Page 215 of Sparktopia

Delta must read my hesitation as confusion, because he stands up and starts tapping his desk. “Let me fill you in on what’s been happening.”

I’m already standing, so I just step forward and look down at the glass that has now turned black and is lit up with a map.

“This is the line.” Delta points to a line that runs right down the center of the map. “It’s a line we do not cross. It’s a line in thesand, literally and figuratively. It’s a line so bright, you cannot miss it.”

“It’s the… train?” I look up at him, confused.

“Indeed it is. The train is our line. It’s a waystation between worlds. You can’t cross worlds—well,youcan, because I had you augmented. But people riding the trains can’t cross. They are in the world they are in.”

“I’m not following.”

“We live in a world of many worlds. They are not copies, per se. They are not anything like that tired old theory of the fucking ‘multiverse.’” He does air quotes when he says ‘multiverse.’ “That theory was ludicrous to begin with. There are no doppelgangers, Tyse. There are no other ‘yous’ out there. There is just one of everyone. But the worlds are many. And the gods… well, as I have said, it’s gotten out of hand.

“We, the Alphas”—again, he nods his head towards the door to indicate the gods out in the meeting—“we’re old, Tyse. Thousands of years old. We’ve earned our right to exist. We Swept the worlds clean with dust and remade them in our image for our own purpose. That’s why we’re gods. We live on the line in the central cities. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and all the way down the alphabet to the Omega.” He’s pointing at the map as he talks, tapping on each city along the line. “But above, and below, and between the line there are many worlds. You can see them. I know you can see them.”

I consider lying, but it’s pointless. “Yeah. All right. I can see them. So what?”

“Well, that makes you very special. Because if you can see them, you can cross over. You can interact with other worlds. You’ve done it. I know you’ve done it.” His smile drops here. “That’s how you kept Anneeta and Clara alive.”

I don’t admit it, but he doesn’t really need me to.

His smile returns and he taps the map again. This time it changes to something else. Something similar, but not exact. “This is our problem dimension at the moment. This is the one you will be clearing first. This is the factory world. They make Spark Maidens here.”

I stare at the map, then look up at him. “That’s Clara’s world.”

“Yes. All gods have Spark Maiden factories, Tyse. We all use the spark. But we don’t all use it in the same way. None of this is the point, though. The point is that these factories, they’re rebelling. And there is one particularly annoying Worker—from Clara’s home factory, actually—who is blowing up the Looking Glasses in that world. He and one of the products are travelling the line and cutting ties with this world. The home world. This is not something I can tolerate.”

It’s Finn. He’s talking about Finn. And whoever that redhead girl is he was carrying when things exploded back in Tau City.

“You’re going to get ahead of him on the line, cross over, take over the factories, and you’re going to kill any pseudo-gods you find inside the factories. Every single one of them until they are gone. And of course, put an end to this rebellious Worker and his product. When you’re done with that, we’ll talk again.” Delta taps the glass and it all disappears.

I wait, but apparently this meeting is over because he comes out from behind the desk and offers me his hand, looking me straight in the eyes as we shake on it. “You leave in three days. Prepare your Courtesan, she’s going with you. All gods need food. Good luck and Godspeed, Godslayer.”

I open my mouth to ask just what the fuck that means, but he disappears, right before my eyes, like he was never here.

All gods need food.

And there it is. Confirmation.

I’m in the game.