Browser City

Chapter 7: Algo, the Tracking Algorithm

Shannon was up and running – emotionally speaking, of course.

Ragna had forbidden her to rush into working or doing any task at all – simple or hard. Rest was pivotal to her recovery. She was allowed to leave the clinic, but only to go to her bedroom or the kitchen, much to Shannon's dislike.

That was why she was so upset while brooding in the kitchen of the Core, on the fifth floor, sitting by the table all alone, with her eyes fixed on some distant target in the skyline of Browser City.

It was a mesmerising city with emerald- and sapphire-hued lights glowing over glass and steel scattered all over the place. Despite the dreamy scenery, her worries haunted her mind.

She sighed deeply. While tapping her fingers on the glass surface of the table, she licked her lips. Her energy cup was empty, and she checked it twice. Then, she bit her lower lip with annoyance, wondering whether she should get some more or not. Her right leg started moving in a classic nervous tic. She sighed again in an admission that she abhorred the silence and being alone while the rest had duties to perform.

She slammed the cup on the table, sank her fingers in her hair, and groaned as she wondered how she could make time go faster and in a less pathetically boring way. Her eyebrows drew her frustration on her face. Her mood was far bluer than her dark blue bodysuit.

Her mind was rallying fiercely, with a myriad of negative thoughts competing against each other in a horrid race to make her feel worse, to see which would get most of her attention as a trophy at the coveted finish line.

Mark's dead. He wasn't the only one. My brother is in danger. And the rookie hates my guts. Fantastic. She sighed with regret and stared at the glassy reflection of her sad face on the window. Yes, she felt guilt for all the reasons Ajax had told her. She was still feeling frustrated about Aethelred's command as well. But above all, she was feeling stupid and useless.

Despite her quick reactions, her knowledge of taekwondo, and above all her good intentions, Ajax had made her feel like she was a nobody. She wondered whether that was true. Being a recently-graduated AAA cadet, she assumed he must have a wide range of techniques and weapons to deal with any threat – unlike her. Therefore, she was convinced that maybe -just maybe- he was right in telling her to stay put and leave it all to him.

I just wanted to help. That's all. Her eyes went glassy as they glued to some distant, unknown place on the horizon once more. I wish I knew what to do to fix everything, to make everything go back to normal.

She felt fine physically speaking. She was sure that her body had fully recovered from the poison, but her mind was stuck overheating itself with a punishing attitude.

"Hey, Shannon," Beatrice shyly greeted her from the threshold of the kitchen's door. "I heard you were... here. May I join you?"

Beatrice Voyager's voice was loaded with hesitation as much as her eyes were. She was the geolocalisation app of Browser City. Shannon turned to see her. She was a rather short app, with wavy brown hair, dark glasses, a nice oval face, a warm smile, and an introverted kind of personality. Her full-body suit was white, with curvy golden lines glowing all over her resembling the continents on Earth.

Shannon and Beatrice were good friends, but they were worlds apart in terms of personality. Extrovert as Shannon was, it struck her as immensely odd that Beatrice would show up in the kitchen and try to make small talk with her. It was obvious that Beatrice was feeling rather uncomfortable at that moment. Her eyes shied away from Shannon's and her stance was hesitant as she stood there, under the threshold, with her arms gently crossed over her chest and her knees touching. She was waiting to be invited to come in and sit.