System Seven

by Parks, Michael

  Cathbad came around the desk to stand in front of the fireplace. In each hand he held exquisitely detailed pewter beer steins. Stone gray eyes regarded each in the room, as if gathering their presence. His deep voice wove into the violin’s story, a natural joining.

  “The day I met Mug Ruith I remember well. Hours old he was, a pudgy face latched onto Murdina’s breast. Peering left and right, so curious. Quiet lad, but hard as hell to get to sleep. Always wanted to know what was going on. He surely kept track, growing up. That involved nature led him back to me and eventually to the daring advances made in the sciences. His vision forced history to bend closer to a day we all believe can come. That he was taken at the start of the Conflict, at a time when vision is so desperately needed,” he shook his head. “I won’t say I understand it, but I trust things are as they need to be, as they’ve always been.”

  He gazed beyond the room. “Mug, I feel you at the edge of the world, looking back. You want to know the ending but it’s not yet at hand. Rest easy friend, for the Creator has provided. Go lad, explore like you know you want to. You’ve earned it. But keep an eye out and when you see me, have fond Words ready on my behalf.”

  The violinist finished and silence fell upon the room. Cathbad raised both steins. “To Mug Ruith and his journey through Gwynvyd!” They all stood and loudly echoed the toast.

  Cathbad drank deeply of both steins then whirled and threw one into the fire. It clanged and came to rest against others lining the floor of the hearth. He dismissed the violinist and took up a chair near the fire. He toasted again.

  “To the Change. May the bastards fall easy and harm not the children of the Land.”

  The druid leader’s expression sobered as he took them all in once more.

  “The Comannda behave like God because they control the system that allows them to. They’ve set up humanity so the truth would only tear them apart. The combined truths of meta, the Comannda’s system of control, and the history of repression would destroy civilization as we know it. We must be mindful of that fact. The Conflict is our responsibility. As long as there is a High Comannda Council, as long as there are ranks vying for the control they wield, as long as the Comannda rule Saoghal and Raon as they do, there is no real hope without our intervention. Already we’ve crossed boundaries and they are preparing a response.” He nodded in thanks as Williams refilled his stein. “They have much to lose and will utilize extremes to protect all.”

  The great fire crackled and warmed the room. Destiny seeped from the rock of the castle walls in the silence following Cathbad’s words.

  Johan spoke. “They have indeed prepared an extreme response.”

  “What is it?” Austin asked. “What did Sakuma tell you?”

  “He confirmed something we had suspected,” Sean said. “He spoke of a device installed in the city of Tokyo. A device nuclear in nature.”

  Austin nearly choked on his ale. Anki looked from Johan to Sean.

  Sean continued. “There is reason to assume other cities are similarly laden, however, we have no confirmation nor signs of immediate threat. This just means they have the mechanism for great control over governments and over us, though they don’t know we are aware of it yet. The devices have been kept from us, probably to keep us from looking for them.”

  Cathbad nodded. “Knowing this makes our job that much more important. Soldado’s work with the Bootstrap project yielded the first real success in penetrating their systems. We’ve resolved at least one of their wireless encryption methods and have achieved our first intercept.”

  “Excellent,” Johan said. “That means the network isn’t far off?”

  “We’re encouraged. Deployment of more wireless intercept devices in Tokyo has begun. The Booty teams located a central carrier in the city. It’s the logical place to hard-tap the network. Because it’s a military installation, the network will be more dangerous to access and test from. With Soldado’s help we think we can do it. If we can break the network, we’d be into voice and data intelligence.”

  “Which is why we must all be ready to act,” Sean added.

  Ready to act. Austin met Cathbad’s gaze. A flicker of recognition in the druid’s eyes preceded the rise of tension.

  “You’ve something to say, Austin.”

  Thoughts of Kaiya steeled his resolve. “I’ve waited.”

  “That you have.”

  “I agreed to help as long as I could help my family. Both my dad and Yuni are still missing. Kaiya is at the edge of life and you’re asking me to ditch all and join in the fight. I’m ready to act, yes, but first on her behalf. The Korda has ignored its promise. You get this, I know you do.”

  Sean leaned forward. “Of course we get it. I wonder, though, if you get it, the rest of it.”

  Austin’s defenses deployed, a presence in the room.

  Cathbad explained. “Imagine Johan goes into the dream world, seeking Kaiya. Powerful draw, he’d be. Good chance, if she’s still in Saoghal, she’d be drawn to him, to his dream. But so would they. Think, Austin. Announcing his presence in the least understood aspect of our reality is not a good plan, son.”

  “You know he’s more powerful than any of them.”

  “We know he’s been more powerful than them. What if they learn to mimic him? Reproduce his methods? That’s what we seek to do. Maybe they’ve done it, or will. Then what? Then he’s exposed unnecessarily, forced to fight his way clear, just to survive. Which is why I must ask you: would risking the loss of Johan now for the sake of one beloved person be your best advice to the Family?”

  A chasm yawned wide, separating the two men. In the depths between lay the unwelcome truth that Austin couldn’t face. Wouldn’t. He left the couch and strode to the candles.

  “That wasn’t part of the deal, Cathbad. Edward knows it. You know it.”

  Sean stood. “There isn’t time to–”

  Cathbad raised a hand for silence. “Austin. It is true. That promise was made. And now I ask you, will you be patient while we position ourselves to take advantage of the element of surprise? What little we have must be capitalized here and now, at the start. You know this, you get it. You risk much by asking Johan to expose himself to search for Kaiya. Will you consider waiting?”

  The leader of the Runa Korda knew how to lead, how to make a man follow. There seemed but one option in the moment –

  –No. If not now, when? How long could Kaiya survive before going beyond? And what then? The reality of losing Kaiya struck. Gone forever. Forever was for their love, not for their separation. Guilt would mar the rest of his days if he didn’t do what he could right now.

  He faced Cathbad. “I regret Mug’s loss, I truly do. I’ll carry his death to my grave. But on this, I must say no. Johan is the master of dreams, he is what the prophecies said. He can do it, and he can bring her back. That is not asking too much.”

  Johan stood at the fire, staring at the glowing embers but following every word.

  Cathbad went to Austin. “Yes, Johan is that, but the prophecies do not say what will be. How he uses his power now could end this before it begins. Is that what you really want? If Mug’s death is heavy upon you, what will the Korda’s fall feel like? I’ll not even mention the rest of the world. Are you prepared to lose Kaiya and your father as a result of your desire to rescue them? You and Johan are the Change. You are both needed. Think, son, think.”

  It wasn’t fair. Damn near everything was stacked against Kaiya. Could she hold on? Was she even still in Saoghal?

  “Fucking hell.” He spun and strode to the windows.

  Kaiya would say it herself: it was about the world, not her. It was about a civilization’s fate on a rock spinning in space, about billions of lives, both present and future. Fate pinned him to the moment, to a hellish choice. Reason settled in, an acid cloud eating away hope for Kaiya. He couldn’t ask Johan to expose himself now. The best he could do was bury anxiety and fear and entrust her fate to the hands of a higher power.

/>   He closed his eyes, holding her dearly in his heart and mind. I give her to thee, so that she may be safe and free. Somehow it felt right, despite the uncertainty and pain.

  “What are the Dejitaru supposed to do?” he asked.

  Johan answered, “They’d be given a free pass. All networks spanning the planet would be open to them. Financial centers, banking networks, civil, government and military systems, on public and private networks. Information would be filtered, replaced, and massaged to set the stage. Totem would do most of the actual work, of course, far beyond what the Dejitaru could do alone, but the work would appear done by men.”

  “Global chaos is required to bring about the kind of change they seek.” Sean said from the desk. “The fallout from the Dejitaru’s work would include depositions, scandal, coups, and assassinations. Political upheaval would quickly reshape governments and corporations to the highest levels, led by Comannda surrogates in positions of power. Advanced terrorism would be leveraged to prepare the justification needed for widespread martial law. It’s all poised right now and would occur over the span of months only. Beyond that, wars both civil and foreign would be selectively waged to plunge regions into isolation. Communications – satellites, internet, phone service – all would be segmented and access strictly controlled at the military level. The borders of the lands would be imposed upon the internet. Purely an exercise in domino effect on their part. All of it would act as the perfect silencer of truth, no matter how loudly we shout at that point. This is the level of division they’ve long sought. Their System Seven.”

  “System Seven?” Austin asked, remembering the dream of the factory machines. They’d called out ‘SYS-TEM’ over and over. “Why seven?”

  “Because six systems have been implemented prior,” Cathbad answered.

  “And just how long have they had these systems?”

  “Second century before Christ. Think Sumeria. Think introduction of law, of military, and most importantly, of government.”

  “Fuckers.” He saw his own reflection in the narrow window. Unseen beyond the hills, Glasgow and the surrounding villages formed a group mind where contentment pervaded the bulk of the harmonies. He withdrew quickly and considered what was to come. Man would fall further from the chance at awareness and into the throes of war and circumstance. All to maintain control.

  “What are we supposed to do? The three of us.”

  “You are the knives, Austin. We are the surgeons.” Cathbad gestured. “The cancer is widespread but we’ve monitored the growth so we know where to act.”

  Sean signaled agreement. “You don’t live under a tree for two thousand years without learning a thing or two about its branches.”

  He turned to Cathbad. “Where do we start?”

  A smile of gratitude formed on Cathbad’s lips. “You are a good soul, Austin. We start by stopping the Dejitaru and cracking the Comannda network. Now,” he motioned to Williams, “it’s time to welcome you into the Family as three of our own. Traditions bind us and serve us well, this one especially so.”

  Williams retreated to the desk and received three thick pieces of paper from Sean. He came around and gave one to each. Old and yellowed to near brown, the scripts were faded and cracked in places.

  Cathbad returned to the fire and bade Austin to sit with his friends.

  “You’ve sworn and demonstrated allegiance. You know the enemy. You’ve come face to face with them and made it away, on Raon’s land and in the waters of Saoghal. You’ve shown mastery of the secrets and have proven trustworthy. You understand the world’s fate hangs in a balance more dire than ever before, and yet you stand ready despite the danger. You have true souls, worthy of our respect and love.” He grew grim and focused on Austin and Johan. “They know you two exist and they will act. First to take you, and failing that, to destroy you. Anki, you remain a secret but one they will uncover. They will see you as an empath first but will figure things out. You will become a target as well, count on it.”

  “Is this predicted?” Anki asked.

  “Yes, as far as the welets go. The rise of the Change, the return of the helper, the start of Conflict.”

  “And what then? What is seen of the outcome?”

  “Only great chaos, the potential of which is too much to read. The outcome relies upon our actions. Now those,” he indicated the parchments they held, “are the commandments of the Celtics, one of the last truly spirited civilizations. The words may seem fanciful to you now but in time and with the grace of the Creator, you’ll come to understand their meaning. Please, read them with me now.”

  As one, they read.

  “Give thou thine heart to the wild magic, to the Lord and the Lady of Nature, beyond any consideration of this world.

  “Do not covet large or small, do not despise weakling or poor, semblance of evil allow not near thee, never give nor earn thou shame.

  “The Ancient Harmonies are given thee, understand them early and prove, be one with the power of the elements, put behind thee dishonor and lies.

  “Be loyal to the Lord of the Wild Wood, be true to the Lady of the Stars, be true to thine own self besides, true to the magic of Nature above all else.

  “Do not thou curse anyone, lest thou threefold cursed shouldst be, and shouldst thou travel ocean and earth, follow the very step of the ancient trackways.”

  Crackle from the fire punctured the silence that followed.

  Cathbad was again far away, treading memories, only this time he shared them with the others in a vision. Mug stood in front of the lodge at Cutler Fell, beside the great fire, for the first time declaring the same commandments as his own. Mug’s loss, the latest, brought to life all the others gone before him, a gathering of the fallen. Of all the death caused by the Comannda, that of the Family hurt the most. Only the knowledge they’d lived lives a hundred times fuller than most brought any respite.

  “You are welcome to the Runa Korda, to the Family. Your arrival was seen long before your dream of life began and I’m honored and grateful for your presence. What you bring to our future remains unknown. We can only guide you towards the goal, which is to safely ease the Comannda’s grasp on humanity. They ought not be the hoarders of knowledge and of good life. Forced ignorance and shame must be removed so that the great design can flourish. Man’s rightful evolution must be untethered and allowed to be. Truth and eventual peace must reign.”

  • • •

  Austin stood in the dark chill of early morning, hands in pockets, forty paces into the green clover. Ground fog spilled down from the hills and flowed around Cullstone’s sides into the meadow where he stood. A quarter moon glowed through the milky haze above. The odd, repetitive call of a bird carried from the wooded hillside.

  He felt the hacker’s meta ahead of the footfalls. Johan appeared, several paces off.

  “Damn beautiful, isn’t it?” Johan asked.

  Kaiya’s eyes stared back from the moon. “Yes. Beautiful.”

  “They kept me from my own promise, you know.”

  He looked over. “What’s that?”

  Johan told the story of Sakuma’s grandson and of his promise to save the boy in exchange for the Comannda’s plans. “Edward forbade I look for him. Too much exposure.”

  “Jesus, that sucks.” He stared at the moon. “I’m not sure I can just sit here knowing Kaiya needs me.”

  “You won’t have to. I’m going to look for her. Tonight.”

  “What? Are you nuts?” He looked back at the castle. “Or did they approve? I mean–”

  “We aren’t talking about this, we’re dreaming. They have no idea.”

  Austin struggled with the sudden juxtaposition to dream and with Johan’s display of control. He’d forced him into a dream state while standing outside.

  “And the bràthair? They monitor us.”

  “They see a version of this in mine, randomness in yours.”

  “Um, okay. This is nuts. What if Cathbad is right? What if the Comannda
track you down?”

  “Anything’s possible, but I’ve been studying this realm, especially where it overlaps with the waking world. I feel how it works. I’ve given them the leg up they need, I’ve been doing what they want. I’m all for taking apart the Comannda, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the Korda’s puppet at all times. I’m going after her and the boy. Ryota is innocent and I gave my word. I’m going to teach Cathbad my word means something.”

  Fear rose. “So does their warning, Johan. You could take down everything doing this. The Comannda have nukes, man. Millions of people could die. Think about it. Really think.”

  The meadow darkened and rain began to fall in heavy drops. Austin held out his hand and looked up, shocked to see the moon a crimson red. A blood-red drop spattered against his wrist.

  “Forget the nukes,” Johan said. “They won’t use them. Not over this. They don’t really know what they’re up against yet. We’re the Change, Austin. I do my part, you do yours. Cathbad was right, timing is everything and I’m not waiting around. If we don’t press them, they’ll never look for Ryota and they’ll let Kaiya die. This way, they’ll look for Ryota. They’ll find his body but may need your help to recover it. Do this for me and I’ll bring Kaiya back if she’s not already gone. I won’t let them decide her fate any more than I’d let the Comannda. It starts now. I’ll find you when I have Ryota. Be open to me. Be ready to work with me.”

  Without warning, Johan faded away.

  The rain subsided, the blood gone. The moon glowed brightly again, textured by the rolling mists. The bird had fallen quiet. The peace of the place married itself to his soul, a sudden joining. The universe settled in, an intelligence spanning all before and all to come. What mattered was the preservation of good, of that natural rightness due all righteous beings. Threats against good had no right to exist, were to be eliminated by the strongest in nature. That it was his job now struck a chord of awe and fear reverberating at levels he’d never felt.

  As if waking from another dream, vivid realization sank in. A wrong move, a wrong thought, and failure could descend, taking so much with him. The same was true for Johan... Johan, who was going to seek out Ryota, right now. On his own. With no backup. No help.