Chapter 36

"We need to discuss, Jacob." When Nell entered the kitchen the next morning, he found him getting ready to leave.

"Can it wait, I have to get to work?" Jacob inquired.

"Ruby and Microsoft X aren't extinct in this universe." Nell stated plainly, prompting him to turn around and confront him.

"What are you on about, Nell? That is not a laughing matter." Jacob became enraged.

"And I'm not exaggerating. I thought it was weird that the folks who discovered the bone fragments happened to work for the same woman you're now married to, so I had a buddy at M.R.C. Scientist investigate the bone fragments, and these were the results." Nell stated as he handed him the results.

"Wait, Nell, these findings indicate that the fragments discovered are from a dog." Jacob expressed his disbelief.

"I had a friend run it again to validate it," Nell explained.

"You know I'm going to need more proof than this, Nell." Jacob stated.

"How about you ask Catherine?" As Catherine entered the room, Nell inquired.

"Tell me what?" Catherine inquired.

"To be honest, we uncovered bone fragments that we thought belonged to Microsoft X and Ruby of this world." Catherine was clearly nervous, according to Nellk.

"What are you on about?" Catherine inquired, and Jacob could sense his wife was nervous.

"What's going on, Catherine?" Catherine could tell Jacob was not going to let her out of this.

"Okay, those bone bits discovered by my personnel were not from Ruby. They came from a dog that one of my staff discovered." Catherine explained.

"How come the cops and coroner claimed to be from Microsoft X and Ruby?" Jacob inquired, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I bribed them to fabricate the results," Catherine sobbed.

"What makes you think that?" Jacob demanded, refusing to even look her in the eyes, and frankly, Nell couldn't either, for while he was pleased Catherine was alive, he was also relieved that she had withheld not only Ruby, but also Microsoft X from Jacob's awareness.

"Do you remember what you were doing in this world following the accident? You had the entire Vultures force seeking for Ruby of this planet, Caleb and the other commanders acting as if you were no longer instructing young heroes, and everyone was putting their entire life on wait. It grew that severe that Microsoft X simply vanished." Catherine remarked, urgently attempting to explain why she did what she did.

"Maybe it was because half of Microsoft X's family was missing, and we didn't want to live our lives knowing what had happened to theirs. You had no authority to make that choice. We might have found them if you hadn't. Instead, we gave up, and no one knows where Ruby, Microsoft X's children, or him are now. Perhaps Ruby and the infant are no longer alive since we did not discover them in time to save them. That is entirely your fault." Nell became enraged.

"Please try to comprehend." Catherine pleaded.

"I'm thinking of staying in a motel tonight." Nell said as he turned to return upstairs to begin packing.

"You can bet we'll have to talk about it. Listen, if this is true, this corrupted Verse's mission will only become more difficult. I didn't need Microsoft X to send him; I could have done it myself." As he walked out of the apartment, Jacob said.

"What do you mean mission Jacob?" Catherine wondered as she approached the door to question him.

"Don't worry about it," Jacob replied as he walked down the stairs to depart.

Catherine was perplexed. Catherine wondered if she hadn't been waking up in the same bed with the same man.

Later that week, Nell made time to speak with Mary.

"I've been trying to reach you, Nell. What's this about Jacob and my mother taking a vacation? It almost appears to be a divorce." Mary inquired, startling Nell.

"You're not sure?" Nell inquired.

"No, I mean you're staying as far away from the Vulture's as possible. Jacob and my mother refuse to tell me anything." Nell sighed as Mary spoke.

"You might want to take a seat for this." Mary nodded when Nell said this.

"Look, Mary, we recently learned that the bone fragments used to identify my Microsoft X's son and Ruby bodies were actually dog bone fragments." Nell stated.

"What's that? How is that even possible? With so many discrepancies, how could the Scientific's office make such an error?" Mary inquired.

"Because your mother paid them to do it." Nell expressed her regret. "What? That's not humorous, Nell." Mary stated. "Sorry, Mary, but that is true. Your mother admitted to Jacob and me. I would have notified you sooner, but Jacob and I have been busy figuring out where they could be. Perhaps figuring this out will solve everything." Nell stated.

"So, I'm guessing you despise me now?" Mary inquired, and Nell was surprised that she would think so.

"Of course not, and neither does Jacob, despite his odd behavior in this world. You had nothing to do with your mother's decision, and you will always be one of my supporters." Nell was confident.

"I'm at a loss for words." Mary remarked, and Nell could sense the floodgates were opening, so he merely drew Mary into an embrace as she felt her friend weep into his shoulder, and Nell did her best to rub reassuring circles.