“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 feeling 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.
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End Notes
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