The Perfect Moment in Peril

by Kenneth Preston

  “I may have my doubts about you,” George said, “but I know why I'm here, and I know what I have to do.”

  “And you're confident that you'll be able to go through with it?”

  George pondered the question for a moment. “I don't believe I have much of a choice.”

  The man who looked like Sebastian Díaz raised a finger. “Ah, but you do have a choice. You said yourself that this is an exercise in free will.”

  George sighed. “You haven't quite grasped the subtleties of the English language. I don't have much of a choice. It's a figure of speech. I didn't mean it literally.”

  The man across from him smiled knowingly. “I knew exactly what you meant. I just felt that it was an interesting, albeit unintentional, pun and a nice segue into a discussion of the free will aspect of the task ahead of you.”

  George was taken aback. He'd thought he'd found a flaw in the facade of the being sitting across from him, thought he'd found his a-ha moment. You haven't quite grasped the subtleties of the English language. What was he thinking? He was desperate, and he knew it. He'd been grasping at straws, only to have those straws thrown right back in his face.

  The reality of the situation was that he was just as desperate to get out of the terrifying task ahead of him as he was to expose the man who called himself “Sebastian Díaz” for the fraud that he believed him to be.

  “We should get started,” the man sitting across from George said, snapping him back to the moment. “We don't have much time.”

  Chapter 38

  Deanna said, “You're surprised to find me here, aren't you?”

  Emily suddenly realized her mouth was hanging open and closed it. “That's a bit of an understatement.”

  “It's kind of a long and complicated story.”

  “I'm in no rush.”

  “The beings that led you down here,” Deanna began, “they're resting now.” She gestured toward the clean sarcophagi. “They made a deal with me: they would allow us, you and I, to meet this...Designer...if I would allow one of them to assume my form and accompany Richard and Elexa to the tower on the other island.” She paused a moment before adding, “I guess that really wasn't a long and complicated story after all.”

  Emily was bewildered by the words she had just heard come out of Deanna's mouth. “It may not have been long, but it does seem a bit complicated. You allowed this being to assume your form and go with Richard and Elexa? For what purpose?”

  “The inhabitants of this planet have been feuding for centuries. They are essentially the same species, but the beings that led you down here, the beings I struck a deal with, they've been on the losing end of that feud. They've been repressed, subjugated, enslaved by the same beings you and David were mingling with in the tower. As a result of centuries of abuse by the One collective, as they've been calling themselves, these beings―” She gestured to the sarcophagi. “―have been fading, losing the characteristic luminescence of the One collective, hence their appearance.”

  “These beings have been feuding for centuries, and you allowed one of them to assume your form and travel with Richard and Deanna to sneak into the tower where my father and David are?! What is this being planning on doing? Why do you trust them?”

  "I trust them because they showed me the truth," Deanna said coolly, "not just told me; they showed me. These beings aren't hostile. There won't be any violence. They just want to get into the tower." Emily was about to ask her why the being wanted to sneak into the tower when Deanna added, her tone harsh, "And don't be so naive, Emily. That man is not your father. I can't believe a being of pure consciousness could be so gullible."

  Emily was floored by Deanna's claim. It took her a moment to muster up the strength to open her mouth and speak. “What did you say?”

  Her tone calm, sympathetic, Deanna said, “He's not your father, Emily. I'm sorry to break it to ya.”

  “He is my father,” Emily countered. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

  Deanna shook her head solemnly. “Your father's dead, Emily. He died well over a thousand years ago. You know that. In your heart of hearts, you know that. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but somebody's gotta lay it on the line for ya. David wasn't going to do it.”

  Emily felt the tears beginning to form and did everything in her power to push them back. She was stuck somewhere between distress and rage, wanting to cry or lash out at Deanna. Both impulses pointed her in one undeniable direction: Deanna's words had touched a nerve. She didn't want to believe Deanna's words. She wanted to believe that her father was alive. But did she really believe it? Could she really believe the impossible? Or was she allowing the filter of her physical body to cloud her judgment?

  “This new body of yours has affected your judgment,” Deanna said, as if reading Emily's thoughts.

  “It's not new,” Emily muttered, struggling to keep the tears at bay. “It's the same body I've always had. It was just...phased.”

  “Well, whatever. You've haven't dealt with it, truly dealt with it, in over a thousand years. You're not in your right mind.”

  Emily chuckled sardonically. “Thanks.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  Emily didn't doubt Deanna's sincerity, but she wasn't willing to concede the point, and she didn't want Deanna to see her cry. She was close. She had to change the subject. “The Designer,” she blurted out.

  Deanna raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised by the sudden change of subject. “We have some walking to do.” She gestured at the surrounding sarcophagi. “These are The Designer's guardians.”

  Emily scanned the wall to ceiling sarcophagi surrounding them. “Are they dead?”

  “Not dead. Not alive. They're in a state of flux. It's complicated.”

  The irony of Deanna's words wasn't lost on Emily.

  “You of all people should be able to appreciate the complexity of such an ambiguous concept,” Deanna added, once again, as if reading Emily's thoughts. “Just think, if you―”

  “I know. I know,” Emily interjected. “If I were still a being of pure consciousness, I would have all the answers.”

  “Are you going back there? Back to the Community?”

  “We should get going,” Emily said, ignoring the question. “There's a designer waiting for us.”

  “The Designer,” Deanna corrected. “There's only one.”

  Emily smiled sheepishly. “I know. It was a joke...sort of.”

  “Ah, a joke,” Deanna said, brightening. “I'm glad to see your sense of humor is still intact.”

  “Are you gonna lead the way?”

  Deanna turned. “Follow the leader,” she quipped before stalking off into the darkness.

  Emily broke into a brisk walk, not at all sure if she would be able to keep up with Deanna if she lost sight of her in the darkness. She raised her flashlight and caught Deanna with the beam.

  Deanna turned and began walking backward. "Don't worry; I'm not gonna leave you behind."

  A sheepish smile curled Emily's lips. “I know.” She quickly dropped the sheepish smile and said, “What the hell is happening to us?”

  “Damned if I know.” She turned away from Emily and continued walking forward.

  “'Damned if I know'? You sounded so sure of yourself a moment ago. You said we're going to meet The Designer.”

  “I did say that, but you felt the need to question me. As far as I know, we're going to meet The Designer. I don't have any reason to doubt the beings that led us down here, but ya never know. Nothing's a hundred percent. Just think: if you were still a―”

  “Don't say it,” Emily cut her off. “Don't you dare say it.”

  Deanna's laugh reverberated through the chamber.

  “Where's yours?” Emily suddenly wondered aloud.

  Deanna didn't answer.

  “Deanna?”

  “Where's my what?”

  “Your flashlight. How have you been getting around down here?”

  Deanna hesitated a moment before
saying, “Oh...I turned it off...to watch you. I was getting a kick out of watching you from the darkness. The look on your face when you walked into the catacomb was priceless.”

  In one swift motion, Deanna whirled around, turned her flashlight on and pointed it at Emily's face. “Ta-da!”

  Emily lowered her flashlight and shielded her eyes. “All right. Point that thing someplace else.”

  “As you wish,” Deanna mocked, turning away from Emily.

  “This is a fantasy,” Emily blurted out. Deanna stopped in her tracks and turned to face Emily. “Isn't it?”

  “This is reality,” Deanna countered, taking a step toward Emily.

  “This isn't real.”

  “This is very real.” She took another step toward Emily, then another. She took one slow, deliberate step after another until the two were face to face. “This is our reality, Em. Our reality just keeps getting weirder and weirder. You should know that. You of all people should know that. It's been getting increasingly weirder since the six of us took off for Eden, oh―what was it?―a thousand years ago? Weird is the new normal.”

  Emily was beginning to feel faint. She reached out and grabbed Deanna's shoulder to steady herself. “When does it stop?”

  “Maybe it will stop when we find The Designer. Maybe that's what all of this weirdness has been leading up to.” Deanna turned and gestured toward the end of the chamber. The combined intensity of their flashlights was powerful enough to illuminate the opening of another passage. “There's only one way to find out.”

  “You believe he exists?”

  “He? Listen to you. What makes you so sure The Designer's a he? But The Designer is down there somewhere.” She pointed down. “Somewhere deep beneath the surface of the planet. We have a ways to go.”

  Deanna turned on her heels and headed toward the passage.

  “Deanna?” Emily called out. “What is happening to us?”

  Deanna stopped and turned to face Emily. “The truth.” She smiled broadly. “I believe it's the truth.”

  Emily could only stand dumbfounded, not at all sure that what she was experiencing were real.

  Once again, Deanna turned and walked toward the passage. She didn't bother to look back, seemingly unconcerned as to whether or not Emily was following her or probably just assuming that she would.

  She shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze just in time to acknowledge the fact that Deanna had entered the passage. She waited until the glow of her flashlight disappeared from view before breaking into a sprint, the beam of her own flashlight bouncing frantically in front of her.

  She reached the entrance to the passage and stopped. Naturally, the passage descended, moving deeper into the planet as Deanna had stated. She caught a brief glimmer of Deanna's flashlight around a bend in the passage.

  “Come on, Em!” Deanna's voice echoed up the passage. “I know you can hear me! Get that ass in gear!”

  She ran into the passage and was instantly reminded of the toll these descending passages were taking on her calves. Nevertheless, she didn't break stride, her booted feet slamming noisily on the rock as she reached the bend. Losing her balance or slamming into something as she rounded the bend were very real possibilities, but she didn't allow those very real possibilities to slow her down. She took the curve like an Olympic runner and caught sight of Deanna's flashlight beam.

  “Slow down before you get yourself killed, Em!” Deanna called back.

  Heeding Deanna's advice, she slowed to a trot. Deanna's flashlight beam wasn't moving; she was standing still, waiting for her just around the next bend. She slowed to a brisk walk and rounded the bend to find Deanna leaning against the wall, facing her, a sly smile touching her lips.

  “You about ready?” Deanna crooned.

  “I've been ready.”

  Deanna gave her a slight nod. “Let's do this.” She turned and began walking, Emily trailing on her heels. The passage didn't leave enough room for the two to walk side by side.

  “Have you been down here before?” Emily asked.

  “No. Why?”

  “You seem to know where you're going.”

  Deanna chuckled. “There's only one way to go.”

  “I know. I just mean...you seem to know what you're doing, like you've been through all of this before. You're like a tour guide.”

  “No, I haven't been through all of this before, but I might as well have been. All of this has been communicated to me telepathically.”

  “The shadows? They communicate telepathically?”

  “Yup. They were whispering to you, or you thought they were whispering to you. Your brain interprets their telepathic signals as whispers. Like I said, these beings are essentially the same species as the One collective. They've just been...changed a bit.”

  “So when you say you might as well have been through all of this before―”

  “I've seen it,” Deanna interjected, “in my head. I've seen these passages; I've seen our destination; I know what we're gonna find when we get there.”

  Emily grabbed her arm. Deanna turned to face her. “You're gonna ask me what we're gonna find when we get there,” Deanna said casually.

  Emily furrowed her brow. “Of course I'm gonna ask you that.”

  “Well, I can't tell ya.”

  Emily was perplexed. “Why the hell not?!” she asked indignantly.

  “It's not my place. I made a deal with these beings. And besides, you wouldn't understand if I explained it to you. It's something you have to see, or experience, to understand.”

  Emily couldn't recall ever wanting to slap somebody as much as she wanted to slap Deanna. “Experience?! You said we're going to see The Designer.”

  “Indeed.” Her tone was indifferent. “But one doesn't just meet The Designer. One experiences The Designer.”

  “Are you serious? You sound like some kind of guru. What did these beings do to you?”

  Deanna smiled lightly. “They showed me the truth. And I sound like you used to sound when you joined the Community. Ironic, isn't it? You've changed so much since then.”

  Emily suddenly realized she was still holding onto Deanna's arm and released her grip. “Yeah,” she conceded softly. “Well, apparently, I've been hanging out with you people too long.”

  Deanna rubbed her arm. “You've been separated from the Community for quite awhile. You're embracing the physical.”

  “Thanks for the info, Captain Obvious.”

  Deanna chuckled. “You're starting to sound like me.”

  “I'm sounding like myself. I guess we have more in common than we both realized.”

  "I guess so. And for the record, I only brought up the fact that you're embracing the physical because I find it so intriguing that you would."

  Emily knew where this was going, but she asked anyway. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when we first came back to Earth after the Great Migration, as you call it, and found you and your Great Community buddies in the woods, you gave us this lengthy speech about evolution. You blathered on and on about your non-corporeal state being the natural course of human evolution. I never thought you'd shut up about it. But look at you now; you've turned your back on all of that; you've turned your back on the Community.”

  “I haven't turned my back on anything,” Emily denied. “I...uh...I just have to figure it all out. I'm confused. Like you said, I've been away from the Community for too long, and they're so far away from me; I can't feel them.” With each word, her voice softened. “My non-corporeal state―” She caught herself. “Our non-corporeal state is dependent on community, the Community.”

  “Thanks for the info, Captain Obvious,” Deanna mocked. “See that? We're like twins.”

  Emily managed a faint smile. “I'm surprised you're so concerned about what's happening with me.”

  Deanna sighed and took a step toward Emily, placing her hands on her shoulders. “Look, we've had our differences. But we're family; Richard's our papa; George
is our uncle. That makes us sisters. We're family.” She furrowed her brow. “We're the only family.”

  Emily's faint smile widened. “Aww, you're getting all mushy on me!”

  Deanna dropped her hands from Emily's shoulders. “All right, that's enough of that. We've got places to go, Designers to meet. You ready?”

  “Ready, sis.”

  Chapter 39

  It's obscene, Elexa thought as she gawked at the Kingdom towering above the wreckage of the surrounding city. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

  She'd seen the Kingdom before, but that had been from a distance. Now that she was seeing it up close, after having trudged through the horrible conditions of the surrounding city, Elexa viewed it as nothing more than a symbol of greed run amok.

  Communicating with their telepathic escorts along the way had been a surreal and enlightening experience. The experience took some getting used to, but once she got the hang of it, she quickly learned that this form of telepathic communication was an interactive experience. She couldn't communicate with the collective telepathically, but receiving their telepathic signals allowed her to get into their heads somewhat. It gave her a kind of empathic ability. Not only was she able to receive the telepathic signals; she could feel them. She was able to sense when something they were being told was unquestionably true and when something they were being told was potentially deceptive. When it came to why they were being escorted to the Kingdom, she suspected that their escorts were hiding something.

  They had already attempted to deceive them once. They weren't off to a very good start in the trust department.

  “Why the ruse?” Richard had asked on their trek toward the Kingdom. “Why disguise yourselves as humans?”

  It was a test.

  “What kind of test?” Deanna had probed.

  The fact that you don't know means you passed the test.

  "That's a bit cryptic," Deanna had countered.

  We apologize. We can't tell you anything more about the test, but the nature of the test will become clear to you soon enough.