The Traveling Killer and Jason Smith

by S Jay Starring

  There was no evidence left for them anymore. The area was cleaned and rearranged, the other two locations as well. Piper Mason was missing from the park while jogging in the early morning. No one saw the event because she went alone. But there was a witness, who saw the bright white light in the area where she disappeared. Then, in less than three days, Bella West missing while she was back home from the office. She was in a taxi at a stoplight in the middle of the night. The camera from inside of the taxi saw only a white light and blurry then she disappeared.

  Until today, there were no women bodies from other parallel universes for instead. But their corpses were dumped at B09. Then the kidnapping of them at B09 has started in the same way. The police at B09 were confused that their bodies appeared in different places. And they in B09 were still alive.

  Although the police got those corpses, but there were no victims because at B09 has no wormhole technology, so they didn't understand what was happen.

  “I want to go to the parallel universe with the last kidnapped,” Jason said.

  Kate frowned. “Really, but you ... aren't familiar with wormhole traveling,”

  “I know, but I want to see the scene that still has something left,” Jason said thoughtfully. The case in his universe was all in his head, but the case from other universes. He still has no chance to see with his own eyes.

  At B11, there might be some traces of the killer. Because it was the latest area of the case that two events completely happened, both dumping the dead bodies and the kidnapping. The point that he was particularly interested were the place of kidnapping and killing the victims.

  “Then I'll make an appointment for the police there,” Kate said.

  After that, they returned to Ted's lab. Jason had to practice using a wormhole simulation for his body to be used to traveling between universes. Although it didn't take long, but nausea was still severe as the same.

  “How could you bear this feeling...” Jason groaned completely exhausted on the same bench in the room after vomited. Fortunately, he didn't eat anything too much because it wasn't dinner time, yet. “How many days I have to vomit like this,” he said continued with upset.

  Kate smiled at him as a consolation. “I understand how you feel. I've been through it. And I can do it because I chose to do this job by myself and I think the results is worth it,”

  “It’ll be decrease,” said Todd. He dropped in and see Kate and Jason after work. He brought a bottle of orange juice for Kate and this time he was very careful not to let Jason grab it. But lastly, Kate gave it to Jason because she knew he needed it.

  “I think your body has started to adjust a little bit, Mr. Smith,” Ted said.

  Surprisingly, he seemed to be encouraging Jason, because in the morning he quite unfriendly.

  “About.... 0.02%,” Ted continued.

  Jason looked at his clean young face. Ted in his universe was more lively than this man and wasn’t a sarcastic person.

  “After resting, tomorrow you will recover and be able to more resist this kind of journey,” Kate said and escorted him to have dinner before back to his room. Kate ordered more clothes for him to use tomorrow, including personal stuff because he had to stay longer.

  “Tomorrow I’ll call you,” Said Kate after sent Jason at his room.

  Jason wasn’t sure, was he really want to do this job or not. The training made him feel tired and exhausted.

  “Ok,” he replied before closed the door and walked into the bedroom. He laid down on the bed immediately and enjoyed with a soft mattress that was the thing he wished all day.

  Tomorrow would be the first day he traveled with a real wormhole by purpose. It sounded both exciting and nervous, but tonight he didn't have much time to feel anything much. Because Jason slept almost immediately when his head reached the pillow.

  Chapter 9

  At 8 o'clock

  Jason heard the sound of the doorbell rang. He hurriedly tied and quickly opened the door. Of cause, it was Kate.

  “I bring you a suit jacket. I just pick it up this morning,” Kate said, handed him a completely black suit.

  Jason tried it on immediately and it fitted him like a tailored suit. “How could you know my size?” He asked.

  Kate smiled at him. “You are the same size as Jason. And here's the badge and your identity card,” She handed him.

  Jason remembered the silver metal badge that Kate had shown him when she was at the police station. There were abbreviations of the agency name and national flag. He just noticed that the flag had a bit different from his universe. The identity card was named Jason Smith B13 and the agent number was 573786.

  “Here is your sunglasses,” Kate put the sunglasses in his suit jacket. He could smell her perfume again. “Ready?” She asked with a smile.

  Jason smiled at her and nodded. “If you mean breakfast, Kate, I'm ready,” he joked because he knew what he had to face today.

  Kate led Jason to have breakfast at the cafeteria. It was a welfare restaurant for staff, cheap but not many kinds of food. There were full of agents in a black suit sitting and having breakfast there.

  Today, Jason was already in harmony with them. No one asked. No one looked at him or whispered like he was a hippopotamus in north-pole as yesterday.

  “This is delicious,” Jason said excitedly after tried a strange menu that his universe hasn’t existed. Crushed purple potatoes that were fried like fried rice and topped with fried emu egg and grasshopper sausage. Insect protein was popular here like other kind of meats which we were familiar with.

  “Don't eat too much, Jess,” Kate reminded before raised a cup of coffee to sip. She only consumed two grasshopper sausages and a fried egg. Never wonder she got a very good shape like a model.

  Jason knew well that why Kate reminded him of this. But it couldn't help because the food was really delicious.

  “Hey ... take it easy, Jason. You’ll regret it later,” Todd came along with a cup of coffee “Oh, today you look good,” He continued, he saw Jason was wearing a uniform like everyone else.

  “You know what, I feel like being in the movie Man In Black,” Jason said, wiping his mouth because the emu egg yolk was running down almost reached his chin.

  Kate and Todd looked at each other and frowned. “Men In Black?” Kate was curious.

  “Yes, I've told you. A man wearing a black suit controls the aliens that come to work or live on the human earth. They have high-tech weapons and wear sunglasses, too,” Jason answered.

  “Um...well, we only have Aliens in suit. The aliens in black suit and kept control humans didn’t let them do things illegal,” Todd said. “It was fun, but it’s felt like humans being oppressed. I hate aliens,” He shrugged.

  Aliens in suit? ....sounded like it's probably the same as Men In Black.

  “Kate said that you’re going to travel with a real wormhole today. That's very brave. Do you know I took 17 days for training then I could travel, seven days behind Kate because Kate has been traveled when she was a kid. Julia told me to push the limit, so I followed but I ended up in the hospital,” Todd said with crumple up.

  Kate giggled with Todd’s story. “I was very worried about him. He fainted for three days,”

  Fainted for three days?... Was that the end of Jason too?

  After listened to the terrifying experience of wormhole traveling from Todd, it was time to go to work. Todd quickly returned to Julia that was sitting nearby the exit door of the cafeteria. Then Kate and Jason went to Emma's lab.

  “This smartphone will help you to connect with us. I recorded all the important phone numbers, Kate number, my lab number even Prompt number, if you want to call him,” Emma handed a smartphone to Jason after both of them came in.

  Prompt’s number? Jason might delete it.

  “What about my old smartphone? Would it work here?” Jason asked and fumbled his phone from his pocket.

  “That could only be a paperweight, Mr. Smith,” Emma told him, shook her head
. She looked at Jason's brand-new smartphone with pity. “Then this is your gun. I tuned the frequency and it don't make anyone head out,” She handed Jason a short pistol in the gun holster.

  She said tuned the frequency? “Mean it doesn't need to use bullet? And can I use my gun?” Jason asked.

  Emma shook her head. “If you use that oldie here, then you may be jailed, Mr. Smith. WHOLE have quit using old-style bullet for almost fifty years because it only takes a life,”

  “The pistol here uses sonic wave. Doesn’t cause bleeding or mortal wound, but causes internal damage. You will be hurt and can't move if the wave hits on your stomach. But if being hit at the head, it may cause unconsciousness. Unless you adjust the wave to the fullest, then surely the internal organs are sloppy,” Kate explained more.

  She took her gun and gave him a look and taught how to use it. Jason reminded the electric baton of the sky train driver in his universe. Sonic wave has only been used in his universe for a few years. Most people weren’t familiar and some people might not even know.

  “The sonic gun has an effective range of about 60-80 meters. Then it will dissipate,”

  Wow, the effective range was greater than Jason's old style pistol.

  “Okay, are you ready? Let stand at the platform,” Emma asked.

  “Looks like you are in a hurry,” Jason complained because he felt like being rushed.

  “I don't want to rush you, but this morning there’re a lots of traveling queues, Helen and Eva, Tom and Matthew, Lily and Nora and other partners. Today, the morning would be busy because as you know, today is Friday,” Emma said, waved her hand to chase them to the circle platform under a giant light bulb.

  Kate and Jason wore their sunglasses. Kate held Jason's arm tightly in case he needed help in the wormhole because this trip was longer than his last trip.

  “Take a deep breath. Jess,” she said. And that's the last thing Jason heard while in the parallel universe B07.

  The bright white light was so blurry, but this time Jason was wearing sunglasses. He felt uncomfortable and hard to control his body, but he still could do it. Because Kate was holding him, and the training with a simulation wormhole made him calm. Unlike the first time he accidentally came in wormhole traveling.

  But this time was much longer than when he trained with a simulation wormhole. He became dizzy and nauseous. Was it okay to vomit in the wormhole? And if he was faint, would Kate be able to take him further?

  “A little more, Jess,” Kate’s voice was ringing gently and further, though she was close to him until he could smell her perfume.

  Jason looked at the wall of the wormhole, they were surrounded with people, buildings, mountains, trees that they were moving through. The things looked blur like being inside an aquarium and looked outside. Was the fish feel like this when looking at us who was feeding them?

  And finally, the journey ended when Jason felt that his feet touched the hard ground. The atmosphere around him gradually softened. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The air outside was better than in the wormhole, even there was a little bit of stinky smell, but still better than in the wormhole.

  And like every time he used the wormhole.... Jason picked up the sick bag and then filled it up. Felt regret for breakfast as Todd had warned.

  Kate gently rubbed his back. “You done well, Jess. This is the new record you can endure 1.25 minutes,” She said encouraged and handed him paper napkins to wipe his mouth.

  Jason threw the sick bag in the trash can nearby. Then he realized, they were standing in a public toilet for ages or disabilities people... a bit private because no one saw them arrived.

  Jason looked at the ground. The dust around them spread out in a thin circle about one meter in size. On the top of the wall, there was a window for ventilation with small cracks at the corners.

  “Let's go,” said Jason. He opened the toilet door and found an old woman coming inside. She was shocked to see both of them came out together. Jason and Kate quickly jumped out. He heard the voice of that old woman. ‘Did you messed the place? Very disgusting young couple nowadays.’

  Kate led Jason to the police station only one block far from the public toilet.

  “I made an appointment with the police who take care of this case. He kept the evidence quite good, even confused with the case but he tried to gather evidence as much as possible. Because he thinks it may be a supernatural thing. The first time I met him, I had told him I’m from The Agency of Civil for Peacefulness and Security of the world,” Said Kate.

  “Has he doubted anything?” Jason asked, and Kate shook her head and smiled proudly. “That guy is stupid, right?” he continued.

  Kate glared at him displeased before walked in the elevator. Houses and buildings here weren’t tall, unlike Kate’s universe. It looked a lot more old and shabby, mixed between Gothic and Roman architecture and without a non-driver car.

  “Good morning Mr. Lewis,” Kate said after saw the face of a middle-aged policeman at Homicide. He was a paunchy short man and head bald in the middle.

  “Oh ... Miss. Isaac, welcome, welcome. I‘ve been looking forward to see you this morning. Come in, please,” He said enthusiastically and quickly came to shake hands with her.

  Kate introduced Lewis to Jason and asked to see the scene. “We still closed some areas. Actually ... no one wants to use it. Who dare? There were women's bodies found. The strange thing was those women came to meet me to inform that they are still alive,” Lewis said and wiped the sweat on the face excitedly.

  “Can we go there? The place that still close,” Jason said, and Lewis was glad to take them there.

  They got in Lewis's black-white police car. Lewis was the driver himself, and that caused Jason and Kate to feel uncomfortable. They were rarely traveling by car that was human drive and it more horrifying when Lewis was a human being who drove very badly. Because he often craned to talk to Kate who was sitting on the back seat even though the road curved.

  Although Jason has been driven some cars during his teenage years, he swore that the rashness of driving a car at that time of him was incomparable to Lewis this day.

  The black-white police car was heading down the road through low-rise buildings. Many places even looked old but they were strong and classic. Jason thought this city was more suitable for Batman's work.

  They passed through a desolate area and looked like for dumping garbage before went passed the slum near the harbor. They saw the abandoned lighthouse has closed. Lewis parked in the front and rushed out to open the door for Kate who was sitting on the back seat.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lewis. You are a very sweet gentleman,” Kate said, gave Lewis a big smile and he blushed until his bald head was ruddy.

  Lewis quickly walked to guide Kate and Jason to the lighthouse. He pulled the tape on the door out and took stairs to go up to the top floor.

  “This place is where we found her body, Bella West 25 years old. I'm not sure, what did she do, but another Bella West who talked to me as a gardener,” Lewis said while pointing at the area where the body had been lying down.

  “I still remember that we announced to find her family because we checked the corpse’s fingerprints and it belonged to her. And then she came to me in person, I guarantee that she was real,” Said Lewis excitedly.

  “Until now, I’m still confused about the things that happened. Recently, they, I mean they who still alive disappeared without a trace. Can you explain to me what is really happen? Is it supernatural? I have been researching these things for a while, but I don't see anything close to what has happened here,” Lewis said enthusiastically.

  Kate smiled at him. “I can't tell you, Mr. Lewis. We are still investigating and it's top-secret. Could you please, don’t tell anyone, I’m afraid this could make others in panic,” She replied, avoided to explain the details. “Well, ... May Mr. Smith and I see the scene alone?”

  Lewis wiped the sweat on his forehead and disappointed, then went down to wai
t outside the lighthouse.

  Jason looked at the sea outside. The calm wave with a gentle wind was suitable for sleeping in a hammock. The hotel nearby was a luxury one. There were both bungalows and rooms in an ancient building. It was on the beach on the other side of the lighthouse.

  “I knew why Lewis never doubt about our crazy agency,” Jason whispered to Kate. “You flirt him,” he continued.

  “Flirt? ... I'm just ... charm him, Jess,” Kate said winked at him.

  “Oh ... yes ... charm him ...” Jason said drawlingly. He remembered Lewis's manner of trying to talk to Kate about anything even while driving. Stammered and sweated.

  “Jealous?” Kate joked.

  “Oh ... Kate, mate monkey would be better,” Jason said. Since he has known Kate, he had to face strange things and had to suffer from nausea and vomiting for many days.

  “Jess... You are rude ....” Kate glared at him unpleasantly.

  “You know, in my universe, he’s a postman?” Jason changed the subject because he saw the frustrated eyes of Kate.

  Kate frowned doubtfully. “Postman? What’s it?” She asked.

  Jason looked at her face unbelievably. Her universe didn’t have a postman? “Well ... postman is a person who delivers parcels or letters to our houses,”

  “He has to go to every house?”

  Jason nodded. “Yes ... but they have many staff. They will divide the area, sometimes they are chased by a dog,”

  Kate nodded tried to understand “Poor postman. In our building, we send parcels and letters with the compressed air system to our room. As for the large pieces, there will be a robot sent to the front door. We call this system a delivery pipe,” That sounded high-tech and more convenient than his universe.

  “How far from this place and the area that another Bella West missing?” Jason asked, changed the subject again.

  “Bella West had disappeared when she was using the library on the other side of this lighthouse. The security camera saw her in there and never come out again. She probably didn't jump the window for sure. Because the library is on the 4th floor,” Kate said.