After their meal, both of them bathed in the creek which was getting colder now that autumn approached, but Genesis did her best to warm the water using her powers. Jadzia dried in the sun and decided to go exploring in the surrounding woods, with Genesis as an escort and protector. Few of the animals in the forest were of any danger and the ones that were seemed to avoid Genesis as she approached, as if aware of what she could do. Much of the forest was dull and impassible, the brush too dense, thickets too cumbersome to traverse around or over (especially considering Jadzia’s state of undress), and the areas that could be penetrated were encased by a river that was too cold and too rapid for Genesis to warm effectively. Upon their return to the clearing, the women relaxed and laughed on the banks of the brook. Jadzia shared stories from her childhood and Genesis regaled her friend of trips through time and space. Night approached quickly, and the fire Genesis started amidst a pile of dry limbs and leaves helped cook another fish and keep the clearing well-lit as their conversation lasted long into the night, their gentle laughter and giggles filling the air.
As time passed, and Jadzia had still failed to decide a course of action, the two women fashioned a comfortable life in the forest clearing. Days turned into weeks, and as winter approached, Jadzia began to feel the effects of her nudity. She attempted to make a covering out of leaves but it made her skin itch. The animal skin she found in the forest and cleaned in the creek proved uncomfortable as well. Genesis offered to move them to a warmer climate, but Jadzia refused, claiming that this was her new home and she would never leave her home again as she was once forced to.
Snow soon fell and the shelter Jadzia made from branches, vines, and leaves that did so well against the rain was useless against the weight of the snow. That was when Genesis stepped in and used her power to create an energy bubble, a shield that swallowed a significant part of the clearing and creek into its realm. Inside the bubble, the air, ground, and water were warm and so Jadzia never experienced the darkest, coldest parts of the Canadian winter. Several times a day, Genesis left the comfort of the bubble to fly high into the sky and channel the sun’s warmth into the shield. Jadzia never spent more than a few seconds alone. When asked if she ever wanted solitude, Jadzia told Genesis that the isolation she spent in the death camps was all she needed for a lifetime. Spring arrived, followed by summer, autumn, and again winter, but Jadzia kept silent as to her future ambitions. Their conversations would often last days, and rarely did they argue about anything substantial. Quickly, their friendship grew stronger and soon, they came to view one another as sisters. And as the years passed, Jadzia and Genesis grew closer still. Both of them eventually forgot what it was like to not have one another in their lives. Genesis shared everything with Jadzia, the knowledge she gained from within the stream and from her travels before they met. On a few occasions, they would choose a topic to learn about and Genesis would gather all the information she could from the past, present, and future and shared it with her closest friend. This gave them an endless variety of things to talk about.
Unexpectedly, as time went by, Jadzia’s memory lapsed. Many of the details from her past she now forgot - even the names of her parents on a few occasions. Genesis never worried that something might be wrong, nor did Jadzia. However, the condition soon worsened and she started forgetting where she was. Genesis refrained from sharing any more knowledge, suddenly fearful that Jadzia’s mind might be damaged by her powers.
Genesis never aged a day in all their years together but still looked as youthful, vibrant, and voluptuous as ever. Jadzia, at thirty years of age, and nearly ten years to the day since their last conversation about preventing World War II, finally decided her own fate. She climbed from the tree shelter Genesis helped her build a few years earlier and found her swimming in the creek. Jadzia sat on the banks and dipped her toes in the water, her expression sullen for the first time in years.
“Is something wrong?” Genesis asked as she waded to the edge of the water and climbed out.
“No,” Jadzia said, “but I’ve come to a decision about my future.”
Genesis did not need to be reminded of their last discussion. Even though she loved every moment of her time with Jadzia, she had secretly wished that each day in this clearing would be their last. Several times, the knot in her stomach was so painful that she thought of broaching the subject, but in accord with her promise all those years ago, she kept silent. “What brought this on all of the sudden?” she asked.
“You talked in your sleep again.”
“I’m fine, really,” Genesis said. “I’ve coped with this for ages before we met; I can wait a little longer.”
Jadzia shook her head. “There’s no need to wait,” she said. “I know what I want.”
Genesis rung the water from her hair and sat on the warm rock in front of Jadzia to dry off. “Okay,” she said. “What would you like to do?”
“I want to stop Adolf Hitler.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“Stopping the invasion of my homeland didn’t work - and probably never will. Denying him what he wanted only emboldened him further. So I think there’s only one thing left: we need to stop him from seizing power.”
“That’s not going to be easy. After all, he was legitimately elected into office.”
“There seems to be only one event that will change his ascension.”
“And what of your parents?”
“Don’t worry; this happens after they’ve married. It shouldn’t change events in Poland too drastically.”
“That’s quite a gamble. What event are we talking about?”
“The coup in Munich, when Hitler tried to seize control of the government. I can’t remember the year or a lot of the details. I only remember he was tried for treason and should have been sentenced for five years.”
“But he was sentenced for five years.”
“Yes, but didn’t he serve less than that?
“Eight months,” Genesis said, now worried that Jadzia’s memory was failing her so frequently.
“Maybe if he served his full sentence, it could change everything.”
“What makes you conclude that?”
“Nothing. It just seems like a pretty good place to start and it won’t also jeopardize my future, which I know is a major concern for you.”
“Thank you for thinking of me.” Genesis stood and hovered into the air, already gathering her strength for the leap into the stream. “So all you want to do is change the judge’s sentence?”
“Yeah, pretty simple, right?”
“When would you like to leave?”
“Now,” Jadzia said. She hopped to her feet and placed her hands at her side.
“When you come to, you’ll be in the body of the Presiding Judge, Georg Neithardt. He’s the least likely to put up a fight. But remember, this guy likes Hitler already, so you’ll have to push his mind hard to get what we want.”
“Got it. Wait! What’s the guy’s name again?”
“Neithardt,” Genesis repeated. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”
Jadzia rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.”
In a flash of blue light, Jadzia and Genesis abandoned their home in the clearing for the first time in nearly a decade.
When Jadzia opened her eyes next, she was in front of a courtroom in the body of the Presiding Judge as Genesis promised. Currently, Hitler was in the middle of his final speech before the court handed down its sentence. With passion and charisma uniquely his, Hitler’s words reached, not only the people sitting in the court, but apparently, the judges as well. If Jadzia was to call this mission a success, she needed to convince the people present that Hitler was to serve his full sentence.
“For, gentlemen,” Hitler concluded, “it is not you who pronounce judgment upon us, it is the eternal Court of History which will make its pronouncement upon the charge which is brought against us. T
he judgment that you will pass, that I know. But that Court will not ask of us: 'Have you committed high treason or not?' That Court will judge us ....who as Germans have wished the best for their people and their Fatherland, who wished to fight and to die. You may declare us guilty a thousand times, but the Goddess who presides over the Eternal Court of History will with a smile tear in pieces the charge of the Public Prosecutor and the judgment of the Court: for she declares us guiltless.”
The people in the courtroom applauded and cheered constantly throughout his speech, as though they were in a theater. Jadzia’s challenge to persuade the other judges might be an impossible one, so she wasted no time.
As she forced her ideas to the judge’s vocal chords, she spoke in a language she did not understand. She recognized it as German and although the words were unfamiliar, she was certain Genesis could fill in the blanks. She forced the old man’s body to its feet and shouted: “Sit down, Mr. Hitler!” The room fell silent and Hitler obeyed reluctantly. The other judges looked at one another in dismay at their colleague’s uncharacteristic actions. “You may believe that the Court of History may find you free of guilt, but the Court in Munich finds you nothing but culpable in the deaths of the twenty men who lost their lives as a result of your failed putsch.” She paused and looked around the room and made sure all eyes were on her as she delivered the coup de grace. “My associates may plead otherwise, but I not only find you guilty of high treason, I also find no reason to...” Jadzia stammered. She tried to force her ideas to the man’s throat again, but coughed instead. What’s wrong with me? she thought.
All eyes in the court were fixated on the Presiding Judge. Hitler remained motionless. Jadzia started her idea again: “I find you guilty of high treason and wish to sentence you to...a prison term of...” Her words found no articulation in Judge Neithardt. “To a prison term of...” she tried to say again. Still, she could not complete her thought. Genesis provided no answer. Again, she attempted to pronounce sentence: “No more than eight months!” Shocked at her own words, she covered her mouth and sat down. The court erupted in cheers as the other judges concurred. Genesis, if you’re listening, please get me out of here! she thought.
Seconds later, she was back in the clearing in the shelter she called home. Genesis appeared immediately and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what happened,” she said.
Jadzia gripped her head. “Was there something wrong with his mind? Was it poisoned?”
“He agreed with Hitler, but he was no Nazi. His mind was normal compared to theirs.”
“It was like there was a block in my throat, as though I had no other choice but to utter what I did.”
“Are you okay?” Genesis asked.
“No, my head hurts,” she answered as she held her head between her hands. “Is something wrong with me?”
“Of course not! You probably just need some rest.”
“Okay,” Jadzia said. It was nighttime in the clearing and so she climbed into the tree shelter and laid her head against her pillow of cotton Genesis made for her. Within mere seconds, she was asleep.
Almost an entire day passed before Jadzia awoke, and when she did, Genesis sensed something different. Jadzia at first acted as she always had when they were alone. She laughed a lot and stayed in the shelter until the sun set. As they ate dinner, she stopped eating suddenly and looked at Genesis with a look of concern painted across her face.
“How old am I?” she asked.
Genesis didn’t answer at first. She laughed instead, convinced that her question was a joke. Jadzia’s expression didn’t change though. “You’re almost thirty,” she answered.
“I should have known that,” Jadzia said. “I’m having a hard time remembering a lot of things about myself. I remember everything I’ve shared with you and most of the knowledge you’ve shared with me. But huge blocks of my memory aren’t there anymore. Am I just getting old?”
Genesis smirked at the suggestion. “I doubt it. Most people don’t lose memory of their age until they’re eighty.”
“Then what’s wrong with me?”
“I don’t know,” Genesis said. “I have an idea though. Come with me into the stream; I want to check something.”
Jadzia was back in the stream, conscious as she was when she left the shelter and when Genesis first transferred memories into her. The stream appeared as it had before, and so did Genesis, a massive bundle of points of light and threads weaved together in the rough shape of a female. A single thread reached out to Jadzia and connected to her.
“I’m going to look into your mind. I promise it won’t hurt, although it may feel weird,” Genesis said.
A gentle jolt later, Jadzia felt what she perceived to be Genesis inside her mind. True to Genesis’s word, she felt no pain but instead, felt her friend’s emotions coursing through her. As Genesis probed deeper, their thoughts and feelings melded, as though their souls began to merge. Instead of just watching Genesis’s memories play out in her mind, she was finally able to understand the intense feelings she so often tried to explain in words but couldn’t - the knot in her stomach, the uncontrollable desire to help people in need, the very altruism that ran in her blood.
Genesis suddenly withdrew from Jadzia’s mind and pulled her instantly out of the stream and back to the shelter. Once Jadzia felt at home in her body again, Genesis resumed their conversation.
“Your description of missing memory was more accurate than you realize.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
“The links in your mind are disappearing. That seems to explain why your memories are no longer there. It looks like something is eating away at them.”
“What could possibly do that?” she asked.
“It’s strange, but it looks like...the new information you have.”
“What information?”
Genesis tried to meet Jadzia’s eyes as she spoke, but she could only hang her head as she realized what was responsible for her friend’s illness. “The information I gave you.”
Jadzia sat back against the tree that supported the shelter and said nothing for a moment. Across the shelter, Genesis was crying. “Do you think this is your fault?” Jadzia asked.
“Of course I do!” she cried.
“But you didn’t know this would happen to me.”
“How are you not mad at me? I would be furious if someone took away a chunk of my life!”
Jadzia approached the woman she loved as a sister and smiled. “How could I ever be angry with you? You’ve given me a second life - a new life. More importantly, I have your friendship. If I have to sacrifice a part of myself for all that, then so be it.”
“I’m so sorry, Jadzia. I didn’t mean to do this. I thought I knew what I was doing.”
“It’s okay,” Jadzia said as she reached out to Genesis and embraced her. “You did nothing wrong.”
Genesis was inconsolable though. Once Jadzia had hugged her and tried to assure her of her forgiveness, Genesis left the shelter to be alone with her thoughts. She raced high into the sky and hovered with nothing but the moon to watch her as she cried. Devastated and furious with herself, she experienced real sadness for the first time. Far below in a tree-house sat the beautiful young woman she charged herself to protect. Now, the poor girl was dying (a fact she neglected to tell her) and she was scared Jadzia might never forgive her. Terrified of being alone again, she resolved in her heart to keep her knowledge of Jadzia’s impending death a secret until she discovered a way to repair damage.
She returned to the tree shelter a few hours later. Jadzia was already asleep so Genesis tried her best to remain silent as she flew onto her perch above Jadzia’s makeshift bed. To no avail, Jadzia turned over and looked up at Genesis.
“Where did you go?” she asked.
“I needed to think,” she said.
“I thought you’d left me.”
Genesis floated down to the pillow where Jadzia rested her head. “I’ll never lea
ve you, Jadzia.”
She smiled. “There’s something I still don’t understand,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“I’m confused why I wasn’t able to control Mussolini and that judge? Did you see something wrong in my mind?”
“Actually, no,” Genesis said. “I checked for that. Whatever is ailing you is only affecting your memory, not the way your mind functions.”
“So what caused it then?”
Genesis shook her head. “I really don’t know. What did it feel like?”
The Great Altruist Page 9
