by A. I. Zlato
The day-end was finally here, and Baley sent a message to the first of the three families she needed to interrogate, hoping to see all three during the evening. She felt tension growing inside her, because she knew she would not have a second chance.
It was critical to get their attention, without scaring them, or, more important, making them feel guilty, or rendering them antagonistic … in order to explore their religious beliefs and find out whether it was the triggering factor of the Problem. That was a whole plan. She visualised several scenarios while walking towards their respective apartments. She was not accustomed to walking as much, and her leg muscles, after undergoing the painful exercise of hours-long reading last night, were sore. She had, however, no alternative, because rails and cables were not yet operational here. She felt physical exhaustion mount, and sleep deprivation manifest itself, but she refused to listen. The investigation would come first.
She went to the house of John and Elizabeth Sofar, who lived with their five children: Salomon, 17; Berangere, 15; Sylvia, 14; Sarah, 13; and Maxim, 12. For some years, it had not been uncommon to see families as large. For Baley, a single child was enough, especially given the worries that Iris caused. John and Elizabeth had thus two children in the at-risk age bracket, two youngsters who might interpret the parental discourse radically … She started the conversation very cautiously.
“Good evening, and thank you for having me at this late hour. I am Special Agent Baley, from the First Circle.”
“Good evening, Special Agent. How can we help you? Had Salomon been a bad boy again?”
“No, sir, rest assured; your son has caused no trouble, and that is not why I am here.”
Baley noticed Salomon’s sigh of relief along with the still-inquisitive eyes of his father, who did not stop staring at his son.
“Ok, for once, he hasn’t been stupid … so, what brings you here?”
“I am tasked with talking to parents who have children with ages fitting within the Problematic age bracket.”
Elizabeth turned instinctively towards Sarah and Maxim, to protect them from an invisible evil, while John crossed his arms and walked gently towards Baley, as if he wanted to protect his family from the Special Agent.
“I am trying to prevent the emergence of a new Problem, by studying the profiles of various children.”
“I never heard of anything like that. None of my co-workers had seen you yet … what are you talking about, exactly?” John talked.
“I repeat; this is about prevention. The Machine has a list of people I need to contact, and that is what I am doing”.
“You are hiding behind the Machine. It is obvious that It had drawn up the list, but on what basis? What makes you believe that my children are at risk more than other kids are?”
The conversation started poorly. John was on the defensive. Fortunately, Elizabeth, concerned above all about protecting her children, came to Baley’s rescue.
“John, please, let the Special Agent do her job. Excuse us, but the Problem has turned all concerned parents completely on edge. Do you have children?”
Baley remembered the discussion she had with Marc and Sarah, which took a bad turn when they found out that Iris had passed the at-risk age bracket. Therefore, she decided to skip that question. She also did the same for John’s question.
“I know that everyone is anxious about the Problem, and I understand your reaction. I don’t know why you are on the Machine’s list, and believe me, it does not amuse to come to you, at your home, and to ask you questions on yourselves and your children. However, the challenge is more important than our individual feelings; the Machine had to gather as much information as possible, and I have to give It the maximum I can. So we can solve the Problem. That is the goal.”
John calmed down, at least in appearance, and sat on the couch, next to his wife. He invited, through a wave of his hand, Baley to sit on the chair before them.
“Go ahead, Special Agent.”
Now the game started in earnest. Baley took a deep breath, not only to focus but also to relax as much as possible.
“Children who had had the Problem were all without apparent problems, had many friends and enjoyed going to school. Their parents had described them as happy youngsters who loved life. Some parents had indicated their kids were a bit introverted and spent a lot of time discussing with friends in the evening, but that nothing had worried them.”
“Children that age talk to friends, discussing secrets they do not want to share with parents”, Elizabeth replied.
“Absolutely! That is why none of the parents was concerned, and that they considered it a minor factor, during my previous interrogations. How have Sarah and Maxim been lately?”
“I have been a good boy!”, Maxim said.” I’ve been better than Sarah! I already did my homework.”
Baley attempted a risky approach, but time was running out.
“That is very good, Maxim! Your parents must be very proud of you. Have you been a good boy all the time; at church, for example, do you always sit still, without talking?”
“Why do you care? And what makes you think we are believers?”, John said, putting his elbows on his knees.
“I am just asking questions. If religion is part of your life, it is one element, among others, I need to know. Please, understand me well, I am not here to dig into your private life; I am simply trying to understand, to find a common denominator among these children, to prevent this tragedy from reoccurring.”
“I notice that your first question relates to our faith, not our child’s school, nor his friends.”
“As I told you, the children who committed suicide were all school lovers, had loving parents, and were not troubled. If the Machine had asked me to come see you, it is precisely because your children fit those criteria. I must find out what triggers the Problem, in children who otherwise seem to be doing good.”
“So, just randomly, you start with us … this remains unclear to me.”
“I already visited other families, rest assured”, Baley said, failing to disclose those families had lost a child.
“That’s good … for now. Ok, Maxim, go ahead. You can answer the lady’s question. She was asking if you were a good boy at church.”
“I listen to what the priest says; I say my prayers every night, and I believe in life after death”, Maxim recited, applying himself.
“How is life after death?” Baley ventured in risky territory.
“One has to try to remain pure; otherwise we cannot go to heaven”, Sarah said.
“Ok, children, go to your rooms”, John commented, abruptly. “Listen to me carefully, Special Agent. I don’t think the Machine had anything to do with your visit here. I don’t know what people told you about us, but rest assured we don’t break any law, we work hard, and our beliefs are ours.”
“Well, I simply wanted to …”
“You are nothing but a dirty and nosy infidel, asking my children some peculiar questions. Are you anti-religion? Do you want to tell us how we are wrong, in your opinion?”
“I can assure you that my visit relates only to the investigation. In addition, I really don’t understand why you lose composure so easily; my questions covered your children’s life, and religion is part of it. Did their answers bother you?”
“They replied very well, in all innocence. They don’t know yet that there are malicious people like you, for whom believers are nothing but crazy people.”
“Come on, I never said such a thing!”
“You did not need to. All people enslaved to the Machine are infidels.”
“Enslaved to the Machine? And what do you think of your first-rate chip?”
“Everybody must bear his or her cross, and this is mine. You cannot understand our beliefs.”
“I don’t need to understand; I simply need to know them. Have you thought of those children ending their own lives? I must find the solution, and that process goes through this type of questioning. Perha
ps, and I hope this is true with all my heart, that your family name should not be in the Machine’s list. However, imagine this is not the case, wouldn’t you want me to find a solution to prevent the Problem from reoccurring before it is too late for one of your children?”
“Get out of my house. Now”. John uttered the comments quietly, but threateningly.
Baley found herself on the floor, angry with herself for not having been able to handle the interview expertly. She, however, managed to confirm, through the children’s responses, the assumption of their membership of a religious congregation, but without the certainty that it was Chrijulam.
She could simply infer from John’s attitude that he and his family did not want to disclose their faith, and information she had on the sect was validating that attitude. This hypothesis, coupled with the Machine’s calculations displaying a high probably of Chrijulam membership, reinforced Baley’s opinion. However, this was no concrete evidence. She quickly rushed to the next family’s apartment. She did not even have the opportunity to speak; the father waited on the doorstep.
“John Sofar just sent me a message. We have nothing to tell you; go back to where you come from.”
The man, unwittingly, had just disclosed something important. By saying that Sofar had warned him, he was saying that he shared a common denominator with him … religion, probably. Even certainly, as this was the factor that made John irate. Interesting … the cult’s members shared a deep bond in their rejection of non-members. That bond was so deep that they did not want to answer a Special Agent’s questions, which was unusual behaviour, to say the least.
Baley headed, lamely, to the third family’s residence. They did not even bother to respond. This was getting better and better … but she was convinced she had something solid, and she would not let go. She would find out what was behind that cult, which urged its followers to be so defensive. And, perhaps, to steer their youngsters towards death.
At night, she found easily her way towards the rail station, and went home. She was eager to take a rest, and more eager to continue the next day.
- I am scared! There is a monster in the closet!
- No, darling; monsters aren’t real.
- Oh yes, they are … there is even one behind you. Ahhhhhhh!
The mother looked back, sharply.
- You see, the little girl continued, you believe in them, too.
Children’s Short Stories
Chapter 23
: Pre-E.S. Era
Standing in the meadow between the City and the Unique Forest, 5th Hexa was watching the human world. As in a huge anthill, they were acting together, in sync with the Machine. By far, everything might seem normal. An ordinary day, as there would no longer be for them, if nothing was done. Already, the first fruits of chaos loomed, for those who could perceive things. Suicides were only the most visible part, obscuring the eyes of the population on other signs that 5th Hexa and its peers could clearly see. In some places, buildings were breaking away without reasons, while in other places, plants that typically grew by the sea began to grow in the middle of the City … and that was just the beginning.
A cold wind from the mountains slid into the Kandron, as if it needed support in its reflections. It and the other Kandrons, isolated from this universe by time, were looking forward to better days, but 5th Hexa could not be satisfied. Meeting Paul for the second time, re-live their first day together … Would they be able to come back fully in this Space? The Kandron was working on that.
Thanks to Faress, it was able to convince a Gateway to contact Kandrons. On the lookout, Edgard intercepted the call before another Kandron could respond. Having instigated the call, it wanted to be the one to answer. It wanted to talk to the Gateway, to encourage the Gateway to differ … Only it could discuss the subject with sufficient conviction in order to persuade the Gateway. Moreover, what it and its brother had done had to remain secret for now. The Spirit of the Multitude would know soon enough what had happened.
The conversation had been well. The Gateway saw the first effects of the first fruits of the nothingness, which it called a temporary node. The Gateway had understood that the disturbances would keep growing, and become permanent, triggering … the end of everything. It was easy to convince the Gateway of the danger, because it felt it. The Gateway knew what it had to do, even if it did not yet know how. Space E … Kandrons had neglected it, but they would not do that again. At least 5th Hexa thought so.
There was also its human partner, whom it needed to catalyse, and that was a daunting task. Paul had told the Kandron of Baley’s conjectures in the investigation, and he would soon drop the manuscript’s study in order to help her; the Kandron had already seen all that. Yet … this document was an important key.
“Still worrying about your human, brother?”, Faress said, interrupting 5th Hexa’s mental peregrinations.
“As you can see … I thought he was on the right track, but he would decide to …”
“I know, but that is maybe his path. Even if it is not the shortest, and even if you don’t like it …”
“But …”
“The first element of the Hexagon is coming for you.”
His twin brother’s mind disappeared.
5th Hexa did not need to open its eyes to feel the physical presence of 1st Hexa, Atemys. Instead of contacting 5th Hexa mentally, 1st Hexa decided to come meet it directly. The topic was important enough. It blinked and stared at Atemys. Right next to 5th Hexa, 1st Hexa looked intently. Follow me, Atemys said.
They flew away from the City, beyond the Forest, westbound. They flew over an ocean, a strip of land covered with lust vegetation, and then another sea. They finally landed on the dunes of a desert. The wind raised dust clouds that were moving in the pale sky. The sand, dazzling, was warm and soft under their feet. Standing out in the landscape, Atemys seemed to expect Edgard to speak. Uncomfortable, not knowing what that was all about, 5th Hexa started the conversation carefully.
“Why are we here?” Edgard asked.
“To show you how immense the world is.”
“I have travelled all over the world”, it replied, perhaps too sharply.
“So have you noticed how empty it was, with very few humans living in it? During the Elders’ era, billions of people swarmed here. No land was available. Today, there is only a small town, lost in the immensity.”
“You speak of humans as if they were a scourge, although you chose the Hexagon.”
“One can elect to link up with a human for reasons other than an unwavering commitment to their species. Very few beings believe in humans, like you. Nobody believes in them as much as you do.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“You are playing defence here … I am not here to probe your mind. No matter what you want to hide, the Spirit will find out anyway … and I, too, will. I know everything about your past, life hurdles you had to go through … I am the first element of the Hexagon, in case you forgot.”
“I did not. I simply want to know why you brought me here …” .
“Your impatience says a lot about your state of mind … I repeat. The planet has so few humans … They probably would not make the difference. The future is certainly already written. Perhaps we will never get out of this reverse linearity. We must consider that possibility.”
“What is your point?”
5th Hexa did not want to explain again why he believed in humanity, and Paul in particular. It was using these talking points for the whole Kandron community. If 1st Hexa took so much care in conveying what it had to say … Edgard wanted to know. Echoing its thoughts, Atemys said:
“We can keep on running against our past, to recover what we had, hoping to find who we were, but … you can also enjoy what we have now.”
1st Hexa got closer to the 5th element of the Hexagon.
“1st Hexa, I want to …”
“I know how strongly connected you were to the previous 1st Hexa. I am not here to
replace that female Kandron, but if you could only try …
Totally taken aback by the turn the conversation was taking, Edgard stuttered.
“No, I, sorry … no.”
“That is a pity. Especially for you. I will, of course, show solidarity for the entire Hexagon, but I would not be there for you when you find yourself isolated. And don’t think your friend Faress would be there, either. It is a coward, and you know it. You just made a big mistake.”
1st Hexa abruptly flew away, leaving Edgard in the searing desert heat. What had happened made absolutely no sense. It attempted to contact Faress, which replied immediately.
“I see in your mind what had happened. You should have used more tact in rejecting 1st Hexa”, Faress said. “You had better follow Atemys and have a talk. Having an open conflict with the first element is not necessarily a wise approach.”
“1st Hexa had no better choice than to accommodate 5th Hexa’s response. There are no Kandrons available for the structure. And then … it knew it had no chance! It’s absurd, I … I must find out what it wanted to do or obtain in reality. Atemys is extremely smart, and I am sure this was nothing but a manoeuvre. I will reach her to understand what I could not initially … and to soften my words.”
Sinking deeper into the sand before taking off, Edgard reached Atemys within a second.
“I did not ask the right questions, did I?” He asked 1st Hexa.
“You did not ask any, really. Have you ever wondered why Albana chose nobody but you? Why its memory haunted you so much?”
“You simply tried to make me react.”
“No, I put you in such a position that you have no other choice than to listen to me. Thanks to Faress and its cowardice, you are scared of the consequences of your refusal. This is what made you come to me, allowing me to ask you questions you do not want to ask. Don’t let events control you, 5th Hexa, that is my message. It is up to you to lead events.”
“That is what I’m doing.”
