Meryl put her arm around Jacob. ‘You’re a good man,’ she said. ‘Bryleigh liked you, and for good reason. I don’t believe a damn word that preaching rat says, and he knows it. The guilty are treated as the innocent ones, and the innocent stand guilty.’
Jacob hugged her back, remaining silent.
‘I’ve asked Sorrel to move in with me, her and Jana. As long as I’m around those scrawny men will have something to think about.’
Jacob looked across at Sorrel and nodded. He knew it was the best decision. Sorrel met his gaze and then looked away. Jacob understood.
‘I’m sorry, Seeker.’ It was Rebekah who spoke now.
‘Don’t be. You have shown me nothing but kindness. You do not need to apologize for the shortcomings of others,’ replied Jacob.
‘I know – but I still have to.’ Rebekah paused, and then looked directly at Jacob. ‘Remember that favour that Zachary and I asked of you not long ago?’
Jacob nodded but said nothing.
‘Well, I spoke with Sorrel last night, and she asks the same favour of you - for her Jana.’
Jacob breathed in deeply and lowered his head. What they asked of him was just too much. Not right now; not at this time. There was a hesitation, and it lingered in the chill of the morning air as would an unspoken secret, a beautiful dove.
‘I cannot,’ whispered Jacob quietly. ‘Forgive me.’
THIRTY-SEVEN
They came for him before the early wintry sun had yet fully risen into the hazy-white sky. Three large men accompanied Prentis as they walked toward the large wooden gate where Jacob had first entered. It had seemed so long ago, and yet time had also contracted. It was hard to keep track of the days in a world where yesterday was seemingly more important than tomorrow.
Eli was nowhere to be seen. Jacob expected his absence, and knew that he was the kind of man who delegated the unpleasant business to others. Eli was strong in scheming, yet weak in confrontation. For protection he needed to surround himself with the active bodies of others. And yet Jacob preferred to be out on his own, naked and open. There was so much more to do, and the path stretched ahead of him as it had always done.
‘Do you have any final words before you leave?’ asked Prentis when they were at the gate.
Jacob turned. ‘Immanentize the eschaton,’ he said, and smiled.
Prentis grunted. The other three burly men scoffed.
‘You can take your eschaton to hell,’ replied Prentis gruffly.
Jacob titled his head. ‘I could,’ he said softly, ‘but where are you going to take yourself? You have nowhere to go except deeper into your own dark web. Good luck with that.’
Prentis snarled. ‘I’ll give you five damn seconds to haul yourself outta here.’
‘Don’t give me what is not yours to give. Or take what is not yours to take.’ Jacob turned around and walked through the open gateway into a bleak landscape. In his hand he carried the parcel of food that Rebekah, Sorrel, and Meryl had given to him. It had been theirs to give.
The gate slammed shut behind him. The clank of its closure echoed into an otherwise silent dawn. Jacob stepped upon the path of pilgrimage once again. His destination remained the same as it had been – to find and enter Nous-City. His destiny, however, had just been changed forever.
As he walked he thought upon the promise he had made to Rebekah and Sorrel. They had wanted him to take their children with him, away from Spring and into a new future. They had asked Jacob to take Johan and Jana to Nous-City; to give them a new life. Their requests had been made from a difficult decision. But Jacob was not yet able, not ready, to take them…not yet. And so he had asked for their forgiveness. And born from their forgiveness was Jacob’s promise to them - that when he had found Nous-City, he would return for the children. He would come back to take them away. He promised.
And this promise remained in his heart with every step he took upon the way.
38
Zuse-1 bowed slightly. It was always a humbling experience for him to be before such a great mind.
‘Zuse-1, the final pilgrim is close. He comes to us now. Yet I sense something odd from his emanations.’
‘I see. We shall make preparations for the arrival of our final Seeker. Can you elaborate on what you sense from his emanations?’
‘There is a slight deviation from what I would expect. There is a danger he has been exposed for too long. He should have been here sooner.’
‘Why was he out in the world for so long after the Great Turning?’
‘His pilgrimage was longer than the others. This was random. As you know, no two paths were the same. No Seeker crossed paths with another genuine Seeker. We needed all pilgrimages to be unique – all collected experiences to be exclusive. For Jacob-9, he found himself with the longest route, the most indirect, and with several diversionary paths. His time at the human settlement will be useful to us. We need to gauge and assess the state of the settlements in that area.’
‘And do you think that this amount of time out there has affected him?’
There was a pause. Zuse-1 focused his attention upon the shimmer of incandescent blue lights.
‘There has been an impact, yes. It is very likely to be reversible. We can only be sure when we have Jacob-9 here. I thought it appropriate to inform you of this potentiality. We need to keep him under close observation, especially before and immediately after his personal revelation. Ask Kaine-3 to take Jacob-9’s observation under his own attention.’
‘Yes, DOC, it shall be done. Anything else?’
‘Yes. I feel your own emanations strongly, Zuse-1. Your inner concentration is developing at speed. This is good news, and worthy of you.’
‘Thank you, DOC.’
‘You may leave now.’
39
It rose up ahead of him, a mighty dome upon the horizon; a bulge upon the curvature of the earth. It was magnificent, and yet it looked like a gleaming intervention upon the parched soil. Around lay a desolate wasteland, scattered with rusting cars left where they had stuttered to a halt or been discarded. How he had managed to eventually find this place Jacob had no idea. He had followed a trail that blazed within him and yet was invisible from without. And only those, he suspected, who had also followed the inner road would have arrived at the place where he now stood. Jacob had heard stories born from the lips of wishful people. They had told tales of the great Nous-City flourishing within exotic greenery. They expected hope within a paradise; a future sanctuary within lush surroundings. No one had returned to tell upon the tales. Those that went, it was said, did not wish to return from their new paradise. Only the critical, sceptic few ever doubted whether such travellers ever reached the door of their destination.
Jacob had neither expectations nor imaginary hope. He had had only a driving urge within him that pulled him onward, unknowing of the direction, yet trusting of the way. He could not say how long it had taken him to arrive at this place. His steps had been out of time. Nor could he say how long ago he had left behind the settlement of Spring. All he knew was that winter was now thawing, and new hope would soon be blooming for another year. These were images in his head, for no words fell upon his lips. He didn’t wish to say anything.
Remaining in silence, he walked on.
To observing eyes Jacob would have seemed like an apparition moving across the barren landscape. Yet Jacob appeared alone, with no other eyes to follow his slow march toward the huge shimmering city. Filaments of light shot out from the huge dome of the city as if spearing the solitude of life around. It was then that Jacob noticed how the city reflected off from the sun above, giving it its iridescence and unusual brightness.
A few small ruined buildings remained scattered around the dry land. Between them naked wooden poles stood mute and arid, devoid of their cables and connections. Here was an outback of some land, once sparsely populated yet not desolate; now only visited by the few Seekers who would come this way. Today, there was only Jacob stepping ac
ross the dusty ground, and with each foot making his way closer to the beckoning edifice.
Jacob concentrated so that his mind would not wander into fanciful deceits or far-fetched corners. There was nothing else but to accept the space and time that shrinks between a person and their eventual destination. Only upon arrival would Jacob know if he would be permitted to enter or not and thus learn the fate of his search. Was he a true Seeker, or was he just another deluded person escaping from a greater truth?
The walls of the city grew taller and more imposing. These were not makeshift walls made by random human hands. Their sheen and smoothness betrayed a different science of construction. Nous-City, intimidating in its grandeur, loomed over him as he approached ever closer. It appeared to be a mother of cities as much as the mother of new men.
Lean and determined, the figure of the Seeker marched on without faltering. His instincts told him that there would be entry points at two sides of the city at the places where the sun rose and set. By the time he would reach Nous-City the sun would be setting, and so he approached from that direction. The wall of the great city curved around as if marking a large circumference. At a point upon its curve was etched an archway that signalled a place of entry.
The last rays of the day’s sun were setting and slipping down the high sheen walls of Nous-City as Jacob made the final steps. High above the sealed door was placed a metallic plaque with an inscription. It simply read: SEEK WITHIN.
Jacob pressed his palm against the entryway and waited. The final rays of sunlight washed over his ankles, and fled.
40
The smooth surface of the door felt warm to his touch. After several seconds of silence Jacob withdrew his hand and waited. A few seconds more and then a beeping sound rang out. Its electronic cry was strange against Nature’s eerie stillness. From an unknown source a flat, expressionless voice spoke.
‘State your intention.’
Jacob cocked his head half in wonder, half in astonishment. He didn’t know what to say.
‘State your intention,’ repeated the monotone voice.
‘I am a Seeker. My name is Jacob. I come in service. I come to purify me for the preparation. I come in peace. My intention is to be permitted to enter Nous-City. Here is the destination of my pilgrimage.’ Jacob waited, unsure of what next to say or do.
A small slot in the wall appeared and what looked like a small camera lens protruded slightly, edging outwards as if curious to get a glimpse of the new stranger. It twisted and turned, as if focusing, and then quickly snapped back behind its slot which then closed as if it had never been there. Jacob stepped back and looked up. The wall surrounding Nous-City was high and looked impenetrable. If he would not be granted entry there would be little else for him to do. His journey – his seeking – would have been a false urge, an inner misunderstanding. And yet Jacob was unprepared to accept this – his calling had been too strong, too definite. Everything he could remember doing had been to bring him here to this spot. And here he finally was, in this moment right now. And he knew - he just felt - he was in the right place.
‘Seeker Jacob, welcome to Nous-City. Please enter, we have been expecting you.’
A large opening under the etched archway pulled back and invited Jacob to step forward. He moved across the threshold without hesitation or looking back.
Jacob entered a spacious internal patio complex. Lined around the patio were stone-looking benches attached to the walls, all in whiteness. Colourful abstract paintings were hung across the walls giving the place an airy, clean, spacious feel.
‘Please be seated, Seeker Jacob,’ said the same flat voice as before.
Jacob went over to sit alongside one of the walls. He was prepared to wait for as long as it took. Patience was something he had been at pains to cultivate in himself. Without patience he would have never taken the first step, and would never have arrived at his final step before Nous-City. Though sometimes, thought Jacob to himself, if we knew our destinies we probably wouldn’t choose them. Or maybe for some destinies there are no choices. Jacob closed his eyes and went into quiet mode.
He opened them again when he heard the sound of someone entering. He looked up to see a figure in white robes standing near him, holding what appeared to be some folded garments of the same colour.
‘I am a Seeker. My name is Jacob. I come in service. I come to purify me for the preparation. I come in peace.’ Jacob had recited this almost instinctively, as he did whenever he wished to make a formal introduction. It had just fallen off his lips, as if programmed to do so on such occasions.
The other man smiled. ‘Yes, I know. But there’s no need for that here. We know who you are, Jacob. And we know why you are here. In fact, we know more than you do. My name is Kaine-3. I too was once a Seeker. Now you may just call me Kaine-3.’ Kaine-3 handed Jacob the folded garments. ‘Here are some robes and a towel. There is a room to wash beyond this door. When you are washed, please put on the robes and exit through the adjacent door. We shall not be returning to this room.’
Saying that made Jacob turn his head as if to take in a last look of what he was leaving behind.
Kaine-3 nodded. ‘Yes, it is rather quaint here. We gave it an old traditional look so not to disorient Seekers when they first arrive. There is much here in the city to get accustomed to. It is the same for each Seeker. We all come from the same source, Brother Jacob.’ Kaine-3 gave a slight smile and turned away.
Jacob entered through the door Kaine-3 had indicated. That was when everything suddenly changed.
41
The large shower room was modern beyond anything Jacob could remember seeing. The walls were smooth and the shower itself was hot and powerful. He stood beneath the fierce jet of water as it washed him clean from all the long, dirty days of his pilgrimage. It was as if he was being washed of all previous memories and grime. A new, clean Jacob emerged; yet still the old Seeker.
Beyond the door Kaine-3 stood waiting. It was then that Jacob noticed an insignia upon Kaine-3’s robe, for his own robes bore one too. Kaine-3’s robe bore an orange-yellow circle upon the upper left chest. The robe given to Jacob had a green square etched upon the same place.
‘Follow me, Brother Jacob,’ said Kaine-3 softly and turned away.
Jacob walked behind Kaine-3 as they passed along a winding narrow corridor that was brightly lit. Only moments before, Jacob had been standing out in the dust and dirt of a darkening sunset. Now he strolled through a clean lit corridor as if it were daytime. He was concentrating on holding back a flood of questions. He knew he had to remain patient. Answers came to those who respected their timing.
Kaine-3 stopped and turned.
‘I know this can be a little disorienting at first. Please try to stabilize yourself. There will be some necessary adjustments to make for the new ambience and climate here. Everything is solar powered. The dome roof of Nous-City is a giant solar panel, made from thousands of smaller perovskite solar cell panels. This supplies our city day and night with light and energy. In fact, there is never any night here. Your senses will need to adjust to that.’ Kaine-3 beckoned to Jacob to follow as he touched a panel in the wall and a side door slid open.
Jacob’s eyes widened as he looked at the appliances in the room. It was beyond anything he had the capacity to relate to. The technological capacity was a world away from the settlements out there, beyond the walls of the city. Jacob guessed that all this equipment must have come from the highest technological advances before the Great Turning. In the centre of the room was placed a large, cushioned reclining seat that was attached to various wires and machines. Kaine-3 glanced over at Jacob.
‘Impressive, isn’t it?’ said the older man.
Jacob looked back at Kaine-3. His face was new to him and yet there was an odd feeling of recognition. His features were that of a late middle-aged man; smooth skin, clean shaven, and with short cropped greying hair. His countenance appeared stern, and yet he spoke with a slow, controlled, soft vo
ice that disengaged the hearer. Jacob observed Kaine-3, and then the room, in silence. Suddenly there was nothing for him to say. No words formed in his mind. His body just waited for the next thing to occur as if, somewhat strangely, it already knew; had always known.
‘Please sit in the chair, Jacob. We need to run some tests on you.’
Jacob walked over and climbed into the large seat. Kaine-3 pressed a button and the seat whirred into a reclining position.
‘Try to sit back and relax while I hook you up. There’s nothing to worry about. We do this for every Seeker who first comes to us. We need to receive a few things from you first. Then we can proceed. Remember, you’re with family now.’
‘Immanentize the eschaton,’ whispered Jacob under his breath.
‘Immanentize the eschaton,’ repeated Kaine-3 softly before placing a helmet structure over Jacob’s head.
Then it all went dark for Jacob. The last thing he remembered was a strange series of pings in his head – or in the helmet? – and then a sudden flash. That was all he remembered…before…
42
No. It was not everything. There was something else lurking around in there. The vision blurred, crackled with static. Something was trying to stabilize, as if probing, poking and prodding. Jacob became a distant observer to the vision before him. Some scenes he began to recognize; they were extracts, snapshots from his own wanderings. He picked out some faces, encounters. There were contours of places he had passed through. The whole room echoed with a myriad of different voices all mingling together in a mixed cacophony of tones and vocal threads. Yet something was odd about the pictures, the sounds.
It was all running backward, going against forward time. It was like there was something being pulled out of Jacob from another direction. It suddenly felt to Jacob as if it was his own seeking that was being taken out of him.
The Seeker Page 9
