by T M Caruana
It was the first time I had heard fear in Leo’s voice. Though it was hard to tell, when he didn’t seem to care about his own life. Maybe it would change if I told him about the incident with Pallas on Medi? No, I would definitely wait until a better time to share that information.
Leo’s step was light and bouncy as he moved towards Myra and Harriett. It was hard to get used to the new way his body was moving, like an astronaut in space, but not to the point where there was no gravity at all. He floated up and this made his hair bounce more slowly than usual over his back. He had abandoned Michael, sitting on the ground, without trying to help him up or convince him to come along. I breathed as deeply as I was able to, trying to regain my strength and patience. I glanced down at myself and examined my gleaming colours more carefully. The effect was beautiful. It was like a rainbow had caught me. Well, almost, violet was missing, or was it glistening purple around my head and I couldn’t see it? I needed a mirror. Michael gleamed too and, not unexpectedly, mostly in yellow, just like Leo and Myra were mostly shining blue, and Harriett and the child mostly red.
“Michael my friend, come, we must follow the others.” My appeal was extra soft and consoling. I was trying to be sensitive to his loss.
“Leave me alone Susy. I have completed my duty and you don’t need me anymore,” he replied bitterly.
“It’s evident that I can’t leave you here Michael. Come now,” I spoke more assertively when I saw that he had no intention of getting up.
“I understand what you want. I have to follow so you can be sure that I don’t die, because then your dear Tarus would also die. But what happens, happens. What else did you have in mind, to lock me up forever?”
His voice was full of self-pity and he even sounded irritated, as if I was a fly he wanted to fight off, but who stubbornly returned to tease its victim.
“What? No, that isn’t true. I thought you were my friend. So, to clarify, you mean I was only a duty to you? That’s all I mean to you?”
I felt deeply hurt by the person I had just decided was one of the two faithful friends I had. Apparently my powers weren’t even strong enough to discern who my friends were. My hands held tightly onto the notebook to the extent that my fingers whitened. My jaw was hurting as I bit hard with clenched teeth. This time I didn’t even take a deep breath because I didn’t want to give him more of my patience. I was upset and about to stomp after the others and leave him to his self-pity when I saw a dejected look in his eyes as Michael lifted his head from his arms.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said. Of course you are my friend and I’m yours. I mean it’s obvious because who wouldn’t want to be friends with me?”
The humorous comment made me produce a cautious smile. This was the Michael I knew, who made annoying comments that ignored the social protocols of friendship. The remark was strained and reluctant, but I took it as something positive. I could hear doubt in his words and I couldn’t judge how honest they were or if it was just an attempt to hide an anguish that would never be alleviated. Whatever it was, it was a good start.
“I know. But don’t forget that I also have lost a lot, even if love can’t be measured against friendship. Both Katrona and Noah were close to me and when I remember Noah, I guess it’s a bigger loss than I comprehend now. I don’t know who I can trust here and I need your support.”
My explanation about his importance in my life boosted his confidence, making him stand up and embraced me with all the warmth his broken heart would allow. His hug was soft, not hot like Tarus’s, nor hard like Hunter’s; it was a caring and above all comforting hug. It was what I needed to gather my strength for what lay ahead, visiting the angels.
During our walk towards the city of angels, which couldn’t be far away as I could hear the echo of Kora’s voice, I fumbled through the black notebook. I wanted to read the poem, the prophecy, again. Even though it didn’t bode well, I wanted to prepare myself for what was to come. I flipped quickly past Tarus’s loving poem for there was no time to dwell on my feelings for him or feel resentment over his betrayal by withholding information about Noah. I found the prophecy and began to read it slowly to reflect on the meaning of each sentence.
You shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, See that you be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end isn’t yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
The first bit was definitely true. That was why I was on Angi because two kingdoms had declared war against each other and hopefully we would win the war because ‘the end isn’t yet.’ But it could also just be ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ Earthquakes, famine and disease were already something I had heard a lot about on Teli and they had already occurred. I continued.
Then shall they deliver you to be afflicted and killed, and hated of all nations for your name’s sake. And then many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
After I read the first verse of the prophecy I returned to the word ‘killed’ and thought of the time in the overgrown forest where I had seen myself walking in the Oracle’s train. I shivered and goosebumps covered my arms. I would probably feel even more terrified if it wasn’t that the end indicated some kind of salvation: ‘the same shall be saved.’ So I would concentrate on being worried about the meaning of ‘many shall be offended and shall betray one another.’ Did this mean what I thought it meant? Leo would eventually betray us all, or worse, it was Tarus who would eventually show his true colours.
I shook my head not caring to read the second verse and continued to browse through the book in my search for the explanation of the liquid. ‘The forbidden spells’ part had its own heading on a nearly blank page. The numbers one to seven were lined up at the edge where only the numbers one, two, and five had a few words on them. These were: ‘transport symmetry energy’, ‘open the gate to heaven and hell’ and ‘join souls’. The others had a question mark on the line after the number. This meant that Isaac didn’t have knowledge of them all. Leo had been right to keep them secret as the three that were listed definitely could lead to devastating consequences. I wondered how Leo could have learned about the forbidden spells from ancient Atlantis. Had his father hoped that his son would do horrible deeds? But Leo had changed course and taken control of his own future, without his father’s evil plans and it must have required great wisdom and unparalleled courage to do so. Perhaps he was the only one left alive who possessed the knowledge of all the seven spells and it seemed that they would die with him.
My finger was flicking the pages quickly, continuing to browse through the book. What else was there that could be of use to me? A page with a large underlined title caught my attention on a spread with the word U-235. U235 was the code for the door that had freed me from my captivity in CERN. I had never imagined that the code had a meaning. I continued to read the text on the page.
Uranium 235 releases two or three neutrons in a nuclear reactor, which can be absorbed by uranium 238 and create plutonium 239. Uranium 238 can capture a slow neutron, which together with beta is broken down by the weak power. Plutonium and uranium are used to create weapons of mass destruction. Susy’s marrow already contains neutrons captured by her weak force, which, combined with her blood particles, creates an unidentified energy stronger and longer lasting than both uranium and plutonium combined. A supersymmetry. When I can implement it in a weapon, it will be the most powerful weapon on earth = rich.
My cheeks burned with fury when I read the last word ‘rich’. That’s all I had meant to them, even Vic. Luckily, their evil plans hadn’t materialised yet. There were still pieces of the puzzle that were missing. I remembered what Zonar had told me: ‘gravity increased my weak force.’ That was the reason that Isaac had been interested in gravity. He had held me captive at Teli to
improve my weak force in order to create a strong energy, for use in weapons of mass destruction. That was all I meant for everyone. I had even been named after my scientific energies, not out of love. I could have been called something that separated me from the Universe’s components such as Mary or Eve, but no, I would be called an abbreviation of supersymmetry: Susy. They might as well have spelled my name in capital letters to emphasise my life’s destiny: SUSY. My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, but it wasn’t a dear one.
“Holy, holy, holy is Susy. Almighty, the one who was and is and is to come. Welcome to Babylon,” Kora’s voice was welcoming, but her expression was as indifferent as usual.
Not a motion gave away her feelings, although the glittering colours of the rainbow that surrounded her made her more beautiful than ever. As if that wasn’t enough, she also had six silver glittery wings, which together formed two giant wings on her back. My jealousy of her beauty didn’t help my irritated mood. If all of the people in the six other worlds had been created with such supernatural beauty why couldn’t I have been blessed by being more beautiful than all the others? Vanity wasn’t normal for me, neither was the hatred I felt toward Kora. In addition, I didn’t understand what she was welcoming us to, as there was nothing behind her except forest. Kora must have seen my confused look, as she haughtily pointed her index finger upwards. No one in the group had apparently been on Angi before and everyone turned their heads following the direction of her finger. Harriett seemed more confused than the rest of us and only looked up when we did.
“She can’t see or hear me, she is from Teli,” Kora explained as she looked at her.
It would be a long stay for her if she really couldn’t socialise with the angels.
“Harriett, there is an angel there showing us that we have to climb up in the trees.”
I pointed towards Kora and felt ridiculous, as if I had told her about an invisible friend. Harriett’s sceptical look made me even more uncomfortable. How could I explain something to her that she couldn’t see, but that was right there, in front of her?
“You can trust us. It’s like other things, you know, such as stars. They aren’t always visible, but you know they are there.”
She nodded in agreement, but looked restless, as if some unseen creature was looking at her with a critical eye. It was strange that I had spent time with Kora on Teli and never noticed that no one could see her.
I looked again up towards the heap of branches and green leaves. Amongst the trees, hardly noticeable, there were camouflaged huts from where two beefy men stuck out their heads, partly hidden by branches. The men had just as smooth a complexion and just as glittery wings as Kora, which were rapidly vibrating as they hovered down to stand behind her. They also had the same thick black hair and were as tall as Kora. They could have been brothers; to each other or to Kora.
Before I knew it, the men and Kora flew us all up in the air through a passage between the trees and out to a vast kingdom. They quickly put us down in a broad meadow. Harriett had become terrified by now, carried by beings she couldn’t see and was sitting on a rock, while Michael sat next to her, trying to calm her.
“This is my kingdom, Babylon, with the hanging gardens,” said Kora looking out over the three massive buildings, all of different shapes, which I rested my tired eyes on in amazement.
I hadn’t decided if it was more impressive than the City of Gold, but it had a natural beauty. It appeared that the buildings must have been built during different periods, as the building on the far right had Greek influences with pillars that supported the roof on all the three floors, all in the cleanest white. A welcoming circular fountain was placed before the steep stone stairs leading up to the palace, which was so perfect that they could have been newly built. But clearly, not many had probably walked on them, but hovered just above the steps. At the top of the stairs there was a statue depicting a unicorn with wings, which impressed a bit more than the other statues of the lion, eagle, ox and elephant. On the ground floor, pillars were surrounded by yellow roses that made me immediately think of Pallas and I looked at Leo who also seemed to have seen them at the same time as I and gave me a sorrowful look.
I looked back at the building and followed Leo’s eyes as they gazed at the beautiful promenade that wrapped itself around the outside and was enveloped by lush green trees, palm trees, juniper bonsai trees, rosewood and various others that I couldn’t name. The greenery stretched not only at ground level, but also between the layers of pillars. Everything was very beautiful. The middle building, an amphitheatre-like structure, was also very impressive, but not as striking as the others. The third building on the far left was obscured behind the amphitheatre and it was difficult to make out. All I could see were four bluish towers forming a square, which I assumed, outlined the castle walls.
The first building was the one that Kora lived in and this was the one that we were going to enter. Of course, just as I had assumed, I had to climb the stairs on foot whilst the angels hovered up effortlessly. It felt like hundreds of stairs before we reached the top and Harriett was as breathless as Michael, though my own breathing was surprisingly calm. I was aware that it wasn’t due to the few hours I had spent on fitness in the small gym that I had had access to in my captivity, but rather my powers slowly regaining their strength. Leo and Myra seemed to have climbed the steps effortlessly too. The swimming must have enhanced their muscles. I could see that they were looking out over the horizon, probably concerned that their bodies would soon need water.
The angels that we passed, as we were walking further into the building, glowed with the same colours, but at differing intensities. It was interesting to see the group members’ prying eyes looking toward the angels; everyone except for Harriett, who still walked by my side, was unaware of the angels around us, but looked impressed with the building.
“I guess the absence of your violet chakras is the reason for your memory loss. It would be logical, since everything that is related to the brain and the memories are represented by the violet chakra,” Kora explained, and thereafter fell silent, probably waiting for a comment, but I had none.
My mind was taken up with all the colours and outstanding architecture and I remained speechless.
“Once you’ve gone to sleep I ask for Tailja’s help with the ritual, which I hope will free your energies and restore all your powers.”
Tailja, whom I understood was Kora’s best friend, had proudly appeared at her side. She was identical to Kora though her facial structure was even stronger and she looked younger. Her eyes were also a deeper orange colour than Kora’s. Kora signalled for the others to continue following Tailja into one of the many rooms in the building. Now I was alone with Kora, something I hadn’t sought, but probably was inevitable. I felt I had to tell her the bad news.
“Kora there is something I have to…”
Before I could say anything further, she had put her finger over my mouth.
“Shush…” she whispered. “I already know. I feel your emotions.”
She smiled at me and it made me even angrier that the lost lives didn’t appear to be important to her. No tears, no watery eyes, no sorrow at all.
She then said, “I know what you feel and it’s not true. I was created for a purpose. You and the worlds are in danger and I have to protect you and them. I will set my own feelings aside and I will honour my life’s destiny.”
The last sentence stung my conscience as she aimed it at my desires toward Tarus who had risked everything and everyone’s lives.
“The past doesn’t matter, but we must do what we can for the future. The faster you fall asleep the faster you might remember everything.”
The idea was tempting; I would just have to fall asleep and, when I woke up, the last twenty-five years would be like a long nightmare.
“What do you mean…might?”
Kora’s answer didn’t take long, but it was too long for my impatience.
“We will d
o our best, but there are no guarantees that it will work,” she explained like a mother who would try her best to make it to her daughter’s recital.
A chilly breeze stroked my bare arms and I pulled a blanket over me in the soft, but not large bed. I was just drowsily looking round the room, when I froze at the words Kora’s soothing words that she had started to hum. It was Vic’s poem. How did she know about Vic’s poem? Before I could ask, she had pressed her finger over my mouth again and continued to read the poem. I didn’t hear the last words as I started to fall asleep, but wasn’t stressed as I knew them by heart.
Find Your dreams in the rainbow way,
Count two lights revealing a starry day,
The brave knights will see You through,
The kind of seven are waiting for You,
Within You lay memories deep,
They will shine when You are asleep,
When You gathered what’s been apart,
Make sure You find the secret heart.
<><><>
Kora’s angelic body didn’t flinch when my arms were thrown around her neck almost before I could open my eyes. The smell of the morning air filled me with inspiration. The feelings were overwhelmingly positive and as aspirational as jumping beans. My friend, my dearest, oldest and most trusted friend had been sitting by my bedside waiting for my return all night. Now the odds were definitely evened. If I hadn’t seen her tears flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks I would still have felt her relief and her overwhelming joy.