They lay on the bed in the hotel room.

Truly, the bed was large enough for ten people – exactly ten people… Zaire knew because he had once had a party where nine girls were entertained on a similar-sized bed.

Kimberly snuggled closer, placing her head on his chest.

Automatically, Zaire’s fingers snaked through her hair, massaging her scalp with careful movements that he would never have imagined himself capable of.

‘Then again… this is a part of sex and I am a master at that…’ He convinced himself.

Zaire could feel his flaccid cock clutched between Kimberly’s legs, still wet with her excreted juices from the rounds of sex.

They fucked in the pool…

They fucked on the ledge…

They fucked on the lounge chairs…

When people came up to the pool, they hid in a hammock and made love silently…

Then, they took the fucking onto the elevator – the kind of elevator with no camera that only the fully-paying guests had access to…

They fucked in their hotel room; then, exhaustion put an end to the fucking…

Kimberly marveled in the euphoria of a proper dicking session… there was sex and then, there was sex with Zaire.

Somehow, sex with Zaire was different from the normal sex of her past two relationships.

She pecked random places on his chest, sometimes licking the areas with sparser chest hair as if her saliva would allow it to grow.

Zaire liked it – she could tell.

“You’re up…” She groaned, pivoting her body, and placing her head on her hands as she met his eyes.

“Never slept,” He commented.

“Why?” She questioned. “Wanted to treasure the moment?”

“Exactly…” Zaire replied. “Up you go,” He scooped Kimberly into his arms, stood in all his naked beauty, and exited the bedroom. The large living room held massive windows on the east-facing wall.

Zaire stopped in front of the window – he still held Kimberly close, though he did raise her a bit higher, so she could see the world from his view.

The town below was filled with lights, skyscrapers, and colorful buildings that stood out against the darkness.

The stars in the night sky were faint but there… they stood at the window for nearly an hour and most of the time, Kimberly’s head was tilted upwards to the stars.

Zaire was never one to look at the stars – at least, not in this life. There was a time, as a child, when the stars were his aim in this life but when his abilities as a Jumper started to manifest, he often found himself Jumped hundreds of feet in the air.

It was already dangerous being a Jumper, there was no need to make things more complicated by one Jumping out of the Earth’s atmosphere – a feat Zaire knew he was capable of.

At some point, Kimberly stood on her feet, back pressed against Zaire’s chest… the gathered warmth of their bodies comforted them both.

Kimberly also carefully wrapped a portion of her sheet around Zaire’s shoulder, ensuring they were both protected by the sheet, but naked beneath it.

Usually, Zaire would have opted for another round of sex – he could feel his cock between Kimberly’s buttcheeks, and she would occasionally grind against him.

But sex was the last thing on both their minds.

Kimberly wasn’t someone who could remain still for prolonged periods of time, and the atmosphere between them was weirdly loving… it was something neither of them had experienced before.

In the absence of sex…

In the absence of sound and stimulating thoughts…

Zaire and Kimberly found that they didn’t find each other’s company any less wanted… strangely, the lack of communication made them feel evermore connected.

“This is amazing…” Kimberly commented, spinning out of Zaire’s arms and sliding onto the soft cushion of the cream-colored couches. “Never thought I’d be staying in the Presidential Suite of any hotel… let alone this one.”

Zaire, once again naked, slipped onto the couch next to Kimberly – she hardly waited until he had sat before slipping onto his lap, once again trapping him in her white cocoon.

“If you could go anywhere… anywhere your mind could perceive,” He voiced. “Where would you go?” Zaire questioned – a true question without any manipulations for answers.

“I’d want to go somewhere nobody has gone before,” Kimberly replied in a daze. “Send me to a planet in the far corner of the universe. Somewhere far away from everything and everyone… I’d have like five kids and we’d be happy together. They’d be safe and we’d be happy, and I would have a candy on my arm—” She joked, linking her arm with Zaire. “And he would cook and clean and… we’d just be happy.”

Zaire stared at Kimberly for a couple of seconds, stunned by the answer… he was aware it was just her need to run away from everything now that her sex video had been revealed but…

It amazed him nonetheless.

The Jumper leaned forward, grabbing the sides of Kimberly’s face – his movements were deliberately slow, granting the girl enough time to rebuff him.

Because… if she accepted the kiss, she would be bound by chains she didn’t yet understand.

Kimberly saw the incoming lips – she knew there was something different about the kiss. For a moment, she considered shrinking away, but even without conscious thought, she found her body leaning forward.

Their lips met in a crackle of electricity.

A shiver ran through her body and suddenly, she felt as if she was present in a dozen different places at once.

There were bell chimes when her mind thought about Big Ben in London…

There was refreshing air when she thought about the deep, depths of The Amazon Rainforest.

An instant of overwhelming heat assaulted her feet when her mind drifted to the thoughts of deserts with golden sands.

This caused her mind to drift to the explosion of a volcano but as if sensing something devastating, Zaire leaped backward and pulled Kimberly along.

Suddenly, her thoughts became sluggish, and… she fell unconscious as if strings had been cut.

“Fucking strange…” Zaire voiced, clutching his aching chest.

He, better than anyone, understood what almost had happened – he had almost made Kimberly his home.

Every Jumper needed a stabilizing location in space – this place was called their home… somewhere their Jumps would always return to, regardless of the distance or emotions.

Zaire’s home was broken with his mother’s death and since then, he had been a Jumper without a home, and that allowed him to program his subconscious in certain ways.

“I am not willing to lose that advantage,” Zaire voiced, almost as if to convince himself more than anyone.

The Jumper settled Kimberly on the couch, rushed to the bathroom, and slipped the girl into a bathrobe that would ensure he was no longer tempted to fuck her.

A quick shower followed.

He was confident Kimberly would not be awakened any time soon – she had taken the full brunt of quite possibly a dozen half-jumps, each of which hit like a sledgehammer to the brain.

In those cases, every half-idea would take The Jumper to a different location, and it was an impulse Zaire had only managed to quell after years of training.

Still, Kimberly had brought such latent habits out of him with a mere kiss.

“If there was no proof she was bad for me before,” He voiced. “Now this is solid proof of why I can’t continue fucking this girl…”

It was the excuse he needed to sever all ties.

Once out of the shower, Zaire sunk into the couch next to the unconscious Kimberly – he stared at her face for what felt like forever but was closer to four hours.

…………

Those four hours brought him to a couple of minutes past four in the morning.

The time felt longer… Zaire felt as if he had known the girl for longer but as he reviewed the timeline in his mind, The Jumper realized he didn’t know the girl at all.

An explosion caused by Patty and Brenda – probably seriously wounded in the hospital back in Reston – brought him to Angel Grove.

He appeared at the bottom of a pool, and was aided by Kimberly, they spent the night together literally sleeping, escaped in the morning, and parted ways.

The next day, today, he came back with countless plans that were forgotten as they danced through hallways, got deep tissue massages, and fucked in pools.

‘Time to get back on mission…’ Zaire reminded himself.

As a Jumper, one being hunted by Nazis and aware there was a large shit-storm approaching, every one of Zaire’s moves had to be deliberate.

Every Jump had to possess a purpose and if there was none, like that one time he randomly jumped into a prison, Zaire found a purpose… such as getting acquainted with an expert forger in Otisville Federal Correctional Institution.

As for the mission this time, and as much as it broke his heart, Zaire came to leave the Hummer with someone he could trust… his Hummer had accompanied him for most of his time in Reston.

Alas, recently, it had become the trailing clue to many crimes – the fight at The Stanford party, the ambush by Nazis, and just generally being recognized as Zaire’s signature car.

Zaire sighed and stared at Kimberly’s sleeping expression. “Please take good care of her,” He pleaded, knowing the girl could not hear him.

The Jumper proceeded to neatly fold the clothing he had shed in several locations across the hotel room, not that a kitchen, dining room, several showers, and bedrooms could be called a room.

Zaire set the clothing on the table just in front of the sleeping Kimberly – it would be one of the first things she noticed upon awakening.

Then, he proceeded to write a note.

The note detailed a bunch of lies that could be easily proven, a fake number to an equally fake bank with a dedicated receptionist skilled in bullshitting people, and several other minor details, including why the Hummer now belonged to Kimberly.

Zaire slipped into one of the many suits in the closet; then, he hesitated and grabbed a duffle bag that allowed him to take all the suits from the closet.

“I already paid for the room,” He grumbled.

Paying for the room meant he owned everything inside of it and while normal rich people would not even bother with the suits, shampoos, and endless snacks gifted by the hotel, Zaire’s Jumper status meant he could only be considered selectively rich.

It was not above him to pocket all the expensive stuff from the very expensive room he paid for – albeit, he kept what he took to a minimum so Kimberly wouldn’t notice upon awakening.

‘She’ll probably take everything else…’ He chuckled. ‘I’ll be glad if she does…’

Zaire wore the duffle bag across his shoulders, gave the room a once over, and exited the room with very reluctant steps… even if his mind was made up, his body still felt Kimberly’s lingering kiss.

“What is so special about that girl?” He pondered.

He tried to recall if her name was on The Nazi list but of course, nothing could be that easy… especially not when he barely remembered the list, to begin with.

“Besides, if everyone on the list is like Brian Finch,” Zaire snorted. “Humanity is done for anyway… might as well fuck some celebrities before I go…” He cynically voiced.

…

The elevator was private and Zaire had checked and double-checked, even once Jumping into the control room, to ensure that there was no hidden camera in the elevator.

Zaire disliked the sensation of riding an elevator… he had Jumped hundreds of feet in the air many times so he wasn’t particularly afraid of falling, but he was afraid of the sensation that existed between falling and being stationary.

DING

The Receptionist had changed to someone else – also a male but very much less attractive.

‘These people know their shit…’ He noted.

Any businessman would be reluctant to leave his wife at a hotel with an attractive receptionist, lest his wife call for room service behind his back.

Of course, Zaire had no such concerns with Kimberly but he felt comforted nonetheless.

‘I should also be grateful that I am big enough that my girls take days to recover after we fuck…’

“How may I help you, sir?”

Zaire sunk into silence for a couple of seconds, examining The Receptionist from head to toe… somewhere in the back of his mind, Zaire knew he was considering whether the receptionist should be kept alive.

Paranoia was rearing its head once more.

“I need some of the rare, exotic stuff…” Zaire responded, meeting The Receptionist’s blue eyes. “Not molly or ecstasy, but more like Purple Haze and Blue Dream.”

The Receptionist frowned. “I may know someone, but he is expensive. He prefers to trade in favors instead of cash, and…” The man hesitated before continuing. “—this guy, he sells by the pounds…”

Zaire bent his back, meeting The Receptionist's eyes on his level… he wanted to measure the man absolutely to check if the deal was as certain as it sounded.

The last thing a Jumper needed was to get on the FBI’s radar… because then, other departments would get involved and Zaire would have to abandon his rather comfortable life in the middle of nowhere Reston.

“The rarer the better,” Zaire ultimately decided, trusting the hotel’s reputation more than anything. “—and I am someone whose favor he will want to have.”

The Receptionist smiled and nodded, quickly pressing a few buttons on the hidden panel beneath the counter. “Lucky for us, he works out of the hotel… coincidentally. He will be waiting for you next to the Hummer,” The Man added.

Zaire nodded and departed.

………………

True to the promises made, when Zaire appeared from the elevator leading to the parking lot, he was created by a very beautiful, blonde woman leaning against his Hummer.

The trunk of his Hummer had already been raised, causing Zaire to raise a brow.

“Precautions,” The woman voiced as soon as he was close enough to hear her. “—this way, if you are a cop, all of this weed belongs to you and I was just coincidentally standing nearby.”

Zaire examined the woman, matching a job to the face. “You’re the…” He thought for a couple of seconds and confirmed his memory. “You’re the pool cleaner, right?”

“Even Recreational Experts need to have part-time jobs,” She justified, smiling beautifully as she flipped her blonde hair to the side. “—I knew you’d be a wonderful customer the moment I saw you.”

Zaire wasn’t one for small talk and he had seen more beautiful women… hell, Kimberly was more beautiful and he had just finished sleeping with her.

His sexual urges had been satiated.

“Just get to the point,” The Jumper ordered. “Show me what you have.”

The blonde dealer stepped aside, revealing a semi-colorful array of cannabis in a small case – she had brought samples of each strain in her possession.

“Very professional…” Zaire complimented.

“Thank you, I try my best,” She voiced.

Zaire pretended not to notice her intention of originally wanting to say we but changed it to I when she realized the blunder would implicate the hotel.

He started to sort through the collection, picking up one twig after the next, smelling the samples, and even using a lighter to enhance the drifting scents.

“Henry likes the sweet flavors, and she prefers a creative high,” Zaire raised a yellowish strain of cannabis. “Is this Gelato?” He questioned.

“Yeah…” The Blonde Dealer cheerfully replied. “It enhances creativity and has a fruity, sweet flavor.”

“A pound of Gorilla Glue, two pounds of White Widow, some purple haze…” Zaire sunk into his thoughts for a couple of seconds, examining the samples in the case; then, he made a decision. “Give me a pound of everything…”

“What!?”

“Give me a pound of all your strains,” He repeated, knowing it was a bad idea but unwilling to let the opportunity pass nonetheless. “I want to stock up for Posterity…”

The Blonde Dealer was stunned for a moment, then she smirked and fished a small remote out of her pocket… she pressed a specific button and…

Three cars from random locations in the parking lot blared. “We need to move all the product into one car but—” She smiled gratefully. “That should fulfill your order… and take the car as well.”

Switching all the weed into one car was an easy job and of course, Zaire chose the Jeep Wrangler as his new vehicle of choice.

Better yet because he was leaving the hummer behind… a necessary measure, especially considering what he was hiding inside of it.

The Blonde Dealer left with a card linked to an account with sixty thousand dollars and the promise of a favor owed.

Zaire spent the remaining period until midday stashing duffle bags of evidence, cash, and some minor weapons in the lining of the Hummer.

By the time he was done, there was no part of the Hummer left unexploited… and of course, Kimberly would be none the wiser about the fact she’d be driving a contingency plan.

Zaire’s contingency plan!

‘If worse comes to worse… Kimberly will have to save my life,’ His thoughts comforted.

When everything was taken care of, Zaire slipped into the Hummer for one last time, reaching into the dashboard to replace the registration papers.

The papers now specified ‘Kimberly Hart’.

Of course, all the other minor matters had been taken care of… even the license plates had been changed and registered in the system.

Also, the internal camera of the Hummer had been re-installed… Zaire never needed it and it would even work against him in some way, but Kimberly had no need to be as paranoid.

‘And it will allow me to check up on her when I want…’ He reasoned.

The Jumper hopped into the Jeep, finding the key in the ignition; then, he started the car and drove off… as soon as the vehicle was around the corner of the parking lot, free from the sight of all cameras…

WHOOOOOOSH

…………………………

The previous night found Jenna and Henry relaxing in her bedroom.

“Haven’t seen Zaire in a while,” Jenna mentioned, shifting on the bed. “Aren’t you worried?”

“You do know he hit me, right?” Henry narrowed her eyes.

“That’s before his house exploded…”

Henry shrugged, worrying making its way onto her face. “I know Zaire… that guy has nine lives,” She sunk into thought and added. “And a very heavy hand…” She rubbed her cheek.

“So…” Jenna was aware of the conversation turning awkward but she wanted to know nonetheless. “—did he hit you, hit you?” She questioned. “Or, did he? Like… hold back at the last moment?”

“Zaire pulled entire plantain trees out of the ground in South Africa,” Henry complained. “Do you have any idea how huge, and thick his hands are? If Zaire truly slapped me, my head would be sent flying!”

“Then, he held back…” Jenna voiced. “Why are you still ma—”

“Because it’s Zaire…” Henry growled, eyes narrowing as she tried to restrain unshed tears. “You have to understand him. Zaire is not someone you can control and that motherfucker is brutal. It’s one thing to have a friendly snake around your neck but when it starts to squeeze, you don’t keep it there!”

“You mean?” Jenna was confused.

“Oh my gosh!” Henry realized, staring into Jenna’s eyes. “You have totally drunk the Zaire-lemonade. Jenna… listen to me when I tell you that guy is a fucking Sociopath!”

“Henry—” Jenna frowned.

“No, JENNA!” Henry grabbed the sides of Jenna’s face, forcing her sister to meet her eyes. “—I am fucked up. Epileptic, a thief, sick graffiti skills… I even stabbed a bitch once. I am fucked up…” Henry released the sides of Jenna’s face when she was sure her sister would not withdraw. “But as messed up as I am, it cannot compare to fucking Zaire Aionios!”

Jenna wanted to argue but she had to admit, there was nobody who knew Zaire Aionios better than Henry.

That night, the topic of their conversation drifted from one meaningless thing to the next… until, ultimately, they both drifted to sleep on Henry’s bed.

Morning came… the first hints of sunlight.

WHOOOOOOOOSH

Space churned and Zaire appeared in the room – he remained stationary for a couple of seconds, gauging the situation of the two girls on the bed.

‘Isn’t Henry supposed to be out or getting a snack at this time?’ He wondered. ‘And why is Jenna in her room?’

Zaire sighed in exasperation and decided not to think too deeply into the matter… he would have liked to think that the sisters were bonding but knowing Henry…

‘She has too many self-destructive properties…’

For a moment, The Jumper simply appreciated the moment… Henry was peacefully asleep… Jenna was peacefully asleep.

Chloe and Thomas, in their rooms across the hall, were also peacefully sleeping…

It made Zaire feel dirty – Henry was soon to have responsibilities to the world, and to Jumpers in general… it would be responsibilities that would weigh on her shoulders.

‘Her family will probably be broken…’

Zaire’s eyes focused on Jenna – she was someone important to him… only less important than Henry because she was not a Jumper.

They had been childhood friends.

‘Fate is a fucked-up thing…’ He mused.

Zaire took quiet steps toward the bed but he wasn’t interested in either Henry or Jenna… he reached under the bed and withdrew the paint canisters Henry kept hidden at all times.

He needed the canisters for what came next.

The rest of the time, until the sun rose truly and brilliantly, was spent carefully airbrushing a coded message onto the back wall in Henry’s bedroom.

Zaire could always tell when Henrietta was really and truly mad at him since the back wall was his artistic area in her room and now, it had been thoroughly painted over with white.

‘Just need to paint it over again…’

As for the message Zaire left on the wall, it simply read ‘Restaurant, Africa, Fruits, Galleries and Henny-Zaza…’.

This message wasn’t exactly a secret but The Jumper was sure that Henry was the only one who could appreciate every part of the message… they once considered what they could live without and made a list of what was absolutely necessary in their lives.

It had been a rowdy debate, and they had fought over the matter for a couple of days before inventing a way to make them both happy in life… even if their lives were joined together.

Zaire needed to return to Africa at some point… it was his home, and Henry wanted to explore his home with him.

Henry wanted to own a gallery to display all facets of her art, and Zaire wanted to see just what beautiful things her mind could imagine.

They both liked fruity drinks.

Zaire wanted a restaurant – he loves to cook and Henry loves to eat what he cooks… the agreement was that he cooks and she samples every dish.

And finally, the agreement was signed using their nicknames, Zaza and Henny.

Zaire examined the message a couple of times, always adding a bit more artistic flare to the words just as he was thinking about leaving.

It had to be perfect – Henry didn’t forgive easily.

Henry and Jenna shifted on the bed, and The Jumper understood his time was up.

As a final show of sincerity, Zaire withdrew three rolled blunts from his pocket… each was designed with unique wrapping papers meant to enhance the more unique strain of cannabis inside.

It almost physically pained Zaire to leave behind his creation but he knew it would help Henry in more ways than one… Jumpers tended to get over their epileptic shocks when their abilities manifested but certain strains of cannabis still aided with the transition.

“Goodbye, beautiful…” He whispered, unsure if he was talking to Henry and Jenna, or the weed left on the bedside table.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH

……………………

A couple of hours later… midday…

The ambiance was one of classic contemplation and charming indecision.

The traditional Parisian décor was a bit too much for Zaire’s ordinary tastes, but the cozy interior of the restaurant more than made up for it.

Besides, The Jumper also took the moment as training – he needed to act, as John had pointed out as if he had been born rich… he needed to integrate the behavior of billionaires.

Wood paneling…

Vintage mirrors…

Magnificently elegant chandeliers…

White table clothes, and outside the large windows was The Eiffel Tower in all its magnificence.

It was not Zaire’s first time in Paris, France, and it also wasn’t his first time at L’Escargot Montorgueil Restaurant, but it was his first time actually sitting in the restaurant to enjoy a meal.

And he had come, over the years, to particularly enjoy the restaurant’s variety of snail dishes.

The service had always been attentive and professional, ensuring guests had a memorable experience, and true to a restaurant rich with history, Zaire could ask about any dish on the menu and receive a full history lesson.

His suit wasn’t particularly expensive and the smartwatch on his wrist was bought more due to practicality than style; yet, Zaire had received two dishes as compliments of the chef.

‘I never stayed to dine before…’ He pondered. ‘Do they recognize me from somewhere?’

Still, The Jumper partook in one dish after the next.

The waitress came to collect the empty plates as The Jumper had concluded his meal.

“C'est délicieux,” Zaire voiced. "Les Escargots à la Bourguignonne étaient particulièrement juteux."

“Merci. Le chef sera ravi d'apprendre que vous avez apprécié le repas,” The Waitress responded, dipping her shoulders slightly in a departing bow.

The Jumper rose from his seat and exited the restaurant, internally contented to have had a full course of meals without sparing any change of his own.

“Free things are always better…” Zaire commented.

The heart of Paris was bustling as always and though he would have liked to spend some time appreciating the city of romance, Zaire blocked everything out as he approached the payphone.

It was best to make the necessary calls from halfway across the world, especially when it came to criminals likely being watched by The NSA and CIA.

“Yeah, hello… Bugg?” Zaire heard breathing on the phone and that was his signal to continue without stating anything specific. “I need a new network. I will be coming to see you in the next thirty minutes – do not disappoint me.”

Without waiting for a response, The Jumper hung up the phone, dipped into an out-of-the-way alley, and…

WHOOOOOOOSH