Doomsday Hunter

by Eric Vall

  “Why, thank you.” Natalie blushed. “I guess years of running from Rubberfaces put me at peak physical condition.”

  “You’re beyond peak.” The brunette nodded as she turned to the blonde woman. “That’s what’s so strange… The humans of Dimension Nine-Fifty-One are supposed to be just like the ones here, but I suppose there could be residual effects from the nuclear blast we haven’t discovered yet. Either way, keep up the good work. Oh, and I love your tattoo, by the way. It’s like you were meant to be here.”

  “Tattoo?” Natalie questioned as her brow furrowed. “I don’t have any tattoos. I wasn’t old enough for any of the Scavenger tattoos… ”

  “Uhhh, on your arm here?” Karla questioned as she pointed to Natalie’s shoulder.

  The Scavenger turned her torso so she could inspect her arm and, sure enough, there was a small number one tattooed on her shoulder. It was a fairly simple design, similar to something you’d see in a sci-fi movie, with its curved top and minimalistic edges.

  “What the fuck?” Natalie demanded. “That wasn’t there before. You didn’t put it there, did you?”

  “Of course not.” Karla shook her head and frowned. “I will need to ask my father about this. Tattoos suddenly appearing on Wayfarers when they dimension hop? That is certainly a new phenomenon. But first, we need to finish the exam.”

  Karla came back over to me, lifted up my shirt, and gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” I demanded. “Is my body all bruised up? I took a bunch of hits during this mission.”

  “Not at all.” Karla tried to keep her cool, but I noticed a small blush was now on her cheeks. “It’s just your muscles are much more defined than they were the last time I saw you.”

  The brunette placed the cold bell of the stethoscope against my chest, and then she walked over to the screen, clicked on my vitals and stared at it again.

  Then she looked at me with her mouth open and her eyes wide.

  “Uh… Did I get mutated by the virus or something while I was there?” I chuckled. “You’re looking at me like I have three eyes.”

  “How many push-ups can you do?” Karla asked as her green eyes narrowed.

  “Push-ups?” I laughed. “I haven’t done any of those since high school.”

  “Guess,” she huffed.

  “I dunno,” I said, “maybe twenty?”

  Karla pointed to a clear space on the floor. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

  It was a strange suggestion, for sure, but I supposed there was a reason behind it.

  I slid off the exam bed, waltzed over to the space on the floor, and then got down on my hands and knees. As I stretched out and placed my palms on the cold concrete, I looked back over at the two women behind me.

  “This is going to be embarrassing,” I warned, “I’m probably not going to get past ten.”

  I did a quick push-up and then held myself in the plank position.

  Much to my surprise, it felt completely effortless. My arms weren’t trembling or burning whatsoever, and I didn’t feel winded at all.

  “Huh,” I said.

  “Keep going,” Karla requested.

  I moved down and did five more in rapid succession. Still nothing.

  As I continued to test my physical limits, those six push-ups became twenty, and then fifty, and then finally one hundred. Once I reached the magic number, I popped up back to my feet, turned around, and marveled at the women in disbelief.

  I wasn’t even breathing heavy and my arms felt just as fresh as before I did the push ups.

  “Just as I suspected.” Karla smiled. “Somehow, your physical capabilities have increased. Another question for my father--”

  “Karla?” Dr. Nash’s voice came over the speaker in the room, and Natalie twisted her head around as her eyes opened wide.

  “Yes?” Karla replied.

  “Bring them both back in the lab, and leave the monitors on their arms. You are right, there is something strange going on, but I have a hypothesis.”

  The three of us walked back out into the main room, and the AI gestured for Natalie and I to sit in two chairs.

  “My systems can run all sorts of algorithms to predict the future,” he began, “but it lacks any sort of function that can analyze unknown events in the past. I do have a few hypotheses, though… I believe it’s all tied to the fact Natalie and Hunter are connected and they have consummated their relationship.”

  “You think we’re stronger now because we banged?” I chuckled.

  “Perhaps, yes,” the mustached face on the screen mused. “The DNA of the Wayfarers are already interconnected, based on the double arrow theory. If you have created an offspring, then that would mean your genes will be even further interconnected. That could possibly be why you have both seen improvements in regards to your physical abilities.”

  “And what about the tattoo?” Natalie questioned. “Are we going to have a new one every time we jump through time?”

  “Doubtful,” Dr. Nash admitted. “You have a number one for a reason, my dear. My theory is it either stands for the fact you are Hunter’s first Wayfarer companion, or that it is symbolic of your new bond to him.”

  “Bond?” both Natalie and Karla asked in unison.

  “It’s just a theory,” the AI doctor said as he nodded his head. “It could be the pregnancy--”

  “Wait.” Natalie raised her hand. “Hunter and I only had sex yesterday, how are--”

  “We are confident you carry his child,” Dr. Nash continued, and then Natalie turned to give me a wide-eyed look of surprise.

  “What if it’s just them coming back with each other?” Karla asked her AI father. “And what do you mean by ‘bond?’”

  “Look at this,” Dr. Nash said, and then the screen flickered over to show two heart rates and a pair of lungs. “This is their heart rates and lungs.”

  “Okay… ” Karla trailed off as she stared.

  “Notice anything?” he asked.

  The three of us stared at the display for half a minute, but then I suddenly saw something so obvious, I was kind of mad I didn’t notice it at first.

  “Our hearts are beating at the same time,” I said.

  “Correct,” the AI laughed. “It’s very interesting. Their lungs also seem to be inhaling and exhaling in sync.”

  “Uhhh, so what are you saying?” I asked as I glanced at Natalie.

  “Let us try something,” Dr. Nash continued. “Natalie, my dear. Can you hold your breath for a bit? Try not to breathe until I tell you to. I want to see what happens to Hunter.”

  “Sure.” Natalie nodded, and then she clamped her mouth closed and stared at me.

  The three of us turned back to the vitals on the monitor and watched as Natalie’s heart rate began to increase because of the lack of air. Our lungs and hearts weren’t in sync anymore, and after a few minutes passed, or so it seemed, Dr. Nash nodded at the blonde warrior woman.

  “Well, that was fun,” Natalie huffed after she took a deep breath.

  “Watch the monitor,” Dr. Nash said, and we turned our attention back.

  And Natalie’s heart was exactly in pace with mine again.

  “What does that mean?” Karla gasped.

  “I’ll tell you my thoughts in a minute,” the AI continued. “Hunter, can you hold your breath?”

  “Sure,” I said, and then I held my breath as we turned toward the screen.

  My heart rate slowly began to pick up, but then I noticed Natalie’s did, too.

  “I’m… I… feel really uncomfortable,” the blonde started to wheeze. “I just can’t seem to get any air… or… something is pressing on my chest.”

  “You are still getting air,” Dr. Nash said. “Can you continue to keep breathing? I know you feel as if you are running out of air, but it’s just because your body is tuned to Hunter.

  “Yes,” Natalie gasped. “I can keep… going.”

  Another minute, or two, or maybe even three passed, but I was only feel
ing a mild discomfort. Natalie’s face was red, though, so I finally looked at Dr. Nash and then pointed at my mate.

  “You can breathe, Hunter,” Dr. Nash said, and both Natalie and I inhaled.

  “I can breathe again,” Natalie whispered as she stared at me. “What happened? This is so weird.”

  “Okay,” Karla said as she faced her virtual father. “Now, I’m even more confused.”

  “It’s the bond,” the AI began. “Natalie is bonded to Hunter. My hypothesis is he gained strength and evolutionary power when he either impregnated her, or brought her back, or both, and because she is bonded to him, she is getting some of that strength and vitality.”

  “Wait… huh?” I asked. “Like a vampire or something?”

  “No,” Dr. Nash chuckled. “But consider she held her breath for four minutes, and you held your breath for about eight. That’s nearly impossible for someone who isn’t trained. You both are benefiting from the bond and your dimensional power.”

  “So… like I’m Hulking up?” I asked as I looked down at my arms.

  They still looked pretty much like they did a few days ago. I could maybe imagine a bit more muscle on them, but nothing substantial.

  “It’s more like… synergy,” the doctor continued. “It’s amazing actually, and this could change the potential and capabilities of our entire venture. It seems… well… this is just my hypothesis… but it seems you will get stronger if you impregnate another wayfarer and bring her back.”

  “Well, like any good hypothesis, it’ll need to be tested,” Karla said. “Like you said, Father. It could be that he brings them back, or impregnates them, or both. And the only way I know to test it is by sending Hunter to another timeline and having him impregnate another Wayfarer to see if we can duplicate the results.”

  “So… You’re suggesting I go to another timeline, save the world, get hailed as a hero, and sleep with more beautiful women?” I couldn’t believe my ears and my heart beat like a drum in my chest at the thought.

  “Don’t forget we’re paying you, too,” Dr. Nash reminded me. “Quarter of a million dollars.”

  “Speaking of which, the rest of your money will be in your account shortly,” Karla explained. “This was only the first of many timelines that need to be fixed, so we’ll need to get started with the next one as soon as possible.”

  “I think I am confused,” Natalie spoke up, and we all turned to her.

  “Yes, my dear?” Dr. Nash asked.

  “So you want Hunter to go to these different dimensions and time lines--”

  “With you, of course,” the doctor interrupted. “He’ll need your help.”

  “… with me,” Natalie continued. “And if he finds another female Wayfarer, he is to give her a child and then bring her back? Then he will become stronger, which means I will become stronger because I’m bonded with him? And then my baby will be stronger?”

  “Yes,” Dr. Nash said. “That’s the long and short of it.”

  “This is a good idea,” Natalie decided with a firm nod. “I want to help these other worlds and get stronger. Hunter, we should do this. It will be good for our baby.”

  The three of them turned toward me.

  “Uhhh… ” my voice trailed off as I glanced at Natalie.

  The former Scavenger was not a simple woman. She wasn’t like many of the other women of this world, who could be wooed with things like fancy dinner dates or expensive jewelry.

  No… Natalie was going to crave adventure, having strong babies, and living a good life.

  And there was only one way to give it to her.

  Not to mention, the thought of getting paid to go through space and time, sleeping with sexy women, and getting to play the hero was too much to turn down.

  “Alright, Dr. Nash… ” I cleared my throat. “I’ll give. I will be your Doomsday Hunter.”

  The AI on the screen smiled devilishly. “I’m glad to hear that. There are a lot more timelines to save, and there’s nobody else I’d rather have for the job.”

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go home,” I chuckled as Natalie and I both took off our vital reporting armbands. “Is my van still parked outside?”

  “Of course it is.” Karla rolled her eyes. “We wouldn’t dare touch Bugslayer, LLC’s equipment.”

  “What time do we need to show up for work tomorrow?” I asked as I walked over to Natalie and put my arm around her shoulder.

  “Let’s do 10AM,” Karla said. “We need to focus a bit more on training and such.”

  “Cool,” I replied. “But now, it’s time to go to sleep. Been one hell of a few days.”

  “Does this mean I get to sleep in a real bed?” Natalie asked as she bounced on her toes.

  “Oh, you’re going to do much more than that.” I winked as I pulled her close so we could walk to the stairs. “You’re going to be watching TV and showering with hot water and experiencing processed food for the first time in your life.”

  “I can’t wait, my mate.” The blonde woman grinned.

  “Me, either,” I said. I still wasn’t quite sure what I’d gotten myself into, but one thing was for sure.

  Things were looking up for Hunter Bragg.

  End Book 1

  End Notes

  Thank you for reading Doomsday Hunter. Once I hit 100 reviews I’ll start working on the next book! Please leave your reviews here! Thank you!

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Eric Vall