Soteria- The Crisis Forge

by Roberto Arcoleo

  “Don’t worry.” He reached out and touched her hand. “I am going help you with this.” Saya felt a tingle in her fingers, and then she took a breath. “Now, make your mind blank… Just relax and breathe.” Saya followed his instructions.

  “See, the voices are quieter, aren’t they? From now on, you will only hear what you choose. You can turn it on and off now, even raise and lower the volume like on the radio.”

  Saya looked directly into Jason’s eyes. “Please, are you going to tell me what is going on? Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want with me? Tell me now.”

  “Okay, of course. I’m sorry you were frightened. I didn’t think your abilities would accelerate so quickly; you are a very fast learner. So, this is going to sound very strange to you. You and I have a very long story. I met you before you were born, while you were still within your mother’s womb. But I was not sure you were you until I entered your body to heal you after we had sex in the club.”

  Saya’s face took on an expression of disbelief. “Are you a ghost or something?”

  “No, no, not a ghost, or anything like that, but I am from another world, a world very far from here. I was sent here by my people to do something very important. It’s a long story, but this is what you really need to know for now: when I was about to enter your atmosphere for the first time, as I passed through the clouds, I looked down on the earth. Then I, too, was a kind of embryo. Your atmosphere was full of radioactivity, and everywhere I looked, I saw carnage. Then I saw you peacefully within your mother. As my mind went out to you, you gave me the feeling that all would be well, so I reached inside her and touched you. For a few brief moments, we were one. When this happened, unintentionally, I changed you forever, creating a being not like other earth people.”

  “Wait, just wait a second. You are from another world? What do you mean you changed me?”

  “It was not my intention to change you. I was not supposed to change anything. In fact, I broke a big rule.”

  “Oh, well I hope you got detention for it. So now what?”

  “Now that your abilities are developing further, I am going to teach you how to control your strength. You have much more power than you realize. Remember when I asked you if you ever questioned your abilities before; your speed, your strength?” Saya didn’t respond. She looked at Jason like a child getting caught with a hand in the cookie jar. “Come on, Saya. You can crush a man’s skull with a single blow. You can send a three-hundred-pound football player flying across a room. You are five-foot five-and-a-quarter and weigh one hundred and twenty-four pounds. You never wondered how that was possible?”

  “I have a very powerful chi, and I’ve had very good teachers,” she said in an indignant and serious tone.

  Jason smiled. “Yes, you have, but there is no earth chi like yours.”

  “Am I an alien too?”

  “Well yes, and no. You are quite human, but you aren’t like others.”

  “Do I have to go through special training to control all these powers you are talking about? Do we go away to a mountain top for a year, or something?”

  Jason gave her a smile. “No, the days of being chased through the mountains by your teacher are over. You will know what to do when things occur naturally. You almost figured out how to block the invading thoughts of others by yourself. You have the ability to understand things as they arise, and you will be fine. However, this strength you have leads to complications. Power is a large concept. We need to talk about that.”

  “What am I to expect then?”

  “Beside the physical abilities that you know you have; your mental powers are increasing as well. Your ability to learn languages will become second nature, as natural to you as walking. Soon you will be able to see concepts within people’s minds. Words will only be an accessory to communication. You will be able to understand everyone on Earth, disregarding the limitations of language. Also, you will be able to move things with your mind; nothing very huge, but small things like books and utensils, pots and pans, and such. Your increased agility will be one of your favorite gifts. You will be able to move at speeds you can’t imagine. And you will become smarter. Much smarter.”

  “I’m already smart,” she snapped.

  Jason smirked. “It’s all just beginning.”

  “By the way,” said Saya, “I want you to return what you took from the temple. It does not belong to me. It belongs there.”

  “As you wish,” he responded. “But now, let’s talk about your power. You are growing stronger, as I have said. What I am about to say is very important. You must not abuse this strength.”

  “What do you mean ‘abuse’?” responded Saya.

  “All of these abilities which you have and will develop can’t be used recklessly.”

  “I don’t understand,” she replied.

  “Let me explain. If a cat is hungry and wants to eat a mouse, she can easily use her size and speed to catch it, seize it, and eventually devour it. But, often, before the mouse meets its end, the cat may play with the mouse, and when it does, another thing becomes present. Though the cat may let the mouse run around a bit, even ignoring it for some time, the mouse remains subjugated under the cat’s domination. This form of power is forbidden. You can easily fall into the seduction of power, the pleasure of power.”

  “When the cat plays, she allows the mouse seconds of freedom, moments of hope, while of course, there is none. This power exists simply for the sake of power, power for its own end. You may use your new strengths for seeking knowledge, for defense, even for pleasure, but not for this. Do you understand?”

  “I have never desired such domination. I have very simple needs. Some good Kentucky Bourbon, and a beautiful body or two, and I’m…”

  Jason interrupted, “Yes, and a little pain for seasoning, I know. But you have gifts beyond your imagination, and like I said, this kind of power creates its own temptations. Do I have your promise?”

  “Yes, yes, you have my promise.”

  “Good. I really didn’t want to have to kill you.”

  “You wouldn’t kill me, would you?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t have wanted to.” Jason looked at Saya intently. “You are going to have to keep a low profile. Beings from my world won’t appreciate the fact that you exist. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself, for they will find you. I know about the man you tortured, cutting off his hands and feet. Something in you enjoyed what you did; that is the power I am warning you about, the part of you that smiled at his pain; it worries me. You are very important to me, Saya. You, in a way, are my legacy. I hope you have left your desire for this kind of pleasure behind in Japan.”

  Saya lowered her eyes. “I often think about that day. I am not proud of what I did, but I was driven by rage and hate. It will never happen again.” She paused. “What do you mean, your legacy?”

  “I am not sure how much time I will have here.” Jason paused. “You mean a lot to me. You are, in a way, a kind of affirmation of my existence. You’re beautiful in so many ways, and very special. And besides, you are…” Jason paused and looked into space.

  “Yes, I know, a lot of fun in bed.” Saya giggled, trying to lighten the mood. “But what are you saying? Are you really going to die?”

  Jason smiled. “No one is immortal.” He looked away again for a few seconds. “But I think in order to save humanity, I may face some serious danger. I’m not sure what will happen.”

  “Save humanity?”

  “It’s a complicated story, Saya. I’ll explain it all another time.”

  “’A complicated story?’ Are you telling me that you gave me all this, and now you are going to leave me on my own to figure it all out? That’s really sucky if you ask me.”

  “You’ll understand everything eventually. Think of it as if a university has been implanted within you, ready to teach you when you call upon it. In a way, I will always be with you. You will even hear my voice. I’ve also set you up with mon
ey so that you won’t be tempted to abuse your power for it.” Jason handed Saya a key. “This is the key to a deposit box at the Citibank on Canal and Broadway. Inside it, you will find a large amount of cash. You will also find twenty passports with staggered dates of birth, establishing twenty identities for you, along with bank accounts for each identity. Also, you will find three business cards of financial consultants, each of whom knows you under a different name that is indicated on each card. You have a large amount of money being supervised and invested by each of them.”

  “But I don’t want a bunch of money; you see how I live, my walkup on Avenue C and 4th Street. I have three pairs of jeans and a few shirts, mostly with a couple of holes in them. Sure, I have a few beautiful dresses, but I only wear them to the casino for work. I am comfortable living the way I do. I rarely ever even wear underwear.” Saya slurped some Soba noodles. “I really think you are going overboard.”

  “You may live as you like, of course, but you won’t ever have to worry about money, nevertheless. Your full destiny is yet to be written, and you may become a very important person for your civilization one day.” Jason paused. “Saya, I am going to do my best to spend the next few centuries knowing you.”

  “Centuries?” responded Saya, startled.

  “Yes, centuries. You are going to live for a very, very long time. You’ll look the same as others age around you. That is one of the reasons for all those identities. I have staggered the dates of birth on some passports so that there will be no raised eyebrows. It will be necessary for you to abandon your life from time to time and move on, or else people will start thinking you’re a vampire or something.”

  Jason smiled at his own joke and continued, “There might come a day when you see an old lover in the street, maybe thirty years will have passed since you last laid eyes upon him. He may look a little bent with age, even a bit frail and gray. He might be walking with his college-aged granddaughter and you may hear him say to her, ‘Do you see that pretty girl who just walked past? I once dated a girl who looked just like her, when I was your age. Yes, almost as beautiful as her.’ The granddaughter will give him a patronizing smile, saying, ‘Oh sure, grandpa.’ You might feel an inward chuckle in hearing these words, and maybe feel pain in your heart, and a tear may try to escape. But you will not stop or look back or say a word. You will just keep walking, knowing that the past is just that. The past. It can never be again.”

  Saya finished her noodles. “This is a lot to take in. I need a break. Let’s go find Angela. I want to get high and play for a while and forget about all of this for a few hours. Can we?”

  “Look, you need to listen to me. This is very serious, and I told you I do not have a lot of time. Besides, Angela knows nothing about it, neither who I am, nor who you are. No one, and I mean no one, with maybe the exception of my brother Mark, should ever know who you really are. Do you understand?”

  “Understand? Yes. Yes, I am trying to take this all in. Do I have any choice about it?” She looked at Jason intently.

  “Not really. You are who you are, and your road has already been paved. Your only way out,” Jason hesitated, “is death.”

  “Huh? Death? Big choice. When I sat down with you, I just hoped you might get these voices out of my head. Then maybe get to know you better. Now you tell me I must either live as a millionaire super woman constantly being spied upon by alien beings that might kill me if I do something wrong. Or else I can just die? Man, I’m not ready for this.”

  Jason smiled. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Saya. These are great gifts that you have received – not burdens – and you will be fine. Trust me.”

  “I get that they’re gifts, but it’s all really… my life ever-changing, always leaving everything behind, it sounds so… what you’re describing sounds so isolating.”

  “Yes,” responded Jason. “It is daunting, but what is certain is that nothing can change who you are or who you will become. I will always be in your mind, and I will see you again… just be patient.”

  Chapter 42: Saya thinks it over

  Hours passed, and Saya found herself sitting in her apartment, hardly aware that she had walked home. Her thoughts had taken over her body as her feet went through the motions of leading her to her door. Maybe this is what homing pigeons do, she thought.

  Why is this happening to me?

  Finding the sofa, Saya dove headlong into the cushions; they felt like a warm cup of milk.

  She rolled over and stared up at the light gray ceiling. Maybe it’s not gray, she thought, maybe it’s just really dirty… I never thought about washing a ceiling. What am I supposed do now? Just wait, but wait for what? Jason said I am going to become some kind of a superwoman, like in the comic books. This is really too much.

  Just then, the phone rang. She picked it up and heard Angela’s perky voice piercing through the somberness, “Hi, baby. It’s me. What are you doin’?”

  “Oh, nothing. Moping,” responded Saya. Jason had told her that Angela knew nothing of his true nature and that she was not to hear a word of their secrets. This is all so unfair.

  “Yeah, just moping,” she repeated, thinking to herself, when I’m not scared shitless. Saya could not imagine how she could begin to express what she was going through. Meanwhile, she dared not break any rules, for fear that Jason or some strange beings from another world might kill her. I need to be alone to try and piece this all together, or maybe I just need to find a deep mountain cave and bury myself…

  “I have some weed, so if you have a little wine, well, that makes a party, right?” Angela said playfully.

  “I am out of wine,” Saya responded in a sullen tone, thinking, I am really not in the mood to play.

  But Angela wasn’t discouraged. “Hey. Stop sounding like such a sad sack. I’ll pick up a bottle. Come on, let’s hang out.”

  Maybe it will do me good not to be alone. “Okay, Angela, if you really want to… but give me a little time. I need to rest.”

  “Rest?” replied Angela. “You sound like my Grandma.”

  “I know, but I’m tired. How about in a couple of hours? I need a nap and a shower at least.”

  “Okay, it’s seven now. I’ll be there around ten… That gives you three hours to pamper your pretty self… Okay?”

  “Sounds good, but don’t expect too much from me tonight. I am really tired.”

  “I’ve heard that before. Anyway, we can just chill, if you’d like. I just don’t want to be alone. Okay?”

  “Sure,” replied Saya, “I know how you feel.”

  “Say, Saya, didn’t you just get one of those videocassette players?”

  “Yes… Sing got a bunch, and he gave me one, but it’s still in the box.”

  “I’ll rent a tape or two. A store just opened up on the block, and we can try it out.”

  “Okay, I’ll unpack it, but you have to do the rest.”

  ***

  Elgert’s first assistant stood with the science officer on the observatory.

  “Have you finished programming the beam?” he asked impatiently.

  “Yes, as you have requested,” the science officer responded. “But as you know, this was never designed to be a weapon. It’s a mining tool. It was meant to avoid harming workers when extracting ore; changing it into a weapon has proven difficult.”

  “You told us it could be adapted.” The assistant said with annoyance in his voice.

  “Of course, but The Prime designed its targeting program to avoid life forms. We have reversed the protocol. That is not the difficulty. It has to do with targeting. As you know, humans are carbon-based and are easily identified. However, the weapon can’t be programmed to eliminate a specific human. It can only target carbon-based life forms within a specific location. Further, the distance the beam must travel introduces a time delay that may cause additional complications. Do you still wish to proceed?”

  “Yes. Launch it.”

  “Are you certain?”
>
  “Yes. Launch it now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  ***

  Saya hung up and looked at the box in the corner of the room. It had been sitting there for a month. She hardly ever watched TV. In fact, that was another gift from Sing; she would never have bought one for herself.

  She unpacked the box and attached it to the TV. There is never anything interesting on this thing, she mused, looking at the Sony perched on a stand in the corner. She had been using it as a coat rack. Finally putting it together, she found it was all fairly straightforward. She stared at the thing and thought to herself, it’s really ugly. I want to get rid of it, but Sing would be mad if I threw it away. He is so sensitive about things like that.

  Saya lay down for an hour. She tried to sleep, but it evaded her. Finally, she got up and took a shower. The warm water felt good. Her body relaxed, and she turned up the heat, the water rushing over her back. The pressure felt wonderful, beating down on her like a thousand bees. It was scalding, but she loved it. Then she turned on the cold. It hit her body like a Nordic blast in February. Any other person would have reeled with the pain of it all, but Saya just smiled.

  After the shower and a brisk dry, she slipped on some panties and a long, flimsy Indian shirt dress, knowing in the back of her mind that it was fairly transparent, and curled up on the sofa with a copy of Jane Eyre. I may as well give her a little thrill, even if we don’t do anything. She was four chapters into the book and hoping for a few more minutes with it when the doorbell rang.

  “It’s me,” came crackling through the intercom. “It’s me, Angela. Open up.”

  Her hair still moist from the shower, she unwrapped the towel from her head. Saya buzzed her in. Her hair hung free, falling down over her shoulders like wet seaweed straggling off a boat. Still, this disarray did little to distract from her beauty, as her freshly bathed body clung to the cloth.