Hunter… that’s not going to work, Karla sighed. My father ran some further calculations while you’ve been off on your adventure. Remember how the success of this mission gave the timeline a ninety percent chance of survival?
“I do,” I confirmed.
Well, he finally found the variation that makes the odds better, she continued. If the dimension’s Wayfarer is removed from the timeline, the chance of humanity’s survival jumps up to ninety-nine point eight percent. It’s a major difference.
“You’re just telling me this now?” I grumbled. “That would have been really great to know back when Natalie was still on the fence about this whole thing. But I don’t know what she’s thinking now, and I’m not going to just force her to come with me.”
We would have told you sooner, Karla explained, but you were in the middle of fighting off a bunch of bloodthirsty mutants. And making love to her. I didn’t want to interrupt—Wait… Hunter! That’s it!
“Uhhh, what?” I asked.
Okay… sooooo… This is a personal question.
“You watched my heart rate when Natalie and I were being intimate,” I noted, “I don’t think any question is going to be too personal. Trust me.”
Did you use a condom?
Okay, that was definitely way more personal than I thought it was going to be.
“Uhhh… no, but what does that have to do with—”
Did you pull out?
“What does that have anything to do with—”
It has to do with everything, Karla reiterated.
“Uh… No, I didn’t,” I admitted. “Is that a problem?”
Not a “problem,” per say, Karla replied. But it does complicate things… If she’s pregnant, it means your fates are now forever intertwined. That explains why my father’s algorithms are going crazy at the moment… And it creates a very interesting predicament.
“What’s that?” I dared to ask.
Natalie cannot stay in her dimension, the voice in my head announced. If she stays in Dimension Nine-Fifty-One, the timeline is completely fucked.
“Wait… ” I shook my head and tried to make sense of it all. “I thought you said if we were successful, there was a ninety percent chance this timeline would survive?”
That was before this new development, she explained. If Natalie is pregnant with your child, then your DNA is going to stay here, and leaving her in Dimension Nine-Fifty-One would completely rip apart the time-line and destroy every living thing there. In short, if you can’t get Natalie to come back with you, to your original dimension where your DNA is anchored, her entire dimension is doomed as soon as she gives birth to your child.
“But how do you know?” I asked as my head started to spin faster than the helicopter blades. “We just had sex yesterday. Doesn’t it take like a week or two to know for sure? Doesn’t morning sickness happen like four or six weeks after? Can’t things happen in childbirth? This world is pretty tough to survive in— even without the crazy mutants and—”
It’s our formulas. The double arrow. The only explanation for our numbers looking all fucked up like they do is because she is definitely going to bear you a healthy child in forty weeks, or our systems wouldn’t be spitting back this chaos. She needs to come back with you.
“So, she doesn’t really have a choice, does she?” I questioned as I glanced across the seats of the helicopter to Natalie. The blonde woman had been staring out the window with a slight smile on her lips, but when she noticed me look at her, she glanced at me and her smile widened until I could see her perfect teeth.
She had no idea my child grew inside of her right now. I guess she had wanted it, since she’d demanded my sperm when we made love on the beach, but I didn’t even know if I wanted it.
Just two days ago I’d been a Pest Control Technician. Now I was… what? Some sort of dimensional and time-shifting Jean-Claude Van Damme warrior?
Holy shit. I was going to be a dad.
Holy shit, the beautiful and badass blonde warrior woman across from me was going to give me a child.
Your heart is racing. What’s wrong?
“Uhhh, I’m just… Trying to come to terms with everything,” I said, and I realized Natalie had tilted her head a bit and was staring at my face with her eyebrows raised.
“What’s wrong?” I saw her lips move, but I couldn’t hear her over the helicopter.
“Nothing,” I mouthed back to her as I waved my hands and forced myself to smile.
Natalie smiled at me again, nodded, and then turned to look back out at the ruined earth we flew over.
Something seems wrong, Karla said.
“I’ll have to double my efforts to try and convince her,” I said. “She has to come back with me. I don’t want this world to be destroyed when I just worked so hard to give it a chance, and I want to meet my kid.”
Just put on that whole “charming Midwesterner” act you do, Karla joked. Who could say no to that?
“You think I’m charming?” I smiled at the rare compliment from Karla.
Don’t push your luck, Hunter, she chuckled. Just get her to return with you to Dimension One, and let me know when you’re ready to return. Over and out.
Karla’s voice went silent, and I glanced back over at Natalie.
The blonde woman was now yelling at her Scavenger friends, and she laughed heartily as she reminisced about our mission.
She needed to come back with me. I had to convince her.
Since we were airborne, the ride back to the camp took only about fifteen minutes. Soon, the helicopter landed atop the large Scavenger boat, and we all exited to an enthusiastic crowd.
The rest of the Scavengers lined the beach of their camp, and they let out a loud cheer when they saw Natalie and me.
“A hero’s welcome?” I whistled. “I definitely didn’t expect that.”
“Neither did I,” Natalie admitted as we made our way down to the beach.
The Scavengers greeted us one-by-one, and each of them sang our praises and told us how grateful they were to have us around.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t celebrate for long.
My mission was over. The timeline was saved, and it was time for me to go home.
So, I walked up to where Marcus, William, Harrison, and Natalie were standing with a somber expression on my face.
“Look guys… ” I sighed. “I don’t know if Natalie told any of you, but I’m not from around here. Like, really, really not from around here.”
“She tried to explain,” William admitted, “but I think I got shit for brains, ‘cause I had no idea what she was talkin’ about.”
“You’re a dimension hopper?” Marcus nodded. “And Natalie is one, too, and can come with you, but now you’ve now come to say goodbye?”
“I—Uh, yeah,” I said as I blinked at them. “That’s… well, that’s exactly what I’m doing. My job is done here, and there are other timelines that need to be saved. Plus, not gonna lie… As much as I’ve enjoyed your hospitality, I miss my own bed. And my shower. And clean clothes.”
“Wow,” Harrison chuckled, “maybe we should all come with you to this new timeline?”
“You’ve got showers?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah,” I said, “And—”