Christopher’s mood darkened as his thoughts turned to Celeste and if it had been her that had been twisted by Sen. He rebelled at that mental image, then thought about Smitty. His life was forever changed by this forced deformity and his father had lost so many years of his life. It just wasn't fair!
"Perhaps it's time for something to drink."
The two startled at the sound of Alice's voice as she entered the courtyard, a tray of drinks and snacks in her hands. Daylin looked at the tray and sniffed.
"I'm not sure I trust you."
Alice smiled and sat down on a bench across from them.
"You don't have to trust me, nor do I blame you. But you do need nourishment. Sen doesn't understand your species. He should by now, but he's being stubborn." She indicated the tray. "The drinks are especially good. Try something."
Christopher picked up a glass and took a sip. His eyes widened with the taste.
"Wow that is good!" He drained his glass. Daylin took a nibble of a sandwich, paused, then began shoving food into his mouth, barely taking time to chew. Christopher laughed.
"Take your time, Dad." He said, gasping for breath. "You'll choke!"
"But it's good!" Daylin said around a mouthful of food. "I haven't eaten like this in a long time. I usually get less identifiable food."
Christopher turned to Alice, his face thoughtful.
"Can I ask you something?"
Alice spread her hands.
"Anything you like. I'll answer all your questions, if I'm able."
"What is it like for you? Being a construct and all? Doesn't it bother you the way he's treated my dad and his friends?"
She bowed her head and thought for a moment.
"That is a complex question coming from such a young man." She shook her head and stretched her arms, releasing tension. "You and your uncle are very much alike. You question the world around you in order to understand everything. That is what I admire most about you and your people." She stood and came over to sit next to Christopher. "I feel like I am human. I breathe, I eat, I sleep. I feel." She put her hand over her heart. "But I know I was created rather than born." She paused, looking at both Christopher and his father. "I don't agree with everything Sen has done. But I cannot stop him. Does it bother me?" She looked away, as if trying to find the right words. "I do not care for his callous indifference to inflicting pain on those who he deems to be lesser creatures. He created me to be like you, so of course I feel empathy." She looked back at Christopher. "Yes, it bothers me."
"Why do you think he created that metal contraption to live in?"
Alice thought for a moment before responding.
"I do believe he was afraid of dying. Physically dying. I don't think the experience was a pleasant one for him. Feeling himself get weaker and not being able to do anything about it. He may be very powerful, but he can't control everything. I think he chose to reside in the metallic shell so he wouldn't have to feel weak any longer."
A thought occurred to Christopher.
"But he wouldn't die, would he? Wouldn't he just join his people?"
"Sen had been alive a long time. Since he transferred himself to his shell, he’s lived thousands of years longer, all alone. I'm not sure if he remembers the way he was before, or where his people went. He's also grown much more adept with his mental abilities. We can't overpower him; we can only try to sway him. Make him see the error of his decision." Alice smiled at Christopher. "Unless your uncle is doing that very thing right now."
CHAPTER TEN
The light was blinding as Tremain crossed the memory barrier. The brightness gradually faded until he could make out his surroundings.
He was standing in a field at the top of a hill. Sen was next to him, still a ball of light.
Tremain turned and looked out over the vista before him.
"This is lovely, to be sure. What are you trying to show me?"
A tendril of energy reached out and pointed to the horizon.
"Watch. You'll see in a moment."
As Tremain focused in the distance, he could see a figure coming over the crest of the hill. The being was bipedal and had two arms and a head, very human-like with a few exceptions. The body was very slight in build, the head seemingly oversized for such a small frame. The brown eyes were the most dominant feature in the face. They seemed almost human with a large pupil surrounded by an even larger iris. A small nose and mouth finished off the similarities. The figure wore a loose-fitting top and matching bottoms made of a gauze-like material.
"Is this you?" Tremain asked Sen, who gave no answer.
The figure sat down on a rock near a small lake, folded his legs underneath him and crossed his arms. The huge eyes were bright with intelligence and curiosity. The lids closed over them and presently a glow surrounded the figure. This lasted a few minutes, as the glow traveled down the body and into the rock, which began to glow as well. As the glow faded away, the eyes snapped open and the figure quickly undressed and jumped into the water. He splashed around, giggling like a human child would. He squirted water from his fingers, he did handstands in the water, his feet sticking up into the air, followed by swimming the length of the lake and back.
A bird, attracted by the sound, was hit by a splash from the youth and dropped into the water, struggling to keep its head up. It sank once, twice, its struggles getting weaker. The boy, sensing the bird's distress, quickly shot out a tendril of energy from his hand, lifted the bird and placed it gently on the shoreline. The bird sat stunned, recovering, until it let out a chirp and flew off to a nearby branch.
"You saved that bird. Life isn't so meaningless to you after all." Tremain gloated, just a little.
Another figure had materialized next to the pond. This figure was male, older, with wispy hair on his head and huge bags under his tired eyes. After a few seconds, a simultaneous glow appeared around the two heads.
"I had grown tired of meditating. I decided to swim and was being chastised for enjoying the water." Sen's voice came to Tremain, the frustration evident. "My people had evolved to the point where the physical experiences of life were less important than the mental. We spent hours communing with each other. At times, the very ground underneath us became infused with our essences. They became lodestones, areas rich in mental energy. Those areas were considered sacred. Communing was not unpleasant, but I was still young. I enjoyed the water, I loved the sensation of the coolness on my skin. I still preferred the physical sensations of eating rather than absorbing my sustenance from the air around me. I was ridiculed for being a throw-back, for being slow."
Sen pulled Tremain back into the void. The memory shards were vibrating. One zoomed towards them, stopping just short. Tremain touched the surface and was pulled in.
He found himself standing by a fountain, alone. Sen had not entered this memory with him. The same being as the previous memory sat at the fountain, throwing pebbles into the water. As Tremain watched, the figure cocked his head, his eyes growing wide as a smile appeared on his face. He turned to see another figure approaching. Tremain studied this new being, one which he saw was female. She was not quite as slender as Sen, but most everything else was the same, with the exception of her head, which was slightly smaller. Her hair was thick and full, pulled tight into a severe ponytail. Her smile grew wider as she came closer. Their hands reached out and clasped. They each closed their eyes as a glow of light enveloped the two. Tremain began to feel like he was observing something intimate and private when they separated. Sen sighed and shook himself. Tremain was startled when the female spoke.
"It will start soon, Sen." She said. "Won't you join me?"
Sen's eyes darted away as she spoke.
"Why now, Illya?" he grumbled. "They said the ascension would be gradual." He shifted on the bricks that lined the fountain. "It seems like it's going to be all at once now. It's moving too fast."
Illya's smile grew wistful as she gazed at Sen.
"You haven't been practicing, have
you?" She shook her head, her ponytail bobbing back and forth.
"I have too. It's just . . . not easy for me."
Illya sat next to her boyfriend and grabbed his hands. She stared into his eyes for a long time before she spoke again.
"Sen. Come with me. I can help you and we can ascend together. It will be so much fun." The earnestness in her expression was almost painful to Tremain.
"Fun?" Sen grimaced and pulled his hands away. "How can the prospect of leaving all this be fun?" He gestured, indicating the world around him, then stood, balling his small hands into fists. "I can't, Illya. Not yet. Can’t you wait for me?"
Illya smiled again. It was a sad, sweet smile, Tremain noticed, one that an adult would give a petulant child.
"You know I can't, Sen." She stood as well. "My father's council is sending the call soon. I have to be there with him." She looked down. "I'm sorry. I have to go now." She turned, then hurried off, her ponytail bobbing in time with her steps. Sen shuffled his feet, stared at the fountain a while longer, then stiffened, grumbled something under his breath and hurried after the girl.
"Illya . . ." He muttered as he ran.
Tremain's perspective followed Sen as he wove between the buildings, coming to a meeting hall of sorts. It was full of beings of varying heights and skin colors. Tremain was amazed at the diversity that existed in this race of people. Some were lighter skinned than others, some were completely bald, while others had full heads of hair, intricately woven into decorative patterns. All were standing silently. Sen made his way through the crowd, weaving his way towards a dais, where, Tremain could see, stood Illya and an older gentleman, his white wispy hair brushed back on his head. On his opposite side were arrayed other beings, who Tremain assumed were the council members.
As soon as Sen entered the building, the beings on the dais closed their eyes and held hands. The telltale glow of mental energy enveloped them and shot out in all directions. Tremain heard bells or chimes and a hypnotic melody as the wave of energy reached him. It was a pleasant sound, bringing him a feeling of hope and peace.
Each being in the room closed their eyes as the glow suffused them. The people, one by one, dissolved into concentrated balls of light, their bodies being absorbed into the energy. As if on cue, they shot upwards into the heavens. Tremain watched as Illya followed her father.
"ILLYA!" came a cry from Tremain's right. He tore his eyes away from the scene before him and watched as Sen fell to his knees, his arms outstretched. The room was empty, save for Sen. He looked around, his wide eyes streaming with tears. Standing, he swiped the tears from his face and slumped out of the building. Tremain felt a pull and soon found himself in the void, Sen's glowing orb floating next to him.
"I'm so sorry," Tremain said. "I could feel your desolation."
"I could not relive that moment." Sen said, his voice almost a whisper.
"I understand."
"It was the next step in our evolution." Sen explained, "The council said there would be some who didn't ascend in the first wave and they would follow in turn. Those of us who were left behind, eventually found each other and became a sort of community. I found none who were as suited to me as was Illya." He paused, the silence punctuated by the swirling of the memory shards. “I tried to practice, so I could join her, but I was lost. I was alone in spirit. Then I was just alone."
Tremain couldn't find the words to console Sen. The pain of his loss caused ripples to fan out, disturbing the other memory shards.
"What happened then?" Tremain was able to ask.
"Eventually, I found a balance. I continued to practice. I learned. I became stronger and listened for another call. One which never came."
Another memory shard loomed in front of them. At Sen's gesture, Tremain steadied himself and pushed into it.
A much older Sen sat in a bare room. The room was dark save for a single light which illuminated the plush chair Sen reclined in. Tremain gasped as he realized how old the being was.
His skin was sallow and hung off his too-thin frame. His sunken cheeks puffed with each weak breath while his eyes, rheumy and red, gazed at nothing. He was completely bald, with dark age spots dotting his scalp. He grimaced as he strained to lift his hand and made a subtle gesture.
A swirl of dust and other flotsam gathered into a cloud in front of Sen. As it whirled, a form took shape within it, one Tremain easily recognized; the metallic framework of Sen's current body. As the form solidified, the aged figure took one more shuddering breath and grew still. The large eyes closed for a final time. The glow, once it began, soon suffused the entire body, absorbing it into a ball of mental energy. Tremain gasped as tendrils reached out and wrapped around the metallic form, pulling the energy into the shell.
The now glowing metal framework animated, flexing its joints and testing movement. Satisfied, the figure stomped to the window, held its hands behind its back and stared out into the night.
Tremain was pulled out of the memory.
"Why the hardware?" He asked.
"My body was failing. I chose to create a new form that wouldn't suffer the frailties of biology."
"And you wonder at what you've lost." Tremain shook his head. "I think I understand you now, in part. I can see why you are so lonely. I am very sorry for that. But I still don't see how you came to feel that humanity needed to be eradicated."
The energy that was Sen flared once and threw tendrils out into the void. Another memory shard flew into and absorbed Tremain.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tremain was back in the castle at the top of the mountain. At first he thought he was back, but something was different. No Christopher, no Alice. Just Sen, standing in contemplation at the window. Tremain walked over and looked out into the valley.
The view was spectacular from this vantage. Puffs of clouds floated far below the window. Tremain could barely make out the features of the valley floor. Sunlight glinted off a meandering river.
Tremain started as he heard a roar from the skies above. He looked up, but could see nothing. Far up in the clouds there was a fiery speck, growing larger. Curious, Tremain looked around, then shrugged and jumped out the window.
He fell for a short distance, his arms and legs flailing, then he . . . stopped. Giving a short chuckle, he looked towards the growing, glowing dot and shot upwards.
"I so wish I could do this in real life." He said out loud to nobody. A laugh escaped him as he soared towards the . . . shuttle? Yes, it was a shuttle, with a thick series of cables trailing out behind it Tremain realized this wasn't just any run-of-the-mill shuttle. He read the name emblazoned on the side: USS Mayflower. This had come from the colony ship. He was reliving Sen's memory of humanity arriving on New Earth. The cabling was obviously the first iteration of the space elevator.
Time seemed to advance much faster now. Tremain remained in place as events unfolded before him. Near the coastline, the shuttle landed. Soon, a series of capsules descended from the cable. Each one disgorged its contents and rode back up. Tremain watched as habitat structures were built and the colony began to take shape.
In rapid succession, other modules were built and then were replaced by larger, more permanent structures. He watched as residential areas took shape and Capital city formed around them. Tremain then watched a group of individuals depart, heading away from the city. With a start he realized them to be the Mayflower people, the tribes that lived in the belly of the ship as it slowly drifted towards its destination. They were leaving to live out their simpler lives away from the much more advanced colonists.
Tremain's attention followed the Mayflower tribes as they marched. The sun rapidly rose and set many times during the journey, until they reached the jungle at the interior of the continent. A camp formed, then disappeared.
Tremain's focus zoomed in. He watched as the tribes discovered labyrinths inside the hillsides. A glowing light helped them navigate the maze, then showed them the safe passage which bypassed the labyrinth.
"Sen?" Tremain gasped. He watched as the tribes constructed an irrigation pump, ingenious for their level of technology. They built a temple around a larger stone in the valley on the other side of the hills. "They had found a lodestone." Tremain whispered. That explained the increase in their mastery of metallurgy and engineering.
Time moved faster yet. The scene before Tremain blurred as figures came and went. He zoomed back to a distance above the hills as he saw a massive flash of light. His perspective changed as he found himself in a long valley. Mountains shot up on each side. Tremain realized he was in the valley below Sen’s castle. The tribes had been relocated.
They built temples with a burst of light carved above the doorways. Tremain's brows furrowed as he realized who they were worshiping. The Mayflower people flourished as their "god" watched from on high.
Tremain felt himself pulled up once again and found himself facing Sen. His disgust got the better of him.
"Are you proud of yourself? You were . . . are revered as a god to those people!"
"To them I am."
"And you're proud of that, aren't you? You couldn't just leave them to live on their own? Why did you have to relocate them?"
"They discovered a lodestone. It was influencing their development. I . . . guided them."
"And the maze? We've found more of those scattered around the area."
Sen's light flared and tendrils grew and shrank.
"Those were creations of our young ones. To teach them to control their mental energies, they created underground mazes and other more complex structures. Your people were drawn to the lodestone. I had to show them the pathway through the maze so they wouldn't get lost." The light dimmed slightly. "I confess I was curious about your people. I had been alone for so long that I became involved in their lives. They worshiped me. They sacrificed to me." Sen pulled Tremain back into yet another memory shard.
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