Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Brela Chapter 8: First Fight

"There's a time limit?" I asked. I looked to Mae as she explained the protocols of missions. Edoline remained in the front, tracking while Mae hung back with me.

"Yes." Mae nodded. "Every team has a limit of two hours to check in or return to base after their last contact with us. If they fail to do so, we send a team after them, making sure they aren't in need of assistance. If the rescue team doesn't report in; Edoline; Edoline's mission partner, Siegefried; and Edoline's brother, Boradon, get sent in, their only goal being to get the other teams back, nothing else. If you ever hear the A-Team being mentioned around the base, that is what the three call themselves."

The thought, Edoline has a brother? rushed through my head, but I kept it to myself as I asked my next question. "And if the A-Team doesn't check in?"

"Then, even if it is against all my instincts and morals, MEPA is forced to abandon them. Three teams lost is enough, anymore resources dedicated to saving them would hinder our efforts of fixing fractures and protecting the worlds." Almost knowing what my next question was, Mae continued. "Edoline, Boradon, and Siegefried are all vivifica, a race of people that resurrect. Their souls travel through the worlds after they die, each time gaining their earlier lives' memories at the age of ten." It made sense, in ten years, MEPA would learn the fate of the teams that had vanished. It was a sure way to never be left in the dark, but it was a long time to wait for a report.

I couldn't help but look at Edoline. The brief explanation she had given me the night of my arrival did nothing compared to the explanation Mae had given me. There was a lot to this that I was going to have to learn, not just skills to help me in the job, but also the people who I was to work with and their cultures.

"The trail goes there," Edoline said suddenly, pointing to a rickety barn and house in the distance.

"He must be hiding there," Mae said. "I don't sense any jumping paths."

"Sense?" I asked, furrowing my brow and looking at Mae.

"Natural jumpers have the ability to sense the path that others took to arrive or leave from a world, or to where others jump to if they never leave the world," Mae said. "A jumping trail, whether made by a natural jumper or by a jumper gem, lasts for two minutes. Whenever you jump, you must be careful to make sure you are not followed."

"So, the guy we're looking for in there?" I asked. "Why not leave after he murdered that man?"

"Presumably because he has another target," Edoline said.

Together, we continued onwards. The closer we got to the house, the more I could see that it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. The grass was overgrown, the fence was broken, the barn and house were both falling apart. The house's windows were boarded up, with moss growing on the roof and between some of the sidings. It wasn't too far off from the condition of the bar.

"Check the house," Mae said, gesturing to Edoline. "I'll check the barn. Brela, stay here and keep watch. If anyone leaves, call for us. Do not engage."

I nodded. Edoline and Mae set off, both causal in their walks. I moved to a farther position, but a good vantage point to see anyone leaving either building.

It was warm out now, and there was no shade in sight, minus those caused by the house and barn. There wasn't even a nice place to sit where I could see everything. So, I was forced to stand in the sun, waiting.

Eventually, a figure stepped out of the house. With long dark hair, and a long black coat, at first, I thought Mae had turned off her camouflage disk, but then I realised that the figure was too broad for Mae, the hair wasn't the right length, and they in fact were a man. That was our target.