Fade (Walker #74033 fanfiction) Book 1

Chapter 10

Entering through the sliding doors, Jevden couldn't help but feel comforted, entering the Archives again. Being a library, it was one of the few places in the Compound that was quiet, with only a few Walkers inside at this time of day. The air felt lukewarm against his body, though it felt warmer when he walked through the patches of sunlight streaming in through the windows. Even here, the walls and ceiling were white, streaked with hues of blue and gray. The carpet had various blue symbols designed on it, though Jevden wasn't entirely sure what they stood for. Turning left, he walked down rows of catalogs that had documentations of the most well-known Walkers in the community, looking for one in particular.

There were multiple about the first several Walkers to have joined the community, mentions of the first Explorers, and even a couple of references to someone known as Walker #22, but not the one he was searching for. Of course, most of the catalogs pertained to #0, which didn't surprise him much, and there was plenty about #88888. He reached the end of the first row, he walked down the next, but that one yielded roughly the same results. As did the next two rows. He stood, frustration building in him; how was it that he could read about #28300's adventures but not find any modern articles detailing her whereabouts? Sure, she was in a Red Nexus prison, but there had to be at least one Walker who made an article about trying to find her.

Jevden glanced around, lost on where to go next, when he spotted a sign that he'd never seen before during his previous times in the Archives: Leader's Section. His heart began to race with excitement; he couldn't explain it, but he knew that what he was trying to find had to be in there. Jevden walked over to the Leader's area and tried to open the doors. As he figured, they were locked. Glancing through the glass, he saw that there were more catalog shelves inside, but each one had a Walker ID on them. Some had a few books and digital articles set neatly inside, while others had various forms of media stuffed in their compartment. Many of the names glowed in golden text, but most of them were stark white. Jevden figured that meant they were the regular Walkers, the citizens.

However, there were a group of other catalogs set aside from the others, but the Walker ID's for each section were blue. His heart skipped a beat; he remembered hearing something about how the Leaders of the community had blue ID's, and he scanned each one hopefully, trying to find #28300. He moved to the left slightly to get a better view and saw her ID closest to the window. He grinned, but it soon faded when he saw that her section was entirely empty. How was that possible? Jevden grunted in annoyance and was about to turn away, when another blue ID caught his attention. His eyes widened when he saw what it said.

Walker #74033

He stared at the number, shocked. Margrethe had to be right when she said he was one of the Leaders. What was more intriguing was that there was one digital file in the catalog. He took a step back, breathing deeply. He had to get in somehow; that file had to be the key to finding out who he truly was. He looked around the area trying to see if there was something that could help him, and his eyes landed on a device that looked like a palm scanner. Anxiously, Jevden placed his hand on the screen, and watched the blue line move across his palm. However, to his disappointment, the screen lit up red giving an audible beep.

Jevden cringed, afraid that someone might hear it and get the wrong idea. Looking around, though he saw there was no one nearby so he exhaled slowly and turned back to the doors, trying to see if there was another way in. To his surprise, he found a circular indent in the middle area where the two doors closed together that was big enough for a drone to blast a stream of energy. Curious, he picked up his drone that was clipped to his belt and tossed it in the air to activate it. He'd been carrying it around more often and was glad that he had it on hand now. He motioned to fly forward until it was inches away from the hole, and a beam of energy shot out of the drone, filling the hole with blue light. He looked on with amazement as the drone seemed to be acting like a sort of lockpick, moving around various components visible through the hole so that each one pulled back into the doors.