Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 13: A Light in the Darkness (Current)

"I don't get it," I said with a shrug.

"They're mathematical symbols, Mr. Burns, that of infinity and the Greek letter sigma. It's a shorthand for the Infinity Sum, also known as the Divergence Sequence. It just goes on forever and ever, with an infinite number of answers depending on how you go about solving the problem. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't see it before, it was one of my father's favorites!"

"You know, it's funny," she added with a sad smile, "He would always tease me about which was the "correct" answer... by telling me it just depended on which reality you chose to wake up in that day." She laughed to herself, "Of course, he'd always known it was a bunch of silly sci-fi nonsense, but he truly loved the idea, that every possibility existed within the vast macrocosm. If certain calculations were correct, then the number of realities could be infinite, and what my father told me would be true. Reality really is made by the choices you make..."

"What on earth are you going on about?" I said, starting to wonder if the girl was more sleep deprived than I'd thought. "I've never heard of any of that crap, and besides, what does any of this have to do with us?"

"Well, think about it! My father would use this to describe hidden worlds connected to our own. If my theory is correct, then this is telling us exactly where to find the next clue! Protectron, please take us to the mathematics section, specifically anything regarding the Divergence Sequence."

"Fine," I groaned as the rust-bucket began to move away from us, "If you insist, but this better be quick, alright? I'm sick and tired of feeling exposed out here..."

It seemed to take forever as we followed the slow, heaving steps of the Protectron, but at last, we'd made it through the vast library and into a dark room. It was clear by the blown out windows and heavy scorch marks that the blast had hit this wing the hardest, leaving almost all of the books here charred to ash. There was a strong stench of mold and decay as we came up to a crumbling bookcase, where the Protectron pointed to a book so old and brittle there was no telling what it once was called.

"Well, I guess that's it then," I said with a sigh, "Can we get moving now?"

"No, no, that can't be the end! There's got to be something else... I mean, if we just handle it very carefully, maybe there'll be something inside? Something that didn't burn? Here, just help me get this thing out."

"Ilya, there's no chance... That book is completely destroyed. It'll fall apart the second you touch it!" I replied, but as usual, she wasn't listening. Slowly, carefully, she eased it from its place off the shelf, but every movement sent more and more slivers of charred pages flittering to the floor. As soon as she had the book in hand, it disintegrated before our eyes into a pile of dust and dead dreams.

"Well, don't I didn't warn you. C'mon, let's get going," I ordered as I turned to leave, but still, she insisted.

"Jacob... you should see this..."

"Oh, no. I've had enough," I snapped back without so much as a second look, "I'm not hearing another word about it, at least not for today. Get your things, we're leaving. Now."

"But, if you'd only take a moment..."

"I said no. Seriously, this has gone on for long enough. How many times do I have to tell you 'no' before you get it through your thick skull?"

"Jacob!" She hollered at the top of her lungs.

"Oh for crying out loud, WHAT?!" I yelled, finally reaching my limit, "What is it? What is so god damn important?!"

"Would you just... look!" She yelled back at me as she pointed to where the book had been only moments before, and that's when I saw it.

There, embedded into the wall just beyond the bookcase, was a golden eye.

I grabbed Ilya's Pip-boy and brought it closer as I wiped away the years of soot and grime, and just like the key, the eye was surrounded by the electron rings of an atom. A small keyhole sat at its center, winking at us from beneath the pale light.

"Well, I'll be damned... You actually did it," I said, barely able to contain my amazement. I clearly hadn't been giving the girl enough credit this whole time.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I said, "Open it!"

Ilya certainly didn't need to be told twice. She whipped out the key and placed it into the lock with one fell swoop. The ancient tumbler turned with a loud thunk, followed by a fast flurry as a dozen more disengaged. Slowly, the bookcase opened with an eerie creak that echoed throughout the cavernous room, a cloud of dust billowing out around us.

Without a second thought, I grabbed the nearest chair and tore off one of its legs, quickly wrapping the end with a spare bit of cloth I always kept around, just in case. I lit the material and watched it blaze to life. As I held out the torch, we saw a set of mysterious stone stairs that seemed to stretch on forever before us. Ilya and I turned to one another, sharing a look of silent agreement before descending down those shallow steps and into the dark unknown.