“Isn’t there some way that they can break through the barrier? These are nearly omnipotent beings, I would think they could do that.”
“Yeah, they could get through, but not without killing him in the process. This is bad, du… Arnie.”
“Alright, let’s try to come up with a way around this problem. We need to communicate with Ferdie somehow. If we could, we might be able to get him to lower his shield, and let the Time Flies through. There has to be a way.”
“Well… hmmm… ok, there are two people who he has a sort of, I don’t know, like supernatural connection to. One is Ling and the other is Denise. Somehow ‘Nando and Ling always had a connection that wasn’t supposed to be possible. He could go into her mind, and one of The Seven is not supposed to be able to do that to another. Maybe it also works in reverse; maybe she can go in his mind too. And with Denise, she’s connected to him because Gabriella shared her connection to ‘Nando with her. I don’t know, it’s a little iffier about her being able to communicate with him in this state, so I’d say Ling is our best bet.”
Arnie smiled in admiration. “Very clever. I wager that you are correct, but how could we get Ling here without revealing the Time Flies, and without revealing your… your current state?”
Marsh-dog grinned broadly. “Oh, that’s simple. The Time Flies gave me lots of tricks. Watch this.” Slowly faded into the background until he could no longer be seen.
“Are you still there?” asked Arnie, a shocked look on his face.
“Yeah, man, you just can’t see me. Pretty good, right?”
“Fantastic. Now, as for the Time Flies…”
“No problem, I’ll just ask them to vamoose for a while. What do you say?”
Arnie clapped his hands together. “I say it’s worth a try. Very good, Marshall. I’ll bring Ling in, and you take care of disappearing yourself and the Time Flies. I’ll make up a story to explain your absence.”
“You got it, bro. Hey, at least I didn’t call you dude.”
“Marshall, bro is no better than dude. In fact, if anything, it is worse.”
“Sorry, man.”
Arnie shook his head slowly and faded out of the in-between.
Chapter Fourteen
Arnie faded into the tiny bedroom in the RV to find it empty. He walked out into the cool of the late night to find Ling, Denise, Rafael, Aunt Martha, and Pasquale all standing outside, having what appeared to be a rather intense conversation. Upon seeing Arnie exit the RV, a whoop went up from the group, and Aunt Martha screamed, “Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to strangle one of these here.”
Ling rushed over to Arnie, grabbing him by the arm. “Arnie, please to tell us how is Ferdie. Our worry is most powerful.”
“Ok, ok, everyone, let’s all sit down and I’ll fill you in.”
They all sat in the plastic folding chairs and Arnie took a moment to gather his thoughts. “I must tell you the truth. Ferdie is not doing well at this point. We have tried a number of things, but with no success. Here is what we are considering: we think that Ferdie may be conscious, but unable to communicate because of the damage to his brain. We believe that it may be possible for Ling to communicate with him; they have an unusual connection that, as Marshall says, is not supposed to be possible. Right from the start, he was able to make contact with Ling’s mind, despite the fact that they are both members of The Seven. We hope that the opposite may also be true; that she may be able to connect to him as well. In this way, we may be able to gain more information into the possible solutions to this problem.”
Ling looked down sheepishly, and said, “I am not proud of it, but… you have forgotten, when Rafael and Gabriella asked me to… to spy on Ferdie, I could do it. I could look in on his mind. He knew it was to happening, but I only did it for short times so he could not trace to me. I would so much like to go and help recover Ferdie. Please, take me to there and I will help.”
Rafael added, “Yes, yes, this was something we did because we were sore afraid for Mr. Ferdie’s mental state at the time. He was acting strangely, as you will remember. It was not a good trick, and I am not proud of it either. Nevertheless, whatever the reason, there is definitely a most unusual connection between them, and if it can be exploited in Ferdie’s favor, then we must all be for it.”
A murmur of agreement went up from the group, and then Denise asked, “Do you think it would be ok for me to go along, Arnie? I just feel like I need to… I need to see him. We’re also connected, you know. Kind of like imprinted.”
“I’m sorry, Denise. We should have as few of us there as possible, so maybe we could take you there after Ling makes her attempt.”
Denise looked away. “Ok, you’re right, I understand. It’s just very difficult, you know?”
“Yes, of course it is. The sooner we get Ling there, the sooner we can make our attempt, so Ling, are you ready?”
Ling was shaking with excitement. “Oh, yes! Please to take me there even now! I am ready!”
“Ok, we have moved him to a different location, so take my hand and I’ll get you there.”
“Yes, but first, let us to do the high-five!”
Everyone smiled at that. “Sure, hands up, and here we go.”
Arnie and Ling faded into the in-between, their arms outstretched in a palm-to-palm connection. Ling gasped when she saw me. “Oh, no! Arnie, he seems even worse than before!”
“Ling, I told you a less-than-complete story, and I couldn’t explain in front of the rest of the group. I still believe one of them is passing information to The Master and The Others, so I didn’t want them to know just how dire his situation is. Here is the part I didn’t tell them: when Ferdie was being mentally bombarded, he instinctively projected a barrier around himself. He has shown us the kind of field he can create. We believe that this is the reason he is deteriorating. Projecting the barrier takes an extreme amount of energy, and he is depleting himself. Because he is unconscious, he can’t stop or turn it off. We need you to see if you can get him conscious, at least wake his mind up enough to get him to take down the field. We can’t really help him until he does, and if we fail the protective barrier will end up killing him.”
Ling was shaking a little and on the verge of hyperventilating. “We must try to make connection now. We cannot to wait longer.” Then she let out a string of words in Chinese.
“Ok, Ling, but carefully. Take some deep breaths, get yourself under control, and then give it a try. If you experience anything unusual, get out immediately. Got it?”
Ling was working hard to get her breathing under control. “Yes, I do have it. I am ready.” She closed her eyes, holding onto Arnie’s arm in order to steady herself.
What is that buzzing… am I awake? I can’t tell anymore… I can’t feel anything… feel like I’m floating in one of those sensory deprivation chambers… except for this buzzing in my ears… wait, is that in my ears, or in my head? No, it’s in my brain… don’t tell me The Master is trying to put one of those dreams in there again… oh, now I’m starting to feel things… I feel weak, like there’s nothing left of me… why is my brain so tired? Maybe that’s how you feel when you’re in a coma and you’re about to die… oh, crap, I still have a lot of stuff left to do… what about my friends, Ling, Denise, Arnie, Aunt Martha, Raffy, Pasquale… what about Ariel… oh, great, the last thing you’re going to do before you die is cry… at least you can’t tap your head at this point… what about Marsh? I can’t leave him here on his own… I guess he has the Time Flies, but still… that buzzing is driving me crazy… is… is that a… are those words? It sounds like buzzing but also like words… that’s totally weird… wait, try to use your last bit of energy to focus a little bit… ‘Turn it off’, what does that mean… turn what off… hold on… LING?
As Arnie looked on, Ling suddenly recoiled and fell to the ground. “Oh, too strong, he communicates too strong… Hurt my brain…”
Arnie pulled her up, shaking her mildly to get her
attention. “Did you make contact? Did he speak to you?”
Ling’s head lolled back precariously, and she appeared near unconsciousness. “Come on, Ling, we’re running out of time. You must try again.”
Ling did her best to pull her head up and look at Arnie. “I will try my hardest, Arnie. I was making some little contact, but then he became awake, and he yelled my name. This hurt me. Please, hold me up and I will try again.”
Ling, where did you go? Did I imagine it? Maybe I’m just losing my mind before I die… that would make sense… wait, there’s that buzz again… I can hear words, but it sounds like… it sounds like one of those things your dad would do when he puts tissue paper on a comb and then hums through it… like a kazoo, that’s it… no, those are words, I’m pretty sure… sounds like Ling… there it is again, saying ‘turn it off’… ok, but turn what off? Got to listen closer… there’s more to the message… turn it off, turn off the… the… shield? Is that what she’s saying? I think it is… am I projecting a force field? How did that happen? I am! What the heck… ok, it’s off… whoa, that feels better… who knew… now I’m going to sleep for a while longer…
The only thing that kept Ling from slumping to the floor was the fact that Arnie held her up. Her eyes were rolling around wildly, and she was unable to talk. Arnie placed her gently on the ground, cradling her head, and eventually she said, “He has heard me… he has turned it off… he is still in coma, but no longer becoming more weak. Arnie, where is Marsh-dog?”
“Oh, he’s around. He’s patrolling, making sure no one else is around who might cause problems for us. Come on, let’s get you back to the RV. You need some time to recover yourself, you know. You did a great job, Ling. I’m very proud of you.”
Ling raised her hand, resting it on Arnie’s cheek. “Thank you, Arnie. I am ready to now go. You must hurry so that you can to get back to watch over Ferdie.”
“Ok, but first, a couple of things. One, don’t mention the barrier, or shield, or whatever you want to call it, at least not yet. We can tell them that you were able to help him, but I just need you to trust me that we can’t talk about that just yet. Will you do that for me?”
“Yes, of course. If you ask, the reason must be the best.”
Arnie patted Ling on the arm and said, “Thank you Ling. Here we go.”
Ling held on tight to Arnie’s arm, and they faded back into the gathering area just outside the door of the RV. Denise and Aunt Martha were there, and hustled over to help Arnie with Ling. “She looks terrible, sorry Ling,” declared Aunt Martha. “Let’s get her inside and lying down. Arnie, what happened?”
Arnie described the events while also helping to make Ling comfortable inside the little front bedroom of the RV. “So, is he ok? Can I go to see him?” Denise asked anxiously.
“Let me get back to check on him first, and if things seem safe I’ll return for you. Watch over Ling; she may have just saved all of us. I’ll be back.” As Arnie stepped out of the little bedroom, he was already moving into the in-between.
Chapter Fifteen
“Marshall, how quickly can you get the Time Flies back here?”
“Hey, how do you know I’m here? I could be anywhere. I’m invisible, you know.”
“Yes, yes, that’s a great trick. Now how about the Time Flies?”
Marsh-dog reappeared, still floating and glowing. “They’re already here. Turn around.”
The ten Time Flies were once again surrounding my head in an evenly distributed pattern. One directly in front of my forehead approached, this time passing straight through, immediately followed by the remaining nine.
Why are you waking me up? I wasn’t bothering anyone… oh, not that buzzing again… seems kind of… different this time… weird, it’s coming from everywhere… that’s really annoying, you know, whoever is doing that… hey, that… that kind of… that really hurts… HEY, that HURTS… ohhh, now I hurt everywhere… I don’t like this… please stop… make it stop… excruciating pain is not a good way to die, let me tell you… how long is this going to last before I’m just dead… what is that buzzing? Before, at least I heard Ling’s voice… Ling’s awesome, I wish I could see her again… wait a minute… it… it is saying something… it’s not words though, it’s… is that… it’s the Time Flies! They’re in my head… thank you Marsh…
//You will be experiencing some discomfort//we are not intending to cause these sensations//stand by, converting to base ten mathematical strategy//there is damage to twenty-one billion, one-hundred-eighteen million, seventeen thousand, seven-hundred-forty-three out of one-hundred-seven billion, seven-hundred-thirteen million, two-hundred-four thousand, one-hundred-eleven cells in this structure//interesting but inefficient in the extreme//converting damaged cells, stand by//conversion complete//
All of that came into my consciousness not really as words, but more like a direct injection into my brain, with no time passing between it being relayed and my comprehension of the content and the meaning. I also understood their confusion and fascination with the things I am able to do, especially the energy fields I am able to create. They know that this talent was enhanced when they gave me the ability to communicate with them, but they cannot determine the reason, even when they go forward and backward as far as they can on the time line in search of an answer. At the same time, I have no idea how they were able to fix my brain in less than a second, and now… well, it seems to work better than ever, although I can’t wake up or move yet.
“Marshall, are they done? What is the status?”
“Hang on, let me make sure… yeah, they’re done. They say it’ll take a little while for ‘Nando to recover enough to wake up, but his brain is totally fixed.”
“Did they say how long the recovery will take?”
“No, they… hey, look.” Marsh-dog pointed, prompting Arnie to turn in time to see me blinking and shaking my head gingerly.
“Ferdie!” he cried, rushing over to kneel beside me.
Marsh-dog hovered near, appearing slightly choked up. “Hey, look who woke up, it’s Rip Van Ugly himself. How do you feel, ‘Nando?”
I moved my lips but no sound came out; I tried clearing my throat but didn’t have the strength, and coughed feebly instead.
“Take your time, Ferdie. You’ve been in a coma for about fourteen hours, and it would have lasted much longer if it wasn’t for our friend Marshall here, and the Time Flies. It seems that you had some significant brain damage, but they were able to locate and fix the damage virtually instantaneously. If modern medical treatment had been applied, it is likely that you never would have survived, and if you had, you probably would have had some, oh, let’s say deficits. Even though they had never encountered this problem before, it was no challenge at all for them. Once they got past your force field, that is. For that, we have Ling to thank. Now, give yourself a little time to recover. You still look terrible, by the way.”
I glanced over at Marsh-dog, and he shrugged his shoulders and beamed with barely hidden pride. “I didn’t do much, really, just talked the most powerful beings in the universe into fixing you, and it only took me thirteen hours of painful conversation with those dudes to get them to do it. Nothing big, you know. They’re pretty dry to talk to; they don’t make jokes or anything. It’s a good thing I got skills. I should probably go into sales, I could make a bundle.”
“Really, what is wrong with you? I know I’ve said that before, but it’s the best I can do right now. I can’t think too clearly,” I rasped.
“Hey, ‘Nando! You can talk! Whoa, don’t try to get up, dude, just take it easy for now.”
After a moment of trying to sit up, I just flopped back down on the fuzzy blue blanket. “You’re right, dude. I think I’ll just lay here a while,” I whispered.
Arnie put his hand on my shoulder. “Ferdie, I… I really thought we were going to lose you. We, and you, need to be much more cautious going forward. I know you want to do the right thing, even if it means putting your
self in danger, and frankly that is noble, but it is also foolish and just too risky.”
“Yeah, man, how you gonna save the world if you’re dead? But du… ah, Arnie, there’s another problem we need to confront. We all could have stopped him from doing it in the first place, but we went along with it. We played a big part in what happened too. I don’t know, I just want to trust that he knows what he’s doing, but sometimes doing the right thing can have extreme consequences. It was right to try to fix that girl, and she fooled all of us good, but we have to do a better job of getting in front of him, and… what’s that word… oh yeah, vetting the situations first.”
Arnie looked down ruefully. “You said it better than I could. If we had waited, vetted her longer as you say, it may have been that she would eventually have given us some clues to her real intentions. Perhaps not, but we would have had a better chance at any rate. You can see that, can’t you, Ferdie?”
I coughed a little before speaking. “I understand. Sometimes you have to act because there’s no time, but in this case we could have… oh, I can’t think too straight right now. I think I need to sleep for a while.”
“Hey, man, something else popped in my head while I was doing my sales pitch on Ol’ Flashy and his buddies. Hear me out, now, and see what you think. We’re the only ones right now who know what your condition is. As far as everyone else knows, including those Other dudes, you may be dead. If one of our group is feeding them info, whether they know it or not, then suppose the info we feed them is that you’re dead. Up to now they’ve kept themselves mostly on the down low, but they might come right out in the open if they thought you were gone. That might give us a chance to get the drop on them, or at least know all we’re up against. It might be worth a try.”
Ferdie and The Seven: Book three: Fractals Page 11