The Elders (17 page)

Trying not to let my irritation show, I say, “Sure. Great meeting you.”

I almost add ‘Grammy’ at the end,
but stop myself in time. For now, I’ll have to call her that mentally.

With our goodbyes over, I quickly leave her room and gratefully suck in a lungful of fresh air. As I walk through the Castle halls, I allow myself to focus on my earlier realization.

Mary let slip that Frederick had pulled her in today, and then I was able to get her to admit that she’s always the first one to get pulled
in. Put this together, and it means I’m currently in Frederick’s Mind Dimension. Add in the whole ‘you can only go to Nirvana from your own Mind Dimension’ rumor, and I come to the following conclusion.

It was Frederick who pulled me into Level 2/Nirvana during my first encounter with the Elders.

I’m nearly at the Castle’s entrance when I see the Elders entering. The twins are with them, but
I’m not sure who is who. I decide on a brute-force approach and say loudly, “Frederick, may I have a word?”

One of the twins separates from the crowd and walks in my direction. The others track him with curious glances.

“Darren,” Frederick says. “I’m surprised you singled me out like that. Surely, if you have more questions, Gustav would be—”

“I know,” I whisper, keeping my voice low so that
no one else will hear. “And I want to discuss it.”

Frederick’s expression is more amused than shocked. “I’m curious to know what you think you know.”

“You know what it is I’m saying I know. But I’ll give you a hint.” I switch to an even softer voice. “Nirvana.”

He gives his peers a paranoid glance. “Let’s get away from prying eyes. This way.” He starts walking.

I follow him. We don’t talk
during the few minutes it takes him to bring me to a room on the opposite side of the first floor. It looks very Spartan, except for two super-comfortable, plush chairs in the middle of it, with a large glass coffee table between them. On the table are board games, puzzles, and a couple of different card decks. Frederick gestures for me to sit in one of the chairs while he plops into another.

“We will have privacy in this room,” he says, and looks at me expectantly.

I take a deep breath. Here we go. “I know you pulled me into Nirvana. And it seems like you don’t want the others to know about it.”

Frederick gives me a sardonic look. “Oh, don’t think you have any leverage over me.” He reaches over the table and picks up a Rubik’s cube. “It’s just that I promised the others I wouldn’t
do it.”

“Yet you did.” I steal a gaze at his hands. Is he trying to keep them busy with the cube because he’s lying? “Pull me in, that is.”

“I merely wanted to give you a little nudge.” He turns the cube idly in his hands. The gesture is casual; he’s messing up the colors on it rather than trying to disguise his nervousness. “I knew you were hiding something, and I knew it wouldn’t take much
to Guide you to tell us why you came here. The last thing I expected was to discover you have enough Reach for Nirvana, let alone that you’ve traveled there before.”

They did indeed ask me why I came to this Island right before he pulled me in, but I don’t let my recollection show as I skeptically reply, “So you say.”

His eyebrows snap together. “Listen, Darren. You have as little reason to
trust me as I have to trust you, but I bet you have more to gain from my trust than the other way around.”

I think about this. It’s feasible he really did want to nudge me into telling them why I came here. I had already decided that the person who pulled me into Level 2 is unlikely to be the Super Pusher, as my enemy knows about my Level 2 capabilities. Still, that doesn’t mean I should trust
Frederick blindly. It would be best for us to find some way to collaborate, but if finding common ground were as easy as making a simple, rational decision, human history would be a lot more peaceful.

“How do I earn your trust then?” I ask. “Outside the whole six-day business?”

“You can start by telling me your agenda.” Frederick leans forward. “Tell me why you can’t wait the six days. Tell
me where you really stand when it comes to the issue of peace with the Readers. Tell me everything.”

I proceed to tell him a carefully censored version of the truth, which includes the fact that I’m the grandson of two of the Enlightened. I explain that they want something from me and outline the lengths they’ve gone to get it. I don’t talk about the Super Pusher, however, since there’s still
a small chance it could be Frederick. And even if it isn’t him, it could be someone he’s close to.

“So I hope you see why I couldn’t tell this to the others,” I say in conclusion. “Given the status the Enlightened have with the rest of the Readers, what I want isn’t exactly compatible with the task you people want to give me.”

“So what did you think we could do for you?” he asks, then peers
at the Rubik’s cube in his hand. It’s randomized, the colors all misaligned. Apparently satisfied, he offers it to me on the palm of his hand.

I cautiously reach for the puzzle. “As you know, I found out that I can reach Nirvana, as you call it. But I only did it once under severe duress and haven’t repeated the feat since. If I could do it at will, I could make my grandparents release everyone
without having to resort to violence. So, in a way, if you teach me—”

“No,” Frederick says as I take the cube. “I will not arm you with such knowledge. It’s a power too great for someone as young and inexperienced as you. It would be criminally negligent of me.”

“So earning your trust wasn’t very helpful after all.” I don’t bother hiding my disappointment this time. I had been really hoping
talking to Frederick would get me closer to my goal. As I consider what to do next, I glance at the cube, then back at him, wondering what he wants me to do with it.

“You didn’t earn my trust.” He mimes a twisting gesture in the air, universal for ‘mix it up’ when it comes to this particular toy. “You told me a story that clearly has a lot of information missing. In any case, even if I did believe
you, I would not help you by teaching you how to reach Nirvana.”

“Well, since I’m not sure how I can make you trust me”—I twist the cube a few times—“it’s all moot anyway.”

“Actually, it’s not,” Frederick says, not looking at my hands. “If you are truly committed, there is a way that I can be sure you are telling me the truth. A way that you might not fancy, however.”

“What is this mysterious
way? Are we going to do trust falls like at executive getaways?” I give the cube a couple of angry twists.

“Trust falls do not work,” he says, smiling. “But this would. Let’s just say it’s a situation where we would be compelled to tell the truth.”

“Both of us?” I offer him the now-randomized puzzle. “Or just me?”

“It would allow for mutual trust.” He carefully takes the toy. “We would each
know the truthfulness of the other.”

“Okay, suppose I do want to learn more about whatever it is you’re hinting at. Can you tell me what your help would entail?”

“That part is simple.” After a quick glance at the cube, his hands begin manipulating it swiftly and without looking. “If I trusted you, I would order a few well-trained people to go with you and extract your friends and family so stealthily
that the Enlightened wouldn’t know what happened, and thus peace wouldn’t be jeopardized.”

“That’s it? I could’ve Guided a group of Navy Seals to achieve the same result.” In fact, Bert mentioned this very idea in New York.

“I would not trust Navy Seals with a mission this delicate, but I would trust our team.” Frederick gives me a steady look. “If they are told ‘no casualties,’ there will be
none. If they are told ‘no one is to see you,’ they will not be seen. It’s just that simple.”

“Will you be joining them?” I ask hopefully, remembering his fighting skills against Kate.

“No,” he says with apparent regret. “I—or more correctly, we, the Elders—never leave the Island. That would put too much stress on our real-world bodies.”

I really miss being able to phase into the Quiet to think
during conversations like this. Something about his last statement has implications, but I don’t have time to think it through since he’s waiting for my response. “If not you, then who will join me?”

“We have many teams.” His hands stop rotating the Rubik’s cube. “In your case, I think the most logical choice would be Kate’s group, since you already know her. George can go as the Ambassador to
supervise the mission.”

“And they’re Guides?” I look at his hands in disbelief. He’s solved the cube in seconds without looking, and it doesn’t seem as if he did it to show off either.

“Indeed. Guides are much more effective than the Unencumbered can ever hope to be.”

I give him an evaluating look. “Are the rest of the team as badass as Kate?”

“It really depends on the task at hand.” He puts
the solved cube back on the table. “She’s an outstanding fighter, and if a situation calls for a sword fight, no one else can match her.”

“Do many situations call for a sword fight?”

He chuckles. “Those are my sentiments exactly, but we digress. What do you think of such help?”

I shrug. “It’s not like I have that many choices.”

“So you want to proceed with proving your trustworthiness?”

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but he looks a little too eager. “You have to tell me exactly what’s involved, and then I’ll think about it.”

“I shall do my best.” I see a hint of a wry smile; he knows he has me on the hook. “Though it’s not an easy task.”

“Not a good start.” I catch myself shaking my head.

He pauses for a millisecond before saying, “Fine, here goes. It’s called Assimilation.
It’s a process,
for lack of a better word, that can only happen in Nirvana.”

“That already sounds pretty sinister,” I say, my eyes narrowing.

“I won’t try to fool you. Assimilation requires a level of trust to begin with, from both parties.”

“But why do I have a feeling your risk is negligible,” I say sarcastically.

“Because you’re smart.” He gives me a wide grin. “Indeed, the risk is mostly
yours in this case.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you still have people with guns pointed at you outside my Mind Dimension.” He mimes holding a gun in each hand. “If you harm me in any way, and that includes during Assimilation, you’re as good as dead.”

“Nice.” I cross my arms. “But what about the little problem of me not trusting you?”

He shrugs. “It’s up to you if you want to gamble. Bear in
mind, though, in a way, I would be teaching you something about Nirvana as a result. And though you would have to take my word for it, you could get me to tell you the truth.”

“Sounds like a Catch-22,” I say with frustration. “Tell me more about this Assimilation.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Of course it is,” I say, trying not to roll my eyes.

“Fine, let me try.” He sighs. “It allows for a state
of being where we would be physically incapable of lying to each other. During this process, you would have no doubts regarding my intentions.”

I consider it. Thus far, this whole trip has been a giant waste of time as far as learning anything about Level 2 or the Super Pusher, but this could be my chance.

“You saw me fight Kate,” Frederick reminds me. “If I wanted to harm you, I would’ve done
so already.”

“Great.” I glare at him. “The good old ‘since I can kill you, you should trust me’ argument. We haven’t learned that one in debate class.”

“I am just trying to make a case for me having no ulterior motive.” He follows these words with a couple of slow blinks.

“Oh, you have one.” I try to recall whether blinking means a person is lying. “But it’s probably not to make me Inert.”

One corner of his mouth twitches, as though he’s amused. “And is that good enough for you to give it a shot?”

“I don’t have too many choices,” I say and exhale audibly. “But I have one condition.”

He lifts his eyebrows. “Like you just admitted, your choices are limited. You’re in no position to negotiate, but I’ll hear the condition as a gesture of goodwill.”

“I don’t want to wait until the
end of the Session to get started on the rescue,” I say. “I’m too worried about them, and I’d like to leave right away, as soon as we’re done with this Assimilation business. Would it be a problem if I just walk up to my frozen self and get out of the Mind Dimension? I don’t want those people to shoot me.”

“They won’t shoot you, but Gustav will be upset,” Frederick says. “You promised him you’ll
stay until the end of the Session. He’s a stickler for promises.”

I blow out a frustrated breath, but then a sneaky idea comes to me. “You initiated this Session,” I say, “so perhaps you can end it? I would then, strictly speaking, be keeping my word.”

“You want me to end the Session?” For the first time, he looks genuinely distraught. “It will be extremely inconvenient for the other Elders.
What if they have done some work already? They would lose it.”

“Oh, come on.” I lean forward in my chair. “They just came back from the Celebration. What could they have accomplished?”

“I guess that’s true.” Frederick studies me for a few moments before saying, “All right. As a token of my cooperation, I’ll do it.”

I give him a satisfied smile. Score one for me. “So, how do we do this Assimilation?”

“It’s easier to show than to explain,” Frederick says. “I will pull you into Nirvana again, where I will let my mind assimilate with
yours, and vice versa. That’s the best word I can use, hence the term.”

My smile fades. “I really don't like the sound of that.”

“Do not fret.” Now it’s Frederick’s turn to smile. “In Nirvana, the minds exist in a purer form. Communication there is different from
here. It requires the minds to be interconnected, but that is all we are talking about: communication.”

“So you just want to have a conversation in Nirvana? Face to face, mind to mind, so to speak?”

“That’s a very good way of describing it. I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“And when you ‘talk’ that way, you can’t lie?”