The Dimension Jumpers

by Adam Moon

  The approaching light was a reflection of the underside of a ship and when it was close they all knew they were in trouble because the Morians had found them again.

  Neil yelled to Kara, “Get us out of here now!” as he pulled his gun and rushed forward, aiming it at the ship.

  Kara wheezed, “I can’t. Help me.”

  Pam leapt on the mayors back and Jim let Samantha go so he could help his wife protect his daughter.

  Samantha ran towards the approaching ship and started yelling and waving her arms in the air. The ship slowed down and set beside her in the sand. A dog-faced Morian jumped out, looked her over, and then ushered her into his ship. Apparently she was not seen as the enemy because she had never attacked them. It was ironic considering she was the only murderer amongst them. That same moment, a dozen other dog men exited with rifles in hand and started to fire.

  The mayor fell over backwards under the weight of Pam and Jim and Kara was able to hit the button.

  Friend or Foe

  ✨

  IT WASN’T UNTIL they gathered their composure on the new world that they realized the mayor had been shot. She was dead. But in that awful moment, Neil felt clear-headed for the first time. The stragglers were gone now except for Beth who was going to help them get to a new world similar to what they were used to. The plan had jumped ahead by a few steps in the past minute.

  Jim looked at the mayor’s lifeless body and snarled, “Maybe it was all worth it if she was destined to be a human shield for my daughter.”

  No one else saw it that way. They saw the mayor’s corpse as a reminder that they were in constant danger no matter where they went.

  Sandy clenched her teeth and said, “Let’s find a new home, because I’m so sick and tired of this God damn jumping. Every time we jump it seems like someone dies. I lost my brother because of that damn device.”

  Neil waited for her to calm down before saying, “First we need to get Beth to her own Earth. Then we’ll figure out which planet to call home.”

  Beth said urgently, “I just thought of something. Once we get to my planet I can input new arrival coordinates to your home world into the device for you. But it takes time because we need to use drones to see how safe the new coordinates are. I’d hate to send you into the center of a mountain or have you jump into the stratosphere. You wouldn’t survive that.”

  Sandy rubbed her temple. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I can send you home, but to a different spot on your world where the Morians aren’t waiting for you. They won’t even know you came back. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before now.”

  Neither could Neil. Something was different about Beth. He noticed it when the mayor first tried to take the device from them.

  Sandy exclaimed, “Holy shit. You can do that? We should do it then. It’s better than trying to establish a life on a world that’s not our own.”

  “It can be done but it’ll take time. I’ll need to hand the device over to our technicians so they can tinker with it. I think it can be reconfigured in a few hours. But understand that when you hand it over, my people will want to keep it. If that’s a tradeoff you can live with then I can guarantee you will all get to go home.”

  It was the best news any of them had heard in a long time. They had a mission now and it made sense. But Neil was suddenly conflicted. He’d loved the initial idea of making a home for him and Kim on a new world. In that scenario he would be able to take Kim away with him without feeling any quilt about separating her from her mom because it was the only option. But now it seemed that Beth had found a way to get them home. What kind of life waited for him? Could he risk losing Kim to her drugged out mother? He knew he had a decision to make and it would be life altering.

  But he had reservations about the new plan, mostly because of Beth’s newfound eager attitude. The fact that she claimed to have just thought of the solution didn’t sit well with him either. It should have been her first suggestion to them. Her entire plan led to a single conclusion and that was that she would retain the device. The more he thought about it, the more his intellect aligned with his gut instinct. She was up to something.

  She seemed to covet the technology, as so many others did. Her disdain for it had evaporated the moment she thought the mayor would steal it from them.

  Neil faced her and said, “I’m not sure I can agree to your terms. The device is as much ours as it is yours and to be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to trust you with it, despite the fact that you’re offering to help us. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’m done jumping just yet.”

  Anger knotted her features. “Then you’re an idiot. The Morians will catch up to you and they will kill you. I sure hope you’ll at least allow your daughter to go home.” She was trying to emotionally manipulate him by suggesting that he was being selfish and recklessly endangering his own child. But he knew better than to get roped in.

  He looked down at Kim and said to her, “That’s up to you, honey.”

  Beth spat, “A child shouldn’t have to make life and death decisions.”

  Neil got uncomfortably close to Beth and whispered, “Why don’t you stay out of this?”

  Beth whispered back, “Because I think you’re lying. I don’t think you care for your daughter’s wellbeing. I think you just want to keep the jumper.”

  Neil looked her square in the eye. “Is it really so important to you? I thought you just wanted to go home but now it seems you have a different agenda. What is it? Why do your people lie?”

  Beth stared at her feet for a few seconds before answering him. Her eyes had a faraway quality to them when she looked back up. She said earnestly, “You have to understand what an achievement it was for us when we got our hands on that technology. To us, it seemed like magic, and in most ways it still does. We will never be able to replicate something that sophisticated by ourselves so I must return it.”

  Now Neil knew he was seeing the real Beth, and he didn’t like it. “Well then our agendas are at odds, aren’t they? What’ll happen to you when I leave with it?”

  Beth scowled at him. “I hoped you’d see reason.”

  “I’m sorry. Will you help us anyway?”

  She chewed her bottom lip. She looked at Neil and then Kim and then she looked up at the sky. “I could refuse, you know? But I want to go home. If you allow my technicians to take a look at the device they’ll be able to input alternate coordinates to your world. I promise you’ll get the device back when they’re done, if that’s what it takes to convince you to take me home. You can hold onto it the entire time they reconfigure it if you don’t trust me.”

  Jim said, “If there’s a chance we can get back home, we have to try.”

  Sandy and Pam agreed. Beth had renewed their hope. But Neil smelled a rat. Something was wrong about this new plan. He was sure that Beth’s ultimate goal was to take the jump device from them. She changed her story to suit their needs. She was manipulating them.

  Beth held her hand out to Kara and said, “If we arrive on my planet and one of you is holding the device, you’ll be killed immediately. I need to take us there.”

  Neil tried to stop Kara but he was too late.

  She handed the device over and Beth quickly scrolled through the screen, for the coordinates to her world. Then she dragged it into the drop-box and hit the button. It was at that moment that Neil was certain she would betray them.

  Treachery

  ✨

  THEY APPEARED INSIDE a cavernous white room that looked to be hermetically sealed and entirely sterile. A panel in the floor beneath them opened up revealing fans hidden beneath the grates. The fans started spinning rapidly and overhead UV lamps turned on. It was some sort of decontamination c
hamber.

  Neil locked eyes with Beth. Her gaze shifted and she started to back away from him. Right before she turned to run away, he lunged forward and knocked her to the ground.

  He heard Jim mumble, “What’s he doing?” but Neil knew exactly what he was doing. Beth wouldn’t allow them to leave with the device. At every turn, she’d told them what they wanted to hear and he had to make sure she didn’t succeed in her betrayal.

  Beth yelled out to the empty room, “Activate the turrets. These are other-worlders and they’re going to steal the jumper. My name is Beth Revis, ID number 312. Activate the defenses.”

  The room visibly shifted. Walls moved and contraptions appeared from out of nowhere.

  Neil pried at Beth’s fingers but she had a death grip on the device. She spat, “I’ll break it before I let you take it away from me.”

  Neil knew he was running out of time and options so he reeled back and punched her in the face. Her grip loosened as she cried out in pain.

  Neil yelled to everyone, “Get away from her before we jump.” He started to jog across the giant room, snatching Kim by the hand as he went. Everyone followed after him, away from Beth.

  Beth stood and started towards them, hissing, “We’ll find you and we’ll kill all of you. I know who you are and I know where you’ve been.”

  Kara chuckled, “No you don’t. You don’t have a clue where we’re from or where we’re going.”

  Beth’s features softened and she said in a pleading voice. “I can make this right if you let me. I can still take you home if you allow me to put in new coordinates. All I ask is that you let me take the device.”

  Pam said, “If we let you do that, you’ll trick us. If we tell you where our home is you can use that against us anytime you want. I’ll take my chances with the Morians. At least we know where they stand.”

  Neil didn’t bother inputting coordinates. He hit the button and the dimensional device randomly selected their next destination. As long as it was as far away from Beth and her lies, he would be happy.

  Beth’s face had contorted into a knot of pure rage and two immense wall mounted turrets were turning towards them when they vanished from the clean-room on her world.

  New Plan

  ✨

  KARA TOOK THE DEVICE from him and started to look for other coordinates that had already been successfully navigated. They knew that if Henry had visited a world during his travels then that world would be safe and close enough to their own that they could fit in for awhile.

  The world they had jumped to tasted poisonous anyway. The skies were yellow and brown and the moon was blackish brown on the horizon. It was Earth but it wasn’t Earth-like.

  She found one that they had yet to visit. An extra line of text next to the coordinates read simply, guns/dangerous. She perked up and said, “We’re going to a world that has guns. Since we don’t know how to alter the coordinates to drop us off far from where the Morians are waiting, I think we need them to defend ourselves if we still want to go home.” Then she told everyone to get ready to jump.

  Sandy and Pam smiled at the suggestion that they were still going to try and go home and Jim rocked back on his heels excitedly. Their mindset was already firmly established that going back was still an option, even though Neil knew it was idiotic and possibly suicidal.

  He felt like arguing that the plan was once again out of the question but Beth had given them so much false hope that she could get them home that they were now insistent on going back. In more ways than one, Beth had betrayed him.

  The vanished from the foul tasting Earth and rematerialized in a pleasant environment, with fresh air and a light breeze. As soon as they arrived and realized they were in no danger, Jim said, “Kara’s right. We need guns. If we still want to go home then we need to be ready for a fight. We know there’s an ambush waiting for us so we’d better be prepared.”

  Neil nodded in agreement. He now understood the will of the group and had quickly aligned his mission with theirs. If they wanted to go home he had to get them there if he wanted to then take the device to scout for a world for him and Kim. It wasn’t the best case scenario for him but it was now the only one. Of course, he had to talk to Kim to see if she would choose him over her mother since they now had more options than before. He hoped she’d stay with him, at least for awhile. Maybe it was a pipe dream but he latched onto it like a drowning man to a life preserver.

  Sandy asked him, “What should we look for?”

  “You’ll want to get your hands on flash-bangs to disrupt and confuse the Morians. Keep an eye out for automatic weapons to spray and pray with. They’re organized but I bet if we throw a little mayhem at them they’ll panic and break ranks, giving us an opening to run.”

  Kim stared sadly at her father as he prepared for battle. Jumping had changed him in subtle but significant ways. It had hardened a kind and gentle man. She hoped he’d revert back once they were out of danger. But for now, he was the man they needed to take charge.

  Sandy said, “But even if we survive and get away, won’t they look for us on our Earth?”

  “It’s a chance you’ll have to take.”

  “What do you mean by that? You’re coming too, right?”

  “I think I want to check out some other worlds with Kim so I need to get you all safely home before I take the device.”

  “I see. Well I’m pretty sure you can handle yourself but I hate the thought of needlessly putting Kim’s life in danger.”

  “I was thinking about that. Kim doesn’t have to come with us when I take you guys home. I can leave her on a safe world, jump with you, help get you to safety and then jump back for her.”

  Sandy’s face dropped half an inch. “Are you serious?”

  “It’s a lot safer than leading her into enemy fire.”

  “You’re right but she’s so young. Are you sure she can handle being left alone?”

  “You want to go home, but to do that sacrifices must be made. We’re all sacrificing our safety to get this done but I’ll be damned if I’ll put her in harms way again. Her sacrifice will be a few minutes of loneliness on a strange world. I think she can handle it.”

  “You should talk to her about it.”

  “I wanted to see how it sounded before speaking to her. It still sounds as insane as it did in my head but it’s the only choice I have if I want to find a better world for us.”

  Sandy smiled as sweetly as she could and said sincerely, “You know, our world isn’t that bad. I’m sure you have a good job and I know you have a great kid. You’ve got more going for you than most people do. I’m against taking a child from her mother but if she’s unfit, and she must be if you don’t want to return Kim to her, then you can do it legally and make a life for yourselves at home if you fight hard enough in court. You don’t have to drift across universes to find a haven.”

  “It’s not so simple.” That was an understatement.

  “Well you should think this through because it’s crazy that you want to continue jumping considering how dangerous it’s been for us.”

  “Let’s get armed first and then I’ll talk to Kim. Like I said, it’ll be her choice. If she wants to go home, I can make that happen too.” But he was counting on his daughter choosing him over her mother. He needed her to.

  Weapon Up

  ✨

  THE WORLD THEY FOUND themselves on was perfect for arming themselves since every man, woman, and child seemed to be packing heat. The locals wore their guns proudly. As they approached the more densely populated center of town, a crowd began to gather behind them. Eventually a handful of folks crept out in front of them from side streets.

  Kara reached inside her pocket for the device but Neil stopped her. �
�Not yet. We need weapons and they have an overabundance. We might not ever get to another world that meets our needs like this.”

  The crowd behind circled and married the crowd in front to form a tight, constricting circle around them. A woman pulled her sidearm and stepped forward, saying, “Remove your shirts, please.”

  “Why?”

  “Do it or we’ll kill you on the spot.”

  Neil and Jim were the first to go shirtless. The natives checked them over thoroughly and then beckoned for the rest to comply.

  Neil shielded Kim and no one stopped him. The women took their shirts off next and received the same inspection. Then the woman holstered her gun and smiled. “You can never be too careful, you know. Those damn blue-backs might come back any day. Where the hell are your weapons anyway?”

  Neil instantly understood what had just happened. The people were hyper-vigilant because Henry’s people had once visited them and probably tried to subdue their entire race. It was a theory but he was sure he was right. And now they sought out dimension jumpers.

  The woman continued, “You need to get weaponed up in a hurry. You know it’s against the law to shirk your civic duties. If the blue-backs come back and overwhelm us again, it’ll be partly because of pacifists like you guys.”

  Neil took the opportunity presented to him. “Help us get some guns then.”

  She guffawed. “Just go home and grab your own.”

  “We’re from out of town and we forgot to bring them.”

  “You idiots. I knew you looked like morons when I first saw you. Come with me and I’ll sort you out.”