Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Mae Chapter 42: An Infinite Haystack

Edoline opened the door to my office, not bothering to knock. I looked at her, finishing fastening my sword to my hip. The vivifica was ready to leave, her sword already disguised by an illusion and countless hidden daggers amongst the folds of her clothes.

"Do you believe that your contact can help us?" Edoline asked as a way of greeting.

I pulled my coat on, carefully arranging it to disguise my blade. "Yes. Considering that we learned very little yesterday, I believe she may be able to fill in the gaps."

"Who is she?"

"Charlotte Brenna." I pushed the file I had pulled an hour earlier towards Edoline. The vivifica leaned over and studied the picture. "She's a half-eternal I tried recruiting a few years back but refused and opted to remain rouge. I go to her for help from time to time; she has never let me down."

"What makes you think that she can help?" Edoline asked, repeating her earlier question.

"Charlotte has a way with technology. She's from Wayne's home world, so she naturally has an adept understanding of technology. Charlotte possesses a unique computer which will help us narrow down our search. Hopefully," I quickly added.

"You believe that technology is the answer?"

"In this case, it may be." As much as I was holding onto the past and disliked technology, it did have its moments if used correctly and for the right reasons. "Let's move out." Together, Edoline and I jumped, the vivifica quickly following my jumping path.

Wayne's home world was a place of technology, plain and simple. It was everywhere: cars, shops, buildings, even people. It was impossible to live a life here and not use at least one piece of tech, it was that ingrained in the society. This world was one of my least favourite places to visit.

Edoline and I were ignored by the populace, most of them too enticed in whatever sort of tech they currently had in their hands. It was disgusting how little eye contact there was, not even simple nods of acknowledgment or even friendly smiles. Every second I had to spend here was a second too much.

"It is his anniversary."

I looked at Edoline, quickly following her gaze to a bulletin board across the street. Wayne's picture was on it, below it the words "fallen, but not forgotten".

I let out a sigh, turning away and hurrying up my pace. "They treat him like a deity. It's no wonder that he was desperate to leave this place."

"He wanted a challenge," Edoline corrected. "Although, I find it surprising that the eternals have not invaded this world yet."

"They won't. If I know Grim, he's afraid of what these people will be able to do. They may not be able to kill eternals, but they can harm them in a great number of ways. Grim doesn't want to test these people. Not yet."

A teenager rammed into my shoulder. I turned at the impact, glaring at him as he hurried along, not casting a backwards glance at me or muttering an apology. "And they're too addicted to even entertain the idea of the eternals being "rightful and true gods"," I spat distastefully, hating those words on my tongue.

Edoline grunted in agreement.

The streets colourful with technology changed as we entered another section of the city— the sober-tech-addict neighbourhood as I liked to call it. Technology still had a strong hold here but was less vibrant. More people walked the streets without their devices glued to their face. There was more eye contact between everyone, and more conversations could be heard. It was slightly more tolerable here, only slightly.

The apology I had been thinking over all night and morning rushed to my head, but it came out different than I intended. "Edoline, I would like to apologise for my outburst yesterday. How I reacted was unprofessional. You should not have had to experience that. I am sorry."

"You have no need to apologise, but it is accepted," Edoline said, inclining her head to me. "Even leaders such as yourself have breaking points."

"Friends should not have to be on the receiving end though."

"I would gladly do it, if it means you get through your tough time."

"Thank you." I smiled at Edoline, who gave me a small one back. It wasn't hard to tell that it was strained and forced. Zyair's death had affected her more than I would have guessed. It was heartbreaking to watch her suffer through alone, but there was nothing I could do. I would be blocked out, just as I always was.

We turned down an alleyway, the heels of our shoes echoing on the stones. The back road was dimly lit, the atmosphere of a shady place all around. When we came to the graffitied door at the end of the alley, I knocked a complex rhythm out on it. The two of us stood patiently, Edoline's eyes watching for threats, as always. We didn't have to wait long.

The sound of locks being undone echoed through the door. Five later, it opened, revealing a red-haired woman, blond streaks dyed into the silky hair. A pair of thin rimmed glasses sat on her nose through which her eyes studied us. Charlotte said nothing, but simply stepped aside, allowing Edoline and I to enter.

The room had a refreshing vanilla smell, the scent of trash and the hum of electronics gone. I felt as if I could breathe easier. I couldn't help but take in a long, deep breath, savouring the smell.

"I wasn't expecting to see you," Charlotte greeted. There were no other words as she led the two of us to her office.

"I didn't know we would be coming, or else I would have told you. It was a surprise for us all," I said as we entered the room. The blue glow of electronics hurt my eyes as three monitors stared at our group. Charlotte paid no head as she took a seat, spinning around to face us.

"So, what is that you need?" She asked.

Edoline grabbed the papers from her satchel and handed them to Charlotte. "We are looking for this woman. We believe that her origins may aid us in an ongoing search."

Charlotte squinted at the papers, her eyes scanning the words and notes. Edoline and I stood silently as Charlotte flipped through them, reading every word with a critical eye.

"You want to know about this Chosen? Are you sure she's not from World 15? Chosen is in her description."

"We don't believe so. Other than the powers bestowed upon her, she had no others, nor a dragon companion." I shook my head. Edoline and I had already investigated Verra's people, this Chosen was not one of them. The fact that both had the same title was a coincidence.

"Well then, let's see what I can do." Stretching her fingers, Charlotte began typing furiously over her keyboard. Edoline and I stood by her side, watching as non-coherent words and numbers lit up the screens. Phrases that defined the Chosen were typed in, and slowly an algorithm began to take shape. It was finished in no time, the last touch provided by a jumper gem.

The half-eternal didn't spare a glance as she removed a jumper gem–which I had gifted to her years ago for this purpose–from a drawer and placed it in a box of wires. With the final push of the enter key, the computer started to work.

Now provided with a link across the omniverse, the computer searched every technology world's database, using the key words and defining factors inputted to bring up results. I didn't fully understand how the computer was able to look at every world, seeing as the number of worlds was literally infinite and ever expanding, but it did its job in under a minute. Thousands of results were brought up.

Charlotte let out a whistle. "Grab a chair. I'm not sifting through these on my own."

So, Edoline and I did. We were back to where we were yesterday, searching for a needle in an infinite haystack.