by Stefan Bolz
"A swing!" Mila exclaims, and walks toward it.
"What is this place?" Kiire asks.
"Those are stasis chambers," Amber says, pointing at the glass eggs.
"Stasis chambers?" Aries asks.
"They generate a field in which, theoretically, you can be preserved or sleep for a very long time," Kiire says.
Amber moves her fingers over the surface of one of the eggs. The dark glass becomes transparent.
"How did you do that?" Dr. Veneira screams, approaching them. "You can't come here and do things like that. There are protocols!"
"Excuse me," Sam says, stepping into her path.
Dr. Veneira stops in front of him. He's at least two heads taller.
"It took us forty years to figure out three of the symbols on that thing back there, and you think you can come here and... fiddle around with your fingers and... what if something happens that you can't control?"
"It already has," Ty says.
"Excuse me?" Dr. Veneira says.
"The machine. It pretty much controls itself. At least I think so."
"What do you think this is?" Aries asks the woman, pointing at the sphere with the swing at the bottom.
"Nothing that concerns you."
"Look," Kiire says. "I know we pretty much messed up your system here and you're probably out of a job about now, but you could help us figure out what it all means. Please?"
"You," she points at Kiire. "And you, and you, and all of you!" She makes a gesture that encompasses all of them. "You can all go to hell!”
With that, she turns and stomps away toward the elevator in the distance. When she reaches the two men, she points at them. "You two, come with me! You need to fix that elevator, is that clear?"
Both men follow her and they disappear out of sight.
"Charming," Tevis says.
"That chick is seriously disturbed," Seth says.
"You can say that again," Kiire says. "You know who she is?"
"No."
"She's the Director of Corporate Education," Kiire says.
"Some education," Tevis says.
Meanwhile, Amber has activated four of the stasis chambers and stands in front of the fifth.
"You should see this," she says.
When they walk toward her, Aries can see something lying in the chamber.
"There are no vital signs," Amber says.
A young girl, no older than twelve, lies inside. She wears a skirt and blouse. No shoes. There is a necklace.
"Is she dead?" Mila asks.
"It looks like it," Amber says. "Once she comes out of stasis, her body will most likely disintegrate pretty quickly."
"How d-d-do you know all t-t-this?" Jeremiah asks.
"I don't have the slightest idea," Amber replies. "It all seems familiar somehow." She looks at Jeremiah. "You were pretty brave back there, by the way."
"Th-h-hanks," he says.
"You all were," Tevis says. "Incredibly brave. You should all get medals or something."
"So should you," Aries says.
A hissing sound comes from the chamber as the glass enclosure slides open. Almost immediately, the girl's body begins to disintegrate. Her skin darkens and becomes porous. Her chest caves in, as do her hips and legs. After a few moments, all that's left is a partial skeleton under the blouse and skirt.
"I wonder who she was," Aries says.
"We'll probably never know," Kiire says.
Aries reaches out and touches the necklace. It sinks into the blouse. She grabs it carefully. The small medallion lies heavy inside the palm of her hand.
"Let me see," Amber says.
Aries hands it to her.
"Wow, it's heavy."
"It felt heavy to me, too."
"Ceann-Iuil," Amber reads. "It says Ceann-Iuil."
There is a pause.
"And?" Kiire says, after a few moments. "What does it mean?"
"It means guide," Amber says.
"Guide?" Aries says. "Guide to where?"
"It doesn't say," Amber says, while moving to the next chamber.
"Wait," Aries says. "There is something else in here."
A small roll of what looks like parchment paper sticks out of one of the skirt pockets. Aries pulls it out, opens it carefully. The edges of the parchment begin to break off when she unrolls the scroll.
"It's a letter," Aries says, and begins to read.
"‘Dear Aries...’" It doesn't register. She looks around and into the faces of the others.
"Read it," Mila says.
"We've come this far," Ty says. "You might as well."
"It's written in... our language," Aries replies. "At least it's close to ours."
"Must be the old tongue," Ty says. "Now go on, before it falls apart before our very eyes."
Aries looks at the note again. The letters are carefully crafted, but not by someone who has full control of her lettering.
Dear Aries,
It is my hope this reaches you in time and finds you well. I have been to one of our elders in my village, one of The Order of the Eight. The fabric of time and space lies like a finely woven cloth before him. He can... glimpse irregularities, he can see openings and possibilities as small as they might be and as insignificant as they appear to others in his profession. He can see windows, small gaps in the fabric on one side and he can spot... individuals on the other: Those who are willing to go further than any other at that moment in time. And when there is an opening on one and someone like you on the other, possibilities for change are much higher than usual. I was one of them. If the elder's calculations are correct, you are going to see this letter slightly less than two thousand years in the future. In my future. For you it will be the present. This, all of this, is much bigger than you can possibly imagine. Your journey has not come to an end yet. In fact, it has barely begun. If you find it in yourself... there are others... other civilizations that have gone too far in a direction where hopelessness is more present than hope, where love has been lost and brotherhood is nothing but a word, and easily dismissed as foolish. The guide you hold in your hands is a marker. It will direct the machine where to send you.
The elder has not seen any others beside you. In his view you are alone. Not in mine. I have seen them. There are folds within the fabric of time and space, folds that are darker, not as easily accessible. I have seen one of those folds. And I have seen the Eight and the power they will possess once their training has been completed. If you are willing, and if the others are willing, you are needed in another place, in another time, somewhere within the continuum. It is there where your training will be completed. But it is there, also, where the greatest battle in the history of that civilization will be fought. And you and the others will hold the key for their survival. What this key is, I cannot tell you. The future has become too dark within this possible string of time.
Once you have agreed, you may use the travel pods. They can be used by two people at once but it is important for you to travel alone. But the final decision is yours to make. The guide stone will lead you but I cannot tell you where exactly you will end up, only a general direction. From then on, it is up to you.
One more thing: if you do this, you need to leave behind friends you have learned to love. This journey is for the Eight. This seems to be the most balanced number with the highest likelihood of a favorable outcome. But nothing is written in stone and the fabric of time and space is influenced, largely, by our choices. There are merely possibilities, Aries. The rest is up to you. You don't know me but I can tell you this much: you are closer to me than anything. In time, you will recognize my closeness to you also. At least this is my hope.
Leannah
Part of the letter breaks off as Aries lays it next to the girl's remains. She looks at the others until her glance rests on Ty. Her eyes sting suddenly. He embraces her.
"I won't leave you," she says.
"I know," Ty replies. "I know. And you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because you'll always be in here, you'll always have a place in my heart."
"No." She lets her tears flow as she begins to grasp the implications of Leannah's letter. All the tension of the last few weeks drains out of her. And with it, the pain over losing her friend and mentor overwhelms her.
"Minor fluctuations, huh?" he says.
Aries laughs through her tears.
"Minor fluctuations," she replies.
"You'll have excellent company," Ty says. "Very excellent company."
At length, Aries pulls away from him and looks at the others.
"I can't ask you to go," she says. "If you wish to stay, you are free to do so."
"It will be my honor to come with you, Aries Egan," Sam says.
Mila nods, so does C.J.
"I'm-m-m in," Jeremiah says.
"Me too," Amber says.
"You can always use Rodent Control," Seth says.
Max nods. Tevis embraces him.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll stay," Kiire says. "I need to somehow collect all the information and write it down. People need to know what happened."
"I'll miss you," Aries says.
"Trust me, I'll miss you. A lot," he answers. "I'll miss you a lot." He embraces her.
"My good friend," she says. "My very best friend."
"I'll write a poem in your honor," Kiire says. "The girl who came from light."
"The bird 'twas born of night," Aries replies.
She can't stop her tears from coming.
"Never doubt yourself, Aries," Tevis says. "Neither of you should ever doubt yourself. You are the bravest of the brave."
"Mrs. Abernethy!"
They hear a voice behind them. Tuari and the rest of the children run toward them. Tevis spreads her arms and goes down on one knee to embrace them.
"I'm so glad," she says. "I'm so, so glad."
Born-of-Night swoops down and lands on Aries’s shoulder.
You should see what's going on up there, she thinks.
"What is it?" Aries says.
"There are people," Tevis translates what Max signs. "There are people standing at the railings of Tier Zero looking down. The light goes all the way to the top."
Aries looks around. Is this it? Is this good-bye?
No good-byes, she hears from Born-of-Night.
"Shouldn't we stay a while?" Aries says. “We need to begin to rebuild things. Everything has changed now."
"We'll take care of it," Kiire says. "First, we'll get power back to the people. Isn't that right, Ty?"
"That's right," he says.
"How do we do this?" Aries asks.
"We should each take one of the pods, I guess," Amber says.
"Mila, are you okay by yourself?" Sam says. "I can go with you."
"I'll be fine," she says. "I always wanted a swing."
With that, she steps under the sphere and sits on the narrow board.
"I guess you're taking this one," Aries says.
"Yup," Mila replies. "I'll see you on the other side."
"I wish I could be like you," Aries says, but she smiles when she says it and suddenly she feels lighter, as if a heavy burden has been lifted from her shoulders. She nods to the others. Tevis embraces Mila, as do Ty and Kiire.
They leave the structure, go toward the next.
"I'll take this one," C.J. says, when Amber opens the doors. She says her good-byes and walks inside, sits on the board under the sphere. "I'll see you there, wherever 'there' is," she says. Seth is the last to embrace her. "I'd like to see you again," he says. "So, if you don't mind, don't fall off this flimsy-looking thing, here."
"I won't. I would very much like to see you again, also," she says.
When they are on their way to the next one, Jeremiah turns to Ty.
"You kn-kn-know what you h-h-have here, Ty, r-r-right?"
"I think I do, yes."
"A w-w-worm hole."
"I know."
"That's c-c-crazy!"
"I know!"
"I'll t-t-take this one," Jeremiah says.
Tevis hugs him as if she never wants to let him go.
"I love you so much," she says. "Always remember it."
"I will," he says, as he sits on the board under the sphere.
Seth is next. Then Sam.
"Thank you," he says, when Tevis embraces him.
"Your future shines so bright, I can see it," she says.
I'll take the next one, Aries hears Max think when they reach the next one.
"I wish I could come with you," Aries says.
Me too, he replies. But I'll see you on the other side.
"Yes," Aries replies.
When they stand in front of the pod, and after Max has said his good-byes to the others, Aries doesn't quite know what to do. She looks at him.
You know, there's something I wanted to do when I first saw you, she hears him say in her thoughts. But then, there was this other stuff going on, you know, like saving the world and such that I didn't—
She kisses him. On the mouth. When she realizes what she’s doing, it's too late. And when she wants to pull away, he gently holds her face in his hands. His lips are soft but she can feel that he hasn't done this before, either. When he lets go, he looks at her.
I didn't see that one coming, she hears him think.
"You didn't?" she says. "I did."
Good!
She smiles at him. Then she leaves the small building and catches up with the others.
"I'll let you take this one," Amber says. "I'll have to open the door anyway."
"Okay," Aries says. "I won't sit down until you're inside and ready."
They embrace.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen," Amber says. "But we'll have to trust that whatever’s about to take control knows where we're supposed to go."
"I'm sure it will," Aries replies.
"I'll go with you," Tevis says to Amber.
After they say their good-byes, Amber and Tevis walk toward the next building. The vibrations of the machine are down to a minimum. The center is now nothing but a sphere of white light. From there the light extends, in a single beam, straight up.
"This is it," Aries says.
"Yup. That's it," Kiire replies. He stretches out his arm and Born-of-Night jumps on it. He strokes her chest feathers and she lets out a scream.
"She likes you," Aries says. "And thanks for the ham."
Kiire smiles. "My pleasure," he says. "You take care of yourself, Aries Egan, D."
"You too," she says. "I'm gonna miss you."
"So will I," he says as he hugs her.
They watch as Amber and Tevis disappear into the next building. Kiire lets go and steps back. Ty takes Aries’s shoulders.
"I hope I taught you enough," he says. "Enough to prepare you for what's out there."
"You did good," she says. "If all else fails, I can always get work as an electrician."
"I can write you a letter of recommendation."
They both smile.
"I love you," she says. "So much."
"I love you too, sweetie," he replies, and kisses her cheeks. "Now go. Otherwise I'll change my mind and make you stay here."
"That wouldn't be so bad," she says.
"Go," he says gently. "Go. Save a world, will ya?"
Aries enters the building, sits on the narrow board. She pushes on it a little to test its strength.
You think it will hold us? she hears Born-of-Night think, as the hawk lands on her shoulder.
Funny, she replies. Now what do we do?
We'll wait—
Above her, the walls surrounding the sphere retract until she has an open field of vision before her. She sees the other structures as their walls retract also.
I'm scared, she thinks, as the sphere floats gently up. The others, the ones she can see, float up as well. They pass the machine. From here she can see the extent of the number of androids lying on the ground. There must be tens of thousands of the
m. Now the sphere moves closer to the light beam in the center. She can see Max's pod slightly above her. He waves down to her. It seems as if time slows down when they move through the first lock and upward. They pass the second and third lock and from there float through the Forgotten Floors.
They pass the prison and the water treatment section. And then she sees them. They stand at the railings waving their arms, shouting words Aries can't hear. Some of them embrace each other, pat each other’s backs. First she sees only workers, but then there are others. They must be from the other tiers. They line the railings, some overcome by emotion and relief.
Then the pressure on her abdomen increases. It is as if a great force takes hold of her. When she looks up, she sees the sphere become transparent until it disappears completely and all she sees are individual strings of light rushing by, faster and faster. The lights change colors, go from white to red and orange and back. Through the light strings she sees what look like stars, formations of stars and stardust in colors of blue and deep red.
Aries feels as if she extends outward and into space, becoming part of a vast universe within an infinite number of universes. A stream of stars, she thinks, and before she can remember where she’s heard this, she loses consciousness and blackness engulfs her.
//begin upload**file44LK.11-2:kiire_understaad/aries_and_the_eight/final_entry4.009//
It has been five years since Aries left—Aries, Sam, Seth, Mila, Jeremiah, Amber, Max, and C.J. And Born-of-Night. It all happened so fast, I wish I’d had time to speak to them. A little more time. Throughout the chaos that followed, many wished that the old order was still in place. But that is, I assume, a trait we all possess. Prisoners bound with heavy chains for years, starved, weak, and exhausted, and with eyes so long cast down in darkness they remember not the light, do not leap up in joy the instant they are set free. It takes a while for them to understand what freedom is. Many cowered in fear for a long time. But eventually, we began to feel human again.
After Ty's wounds had healed, his first order of business was to take down all the cameras in the building. He oversaw it personally and he was present when they were disassembled. Then he came up with a plan to use the crystallite plates we found in the lakes of the cave and install them inside the core, transforming the beam from the machine into energy. Free energy. A few months before he died last year, he was the one turning on the switch that would transfer the power from the crystallite plates and transformer units to the rest of the building. Nobody would ever have to worry about energy again.