Encompassing

by Richard Lord

  Brady looks at Christina confused. Christina reaches down and grabs tightly to Sara’s hand. She turns to Sara and whispers, “Now I understand you and him.” Sara turns and smiles at her mother in thanks for the forgiveness.

  Renfiled_1 goes on to explain, “We don’t have to change the timeline we are in. We just have to change individual timelines.”

  Solstice leans towards her father sand says, “So what’s the plan?”

  Renfield_1 opens his mind for a moment and thinks to his daughter, “You. You and Illumna will have to double yourselves.”

  While Illumna looks elated, Solstice reels back in horror and yells at her father, “NO! Why the hell would you even consider that! Illumna, you don’t know what he’s got planned, but…”

  Illumna calmly responds, “I do. Through you. I heard everything and I think Dad’s right. It’s the best plan. Don’t think I didn’t hear your concerns, I did. Both versions of us become different people through interaction, etc. I’m going to change through interaction anyway, in life, as will you, Solstice. We are who we are through interactions.”

  Renfield_2 speaks, “So Solstice, you will be here and on that plane being rescued. Illumna, you will be born, but remain here. Christina, you will remember all of this when you give birth to Sara, making this all possible to begin with. Brady, you’ll be returned, but the other you never actually gets on that plane. He comes here and we explain everything all over again. And Sara…” Renfield_2’s voice falters and then he continues, “Sara, you…” He looks at Renfield_1 in search of an answer he already knows Renfield_1 has not thought through.

  Sara takes her cue and says simply, “I understand.”

  Renfield_1 looks at her. He views every aspect of her being. Every inch of her face, her body, her presence, her grace and her understanding more than any one person should have to. Then he speaks, “Brady, Renfield_2 and I need your consent to go back and alter you in subtle ways. If you remember being taken hostage and tortured, then your answer is yes.”

  Brady looks at Renfiled_1 who he has grown to trust as a friend, “Of course I remember that, it was my first commendation! I was…”

  Renfield_1 and Renfiled_2 simply disappear reach to Brady and all three simply disappear.

  CHAPTER 47

  “Time is not a direction, it’s a reference point.” – from the book of Phillip

  Suddenly, Renfiled_1 reappears with Brady. Without hesitation Adam begins giving orders, “Solstice, take Sara to have Illumna, give her time to download then bring Sara_1 here.” He looks at Sara, “You deserve to have your own daughter. You’ll understand how to tell yourself everything quickly when you get there. I’d ask if you understand, but you always do.”

  Sara nods and Solstice grabs her arm.

  Brady yells at Renfield, “What the hell! That’s my daughter! What does this have to do with…” He stops and thinks back to that day. He slowly nods his head and then he lunges at Renfield. Renfield, able to hear his thoughts simply moves and Brady crashes to the ground as Sara_1 appears with Solstice.

  Brady still angry gets up and walks to look at his daughter to make sure she’s alright.

  Sara, inherently understands his concerns and looks up at him and says, “I’m OK. I’ve never been here before. This is just like I remember it though.”

  Brady eyes Renfield sizing him up and clearly gazing at him wondering what he had done to his daughter.

  Renfield continues, “So now there is no need for Illumna to double, she already is.” He looks at Solstice who seems to approve, but has a hint of doubt on her face. Illumna looks upset. More than the occasional downward look. “Illumna, if Solstice could do what I can do, she wouldn’t be Solstice and she wouldn’t have found other possibilities. If you could do what Solstice can do, you won’t find other possibilities. Does that make sense to you, dear?”

  Illumna ponders and Renfield again opens his mind. Illumna looks but finds nothing relevant to the situation. Then she asks Renfield, “Why is there nothing?”

  Renfield replies, “Because you will think of things I haven’t yet.”

  Illumna, matter-of-factly responds, “Where is Renfield_2?”

  “How do you know I’m not him?”, inquires Renfield.

  “Because you still have that stupid plan in your head and even your double was scared for you.”

  Renfield grins, “And that is where you and Solstice come in. I guess you both have figured out the plan by now.”

  Solstice answers, “I really would prefer you didn’t try to do this. I don’t think Illumna and I are going to be as much help as you think. You’ll get stuck and you’ll become like him. Need I quote, ‘Did you exchange a walk on part of the wall for a lead role in a cage’?”

  Renfield looks over at Christina and Sara and simply mouths, “Wish you were there.” He pauses for a second and says, “Pink Floyd’s album about Syd.” Then he disappears.

  Solstice groans in annoyance and then also disappears. Illumna hugs her mother and Grandmother and then she waits. Solstice reappears, grabs Illumna, blows genuine kisses to her mother and then she and Illumna disappear.

  Sara turns to her mother and in a comforting voice says, “You’ll get used to it.” She puts her arms tightly around her mother and then whispers in her ear, “In time.”

  CHAPTER 48

  “Family is the hardest thing to understand, but usually the only who try to understand you.” -- from the book of Stephen

  “Why did you put this part of the plan ahead of getting Mom back in time to have me?” Solstice asks Renfield. The three of them lay prone on the ground studying the field in front of them. Illumna mentions that oak branches itch, but Renfield and Solstice ignore the commentary.

  “I want to be there when you are born, Solstice. I have to be sure I am bringing you into a world I made right.” Renfield responds.

  Solstice looks at Illumna and then back at Renfield, “What about her? You made sure she would exist before you end up dying on this suicide mission or worse trapped for eternity.” Illumna turns her head and rolls her eyes, noticeably, at Solstice.

  “Illumna was before I…” Renfield begins but is interrupted.

  “Times change! If you want some M.C. Hammer pants I’ll be glad to get you some at a thrift store in, hmm, NO WHERE!” Illumna turns back to concentrate on the field. She is aghast at what she sees, but she knows she has to understand how the field works so she concentrates on that as much as possible with the background of such horrors of humanity.

  Solstice raises an arm to punch Illumna in her side, but Illumna simply turns her head and states the obvious, “How do you think you can hit me if I hear you thinking it? Only if I let you. Now is not the time.” Then she adds in a completely different tone, “OK, Solstice, did you see that?”

  “Yeah, it was some sort of glimmer. Just some nearby light momentarily shined on a piece of metal. What’s the…” She stops and thinks then punches Illumna in the side anyway and says, “That’s where you come in, kid!”

  Illumna turns and says, “For one, that was a nasty trick, but I’ll learn. Secondly, I’m actually your older sister.”

  Solstice makes a “Pssshh” sound and then starts to say something and stops herself.

  Illumna turns to her and says, “You do what you do, I’ll do what I do. Like it or not, we’re a team. Or you can join forces with the people who created ‘THAT’.” Her hand moves as if to wash it all away. The horrors they are all watching are beyond their own words.

  Solstice turns to Renfield, “You really are going to go in there aren’t you?”

  Illumna replies for him, “Duh! That’s why we’re here! Get your head in this or we won’t be able to get them back out!”

  At that, Solstice realizes at a deeper level that Illumna is her older sister. She begins to focus on her sister’s mind. Renfield begins blocking his. The girls hear his last thought, “You don’t want to know.” The girls looked at each other and thought agreement to each o
ther.

  The first move would be Solstice’s. Then Renfield would get in and stay alive long enough to get to the other Renfield. Solstice thinks, “The one he refers to as Renfield_Prime.” Then the next move was Illumna’s. After that it was up to Solstice again. Then Renfield would take them all to the place that is not. It was a safety measure.

  The look on Renfield’s face makes it clear to his daughter’s that it is a hypothetical plan. Adam had never actually gone there on purpose. Renfield thought to himself, “In all of the years I’ve been doing this, why is that a place I never want to go?”

  Illumna looked at Solstice and Solstice thought back to her, “Yes, I heard that too. Try not to focus on him, just focus on your timing.”

  Illumna looks at Solstice than at her father, “Dad, those people. Why did they keep doing ‘that’ to the others?”

  Renfield pauses then explains the best he can, “OK, think of it like this. We were born with wings so we know how to fly. When we are in the air, it’s natural to us. Imagine standing around one day and someone sews wings on you and then pushes you out of the nest. They chose others to do it to because they were too afraid to sew wings on themselves and try it out. Those people were pushed into boundaries of space and time without any understanding of what they were seeing, experiencing, feeling, etc. It drove them mad. They keep them in that field to study the madness now. They no longer care about the wings they sewed on them.”

  Solstice dryly retorts, “Dad, you weren’t born with wings.”

  Renfield replies, “True, but I understood the lessons of Icarus before I sewed mine on. Plus, it’s a metaphor. Keep up!”

  Illumna mentions with more fervor than usual, “I’m not so sure about that. You’re about to go as close to the sun as it gets!”

  Renfield turns to Illumna and replies, “Well then, I’m glad you’ve never read Dante’s ‘Inferno’.”

  Solstice groans and says, “Dad, you do realize she has read it, right? If you couldn’t hear Illumna roll her eyes at you, you are getting old!”

  Renfield contemplates how old he really is. He didn’t feel that old until Solstice said that. Then he thinks to himself, “That’s not entirely true, I guess. I have seen some signs. But me? Old? At my age?” Renfield grins to himself. Both of his daughters look at him and roll their eyes.

  Illumna thinks to Solstice, “If he doesn’t make it on will, he’ll make it on egomania.”

  They both giggle out-loud and Renfield looks at each of them and says, “You know I can hear you, right?”

  Illumna retorts, “I don’t know, old man, can you or do you need hearing aids for our minds now?”

  Solstice laughs and adds, “Yeah, wheeling your butt into that is going to be a serious pain!”

  Illumna still giggling asks Renfield, “Speaking of butts…”

  Renfield quietly yells, “Enough!”

  Illumna continues, “So who’s do you like more, Mom’s or Grandmother’s”

  Solstice looks dead at Renfield as he turns to Illumna and says, “Don’t put it like that! That just sounds so…odd!”

  Illumna having the ‘never-give-up’ attitude of her father pushes on, “So, what’s the answer?”

  Renfield turns to Solstice with a bit of pleading in his eyes, clearly looking for help from the younger sister to stop the poking of her older sister.

  Solstice considers the plea and then adds, “Well?”

  Renfield realizes he’s outnumbered and he understands the tension of what they are facing so he laughs and says, “Both look better than the two of yours will after I kick the heck out of them!”

  They all have a laugh together, but not one of them takes their eyes off the field for a moment.

  Soberly Illumna says, “So that’s like a ‘zombie’ field?”

  Solstice replies, “Except their not dead and they eat each other. Other than that, yeah.”

  Illumna looks at Solstice and remarks, “Isn’t that sort of the definition of ‘zombie’?

  Solstice shrugs while Illumna adds, “Do you ever read anything just for entertainment value?” Solstice looks at her older sister and again shrugs. Illumna, begins to smile, “Oh, you like those kind of novels!”

  Solstice quickly punches Illumna in the midriff. Illumna giggles at her younger sister and asks, “How detailed do you like your books?” Then she grbas Solstices fist as it lunges at her again. “Don’t test my accuracy.” Illumna states. Then she looks back into the field and wonders.

  Renfield hears the next question before Illumna asks, “They don’t know how to control it, they aren’t fed, they aren’t given water. They know they can click around, but they are limited to JUST that SPACE. Just the time they are in. Only the other Renfield is aware he can travel in time. He uses that to his advantage. Why he hasn’t gone back to before the field was up and then escaped I can only guess at.”

  “OK, what would be your guess?” asks Illumna.

  “I have two theories. Either he likes being the ‘Lord of the Flies’ or he planned for me to come here with the two of you and has been extremely patient. If I were him it would be the latter.”

  Solstice looks at her father, “You really think he has endured that hell for that long just to get us all here at the same time at some distant point in his future? That’s ridiculous!”

  “Perhaps. But it is what I would do. Somewhere at my root I am him.” Renfield sighs.

  Illumna pipes in, “OK, I’m sold. He’s always ridiculous.”

  Solstice fakes a smile and looks at her father. She wonders. For all the stories he did tell, which ones does he keep locked away to protect others? It’s his way. He has seen things most people couldn’t even imagine, but if he dies here, most of the important things will be…

  Renfield turns to Solstice and mouths, “Like tears in rain.” She nods. He relaxes and then states, “Philip K. Dick.” Then he turns to his daughter and asks, “So, Solstice, do your androids dream of electric sheep?”

  Solstice grins, “Not when I’m in them!”

  Renfield then curiously asks, “What’s it like? Being in another body, especially one you create. What is that like?”

  Solstice says, “Well, that’s a pretty deep question I don’t think we have time to discuss. I can sum it up this way: Do you remember describing to me what it was like being dead?”

  “Of course?” Renfield replies and Illumna perks to learn yet another thing she never knew.

  “Remember you said it was like nothing you ate, no hormones, no drugs, no blood pressure, no emotion, no rhythm was effecting your thinking?”

  “Yes.” Renfield urged the answer.

  “I suppose when Illumna jumps back into former versions of herself, she is thrown into her mood at that time. Effected by it, even if she has a goal in mind. For me, with my creations, they are biological. I am thrown into their state. That is the closest I get to the way you describe being dead. They have hormones and feelings. Some eat things that effect their mood one way or another. However, it always ends up being something I have to escape so I can still be me. Like why you chose to come back from death.”

  Renfield nods in understanding. Illumna has her eyes on both of them as she pontificates the gravity that both of them have held up under for so long.

  Then it happens. Illumna sees it again, Solstice disappears and Renfield kisses Illumna twice and says, “One of those is for your sister. Then he kisses her cheek two more times and says, those are for your mother and grandmother.”

  Illumna understands and begins clicking time to the agreed upon pattern. Short movements, accurate. Then Renfield too disappears.

  CHAPTER 49

  “Meeting your maker is the single most profound experience so few have because it is then that you realize it was you all along.” -- from the book of Brian

  “I’m in!” Renfield looks up at the sky and bellows! Then he realizes it was a foolish gesture. Immediately he is onset by the hungry. He jokingly thinks to himself, “If only
I could just say, ‘Take me to your leader’, but something tells me that’s not going to work here.”

  For the first time in his life he is met by foes that can hear him and can move as he does, through space. He knows not to use time. That would cause more issues than it could resolve. He puts his mind in the mode of a man fighting, what Illumna calls ‘zombies’. He also considers both of his daughters mentioning he’s getting old. However, he has little choice. He is prey and the predators must be outsmarted. In the ABC triangle in his mind he remembers. A is the predator of B, but the prey of C. B is the prey of A but the Predator of C. C is the predator of A but the prey of B. He thinks, “Damnit, these are my own thoughts, I perceived this triangle for a reason! What am I missing?” He moves quickly mostly in avoidance while he thinks as fast as he can and then it hits him. He is A, the “zombies” are B, but where is C in this equation? Quickly he thinks through the scenario while avoiding blows meant to make him meat. More are drawn to the action and he knows he can’t hold out that long. He thinks, “What is C?” He takes a blow to the back and drops to the ground. He clicks behind his foe only to realize his foe has clicked behind him and takes another blow. Simultaneously he takes a hard blow to the head. Dazed, he looks up as another blow lands squarely in his nose and he hears the break of the cartilage. “Focus!” He screams to himself through the pain, “What is C?” At that thought the biting begins and he realizes he is down and quite literally being eaten by the best of the space movers. Otherwise, they wouldn’t still be alive. He feels teeth rip into his shoulder, and more rip into his thigh and yet another directly into his abdomen. He clicks, but they are still on him. He clicks again, but there are more on him. They obviously were the beta of the group, but knew enough to anticipate his next move. For a moment he feels utter despair and sinks into the horrid reality of what is happening to him. Then he realizes and he clicks to the outer rim of the field. Briefly he sees Illumna standing there, waiting. Her face so pensive. It works. None of them can move, which means he survives a few more moments. He looks up at Illumna as Solstice comes into view and watches them hug each other. He shakes his head at Illumna to let her know not to act impulsively. The moment is lost as the onslaught begins again. He feels one of them biting into his face.