FRACTAL

by Tony Ortiz

  What happened? Where are we?

  Sorry buddy, but we always take this precaution when bringing on new potential members. You really are free to go at any time, and you’ll likely never hear from us again if you choose to leave. We mixed a tasteless, odorless substance in your water called promethazine. It's a concentrated version of an active ingredient found in sleep aides. It's harmless and has no lasting effects beyond putting you to sleep. We’re sorry about that but until we establish where you stand, we need to follow all protocols on our end.

  Yea, yea. I can understand that.

  This is our spot. We work and live here. It’s our safe-zone if you will. Pretty much off the grid. We call it baseline.

  Off the grid? You have tv’s and computers laying around. Cell phones too, I responded as I looked around and saw some of them texting.

  That’s not the grid I meant. Okay slick, here’s the deal - and feel free to stop me when you have any questions. Do you remember when the Ed Snowden story broke in June of 2013 about the NSA monitoring all of our communication?

  The Glenn Greenwald stories in the Guardian?

  Yea those. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Actually, that's so small of a percentage of what we now know to be going on, it's more like an ice cube in comparison. Monitoring has always existed in some form or another. Whether it was French espionage penetrating and intercepting military communication of the Third Reich during the percolating period that preceded the second World War, or the Patriots spying on and filming other NFL teams during their practices so that they can get the inside scoop on their play-calling signals. Today, monitoring has matured. It has evolved beyond spying and has done so at an exponential rate. It’s not just about a Country monitoring itself and its Citizens, but Countries monitoring Countries. Companies monitoring employees, Companies monitoring competitors. Corporations monitoring other Corporations. State’s monitoring Cities...think of the most unlikely combination and I guarantee you there’s a viable monitoring examples. Friends monitoring each other through intrusively evolved versions of social media, couples monitoring, each other, there’s no end to it. And in each of these cases the reverse is also true. The counter-surveillance is happening just as often. Individual Cities monitoring the State & Federal government, etc.

  I don’t even know what to say. That sounds crazy. Why isn’t this common knowledge then or at least a bigger story? Why isn’t this the only thing on every looping news cycle?

  Because for the most part, people are like kittens. You toss a ball of yarn in front of them and they’ll get distracted from a meteor that’s on its way to obliterate the Earth. On top of that, the mass-media, by design, co-opted design but design nonetheless ... is a yarn wielding connoisseur. Their advertising dollars dictate the news cycle content, not journalistic integrity. Don’t get it twisted though...the fact is that most “news” outlets are just playing the same monitoring game. With them it’s like a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ race to see who can string together the most lucrative fluff pieces while disguising them as essential information.

  Fuck, I said while shaking my head.

  Here's the mind blower though. Those dreams you're having and those changes you're making to the present, are as real as this conversation.

  How could that be though? And why me? Why can't I choose to stop it if I wanted?

  Look at it this way. What if we lived in a world where time wasn't the great equalizer? Where time was treated like any other commodity. Hoarded by some, squandered by others and a spectrum of choices in between. What if this ability was all unbeknownst to the majority of the world and only a select few harnessed the ability to manipulate reality using time? Which side would you rather be on?

  Honestly, I don't know. But I would at least want to be able to make the decision for myself. Not have it thrust upon me the way it has.

  Technically you can make the decision, Hector. Like I said, you're free to go whenever you want. There's the door. You won't be able to stop the dreams, or the ability, but you don't have to act on them when they happen either. All that would take is a little discipline.

  What made you choose to stick with it? I asked.

  It was tough for me too, don't get me wrong. But I looked at it like this. Sometimes it's not you that makes things happen. Sometimes life happens to you. A lot of what we encounter, especially in this type of life, has to do with our perception of situations. That has large and immediate implications on the world around us, which in turn, ripples out to the rest of the world. I also understood that I could control my perception. Or consciously manipulate it at least. So I decided to see this situation as a gift instead of a curse, and honor it accordingly. I thought I would get to live a fuller life.

  And have you?

  What?

  Lived a fuller life?

  Let's just say that my cup of life spilt over when I made my decision, and I haven't stopped drinking from it ever since.

  Ok fair enough. So, what does going back through your dreams and changing the current reality have to do with monitoring?

  Well, skipping time as we call it, has a direct effect on our baseline reality and is a form of monitoring in and of itself. He who controls the past, controls the future no? Think of it like this Hector; it’s a specialized tool like any other. A way to impose your influence. But not everyone can use it. We don’t know why those that can, can or why those that can’t, can’t. What we do know is that there’s a spectrum of different types of personalities within the people that can skip time just like in any other subset of the populous. From psychopaths that can go back to kill...think Lee Harvey Oswald, to introverts that may use the ability with no-one ever knowing a thing - and in some cases them not ever knowing that it is a thing.

  You’ll have Fortune 500 CEO’s skipping back to establish a financial relationship via donations with key Politicians that they’d later leverage their influence on to sway their votes in ways that would ultimately benefit the long term financial health of their company down the line. Then you’ll have College kids that just wanna smoke some grass and see Hendrix play at Woodstock.

  Speaking of which, chimed in Charlie who was an earshot away and offered Hector a joint, do you smoke?

  Nah. Sometimes. I'm good right now though thanks, I responded.

  C’mon C, take that shit over there, Miguel told him as he pointed to the other side of the room.

  Look who’s being all righteous all of a sudden, Charlie said as he started to walk away, the champion joint roller himself.

  Relax guy, there’s a time and place, Miguel responded.

  Whatever dude, more bud for me.

  Listen, that’s your room back there if you want it, Miguel said as he pointed to a red door on the right hand side of the far back wall. Settle in. Take a couple days to meet everyone and get comfortable. You don’t have to worry about food, shelter or any essentials like that. In a couple days we’ll start showing you the ropes. Or if you just want to stay the night, get some rest and wrap your head around things, we can take you back home in the morning. Either way is fine, but the decision is on you.

  Ok cool. Thanks man, thanks for all of this.

  No need to thank me bro. Besides, if you decide to stay, you’re going to have to work to earn your keep around here so don’t get too comfy. We’re family here and get things done by collective hard work.

  Haha, okay sounds good.

  I walked over to my new room. Although I hadn't really made up my mind yet, I think there was a part of me that knew I was choosing to stay for a while. The room was really nice too. Modern furniture, private bathroom, flat screen tv, computer, windows. The view was shit because apparently we were in the middle of nowhere, but the vibe was like when you check into a nice hotel room while on vacation. I don’t know if these people knew I was coming or if someone had recently left, but there were even some clothes in the closet and drawers. I sat for a while, processing everything and taking things in. Then she knocked
on the door.

  Come in.

  Hey Hector, we’re gonna order some pizza. Do you want any specific toppings?

  Oh nice. Anything you guys get is fine. I’m just gonna take a quick shower.

  Ok cool. The clothes in here are yours by the way. In case you were wondering.

  I smiled. Yea, I was actually. Thought it may have belonged to an evicted tenant or something.

  Laura smiled back. I trust they’re your size and style. See you at dinner, she said as she closed the door.

  Over pizza I got to know everyone a little better. They said they eat together like this every night. They make a point of it. It was nice. Unexpected, but a nice unexpected. I got a good sense of everyone’s personality and quarks, as I’m sure some of them did of mine. Jake though, he was tougher to read that first night. The quiet reserved type. I don’t know if he was shy, pissed off, indifferent or just a dick. Eventually I’d find that he was a healthy mix of each.

  The one that had my ear most of the night though, was Laura. There was an instant connection and attraction. I couldn’t tell if it was mutual, or if she was just really nice. Hell, I didn’t even know if she was involved with anyone. Maybe Miguel, or Charlie, or Jake. She was present and connected to the group conversations, just as much as she was with our side-convos and laughs.

  Yea right, Charlie told Jake about something I missed. Let Astraea catch you saying something like that.

  What are you talking about? She'd encourage it. You think she wants us to stay at this level forever?

  Boys, boys, none of you can speak to what Astraea would want, Laura chimed in.

  And you can? Asked Charlie.

  I'm not saying I can, you're saying you can, Laura responded.

  If any of us could though, it wouldn't be one of you guys anyway, Brooke said as she high-fived Laura.

  Who is that? I asked the table.

  Who? Astraea? Jake responded.

  Yea, I said

  Have you ever seen the Matrix?

  Of course.

  She’d be like the Oracle. All knowing.

  No, Charlie chimed in, she'd be more like Morpheus.

  More like the Architect, Miguel said. Designer of all but not really.

  There's no proof she designed anything, Jake rebutted.

  There's no proof she didn't, Said Miguel.

  Wait, I'm lost. Was she a part of this team before? Has she been here?

  No, she's like more of a Deity. Legend has it that she was amongst the first skippers, said Brooke.

  Not only that though, she was like the chosen one. A skipper with limitless ability, added Laura.

  She's something of a role model for all legit skippers who aren't in it for themselves, said Miguel. She showed us a selfless altruistic approach to this. Embedded in us the idea of righting wrongs. She's like the gold standard of what we do.

  Some people have said that she developed the ability to skip forward, said Charlie.

  Wow, I thought that wasn't possible though, I responded.

  It's not, said Miguel. It's just a sensationalized claim that's fun to entertain.

  Speak for yourself chief, said Charlie. I'm going to skip forward one day and put up the peace sign to all you fools.

  Oh please, get out of here with that noise, said Laura as everyone laughed.

  Is she someone we go to for guidance? Advice? I asked.

  Nah man, nobody's ever seen her. Well, nobody that's around anymore. She's totally anonymous. Legend, said Charlie. Actually, have you guys ever considered that she might not even be a woman?

  No, responded Laura matter-of-factly. You know, I think Joseph Campbell said it best.

  Who? Asked Charlie.

  Joseph Campbell, the philosopher, writer. Creator of the hero’s journey concept, which is the depiction of what every hero in every movie and book and story you’ve ever heard goes through, Brooke chimed in.

  Yea, exactly, said Laura. Anyways, Campbell explained that an extension of the idea that a man grows up to marry his own mother, or him having an affinity towards being with many women, and spreading his seed, is just him returning to the womb space, the best way he knows how.

  Isn’t that just wanting to spread his seed? Like in a biological and evolutionary sense? The need to procreate to keep civilization going? Miguel asked.

  Yes, it is that too. But that’s the biological perspective right? Campbell’s is the philosophical perspective. They’re both viable explanations for the same phenomenon and neither is any less credible than the other. They're just viewed through different lenses.

  True, I see your point there, Miguel nodded in agreement.

  But what does this ‘every dude grows up to marry his own mother’ idea, have to do with Astraea being a woman? Asked Charlie.

  Well, first off that's the Legend, and where there's smoke, there's probably fire. But secondly, we gravitate towards her, it, or whatever label you want to use, like we’re returning to something. Someone. A source. A womb space. Responded Laura.

  I don’t buy it, said Charlie. I mean, I don't disagree that she's female, I was just playing devils advocate. But I'm not with all that Joseph Campbell existential stuff. What do you think Hector?

  That question is way above my knowledge-grade right now. I guess it could go either way. I do like Campbell though.

  Bravo for the best political answer of the night, Charlie responded, and we all laughed.

  There is something I can’t really wrap my head around yet though, guys. Why me? Better yet, how me? How did you guys know I could go back? How did you know where to pick me up or if I would even have snuck out of the doctors office the way I did, and then run right into your van?

  That quack ain’t no Doctor, said Charlie.

  Easy Charlie, he’ll have time to learn all that, Miguel chimed in. Basically, we use the system against itself. All the monitoring that’s going on, we tap into it, and look at the patterns. The changes.

  So you spy on people, I said as everyone else got quiet and anticipated his response.

  We keep track of and analyze the mechanisms used to do the spying, he rebutted. In doing so, the collateral damage, for lack of better words, of that action is what you might call spying on people.

  What would you call it? I asked.

  Doing what’s necessary. It's how we’re able to do the work we do. It's how I was able to find each of these guys and how we found you.

  There was an unsettled feeling of mixed emotions that everyone, including Miguel, seemed to have. It was like being okay with doing what’s necessary, but not being okay with the method of going about it.

  No worries, said Miguel to break the noticeable tension in the room. Tomorrow we’ll start showing you how things are done so you can add some context to those thoughts. Everyone raise your cups. Here’s to finding Hector - a promising asset to the movement.

  “Hear, hear” said Charlie as he held up a joint, then lit it and started passing it around. Everyone partook, some much more than others, except Laura. So I asked her;

  You don’t smoke? Or just not in the mood?

  Not in the mood. I’ll take like one puff here and there, but always cough my lungs out after. So it’s not usually worth it for me. How about you?

  Virgin lungs huh?