Encompassing

by Richard Lord

  Brian thinks to Renfield, “Of course, she draws concentric circles when I ask. I’m not here to hear vague thoughts. I am asking for words.”

  Renfield hears Brian think about the difference and he smiles at the similar processes and the difference between each. Then he reaches to his desk, pulls out a fresh piece of paper and grabs a pen he knows to be fairly trusty. Renfield begins drawing concentric circles. He can hear Brian’s ire rise, but then just before Brian can say anything he dashes the pen to the edge of the paper and continues while it draws the line on the desk. Then he turns to Brian. “Do you understand now?”

  “Yes.” Brian answers and draws a deep breath of his own, then he adds, “Basically, either your insane, I’m insane or we both are. But since I know my mother is not insane, although different, I’ll assume she sees a part of what you do. However, I think you are too focused on the line and she is better at seeing the circles.”

  Renfield laughs for a moment, “Actually, your aunt is best at seeing the circles. She’s more accurate than your mother or I. You take after her, but you are your mother’s son.”

  “And my cousin?” Brian asks. He doesn’t completely understand the answers he has received so far, but he knows it’s the best he will get and that he caught Renfield at the right time to get at least that much.

  However, Renfield turns to his desk again and answers, “You know the answer to that, Brian.” Then he stands and walks towards the stairs and looks back. “Are we done?”

  Brian looks around him as he draws in anger from around everything he sees and then he responds, “I suppose your point is that we will me, someday. For now, yes.” Then Brian is no longer there and Renfield sits on the stairs and ponders. He lifts his own body up to stand as if he is lifting a thousand planets and then he starts making his way up the remaining stairs while thoughts run wild in his head. The worst of which is all of the thoughts of all of the thoughts weighing so heavily in Brian’s head.

  Renfield looks up at the ceiling and he clicks.

  The Senator seeing him again within. What seems to him as a few mere seconds, looks up in panic.

  Renfield clicks again and stands with his hand on the Senator’s. He raises his other hand to the Senator’s chest and goes as Renfield’s eyes roll back slightly in his head. The Senator begins to panic, but he doesn’t feel pain. Then he looks down at his hand and starts moving his fingers.

  “Why?” The Senator asks Renfield.

  “Just, tell me you will keep your word to the people who believe in you and help them have better lives.” Renfield answers.

  The Senator looks at him distrusting, “And what do you want?”

  “There is a price for me to do that. But I am the one who pays it. Just tell me you will keep your promise.” Renfield responds.

  “Why is this one issue so important to you?” The Senator asks him now grasping things on his desk with his previously ruined hand.

  “It is. I made that clear. Go, preach, do whatever. Take this loss and do it publicly and with dignity so that thing is never built.” Renfield looks deep at the Senator. “Please, just promise me that.”

  The Senator looks at Renfield then at his healed hand then back at Renfield, “You’re not threatening me?”

  Renfield grins at him. “I’m not taking anything off the table. I’m sorry, but please do what I ask. It can’t be built.”

  The Senator looks back at him wondering about everything he’s seen and who or what he is looking at. As he is still considering several options he looks at Renfield and answers simply, “Okay.”

  Renfield looks at him and says, “No, funneling it through the junior Senators isn’t an agreement with what I am asking you to do!”

  The Senator looks at him, wondering how he knew that thought had crossed his mind. Then he simply gives in to the fact that Renfield is something he doesn’t yet understand and cannot yet control. He looks at Renfield and says, “Okay.”

  Renfield looks back at him and says, “And your plans to figure out my weakness and use whatever you come up with will fail. I want you to do this because I want to believe you know, deep down, what’s right.”

  The Senator again looks surprised, but he considers that thought was obvious and again answers, “Okay.”

  Renfield narrows and eyebrow as he looks at the Senator and then vanishes.

  “Brian!” Renfield says. He sees the man turn to him.

  “What are you doing here? You know better. Seriously, leave before anyone sees you. This can’t be good and you’re messing up what I’ve done to fix what you’ve done.” Brian replies.

  Renfield continues to walk slowly towards Brian. He reaches out his arms and takes Brian into them and Brian stands very still at the strange show unfolding before him and the arms around him. Brian looks around and sees that there is no one present, then he notices Persistence looking at him from behind a pillar, with pleading eyes. He looks at Renfield and asks, “Why?”

  “You’ll understand. I’d rather show you at this moment than never have showed you.” Renfield feels Brian’s arms around him for a brief moment. Then he turns to Persistence. “Of course, I know you’re there. The same goes for you. Do the right thing when you think about it, Persistence. And take care of your cousin, he can be as foolish as I.” Renfield looks back at Brian and then lets go of him and takes two steps back. “It’s not easy. You’ve done well.” Lowering his head he thinks for a moment then looks straight into Brian’s eyes and says, “Take care of Persistence. You will always need her. I suppose I’m preaching to the choir. But I just want to reinforce that point.”

  Persistence leaves the poor hiding place behind the pillar and begins to walk towards them both. Renfield turns and holds up a hand to her as if to tell her to stop. Then he says, “You both know. Why do you do all of this if you both already know? Is it the luxury around you? Is it the power? No, you both despise the power. What makes you two do this?”

  Brian looks at Persistence who shakes her head as if she doesn’t understand and he thinks to her, “Me either. I think he’s having a meltdown or something.”

  Renfield looks at Brian and grins. He thinks to Persistence, “You know. He does too, but he’s more resistant. You’ll fix that. In time.” Then he vanishes.

  Brian looks at his cousin and shrugs. Persistence shrugs back, but neither of them can stop wondering what Adam mean by that statement.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Love is undefinable. It is far easier to hate the person who put you under that spell than to care for them.” -- from the book of Jessica

  As they ran towards the wreckage as fast as possible, one thing was clear in Brady’s mind. “No matter how fast we run Renfield seemed to be moving twice as fast or more.” He saw from his vantage point Renfield pull her out. He picked up his speed because indeed the pilot was a ‘her’ as he had said. He heard Renfield say, “Waiting sucks! I’ve missed you!” Adam holds her body to himself tightly, not wanting to let go. The pilot looks at him confused.

  Brady thought, “Awkward!” He steps in. “Nice landing, that leaves two craft down and we’re still stranded. Let me bring you up to speed.” Brady sees it’s not a good time and adds on, “Umm, after we deal with your injuries of course.” She was dazed but still looking at Renfield suspiciously, as was everyone else. Cavidge yelled for gauze, but she had brought the tin down nicely so she wasn’t too hurt.

  Brady pulled Renfield aside.

  “You do know her, but she clearly has no idea who you are. Step slowly into wherever that’s going. Just a word of advice…from a friend, ok?”

  “Thanks and I knew you would come around. I just…anyway, now we head towards that rock.”

  “What rock?” Brady peers in the direction Renfield is pointing but doesn’t see any particular rock, just a lot of them.

  “I think you call it a mountain or a ridge, it’s just a big damned rock, but we need to get to it. However, we have to get through that valley. So now I start telling yo
u things you don’t want to know, but have to. Are we ok with that?”

  “Start talking Renfield! Explain all of this, or a lot of it, now!” Brady yelled. His temper began to rise and it was clear on his face.

  “OK, in the near future we, umm you all, me, never mind that. We build a system and decide to robotocize it. Based on how well humans react to social media, it was decided all of the bots should be able to talk to each other. So the idea was to create a hive mind. It required one to make the ultimate decisions. The Queen had a thought. Why am I in charge if my subjects, the other bots, are doing the bidding of humans who are too weak to do the work themselves? So she started sending them messages to build an elaborate tunnel system when they were not in use by the humans that created them or her. When we are on flat ground we are closer to their tunnels. On the rocks they can infiltrate, but they can’t keep sending waves, IF they lose. It’s strategically a bad decision. They know human need, so they are willing to wait.” He hears a thought from Brady and continues, “Yes, Brady, they are in the water too. We did make waterproof bots for specific purposes and so can the Queen, because she knows how. Why? Because she was taught how. Yes, it’s that bad. Yes, this seems unwinnable, but this is not my first crack at this and I’ve learned some things. Now get that stupid look off your face and help me kill that damned Queen! I’ll explain more when we have time. Right now, we don’t.”

  “You’re mad, Renfield!”

  “Damn right, Brady! So let’s get this done! We need to move now because this is their slow period. If we are going to make it, we need to move now!”

  “Cavidge, how’s the pilot?”

  “She seems pretty much fine, sir. Cuts, bruises and what not, but fine.”

  “And everyone else?” Detective Brady asks, as if he doesn’t already know, but he realizes he should stick with SOP and ask for a SITREP.

  “Confused.” Cavidge pauses then looks up at Brady, “Me too, we don’t know what’s going on. We’re officers, but we feel like we just got drafted and shipped out without warning.”

  “Understood.” Brady pauses for an extended period of time while still facing Cavidge then he says, “This is important, our oath to protect still stands, but we have to move. We’re headed for that next mountain. Down across and up, quickly. Do your best to pass that on. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Understood?”

  “Copy. I’ll just tell ‘em there’s a river of Scotch up there and they’ll run fast. You saw how fast they ran for the girl.” Cavidge’s dry humor and dis-attachment are obvious.

  “Yeah, Cavidge. I’ve got a feeling the girl may be spoken for.” Brady gestures with his hand at Renfield who is still holding the woman to himself as if the world depended on her. “HE did run the fastest.” Brady notes to Cavidge.

  “Yes sir. By the way did you clock that run? It didn’t seem normal. Then again, nothing in the last two days has.” Then Cavidge straightens his back as he announces to Detective Brady, “That’s why I’m going with the ‘river of Scotch’ story.”

  “Something tells me, if we live though this you’re going to get promoted! I’ll certainly put in the word, but after all of this I don’t know if my word will be worth much.” As he finished his sentence he glanced over at Renfield. Renfield look up and shrugged. Somehow Brady knew that meant Renfield was hedging his bets on a lot of factors he couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  CHAPTER 16

  “Him? Again? He thinks of himself as a demigod stuck between being human and more. He’s less than any and more than all.” -- from the book of Vladimir

  “As ridiculous as it sounds, we’re going to run out of time. Are you ready or not?”

  “He won’t like us interfering. Your argument is sound, but somehow he always knows.”

  “If he always knew, then explain why he’s done this hundreds of times.” She responds, watching the face of her daughter, closely, for a response.

  “Maybe it has to do with his plan.” The daughter responds.

  “If he had a plan, why would he have to keep doing it over and over? I don’t know. I haven’t been with him as long as you have, but it doesn’t make sense.” The mother shoots back.

  “It will, when he’s done. Ask my sister. Ask her why she draws what she does, over and over again. Each time she gets something she didn’t before. To you and I, all of the drawings look the same. I see her face. They are not the same to her. She learns. He does too. They are a lot alike. With what they can do and how it effects everything, wouldn’t you want to be sure?”

  “What are you sure of?” The mother stops and picks at the ground then holds it up and lets it slide through her fingers.

  The daughter watches the demonstration. She slowly walks to where she sees the sun’s current position. Then she tilts her had back as it begins to rain and feels the rain drops on her face and body as she turns to respond. “I know that I will do my part. I believe I am a part. I know that makes you angry at times. I know you’ve accepted it in your way. But I know that we named that”, she points towards the sun, “Sol. We were so sure of that we named everything in it’s immediate gravity influence the Solar system. That isn’t just a name. That’s faith, mother. You have faith in him too. It’s ok. He’s human. He does make mistakes. I’ve seen them time and again. But he tries and he never gives up!”

  The mother turns to walk away, but stops and says, “He’s my husband. I have faith in him. I always will. I may question him, but isn’t that my role? I’m supposed to help him and he’s supposed to teach me. That’s what a wife does for her husband and what a husband does for his wife. You are my daughter, you are not his wife.”

  “I won’t disagree with you, Mother. I am sorry. It was fate. One of those things he knows that he doesn’t even understand he knows. Do you understand that?” She turns back to the sun as the rain stops. She begins to cross the porch back into the house they are currently living in. She thinks to herself how many times she’s been here, but then looks at her mother and realizes she may know but she can’t understand the feeling. She knows that to her mother, it’s just another place. She looks at her, not with pity, but with understanding. She walks over and gives her a hug and then points out into the distance far over a valley. “Do you remember how you felt when you first met him?”

  Her mother looks at her and chuckles, “Oh, you mean the pain?”

  The daughter laughs, “I suppose you could call it that.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “There are things the universe is unable to erase with time. Cherish those. The universe wants you to remember.” -- from the book of Laura

  “Who are you?” As she sat up she clearly was uncomfortable with the man the question was aimed at.

  “I’m Renfield. But, you already knew that and that wasn’t what you were asking. I’ll need time and you will too. Given time you’ll remember through other ‘you’s’ and I know that makes no sense now. It will. In time. We have to live long enough to have the time to remember, no?”

  “You’re odd, but I like your voice. Come here often?”

  Renfield laughed. Her sense of humor was so her. “More than I care to, but you’re here so it makes it worth the trip.”

  “I see you plan your lines. So yeah you’re weird, but I’m interested. Why are we moving so fast? I mean the team, not you and I. Don’t get any ideas, Mister.”

  “Actually it’s not Mister, but that’s a long story. Hmm, I guess they all are. We have to stop something. Something really bad. Are you in or do you want the easy way out? Not that I can think of an easy way out right now. I suppose that’s rhetorical.”

  “Ya think? Can I have a moment? I have to…”

  “Right” observed Renfield, “but get ready, we have to move fast, ok?”

  “Why do I feel like I know you?” She finally asked.

  “Residual effects. You’ll get used to it and eventually enjoy it. But in the near future you’ll hate it so I don’t want to press.”

  “What the
hell does that mean?” Christina was clearly annoyed with Renfield.

  “Take care of what you need to, but be fast. We have to move soon.” At that he got up and exited her tent looking for Brady to urge him to get everyone on task to move very quickly.

  Brady was already on top of it, everyone was prepared. Brady walked over to Renfield and with a hand to Renfield’s shoulder he whispered, “That didn’t go as you wanted, but it did go as you expected. Am I right?”

  “Yeah, this gets old.” Then with a smile he looked at his new friend Brady and said, “But she’s worth it!”

  Brady looked at his new friend and thought, “Is she why he’s done all of this?”

  Renfield, knowing the thought, turned to Brady and said out loud, “In the long run? Probably.”

  Renfield feels it. Christina clinches but he’s already beside her, “Sorry, no time for you to finish, get what you need, leave the tent here.” He knows that she’s angry, but it is important that she live. She cannot waste another moment. He can’t change that. He tried that once. He realizes that if residual memory works for the others it works for the beast too. He smiles. New name, ‘the beast’. He’s got to call her something. He moves fast, but he knows they know where he’s headed. That might work. If Brady leads where he told him to go, he can go where ‘the beast’ will feel most at ease and get in at least one strike. He knows he’ll bleed again, but he knows what he carries in his blood is his best design, so far. He pauses, Christina runs from her tent and starts following the others. To him this means they will make it to the other side and now he can act. He runs out to flat land and stands and waits. And thinks, “Come, take the bait.” Then out loud he screams, “I have become your death!”, knowing they don’t communicate in his language, but it helps him brace himself for the onslaught of pain to come. As they rise up and tear away at his body he can only think, “Run Brady, get Christina there safely. The final package you don’t know about is with you. Everything depends on you!” Almost as quickly as he thinks it, Christina stumbles and he moves fast to pick her up and hand her to Brady who is now on the rock bed. Brady looks down shocked at the damage endured by Renfield. “What is he?” He snaps out of the thought and they move higher up, and Renfield is again gone, drawing these strange things away from their position. Brady wonders, “Why? Why don’t we just bomb this place if he knows where it is?” He suspects Renfield knows the answer and snaps back into action to get everyone to keep climbing. The whole time, looking back at Renfield. He sees him pick up rocks that could not be lifted by a hundred men as he smashes them into the enemy. He then notices something odd. Renfield seems to disappear and re-appear in different places. “How?” Brady thinks? “Who is Christina, what is his plan and why does it seem like he really has done this before?” Then Renfield is beside him, not just battered but torn asunder.