The Walls Of The Universe Part 52

"Shut up," Prime said.

"Yeah, the truth sucks," Corrundrum replied.

"Who cares what the truth is?" Prime cried. "It all depends on which universe you're in."

"True," Corrundrum said. "Unless it's home universe." He paused. "South wins the Civil War one percent of the time. The South will not rise again; they can't even rise the first time."

"Shut up!" Prime shouted.

"Fine, all right."

John pulled into the parking lot, driving upstream through the five o'clock commuters. The office complex looked just like the one that EmVis rented in Universe 7650.

"This is it."

John pulled to the edge of the parking lot. He sat staring at the wooded lot beyond, where the fenced compound should have been. A biking path threaded its way through the trees.

"Is this it?" Prime asked.

John paused. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Corrundrum cried from the backseat.

"Maybe, I said." John looked to the right, at a duck pond that hadn't been there in 7650. He got out of the car, walked a short distance to the left.

"I can't tell," he said. He turned and looked over at the office building. If this had been Grace's universe, his office would have been the one there on the corner. The view of the compound had been clear from there.

"We need to get inside the office building," John said. "We need to look out of that window."

The door was open-no key pa.s.s or other lock barred them-but there was a guard at the front desk. John just shrugged and walked past. The guard glanced at the three, perhaps because John and Prime looked like identical twins and how often did one see adult identical twins out and about?

John hit the elevator b.u.t.ton for the third floor. The elevator door didn't close.

"What the-?" Corrundrum said.

John pointed to the sensor below the elevator b.u.t.tons. "We need a key card to activate the elevator."

"d.a.m.n!" Corrundrum said.

Just then a woman sprinted on, waving her key across the sensor and pressing 5.

"Could you get us to three, please?" Prime said. "We've forgotten our keys."

"Sure," she said, swiping again and hitting 3.

The elevator opened on their floor. Stepping into the lobby, John was momentarily disoriented. He had expected to see an austere receptionist's desk. Instead there was a huge wall-mounted fish tank and an arrangement of orange chairs and geometric shapes.

"This way," he said, turning around. "My office was over here."

The door to that wing of the building was locked.

"d.a.m.n it," John said. There was n.o.body around to let them in.

Prime picked up a phone mounted to the wall. A list of numbers was taped next to it. He dialed an extension.

"No answer," he said, dialing another.

He was through six numbers when a door on the other side of the elevators opened.

"May I help you?" a young bespectacled man said. He was carrying a briefcase.

"Uh," John said. "We-"

"Yeah," Prime said, cutting him off. "Josh in Facilities said to meet him here at five. We're supposed to tour the floor. Can you let us in? We have only a bit of time before we have to see the next place."

"Oh, yeah? Touring?"

"Yeah, they're building a third building, you know, and it's going to have this pattern."

The man nodded and keyed open the door for them.

"It's a great s.p.a.ce. We've been here for a couple years now."

"Awesome," Prime said.

The door shut behind them, and Prime exhaled. "Too easy."

Corrundrum said, "A social engineer."

"Make it a big lie," Prime replied.

"I agree."

John sped down the hallway. The layout was the same, and his office a hundred universes away was in the spot he expected. Luckily, it was empty.

The view was nothing like he remembered, however. Of course there was no fence, no building. But even so, the landscape wasn't right.

"Does it ring a bell?" Prime asked.

"No."

"No? What the h.e.l.l? If we come in anywhere but-," Corrundrum cried.

"Quiet!" Prime snapped.

John leaned on the window gla.s.s with his forehead and jammed his eyes closed. He visualized the view from his office, the slope of the land, the trees. He tried to remember it without the fenced compound.

He opened his eyes. Yes, he had it. This universe's parking lot extended too far. It had thrown him off.

"See that big oak tree?" he said.

"Yeah."

"About six meters to the east and three meters to the north."

"Got it," Prime said. "Inside the fence, outside the buildings?"

"Yeah."

John marked it in his mind.

Back in the parking lot, Prime and Corrundrum climbed into the car while John took a hazard sign from the car's trunk. He found the oak tree and walked off six steps east and three north. Using a rock to keep it in place, he placed the orange flag on the ground in the spot, his best guess across universes. Then he went back to the car and dozed in the front seat. They had a couple hours at least.

Someone nudged him awake.

"What?"

"Shh!"

Corrundrum was in his face. "Out of the car," he whispered.

"What?"

Corrundrum pulled the gun from his pocket. "Don't make a sound."

John got out of the car. He considered nudging Prime, but he was snoring in the backseat, beyond reach.

"Over there."

The air was damp and dewy on his cheeks. His breath came in a white cloud.

"What are you doing?"

"Keep going," Corrundrum said. The man glanced over his shoulder at the car.

"Corrundrum! We had a deal."

Corrundrum chuckled darkly. "You're not even singletons. You don't deserve a transfer."

"You can't do this!"

Corrundrum nudged him with the pistol barrel. "Remove the transfer. Give it to me."

"No!"

"It doesn't matter to me, except it will take longer to remove from your dead body," Corrundrum said. "Give me the transfer. Now."

"I can't," John said. "My friends will die."

"Fine." Corrundrum raised the pistol.

There was a pop.

John tensed, but there was no pain. That wasn't so bad, he thought. Then Corrundrum pitched forward.

Prime knelt ten meters away, gun held in a two-handed grip.

Corrundrum rolled over on his back, gasping for breath. Blood welled up black behind him.

"Jesus!" John said. "You shot him."

For a moment, the handgun was still pointed at John's chest. He stared down the barrel into Prime's eyes. Then Prime slid the gun into his pocket.

"I don't think I can ever trust anyone," he said. "Except for you, except for Casey."

"You shot him."

John rushed forward and lifted Corrundrum's neck. Blood and snot gurgled in his nose.

"f.u.c.k'n-f.u.c.k'n-," he gasped. "f.u.c.k'n dups."

Corrundrum exhaled once more; then he died.

"He's dead," John said.

Prime shrugged, but his fingers were fists. He was shaking.

"Him or you, brother."

"Don't call me that!"

"We're closer than brothers, but there's no words for it," Prime said. "Grab the body. We need to move. It's past midnight."

John stood up and walked past Prime. "You grab the body, bro," John said.

He went and stood next to the transfer point marker. Had it been a mistake to ask Prime for help? Corrundrum was dead. Prime was armed. John felt naked, even with the device tucked under his shirt.

He turned as he heard the sound of Prime dragging Corrundrum's body down the hill toward him. Prime grunted, then sprawled onto the ground. John felt a moment's pity for him, then decided lugging Corrundrum's corpse was penance for killing him.

Prime finally managed to get Corrundrum near the marker.

"Thanks for the help," Prime gasped.

John said nothing.