by Van Forson
I dragged Jet to my side, and he flopped down on the sofa beside me.
“I’m never going to let you out of my sight again,” I vowed.
Jet smirked and fidgeted with his hands IMing Skye exactly what was happening.
“Messaging won’t work down here,” I told him.
“I know,” he said without looking at me. “She can read them later, I don’t want Skye to miss out on any of the action.”
“How did you and Skye get past the PGs?” I asked.
“We overpowered them.” Jet said nonchalantly, not even bothering to look up from his IM.
“What? That simply isn’t possible. I saw how big they were. You guys are too small to take them on.”
Jet finally looked at me and chewed the corner of his lip nervously. “Skye used her powers and took them out with a single note.”
“Jet! Have you lost your mind? You know Tachions aren’t allowed to harness their powers! Why would you let Skye do something so reckless?”
“It’s not reckless. Skye and I have been in training for a while. She can do the most awesome things with just her voice.”
“Jet!” I shouted. “You’ve gone too far now.”
“You get Wain to pull The Face all the time. What’s the difference?”
I shifted uncomfortably, “Pulling The Face is not against the law it’s just something special Wain can do.”
“Really? Well, try explaining that to The Orbs and The Guardians, see if they’d agree with you.” Jet fired back.
The Res cleared his throat loudly. We stopped bickering and stared at him.
“I’m sure it’s a challenge to take this all in.” He said calmly.
“I don’t understand what is going on,” I said, leaving my agitation with Jet, for now.
“Indeed.” He puffed out a blue vapour. “I’ll begin shall I?”
The Res had a way of asking questions that made me feel like he didn’t require an answer.
“Yes, please. I’m baffled by all of this too.” Jet chimed in goofily.
“Young Jet,” The Res boomed, “your time will come. But for now it’s Keziah's time to lead the way, and you will take your cue from her.”
“Cue for what?” I said. “I don’t understand? How did you know we were coming to UC?”
“Because I sent Tia to your school to awaken you.”
“The Harlequin?” Jet and I both gasped.
The Res nodded, “Yes Tia is her name, she is an Arcadian Urbanite.”
“But she was fuzzed!” Jet blurted out.
“I am aware of that,” The Res said without emotion. “It was for the greater good.”
Poor Tia I thought. She had risked her life, wasted it for no reason, all because a bunch of entertainers who gathered at a run down amusement arcade were mislead into believing that I was somehow, something special.
“She knew what part she had to play,” The Res continued. “Lady Zono told us. She predicted this meeting in UC. But it was taking too long, so I sent Tia to speed up the proceedings. I knew someone would put the pieces of the puzzle together and come to UC for answers. I’m glad Jets adventurous spirit got the ball rolling.”
“Who’s Lady Bono?” Jet said.
“ZO-NO.” The Res said loud and clearly, taking the pipe away from his mouth.
“What does this lady have to do with me?” I asked.
“Lady Zono is the mystic who can read the signs from The Prophecy.”
“What Prophecy?” Jet and I asked together. We were starting to speak in unison like the Twins, which was so not cool.
“The Prophecy of the Soul Survivor,” The Res said as he stopped rocking and looked directly into my eyes.
“And what has that got to do with me?” I asked.
“Everything.” The Res bellowed.
“Icy! That sounds way cool!” Jet stood up throwing his arms in the air.
His IM slipped from his hand, flew across the room and knocked a crystal ball from the desk. It fell to the ground and smashed into pieces.
“Jet! Stop being so careless and just sit over there in silence!!” I yelled.
All of this talk of a Prophecy had put me on edge. Instead of clearing things up, The Res was making everything more confusing.
Jet sheepishly retreated to a corner of the room and sat on a mat on the floor.
“With all this erratic activity, it’s as if the scatty witch is here with us.” The Res murmured to himself.
He waggled a finger, and the broken pieces of crystal floated back onto his desk.
“That crystal ball belongs to Lady Zono. She’ll get it back in due course, although I doubt she’ll be too pleased with what you’ve done to it. She loves those things.”
“I’m sorry about that Mr Res, sir,” I said awkwardly. “We Upper Worldian Code Types have never done anything like this before. We're kind of nervous in UC.”
“You Code Types? What Code Type is that then?” The Res asked stroking his goatee.
“I’m not sure,” I began feeling under pressure. I always felt embarrassed when I was forced to have this conversation about my Type.
“My ma says I’m a late bloomer as my Code Type isn’t apparent yet - ”
“That’s because you haven’t got a Code Type.” The Res interjected. "Neither has Jet."
“What?” Jet and I said together astonished.
The Res shook his head disgustedly.
“Pah! You think you’re Code Types?” He spat like it was the most absurd thing in the world.
“It's obvious the time is well overdue for you to understand The Prophecy.” The Res said, pressing his index fingers and thumbs together and resting his chin atop the triangle his hands formed.
I hugged a cushion tightly to my chest. Jet sat mouth agape on the mat. He had our full attention.
The Res relit his pipe and started rocking before he spoke.
“The evolution of humanity will lead to its eventual elimination.
For man is too busy in the construction of destruction.
Too concerned with dying to live.
But the purest soul, born of Human flesh,
Will lead the way that saves the rest.”
He paused for effect looking at Jet and I. We looked at each other puzzled.
“I suppose you’ve never heard that verse before?” The Res asked.
“No.” Jet and I shrugged.
We had no idea what he was on about.
The Res exhaled deeply creating a large blue smoky ring above his head.
“That’s about as far as I get memorising quotations,” he muttered to himself before levitating a weathered leather bound, paper book from the book shelf to his hand.
“This is The Vortex of Souls. It’s our book of divinity written aeons ago,” The Res said leafing through the exquisite hand scribed book, which had ornate inscriptions in a language I couldn't read on the cover.
“It’s essentially a manual from our more forward thinking ancestors who kept important information to hand down to subsequent generations. Ah! Here it is.”
The Res found the passage he was looking for and read the text aloud.
“Slaying the three-eyed beast will pave the course of change.
One Soul shall survive, come what may.
Tenacity, strength but mostly grace.
A leader will emerge to change the face,
Of the universe, for the next million years.
Have faith, have passion, but have no fears.
For everything is everything, what will be will be.
Trust that the Soul Survivor dwells within you and me.”
The Res closed the book shut with a thud and dust plumed from it, joining the smoke rings in the air.
“What in the world does that mean?” Jet asked.
“You know nothing? Nothing at all about this?” The Res seemed somewhat perturbed for the first time.
We both shook our head.
“You have no conscious comprehension of wh
o you are, do you?”
“No.” I answered feeling more confused with every word The Res said.
“I guess the Authorities have done a total number on your parents.” He muttered before becoming deadly serious.
“This is The Prophecy of the Soul Survivor. It states that a time is coming, in fact it’s upon us now, where the world will be totally uninhabitable to us all. Code Types, Tachions, Saps, Lappions, AniMaTrons, Morphers, every being, every animal, every insect, every plant, every life form, every soul on earth will perish.”
He stood up and begun to pace the well-worn room, “You see our predecessors sold us out a long time ago. They cared nothing for us in the future. Back then they took everything this world had to offer, leaving us, their children’s, children’s, children the scraps of civilisation.
“Their selfish actions played us, destroying everything we would need to survive in this world. However in life, as in any good game, if the cards are not stacked in your favour, you might just have to find a cheat, to win.” The Res paused looking from me to Jet.
“What does that mean?” Jet said, looking as worried as I.
“It means you’re our trump card. You are the exception to the rule. You’re the one that no one accounted for. Our ancestors didn’t factor you into the game as they couldn’t conceive you’d even be a player.
“You’re the one the mystics predicted, the philosophers theorised about, the Alpha the Arcadian Urbanites and free thinkers the world over revere.
“You’re not a Code Type Keziah, or Tachion or Sap or a combination of any other life form on earth who are only able to successfully harness one major talent, or are flawed and defected. Your soul survived progress, technological advancement and the destruction of our ancestors. You are the Soul Survivor, a bonafide genetic throwback.
“You, my dear, are Purely. Wonderfully. Incredibly. Human.”
“What?!” I bugged out.
Humans no longer existed on earth. Yes, they were our forefathers but were extinct many moons ago. My dad had bored Jet and me about his job on so many occasions that we were well versed on the extinction of Humankind.
Humans once populated the earth. They came in many shapes, sizes and hues, spoke many languages and had many differing customs. They were chaotic and destructive, but on the upside, each Human did have the ability to be brilliant at many things. This is what my dad called, ‘The Human Potential’ and lamented that it was scientific progress greatest loss.
Back then Human scientists were always looking for ways to improve the species. In essence, they wanted to create perfect Human beings. They began manufacturing humanoids with enhancements. The early humanoids were defected and carried mutations. They became what we now know as Tachions, like Wain and Skye.
The Human scientists continued until they successfully engineered the humanoid into what they thought was a state of perfection. Ultimate beings extraordinary in one particular field in which they would excel. They were what we now call Code Types like Brad, The Twins, Max and Sal.
The Human scientists also created Tech like the robotic Guardians and the Orbs and even Animal, Tech and Code Type hybrids like the AniMaTrons.
The trouble was that in perfecting only one particular Human attribute they had unwittingly bred out the extraordinary multi-faceted potential of Human beings, people with the ability to create endless possibilities. Put simply, the capacity to be awesome at many things. It was only Humans who had that potential. The Human scientists discovered that being perfect in every single area did not exist.
In their constant pursuit of perfection, Humans had created many things, but ultimately their search for progress had eradicated themselves.
“Eww, I don’t want to be Human!” I cried out.
“But that’s what you are.” The Res said sternly, “It's something to be very proud of.
“With your Human kindness, you have the power to save us all. You must capture the three-eyed beast, spoken of in the Vortex of Souls and set us all free. That is your entire reason for being born Human. It is your mission on earth.”
I gulped before I could find my voice to speak,
“The Res, sir. Me, the Soul Survivor, Human? This is a big mistake. Someone’s got it very wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong.” He answered swiftly, “Everyone, even me, has their part to play in The Prophecy. All those close to you, even those who vex you,” The Res glanced at Jet, “have a vital role in the mission. That is why I didn’t immediately stop the shantytown dwellers nonsense. I needed to see what you were made of. And you proved yourself to be selfless. No Code Type, unless re-engineered for senseless bravery, would ever do what you did for your friends.”
I looked at The Res open-mouthed. This was crazy! Here I was with the most notorious man in the underworld, the sworn enemy of the Upper Worlds and he was telling me I was the Soul Survivor, the chosen one who was born Human to save the planet!
Maybe he was a mentalist. The Res was charming, but in no way was he friendly. He was incredibly powerful and fearsome. Not someone I should be getting cosy with in UC.
Jumping up I threw the cushion to the side, “It's time to go Jet.”
“But The Res hasn’t finished, he was telling us about - ”
“Get up Jet!” I ordered through gritted teeth.
“So finally you’re truly afraid.” The Res said returning to his chair. “It’s taken you a long time to get to that emotion. That’s good, very good. A great leader should be fearless.”
“I’m not afraid,” I lied, “this is all a bit much to take in, especially from you. You’re The Res! No disrespect but where we come from you're known as a wicked man.”
The Res looked at me thoughtfully before answering.
“Do you think I'm wicked?” He asked with a piercing stare.
His earlier uncomfortable cheeriness had well and truly departed.
I answered cautiously, “Well no – you protected us and have been very hospitable.”
“But perhaps Mr Grimm would think so because of the way I chastised him?” He continued, stroking his goatee.
“Yes, but they were going to harm us, so I’m glad you stepped in.”
“Exactly,” The Res snapped his fingers. “All has meaning. What is good and what is bad are all relative, different interpretations for each person. That is not to say that bad things do not happen, and goodness is not a virtue, but be watchful of the judgements you make.”
What did that even mean? I stood rooted to my spot. Jet looked from The Res to me. The Res continued rocking in his chair.
“In your world, I have to be viewed as bad - a villain, as I’m opposed to your leader The Admiral who is regarded as good - a hero. But those two things are just different sides of the same coin. The definition lies in your perspective.”
What The Res was saying astounded me. His Excellency, our president William Admiral, was the all-knowing commander of the Upper Worlds. He had written the New Truths, the laws that everyone lived by. He had revolutionised our world taking us from the dank days of the past into a brighter future with structure, perfection and uniformity. He had been in power for many moons and was continually re-engineered as his being was too virtuous to cease.
“What are you saying? His Excellency, William Admiral, is evil?” Jet asked.
I was glad Jet was on the ball asking questions. I felt like I had lost the power of speech.
The Res stroked his chin again thoughtfully. “This is neither the time nor the place to speak of The Admiral. Just consider that in your world nothing is as it seems.”
“How can you say that?” I asked accusingly. "You live here underground, what do you know about the Upper Worlds?"
“I know much about your world,” The Res boomed. “It's full of trickery. It is as synthetic as the holographic simulations that adorn every home, store, and institution. Our reality is limited to our perception. And you must decipher your own reality, even if it is oppositional to what the
Authorities tell you, what you learn at school, what you watch on the screens. Each soul is the driver of their destiny. I have power in the Underworld, The Admiral controls the Upper Worlds, Madam Water has dominion over the seas and Thurgood the skies; but The Prophecy states that you, the Soul Survivor, will master us all.”
I wrinkled up my face. Who were all these people The Res had mentioned, what was he talking about?
“But if Kid is the Soul Survivor how will she know what to do?” Jet asked.
He seemed to be getting this much more than I was.
The Res stopped rocking, “The missions will present themselves, and you will deal with them in your own, uniquely Human way.”
“How do I know if I can trust you?” I asked meekly.
The Res puffed on his pipe and blew blue smoke out before answering.
“You do not have to trust me. But you must trust yourself.”
“But what if I get it wrong?”
“This is not the time for error Keziah, nor is it the time for doubt.” The Res stood up and strode across the den. “It’s late, time to get you home.”
“But, but there’s still so much to learn,” I said.
“And you will. But I do not have all of the answers. You do.”
The Res showed us to the door.
“Now.” He commanded into his flip phone.
“Will I ever see you again?” I asked annoyed at myself for spending my valuable time with him either disbelieving everything he said or in a state of total confusion.
“When you most need me, I’ll be there.” The Res said, making it sound like more of a threat than a promise.
The Res opened the door to reveal the crew waiting outside the Torpedo. They stared at me as if I were a total stranger.
Brad broke the awkward silence, “So do we have to start calling you Oh Great One or something?”
“Yeah, you’re some big shot, yo!” Wain looked in wide-eyed awe.
“No, I'm just the same regular me,” I blushed.
“Yeah, Ecclesiastes said that we're all super spesh,” Mindy smiled.
“Can you believe we’re like superstars in UC.” Cindy chirped.
“Madeleine Stone is so going to have a cow when she hears this!” They clapped in unison.