James’s face contorted into surprise. “Went?” He turned to the A.I., stunned. “You used it? You went into a parallel universe?”
“Yes,” the A.I. confirmed.
“Three of them,” Old-timer added.
“And people died?” James asked in disbelief.
“Unfortunately, yes. We were pursued by Purist super soldiers. Each time we entered a parallel universe, the battle that ensued altered that universe irreparably.”
“Oh my God,” James whispered.
“Now that you’re aware of Planck technology,” the A.I. continued, “I’ll share my memory file with you so you can see firsthand.”
Before Old-timer could even mutter a syllable, James was already reacting to the contents of the shared memory file. “You left a super soldier’s body and a Planck platform behind in Universe 332?” he said, aghast. “This could be serious.”
Old-timer had to shake his head as though he wasn’t sure if he’d been slapped across the cheek, the blow coming so fast. “Whoa. You boys are moving a little too fast for me, here.” He turned to the A.I. “What just happened?”
“I shared my memories of what occurred in the three parallel universes,” the A.I. replied. “James, quite rightly, noted that we left behind the body of a Purist super soldier, as well as an advanced Planck platform in Universe 332.”
“A platform with magnetic targeted fusion technology and nano-materials in the construction, decades ahead of what that time period should’ve had,” James elaborated. “This should’ve been dealt with long ago.”
“Aldous has had me monitoring for any disturbances in the Planck energy,” the A.I. related to James. “There have been no crossings from any parallel universes into ours—at least not within the considerable reach of my sensors.”
“And where did the nans that corrupted your systems come from?” James asked. “Let alone the android collective? We never determined their origin.”
“You are suggesting that they may have originated from outside our universe?” the A.I. asked.
“It’s possible,” James replied. “They definitely originated from outside your sensor range. We assumed they were from deep space in our universe, but every possibility has to be considered. It’s clear that there’s vital information we’re missing. This could be a major piece of the puzzle.”
“Puzzle?” Old-timer spoke up, hoping for clarification. “This is getting a bit beyond me. I just swung by to fill you in on Planck tech. I don’t know anything about any puzzle.”
“The androids tried to destroy the solar system again just hours ago,” James informed his friend, “and we believe the order came from 1.”
“What?” Old-timer reacted, stunned. “1? I thought—”
“So did we,” James answered. “We can’t confirm for sure that it was her. The android collective attacked us, that we know, but we’ve been unable to determine the motive. Our best guess is that the order came from 1, but how she could still be calling the shots without us detecting her pattern is our puzzle, and we’re still missing pieces.” He turned to the A.I. “What is clear, is that Aldous’s strategy of monitoring for Planck disruptions was short-sighted and dangerous. We need to see what’s going on in the universes that we disrupted—especially Universe 332.”
“I agree,” the A.I. assented. “However, you and I cannot cross into a parallel universe and remain in contact with the mainframe. If one of us were to go, we’d only have access to our core matrix programs. We’d be of no more use there than anyone else. I think, considering the unknowns that abound, that we should remain in control of the mainframe and concentrate our efforts on the final testing of the Trans-human candidate.”
James nodded. “Definitely.” He turned to Old-timer, “Old-timer, can you—”
Old-timer reacted quickly, cutting James off as he put up his hands to stop him. “Whoa, hang on. James, I just swung by as a favor. I can’t go on any adventures into parallel universes.”
“It’s just a recon mission—” James began to clarify before being cut off once again.
“Doesn’t matter,” Old-timer replied, smiling awkwardly. “Look, I don’t mean to let you down here, but I promised Daniella I wouldn’t get involved in anymore…superman stuff.”
James narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding understandingly. “That’s okay.” He turned to the A.I. “Rich and Djanet should still be available,” he began. “They should be returning from—”