[Alex's POV]
["…integrated with a lot of fail-safe systems. That's why it's not surprising to say that 90% of its framework is designed to handle any known risk the technology may pose. So, it's not the Department of Transportation's fault; they do an excellent job. I even want to thank them because when I discovered that traveling through space was possible, I was already aware that many things could go wrong. But they built a system that negates everything I said. So, it's 'thanks' to the Department of Transportation that people who used the Transportal this morning ended up in other countries. It could have been even worse, you know, not only death, but also being stuck!! They could have been stranded in some unknown place."]
The news is being broadcast on the TV. Where is the remote? Where did Dad put it?
I have already overturned most of the things on the desk but I can't seem to find it.
Sigh.
I should go ask him.
I walked away from the customer's desk to see Dad in the operating room. I froze when I opened the door because Dad was holding a long, massive snake.
Hiiiik! It opened its mouth wide. I slammed the door shut.
"Is that you, Alex?" asked my father. I ignored Dad's question and ran back to the Customer Service Desk.
I had forgotten Dad was examining a snake right now, and it's giving me the creeps. When I arrived at the clinic, I saw a customer talking to my Dad. He left soon after, probably to let Dad take care of his pet. I only read the record that said "snake" so it didn't make much impression on me.
Hiiiik! It makes me shiver just thinking about it.
["…concerns that these incidents could be an attack from the Third Remnant. Dr. Jones, the father of Space Manipulation Technology, stated that manipulating space is more than just causing it to open and going through it. It's like seeds; if specific conditions are met, a plant will grow. In this scenario, a portal can occur naturally. But where is the destination? If you know what seed you plant, you can predict what kind of plant it will become. It is self-evident. People ended up in different places because of this. The destination was already determined before creating the portal; it cannot be random. After all, it's an artificial portal, and the system always knows what the destination is. There are no exceptions."]
["But isn't it the fail-safe that causes them to change their destination? How can you explain that?"]
["You see Roger…, Roger, right?"]
["Yes, yes. Roger Cover."]
["Okay, Roger, you see how more than one seed can be placed in one hole? But that would be chaotic, right? However, if every seed stays dormant except one, only one seed can grow. It's similar to how Transportal works. There is a dormant fail-safe destination and a desired destination that the commuter can choose. If something goes wrong with the chosen destination, the dormant destination will be triggered. After all, it's…"]
I'm bored; no customers are coming, and the news never stops.
When is Jake going to arrive? He said he was on his way. It's been hours.
I guess I should check my social media or watch some Shorts.
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Huh? Did I doze off?
I guess it's fine, just five more minutes…
◇
Huh? Who? What am I doing again? Ow. I… I fell asleep at Dad's clinic. Did Dad notice?
Wait, four hours? I slept for four hours. Are there any customers? Oh no, oh no. If there is no new record, that means Dad did not accommodate anyone. Phew. Safe.
["…tem. By 1 p.m. this afternoon, everyone whose location was rerouted had been certified safe and sound. The DOT assures that…"]
What, is the news still on? Is it true that the news is always broadcast these days?
Yeah, maybe I didn't notice because when I watch the TV in my room, I always switch to Netflix. Ah. It's no surprise that the news is frequently shown in the living room.
It's already nearly 4 p.m. The clinic is only open until 5 p.m., but we usually close at 4 p.m. I think I should call it a day. I need to consult with Dad before I do anything else.
◇
"How are you doing, Dad?" I greet Dad casually, as I open the door.
"Alex, look there. Isn't it amazing! That guy is so large, I bet he could swallow an entire cat in a second!"
I looked towards the direction Dad had pointed and saw a massive aquarium.
Hiiiik!
It was still here! My body stiffened as I grimaced. Yes, I had completely forgotten. The customer had not yet collected his giant pet snake.
"Y-e-z, D-a-d, amaz… amazing, it's amazing. No, it's wonderful. It's almost time to close the shop; I'll wrap things up at the customer desk. Ha. Ha. See you later, Dad," I stammered while stuttering my words.
I backed away frantically and almost tripped. If I had waited one more second, I would have frozen until the customer picked up his terrifying pet snake. Why do people get snakes as pets? Ugh, I don't understand these people.
As I cleaned up the shop, a customer arrived who had Asian features. He had a sunshine smile plastered all over his face.
I greeted him, "Welcome, sir. How may I assist you?"
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[Dr. Don POV]
My assistant called me around 9 a.m. to tell me he couldn't open the clinic today. The clinic usually opened at 8 a.m. for early pet owners, and I performed my magic at 10 a.m.
I have always been drawn to animals because they are amazing and special in my eyes. They are like stars that shine brightly with their own light. Incredibly dazzling.
Ehem, anyway, before I go any further, my assistant was in Hawaii.
Vacation? Definitely not. It seemed that the Transportal had caused trouble for him.
I asked Alex to come to the clinic after school. She was watching the news. The Transportal had created a chaotic mess out there. Luckily, my clinic was only a few blocks away, so I hardly used it.
I made a few stops to get supplies, like coffee and candy. But my assistant usually handled the customer service. He always bugged me about customer satisfaction because he said that the owner paid the bills, not the pet.
Someone was already waiting for me when I got to the shop. He looked anxious and fidgety. He said that his snake, Johny, was acting weird this morning. He said that he had never seen Johny act like that before. To my surprise, he opened the trunk of his big van. That was a huge python. People hardly ever keep them as pets these days.
Johny's head was moving left and right in strange ways. He seemed restless and searching for something, but he wasn't. This was really weird.
The owner left Johny with me, as he seemed to be in a rush. He said he would be back before 5 p.m.
Alex arrived just in time. I could now do my job well without any worry.
I watched Johny inside the clinic. He was healthy. But I couldn't find anything wrong with him after running some tests. So, what were you up to then? Were you practicing a mating dance?
It stopped moving weirdly at 1 p.m. Did it get tired?
In the meantime, I put it back in its aquarium, where it quickly fell asleep. But, for sure, that guy had a cool pet. Hehehe, I should take a picture of this.
I suppose the only thing I could do now was wait for the owner to come get him, even though I wished I could keep him forever.
After I cleaned up the room, I checked on Alex at the counter. She was asleep. Anyway, no customers came today, so it didn't matter.
Was she watching news channels even from here? She really liked the news, didn't she?
Looking at the news, I saw that they had just finished the diagnosis and restarted the Transportal. Hmmm, around 1 p.m.?
I was curious about the possibility. Snakes are sensitive to vibrations, so I wondered if there was a connection. Could Johny's strange behavior have something to do with the Transportal?
Is that so?
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[Horum's POV]
How long will this lazy booger sleep? I couldn't figure out anything until he woke up and talked to me. Perhaps I should report to Logos. No. Only the Octave knew about other universes.
I settled on waiting patiently for him to open his eyes, curious about what he would reveal to me.
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[Dr. Don's POV]
I got a call from Johny's owner. He said he was coming over.
What?!
I headed to the Customer Service Desk and saw my daughter lying on the floor. A man was kneeling beside her, his face red as a chipmunk. He looked like he was up to something bad.
On the floor, something wrapped in a towel caught my eye. It looked like a gun.
Was this a robbery?
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[Kazu's POV]
I hurried to check on her to see if she was okay.
Damn! This was terrible. She must have been in shock when her pet bird died.
Did I just traumatize someone?
As she fell, the package slipped out of the bag. That must have been where the bird was. I opened it and saw a towel. What? Why?? Was it an egg? Oh, no. Did it crack? Is that what happened? I had no clue.
I was puzzled.
Thwack!
Urgh! Something hit me hard before I could process the situation. I fell face-first on the floor and everything went blurry. I saw a man coming towards me.
Did he take advantage of the commotion and rob the store?
Before I passed out, I saw the girl reaching out to the bird, egg, or whatever it was. Thank goodness she was still alive.
I then blacked out.