Chapter 5

Xander was about to crawl right out of his skin. Anticipation had never physically hurt before, but it did now. Tingles ran right up and down his body, pricking him from the inside out, his palms were sweating, and his mouth was dry. He’d made JUMPs before, and he’d been in tight spots before too, but he’d never had so much riding on one single JUMP than he did on the one he was getting ready to make today.

By the time the guards opened the door, he was having to mentally talk himself down. This amount of adrenaline in closed spaces normally got someone killed; and he couldn’t afford to kill anyone yet. Not yet. He needed to save all of that for The Dilligara.

Holding his hands out, Xander waited until one of the guards placed his weapon then it’s holster in his palms. He checked the chamber, and double checked the magazine. Re-holstering his weapon, he placed it in the small of his back, and Xander immediately felt more steady for it. This particular weapon was antiquated in its technology, but the damage it did was worth the extra effort it took to create the ammunition for it. Medicine moved forward with technology, but medicine seemed to forget how to heal the wounds from old weaponry. Therefore, if he wanted someone to die and not come back, he used this one. He had several similar guns, and the antiquated technology was his favorite.

He walked behind the guards and waited for them to open the bay door to his ship. As soon as the door began to move, he entered the bay and punched in the security code, allowing him to enter The Raptor. He practically ran up the stairs and aboard his ship then quickly pressed his palm to the panel, opening his hidden armament. As soon as he could, he began strapping on the weapons he would bring. He left his hand gun in the back of his pants, he put on another holster like a jacket, allowing him arm-free movement but giving him several places for his phasers. Strapping a holster on his thigh, he slid a sharp hunting knife in the sturdy material, a special titanium and volzun woven vest covered his back and front, strapping on the sides under his phasers. Most people wore wristlet’s that created a shield around them, however Xander didn’t like those, they impeded movement, and didn’t allow him to shoot at oncoming targets, so he simply relied on his training and protective clothing. Lastly, he hung another antiquated weapon around his neck. It was his most powerful and his favorite. Now, he was ready to go.

Stepping off of the Velociraptor, he must have looked a bit mad, because the guards who had not taken any account of him before, suddenly took a few steps back, and handled their weapons at the ready.

He followed the lead guard, knowing the two behind him could be trigger happy. Xander didn’t like worried people behind him. They might accidentally shoot him. It wasn’t a fun prospect, but they got to the JUMP room soon enough, and fortunately the guards who were following him, stopped at the door.

In the center of the room was a chair; a chair which was connected to a very large machine. The huge device stood probably ten feet in the center and came down in a half moon around the chair. Different lights and symbols were all over the front and back of the machinery. It wasn’t his first time in a JUMP machine, and he was certain it wouldn’t be his last, and he was doubly certain he would always stand amazed at how anything, a human, a device––anything––could warp time and space to take a body to a place it didn’t belong, then pull the body and anything it was touching––back.

Xander prayed Lennie was in place, doing what he promised he would do, otherwise, he would just have to think about the woman he’d memorized everything about in the last lunar cycle, and pray God would take him to her. It wouldn’t be the first time he had seen a miracle, but it would definitely be the biggest one to date.

The operators looked at him and each other nervously as they sat at their individual stations around the room. There were only five of them in the room total; the Representative, Xander, and three operators.

Xander didn’t have to be told, he simply sat in the chair, the lights and beeps of the device surrounding him. Holding onto his automatic rifle, he winked at a particularly cute operator. Her short hair was bright blue, which meant she had a little bit of a wild side. She blushed and looked down, at her screen.

“I need the coordinates for where we’re supposed to send you,” the cute operator said, her face still red, she was unable to even look Xander in the eye again.

Part of him was praying for a miracle, when suddenly, the operator sat up, straightening in her chair, the professional returning to her job with concern lacing her voice. “Sir, the machine...something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, something’s wrong?” The Representative asked her.

“It seems to be moving by itself,” her eyes widening with fear.

The whir of the JUMP machine became louder and louder until a flash of light seemingly caught the room afire, and Xander closed his eyes to keep them from burning. Yet all the while, all he could do was smile and hold onto his AR.