“And you got like hot water?” he pressed as his eyes got wide.
“Yeah, but—”
“And like toilets that flush?” William asked. “That’s amazing.”
“Yeah,” I replied, “But hopefully with the stuff we did here today—”
“How about hospitals?” Marcus blurted. “You got those places? Where it’s safe to have a baby?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “But—”
“It sounds like heaven,” Marcus said, and the two other men nodded as they looked over at Natalie.
“Unfortunately, the Wayfarers are the only ones who can come along,” I explained. “Speaking of which, Natalie—”
“I’m still not sure I can come with you,” the blonde woman cut in and hung her head. “My place is here, Hunter. I-I think I’m in love with you, and… I hope… I… I hope your child grows inside of me, but I can’t just abandon my people. Especially when we need new children to rebuild our society an—”
“Natalie Carr?” Marcus growled as his eyes narrowed. Then he stepped toward her and crossed his arms.
“Huh?” she asked as she bit her lower lip and stepped back.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he hissed as he pointed at her. “You disobeyed an order when you stole our dune buggy. You have committed treason against the Scavenger way of life and against your brethren.”
“But...what?” The blonde woman blinked in shock. “I thought that—”
“Sure sounds like treason to me,” Harrison sighed.
“And you know what we do to traitors,” William continued.
“Aye,” Marcus said as he nodded. “We banish them.”
“But… You fucks!” Natalie hissed. “Hunter and I just risked our lives to… to…”
She paused when she noticed the three men smiling at her.
Then her eyes were filled with tears, and a small smile curved up the corners of her mouth.
“Treason?” she asked.
“Treason.” Marcus winked. “And for that, you know what must happen. Natalie Carr… You are hereby banished from the Scavengers. You are no longer welcome here, so please go somewhere you are. Like another awesome dimension with that handsome man who hopefully put a baby in you.”
The blonde woman grinned widely, and then she hugged Marcus in a tight bear hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered to her now ex-leader.
“Don’t mention it.” He smiled back. “Now, get out of here, before I have to do something even more drastic.”
“Yeah,” William snickered, “like tell you about his collection of golfballs. Ya don’t wanna be here when he starts talkin’ about that.”
Marcus simply rolled his eyes and then stepped away.
Meanwhile, Natalie dashed over to me and wrapped me up in a tight embrace. She pressed her lips against mine, and the Scavenger crowd erupted into cheers once more.
The blonde woman pulled away with a deep blush, and then she recomposed herself.
“I’m ready.” She nodded. “Show me this beautiful world where you come from, Hunter.”
“Alright, Karla,” I announced, “I’ve got the Wayfarer, and we’re ready to head back to Dimension One.”
Finally, Karla snarked. You know I’ve been doing nothing but sitting in the lab for almost twenty-four hours, right?
“Hey, I’ll gladly trade you,” I joked. “I’ve been out here running for my life against bloodthirsty mutants for the last twenty-four hours.”
Trust me, Hunter, the voice in my head continued, I would gladly be out there in the field if I could be. Now, make sure you’re holding onto the Wayfarer. You need to be making skin to skin contact. There’s going to be a quick flash of light just like before, and you’re going to feel a bit dizzy.
“Let’s do it.” I announced, and then I turned to all the Scavengers. “Goodbye, everybody, and good luck.”
I pulled Natalie close to me as the Scavengers waved goodbye.
The next thing I knew, I felt a soft pulsing in my brain from where the microchip had been implanted. The sensation started in my head and then slowly spread out across my entire body.
That’s when the glowing started. Natalie and I were both fully engulfed in a dull white light, and our forms began to fade out of reality.
Then nothing but darkness.
“Welcome back, Hunter,” I heard Karla’s voice announce, but she was no longer in my head. “And welcome to our humble abode, Natalie.”
I threw open my eyes to see I was now back in Dr. Nash’s lab. Everything was still dusty and crumbling, but I could see the smiling, balding head of the doctor looking down at us from the large monitor.
“Congratulations, Hunter Bragg,” his voice announced. “You have successfully completed your first mission as a Wayfarer.”
“My bank account thanks you.” I smiled at the face on the screen.
“Your bank account?” Karla crossed her arms and scoffed. “So, it’s still just all about the money for you, then?”
“Hunter?” Natalie interjected. “W-What is all this?”
The blonde Scavenger looked around in awe as she stepped forward and stared up at the floating face on the screen.
“This is my world,” I explained. “This is what your world would have been, if Doomsday never happened.”
“There would be giant screens with decapitated heads floating on them?” she asked as her mouth hung open.
“I’m afraid there aren’t quite as many people in this world like me, my dear,” Dr. Nash chuckled. “I am one of a kind.”
“You can say that again, Father,” Karla laughed.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” I announced to Natalie as I walked over and put my arm around her. “I’ve still got to introduce you to video games… Chinese food… Minnehaha Falls… Hell, when football season rolls around, I can show you the non-crumbled version of the stadium your people used to explore.”
The blonde woman sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. “It sounds like a lot to take in. I’m not sure I’m ready for that sort of culture shock just yet.”
“Fine,” I noted, “then maybe for now we go back to my place, cuddle in bed, and see where tomorrow takes us?”
“That sounds much better,” Natalie admitted. “I’m ready for anything, as long as it’s with you.”
I looked over at Natalie and gave her a broad smile, but then I was interrupted by the sound of Karla clearing her throat.
“I hate to break up you two lovebirds,” the brunette chuckled, “but we need to do a quick inspection of your vitals. Both of you.”
“Oh, come on,” I pleaded jokingly, “we just got back from a dangerous mission, and the first thing you want to do is strap me back to the chair?”
“There are no straps this time.” Karla shrugged.
“Unfortunately, a vital check is integral,” Dr. Nash’s voice spoke up. “We still aren’t fully sure of the effects of interdimensional travel on the human body, so we want to make sure nothing went wrong on the way back.”
“Okay, okay.” I conceded. “But I can’t promise I won’t pass out in the chair, mid-exam.”
Natalie chuckled as Karla walked past and motioned for us to follow her into the other room.
We obliged, and soon the two of us were in some sort of makeshift doctor’s office, with an exam bed, a few chairs, and lots of medical equipment.
I sauntered over to the exam bed, positioned myself on it, and then waited for what came next.
Meanwhile, Natalie hopped up onto the bed beside me and let out a long, deep sigh.
“Is this what all your beds feel like in Dimension One?” she asked. “It’s like I’m sitting on a cloud. It’s amazing.”
“That’s actually one of the more uncomfortable ones,” I noted, and the Scavenger’s jaw hit the floor.
“You mean… they get better?” Natalie whispered as she gently patted the padding.