He nodded. “They were really shocked about my having a son, too. Why is that?”
“The Aliomenti swear four Oaths before being admitted, before receiving the knowledge we’re going to share with you. I’ll tell you more about them later, but the fourth says that you will not have any children, and it’s tradition that new members undergo various routines to make sure the Oath can’t be violated.” She sighed. “The real reason most of them do it is because the penalty for violating that Oath...well, that’s why they stopped trying to capture you alive and openly tried to kill you.”
Will felt his jaw drop, and he stared at her in silence. “They kill you if you have a child?”
She nodded, somber. “There’s a story behind it, and as you learn more you’ll probably get an understanding of why the Oath was implemented, but...I agree, it’s quite a stupid rule.”
“My wife, my son...they were killed because of that Oath as well, weren’t they?”
Angel’s face turned grim. “You’re getting me off topic, but yes, a violation of one of the Oaths was the reason why they were targeted. To them, you violated the Oath against having children, and so you and your son had to die. To them, you violated the Oath against marrying a human woman, and so she had to die. Had they not discovered your son, they would merely have arrested and detained you for many decades.”
Will slammed a fist into his chair. “This is stupid! Four people are dead, and I was beaten and nearly killed, by a group that makes people swear an Oath not to get married and have children?”
Angel grasped his hand. “Mr. Stark, I agree with you. The Oaths have been horribly modified since they were first created, and those Elites who enforce them today do so out of a sense of fear and a desire to retain and enhance their own power in the world. That’s why our group was formed.”
Will stared at her intently. “You seek to destroy these people?”
“We seek to change them, and defend those they would harm. We do not seek to destroy. The vast majority of those who are part of the original group do not care for these methods, but are content with their own lives and do not wish to see that change, so they say nothing. They are cowards, not evil people. We actively recruit them to our point of view, and we have made a great deal of progress, but we are still greatly outnumbered, and the Hunters are extremely proficient at finding those we have converted to our way of thinking, and then returning them to their original group against their will.”
“How many have they caught?
“Our numbers are only as high as they are because we directly recruit humans to our side, and the Hunters don’t know who they are. As for Aliomenti who’ve switched to our side...well, they’ve gotten every single one they’ve gone after. Except one.”
Will looked at the floor. Him. They’d gotten everyone they’d ever gone after except for him. Or, more to the point, the man they thought they were attacking that night, a man with the same name.
He looked back at Angel. “Teach me. Tell me what I can do to fight those people, to stop them.”
Angel nodded. “Let me give you some basics. Our core organization began over a thousand years ago, started by a land baron who wanted to figure out why the serfs working his land were so often sick and died so young. He recruited a group of younger people from his land, and charged them with figuring this out. They went one step further, and figured out how to become quite healthy, avoiding most sicknesses, and generally being better able to live a longer, happier life, to grow as a person. They merged together a few Latin words that loosely translate as personal growth and coined the phrase Aliomenti.”
“And they’re still around a thousand years later. I think I’ve seen this on late night infomercials.”
Angel smiled. “Not quite the same thing. The land baron thanked them and tried to send them back to their farms, but they revolted, ran away, and made camp in the wilds of England. Over time, they developed many unique abilities, based around the ability to create and manipulate what we call Energy, and that helped them to become very rich and very powerful, and that wealth and power has grown to this very day.”
“Sounds intriguing. Where do we get to the part about killing children?”
Angel frowned. “Let’s just say that there were events in their history which caused huge devastation to the group, and they overreacted by banning anyone from engaging in the activities they thought were the root cause, through the Oaths. And yes, some of those events evolved around a marriage and a child, and the trauma that came from it nearly destroyed the entire group and all of the members.”
Will scowled. “Still, killing children? Banning people in love from getting married? Wouldn’t they have learned their lesson over time and figured out something new?”
Angel sighed. “Memories last a long time in this group.”
Will just shook his head. He couldn’t conceive of anything happening that could possibly justify such a response.
“Over time, members of the group began to rebel against the harsher aspects of the Oaths. They left the Aliomenti community, which over the years evolved into a massive series of hidden estates in some of the most beautiful lands on Earth, and they instead lived in small groups of isolated cells, bound together by a common mission. We would live in and around human communities, using our skills to influence them subtly. The idea was to help them develop the skills and technologies we had already developed, at a pace that was reasonable and safe, while avoiding the attention of the core group of Aliomenti. These people referred to themselves as the Alliance, and current members include the three people who brought you here. It’s tricky work, and we must be careful about revealing too much, too quickly. If we showed them everything we’re capable of immediately, they’d burn us at the stake if they could catch us.”
Will laughed. “I thought you said you weren’t a witch? What could you possibly show them that would cause that reaction?”
Angel smiled at him. “I’m not a witch.”
She vanished.
What the...? Where in the world did she go?
“I’m right behind you.”
He spun. But she was...
“...right in front of you and then I vanished. Yes. About ten percent of Aliomenti develop enough Energy to perform teleportation, and a smaller percentage can travel for long distances in that manner. I happen to be one of them.”
Will’s face was frozen in shock. She lied to me. She’s a witch. I’m getting turned into a toad for sure.
“Heavens no, you’d look dreadful as a toad. And I couldn’t do that anyway. As I said, I’m not a witch, and this isn’t magic. But do you understand now why we’re rather cautious about such displays of Energy manipulation around those who aren’t aware of our existence?”
Will couldn’t think. She could read his mind. He was completely terrified of her.
“I’ll take that as a yes. You don’t have to be terrified of me, though. The men you want to destroy or slow down can do this too, Mr. Stark. You’ll learn to do the same in time. But you must trust us, as difficult as it can be in the face of the unknown. Now, are you still mostly concerned about my walking through the wall?”
Suddenly, he could do nothing but laugh. He fell out of the chair and onto the clear floor, rolling around, laughing with such intensity that tears formed in his eyes. The absurdity of everything that was happening to him had finally burst forth. He finally finished a few moments later, but remained on the floor, unwilling — or possibly unable, he wasn’t sure which — to bother to climb back into the chair.
“Mr. Stark, as I’ve noted we use something called Energy. It is a force, something like fire, something like electricity, generated by the human body, within every human cell. The Aliomenti learn to sense and grow and control this Energy, sometimes to a phenomenal degree. It is what enables me to do things like read your thoughts and emotions, and even influence them. Do you notice that you’re calm around me? I send Energy to you with calming thoughts, and you feel that. My
mind is able to hear thoughts and sense emotions from others. I’ve developed quite a bit of Energy capacity and creation capability over time, and that’s why I can teleport. And there’s another thing I can do.”
Will felt pleasant warmth surrounding him as he lay on the floor, listening to her speak. She was telling him it was science, the basic electrical signals the body used to fire synapses in its cells, but to a massively larger degree, enabling powers he’d only suspect to see in one who practiced magic. But magic didn’t exist. And this warmth...it was solidifying around him, surrounding him like a warm glove, and he was gently raised off the floor, rotated slowly in the air, and deposited back into his chair. The warmth left him.
“I can do that as well. And we can teach you to do the same, Mr. Stark. The Hunters can do these things. There are many other Aliomenti who would like to see our group eliminated, and those men and women can do these things as well. Will you allow us to help you achieve your potential?”
Will took several deep breaths. He’d promised to keep an open mind, and he’d clearly need one to deal with this new reality. He needed to learn these skills if he was going to face them, and fight the people who’d killed Hope and Josh. Against those who would seek to harm others in a similar fashion. It was his duty. And he had to admit it was tempting outside of a sense of duty as well. What would it be like to do what Angel had just done?
He looked to Angel. “Will I feel that warmth again if I follow your training and teaching?”
Angel looked surprised. “You felt that?”
“When you moved me? Yes. It felt like a warm glove surrounded me and picked me up. Was that...was that your Energy that moved me?”
She nodded. “It was, but I’m surprised. Usually humans can’t sense the Energy at all. You have a tremendous sensitivity.”
Will scowled. “I thought human was a bad word around here. And what does it mean, I have a tremendous sensitivity?”
Angel smiled. “Relax, Mr. Stark. In the Alliance, human simply means one untrained in our practices, one who cannot yet sense or use Energy. Consider it a synonym for a potential apprentice. And the sensitivity means that you’ll likely progress at a much faster rate than most.”
“So I learn to sense and manipulate this warmth. That’s it?”
She nodded.
“That’s the big secret the Aliomenti want to hide? That’s why my wife and son were murdered?” He managed to keep his tone conversational. Angel had done nothing to them, after all.
She understood. “Perhaps electricity is a better analogy than the fire example from before. Many years ago, a few people were aware of electricity, but the implications and usages were unknown. Most people, if they’d even heard of it, might see it as nothing more than the output of an experiment performed by Benjamin Franklin. He invented lightning rods, but the building block of electricity wasn’t of any use. Why? Because nobody knew what to do with it at that point.”
Will shrugged.
“But think about electricity two centuries later. It’s used to power lights and air conditioners and furnaces. It allows people to use refrigerators and microwave ovens. Without electricity, we would not have seen the advances that led to radio, television, computers, or the Internet. If you went back to Franklin’s era with that knowledge, you’d be rather wealthy and powerful in a short period of time. Energy is like that. It’s limited by how much you can generate and your own creativity, much as electricity seems to be. Would people kill to have and retain exclusivity about such a technology decades or centuries before others? You know the answer to that, Mr. Stark.”
He nodded.
“Understand, Mr. Stark. The advances you have seen are rather extreme, and you haven’t seen everything. We’re too far advanced to simply drop everything on the world at once. We agree with our Aliomenti brethren on that concept, though not on punishment for so-called violations. We believe in sharing that knowledge, tempered with patience. That’s what our symbol represents.” She held up her right hand, palm facing him.
The symbol was tattooed on her palm with gold ink. Three dashed circles merging in the center around what looked like a letter A. Each circle contained an object: a scroll, a tongue of fire, and a bird.
“Our group — the letter A — is at our core, and enables us to make our advances. But our circles are open. We want our knowledge — the scroll — and our technical and Energy advances — the fire — to go out to the whole world. We also seek peace and prosperity and work to achieve that as well, hence the dove. They are tattooed onto our palms, always with us yet out of sight, and our unity is shown when we shake hands and our symbols come together. New recruits must wait a year before they receive the tattoo on their palms. We use it as a precaution, to make sure loyalty is proven before too much is revealed. We don’t like doing it; unfortunately, we can’t take the risk at this point of doing otherwise.”
Will nodded. “I saw something similar on the man at my house. I don’t think he was one of the Hunters, though. I thought maybe he was their boss.”
Angel looked interested. “The Leader was there?” She nodded. “That makes sense, if they thought they were capturing a dangerous fugitive like you.” Will opened his mouth to protest, and then realized she was teasing him. “Yes, the Aliomenti have a symbol as well. They also have a scroll and a tongue of fire, along with a sword, representative of power. The symbols are within a dashed circle, indicating that sharing is encouraged, but only within the group. The outside world is off limits. That’s why there’s a solid outer circle surrounding it. And the giant A...well, that’s their way of reminding themselves of the importance of the Aliomenti organization, the first and most important part of their life. They are the Elites of this world, and they are focused on making sure it stays that way. The four items in their symbol — the scroll, the fire, the sword, and the letter A — also symbolize the four Oaths. They wear their symbols on clothing except when they go into human communities; they don’t usually like to draw attention to themselves if they can avoid it. If you are human and see the Aliomenti symbol, there’s a good chance it’s the last thing you’ll ever see.”
Will glanced at the symbol on her palm again. “I prefer yours. How do I get started so I can begin fighting the Aliomenti?”
“Mr. Stark, we don’t fight the Aliomenti in the traditional sense of the word. We are not an army, and they have the same skills we have. They also outnumber us about a hundred to one, and thus any offensive would probably end with all of us being eliminated. Please understand, the Aliomenti are estranged family to us. We prefer reunion, not war. The dove is part of our symbol for a reason. Most of our efforts involve recruiting from their numbers in secret, winning over the silent majority. We know that men like the Hunters are beyond reach and reason, but many others simply need to be told that there’s a different way.”
“I can respect that,” Will said with grudging acceptance. “I can’t say with certainty that I’ll act with restraint if the opportunity arises, but I will do my best to follow your guidelines and earn the right to wear your symbol. Now, how do I begin?”
“You’ll need Energy training, where you’ll learn how to sense, manipulate, and grow Energy, and how to use it to perform various tasks. For any of that to work, however, you’ll have to undergo the Purge first.”
“That sounds...ominous.”
She sighed. “It is, unfortunately. Right now, a great deal of what’s inside you is preventing you from sensing and using your Energy. It’s there; I can feel it. You probably can’t. The Purge will change that. But it won’t be a pleasant experience.”
“How bad?”
“You might have fond memories of your injuries from the night of the fire, and how minor all of those broken bones and burns were.”
He fixed her with a pointed stare. “Could it be fatal?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s possible, but I don’t know.”
Will considered his options. “It sounds like this is
what I need to do, though. I’m ready when you are.”
Angel looked at him with deep sympathy. “Fil and Adam can prepare the Purge. I’d advise you to rest up until then. You’ll need it.” She patted him on the arm. “Good luck, Mr. Stark.” And she walked through the wall and out of the room.
Will climbed out of the red chair and moved back to his bed, left with that sobering message.
He’d been burned, cut, kicked, punched, beaten, suffered broken bones, and had likely been within a few moments of being killed.
What could this Purge be, that Angel thought it might be worse than that?
XIII
Greed
Will Stark had routinely made the impossible look easy, Michael Baker decided. Baker had once thought that developing a company which created building walls out of cell-sized materials was complicated. The true challenge, he decided, was not in how Will made his money. It was how he gave it away. That simple task was proving to be a greater stress and workload for Baker than attempting to protect the domed city of Pleasanton and its surroundings from crime.
Baker had had no idea why Will Stark’s lawyer would be calling him, but if he had tried to guess it certainly wouldn’t have been to take on this role. He’d worked with Stark in establishing and running a youth baseball program, and the two had become good friends in the process. Baker had suspected that Stark’s will had designated funds to keep the program running in the event of his death, and when he visited with the lawyer suspected he’d be asked to ensure those funds were spent appropriately. Will Stark and his wife, Hope, had a larger role in mind for him. He’d been named the Trustee, not of a small amount of money designed to fund the youth baseball program in perpetuity, but their entire estate.
The shock of his new role paled in comparison to the amazing memorial service the city held in the Starks’ memory. They’d built a small dome on the center square of Pleasanton, inside the large dome covering the entire city. The three caskets were of identical size and design, because the fire had cremated the Starks’ bodies inside their home. Holographic projections of photographs and movies had told their life stories, tracking Will’s meteoric rise to business success, his purchase of Pleasanton out of bankruptcy to operate as a business under his rules, the construction of the dome and reconstruction of the city infrastructure. People were reminded of the simple wedding ceremony of Will and Hope, a couple genuinely in love and who radiated those feelings even in the still photos from the ceremony. There were photographs of the beautiful baby boy born to them a few years later. Comments from business and political leaders were displayed around the city. And the testimonials from people the Starks had helped over the years, ranging from angel investments in fledgling businesses to people whose homes had been saved from foreclosure, were incredibly powerful. Baker wasn’t the only grown man who’d cried without shame for the first time in memory that day.
A Question of Will Page 13