Luna puked after she had walked out of the portal. She then rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at the alleyway. "Is this your home?" she asked.

"Yes. We are in Default Earth—the universe I was born in," Radar said. He was from Prue—a country with over three million residents. Before the accident that burned his house and took the lives of his parents, Radar used to live in Mayfair. It was a small suburban community with white picket fences and trophy wives.

Luna puked again. "What's happening to me?" she asked and then kept vomiting.

"It is the side effect of entering another universe for the first time. No need to worry, it will not happen again when you visit Default Earth."

"Will I experience this every time we enter another universe?" Luna asked, then retched.

"Yes." Radar waited until Luna's body adjusted to Default Earth's frequency, and then said, "Let us go."

There were two types of portals: blue and white.

Radar and his kind—Trackers—opened blue portals. And portal guns opened white portals. The two had one difference, but it was very crucial. White portals left residue after they dematerialized, and blue portals didn't. And trackers could track the destination of the white portal using the residue.

"Why is Los in your universe?" Luna asked.

"That is what we are here to find out. You can smell him, right?"

"Yes." Luna nodded.

Radar and Luna covered their heads with hoodies and walked down the streets of City Central, Prue. Luckily, it was Halloween. Luna didn't have to hide. But Los could be anywhere. And Radar didn't want to take any chances in case Los recognized her.

"Your home has plastic beings?" Luna asked.

Radar shook his head. "They are costumes. People wear them to pretend they are monsters."

"And do the monsters wear people-costumes to pretend they're mundane?"

Mundane? Is that what she calls humans? "No. Unlike your universe, humans rule this one. There are no Gods or other humanoid creatures. It is just us... and non-humanoid animals."

Luna sniffed the air and pointed at Tony's Restaurant. "He's in there."

They entered and found a few customers inside. There was no sign of Los.

"Are you sure he is in here?" Radar asked as they sat at the furthest booth. Luna had her back to the door while Radar faced it. He could see everyone entering and leaving the restaurant.

"Yes. I can still smell him," Luna said. "Do your people dress like this every day?" She looked outside the window as people in superhero costumes passed by.

Radar shook his head. "It happens once a year. It is Halloween. A day to celebrate the dead."

"Then why are mundanes in monster costumes if they're celebrating dead mundanes?"

"I do not know." I lived most of my life away from this universe.

A waitress went to Radar and Luna and handed them the menus. "That's a sick costume, sis," she told Luna. "Who made it for you? Is it Kenton? Josh? The Amoeba Twins? Or is it someone new? Tell me, sis."

Luna stared at the waitress, dumbfounded.

"It's from Kenton," Radar replied instead. He didn't know who that was, but he hoped it would make the waitress stop asking questions.

"I knew it!" The waitress smiled. "Now, what can I get for you two?"

That was close. "A bottle of water for me," Radar said.

"And for the miss?"

Before she answered, Luna's stomach groaned. She looked at the menu and gulped. "They all look tasty." She pointed at the small images beside each dish. "Which one would you suggest I take?" She glanced at Radar.

Radar gazed at the menu in his hands. There were so many dishes. Pizzas and burgers stuck out more because of their cheap prices. But sushi, crab stew, and octopus soup were among the tastiest things he ever ate in this universe.

"Bring her the crab stew," Radar said.

"Crab?" Luna said, looking disgusted. "You eat crabs in this universe?"

"Yes. Why?" Radar glanced at the waitress. She stood with wide eyes and a smile, listening to them. Though she was waiting for their orders, Radar could tell Luna's question caught her off guard.

"I knew a crab once." Luna stared at the menu. "Her name was Cristina. She was a good crab." She stayed silent after that.

"Bring her one of everything," Radar said. He knew of dusters' big appetite. So he didn't want to order a small amount of food and leave Luna unsatisfied.

"A body like hers and she eats like that? Wow. What's your workout routine, sis?" The waitress gazed at Radar, and he gave her a stony stare. She cleared her throat. "Are you sure water is fine for you?"

"Yes."

"Alrighty then, I'll be back soon." The waitress took the menus and left.

"The mundanes here are weirder than I thought," Luna said.

Radar nodded. "That is true."

Luna folded her arms and leaned back in the seat. She seemed more comfortable than Radar had expected.

She must have taken a bath when I was unconscious. Radar noticed how clean her fur looked compared to the first time he saw her.

"Radar, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If this is Default Earth, then what name have you given where I come from?"

"Earth X," Radar said.

"Why X?"

"Each universe has something that makes it unique. But with Earth X, it has everything from other universes. And more. Earth X is an anomaly. It should not exist. And yet, it does. My kind spent their entire lives trying to unlock the secrets of your universe. But with Gods around, it became a challenge."

"Do the Gods have the answers?" Luna asked.

"I hope so," Radar said.

The bell above the entrance door rang. A man and woman entered the restaurant and sat at the booth beside the door.

Radar recognized the woman: Octavia.

Octavia was the Chancellor of The Union. She had advocated for the hanging of interdimensional smugglers during her campaign. But after seeing her in his universe, Radar realized it was all an act.

Octavia wore a black coat, tight black pants, and a matching corset and gloves. What is she doing here? All kinds of alarms rang in his head. Back in the day, I would have gone after her and the man beside her.

"The male beside the female is Kruger," Luna said.

Radar realized he forgot to check Dr. Willow's memories to know how Kruger looked like. If Luna wasn't there, he wouldn't know who the man beside Octavia was.

"How do you know? You cannot even see them," Radar said.

Luna tapped her nose. "I can smell him. I've been in Slave City long enough to know the distinct smell of each slave trader. Also," she tapped her ears, "I can hear them. The woman, Octavia, just referred to Kruger by his name."

Radar stared at Luna with widened eyes. The duster had proven to be a bigger asset than he had thought. Maybe he was the one holding her back and not the other way around.

Los walked out of the restaurant's kitchen and joined Octavia and Kruger.

"You can hear them?" he asked.

"You can't?"

Radar shook his head.

"Let me help you with that." Luna opened her left palm, and Radar placed his right palm on top of hers.

Radar didn't know what Luna did, but he could hear Octavia, Kruger, and Los as though he sat next to them. He glanced at Luna. I did not know dusters had this ability. What else are you hiding, Luna?

"Can you hear them?" Luna asked.

"Yes." Radar nodded.

"What happened?" Octavia asked Los, noticing the blood on his clothes and his bruised face.

"A duster tried to scratch off my face," Los said.

"Did you kill it?"

"No. She ran away."

Luna could have captured Los. Instead, she came to save my life. Radar thought.

"The duster wasn't alone," Los said. "A mage was with her. But he was different. He could open blue portals. How could he open blue portals?" He glanced at Octavia and Kruger. "I thought blue portals didn't exist anymore."

What happened to his accent? Radar thought as he listened to Los. It must have been an act. Smart slave trader.

"Shit!" Octavia said with a clenched jaw. Worry consumed her angular face. "Can it be them?" she asked Kruger. "Are they back?"

"Who's back?" Los asked, looking confused.

Kruger looked at Los and said, "Go clean yourself in the bathroom."

Without questioning Kruger, Los stood and left the booth. He passed Radar and Luna, muttering something to himself, and entered the bathroom.

"It must've been a Tracker. They're the only ones that can open blue portals," Octavia said.

"No, they're all dead," Kruger said. "The Elders said so, remember?"

"Shit!" Octavia rubbed her face. It had turned red. "What if some of them survived? Remember, The Elders didn't account for all the bodies."

"I don't think this is a Tracker," Kruger said. "Have you heard of Radar?" Kruger asked.

"Yes. Why?" Octavia asked.

"I think he was the one who attacked Los and his crew."

Octavia crossed her arms. "But what does he want with Los?"

"Think, sister. Why would he be after Los?"

Octavia gasped. "Jasmine."

Kruger nodded. "Exactly."

"Do you think Radar will find her?"

"I don't know." Kruger stroked his gray beard. "And even if he did, he won't get past me."

"But what about the blue portal? How do you explain that?" Octavia asked.

"Los imagined it. We have all heard of Radar. And not once was the blue portal mentioned," Kruger said.

"You're right." Octavia sighed. "How's Jasmine doing, by the way?"

"Alive."

"And the dragon rider?"

"Same. She's a feisty one, though."

"Don't bother with her. They're trained not to break during interrogations," Octavia said.

"I know."

Octavia sighed. "It's frustrating not knowing the reason for Jasmine meeting with the dragon rider. Are they planning something against The Union and we don't know about it?"

"I won't be surprised if they are, and Jasmine is the mastermind."

Octavia laughed. "That little cockroach enjoys being the beloved activist everyone looks up to. If it wasn't for her father, I would have killed her long ago."

Kruger laughed.

Do they think Jasmine's father hired me? Radar chuckled. Maybe they are not as smart as I thought they were.

"What is a Tracker?" Luna asked.

"Beings that hunt breachers," Radar said.

"And what's a breacher?"

"An Interdimensional smuggler. Like Los."

"And that's what you do? You hunt breachers?"

"I used to. A long time ago." Before someone I loved betrayed me, Radar thought.

"It's you!" someone shouted beside Radar and Luna.

Radar looked up and saw Los pointing at him. Shit!

"It's him!" Los shouted at Kruger and Octavia. "He's the mage who attacked me."

Kruger, not wasting any time, grabbed Octavia by the arm and pulled her to her feet. He took out a portal gun strapped to his hip and fired it in the air. A white portal opened. He pushed Octavia inside, and then he jumped in.

Los wasn't too far behind them. He had jumped through the white portal before it closed.

Radar got up and went to where the portal once was.

Luna stood beside him. "They escaped," she said.

Radar rubbed his thumb against his index and middle finger, feeling the residue. "I know," he said.

"You wanted them to escape?" Luna asked.

"Yes." Radar nodded. "They will lead us to Jasmine and Amina."