by A I Zlato
Eric joined her, and got closer. He gently took her hand, and she appreciated the warmth of his palm against hers. She looked at him intensely and pressed herself against him. She saw Fighter, Aimie and Kahila entering the forest and getting away from them. Eric and she wanted to experience that feeling, which they perceived more intensely than the others did. She closed her eyes and opened up her mind widely. She emptied her mind so as to be as responsive as possible, and she felt a touch. The presence was there. She held hands with Eric, who reciprocated, indicating that he had felt the same. Via her chip, Iris had the impression that the entity was trying to talk to her, to communicate, but she could not understand the message. She stayed there for long hours, sitting at the feet of a huge ash in an attempt to adapt her mind to the presence, hoping to hear and understand it.
Eric also wanted to communicate with the presence. Iris sank even more against him. Together, maybe they could talk to it. Huddled against each other, they together tried to reach this invisible consciousness floating around them. Instead of transmitting a message, as she hoped, Iris felt in the depths of her being the immensity of this presence, which took root in the ground, followed the tree sap, and then disappeared, not into the sky but to another location. She felt its mind stretch from the roots to the crown, from earth to sky, from there to an unknown elsewhere. Eric had told her he had glimpsed another world; perhaps the presence would continue its trip there. She had the impression of being integrated into the forest’s cycle of energy circulation, visualizing successively the moist soil, fresh air and the sun’s heat. Like a bubble of sap, it mentally moved to the heart of the trees. She turned, beaming, to Eric and saw that he shared her feelings. Together, their minds flowed back and forth, following the rhythm of the forest. Then the presence took root in her consciousness, and the word ‘phalomera’ echoed in her. Phalomera... that was the name of that energy... Captivated, Iris tried to ask it questions. The phalomera withdrew itself and became a mist, still there, but elusive.
“Eric... it was so beautiful! This connection with the forest, I felt that I met its conscience. It’s called Phalomera.”
“No, I don’t think so. That’s not its name. It is something else; a concept, perhaps.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know exactly. Hearing or rather, feeling the word ‘phalomera’, I did not understand that it was a name in the sense that we understand it, but... I am not sure.”
“Have you seen the other world?”
“Perhaps. Water, lots of water...”
“Did you hear something?”
“Perhaps.”
“Tell me!”
“The forest, the ocean, this is a whole, there’s... I do not know. I have to go.”
“But why? We just...”
“That’s enough for today; I must go back.”
“Eric!”
“It’s... I cannot.”
He let go of her hand, and without explanation, left the forest, heading back to the city. Night was falling. The penumbra already lay in the meadows, and darkness engulfed trees. Iris could not bring herself to return to the city with the others. They insisted that she returned with them; Fighter, in particular, felt accountable for the safety of all group members. She simply could not stop thinking about this conscious entity. She felt like it had something to tell her; a message she had not understood. The feelings of incompleteness and curiosity were too strong.
She had to stay there. Eric hesitated, not wanting to leave her alone but also not willing to stay there. Finally, he walked away reluctantly. Iris watched all three hop on the rail and disappear into the horizon.
Completely alone, she walked aimlessly through the trees. She stepped over the dead stumps, crossed crevasses, and ducked to avoid branches. She simply walked straight ahead, looking for the presence. She perceived it all around her. In trunks, branches, roots and leaves, the phalomera was there. The forest’s energy circulated around Iris, nearing her without really touching her. She was unable to recreate the communion she had felt with Eric. She nevertheless continued to walk in the dark with a more hesitant pace. For a long time, she kept stepping into the forest, stretching her arms to blaze a trail.
Exhausted, she sat on a trunk that was on the ground. To catch her breath, she focused on inhaling and exhaling. By doing so, she emptied her mind of all questions in order to focus on the air that went in and out. While inhaling and exhaling, she was interested only in her senses — the cold, wet soil pervading her clothes, the roughness of the tree trunk against her back, the breeze on her face. She inhaled fully, and regained her self. And the presence crept into her. Iris could hear again the forest as a whole; a living entity made up of thousands of trees; a path between earth and this elsewhere. She saw the body of water that Eric had mentioned... an infinite body of water... The water was not there, she was there... maybe in another world... another space... Another space? How was that possible? The mere mention of a question made the phalomera vanish. Iris remained thoughtful, remembering that dark water she thought she had seen in the night sky beyond the mountains. Another Space? She knew that the Elders had developed the Machine so that it could manage the Equilibrium and request the creation of spaces when necessary. It was still very abstract for her. She had never thought that these others... these other places could also be visible, concrete. Why had she imagined that what she saw was another space? It was... Phalomera that had told her. Or, rather, it had shared its worldview — its reality — with her. Another Space... an ocean... Why? Why would Phalomera want to show her that? What did it want to tell her? Infinity was in front of her, and she did not know what to do. She put her head in her hands and scanned the floor. If the treetops actually pointed to somewhere... she felt... the roots were moving toward... another time... Circle Zero... Her thoughts were devoid of questions, and filled with Phalomera’s knowledge... things she did not understand, but felt. Eric had also said that the forest and the ocean; yes, the Ocean, not the ocean... it was a whole. Another Space, an ocean... linked to the forest... Phalomera... Circle Zero... The logic of all her thoughts did not cross her subconscious mind.
She jumped up when she realized she was lying face to face with a kandron.
The animal had come closer during her reverie, and now was standing 10 feet away from her. She wondered how a creature of this size could make its way up to her quietly. It would have to break branches; move a large volume of air. Yet here it was, and she had not seen it approaching.
With wings still half deployed, it seemed puzzled to see her, and tilted its head to the side, as if it were trying to change its perspective. It was not the kandron she had seen in the periphery. This one was green and much smaller but still huge, in her view. They looked at each other, convincing themselves that the other was the intruder. It looked at her, probably thinking that a human had nothing to do in the forest. She thought kandrons only lived in the city. They both were surprised, and looked at each other motionlessly for a moment. Phalomera then flowed into Iris’s mind, but it seemed to her that it was compelling her to get closer to the kandron. Without knowing why, she was now convinced that she was in the right place at the right time. She stood while shivering, now aware of the cold night.
The kandron looked away. It had lost interest in her, and held its neck skyward, in a contemplative attitude. The young human had disappeared from its concerns. Could it also see the other world? Could it feel Phalomera? Iris had no idea.
The electromagnetic field surrounding the kandron was very strong. Iris had not dared to cross it when she had approached the other kandron in the periphery. She stretched her fingers there toward the one that stood before her, moving her hand. The presence of the forest pushed her to do that. When her fingers crossed the invisible chamber, she felt a slight tingling. It was then that she felt her hand detaching from her body and following another direction, though her eyes belied this sensation. Her hand seemed to be in another dimension; in the kandron’s world
, which was not hers. She should
withdraw her hand, but she had no such will, fascinated by the strangeness. Her intrusion drew the attention of the animal, which moved, bringing her hand out of the electromagnetic field. Iris looked at her hand, which had taken its usual place back at the end of her arm, without apparent consequences. The kandron’s hostile gaze dissuaded her to repeat the experience, despite her desire. What had she experienced exactly? Time and space — notions that she believed were obvious — were actually much more complex. A different Space... an ocean... a different time... a kandron... and still, this Circle Zero, a concept that had no meaning but kept coming back. She stretched her hand to cross the barrier again, but the kandron bounced back, disclosing its teeth. She should have been afraid, facing such a huge animal showing its sharp fangs. That was not the case. She felt protected by the forest; by Phalomera, which had asked her to be there. Yes, if she was there at that moment, it was good because Phalomera wanted her to be. What should she do? She did not want to provoke the kandron; she did not want to leave. That was necessary, however; it had been dark for hours, and her father might be worried. Her mother, well, she... All that seemed so distant, irrelevant compared to what she was going through, but she had to go back to the city. She stepped back to get away. Her aching legs reminded her that she had remained motionless for too long, and she was moving stiffly.
She was about to head back to the city when she noticed a boy who was huddled under the left wing of the kandron. Surprised, she remained static. How had he managed to stay hidden all this time? Was it the magnetic field? The boy approached her, out of the shadows, and out of the kandron’s protective barrier. He shimmered
while crossing the barrier from the kandron’s sphere into Iris’s world. She had cringed when she saw the boy’s arms, because they were covered with dark patches, which she identified immediately as microprocessors and other electronic components. That must have been the latest technological innovation of the First Circle... those people enslaved to the Machine... a kind of prototype, just horrible. She had never seen anything like that. How could she have ignored that kind of experience while living in the First Circle? The people who did this had to be extra careful so that nobody learned what they had done. She complained about her chip... It was as if he had thousands of chips, closely linked to his skin and not simply grafted. In disgust, she watched the small balls that glowed in the dim light of the stars.
“Good evening. My name is Mossa.”
“Uh, I... It’s Iris. Since when have you been controlled by the Machine with the grafts on your arms?”
“I was born like that. My ancestors developed techniques to increase the biocompatibility between electronic components and human flesh. From generation to generation, compatibility has become symbiotic, and made us hybrids.”
“But that is horrible! How can you live like this...? Are you a spy for the Machine? Are you going to report me?”
“Report what? I do not understand. Anyway, I am not connected with the Machine of this space.”
“What do you mean ‘this space’?”
“Of course, this space! Your people do not have the level of technology necessary to create hybrids, did you not notice? You people are still in prehistory. I come from another space.”
“How did you get here? Did Phalomera bring you?”
“Who is Phalomera? I don’t know how I got here. I was quietly at a regeneration session, and the next thing I know, I was in a cave, surrounded by strange people who did not speak my language.”
“How is it possible that they did not speak your language? You sound like me!”
“Eutrope taught me the language.”
“Who is Eutrope?”
“The kandron, of course,” said Mossa, pointing to the animal.
“You... you bound yourself to this kandron? That is not possible; kandrons always chose humans with no chips, and you... you have plenty on your skin!”
“I don’t know what kandrons usually do; I can just tell you what he did for me. And what about you? What are you doing here, so far from your peers?”
“My peers, as you say, live in the city, where I will soon return. I come here to free myself from the Machine — this permanent connection to that giant toaster — and to try to feel the presence of the forest and the energy circuit called Phalomera.”
“You think I am strange, but I think you’re worse. I don’t understand what you just said. Why would you get rid of the Machine? It is only through it that you can evolve technically, lengthen your life expectancy, improve the Equilibrium...”
“And die. Haven’t you heard of those children who committed suicide? I’m sure they were tired of this city that the Machine leads. A world controlled by humans would necessarily be better.”
“Better for what? So they could reproduce the
Elders’ mistakes? You are completely crazy. I understand why you are alone, why no one wants to talk with you...”
“Because you, the Man-Machine, of course, have many friends?”
“You’re right; I am alone here. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to work on a project to leave this place.”
“And go back to your Space.”
“No. To go into space.”
“What?”
“I do not want to switch spaces again; I want to explore the universe, leave this planet, and discover other suns, other planets...”
“And you think I’m the crazy one... you are really talking nonsense. For starters, how is it possible to come from another space?”
“I told you; I do not know.”
“Is there an ocean where you come from?”
“How do you know that? Are you also from Space O.? Do you know how to go back?”
“No, I was born here in Space H. How could it be otherwise?”
“How did you learn about the Unique Ocean?”
“The Unique Ocean... I did not know its name. Yet it is logical... it’s... Phalomera let me see your Ocean.”
“Again! And what is that phalomera thing?”
“I don’t know exactly; the forest’s conscience.”
“Of course, the forest’s conscience — whatever that means... is this some sort of religious belief? What about stones — do they have a conscience too?”
“You are not trying to understand. I will no longer try to explain!”
“Charming... Whatever. Let’s assume that through
mysterious ways you saw the Unique Ocean. Can you go there?”
“Why? I thought you did not want to go back?”
“I just want to know.”
“If you say so. I will do as you did. Let’s assume you really came from another space; however, you don’t know how you got here. You don’t want to go home. You don’t say why. Where did you want to go? To a space?”
“Not a space; space.”
“But that is not possible!”
“Yes, it is. And I’ll go.”
Mossa wanted to continue the conversation, but his kandron gave him a prompting to stop him.
“Well, now that you’re convinced that I am talking nonsense, and that I am convinced that you are a kind of mystical wizard... Could you explain why you want to free yourself from the Machine?”
“It does not let us control our own lives.”
“That is its very principle. It is there to prevent you from making the mistakes of the past. The Elders had built it for that; to maintain the Equilibrium.”
“What do you know about the Elders, assuming you really came from another space?”
“You and I have the same ancestors, you idiot... The Elders invented the concept... All spaces arose from their creation. So...”
“We have the same Elders.”
“You understood everything! And the Elders had created the Machine to prevent humans from destroying themselves.”
“You have the same machine that we have?”
“No... There is a machine for each space. Don’t they
teach you that in your schools? How is it possible that you have regressed to this point?”
“Well, the Machine decides everything...”
“It manages the entire human population. What you do, what you invent or not, what you learn or not — it is up to you.”
“If you say so... I agree with you on one thing. Humanity, here at least, does not advance. Our life is too marked. There is no hope. That is why I want to free myself. Then I’ll explain to others how to do it so that it no longer has any hold over the city.”
“And so you reproduce the same mistakes... and head toward your loss.”
