This one's a bit longer... there are actually a few jumps involved, so I'm awefully sorry if it ends up too hard to keep up with ;-;


"So, let me get this straight." Lazerus pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a slow, irritated sigh, "You agreed to one of her plans, involving me, without even considering consulting me?"

"Essentially, yes." I laughed, slurping at my drink as Emily continued her rant on her invention.

"-same pain as root canal and child birth at the same time, if properly done."

"What, now?" My head shot up, alarms practically going though my head.

"You've experienced worse." Omega laughed in a faulty attempt of comfort.

"Very few times, yes." I sighed, watching the girl's hand as she passed the device to me.

"Can I trust a maniac like you?" Her eyebrows raised as she studied me.

"I've seen worse crazy." I laughed, taking the machine from her.

"I'll take your word on that." Se let out a hesitant sigh, handing another to Lazerus.

The device looked close to that of a large computer chip, except with buttons and flashing numbers.

"Did you not pay attention to my briefing?" Her eyes narrowed, anger tinting her voice.

"No, no, no." I let out a hesitant laugh, rubbing circles into the base of my skull, "I'm just preparing myself for excruciating pain."

"You're lying through your teeth!" Omega laughed at me.

"Not now." I snapped in as quiet of a whisper that I could manage.

"Alright." He calmed down a bit, "Attach it anywhere, really. You have me, so you don't have to worry about accessibility."

I sighed, placing the device over the skin of where I wanted it; outside of my right thigh, just above finger length.

"And then you press the red button." His tone was tedious, "Are you sure that you trust her?"

"Nope." I hovered my finger over the button, beginning to second guess myself, "She's kinda our last shot, here." I pressed the button, listening to a humming as it slowly came to a stop.

"That wasn't too b-" I bit my tongue, cringing at the sudden rush of pain that consumed the entirety of my body.

"Spoke too soon?" Omega chuckled at my pain.

"Not...Now..." I hissed through my teeth, unable to move a single muscle. I couldn't even unclench my jaw.

I watched the concrete floor, my vision blackening at the edges. I felt as if I were falling apart at the seams.

And then there was darkness.


I opened my eyes, body shooting upward.

"You alright, there?" Lazerus looked over me, concern heavy in his expression.

"Meh." I shrugged, reaching up to my lips to see somewhat dried red cling to my fingers. I looked down at my leg. The machine had burrowed its way through my skin, obviously latched to the bone underneath. Blood stained my skin, but the pain had been long gone, "I've suffered worse."

"Why is it that I believe that?" He put a hand onto my shoulder, laughing his ass off until his face sunk in realization, "Soo... How bad, exactly, is the pain."

"Well," I looked up toward the ceiling, trying to find my words, "absolutely indescribable." I gave him a smug grin.

"Shit..." He sighed, looking over the device.

"Better get some adrenaline going through them veins."


"Everyone know the plan?" Emily looked over us, twirling a syringe between her fingers, as if she's done so many times before.

"I guess." I looked at my own syringe. It was full of a silvery fluid, almost like that of mercury... but it's obviously not.

"Alright." She smiled a bit, "Set the 'Jumper' to forty-two epsilon of midnight, July second, then." She stuck the needle into her neck, pushing at the plunger, "I'll see you guys on the other side, I guess."

"See you, then." Lazerus gave her a quick nod, typing data into his right arm before jabbing his leg with the syringe. He then closed his eyes, silence filling the room.

I typed at the machine on my leg, injecting the fluid into my body shortly after. I then sat in a butterfly formation, closing my eyes and lowering my head.

Thud! The sound of Emily falling over echoed over the silence.

"I'm pretty sure that's far different from forty-two epsilon." Omega laughed at me.

Thud! Now Lazerus is down.

"I'll get there, soon." I sighed, feeling a dizzy spell take over me, "I just have to take care of something, first."


I awoke to a moonlit sky and grass against my back. Both of which I haven't experienced in a long while.

"I prefer the other one." Omega chuckled, "Every week, there was some sort of implosion."

I sat up, looking underneath me. Green, wet grass. I looked around. Other yards were more dead. I woke up on someone's lawn, that much I know. They must really care for their greenery.

"Of course you enjoyed that." I laughed, barely managing to get myself to stand as I dusted myself off. I looked over my arms. Small patches of rotting flesh scattered my tan skin.

This is what happens every time I jump, though this is the third, so I don't have a sufficient amount of data. Unlike Lazerus, and from what I could tell from Emily and a lot of the other jumpers I've met, I go sometime after obvious decay.

Typically jumpers have an incapability to jump after this stage, at least that's what we had concluded. If the organs are gone, or obstructed, the jump just doesn't work.

It's just one more thing that makes me special.

"You had your lab, I had my lunar bombing." He let out a sort of an evil laugh, "We all had things we enjoyed."

"Yeah." I stood up, checking that my gasmask bag wouldn't fall off of my shoulder.

"Is this-"

"Yup." I sighed, beginning my journey.

"Why are we even here?"

"I just… have to take care of something."

He went silent for a moment, "I understand."

"Good," I laughed, watching the buildings and I continued to leave the neighborhood, "because it's about an hour walk there."

"How did we even end up so close?" The voice seemed somewhat distant, now.

I checked my bag, finding Omega seated on the screen of my tablet.

"Don't know." I sighed, opening an application, "Could you do me a favor?"

"And that may be?"

"Set up a constant internet connection. Every universe we visit, I'm going to need you to keep tabs on."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow to me, "And what happens when I get too old for you?"

"Then I'll fix you, of course." I laughed, holding my side a bit. My body's weak, just like it had been before any of this jumping, "Just like last time, you'll end up as good as new!"

"And what happens when I'm beyond repair?"

I stopped for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts, "Then…" What would I do? I've known Omega for at least half of my life. No way could I be able to do without him… and it's not like anyone would just help a random person with no records on themselves, "I'll just jump until I find a universe that has good enough technology!" I spoke in a confident attitude, continuing my tread.

"And pain killers." He laughed, lying down at the base of the screen.

"Yeah, and that."


"Let's hope you know what you're doing." The AI dismissed himself from my data-pad screen, returning to the chip on the back of my neck.

"Yeah." I sighed, pulling the hood of my jacket over my head, "And it should happen right about…"

A girl came from the stairwell, rattling off in Italian.

"It surprises me how much you know when your memory of freelancer after is utter shit."

"I wonder the same." I spoke in a near whisper, "It just comes and goes."

"Do you need something?" The woman turned to face me, speaking in broken english.

Her face was flawless. Her eyes behind her glasses were heavy with emotion. Her hair mostly hidden by a black beanie.

"Sorry." I ducked my head a bit, "I'm just waiting here for a friend."

"Alright." She watched me for a moment, "Stay warm."

"Thank you, Miss." I nodded to her, watching as she closed the door behind her and locked it.


I waited a few hours before taking my hand out of my pocket, pulling out a key. I then opened the door, quietly shutting it behind me.

"Breaking an entering?" My artificial friend laughed at me, "Since when did you stoop so low?"

I immediately walked to the candle-lit dining room, fingertips brushing against the laminate countertop. I quickly grabbed a receipt of hair dye and instant noodles, scrawling on the back and sticking it onto the front of a refrigerator.

I then took a few quiet steps to another room. The door was open, lit by computer light. I peaked inside to see the woman asleep on the bed.

"Michele?" Omega's voice held a heavy amount of concern as I slowly proceeded forward, "What are you planning on doing?"

"My first jump, I woke with my glasses." I continued to approach the woman, "Though I made sure they were on my desk, I found them in my case, in my pocket." I reached over to her for a moment, hesitating for a bit.

"I don't think you want to try that out, now."

I reached over to the woman, pinching her nose between my thumb and index finger while covering her eyes and mouth.

She began to thrash around toward the end. All I could tell her was "Sorry," though I'm almost positive my words meant nothing.

Then there was silence.

"Hope you're proud of yourself." My AI spoke in a somewhat hallow tone.

"Hey, we're still here." I spoke in a relieved tone, dropping my arm to my side.

"Never pull stunts like that ever again."

"Yeah, yeah." I reached over the the nightstand, picking up the glasses case, "Alright, girl." I laughed, picking the girl up from her bed, "You're coming with us."

After that, we walked a few miles surprisingly unnoticed, and I buried her. I later found a place I've never seen people at, setting my device to forty-two Epsilon and killing myself for the third time tonight.


"Damn, are you okay?" Emily watched me, discontent in her eyes.

"This... is just normal." I looked down at my arms, the disgusting patches of flesh larger than before.

"It's a hideous kind of normal." Her face contorted before she turned away from me.

"Where are we?" Lazerus looked over the vegetation that surrounded us.

"Chorus." I responded almost instantly, poking at a vine.

"And how are you so sure about that?" She quickly looked over her shoulder.

"I..." I stood up, looking around some more, "I was here... I... we..." I stopped for a moment, examining a building in the distance, "We crashed here... Years from now."

"Oh?" She laughed somewhat dryly, "So you must know your way around."

"... Yeah." I dragged out the word, glancing between her and the satchel she held onto, "Yeah! There's a good place to sleep with internet! We could use it to gather research on this universe."

"That we could." She laughed, "I'd like to explore the area a bit, though. Could you point out the way?"

"Yeah." I pointed to where I was going to be heading, "It's over there. I'd be willing to take your bag, if you'd like."

She watched me for a moment, questioning me, "Sure." Her tone was hesitant as she handed me her bag.

"Alright!" I smiled, turning toward the building, "See you guys there!" I laughed, starting my journey.

"Stay safe." Lazerus called after me.

"Will do." I gave him a backwards wave, allowing my face to sink into a more focused manner, "O?"

"On it." Omega sighed, leaving the chip at the back of my neck for a short moment, "Alright. Finished."

I may not have all the data on what it means to be a jumper, but I do have a theory.

You see, I don't think that we alter a universe by existing in it. I believe that we are actually what shape it. Call it a hunch, if you may, but I do believe Emily Grey hated me the day we first met on Chorus, as if I had done evil to her.


Where will Michele's adventures take her, now? Tune in next time on: Break-out!