Mobius (43 page)

“I’m having difficulty. Not only is there interference from the foreign energies, but his neural activity is at extraordinary levels. I’m cooling his body in an attempt to suppress the fire within him.”

Orsteen set a gentle hand on the glass cylinder in which Theron floated. “She would understand the sacrifice that needs to be made, my friend. Why couldn’t you just let her go?”

Theron couldn’t reply.

SOULESTIAL REALM

I wasn’t awake but I was aware
, trapped in a chasm of consciousness, looking through the inner eye of my mind. Like a sightseer on a tour of my own life, I roamed a convoluted landscape of memories, emotions, and dreams. It was a place that found balance in extremes—love and hate, triumph and tragedy, life and death. I felt confident that, in the entire universe, the mind of man was the most unique of places.

I abandoned my introspection and scolded myself:
Wake up, you fool! Beyond the confines of your skull, the end of the universe unfolds... Why won’t you wake up?

No amount of will or want proved sufficient to transport me back to the waking world. With little hope of escaping from my mental prison, I was again caught up in a moment of introspection. With the sum of my life splayed out before me, all at once and in such perfect clarity, I felt I had a chance to gain some further understanding of not only myself but the human condition.

As I explored my inner self, I perceived something greater than myself back-dropping my mental confines. There was something more, something beyond my inner self, as if my mind was a medium into another realm.

Is this one of the realms which Prophet Torell had spoken of? A realm only to be perceived with the inner eye. A place within one’s self that goes beyond one’s self.

My perceptions focused, and I realized my bubble of consciousness was not the only one. I was surrounded by a countless number of other bubbles of consciousness. They seemed to be the minds, or maybe the souls, of all humankind. Each connected to the next by some fundamental bond.

Even in this metaphysical universe, Nara-Narayana couldn’t go unnoticed. She spread like wildfire, absorbing the souls of the Brahman Sprawl.

I became aware of an awful pain coming from somewhere in the eternal distance. It fell on my mind with weight. I traced its source to another bubble of consciousness and then heard her voice sing in agony.

“Help me, Theron. Where are you? Why have you abandoned me?”

“Allienora! I hear you, my love!” I pushed my consciousness out beyond the perimeters of my mind, into the myriad of souls surrounding me. I traveled in and out of the spiritual spheres of others, whose lives flashed before my eyes. I felt as though I journeyed down the length of a string of pearls, moving by some uncontrollable pull toward Allienora’s own bubble of consciousness.

I came into Allienora’s inner self and became intoxicated by my surroundings. All my previous perceptions of her were verified. I could now see her virtue and inner beauty. It was obvious why I felt so strongly for her—the soothing radiance of her soul negated all the pain burdened upon me during my life. She was a balance, a cure, a way to happiness.

“I’m with you, Allienora! Do you hear me?”

She didn’t respond.

I pressed deeper into her soulestial realm. She was all around me, but nowhere to be found—everywhere her past and nowhere her present. I witnessed vignettes of her life, from her inauguration as prime minister, to her graduation from the University of New Paris, to the breakup with her first love, to her mother’s funeral, to her first kiss, and to her childhood. Oh, what a wonderful childhood it was. Something I wished I could’ve had myself.

I continued my journey, drifting through the layers of her life and, at last, came to her beginning. It was sometime in her mother’s womb that the spark of her existence came to be. I marveled at the event. And as I gazed into the light of her first moment, I glimpsed something more, something before her inception, a hidden layer.

I couldn’t believe what I perceived—I saw my wedding day through the eyes of my dead wife, Cassandra. I saw my life with Cassandra, and Cassandra’s life before we had met. I felt joy and confusion.

Does this mean what I think it means? Allienora was thirty-five years old, and Cassandra died thirty-five years ago.

As I admired the overlapping lives, I discovered yet a third layer, a life hidden beneath Cassandra’s life. It was a short life, but another life nonetheless. I found the memories of a girl whose life was taken too soon. Her entire existence defined by her heart, which she gave to a boy. A boy named Theron.

A strange ecstasy flushed through my mind as I relished in the revelation. I had loved three women in my entire life—Mage, Cassandra, and Allienora. All incarnations of the same soul.

It was always one girl—one love—one soul. It was always you.

Just as I found true peace in Allienora’s soulestial realm, I detected a disturbing distortion. Like the clabbering of cream, her soul began to turn.

What’s wrong, my love?

It was the Fume. I knew it. He was responsible for this foul change. With all my mental strength, I maneuvered my perspective so I saw the outer universe as Allienora saw.

She looked at the Fume, who loomed over her reclined body. His face was that of a madman, with oversized eyes gleaming with satisfaction and a mouth that split his face like a gloom-filled gulch into hell.

Horror! Pain! Despair!

I felt her emotions. The scent of blood filled the air. And as Allienora peered down the length of her body, I discovered the source of the bloody smell—the Fume was in the middle of dissecting her torso. He had folded back her ribcage, exposing her organs to the air. The Fume’s hand crawled upon her innards as if to make inventory, starting at the intestines and moving upward, from liver to stomach to lungs and finally to rest upon her beating heart.

The Fume clutched down on the vital organ, causing Allienora to gasp in pain. He smiled, apparently relishing in her misery. “Can you see the precipice of death? It’s the greatest burden upon the mortal mind.”

The Fume relaxed his grip, giving her heart a moment of reprieve and then again pushed his sharp digits into her center organ.

Allienora’s pain became my pain.

Why does the Fume torture her? I must stop him! Maybe I can take control of Allienora’s body?

I tried to move her lips to speak against the Fume and his senseless acts of torture—I failed. I tried to move her arms to push away the unwelcome fingers impinging on her heart—it was hopeless.

I sent out my sharpest thoughts to the Fume, hoping to do harm.

As I worked my ineffective mental assault, the Fume halted his gruesome work, as if he knew my consciousness was eavesdropping on the other side of Allienora’s eyes.

The Fume cradled Allienora’s heart in his hand. “Is this what your dear love, Theron, wants? Does he wish to feel the heat of this romanticized organ against his chest?” The Fume glowed with satisfaction. “He’ll never again feel its vibration, unless he can perform miracles.”

Allienora pushed thin words through the pain: “What does it matter to you... a god... a monster... whatever you are?”

The Fume’s only response was a smile.

Allienora’s mental anguish sat like an anvil atop her head. Her anguish became my anguish. Her mind fractured. I felt the effects of a miniature apocalypse within her. It became my miniature apocalypse.

In that moment, I found the power to turn all that negative energy into strength, giving me the means to wake myself.

I returned to the waking world with such force that a burst of mental energy escaped my mind, shattering the fluid-filled cylinder containing me. I stood wet and naked, steam rolling off my body into the cold air around me.

Orsteen, Morion, Fanbert, and Prophet Torell were all present. They were speechless, shocked by the spectacle of my awakening.

I felt powerful. “You’ll do as I ask.”

They nodded their heads and the Guardian Fanbert spoke timidly: “Where on this planet do you wish to be taken?”

I led them back to the stellar cartography lab and indicated the planetary coordinates. “We must leave immediately. Nara-Narayana is going to try to accelerate her absorption of this galaxy. She wishes to take my soul, so I won’t have the opportunity to stop her.”

Fanbert gave me a final pleading look. “I shouldn’t help you. I hope you know what you’re doing. If we delay, we might not stop Nara-Narayana in time.”

“I’m aware of the risk,” I said. “Take me to Allienora!”

“If I must,” said Fanbert in a grumble.

“If you don’t need me,” said Prophet Torell, “I’d like to stay here and prepare for the end.”

“As you like,” I said. “I couldn’t have found Allienora without you. Thank you for this.”

Orsteen, Morion, and I surrounded Fanbert. In an instant, we vanished.

WITHOUT VESSEL

OR

DEVICE

We arrived on the planet of the Fume’s outpocketing.
Before us sat the ruins of an ancient city. Its buildings were blighted by the synergy of time and the elements, leaving them crumbled and worn. In the distance, an Obelisk towered. It was a reminder of the Guardian Army’s failed attempt to stop the Fume.

I staggered forward and fell to a knee. My breath was sucked from my lungs. I gasped for air. I tilted my head up and looked above the dead city. The sky was a swirling vault of the Fume’s exotic energy. I no longer needed the eyes of the Scions of Sensimion. I no longer needed technology. I saw it through a lens of new awareness.

“This is insanity!” said Fanbert. “The Fume overwhelms you, even now. Tell us how to stop this! How do we stop Nara-Narayana’s evolution?”

I gazed into Fanbert’s eyes. He was an honest man, a good man. “You’re right, Fanbert. You’re the only one who commands a dimensional transporter.” I looked beyond the Fume’s exotic energy to Nara-Narayana’s evolution which, in this far place beyond the Brahman Sprawl, was less prominent in the sky. “At the center of Nara-Narayana’s divinity, she still maintains her corporeal form. Not until she assimilates the entire Brahman Sprawl will she completely transcend her mortal being.”

“And you believe if we kill her mortal body, it’ll stop her evolution?”

“I do. Will you be able to transport there, Fanbert?”

“It’s an unusual destination,” said Fanbert. “I’ll need to focus long and hard before I can confidently transport to the center of her growing divinity.”

“Do it now!” I yelled. “Leave me here! Before I do something to you... take control of you. I’ve done it before. I can’t be trusted.” I fell forward, palms flat on the ground. I wept.

Why have I led these fine people here, jeopardized their lives? I’ve become selfish, my soul wretched. I am the monster I hate.

I felt large hands lift me up. I looked into Orsteen’s eyes. They were the most compassionate eyes I’d ever seen.

“You’re a good man, Theron Mobius,” said Orsteen. “You do this for love, for her. I’ll stay with you. I’ll help you find her.”

“You must leave me, all of you,” I said. “Fanbert, take Orsteen and Morion with you.”

Fanbert looked at me for a moment. “You look so familiar... I used to have such passion. I used to know love—a long time ago. I wasn’t always a Guardian.” He closed his eyes and smiled, as if relishing some old memory. “We all have our moments to shine.” Fanbert placed a hand on my shoulder. “It would be a wasted trip if we didn’t at least try to save her.”

I felt my heart beat faster. I was reminded of something Mage had told me in the sanitarium, ninety years ago.
With friendship, hope is forged.
These people cared about me. These people were my friends.

Morion wrung his hands impatiently. “All is settled, then. Let’s hurry up and save her. Where is she being held?”

I studied our surroundings, slowly sweeping my gaze across the city. My eyes fixed to a direction. I could sense her, as if I smelled a faint, familiar smell. “She’s this way.”

“How can you be sure, Theron?” asked Morion.

“I just am. Trust me.” I moved forward with the determination of a monomaniac.

We traveled onward, guided by my unnatural pull toward Allienora. Night quickly came and, with a swollen moon overhead and a fog coalescing, the dead city was drenched in an eerie murk.

The surrounding haze served to create two great halos around both the moon and the glow of Nara-Narayana’s divinity.

Orsteen looked up in wonder. “They’re like two heavenly eyes, staring down at us, mocking our significance in the universe.”

I put a reassuring hand on Orsteen’s shoulder. A moment later, Nara-Narayana’s divinity brightened and my pace quickened.

After twenty minutes, I stopped the company in front of a massive domed structure. Its condition was no better than the rest of the crumbling city. It had a disturbing ambiance, leaving me to wonder if it housed the ghosts of the city’s long-forgotten inhabitants.

“This is the place,” I said. “We can’t be seen or heard. If the Fume’s inside, and we’re found, we’ll be forced to flee and Allienora will be lost.”

We entered the domed structure through a partially toppled wall, rather than the main entrance, and arrived in a dark corridor, which circled the perimeter of the structure. We soon came to a portal providing a view of the structure’s center, which accounted for the majority of the structure’s volume. We looked out on a vacant field surrounded by many levels of stone seating. Above was a transparent dome, which had become half shattered over the eons. It now allowed Nara-Narayana’s divinity to shine down in its fullest splendor.

“It’s a coliseum,” whispered Orsteen. “Possibly used at one time for musical concerts or sporting events, if such were the pastimes of the city’s inhabitants.”

“This is the place,” I said. “This is the place that surrounded me when I saw as Allienora saw.”

“Where is she?” asked Orsteen.

“There.” I pointed to the center of the field. “She’s still lying on the stone altar.” I kept my eyes on her. “The Fume isn’t manifested in any form around her. I see no one but her. This may be easier than I had expected. Fanbert, transport us next to her, and then transport us all to the center of Nara-Narayana’s divinity. Are you ready?”

Fanbert replied with a weird gurgling sound. I turned and found Fanbert’s throat gushing with blood.

“What the fuck!” I screamed, discovering a bloody blade in Morion’s hand. He had slit Fanbert’s throat.

A final glottal sound pushed up from Fanbert’s throat and he fell dead to the ground. His armor and dimensional transporter shifted out of their unseen dimension.

Orsteen seized Morion and restrained him. “What have you done!”

“I’ve done what’s necessary,” said Morion hysterically.

A rage burned through my body. I could barely suppress the urge to kill Morion on the instant. “You fuck! You just ensured the destruction of humankind. Why?”

“I couldn’t allow you to leave here and destroy Nara-Narayana,” said Morion.

I held up a white-knuckled fist. “What are you talking about?”

At that moment, from the shadows, six of the Fume’s black beasts appeared. They were followed by a tall, muscular man with olive skin that shined like silicon—the very same form the Fume took when torturing Allienora. His blood-red eyes widened as he caught sight of me.

I was frozen, unable to speak. The Fume’s close proximity caused a strange sensation within me. I felt as though my heart was being torn from my chest. I remembered my mantra.

I am Theron Mobius. I am myself. My mind is my center.
I glanced at Orsteen and sent out my thoughts.
Save yourself, my friend. Run!

“I have nowhere to run,” responded Orsteen, throwing Morion to the ground and then discharging his Intersplit gun at the Fume’s manifestation. The energy blast merely dissipated on impact.

The Fume’s mouth curled from a smile. “Come now, Mr. Orsteen. I didn’t think you were stupid. You can’t kill me. You can’t even harm me. This form isn’t made of the foul flesh that encases your soul. It’s an illusion of flesh that allows me to interact with you mere mortals.”

Morion picked himself off the ground and stumbled to the Fume. “I’ve done well, Master. Haven’t I? They never suspected my allegiance was to you. I blended among them with little effort from the beginning.”

“You did fine work,” said the Fume, patting Morion on the head like an obedient pet. “Your timing with the Guardian’s death was superb.”

I couldn’t believe Morion’s admission. I wanted to rip him apart, but was still overwhelmed by the Fume’s proximity.

Orsteen apparently sensed my thoughts and spoke: “Morion, your betrayal is deserving of punishment beyond my competence. Regardless, I’ll resolve the matter.” Orsteen turned his Intersplit gun toward Morion.

“Wait!” called Morion. “You’ll be no better than me.”

“Wrong!” declared Orsteen. “You have no soul.” He fired and Morion instantly fell dead. Orsteen turned to the Fume. “It appears your minions, unlike you,
are
composed of the foul flesh of men.”

The Fume ignored Morion’s death and engaged his black beasts. “Disarm them and bring them down into the light of the universe’s evolution.”

The black beasts led us to the field below. I felt a pain, a pull, a fracture at the very center of my soul. I felt myself being torn between the Fume and Nara-Narayana, both of whom I was connected to on a level beyond my comprehension.

The Fume brought us to the side of the field opposite Allienora. I couldn’t see if she was all right.

The Fume held up his hands in a grand gesture. “This planet was once home to a species I created long before humankind. My current manifestation represents them. Not the prettiest creatures, but they were peaceful, as well as brilliant architects. Notice how their structures still stand after eons of decay. Unfortunately, their souls were much too thin for the purpose of evolving your universe.” The Fume placed his hand under my chin, admiring my features with lustful eyes. “Humankind was my first success after many failed species. Creating conscious matter with a soul deep enough to evolve a universe is a complex and daunting task. But, as you can see, I’ve succeeded.” The Fume looked up with a prideful grin to the glow of the universe’s evolution. “Isn’t it spectacular? The birth of a god!”

This is the end,
I thought.
I must look at her face and hear her sweet voice one last time.

I started to run for Allienora, but the Fume’s black beasts grabbed me. I thrashed and screamed.

I spit at the Fume. “You’ve won! This universe is yours! Just tell me why you needed Allienora!”

“With pleasure,” said the Fume. “I needed her to lure you here.”

“Why!” I screamed. “My part in your grand design is over. Wasn’t I the catalyst for Nara-Narayana’s evolution? Didn’t I fulfill your needs when I was implanted with a biolinguistic lobe?”

“You’re more important to my plan than you think.”

“You still need me?” I said. “For what?”

“When we spoke on the Guardian Sphere, it was essential you accomplished two things to ensure the progress of my plans. First, I needed you to get closer to Nara-Narayana, since the potency of my essence within you would only catalyze her evolution if you were within the Brahman Sprawl. After this was accomplished, I needed you to return to one of my outpocketings. You see, Theron, you’re a vital element in my plan to absorb this universe’s energies once they’re evolved. You’re the hybridization of my energies and Nara-Narayana’s energies. I needed you here, because you’re the conduit by which I’ll be able to freely move into this universe and absorb Nara-Narayana’s transcendental energies.”

“How did you anticipate our travels so precisely? If we hadn’t found the Prophets, I would’ve never been linked to Nara-Narayana, thus I would’ve never found Allienora.”

“The human mind is predictable and easily influenced. From the beginning, I left you a trail of breadcrumbs, and you gobbled them up like a greedy mouse. If you recall, in Fandoral’s quarters on the Guardian Sphere, I had my soldiers leave that homunculus Stimple alive, for I knew he’d lead you to the training facility of the Guardian Army, where you encountered JarNay, who was also left alive by my soldiers.”

“And then there was Morion,” I said. “I had wondered how he defeated the goliath beast guarding JarNay.”

“Yes, Morion was at your side the whole time, acting the part and reporting back to me on the progress of your journey.”

“And you knew that JarNay could lead us to the Guardian Fanbert, who in turn could lead us to the Prophets.”

“Precisely,” said the Fume, inclining his nose to a boastful angle. “And the Prophets gave you the means to communicate directly with Nara-Narayana. At that point, I was counting on love, that human condition that weakens the mind so the body will bend in irrational directions. Once you linked with Nara-Narayana, who is connected to every soul in the Brahman Sprawl, I knew your love for Allienora would take you to her.”

“And what now?” asked Orsteen.