The Black Marketeer

 The Black Marketeer

1

Robert Ellison casually stared at the colorfully dressed revelers occupying a small bar on the corner of Mount Street and Jefferson Way. It was a lively hub of mischief, though at present, far from fully packed, for its clientele came in waves, each one more boisterous than the last. And near the window, at a table, is where he sat, waiting for a contact called Herman, an underground maker of advanced technology. Now the date and place was 2163 in California, and Robert, at this time, was in his late twenties, and around six feet two, with intelligent green eyes that gleamed with fatigue since he lived restlessly. However his nature could be extremely calm on most days. But today would not be an ordinary day, it would be a momentous one. Therefore to go big time, he felt, was his fate, as a great ambition grew within him.

Meanwhile a loud argument unfolded between two customers near the bar. Apparently they were arguing over a woman.

“I will touch her, all I want!” said one to the other.

“Hell, no!” remarked his opponent. Then a fight ensued. The punches landed fast and everything got incredibly hectic, yet it was soon over. Afterwards they were told to leave by the barman. He was a big, stocky guy with thick hands and a benign countenance.

Next several minutes passed by without incident, so Robert stood up and moved over to the window to look outside. The day was bright though slightly cloudy as it felt like an average spring day. There were a few people in the street here and there, but no significant crowds. The crowds would come later, they usually did. Of course, he knew this place very well, nevertheless it worried him whether Herman would be able to find his way there. It bothered him for a moment. But he returned to his seat and resumed glancing around like before. Therefore the time ticked on until a figure of around five feet eleven in a black hooded coat came through the main door keeping very much to himself and made his way towards Robert. His face had glasses as well as acne.

“Is your name Herman?” asked Robert.

“Yes, I’m pleased to meet you. I’ve heard many good things about you,” said the hooded man.

“Good, and I thank you for coming. I’ve got various plans for the future, which I think you’ll be able to help me with.”

“Is that so? Tell me more,” said Herman. He adjusted his posture now by leaning forwards, and removing his hood. His face became excitedly alive with interest.

“Certainly, well I heard about your work in parallel dimensions, and I’m willing to pay you to develop any ideas or technology you have. How does this sound to you?”

Indeed the young genius became speechless for a moment. He could not believe someone was interested in his work.

“I can get you any parts you need – legal, or illegal,” added Robert, before Herman could speak.

“Okay, I will do it,” he said, adjusting his glasses. Then asked, “Are you able to get RX650s?”

“Yeah! But they take longer to get than other things.” Thus Robert had numerous ways of acquiring tech. His methods were surreptitious and thorough, as he always found a way. For no one had more of a head in finding this stuff than him. Now in the meantime more people came into the bar. It was a crowd of young Swedish tourists. They ambled about with friendly abandon. However, none of them spoke too loudly, as their day appeared to be turning out fine and they wanted to order burgers and fries with their drinks. Soon afterwards, Robert and Herman glanced at them for a brief moment because it caught their attention that they were foreign. It was a surge of impulsive curiosity.

“We can meet tomorrow at Unit 504 in the Regina Palisades Storage Complex. I will show you some of the tech I have prepared,” said Robert.

“At what time?” his partner in this new venture, asked.

“We’ll meet at noon.”

They got up and shook hands. Herman said, “goodbye,” and he exited the bar first. A second later, Robert went to the washroom to relieve himself before leaving for home in his black Tesla. The traffic was minimal, though he had to pick up some groceries, otherwise his journalist girlfriend Camille Thorson would be upset when she got home from work. So he drove to Manny’s Superstore. It didn’t take long to get there. The aisles were packed in certain areas: the areas that had cheaper offers. Some of the people were rude, too, but it didn’t bother him. He was in a good mood. Nothing could ruin his mood today, and presently the wine section caught his eye. Certainly Camille loved wine. It always loosened her up, and for this reason, he felt an urge to get four bottles of Californian White. Patiently he advanced – getting everything needed. Then paying at a self service checkout machine Robert then quickly got out of there and made his way towards the car.

On the languid drive back home, many thoughts crowded his mind concerning ways to make money illegally. He wanted to be the wealthiest black marketeer that ever lived. It had always been his ambition in life. What is more, the condominium he and Camille both lived in looked unquestionably fine. The neighborhood in which it was situated had a trendy vibrancy much sought after by the citizens of the region. And naturally, the place commanded a high price. So many people could not afford to live there.

Now eventually Robert arrived and the garage door opened at the touch of a button from a remote control he pressed on approaching, and parked his car within. The door closed automatically due to a sensor inside the garage. Following this, he shuffled up some stairs and opened a door to get inside using a key-card. The interior smelt of sweet fragrances and lemon-scented floor cleaner. There was a bright old fashioned Jukebox in the corner of a corridor. Also flowers were situated everywhere in pots. Steadily he made his way to the kitchen. Its ceiling had sleek extractor fans and the appliances were of a bright metal. Robert then put the wine and groceries away in the places where they normally went and stood close to a console to press the music section of one of them and selected Bach’s Brandenberg Concertos which immediately played everywhere on the hidden speakers. However, not long after, the familiar sound of his mobile ringtone added to the music.

So he answered, saying, “Hello . . . Who is it?”

“It’s me Bob. How are you doing?” The voice was that of Camille.

“I’m fine,” he said, whilst turning the volume down on the music.

She continued, “Good, my love, I’m going to be about an hour late. How did your meeting go?”

“It was very brief. But I think it’s going to prove beneficial. My contact is a clever man. He went to MIT, and I arranged to meet him tomorrow. He seems interesting.”

“You need to be careful. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I sometimes worry.” Her voice sounded anxious, but with a hint of assurance in his abilities.

“Yeah, I know. Don’t fret! I’m going to take care of myself. Many things are on our side. You believe in me, don’t you?”

“You know I do, Bob.” Camille got a bit emotional.

Naturally Robert had to show strength and didn’t want her to worry. Men are men, for their ego’s are colossal and sometimes fragile.

“I’ll see you later,” she said.

The phone call ended with his closing words being, “Okay, take care.”

Inside the bedroom the next day, Robert woke up early, at around seven, and saw Camille’s shapely body and blond hair lying on the bed facing away from him. Her scent was intoxicating. He made his way towards the shower, and had one. Afterwards was breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, tomatoes, thick wedges of bacon with toast, and a coffee, followed by a leisurely run in the open area of his friendly community – while taking long deep breaths. Then on the way back to his property he came across Maurice Jenkins the black maintenance man that worked for his condominium homeowners association.

“Hello, Mr. Ellison. It’s a nice day for a run. How’s business?” the man said.

“My wholesale business is doing good, and we’ve been growing without interruption from competitors. So I don’t anticipate any problems. How’s everything with you and the association? Are you happy?”

“Yes, Mr. Ellison – everything’s mighty fine. I have no complaints, and nobody bothers me in the mornings.” He was leaning on a rake. As might be expected, Maurice saw himself as an upstanding citizen and extremely loyal to the association while always hiding his grudges under a positive attitude of friendliness.

“Maurice, your hard work is much appreciated around here. We are lucky to have you,” said Robert. The two smiled at each other for a moment in earnest contemplation and went their separate ways.

Later, outside the condominium, Camille was standing there in her fancy bright-teal dressing gown with flowery Japanese designs waiting for his arrival from the run. She looked eager to see him and stubbed the half-smoked cigarette out on the ground. They embraced affectionately. The two stood together for a moment. “I have a treat for you,” she said when both were holding hands, and took him to where her handbag lay and from it removed a white plastic dispenser full of Narcodrin. It was a recreational drug that made the user feel euphoric. The pills looked orange and round. So taking one each, the couple smiled and kissed with great passion.

At around ten, Robert prepared for the meeting with Herman by collecting some papers together concerning the technology of parallel dimensions and put them into a flat black-leather zip bag and walked to the garage. There he unplugged the charger cable from the evening before and got in the car. The drive went by silently. Nothing existed to vex him, for his mind was fully focused on making a success of this new venture, which is why he had set out with a positive attitude. Therefore the future seemed alive with grand and amazing possibilities. One simply had to seize them.

The storage complex looked like a maze of high end units extending in every direction. Fortunately, Robert knew this place like no other, and its familiarity put him at ease. So he drove instinctively to the area in front of Unit 504, where two men were having a conversation nearby. Now the laws were very strict around here, and there were plenty of them, for bureaucracy reigned unmatched. Even so, Robert knew all the loopholes – those corruptible elements of society. However he presented himself as an honest dealer of wholesale goods. Surely, no one suspected a thing, as everything could be hidden under a cloak of normalcy. Confidently he advanced to the main door of Unit 504, his eyes aimed at the rectangular-plastic receiver housed beside it on the wall and slid the key-card through, and entered.

Inside, the air was slightly musty. The smell of oil and technology filled his lungs when he walked over to a console to check the inventory. Then Robert prepared a workstation and brought certain items to have them on display upon it, and the arrangement gave the impression of someone who was highly organized. Soon Herman would be there, was his thought, when eyeing a digital clock on the wall. A moment later, the buzzer rang, and Robert looked at the surveillance monitor, which showed that there was an image of Herman standing outside, and so he went to the front door to let him in.

“Nice place. I’m impressed,” said the young engineer when shown in.

“I’m glad to see you again,” remarked his new benefactor. “Come this way.” They walked towards the workstation that had been set up full of tech.

“Wow! This gear is very impressive. How did you get it?” asked Herman.

“There are many ways, but I prefer to do people a good turn so they trust me more. Once this happens, it becomes easier to find out what they can get and where they can get it,” said the resourceful criminal.

“I like your positive attitude. It’s refreshing. Do you have any coffee? I like to drink coffee when I work.”

“Yes, I have a drinks machine. Come this way. It’s over here,” said Robert, showing him to a corridor which led to a mini-canteen. They both entered.

“Ah, yes, I can see it,” remarked Herman, and he came in front of the machine and looked at its fancy features. Soon he stepped closer, adjusting his glasses and made a head scratching motion when scrutinizing what was there. “Mmm . . . I’ll try this one, I think.” Now he pressed a glowing-blue button that had a flat, slightly protruding appearance. Soon a paper cup was shot into a specific position at the center very rapidly, followed by falling sugar, then some coffee squirted in together with an artificial type of milk that had a taste as though it were fresh. It seemed like a marvel of high-tech design. So picking up his beverage, he said, “Wow, this drinks machine is really something.”

“Yeah, for those who can afford it. Come – we have a lot to discuss,” said Robert, and afterwards made a hand motion to indicate that they should return to the workstation.

“Of course, of course – I understand,” said Herman. Then both made their way back from where they had come.

Back at the workstation, Robert took out the papers from the black-leather zip bag and showed them to him. “What do you make of these schematics? Have you seen anything like them before?” Quickly he laid out these intriguing designs for his colleague to see, positioned with exactness in the correct order from left to right. More of them remained in his left hand.

“Incredible, but something’s not right. They need to be modified,” said Herman.

“Will that take a long time?” asked Robert.

“It could, unless we have others to help us.”

“Do you know anyone that can help us? People in your field of expertise?”

“Yes, I know two,” said Herman, with excitement.

“I’m willing to pay well, if they’re interested. So try to get them on board if you can, for their help could be of great benefit to me, as I really want to make this project happen,” said Robert, standing straight and proud, and thinking of the endless possibilities of this technology beckoning him on like an explorer plunging into the unknown, reminiscent of Amundsen or Shackleton.

Later, they went on discussing their plans for a few hours, and following that, they agreed to meet in a large warehouse space in the hills at an undisclosed location known only to them. This, they agreed, would occur in a week from that moment, and then Robert returned to manage his wholesale business.

A week later, Herman arrived at the warehouse with Boris and Ayumi, who were his trusted colleagues and were now ready to begin work on the schematics. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and Robert stood in front of his car as the three approached the front entrance. The time was ten in the morning.

“I’m pleased  to meet you all. Thank you for being here,” said Robert when he saw them.

Outside, near the main door, they all grouped together, and felt an electricity. A sense of impending history, even though there were many technical issues needing to be resolved. This would not be easy. But presently, there, the four stood. So their new benefactor went and opened the door to get in. The rest of them followed. Inside, everything looked and smelt metallic and there were many beams and bits of cut up transparent plastic sheeting draped around over objects in disuse. A few lights blinked on and off on various machines. Also there was a type of control room situated under a landing. The landing could be reached by steps. So Robert went and collected some boxes full of necessary tech from his car to show the others. They gathered around a central workstation near the control room and looked at these items. The schematics were also given to Boris and Ayumi to scrutinize, for everyone needed to discuss the information at hand. Nothing could be left to chance.

“Hey, Mr. Ellison, this is really impressive, but do you have this on digifile? I can see you have a digital screen,” said Ayumi. She was holding the paper copies of the schematics.

“Yes, I do, and I can have the schematics up and running on the screen right away,” said Robert, provoked by her keen interest, and so he switched the internal computer system on and connected a USB device to it, and within a few minutes the relevant information appeared on the screen.

Immediately Ayumi came near him and folded her arms while looking at the computer system. Her face was cute with big brown eyes that searched and probed for any kind of information. Moreover, she looked small and wore bright-fluorescent clothing of orange and green owing to her eccentric nature. On the other hand, Boris, who stood back, was serious and quiet most of the time. He was from Eastern Europe and always had a kind of stoicism about him. Also, he didn’t smile much and mostly followed what the others were doing, but he was reliable.

Now the team, with all its wisdom, dared not connect to the internet from that location because their actions had to be utterly secret, and they didn’t want the authorities to know what they were doing. This was new territory of exploration. However, Herman soon made the first breakthrough and suggested that creating a portal-pad from their own universe to the other ones should be their first step. For the original schematics, it seemed, lacked this key element. Therefore, he got to work draughting a new design for a portal-pad that could match with the schematics that everyone had been working from. Naturally, they had a powerful computer and knew how to use AI to make calculations as well as suggestions. But no matter how well this went, the group ran into many technical problems. One, of which, was how to exactly distinguish one parallel universe from another, accurately. Many in the past had tried, and many failed, miserably. At times, Herman didn’t even believe that parallel universes existed at all. However, theoretically he did, to some degree.

So every single day, the team worked on what they needed to accomplish. Meeting at ten every morning, and finishing at seven in the evening, except for Robert, who had many other commitments elsewhere. This went on for a few weeks. Then in the fifth week, the portal-pad was up and running. It sat directly in front of the control room, as they had moved their original workstation to one side. And of course, this was a moment of importance for everyone involved, and therefore, in a moment of excitement, Ayumi yanked out a bottle of Saki from her bag, saying, “Hey guys, let’s celebrate.” And she also played some techno music on the computer system. Moreover, Boris grabbed a paper cup and said to her, “Please, can you pour some in here.” Then she did, and they took a sip each. Next the two danced around in a spasmodic manner, with the eastern European’s movements seeming stiff and awkward, while Robert and Herman maintained a fun, but serious attitude.

Soon everyone went back to work.

The next day, Herman was looking for ways to connect the portal-pad to the control room so it could be monitored from there. This took three days to complete fully, and then Ayumi suggested that hand held devices should be built to serve a similar purpose. Everyone agreed. It was the logical next step. The portal-pad was fixed in one place, whereas handheld devices could be carried, and this would enable them to get back if they had to go through the eye of the portal and then return. Still, this proved harder to figure out than expected. The team worked on this problem for many weeks without success, and it even kept them awake at night.

“I’ve solved it,” yelled Herman in excitement, one morning, “we have to make the devices work with the portal-pad as though they’re one continuous energy pattern.”

“Show me,” said Boris, “I do not understand.”

“Look! Can you see how these energy signatures match up?” said Herman holding an electronic tablet to show his colleague. “Can you see?”

So Boris bent forwards to scan the surface, and said, “Yes, my friend – I see.” He quickly straightened up in amazement to contemplate things. It was now seeming like something that could really be possible. The confidence of the group increased more and more each day. They became highly animated, as well as focused. Their work intensified in both scope and nature. Then about four months into the project they received flickers of a portal appearing on the portal-pad, but were not able to stabilize it fully. The thing came and went of its own accord. This frustrated them. However, Herman persevered in every possible way to make the portal stabilize and remain observable. The others helped too, as everyone contributed something.

Later, when looking at one of the schematics on the main screen, Boris noticed a detail that had never caught his eye before. It truly fascinated him endlessly and he became obsessed with an instinctive feeling of where this could lead. The detail concerned how the energy flowed. It appeared to flow incorrectly according to his reasoning. He brought the matter up with Herman. The two discussed its implications. Soon, everyone was working on this problem together. It possessed them unlike anything had before. After several days of this, the group were exhausted and they took a day off.

When they got back to work, Robert had a more serious look. He seemed increasingly fired up for results. The others made an effort not to anger him. Everything got tense. Their focus was absolute and the mood became very silent until they mostly resolved the problem, although with a few lingering loose ends left to deal with. So Herman worked on these.

“There, I think that should do it,” said Herman, when pressing the touch screen at the side of the base of the portal-pad after having worked like crazy. Then suddenly the portal stabilized completely. It stopped flickering. The others all walked around this glowing gateway in amazement as though not believing in its reality. But it was real.

“I like its violet color . . . very pretty,” remarked Ayumi. Her eyes were even wider than ever. She looked spellbound.

“Yes, it is,” said Herman. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood back in awe.

“Do you know exactly where this portal goes?” asked Robert. “It may go anywhere!”

“He’s right,” added Boris, feeling like he needed to say something, “if we are not careful, we may even disintegrate on the other side.”

“Don’t be silly!” said Ayumi, with a tone of friendly ridicule.

“Of course, we need to do tests. We need to be careful,” remarked Herman, and he went to look at data on the computer and at the control room for any useful information.

“How about we throw one of our devices with a timer and camera, which we set to return, through the portal and wait for it to come back, as it may give us images of the other side,” suggested Ayumi. She looked very pleased with her own idea. So did the others. Therefore the group set to work on this plan, though they were not sure whether the device could be programmed to return once the timer had run out. It required them to test this, as many times as was necessary to get the right results. Their tests took several days. The first four devices didn’t return, and on the fifth try, it did.

“Brilliant, we have a result,” said Herman. “Come and have a look.” Quickly the entire team gathered in front of the device to see if anything was different about its appearance, for their collective instinct made them reluctant to touch the thing straightaway. Yet the object seemed normal.

“I’ll pick it up,” said Robert, “I’m the one that’s responsible for you all being here. It should be me.” They watched him do so. His movements were careful and steady when taking the device to the workstation. And straightaway Herman examined its digital film footage. He made it come on the screen. Everyone looked with intense eagerness like dogs about to be fed. The next moment, the image of a parking lot appeared in a world much the same as their own, yet it seemed slightly different. The buildings in the distance had an architecture unlike anything familiar to them. They immediately gave one another a baffled expression. Intrigue filled their eyes. Boris scratched his head.

“Who will go first?” asked Ayumi. She seemed to be volunteering, but didn’t want to make this too obvious, though it showed in her body language.

“We can go together,” said Robert, peering down at her.

“You will need to dress inconspicuously,” Herman suggested. “You need to be careful.”

“I agree,” said Robert, and he returned home to change clothing. Ayumi did the same. Everyone agreed to meet later. When the former came back, he had a cylindrical-black bag full of weapons of all sorts, and wasn’t going to take any chances. He was nobody’s fool. His clothes were also black. Nothing fancy. However, Ayumi opted for a dark blue suit, which she once wore at a business meeting and appeared forty minutes after him. Indeed, there was a palpable excitement amongst them all.

So when both Robert and Ayumi were ready, Herman took over in the control room to monitor any of the information coming from the portal for the duration of what would be their first excursion into this new parallel world. Everything seemed fine. The two volunteers took hidden weapons, and a device each, just in case. Then standing in front of the portal, Robert jumped through first, and his companion followed close behind. Both landed in the parking lot after having seen a few flashes of violet light. None of the two were injured.

“What direction should we go in?” asked Ayumi. And Robert scanned the area from side to side. “We should go that way,” he said, pointing at a road marginally to the right of where they were facing. It started just beyond the edge of the parking lot.

“Good – you’re the boss. I’ll follow you wherever you go,” said his intrepid companion. The two headed in that direction, casually, and the hum of the city now felt more apparent. Also the sky began darkening fast. The season felt different from that of their own world, and Ayumi experienced some chilliness and stroked her upper arms for warmth while making shivering sounds.

“Are you alright?” asked Robert.

“Yes, I’m good – It’s just the weather is colder – colder than where we come from.”

As the two reached the road, a man came into view walking in their direction. He was somewhat tall and looked normal. Now this world seemed odder than their own, somehow, yet not drastically different. However, certain differences were obvious. And as the man approached close, they gave him a good eyeing over to ascertain his exact demeanor. He appeared average enough. Not particularly unusual.

“Hello,” said the man, “are you new to the city?” There was a friendliness to him that caught them off guard.

“Yes, how do you know?” asked Robert.

“Ah, you both have a different way abou you to most people from around here, and you seem a little lost,” he said. The man had a straightforward and non threatening attitude, whilst also coming across as inquisitive. Clearly not like the people they were used to.

“If you don’t mind, would you be able to show us around? And by the way, what is your name?” said Robert, still on his guard. The man could turn out to be untrustworthy, but everyone deserves a chance.

“My name is Michael Gibson, and yes, I can show you around . . . Are there any areas in particular you’d like to see?

“Only the main parts. The center of the city, and the business areas.”

“What are your names?” asked Michael.

“I’m Robert Ellison, and this is Ayumi Miyakawa.”

“Interesting – follow me,” said Michael, and then he turned one hundred and eighty degrees to face the direction he’d come from and they all walked at a leisurely pace together. Also, he seemed very clever and kind, with blue eyes that hinted at intellectual speculations and political intrigues.

“Are you a couple ?” he asked.

“No, we’re just friends,” said Ayumi, looking a little uncomfortable, for naturally their tendency not to reveal too much still felt strong. Of course, trust is earned, just like respect, and this stranger had not proven himself worthy of much of either. Therefore they all walked around the city for a few hours. It got late, and Michael gave them his own contact details before he left. Then finding a secluded alley, the two used one of their devices to open the portal to return back to the warehouse in their own world.

Following this, the group made numerous excursions to other worlds similar to their own, and Robert engaged in several black market deals between those other worlds and his own, which became his specialty. In time, he managed to accrue great wealth. No one suspected a thing. However, nothing lasts forever, and tensions mounted in his dealings as certain envious feelings arose in the hearts of some of his clients. One of them, in particular, grew suspicious and sent a spy to watch Robert, and the secret to his success became revealed. The man that sent the spy came from one of those other worlds and went by the name of Kurt Shulz. He had a shady character, but disguised it under a cloud of charisma. Shulz had many cronies.

2

The almost constant activities in the warehouse were frantic and Robert now had many more employees than ever before. At times, it was even chaotic, as there were limits to the quantity of goods which could be taken through the portal at any one time. Nevertheless, he organized everything carefully and trusted everyone that worked for him. The warehouse was full of small wooden crates branded with a mysterious red-geometric logo containing advanced tech protected by gray-spongy material that smelt synthetic.

Herman still enjoyed working from the control room because it enabled him to relax and feel important. And recently he had developed badges with chips inside, which could be tracked. They all wore one. It was a precautionary measure. The badge looked innocuous, like a round-black button. Nothing eye-catching.

Presently, Robert was sitting in the control room with Herman and Ayumi discussing matters of how profits were to be split. Clearly the latter two wanted more of a cut of the total earnings.

“We work, and we work, and you take most of the share,” protested Ayumi. Her expression looked frustrated, but she spoke with great repose.

“Yes, that’s true. However, you work for me, and I make all the decisions of importance. Also, I’m the one that has to make the deals and figure out the logistics of what we’re doing,” argued Robert.

Immediately she gave him another frustrated glance and then resigned herself to examining the main console. Elsewhere, Boris was attending to a task that no one else cared much about, but which occupied him thoroughly, and this involved cleaning an area used as a canteen. The warehouse also had toilets that he sometimes cleaned too. He loved to work hard and came from Belarus, though he preferred to live in America, which is the country where Ayumi became his best friend. They had studied together at MIT, and is the place where both had met Herman. Yet the lives of those three were more precarious now because they were deeply embroiled in their benefactor’s schemes. Indeed, greed and ambition were Robert’s main motives. One is a vice, the other, a form of self-empowerment. For even though he was not the most ethical person, Robert never displayed any meanness towards others. Some, it is true, loved him, too. Camille especially. His words meant something. People were loyal to him. And soon he would be meeting again with Kurt Shulz to negotiate the details of another tech transaction. It was scheduled for the following day.

On the next day, as usual, Robert woke up early and did his normal routine. Afterwards, he went to the main office at his wholesale business to do some administration work, and subsequently headed for the warehouse later. A few of his workers were there. Two of these were security. Then he made his way to the control room. Now the exact time he had to leave to meet Mr. Shulz wasn’t very important because whenever someone went through the portal to a specific world, the day and time was always random but later than the last visit. However, they were able to select any specific world from the control room. Herman knew how to do this. And when someone was in one of these worlds, the devices would always open a portal for them to return back to the warehouse. The devices also required a numerical code before the portal could be activated to return the traveler. The team had thought of everything that seemed relevant to maintain a semblance of order.

Inside the control room Robert and Herman were discussing aspects of the proceedings which would occur that day. It is something they usually did. There was a great deal of communication amongst everyone.

Eventually Robert got ready and went through the portal. He appeared behind a train station and walked towards the dock. The dock area is where Mr. Shulz had an office. It was connected to a large storage depository by a door and was his base of operations. The office sat on a little lane that led towards the waters edge. Robert peered in. The office looked empty, so he pressed a buzzer next to the door. A few seconds passed by without incident, then the sound of footsteps appeared from within the depository. A moment later, Mr. Shulz came into the office through a backdoor. He soon opened the front door. “Excellent, my good man. I’m glad you’re here. Come in, come in,” he said.

“Hello, pleased to meet you again,” said Robert, and he walked into the office.

“Please, sit down,” suggested Shulz. He was a big man with dark eyes and a black-leather jacket. His hair had a golden-brown color, with a wavy, greasy look, and not too short. They eyed each other like ambitious men do, like the aristocrats of Ancient Rome. Full of persona, and good manners, but hiding their deadly intentions.

“Now, my analysis of your last order, leads me to suggest you may have a greater desire for some sonic-hyperdrive chambers. Is this true?” suggested Shulz.

“Yes, you would be right, though I’ve also been thinking about whether you might have any military pulse-trackers.”

“Ellison, you have wonderful taste. I can help you with both.”

“Thank you,” said Robert.

“If you’d like, I can show you what I have.”

“Yes, I’m interested.”

Shulz got up and waved at Robert to follow. “Come this way,” he said. They walked towards the backdoor of the office and went through it into a corridor of the depository. The place had a sharp smell of electronics and packaging. Everything looked neat and the walls were white. Then when following his host into a main storage area, Robert was seized upon by five large men. He tried to fight, but it was no good. Afterwards, they escorted him to a sealed basement room. Once there, Shulz removed the portal device from his victim’s jacket pocket. It had been resting inside. He waved it around and the expression on his face quickly changed. “I need to know how to use this,” Shulz said, with a twinkle of sinister ambition in his eyes, “and you’re going to tell me how!”

“Never!” shouted Robert.

Shulz punched him in the stomach and checked his body for weapons. He found a high-caliber pistol tucked into the back of his trousers under the jacket. “In time you’ll talk,” this most devious of men snarled, before exiting with his burly cronies and locking the door from outside. Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance. There was now silence. Luckily, light from a shining bulb shone down and Robert scanned the room. It had large blue, black, and white plastic floor tiles on the floor. The door was a gray-painted metal monstrosity with a type of opening with a flap that someone on the other side could open and look through. On the floor to the right a mattress lay. It had a slightly dirty look. He felt repulsed, and his mind was numb. A few hours went by and someone looked through the opening. Just another of Shulz’s dumb, obedient cronies. They were real meatheads. The man walked off without saying anything. Then about an hour later, he heard a group of footsteps approaching the room. The door opened. It was Shulz, once more, holding a chair and a rope. Also the same five men as before were there, standing to his side. They all came towards Robert like a tidal wave of terror and he was forcibly tied to the chair in a sitting position.

“Tell me how I can use this,” demanded Shulz. He held the device with an angry, menacing glare.

Robert remained silent.

His tormentor punched him full force in the face. “Tell me,” he said. This same treatment went on for a few minutes and still he didn’t speak. He was truly stoic. Nothing could impel Robert to talk.

“I can see it needs a code . . . What’s the code?” continued Shulz.

Still, no answer came.

“I’ll be back later,” remarked his tormentor, still standing there. Then Robert was untied and removed from the chair by him. The victim stumbled into the corner. And Shulz, accompanied by his men, left the room, slamming the door with an almighty thud. There was silence once again. His heart pounded like a locomotive. The bruising felt tolerable. Nothing could break him. He knew this as a deep conviction, and had always believed in himself. Death seemed better than weakness or cowardice. As long as one could remain strong, anything was endurable. Many thoughts entered his mind when alone in that room. So did numerous other flashes of the imagination. Yet most of all, he thought of Camille and her soothing words. They had always meant a lot to him. He would probably never hear them again. His thoughts continued unabated – lost in the solitude of that little room in a world distant from all that he loved and knew.

Now back at the warehouse, some time later, Herman began worrying about his benefactor’s whereabouts. He should have returned already. This troubled him, and he went to find both Boris and Ayumi. The two were together playing a computer game in a secluded part of the warehouse.

“I think Robert’s in trouble,” said Herman to his colleagues.

“Are you sure?” Boris asked.

“Yeah, he should have been back by now . . . We can track him. We know what world he went to.”

The three rapidly gathered around the portal-pad and Ayumi agreed to monitor everything from the control room. The others would track Robert’s whereabouts with trackers. So they activated the portal and went through. Both took weapons. On arriving, the area behind the train station that Robert had passed through earlier was their first sight. And the hand held trackers soon indicated the necessary direction, which showed up like a directional arrow that blipped differently for whatever direction was pointed at. Of course, this led them to the dock, where they could see the office and depository. Certainly Robert was in there somewhere. Then the two watched the place for a few hours to get a sense of the area until returning to the warehouse in their own world using a portal-device.

A debate ensued over what to do, as something had to be done. At that point, Herman made a phone call to Camille Thorson and asked her to meet him and the others at the warehouse on the following day. She sounded worried. Robert had given him her phone number for emergency purposes.

That night seemed to last forever for all involved, and it was a sleepless one for some.

Camille took a day off from work and drove to the warehouse at about midday. On arriving, and meeting the others, she said, “I knew something like this would happen. I’ve warned him so many times to be careful.”

“Robert is Robert, he always follows his own path,” commented Herman.

“I know,” was her response.

Everyone looked restless and fidgety. Then Camille made the following suggestion: “You know, I have an idea. My brother is in the military. I think he can help us.”

“How?” asked Ayumi.

“Well, he knows a lot of people in the paramilitary, and I think he’ll be able to set something up for us, if we pay.”

“That sounds like a good idea. How soon can you get them to come?” said Herman.

“I will have to call my brother and then let you know.”

“Yes, please do.”

So she proceeded to dial her brother’s number. The phone call lasted a few minutes as Camille paced back and forth for its duration. There was a big smile on her face when the call ended. “There’ll be a search and rescue unit here tomorrow,” she said, “and they’ll be ready.”

Everyone looked pleased and relieved, yet not completely free of worries, as they still had to save Robert. Anything could happen.

On the next day a paramilitary unit of sixteen men in dark combat fatigues arrived at three in the afternoon at the warehouse. They were commanded by Unit Leader Rooker, a man of five feet eleven, with a confident, stocky look. He was in his late forties and had steely-gray eyes.

“Me and my men are ready,” said Rooker, “let’s talk terms.”

Herman approached him with a slight hesitation, because no one had ever seen their portal technology before, and to explain to someone that a person needed to be rescued from another world similar to their own, yet different, would not be easy. It required tact. So this is what he said, “Now, this is going to sound strange, but bear with me. I am an engineer, and have developed a portal that can go to other worlds. These worlds look very much like ours. However, my boss and colleague Robert went to one of these worlds and hasn’t returned. I think he’s in trouble. Also, I know his location and I can take you there.”

Rooker stood there unmoved by this revelation. It was part of his training. Then he gave a perplexed glance at everyone and scratched his head. “Okay, I’ll do it, but it’s going to cost you extra. And to be perfectly frank, this is the strangest thing I’ve ever agreed to.”

Herman and the others showed obvious delight in hearing this good news and briefed Rooker as well as his unit on everything else. There were two teams of eight men each, and they didn’t use military ranks. The second in command was an Italian called Silvio De Luca. He would lead the B-Team. Therefore Herman, Rooker, and his men got ready in front of the portal-pad. One by one, everyone that had assembled, went through the portal.

On arriving in the other world, they quickly made their way in the direction of the dock. Some of the passers by were stunned to see an unfamiliar military unit storming through their quiet streets. It was a strange sight. And when having gotten there, the two teams spent some time examining the layout using infrared scanners and other high-tech methods from a secluded vantage point. Afterwards, two of them placed explosives in key areas in a hurry. These were ignited. The unit stormed the unsuspecting depository. There were shouts and gun discharges. Some smoke canisters got thrown. The place was searched systematically from room to room, and it took them a few moments to find their way around. Of course, Shulz’s men were no match for what had hit them, and panic set in. Some even ran away. A few got shot on the spot. Eventually Rooker and his team found their way to the basement room where Robert stood, as he had alarmed them of his presence by shouting out about his whereabouts.

“I guess I’d better thank you. Is Herman here?” said Robert when one of the team members opened the door.

“He’s outside, near here,” answered the man.

On returning the way back from where they had initially come, the main team encountered an enormous amount of gunfire appearing when going in that direction coming from a single gunman, and they had to retreat back somewhat to avoid it. One of the members of their team was killed.

“You think you’re going to get away that easily? Eh!” shouted Shulz, from a position above them on a stairwell. He fired a few more shots in anger.

“Who’s this bozo?” said Rooker.

However, Silvio’s team soon trained their sights on Shulz. At that moment, they came under fire as well from somewhere else, and so had to retreat too.

There was a kind of stalemate.

“Hey Shulz! why don’t we settle this, just you and me,” shouted Robert. There was a moment of tension in that smoky atmosphere.

“Are you crazy? . . . I have you pinned down,” came his response.

“If we fight and you defeat me, I’ll give you access to my portal technology. How’s that for a deal?” insisted Robert, with a desire to resolve the situation.

“Marvelous – I look forward to pounding your face in!” remarked Shulz. He started walking down the remaining part of the stairs and across the floor towards his opponent. They were like gladiators in an arena. The others were the spectators. It was man against man. No bullshit!

Instantly the two began circling each other like objects in a whirlpool. Each trying to evaluate the moves of the other by looking for any weaknesses. Who would make the first move? Then Shulz came charging in with a punch that missed. He attempted another, and lightly grazed his opponent’s temple. Robert gave him a swift kick. The rate of attempted strikes soon increased from both sides. Also did their fury. At some point they started sweating. Robert couldn’t match the cold ferocity of the man before him, and began thinking of him as a psychopath. He probably was. Nevertheless, the fight had to continue. Shulz caught Robert with another punch. This one rocked him, and he got frustrated and attempted some counter punching moves. Naturally this worked better than what he’d been doing previously. But his opponent caught on, and altered his approach to match. So Robert had to get more offensive and caught Shulz with a good sequence of punches. Before long, the fighters were getting increasingly tired, and likewise more vulnerable. It seemed tough going. And Shulz now got his opponent in a headlock and the two went down to the ground. Therefore the fight became a matter of strength and grappling at close quarters. Soon Robert began faltering because his rival was stronger and got on top. Shulz then quickly punched him numerous times and wouldn’t cease.

“Stop, stop!” said Rooker.

However, that beast of a man kept punching Robert without mercy. He would not stop. Something had to be done. So Rooker came up to Shulz from behind and hit him on the back of the head with the butt of his automatic weapon. The latter fell over onto the ground. True, Robert looked like he was in bad shape, but at least, still alive. And Rooker helped him up on his feet. Then the two of them and the rest of the main team made their way towards the stairwell. Yet presently there were still a few of Shulz’s cronies lurking around, as a firefight immediately sparked off between them and Silvio’s team. It appeared to be occurring on the floor above, near the stairwell.

On the way up the stairs, Rooker’s team joined in the firefight. The noises of the bullets were continuous. The enemy had been caught on both sides. Eventually, they surrendered. The ordeal was over, yet the paramilitary unit had lost three men. Death is part of the game . . . Money the reward.

Rooker wanted to take his fallen men, as they deserved to have proper funerals back in their own world. The three dead bodies were gathered and placed in a row outside the depository. Afterwards, Herman approached Robert to see how he was doing, and both felt relieved to know everything turned out fine. A few minutes later, everyone returned to the warehouse by means of the portal devices. Boris and Ayumi, as well as a few other workers were there to greet them. There seemed to be a sense of euphoria in the mood of all the people gathered. It felt like a triumph of wits.

And following this ordeal, Robert went home to recover for a few days. It helped to experience a safe environment. His face still looked bruised. Also his previous greed appeared more questionable in his own mind. There were many things to ponder, and he had numerous workers to keep things running during his absence.

The condominium smelt better than ever. Camille had made various changes. He selected some Gustav Mahler on the console and listened to it in a sort of calm repose. The music soothed his mind and struck him as heavenly. His living room now contained more plants than before. There were even a few Crocuses and Orchids in plastic pots. The scent smelt wondrous and he looked out the window. The sky was pleasant and blue. No clouds could be discerned in the heavens. The world came alive with sound, and the sound of children, even a dog could be heard in the distance. But then, silence came again. Momentary silence. His thoughts drifted unabated. Some were concrete images. Others were connected to desires for the future. So the thought of compensating the families of the three fallen paramilitary men became paramount. He felt it his duty to do something because those brave soldiers had risked their lives to save him, and this, he wanted to find out about through Camille’s brother. Now rest was the most important thing. Rest and relaxation. The events of the world could wait, and also the events of all the other worlds, both discovered or undiscovered.

Meanwhile Herman occupied his time by making improvements to the portal-pad. He even started work on writing a manual for the technology created by the team. Of course, it would be an electronic manual. Writing on paper was too old fashioned for him and a great reminder of the old world when people were less concerned with environmental issues. The thought of killing trees for paper had always bothered him. You could say, he was sensitive to such things. To him, the future meant a lot. At times, he even wished to be able to get transported into the future. This had always been his greatest fantasy. He harbored a vivid imagination. Nevertheless, time travel was a tricky nut to crack. Yet it didn’t hurt to be optimistic.

And in the days after Robert returned, the group got much closer, for they trusted one another more. Therefore having learned his lesson well, Robert decided to give Herman, Boris, Ayumi, and his other workers a greater share of the profits. In fact, Ayumi was so pleased that she gave him an immense hug. This brought a smile to everyone’s face, as indeed it should.