believing all aliens speak english.”
The alien brought both fists down and was mildly surprised when the puny creature in the blue body suit, stopped the blows by grabbing his wrists.
He raised one massive eyebrow and grunted a question.
“Can we do this without beating on each other?” Miracle man muttered, struggling to push the alien back.
Suddenly a large kneecap smashed into his abdomen, and as Miracle man staggered, gasping for breath, another giant fist caught him across the jaw. He spun and fell to his knees. The giant stood over him, flexing his hands.
“I have had quite enough of getting beaten on by aliens,” Miracle man muttered, getting to his feet. “Let’s get this over with.”

Elsewhere...
“Man, I do not like this...!” Nigel muttered, as he walked.
“Join the club,” Glenn said, peering around. “Look!”
The two approached a large, oval shaped window and looked out into chaos.
The view outside was a swirl of color and crackling energy clouds.
“It’s like looking at a lightening storm through a lava lamp,” Nigel muttered. “I don’t see any planets or anything... where the smeg are we...?”
“A hyper space pocket connected to your dimension by a plasma conduit,” A voice behind them replied.
“What the...?!” Glenn spun, hitting the safety off his gun. “Who...?”
“Warpsmith...?!” Nigel exclaimed. “Hold off, trooper, he’s a mate... sort of... where you been? and what happened to you?”
“It’s a long story,” The pale, thin alien said, with a vague shrug. “ Out and about, cosmically speaking. Then I came... home.”
“Why are you dressed like a gold pro?” Glenn asked, lower his gun.
Gone was the Warpsmith’s red and gold, vaguely Japanese looking body armor. Replaced by a green polo shirt, tan chinos and sneakers. His long white hair was done up in a pony tail. Thin traces of derma-circuitry still glistened beneath his chalk white skin, like golden veins.
“I thought, since I would be staying on earth I should aquire garments that would let me blend in.”
“That ain’t them, ‘Smith,” Nigel said, shaking his head. “Nice try though.”
“Anybody planning explaining this to me?” Glenn asked.
“I left Earth, seeking my home world,” The Warpsmith explained. “I wished answers concerning my place in this reshaped universe.”
“Any luck?” Nigel asked.
“I found answers of a sort,” the alien replied. “ Answers that lead me to think my place was here, on earth, with you, Nigel and the other Miracles. Attempting to warp through the barrier, I ended up here....”
“And this place has a Duty Free and you bought the clothes...?” Nigel asked.
“No. I warped out from this station, arrived at the dwelling we shared. My clothes were damaged in my travels. I found these in some boxes in my room.”
“Must belong to Braddock,” Nigel said. “Never catch me in that country club garb”*
(The Miracles current HQ is a London apartment owned by the Braddock Family- Trav)
“Not that I couldn’t listen to you two talk clothes all day,” Glenn interrupted. “But did you say this is a station?”
“Yes.”
“Where are we? I mean, where is the station located?”
“It is anchored in a pocket dimension. A nexus point, containing several overlapping dimensions and hyper space passages.”
“You’re going Star Trek on me,” Nigel said, scratching his head.
“He’s saying that this place is set in the space between dimensions,” Glenn explained. “ If it was already connected to our dimension, that would explain how the aliens were able to get past the barrier. The ‘tunnel’ or whatever was already in place.”
“ So, what is this place, anyway?” Nigel asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Warpsmith replied. “Let me show you something I was investigating when I heard your voices.”
The trio walked around a corner to a large oval panel, set into the wall. It looked to Nigel like a piece of black glass, with christmas lights set into it.
“Hmm, funky looking,” Nigel muttered, reaching out a finger to touch one of the tiny lights. “Christ!”
The tiny light gave a brief, bright flash and a sound, like a walrus trying to speak French after inhaling helium, came from the wall.
Glenn quickly brought up his gun and anxiously scanned the corridor.
“What the hell did you do?!” He snapped at Nigel. “Bad as a kid.”
“I didn’t... uh... but...! sorry, it just...”
“Well, if the pretty lights bring a squad of deathbots down on us,” Glenn growled. “I will help them kick your arse.”
“Unlax, both of you,” Warpsmith advised, raising a thin, pale hand. “ While the symbols are unfamiliar to me, I believe this device is a form of map. Enabling personnel of this facility to find their way around.”
“Like those big ‘you are here ‘ things, that you see at the mall?” Nigel asked. “Makes sense.”
“What kind of ‘facility’ is this place, though?” Glenn asked. “All we’ve seen come out of it are killer aliens. Is it some kind of jail?”
“Most likely,” Warpsmith nodded. “Or a kind of rehabilitation center. There are a great many races that consider mere imprisonment a pointless method of dealing with the antisocial elements of their society. In fact...”
“Can we have the intergalactic civics lesson after we get home?” Nigel asked.
Glenn nodded in agreement.
“The important thing is what is this place and why they are suddenly dumping aliens in the U.K.” The solider paused, looked at the screen, then back at his companions. “Oh, bugger, I think I’ve got it!”
“What?!” Nigel asked. “I can’t make any sense of this.”
“They send the aliens into the U.K. because it’s a jail too.”
“The barrier...?” Nigel muttered, wide eyed. “They’re dumping these guys on us to deal with over crowding...?”
“Mostly likely,” Warpsmith nodded. “Looking at the Barrier, they may just have assumed it is a type of prison...”
“And we wouldn’t notice a few more convicts,” Glenn muttered. “Damnit, this is gonna be tricky.”
“Not to add to your trouble’s,” Warpsmith said. “but, it’s my observation that this station is running on automated computerized systems. So, negotiating a solution to this problem might be difficult.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Glenn muttered. “This gets better by the minute.”
“Hey, I just had a bad thought,” Nigel muttered, glancing around, nervously. “If this place is being run by a computer, wouldn’t they figure out that we don’t belong here, especially, since we tried to use the map thingee...?”
Glenn looked at Nigel, his eyes going wide and then he started to peer anxiously down the corridor.
“God damn!” he muttered, bringing his gun up. “Can’t believe I’m acting like a smegging newbie on this one...!”
“Calm yourself,” Warpsmith said, quietly. “ I can scout about the area and find the best route for us to travel. Wait a moment...”
The Warpsmith then ‘blipped’ out of sight.
‘We gonna wait while he checks out the whole place?” Glenn asked.
“Trust me. He’s a bit of a space cadet,” Nigel shrugged. “but Warpsmiths are the fastest things in the universe.”
“Uh... Nigel...?” Glenn muttered, glancing over Nigel’s shoulder, as he raised his rifle.
“There’s something really bad, right behind me, isn’t there?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Shitte. Okay, don’t move.” Nigel advised, keeping his back to what really bad thing was approaching. A ball of flame began to form in his right hand.

Elsewhere on the station, Big Ben was growing bored. The two W.H.O. soldiers weren’t terribly talkative. They just stood around, looking anxious and flinching at any sudden noises.
Ben had strolled about the room, casually twirling his umbrella. So far no hidden doors, control panels or easily translated alien writings that explained where they were. He’d reached the point where he’d have been grateful for a cup of tea. None of the W.H.O. troopers equipment seemed to contain a thermos.
“Now, if I was hoping for a quiet time, alien bullies would be just leaping out every five minutes,” Ben muttered.
“Sorry, what?” Anderson asked.
“Just thinking out loud,” Ben replied. “ I’m almost getting hopeful that we’ll get attacked, just to break up the tedium.”
“Not me,” Leach said, from where he slouched against a wall. “I’ve had more than enough weird shit thrown at me. More than happy to be bored till my tour of duty is done.”
“This place is weird,” Anderson muttered. “All those aliens landing on Earth, yet we haven’t seen anybody. You ask me it’s all ...”
“You say ‘ too quiet’ and I’m gonna thump you.” Leach interrupted. “Be patient. So enough, there’ll be an alien beastly or killer cyborg...”
“Or a large glowing ball that seems to be forming into a humanoid shape...?” Anderson asked, an anxious tone creeping into his voice. “Look!”
“Oh hell!” Leach exclaimed.
Big Ben took up a defensive stance, while the two soldiers raised their weapons.
The ball of light was roughly ten feet tall and as wide. It hung in the air for several moments, then began to shift and change. It formed into a face. A humanoid face with a mustache, a stern frown and blazing eyes.
“Intruders?” The face said, in a voice like the roar of the ocean. “What are insects doing, wandering around my installation?!”
“Oh dear...!” Big Ben murmured, tightening his grip on his umbrella.
The ball of energy began to collapse in upon itself, glowing brighter as it shifted from a ball to a human shape. There was a blinding flash and when Ben and the two soldier finished blinking, they saw that the ball was gone, replaced by a man.
He towered over the earth men. His features were stern, his eyes piercing black and his hair and mustache were snow white. He wore a red body suit, that left his legs and arms bare. Gauntlets of red encircled his wrists, a wide green belt his waist and he wore green boots and a floor length cape.
“Why have you mortals chosen to invade the domain of the Stranger?”

To be continued...