The Dewey Upgrade

a bookish look-alike is seeking the Universal Library.

He stood at the wrecked building, but did he have the right one?  This was fourth planet he had tried and the last one on the list he had found on the dead ambassador.  He had no choice but to look into it.

Despite his scholarly, bookish appearance, Derek wasn’t here for anything except to look for the Universal Library.  His job?  To destroy it.  He had to set fire to it and destroy the total history of the universe from before time, the present moment and the future that is now being written. 

All he had to do was avoid being written into the disaster that was going to be the end.  If he could avoid seeing his death before it was written, he’d get his arse off this planet in one piece.  How he knew about this part was that others had tried to destroy it before and failed.  So, the bounty on this place was massive; and he needed the money.  Besides, from what he heard, only the insane took on this kind of job and got away with it.

They were also then handed jobs that were near impossible to do.  This would up his resume to something of an unkillable entity in his field… this was something he liked.

Stepping through the destroyed, broken stone doors, he found the place was deserted.  It had been for a thousand millennia.  There were isles of books going in all directions.  However, he was searching for the epicentre of the Universal Library – the place where these books started, the very arena where they were given birth from – which would be the place he’d set the explosives.

“You’ll never find it.” A young woman’s voice said behind him as he peered down one isle and then the next, “I’ve tried and failed to find the very beginning of this Library.”

He spun to found a neatly-dressed woman standing near the doors, “Who are you?”

“The Library’s Assistant.” She smile sweetly, her chestnut hair shone in the dust as though she had just shown up for work this very moment, “I have been here since the Universal Library was started up.”

“Started up?”

“Why yes, it’s no ordinary library.” She gazed around, “It records everything in time, space and …anything you can think of.” Her eyes moved back to him, “But you’re not him.”

“Him?”

“My replacement.”

He shook his head, “I’m here to destroy it.”

“If you destroy it, you destroy every fabric of time you know.  There will be no records of it, no history to teach your children… no way of telling time on your watch; nothing.” She said, “You can’t destroy it.”

“I’m being paid to.”

“I’m here to protect it from people like you.” She smiled, “And don’t let this ordinary-looking uniform fool you, I have a lot of power.”

“What’s your name then?”

She laughed, “What do you think?  It’s Dewey.”

He rolled his eyes at the pun of how simple the name had been and how he should have guessed it, “Oh shit.”

“I’m old, but I’m useful.” She smiled.

“It’s time to pave for the new way.” He pulled out a sword and swung it at her, only to have her put her hands up and a visible force field surround her. 

It swirled and shimmered as she shone a bright silver colour before she pushed on it and he was thrown across the room against one of the large stone bookcases.  In a screaming, high-pitched retort, Dewey almost deafened him, “Do you really think it’s that easy to destroy me?”

Holding his head, he doubled over in agony, “Stop, stop… I’m sorry!”

She stood tall and put her hands by her side, brushing her skirt straight.  The force field vanished and she appeared like she did before, “The Library is protected from intruders like yourself.  Now, it’s time for you to die.”

He stared at her, shocked, “Why?”

“You tried to hurt to me and admitted to wanting to destroy the Universal Library.” She replied, “You must die for this.”

From her right, through the main doors, walked a man who looked exactly the same as the cowering man by the bookcases, “Hi I’m Dewey 10.5.  I’m here to replace you.” He looked over at the other man, “Was he here to destroy the Library?”

She nodded, “Yes.  I’m about to kill him.”

He put out his hand and she took it, “Let’s do it together.”