Page 12 of Godslayer
It was like this a few times above ground too, where they would all appear at once, but only in certain places. Our bedroom, for instance, did have many worlds to choose from, but they didn’t all appear in a row like this. I had to choose them.
But here in the tunnel they all seem to be fightin’ for my attention.
“What are you looking for?”
“Hmm?” I ask, distracted.
“What does it look like?”
“What does what look like, Clara?”
“The world?”
“The one we’re supposed to be in? I’m not sure.”
“Then how will you know it’s the right one?”
I pull out of the overlay and focus on her. She’s smiling at me, so it’s hard to be annoyed with her questions, but I’m kind of annoyed because I’m working now and I’m not used to being interrupted by questions.
Be nice, Tyse. You love this woman.
So I smile back. “There’s a number attached to it. 702. Delta didn’t tell me this, though. I heard it from Stayn that night we were at his house.”
“Oh, I know that place.”
Which makes sense, because she’s from there. But I’m confused. “How do you know this place?”
“Delta mentioned it. He said…” Her eyes roll up, like she’s thinking. Then she deepens her voice to mimic the asshole god. “You are not a Looking Glass, Clara. You are a Spark Maiden from the illegal Tau Factory in Dimension 702.”
“Why would he tell you that? I mean, he didn’t tellmethat.”
She shrugs. “I don’t think he understands me. He was probably just thinking out loud or something. But if we’re looking for 702, then…” I almost wince. It takes a lot of self-control not to. “Then we’re looking for…home. My home.” Her forehead goes crinkly. “Are you taking me home?”
“Absolutely not.”
Which makes her chuckle. “Just checking because I did specifically tell you that I didn’t want to go home.”
“No worries, darlin’. You’re stuck with me. But this 702 place is where all the activity is happening. So we’re goin’ there, but not to all the way to Tau City. That’s far,fardown the line.”
“Good. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“We are.”
“OK. Sorry to interrupt. I’ll stand here quietly while you proceed to figure things out.”
And now I feel bad because I was actin’ like she was just an augment accessory, and she’s not. She’s a weapon. “Well, let me explain it to you. We’ll figure it out quicker if we do it together.”
This answer delights her because she shrugs up her shoulders and beams me a bright smile. A little bit of spark even seeps out of her.
And this makes my overlay blink with brightness.
“What just happened?” she asks.
“You saw that?”
Clara nods. “Yeah, your eyes just went…white.”
White? Well. I’ll have to file that under shit-to-figure-out-later, because I’ve never seen augments with white eyes before. “I dunno. You were grinnin’ because I decided to treat you like a weapon instead of a bracelet, and a little bit of spark came off you. This made my augments… I dunno. It was like a power surge.”
