Demon Jumpers

Era 32784 is earth's dimension

Have you ever seen your parents being set on fire right in front of your own eyes?

Most likely not, since my life suffering is only meant for me. Now I look outside at this dark abyss with literally nothing to show for. No answers. No truths. No nothing.

“You know kid, if you keep looking out that window like that, you might fall through”

“That's exactly what needs to happen, when do we land?"

“It'll be awhile, Nathan is tryna bring down their motion wall. You know Kenji, I hope we can sit down and --”

“There's nothing to talk about Kass. Lets just drop this package off for lord doo wop and get outta this dimension”

I always disliked being an asshole to Kassi, she practically raised me, I owed her everything, from teaching me how to walk to saving my life. The world wasn't enough to pay her back for what she's done for me. I was going to find something that would last an eternity.

“You’ll get the reason for why we do what we do in time Kenny.”

Kassy then placed a mother's kiss on my forehead and walked towards the bay. I sat up and looked at my hands. My right hand bore the branding of a slave marked for death, while my left looked cold and pale, so much for a paint job.

I didn't get to really introduce myself, my name is Kenji Hatake. I'm a crew member of The Rendezvous, a complete starship that can jump multiple dimensions. I know I know, what the fuck are you talking about? Lets just say just when earth was on its last legs, The Kreaders saved us. Prophets from different dimensions who claimed that they created our dimension and that earth’s dying state was their time to introduce themselves to our world. People of earth though it was good thing but it was a wake up call. The Kreaders imprisoned us and promised that earth would never get to a low state ever again, by that they meant complete population control. Anyone who wasn't doing anything to help the world was executed. The sick, the homeless, even a couple egotistical celebs lost their lives simply because The Kreaders believed they were doing no good for our planet. That brings me to my sister, when she was 18, my sister ran away from home to prove to my parents that she could survive on her own and that is a whole other story in itself

Year 2072

It had been 8 years since I had seen my sister. The cops stopped looking years ago while my mother hasn't spoken since she's left. My father keeps himself busy and acts like she had never existed. Today is also the day that earth has ran low on its resources and with world leaders scrabbling to find an answer, but the real statement that runs through everyone's mind is that it's too late. That day I had spent the whole day inside since it was day that my sister had run away. It was particularly gloomy but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. As the day went on I spent my time reading and smoking out my bong on my roof when it suddenly got cold. I shivered and hugged myself.

"I got a strain that'll literally bring you to the stars"

I looked around me because that voice had sounded similar. As I looked below me I had seen the one person that had evaded me these last 8 years.

"Don't freak, I don't want mom and dad to see me" Kassi said smiling from below.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This bitch.

"After all these years, you decide to just pop up? Where'd you come from? Where have you been? Mom's been sick to her stomach not knowing where you've been," suddenly Kassi made a leap that a normal human wouldn't make and stood next to me.

"Let me show you space cowboy." Kassi held her hand out and smiled.

How the fuck did she make that leap I thought. Kassi had changed, her hair was short with one single silver streak, her energy was different. She had seen things and with the type of sibling connection we had, I had to know. I took another hit out of my bowl and grabbed her hand. She then hugged me and leaped again towards our backyard. She let me go and put her index and middle finger on her temple.

"We're ready Nate."

Suddenly it got cold again and goosebumps crawled all over me.

"Where are we going Kassi?? You still haven't answered my questions."

"Remember when we used to dream about flying across the universe, well I've done just that baby brother"

Suddenly a huge silver starship appeared above us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A real live starship was floating above me. She then tapped her wristwatch and held out her hand again.

"Let's go Baby brother, I got people I want you to meet."

She then stepped through a portal that lead inside the starship. I was in disbelief. Kassi then stepped ahead of me and introduced me to her crew.

"Welcome to The Rendezvous Kenji. This is Nathan Gold, my pilot and this is Tess Clenser our engineer."

I still stood in silence as I looked up and down at a real live starship. Things I had dreamed of from when I was a kid playing space cowboy with Kassi and my mom. Was this what Kassi had done the last 8 years? Had she actually traveled our solar system?

"He looks like he loves it." Tess said sarcastically with a deadpan face as she brushed past me.

"She's actually really nice, she's just having a bad day because I took her wrench. Nathan Gold, but you know that because your sister just introduced us" Nathan said awkwardly with a smile.

I dreamt there was no way I had stepped through a portal to step into a starship. This was a fucking dream! I put my left hand out towards a blue button on the side of the ship.

“I wouldn't do that.” Nathan said cautiously

“What does it do?” I asked.

“Opens the two hatch doors at once and clears everything out. An invention of mine. Plus were not strapped in, so we would all be sucked into the vast abyss of space .. well in this dimension anyway.”

“This dimension?” I asked.

“Yeah, Kassi didn't —” Nathan stopped as he looked at Kassi. She looked back with a deadpan face.

“I'll let her explain where we are and what we do.”

I looked at Kassi and she stood there smiling.

“Cmon baby brother, let me show you my quarters”, Kassi said. She then walked to the back of the ship and placed her hand on a fingerprint scanner.

Welcome captain Kassi

“The ship speaks!?”

“Obviously! And we got lasers too! And a plasma cannon!”

“Kassi this is unbelievable. You have a crew and the starship we dreamed about. How did acquire it?”

I was intrigued. My sister was a starship captain in a dimension, but I couldn't let my excitement consume me. I had to ask her the right questions.

“Kass. Where have you been these last 8 years?” I asked.

Kassi looked at and sat on her bed and sighed.

“Kenji, I've seen things that no one on earth will ever see. This is faith. Everything around me including you was destined to happen.” Kassi smiled and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it and stood up.

“Baby brother this universe is limitless. I will answer all your questions but I also want you to see it for yourself. The Kreaders couldn't touch us if they wanted to. The last 8 years I've gone to over a million dimensions.”

“Millions of what? Kassi what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Trust me baby brother. This will be your home first, but I have to see mom and dad.”

“Kassi, dad has forgotten you existed. It's almost like you were never been born and mom. She's gone silent in your absence. It's like I'm the only remembers you. How we grew up in a world not affected by extraterrestrials from other planets.”

Kassi laughed and then put me in a chokehold. She let me go and put up her fists and punched me playfully.

“I’m not worried about all that baby brother. It’ll all come together soon.” Kassi then stood up and placed her first two fingers together to her temple. “Take us home Nate.”

“Ai ai captain” Nate responded back.

“So are you going to answer my questions or not Kass? You can't leave me out of the loop like this.”

“I’m going to answer all your questions with mom and dad. Don’t worry.”

“You say don’t worry and my worries continue to build so I'd like an answer to one of my questions now.” I was getting agitated and needed to know what was going on in this unknown environment.

“Okay Kenji. I’ll answer your first question and only your first question.”

“Okay and?” I responded back sharply.

“I killed the ruler of a dying and war torn planet who threatened to kill my friends and in return for his head I’d get the fastest starship in the Infinite universe.” Kassi stood there and looked at me blankly. She then put her hand on my shoulder and looked me deeper into my soul.

“I can’t lie to you in this world baby brother. Only the truth can determine how far you jump dimensions.”

Kassi then kissed my forehead and talked to Nathan again.

“Are you serious? Right now of all times too. Okay fine. Another 50 suns doesn't hurt.”

I still stood there in shock. What the fuck did she just say to me just now? And so calmly too as if .. she enjoyed it. Had my sister gone psycho? Did she sacrifice her humanity as well?

“Baby brother stop overthinking. We are going to drop you home” Kassi said to me.

“Wait why? I thought you were coming with me?” I said back.

“There a bounty on Mars that we have been chasing for months and he’s there for leisure not business so this is the perfect time to receive him.”

“A bounty? Kassi really?” I said back upsettingly.

“I'll be back. Just wait at home. I’ll call you.” Kassi said with a smile.

We flew back to earth and Kassi teleported me back on the roof. I looked up and saw the starship fly upwards and disappear into the night sky. This couldn't be real, there was no way that I had just seen Kassi in a starship. I crawled back through my window into my room. I laid down on the bed and knocked out, smiling that I had just seen my sister safe and sound. She was traveling the universe and taking what was hers. Just like she said she would when we were kids. She hasn't changed one bit.

I woke up an hour later, drowsy and yawning. Kassi hadn't made it back yet or my door would have been broken already. I heard a huge pop as I walked by my door. Then I heard footsteps come closer.

“Kenji, are you there?”

“Yes dad?”

“Can you open up please”

I made my way to the door. As I put my hand on the doorknob, I felt a sudden uneasiness. I stepped away and looked at the door. Was my dad okay?

“Son? Kenji are you there?”

His voice changed. My dad .. was crying.

“Dad i'm here. Are you okay?”

“Kenji. Your mother is-”

I then heard a hard thud and stepped up and opened the door. My face was then met with the butt of a rifle. That's when I passed out.

I woke up with my hands and ankles tied. I laid there in my front lawn as I watched the houses in front of me covered in green flames. My head was killing me and I couldn't move.

“Oh boss! The boy is awake!”

I was suddenly picked up and put to sit up on my porch. That's when I saw both my parents tied up on the lawn. My mother was lying there lifeless with a pool of blood surrounding her and my dad was lying next to her crying. I looked around me and saw green flames everywhere. My neighbourhood had become a nightmare. A man then approached me and sat down next to me. He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into the hot air.

“I haven't been home in decades” The man said, “the last time I was here, me and my brother were running from the law for punching a cop. Those were days that I lived freely. Everything comes to an end though. Everything has a price and an expiry date. You ever wonder when it's your time?”

He then stared attentively into my eyes with the cigarette lit. He then laughed and pressed the cigarette into the top of my left hand. I screamed in pain while he got up in laughter and threw his hands in the air.

“What's your name kid? You know what, it doesn't matter, because your my slave now and I don’t care for names. Your young and healthy and got this fiery look in your eyes. I’ve seen that look before too. That's the look your mom gave me right before I stabbed her.” The man laughed again, knowing damn well I couldn't move an inch.

“It’s alright kid, I’m gonna give you a gift that I didn’t get as a kid when I was your age.”

The man then walked over to me and held me in a headlock. He squeezed down on me as I struggled to move.

“Kenji!” My dad screamed, but he was quickly met the butt of a gun from one of the henchmen that stood by.

One second I’m in the stars with my long lost sister and the next second i'm being branded and choked out by a psychopath. That day, I watched as they doused my dead mother and crying father in gasoline. They were then set on fire. My father screamed for about 5 minutes before his voice gave out. I couldn't shed a tear for my parents. I wouldn't let my father see me cry. The man then let me go and put me on my knees in front of my burning parents. I could smell their flesh bubbling and burning. The smell latched onto my nose hairs and the sight of my dead parents stuck to my brain and crawled all over my memories.

“Uncuff his hands.”

The henchmen then uncuffed me and held my left arm out.

“You know kid. I sense that resilience from you. You want to be strong but it's too late. There is nothing for you to be strong about. Your parents are dead and your community is in flames. Most of all, your precious sister won't be coming back for you. I’ve made sure of that.”

I looked up at the man. He then held his arm out and it suddenly was covered in an energy that imitated a sword. I looked at him and spit down at his feet.

“My sister doesn't die for anyone you ugly bitch”

The man laughed again and his face then became serious.

“She’ll die for you!” The man then brought his arm down and cleanly cut my arm off. I had felt it. A sharp pain but then it was gone. I passed out right there. My eyes then opened to gunfire and Kassi carrying me.

“Kenny! Are you okay?! I’m so sorry baby brother! I never thought you’d get dragged up in this. Nathan drop the holo bomb now! We have to go!”

This is where my story started. That day wasn't my expiry date. It was the start of a journey that would take me across the universes.