Agent 37 - Tyger’s Electric Dreams Short Story Contest #5

Source

Nikola Tesla was locked in his room, sitting in front of his desk, trying to improve the plans of an innovative invention he was about to develop. However, he could not get out of his head what happened with Edison. A feeling of disappointment and anguish invaded his being as he remembered being humiliated and dismissed from the company. Now, he was sure that both Edison and Marconi were using his knowledge for their own purposes.

Suddenly a man burst into his room, pulling him out of his thoughts. Tesla, surprised, did not understand how the stranger had entered, since both the doors and the windows of his room were still closed. He rose from his seat immediately to protest before the intruder

— How dare you enter my room! — Tesla exclaimed nervously

The man pointed a strange device towards Tesla. Surprised, he held his breath and raised his hands. However, the man was attacked by a second stranger who entered by the same place where the first had entered, making him roll around the room. His device slid down the floor away from him, remaining unarmed. The second man fired at the device, destroying it in a flurry of sparks.

— McGruber! You are arrested for breaking into 7 different universes — the second man shouted angrily, pointing his gun.

McGruber pulled a circular, coin-like device out of his sleeve and tossed it across the floor to Tesla's feet, opening a hole beneath him. Testa sank and began to splash water through the hole.

— Tic Toc, Agent 37! In a few seconds the breach will be closed

— Will you let Nikola Tesla drowned? — McGruber asked

Agent 37, clenched his teeth for a second. He narrowed his eyes and then ran to the hole, jumping himself in search of the scientist.

It was the Arctic Ocean, not far from the north pole of the planet. The water was freezing; the darkness of the night did not allow him to find the scientist. He activated the sensors of his visor and detected the body floating no more than 20 meters from where he was. He swam to where he was and then dragged him to the shore.

Once out of the water, the scientist began to shiver with cold. Agent 37 took off his jacket and put it on the scientist. It activated some sensors of the same one and it began to generate heat, warmer enough to remove the bluish color that Tesla had.

— Very well. It will be enough for the moments, at least while I open a new breach to another hotter place.

A great white beast emerged and attacked the agent 37, while he was distracted trying to configure the inter-universal device, throwing him to meters from where he was. Confused by the blow, agent 37 tried to get up, but the bear lashed out at him again. In a third attempt to assault him, agent 37 quickly pulled a circular device from his sleeve and threw it in front of the bear, making it disappear immediately upon being absorbed by the hole that opened in front of it.

— See you soon, little bear! — agent 37 said before closing the hole behind the bear.

Agent 37 wrinkled his face when he saw that his inter-universal device had been destroyed by the bear. However, he still had some aces under his sleeves. He shouldered the scientist and took another circular device and threw it in front of him. Once again, another interspace breach opened and he threw himself into it.

It was the Mojave Desert. The opening had left them near a small bar on the side of the road. He placed the scientist's body on the floor and patted his face.

— Are you okay?

Tesla, woke up dazed and raised his hands

— Please, do not attack me! — he screamed

The agent 37, took a few minutes to calm the scientist and explain what had happened.

— Everything you see is scientifically possible, the parallel universes, the travel through time, multiple dimensions. All your theories are real from where I come from. I belong to an organization responsible for preventing irruption between universes and keeping the timeline as stable as possible.

— I will need your help to return you to your space time.

The scientist nodded as he tried to digest all the knowledge he was receiving.

— For the moment, I'll need the jacket you’re wearing. You must surely be dying of heat.

The scientist nodded again and returned the jacket. Agent 37 pressed some sensors on his sleeve and his clothes changed into a Texan shirt and jeans, a suit more according with the place they visited.

— Just to avoid attracting too much attention — clarified the agent 37

Minutes later they entered the bar. Suddenly, everything was silent. The people turned their eyes to the pair of strangers who had entered the establishment. They walked to where the bartender was, without ceasing to be seen.

— Good afternoon, good man, how much for a jar of pickled cactus — agent 37 asked

— It’s not for sale

— Surely, there will be something we can exchange — agent 37 added

— Of course! How about the watch that your friend has in his pocket?

— Terrific! — Agent 37 answered

— It's a gift from my father — protested Tesla

Agent 37 approached Tesla and said quietly

— Trust me. It will be on my list to do.

The scientist again nodded and handed his pocket watch to the bartender. He opened it, looked at the numbers and placed it in his ear. Once satisfied, he handed the jar of pickled cactus.

— A pleasure to do business with you. We better go — said agent 37, taking the jar

Once outside, some men stopped them, pointing guns at them.

— I'm afraid you're going to have to empty your pockets, gentlemen

— Very good — said agent 37, while raising his hands.

He slowly pulled a wallet out of his jacket pocket and threw it at them. When it fell to the ground, it generated an intense flash that blinded the group of assailants.

He took the scientist by the hand, which had also been blinded by the flash, and in the confusion, agent 37 took advantage of stealing a motorcycle. Running away through the desert.

Other men from the bar, hearing the noise, went after the agent and the scientist.

— How long the blinding effect is going to last? — Tesla shouted

— Do not worry! For the moment it is good that you can’t see where we going to — the agent exclaimed37.

He continued to accelerate towards a cliff; his pursuers stopped their bikes after the agent and the scientist jumped into the void. The scientist shouted euphorically when he felt the force of gravity pulling him towards the bottom of the precipice. The agent activated another circular device. The bike shattered when it hit the ground; however, they disappeared from the sight of the pursuers.

The force of inertia of both bodies was reduced when entering a universe with zero G.

The agent activated his magnetic boots and was clinging to a metal platform. He took his belt and tied one of the scientist's feet and held it like a balloon.

— I'm going to have to keep you tie to me to avoid being thrown off into the atmosphere. As you will see, in this universe, these people were so incredibly fat that they needed to stay at 0G (ravity) just to survive.

— It was the simplest solution for them — added agent 37

— Fascinating — said the scientist

They continued on their way to a place similar to a Persian market. There were hundreds of people buying and selling items and food. In effect, Tesla checked with his eyes how obese these people were.

The agent entered a small bazaar attended by a woman who hid her face behind a veil.

— No time, no see, Agent 73! — The woman replied cheerfully

— Nice toy, which you have tied to your hand — she pointed with her hand to the scientist who floated on him.

— As usual, I require your services — the agent 37 replied.

— Surely you have lost your inter-universal device again. Isn’t it?

— That’s right. And, as always, I've brought you, your favorite delicacy — agent 37 answered again

He took the jar of pickled cactus out of his pocket. The woman broke into laughter, rejoicing with such great surprise. Her body moved like jelly, making her adipose tissue ripple with every laugh she gave. A hypnotizing show.

She urged the agent to bring her payment closer as soon as possible. She held out her hands, moving her sausage fingers, eager to taste the quality of the product.

Once in her possession, she uncorked the bottle and took one of the pickled cacti with her plump fingers and swallowed it quickly.

— Delicious! — She exclaimed and broke into laughter again.

The agent 37 finally received a new inter-universal device. After saying goodbye to his chubby friend. He opened a portal to Tesla's room.

Inside the room, everything remained untouchable, except for a wet spot in the place where the original breach had been opened.

The agent 37 said goodbye to Tesla, but not before warning him the secret nature of their experiences coexisted with each other, during those 24 hours outside his universe.

The scientist nodded, promising never to reveal what happened.

Again, agent 37 set his device to open an inter-universal breach to his universe. However, he was reprimanded with a warning from his superiors for having left a polar bear loose in the headquarters of the inter-universal division.

The next morning, Tesla got up from his bed, thinking about everything happened the previous day. It seemed like a dream or a figment of his overheated imagination; but something curious called his attention. There was a note on his night table next to...

...his pocket watch.

Remember your promise. A37