That would be sad. Sad for Kendra Boles.
Adam thought that his attraction to her would be returned by her to him and for the same reasons. She would come to accept Adam as her intellectual and comedic equal, his charm to her liking and his physical attractiveness appealing. She would come to enjoy his company and dread the days they had no time for a quip or funny story to share.
They could be horrid creatures in caricaturing their colleagues in aping the qualities they least admired in them. As the days and weeks progressed, their friendship intensified rapidly, something that was apparent to the entire community, including the cabal.
Misti continued her sexual liaison with Kendra, unconcerned about Kendra’s obvious and growing attraction to her husband.
Chapter 17
A few months after the conciliation between Edward and the sisters, things had settled down into what appeared to be a new rhythm. Edward, true to his word, was always available for advice or just a new pair of eyes looking at a nagging problem. But he was no longer the “go to” guy. That was now Adam and his council; Misti, Alana, Bella and Helena, Octavio, Vera, Hannah and few others on specific topics. Everything was skill or merit driven and subject to his basic conduct and procedural guidelines. Who was taking up resources, or who had a cross word together with all manner of petty nonsense, seemed to disappear. Not because it didn’t exist, but because Adam had banned all such drivel from the Manor.
“Stay focused on your tasks. Cooperate if you can, add to understanding and, above all, do not ever look to aggrandize or engage in puffery. We are all busy as hell and under the same threat of danger so, we are all equal in that respect. When this is all over, you can write a ‘tell-all’ book. Until then, chill. Walk it out, kick the garbage can or come and yell at me. You know I’m oblivious to criticism and don’t mind being yelled at. I don’t wish to send Vera or Misti to mediate or referee any nonsense. If you feel that it is not emotion or personality conflict, but rather a matter of being heard on something important, go see my Dad.
“Let’s start a new dynamic today and thank you for coming.”
Misti, somewhat annoyed at the hour, said, “And this couldn’t have been scheduled for nine instead of six in the morning. This is bogus.”
“I know, I know, Misti. But I’m making a point for everyone. That includes you.”
Misti glared at her husband as she walked out of the Tech Centre. She was tired and getting later in her pregnancy. Some rules, she thought to herself, were just stupid. If the old man was still in charge, this shit would never have happened.
In the end, there were fewer complaints, most serious complaints being funneled through Edward; the speed of work flow had indeed picked up.
***
As the teams shuffled out of the meeting room on their way back to a warm and comfortable bed, Adam asked Bella, Helena, Octavio and Norman to hang back. Noki, who wasn’t doing much more than being a Mom these days, suddenly appeared at the door.
“What’s up, Popi?”
“Well something has come up that I need to attend to urgently. The issue was first brought to my attention by Bella and Helena. In combination with new translations, there are some items that I need to know more about.”
Bella asked, “Like what?”
“Well, they have to do with is what you have referred to as the Eighty-One, the Prophecy and the existence and real meaning of the Nobilus.”
“How do you know any of that? I mean, Helena and I have spoken to you a little, but I don’t recall ever identifying the substance of any of that stuff to you.”
“You’re correct, of course, but remember that I have read all the translations and have been in Helena’s mind. That and the ability to connect the dots and draw inferences from what I have learned does not equal answers but leads to a better understanding of these matters and what they might mean. Plus, to be honest with you, I see a picture developing that’s growing stronger and stronger. I need your help in developing a model of understanding of how each part fits into the others. There is a process I wish to go through to gain the information I need to know.”
“What’s your question then? How can we help?”
“I think you already know the answer to that and to related inquiries I might have. I need what is locked away in your mind Bella, and Helena’s, about the three things I mentioned, and to reacquaint myself with the mechanics of the transformation process.”
The room got quiet. Adam knew what the disquiet meant, so he launched into his thoughts right away.
“Look, I understand that neither of you two sisters will be comfortable with letting me enter your minds and root around for what I need.”
Bella agreed. She did not like the idea of anyone going in her mind, not even Octavio. Her instant reaction wasn’t just no. It was hell no.
Bella said, “I don’t think I could allow that. I’m not comfortable with the request. Can’t we just talk about it with you, Q & A style?”
“No, unfortunately not. And to you ladies, Octavio and Norman please know I understand if this is a non-starter with you. But let me assure you both that I believe there is a way to do this without intruding any further than necessary to get what I need.”
There was a time, not so long ago, when Helena would have eagerly given Adam the green light. But Norman was now a factor and she would never allow a union of minds if Norman didn’t approve.
“What’s the plan then?”
“For that, I turn to Noki for the plan she developed. Noki, you’re on.”
Noki looked at the two couples and began, “To understand what I propose requires a discussion of the process of how we are able to connect one or more minds together. The first thing to understand is the genetics of mind union. To make this process even possible requires a gene, which we all have as humans and so do the Gens. We also need some other genetic material to be switched on and some genetic material needs to be turned off. But in both species only some of the other switches are turned on at birth. In rare cases, all genetic material is somehow activated; the supporting genetic material that needs to be turned on is on, while the other genetic material that needs to be turned off is off. This phenomenon is extremely rare and this genetic combination is the only way to naturally activate this ability. It can be transferred and passed on genetically.”
Noki looked around the room. “Am I being clear?”
Everyone nodded.
“In most cases, maybe ninety-five percent of the time in both the Gens and humans, there is one single gene that’s usually off, dormant. The corresponding on/off genetic material seems to be activated when that gene is activated but that isn’t always the case. Even if the right conditions are present and all stuff that needs to be on is on, and the stuff that needs to be off is off, that condition creates nothing useful apart from unlocking the mind, allowing connection with other minds, and mind journeys. Until now, that has, to my knowledge, never happened. But then it did happen with Adam and Alana, and with Adam and me. The chance that this could happen not once, but twice in a lifetime is truly remarkable.”
Bella asked, “Do we need to do some sort of test to see if this condition is active or dormant in us? I mean Helena and I?”
“In the past that would be required. But we have now discovered something else. If all the right conditions are otherwise present, except for that one certain gene, something unexplainable happens.”
“What?”
“If a person like Adam, who can connect, does connect to the mind of another, the gene that is switched off is switched on. In theory, the whole planet could have this gift. Now, Adam and I think we should wait a little while before we say anything to the world, but in the present situation, we could use this to solve the problem of getting from Helena and Bella what we need. We know that the four of you all have the right conditions including that one single gene.
“How?”
“We have blood from all of you so, we sent out samples a couple of week
s ago to a local genetics lab. The results were positive for all of you. Now to get the information Adam wants, we can have someone other than Adam go inside and retrieve and edit the memories, then give them to Adam. Still intrusive but we can do this very discreetly.”
“Meaning?”
“I will enter Bella’s mind, retrieve and edit her memories. Alana will likewise do the same for Helena. You know, girl talk on steroids. Those edited memories that he needs will then be given to Adam, after each of you consent to the release.”
Helena had been nervous about the direction of the conversation and request, as she had already joined with Adam. But she had not spoken of the matter her previous joining with Adam to Norman and had asked those who knew of it not say anything. She would discuss the matter with Adam later and insist that the naughty parts of their joining be removed permanently.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think we should discuss this procedure with our mates and give you an answer later,” said Bella. “I think we may have more questions, but if we can protect our privacy, then I am willing to consider it.”
“I agree,” said Helena, relieved.
“Then we will begin designing the pathway to retrieve, and edit the information from your past, and if so desired, remove any unwanted material, memories, at the same time. Let us know what you decide.”
“We will,” said Helena. “Anything else?”
Adam said, “In the meantime I want to discuss the Eighty-One, the Prophecy and the Nobilus. I want to get started on that before you decide, if you decide. I also want to understand what triggers the transformation of the Gens Germania. As I understand it, it’s water not blood. I now understand the biological process of transformation, and not why only human blood catalyzes the reaction in Gens from the Collective. But I need to learn more.”
“Why? Are you expecting to transform? If you want to be a Gens for a while, we can synthesize the formula for transformation from human to Gens and back that we appropriated from the Black Shirts.”
“Too risky at present. And I think you already know the answer to that question, or will, if you think about it.”
Bella knew right away. Later that day, so did Helena.
Chapter 18
The following week, while the issues of the least intrusive, and least objectionable ways to secure the information locked in Bella and Helena’s unconscious minds were being debated, Adam decided to make due with interviews of the ladies together and individually. The couples themselves as well as both couples together were speaking daily about the pros and cons of what to allow Adam and his team to do, if anything, and how cooperate without revealing too much deeply private information. To Adam, the task seemed simple and foolproof, while the couples and Noki had reservations about the necessity of the intrusive procedure at all.
Adam believed he could probably make due with just interviews, but there might be additional critical information stored in the ladies’ unconscious mind that, that was valuable; it might be buried so deep or repressed that they couldn’t now remember it. Some might be important, other information useful or it may be a complete bust. Still Adam was certain that parts of the full story were missing. If the girls had heard something significant at an early age, say around five or six, it may have registered consciously to them as background chatter. As such, it may have held no meaning for them at that the time but could be significant today.
Adam didn’t want to press the women, but he had hoped for a quicker response so he could continue his work. Their knowledge was essential and was the foundation of the success or failure of future events. But pieces of the puzzle were missing, and the undertaking so important, Adam could take no chances. He was certain that, based on what he already knew, three elements were somehow connected. About the first two, he had more than a vague intuition; the third piece was much harder to put into perspective.
Getting into the minds of Bella and Helena were his shortcut to understanding. He could now draw out to his conscious mind what was buried in his unconscious mind and could both learn from and impart knowledge to a receptive and able fellow mind traveler. Noki had developed the concept of reprogramming the neural pathways, but it was Alana who was first to prove Noki’s theory correct.
Adam had become impatient about the slow progress. How much thought really needed to go into this decision anyway? Misti and Noki had urged patience to a man who had no concept of the word or its meaning.
***
Noki suddenly appeared in his office along with their son Abraham, the name they had chosen for their newborn. It was odd that the name had suddenly appeared in both their minds virtually simultaneously, but in this new world of odd events, it seemed minor. In some respects, it was; in others, it was not.
“Well hello there my love and our big guy. How are we this morning?”
“All good and getting better every day. Have you ever noticed that when junior here is near you, he never cries? What’s with that, anyway?”
“I’m good with kids and dogs, I’m told. I must have some useful parenting skills. I guess. Maybe this is the one I got. You do all the rest, Mom.”
“Well, whatever it is, I wanted to talk to you about something. Something about Abraham.”
“A problem?”
“No, far from it. But I was wondering how you would feel if we took a quick trip inside his mind to see if the gear is switched on or off, as required. I can’t imagine that we could harm him but I’m also reluctant to experiment with our boy. I remember what you said about your Dad and the drilling he wanted to allow. What do you think?”
“It’s funny but I’ve been thinking about the same thing too. I don’t think it’s comparable to me, and my Dad but I wonder more about whether Abraham has the cognitive ability to communicate or even connect with either of us. I just don’t know. On one hand, it could advance him more quickly as he naturally progresses, but I also wonder what might happen if he’s not ready; like maybe we should start at age two you know. His physical brain will be more developed. About his mind, we have zero clue.”
“True. But it’s also possible if we flip a switch, we can reconfigure his physical brain, his neural pathways, and accelerate the process of mental development. Maybe the earlier his brain adapts, the easier it is to develop unknown skills. I’m dying to have a peek but I’m also afraid I might hurt him or arrest his development. Abraham should not be a test tube experiment.”
“Think of this. While you were pregnant with Adam, Jr., our minds merged almost every day. We purposely did not try to access his mind but what if he was aware of us anyway. From the very beginning just as we experienced the act of creation of a new soul. His soul. Maybe we should wait just to be on the safe side.”
Noki smiled. “He is pretty smart. Takes after his mum, you know.”
Adam smiled and said, “And his APGAR score was off the charts. In the hundreds, maybe thousands. Stanford is holding a spot for him already. That’s my boy!”
“APGAR only goes to ten, doesn’t it?”
“Well yeah, so I might’ve exaggerated a teensy bit, but still Adam, Jr., will be brilliant.”
“Abraham.”
“Huh?”
“His name is Abraham and he will be our boy and happy for all of his days.”
Adam knew this wasn’t true. Abraham would become a great leader, the founder of a new philosophy, and movement which he would teach to the willing. But he would be cursed, just like his father, and grandfather, given a magnitude of weight no man should ever be expected to bear. He and his wife, and all their progeny, would be initially rejected, hunted, and shunned by humans and Gens alike.
In the end, the Way, as taught by Abraham and his wife Sarah, would come to be accepted as the philosophy of the enlightened on every continent, but not right away and not easily.
***
Adam, while impatient, was nonetheless willing to restrain his zealous self at the bidding of Misti, Alana, Hannah, and Vera. Adam,
as usual, thought there was really nothing to decide, at least nothing that needed to be considered for a week. A week! Jeez, Adam thought, picking a baby name could take a week or a month. But this? What did they think he was going to do? So, after cooling his heels and not getting any indication of when the big moment might arrive, Adam decided to begin the interviews first and waste no more time. Bella and Helena showed up right on time at seven in the morning; each of the ladies was a habitually early riser and would have been happy beginning even earlier. Alana was also in attendance, but as she said, just to listen and learn.
Adam had fresh coffee and tasty bits of pastry which Helena consumed with vigor, but which Bella barely touched. He looked at Helena, as if to ask “what up” but all Helena said was that Bella was a vegan and thought pastries were a political invention to pacify and addict the masses.
Bella said, “They used to have great gladiatorial games in Rome with bloody death and carnage. It would have been cheaper to invent refined sugar. Then they could have pacified those wild ass Germans with ice cream.”
Adam laughed; but for his own addiction to chocolate and ice cream, he might’ve agreed with Bella.
“So, ladies, I still think this is the long way around the park but what can you tell me about doors number one, two and three? Is there, as I believe, a relationship between the Eighty-One and the Prophecy? And how, if at all, do these items relate to the Clans of the Nobilus?
He paused.
“Then there’s the tiny issue of who or what are the Eighty-One and the Nobilus. I have a copy of the Prophecy, courtesy of Bella, but the document tells me almost nothing. It’s like ancient oracles; their prophecies are ambiguous enough to always be correct, no matter the actual outcome.”
Bella said, “Well while that may be true, the problem for you is in the translation. You would have an entirely different view or understanding of the Prophecy if you read, then spoke it aloud. A lot is lost in translation, so maybe Helena and I should try to interpret and describe meaning rather than even a literal translation.”
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