by Jon Chaisson
Farraway knew better than to take the bait. “I brought you in that night with the best intentions, Alix. I had to make both of you aware of what was going to happen, without actually telling you. Do you think you would have believed me then if I told you that your partner's little sister is a reincarnated deity? Probably not. But I had to at least set both of you on the right path.”
“And that's where Kai and Ashan came in, to make sure we stayed there,” Poe finished.
“I only wish I could tell Caren what I've just told you, but the truth at this time would devastate her. Right now, she knows enough. She knows her parents died noble deaths, preventing Kaalen from attacking anyone else.”
“Understood,” Poe said. “She'll find out on her own, in time. But one thing, Dylan...”
“Yes?”
“Why Matthew? Why Vigil? What could they possibly have to do with all of this?”
Dylan laughed at him, clearly amused. “Pashyo, I thought you’d have figured that out already! Why do you think I snagged Matthew from that idiot governor’s hands so damn quickly that night? They're the direct link to Shirai, Poe! They're the direct link to the Mirades Tower AI!”
Poe winced. “How could she possibly...?”
The Mirades Tower.
Poe's next words died on his lips.
That had been what he had sensed all these years. Those sleepless nights, those slow afternoons, when he stared at the Tower from his living room or kitchen windows, feeling something ominous emanating from its spire. He had sensed something, and it had been Shirai all this time. He'd sensed her spirit signature, impossible as it felt, impossible as it sounded. Even now, as he threw a tiny gossamer thread out that way, he felt her, a presence almost as large and expansive as the Tower itself, neither friendly nor aggressive. Just there, observing all and recording it for prosperity in her databanks.
“She's...”
He remembered the conversation he'd had with Madeleine a few days ago, about her role in the last Season of Embodiment, when she'd defended the Mirades Tower from a Shenaihu attack. Madeleine hadn't fully explained that Shirai was not only sentient but spiritual.
“This is why Rieflin is shutting down the ESD,” he said. “She’s too vulnerable right now.”
Farraway nodded. “And he did the right thing, too. She'll be completely severed from the outside world, at least by landline and satellite. Spiritually is another thing entirely, but we have that under control.”
“Don't tell me,” Poe said, raising a hand. “Seriously, I don't want to know. As long as someone can get a hold of her, we're still in the clear.”
“Right.”
Poe pursed his lips and snorted out a frustrated sigh. “Shit,” he said.
“What?”
“That means I have to head over to the warehouse.”
Farraway smirked. “Guess you do.” He stood up and rounded his desk again. Poe was up and standing by the time they met face to face. He grabbed him by the forearms and smiled. “Alix Eiyashné, Peace, Love and Light to you, my friend. Strength and faith. I know you have both in abundance.”
“Maybe too much sometimes,” he said with a weak laugh. “Thank you, sir.”
“It's about blessed time you showed up,” Sheila said, leaning back in her chair. “We were getting lonely without you.”
Poe had stopped in the doorway of Sheila and Nick's office after he'd left Farraway’s, and now he slowly stepped in so they could see his full costume. He felt silly showing off his Elder uniform like this, but he couldn't pass it up, especially to his closest friends and coworkers. He was not just showing off his new Mendaihu rank; he was showing them that he was still an ARU agent. He wasn't going to forget the people he cared for the most.
“Pashyo,” Nick said with a smirk. “Edha Fesh Piann here is in the big leagues now.”
“Don't make me displace you,” Poe teased. “I can do it, you know.”
Nick's smile grew. “Last I knew, I could hitch a ride.” He laid a hand on Poe's shoulder and gripped it tight. “Good to see you again, Alec. We were worried sick about you.”
“I've returned,” Poe said, and gave them a deep bow. “Elder Alix Eiyashné, at your service.”
“Hey,” he heard from the corner of the room. Christine Gorecki was leaning up against the wall, nodding in deep appreciation. “You did good, Alix. You did damn good. I’m proud of you.”
“I haven't done anything yet,” he said, and walked up to her. They fell into a close embrace, the same hug they shared with each other as close friends for life, as two people whose minds and souls trusted each other completely. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“Once again, I thank you,” he said softly. “You've gone above and beyond when it wasn't your duty or your calling to.”
Christine blushed. “Hey, you know me.” She looked up at him, eyebrow cocked. “You've missed a hell of a lot over the last day and a half.”
“So I've heard,” he said, sensing the mood of the room cooling off. He let go of her and leaned up against Nick's desk, between Nick and Christine. “Shenaihu are gathering in South City, rumors going around that they're about to have their own Awakening ritual.”
“Not that they need it,” Sheila said. “They already have Saisshalé.”
Poe nodded gravely. “But they don't have the organization. At least not in the same context. They have their own community, but they haven't congregated in one place. Their community is more of a spiritual link.”
“A hive mind?” Nick offered.
“No,” Poe shook his head. “A psychic link. Meraladians remember the spirit signature of a person they've met only once.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You're familiar with a sehna lumia?”
“You mean where Denni’s been going over the past few weeks,” Sheila said.
“Exactly,” he nodded. “Every being with a spirit has access to his, her, or its own sehna lumia. All we need to do is learn how to access it.”
“And the Shenaihu?”
Poe shifted his stance and exhaled. “I didn't realize it until recently, but what the Mendaihu have been going through the last few weeks is much the same thing, only in a different context. They’re gathering physically at the warehouse. The Shenaihu on the other hand are remembering their spiritual link and their connections with others simply by scanning for other Shenaihu. Once they find one, the connection 'turns on' another piece of ancestral memory. It's sort of like visiting a sehna lumia by association.”
“Why the Mendaihu at the warehouse, then?' Nick prodded.
Christine answered that one. “The Mendaihu are as communal as the Shenaihu, but in different forms. The Shenaihu like to maintain a bit of solitude and individuality. Just the knowledge of having another Shenaihu in the area is comforting enough. They need little else.
“The Mendaihu, on the other hand, find more comfort in physical closeness, thus the warehouse community, the positions of Mendaihu Gharra as protectors of Earth, and so on. And because of that, their spiritual connection with others has to be consciously initiated. They don't need the permission of the target in question, but at the least they respect one’s boundaries.”
Poe smirked at her. “DRL research?” he asked.
Christine nodded. “And personal,” she added.
“So with this Season of Embodiment...” Sheila started, leaning forward on her desk.
“Roughly every twenty-five years,” Poe said. “Once every generation. It's not a consciously scheduled thing. It's merely an end result of cycles and fates intertwining, just like everything else.”
She stared at him, frowning deeply. “You're kidding me.”
“It's true,” Christine conceded. “That's why hardly anything has been written about it except in dusty forgotten tomes. Each time this event takes place, it's hard to judge whether or not it will happen again, or if it does, to what magnitude it will go. Sometimes it's a street riot, other times it's an all
-out war. By the time the next quarter-century rolls around, we’re so caught up in the latest cycle of events that we rarely ever see a new Season coming.”
The room quieted for an uncomfortably long time, each of them in their place, letting all of that sink in. Poe was surprised by his own ambivalence, a reaction extremely unlike him. He had to remind himself once more that he was an Elder, where it was not his place to judge but to protect. He was a mediator and a Protector of everyone.
He glanced at his watch, saw it was nearing seven. He would have to make it over to the warehouse soon...all four of them would have to go this time. Sheila and Nick had their parts to play in this game, even Christine. She was a new element in this cycle, having chosen to become the historian, chronicling the true story for future generations. She would want to be there when it started, and, if it was her choice, she would want to see the ending. Despite all that, he still felt guilty about having gotten everyone involved. But like everything else, it was a twist of fate and therefore not his fault. It just happened. His heart and his spirit felt otherwise, because the chances of any of them not surviving this Season of Embodiment were unknown. He was not a reality seer.
He was Alix Eiyashné, son of kiralla, descendant of Trisanda. And he was cho-nyhndah, equal parts Shenaihu and Mendaihu. The only thing he could do was observe and protect. He only hoped that he could fulfill that duty to the best of his ability.
It was closing in on nine o'clock when Christine's car pulled up to the front of Moulding Warehouse. They climbed out and stood in front of the main entrance, its door open and waiting. They looked within and saw bustling movement, last-minute preparations being made. There were many people here that he knew, if not by name or face then by spirit signature, all with a singular mission: to prevent a war from taking place.
Had it really come to this? A spiritual war to gain control of an artificial intelligence? But Shirai wasn’t merely the Tower AI, but a technical construct that housed an actual Gharné soul. She was one of a kind, created by a Mendaihu and protected by a small band of jacker punks. And the Shenaihu wanted her badly.
Inside the warehouse, the floor was brightly lit and the air was warm, a stark contrast to the cold air and the darkness outside. About a hundred feet in he saw seven people standing patiently, waiting for them. He could sense them better than he could see them, but he knew who they were. Denni stood in the center, a big smile on her face and her spirit brimming with joy. She held Caren's hand tightly.
“No turning back now,” Poe said, and turned to his left. Sheila stared at the doorway with the same steel intensity she'd always shown during investigations. She noticed his glance and turned to face him.
“I'm ready,” she said.
He nodded, and turned to his right. Nick still looked skeptical, but he’d already made his choice. He understood his role and its importance of what was to come, even if he had no idea what was going to happen. He felt an immense pride in helping the Mendaihu, the people who had saved him a number of times during his tenure as a BMPD officer. He felt at peace with his surroundings, despite its chaos. For him, the most important thing was that he felt at home.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” he said. “Once more.”
Poe snorted out a laugh. The last thing he'd expected from Nick was for him to quote Shakespeare. It was a much needed dose of levity.
Christine, standing a few feet behind Poe, felt more nervous than scared. She'd faced many demons before, and had simply chosen to view this as yet another. She trusted Poe as her brother and her spiritual sibling, and was willing to go forth and witness it all, both good and bad, if that was to be her own fate. She did not need to say anything; Poe had sensed everything she was thinking and feeling at this moment. He felt that warmth in his heart, knowing she would be with him throughout it all.
Sheila and Nick looked at each other, nodded, and walked forward. Just as they approached the door, Nick stepped aside and let her walk through the door first, theatrically waving her through. She laughed at his ridiculousness and slapped him on the arm as she passed by. When he walked through, she took his arm, and together they continued towards the waiting crew.
Poe stood there for a few moments, waiting. Christine came up from behind him and stood to his left, still looking at the open door.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked.
“Was I ever?” he said. “I'll have to be.”
“At least you're honest,” she grinned. “Should I...?”
He offered his arm. “I'll walk you to the door. I have to be the last one in.”
She offered him a weak smile.
“Don't worry, it's not like you and I are getting married.”
Christine let out with a nervous laugh. “You ass! This is serious!”
“I know,” he said. “That's why I said it. Shall we?”
She nodded. “Here we go.”
They walked slowly. All the movement within the warehouse had slowed to a stop, at least temporarily. He took a single nervous breath, trying to ignore the fact that five thousand or so Mendaihu, Shenaihu and cho-nyhndah were in that warehouse right now, had their eyes or their senses trained on that one door frame.
They came to the door, and he stopped. Wordlessly, Christine let go of his arm, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and nodded twice. Pride, he thought, as he sensed her emotions. She was proud of him, proud to have known him, proud to have been able to work with him for so many years. She walked through, and kept walking until she'd joined the others. She stood just apart from them, not officially part of this circle, but an observer and a participant. They were all waiting for this moment.
He felt a small prick of cold touch him on the back of the neck, just as he was about to walk through. He felt it again almost immediately, and he looked up. A light snow shower had just arrived, creating a ghostly cone underneath the spotlight. One flake hit him on his eyelash and he lifted his hand to brush it away.
Snow, he thought with a smile. The Rain of Light blesses me tonight.
“Here lies fate,” he said, took a deep breath, and walked through the door.
###
dramatis personae
Alien Relations Unit, Branden Hill HQ
Caren Johnson – mid-level Mendaihu adept [Mendaihu name: Karinna Shalei], Special Agent, Mendaihu/Shenaihu Relations
Alec Poe – Mendaihu adept (level unknown) [Mendaihu name: Alix Eiyashné], Special Agent, Mendaihu/Shenaihu Relations
Aram Johnson – high-level Mendaihu adept; Caren and Denni’s father; deceased [Mendaihu name: Aaramis Shalei]
Celine Johnson – high-level Mendaihu adept; Caren and Denni’s mother; deceased [Mendaihu name: Cheylan Shalei]
Sheila Kennedy – mid-level Mendaihu adept, Caren and Poe’s Team Two
Nicholas (Nick) Slater – former Bridgetown police officer, Mendaihu (level unknown); Caren and Poe’s Team Two
Dylan Farraway – Chief Inspector, Mendaihu/Shenaihu Relations. Boss to Caren, Alec, Nick and Sheila
Cilla Whitman – ARU Communications Dispatch
Christine Gorecki – former ARU agent and close friend of Caren and Alec; now freelance healer and investigator
Drew Kaplan – Special Agent, Mendaihu/Shenaihu Relations
Friends and Relations
Denni Johnson – ultrahigh-level Mendaihu adept; Caren’s younger sister [Mendaihu name: Denysia Shalei]
Amna Ehramanis – high-level Mendaihu adept; Denni’s best friend
Madeleine Jakes – old family friend of the Johnsons; lives next door to them
Mendaihu
Nehalé Usarai – ultrahigh-level adept, Regenerative Therapist for DuaLife
Kindeiya Shalei – ultrahigh-level adept, Nehalé’s direct manager; reality seer
Anando Shalei – mid-level adept, freelance spiritual counselor, Nehalé’s friend and student
Akaina (Kai) Shalei – ultrahigh-level adept, freelance from NewCanta Province, Ashan’s sister<
br />
Ashyntoya (Ashan) Shalei – ultrahigh-level adept, freelance from NewCanta Province, Kai’s brother
Rev. Edward Miriam – high-level adept [Mendaihu name: Sidhaki Emmadha], head priest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Emha Sehndayen-né Eprysia Kaalen (Ampryss) – Trisandi reality seer, host of Gathering Table on Trisanda, Bann Dassah Village
Dolan Usara – Trisandi reality seer, assistant to Ampryss at Gathering Table, Bann Dassah Village
Elder Crittiqila Nayélha – ultrahigh level adept; certified sehndayen-ne, Bridgetown area
Deilo Eiyashné – Alec Poe’s natural birth father [deceased]
Shenaihu
Janoss Miradesi – ultrahigh-level adept, EdenTree security team
Natianos Lehanna – ultrahigh-level adept, EdenTree CPO; Dahné Shenaihu nuhm’ndah
Saone Lehanna – youngest daughter of Natianos; Kryssyna’s friend/cho-shadhisi; software programmer, Swartz Design
Parisha Lehanna – eldest daughter of Natianos; Akandia Technologies COO
Kandilia Lehanna – second-eldest daughter of Natianos; junior member of Crimson-Null Foundation
Rini Lehanna – third-eldest daughter of Natianos;
Kryssyna Piramados – Saone’s friend/cho-shadhisi; rookie ARU agent
Shara Eiyashné – Alec Poe’s natural birth mother [deceased]
Government
Anton Rieflin – Governor of Bridgetown Province
Mina Watanabe – Governor Rieflin’s secretary; professional jacker
Jack Priestley – Crimson-Null Foundation representative for Bridgetown, member of Provincial Governor’s Council
Shirai – Artificial Intelligence for the Mirades Tower
Gen. Stephen Phillips – Leader of Sentinel Force Guard, Bridgetown Unit
Nandahya Mirades – Meraladian Councillor, member of Provincial Governor’s Council
