Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 13: A Light in the Darkness (Current)

The library stood before us like a great mausoleum. Though the swooping arches and heavy columns gave the place the distinct air of a Roman palace, decorated with the fine sculpt-work of the great Masonic masters, the dark stains left by the radioactive ash gave off a sense of deep foreboding. As we walked up to the gated entrance, we could barely make out the words decorating the seal just above the doors.

Omnium Lux Civium

"This must be the place," I said as I turned to Ilya, "But there's got to be an easier way in, anything you can think of?" I said as I eyed the massive bronze doors sitting just beyond the gate. She shook her head.

"Afraid not," she replied with a shrug.

With little choice, we began a sweep around the library's perimeter, searching for any sort of crack in the building's defenses, but it seemed the automated security system had done its job in shutting the place down after the bombs had dropped. It was with sheer luck that we managed to find a broken window whose grating had come loose over the years. I wrenched it from the wall and gave Ilya a boost inside before quickly following in after her.

I landed with a thud into a pile of plaster and debris, kicking up a heavy cloud of dust that cast a dark haze about the room. We were in an annex, perhaps once used to house special exhibitions of the library's voluminous collections, but now, the entire room lay dead and quiet, the floor above having caved-in long ago. Shelves upon shelves of ruined books littered the ground as we maneuvered through the wreckage, the occasional glimpse of bone glinting in the heady light of Ilya's Pip-boy.

At last, we reached the far side of the room, only to find a wall of rubble standing in our way. This was definitely where we wanted to go, but it looked as if the cave-in had blocked the hall leading out. I felt my way around the pile until I found a spot loose enough to start digging.

It seemed like ages as we shifted through all that rock and debris, but at last, our hard work was rewarded when we finally managed to break through. As we moved into the entrance hall, I was taken aback by the most breathtaking sight.

A shaft of twilight streamed in from the high windows above, casting the room in a deep orange glow that seemed to set the ancient hall on fire. Vaulted ceilings rose high above us, inscribed with the names of the greatest masters of the scientific age, shining like stars in the ethereal light.

As we walked further into the foyer, we found ourselves at the base of a grand sweeping staircase where twin marble lions lazed atop a pair of pedestals, looking down upon us with a sense of almost-curiosity beneath their stony gaze. We must have been the first living souls to step foot in these ruins in over a century. Even the dust seemed suspended in time as an eerie silence reverberated around us, echoing with the voices of the long forgotten past.

"It's beautiful..." I said to myself.

"It is, isn't it?" She replied with a quiet smile, "It was called the "Palace of the People" back when it was first opened. See these murals here? They represent all the different disciplines found inside the library. History, philosophy, physics, and this one here... It shows the nine muses of Greek mythology praising Enlightenment as he is risen by Contemplation and Study. My father used to bring me here all the time when I was a child, I can't believe how well it's been preserved after all these years..."

Ilya trailed off as I looked around the arcaded gallery, covered in ages of dust and grime. It was less of a palace than it was a temple, a temple to the very hubris of man. It made sense for the Order to have some kind of presence here, but I couldn't help but scowl as Ilya continued on, seemingly oblivious to the implications.

"Oh! And that motto outside?" Ilya said without a care, "The Light of All People... It's talking about knowledge, and how it belongs to every single one of us. It is the light of all humanity, that guides us out of the darkness and leads us into the future-"