Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Mae Chapter 50: Encrypted

"Come in."

The door to my office opened at my allowance to enter, Wayne stepping inside. I set down the paperwork I was reading over and devoted all my attention to the MEPA agent.

"We've gotten the USB up and running," he said. "But have run into a slight hitch."

"Oh?"

Wayne stepped forward, handing his tablet to me. On the screen ran lines of code, all of which meant nothing to me.

"It's encrypted," the inventor explained. "It took a lot of time to even get the USB to talk with our technology; Charlotte went through a lot of trouble to prevent anyone from reading it easily."

"Can you break the encryption?" I handed the tablet back to the science unit's leader.

"Over time, yes, but it may be time we do not have. My biggest concern is that Charlotte has placed encryptions that only she can break and is the only person who can access the data."

"I doubt she would have done that," I said. "Charlotte was fearful that the eternals would get a hold of the information. If they did, she would have wanted to hinder them as much as possible. Without her, that very same safety feature is turned on us. It's not an impossible task, Charlotte is a native to your home world, Wayne. If anyone can figure this out, it will be you."

"Thanks for the confidence, but I don't think it's going to be as simple as that. I won't bore you with the details, but Charlotte has placed a lot of obstacles that I'll need to get through first, and those are only the ones that I can see on the surface. Like I said earlier, it's not going to be easy. And it may be too late." For once, Wayne may have stumbled upon a challenge.

"Were you not saying that you have been looking for a challenge?" I asked, clasping my hands together and leaning back. My expression asked more of the question than my words. "The omniverse just answered your request."

"That's one way of looking at it," Wayne grumbled, looking at the code on the tablet's screen. Despite the tone in his voice, it was clear that he had realised my point.

"Any resources you need are yours at your request." I finished my statement with a nod.

"Thanks. I'll need them," Wayne said. Taking that as a dismissal, he turned to leave.

"Wayne," I called. He paused, turning to listen to me. "Have some confidence. I didn't make you head of the science unit for nothing." Wayne's response was lagged, but after a hesitant nod he gave me a second nod of understanding before he left.

I leaned back as soon as I was alone once again. I winced at the pain that rushed up from my abdomen. A bruise was already forming from Grim's blow. Pain was not a common feeling for me, and every little sensation of it was a wave. I would never be familiar with it.

Too much had changed. Five hundred years could do that to a person. Pain used to be a daily feeling, and after the intense training I had been put through, it was unsettling that I had forgotten the torment a single wound could inflict upon an individual.

I had grown weak with time.

I rested my head in my uninjured hand, fingers tangling with my hair. My nails brushed my scalp as I bunched my hand into a fist. I expelled a crestfallen breath, closing my eyes as the thoughts rushed in.

Could I do nothing? In the past few days, so many had perished under my watch. Some of MEPA's best were gone, and our allies were being wiped out faster than ever. There was only one other occasion where MEPA had been dealt such a devastating blow to its ranks, and the recovery time had been years. We didn't have that sort of time now. I couldn't protect my own anymore, and I couldn't even stand my ground in a fight against half-eternals. How could I be expected to lead when I was beaten so easily?

I opened my eyes. In front of me, as if to aid me, was a facedown picture frame. No one questioned it, everyone knew well enough the story behind it. But now, it might be the answer I needed.

But did I really want to go down that road? Would she help me? After all this time? We hadn't parted on the best of terms.
But in times of desperation, chances had to be taken. I rose to my feet and wobbled over to a shelf. My eyes instantly found the book I needed, and the key that lay hidden between its pages. I moved back to my desk and opened the locked drawer. I didn't dwell on the memories that I had buried in that compartment, only grabbing what I needed before shutting and locking the past away again.

The tablet reserved solely for this purpose sprung to life at my touch. The cursor blinked on the screen, waiting for the message. With hesitant fingers, I typed.

I know that I am the last person you want to hear from, but I need your help; I'm calling in one of those favours. I need you to use your contacts and find someone for me. Time is of essence here. If you could do this for me, I would be grateful.

I paused, unsure of what to say, or even if I should say it. The message sat there, waiting for finalisation. I finished it as I always did.

I'm sure you don't need to hear this anymore but be careful.

Before I could doubt my actions, I pressed the send button. The response was almost instant.

Who am I looking for?