They said they just wanted me to break an ampoule under the nose of Cherine so that she would sleep deeply. They said she was tiring herself and needed a good long sleep. Oh god Natalie, what have I done!!! How could I since I knew they were going to attack us?”
1131
“They have used their powers to become extremely wealthy and powerful. They also became angry when Robert killed one of their men…somebody he attacked in the Ukraine.”
“Oh! Oh. Oh.” Poor sweet Theresa could no longer speak as her guilt hit her.
Natalie sat with eyes streaming and put her arms around her. “I will remember them and love them forever, or as long as they let us live…Theresa, why couldn’t you love them. Was it Robert?”
Themi sat, stunned and in a terrible grief, but listening to them. As Natalie talked about us and questioned Theresa, his grief boiled over, tearing apart the defences he had built up and he recalled his old pain.
“Oh god Natalie, oh god!! I was the one, I did it!! How could I?”
“You did what my love?”
“Don’t call me your love, don’t - never!!”
“You want to be like Theresa! All we have left is our love Themi.”
“Leave her out of this!” he screamed. “She is not to blame. I was a Cherinian. Robert warned me and I let them use me, they must have known what I had done and forced me. Oh god, why didn’t I kill myself?”
“You may have tried my love. I know you, you would not have betrayed all of them without fighting. What did they use against you, surely nothing you did could have been so terrible?”
“I destroy everything I love. I made my brother kill himself. I did not even remember it till now. Stay away from me!!” he screamed at her as she tried to approach to hold him. Even Theresa had quietened as the tragedy unfolded.
“How could you have made your brother kill himself. Tell me Themi, you know I love you and will understand.” Her soft brown eyes shone bright with her tears, but her heart was now happier at what she was doing. We had been right she saw.
“We were teenagers, he was only fourteen and I was just twelve. He…I can’t Natalie! I can’t.”
“Tell me damn it! For as long as you don’t, we are playing into their hands. If they are going to kill us then you must have confessed, even if it is only to us. Let Theresa and I be your confessors my darling. Maybe it will help us understand and forgive you for whatever you did to betray us.”
“There is no forgiveness, may my soul rot in hell!”
“Wherever your soul goes my love, my soul will go with. I love you. Please confess and get it over with.”
“My brother caught me trying to masturbate so showed me how to make it feel good. When I did not do it properly he took hold of me and showed me, helping me have my first ever climax. He only did it to help me because I was younger and we were very close - because he loved me, but without understanding why, I felt that what he had done and the fact that I enjoyed it was abnormal of me.”
“Why would that make him commit suicide?”
“I told a friend that my brother was a homosexual and had played with my penis. He promised not to tell anyone else, but by the next day the whole school knew and they made fun of him, told him his own brother said he was a poustis. My brother was a real pallikari, a man, and we were different in those days, not open about sex and being thought of as gay was disgraceful. He felt shamed and killed himself. He never even blamed me, the last time I saw him he only looked at me with tears in his eyes and walked away.”
“I felt there was a pain in you, but you could not tell me, my love.”
“I could not remember, I made myself forget.”
He wept and he let her hold him, like a mother rocking her baby. Poor Natalie did not have the heart to carry on now. She only wanted to help her beloved husband get over his pain. Somehow she found the determination within her and forced herself to continue.
1132
“Did the story please you Theresa? The man I love blames himself for the death of his brother, but his brother was a male - does it please you that he killed him, that my loved one suffers, does it please you because you cannot love?”
Even Themi reacted to this. He put his hand over her mouth. “Stop it Natalie, this is not you, not my gentle Natalie. Don’t let your grief for Samantha and all those we love make you blame her. I am certain her role was small, I must have been the one who did the worst.”
“You did nothing as terrible as her. They were watching and reading your documents at the office. That way they found out who the Cherinians were. She! She broke the ampoule that killed Cherine. That broke Robert, she was his strength. She betrayed them.”
“She was duped my love, she only wanted to love them.”
“So why couldn’t she love them!! What was so terrible in her life that she could not love them? Wendy did and her pain was worse.”
Theresa screamed with her pain, her words echoing off the bare concrete walls. “I am worse, I am filthy, an animal!! I am disgusting! They took me and used me like a thing and after the pain was gone and they kept on fucking me for their movies, I enjoyed it! I hated myself, but I could not help it. I enjoyed it! !”
“Oh Theresa, what happened was natural, it was not disgusting. Did you really think they would not love you if they knew?”
“They would hate me too, they would see how disgusting I am. I had to keep it a secret. Oh Natalie, I love him, he was so gentle, so good and patient with me. Now I have killed him.”
“Dommi, the protector won’t allow me to carry on, how do we end this? Do we make them forget?”
“No. Put them to sleep Cherine.” She did so and we carried them up, poor Natalie shock-worn and in pain but also victorious. She had broken through both walls and could now help her man become whole again. I sent her to sleep too.
“Why Robert?”
“She must not be part of the plot. We must plant the memories in her so that she too believes I did this to her, used her. That way she too will heal and be strong.”
“Don’t be stupid, it will weaken us if she feels we used her.”
“Then we do as follows. She agreed to become part of this so as to help Themi and we planted the memories in her. That way she is responsible for agreeing to help, but not for what she said or did in there since she believed it.”
“Robert! That is brilliant! We can do the same with Themi and Theresa. She really is Theresa now.”
“No Cherine, I cannot do this to the other two. It would not be morally right. Well, not so much Themi, but not Theresa. We would be using a lie to make her love us.”
“You bloody idiot. If you won’t do it then I will. If you force me I will do it to you also. We are all going to be killed if we are not one and strong. You did not trick her into loving you, all you fucking did was help her see why she could not say so.”
I pulled a face, annoyed. “You really are starting to swear too much.”
“You…” Her anger collapsed as she saw she had won. “I’ll kiss you later. Let’s finish now please.”
We anxiously waited for them to wake up. We had planted in them the conviction that they had suspected all along that they had been set up. That way it was not such a shock to them when they saw us.
“It was a trick!” She was upset.
1133
Themi only nodded his head sagely. “Clever Robert; you did right, it was necessary. I suppose you all know my dark secret now?”
“No Themi, only Dommi, Cherine and I. We agree to allow you into our minds to delete the memory.”
“Not necessary. I built the wall to hide what I had done when I was not much more than a child. I now understand why I did it. I had enjoyed the feeling of him touching me, jerking me off, and my guilt at what I saw as homosexual tendencies made me transfer the accusation to him.”
“Themi, have you paid for long enough? Will you allow us to help?”
“How?” He smiled at my assumption that (που υπέθεσα) I could help him assuage (κατευνάσω) his guilt.
“By bringing back your brother. Would you want us to?” He collapsed onto the seat in shock and then he wept as if his heart were breaking. I asked, “Natalie, would you be mother to his brother and take him into your circle?”
As I’ve said before, when we Cherinians decide to do something, even bringing back the dead, we do not waste much time. They left us with the baby brother in their arms. We all knew that that is one baby boy who is going to be smothered with love.
We had brought Lucy in as they woke up and Theresa sat cradling her in her arms as she silently listened to the story of Themi come to a close. She now looked up at me.
“Do you want me to leave? If you promise to look after Lucy and love her, you can send me back to the orphanage, I will not be afraid anymore.”
“Do you mean that?”
Her heart sank, but she faced me bravely. She looked me in the eyes. “Yes.”
“Wow! You are braver than I could be. In your place I would be terrified of returning there.”
Dommi put her arms around her. “I’m so sorry my love, it is something you will have to get used to as our wife. Robert does not understand that there are times one should not tease. There is no way we would let you go. We all love you too much.”
She accepted her love, but looked at me to see if I meant it too. I opened myself and let her heart spill over with my love. The rest of the girls then sent their love and she was overwhelmed. She did not even realise it when the circle widened and snapped her in, trapping her forever. I pointed it out to her and she was laughing and crying as we welcomed her.
I could hardly contain my joy and danced off to the void, straight to Mama and showed her my mind and all that had happened. She has a loud laugh and it was not muted in any way by her not having a real body.
“You are an evil demon Robert, but you have done well. I think we can forget my promise now, I can leave whenever I am ready.”
“A promise is a promise. I hold you to it. We need to know we have a friend up here rooting for us. You must have heard the saying, ‘he (or she) must have somebody up there that likes him’. It will help us to know that it is true for us.”
“As I said, you are evil but I agree, a promise is a promise. I think though that they already know you won the first round. They will wait for a moment of weakness.”
“They can see and hear us? Can they do so up here?”
“Not up here. I am certain that must anger them.”
“Then our councils of war must be held here, or in the world of Meli. When we do, I will come to take you there. It will also give you a break from being stuck in here.” I returned to my loves and gave them the news. When we finally forced ourselves to go to bed, Theresa came with. She was in bed and waiting for me by the time I came out of the bathroom. I lay down next to her.
“You have to say it. May I now kiss you?”
1134
Shyly she laughed, “If you want to. Robert, please make love to me.”
“I only asked to kiss you. Oh well, maybe kiss is not a fair description. Still, let me explain some of the facts of life.
Theresa, you may not have thought of this. You are no longer Ulya. She is gone. Theresa is a little girl who is a virgin. She has, I think, decided she no longer wants to be my daughter. If I am to take my little Theresa and make love to her, it happens the way it should. We go away for a long weekend and spend time getting to know and love each other and our first time we try to make it a memory of magic so that we can both treasure it forever. Tonight I will hold you and love the sweetness of you and hopefully even taste your little flower, but you do not become my woman. Agreed?”
All the haughty coldness in her face, the hardness in her eyes had melted. Her sweet angelic blonde beauty was soft and translucent with her joy and love. She reached up her arms and pulled me to her for our first kiss.
Maybe I should pull a Dommi trick and gloss over the next hours of love - no, I enjoy writing of our loving. It is as if I re-live the moment in the telling and there is something too special in such first moments of two people loving and discovering the joys of each others’ bodies and hearts.
As I mentioned before, her photos were/are on almost every single site that caters to paedophiles. Though widely distributed, they were all soft core. She is so lovely, even with her two rabbit teeth and the side teeth missing. A soft blonde, delicate girl, she looks like a little princess from a fairy tale. She is given many different names, always something exotic and Russian. They probably thought her real name was not suitable for an international following, as I’m certain they did not worry about the possibility of anyone tracking her. The hardcore stuff was tightly held by a very few pay sites and the videos are extremely difficult to come by. To be honest, I have not seen any of them and do not wish to. Now that she is my love, my blood would boil.
As far as most of the world that collects such photos is concerned, she is a pure and sweet dream girl, and suddenly this little beauty was holding me in her arms and her eyes were filled with love. She had not thought of taking a shower and she had just been through some traumatic hours and yet there was a sweetness to the scent of her body. I kissed her gently and then pulled back to look at her again, just to convince myself that this dream is real. I softly placed my palm on her warm soft tummy to feel the reality of this mirage.
Cherine was linking us, sending to her all the sensations of my body and the feelings in my heart. Attached to all that were the feelings all the girls were emoting and she was in a dazed state of being loved too much. Cherine faded it so that she could feel every nuance of my love and enjoy it.
I could feel the fires that were already burning through her veins, but this was too beautiful for me to rush it. If some feminist were to have seen me, I would have been criticised for treating her as some prize. I honestly do not care. I sat back and slowly ran my hands over her arms and shoulders, feeling the beauty that my eyes told me is there. I ran my fingers over her face and treasured each feature as a rare work of art, something that went far beyond art, for she was soft and warm and alive and her bright blue eyes followed every movement of mine and I felt how she treasured the feelings her beauty evoked within me.
Tenderly my hands ran (crawled ever so slowly) down her throat, over those little bones, lingering for a moment in the hollows and then down over her flat chest. Though she had born a child, my healer had repaired her so that she had the body she would have had at her age. I felt the silky warmth of her tummy, the gentle widening of her hips and I passed on down to her delicious long slim thighs. I could not help wondering how any man could take such a treasure and treat her as she had been treated. Her beauty demands of any soul that sees her a reverence.
The beauty of a woman can demand such reverence and adoration, but it allows for the easy arousal of passion for it is made for that. The body of such a tender age inspires something far deeper and more pure. All I wanted right now was to worship as I slowly swept my hands down her legs to her ankles. She may have squirmed a time or two, for though she was caught up in my feelings, she was made of things closer to earth, her skin had nerve endings that tingled to my touch and ached for my hands to light the flames that were ready to burn.
After feeling the delicate bones and shapes of her feet I turned her over and reversed myself up those lovely boyish legs. I moved up the small of her back and felt each ridge and hollow of her back. She is one of those girls whose waist narrows, not just a straight line to where hips jut out, and each curve is soft and sweetly feminine, a nebulous promise of what is to come.
1135
When I had reached her shoulders and brushed lightly at her nape, I held up her golden tresses and began to kiss and lick my way back down. She had been as one hypnotised by a king cobra, fascinated by my adoration of her, but now her body was sending her signals that she could not ignore and she was not used to the self discipline my loving of her required. She was moaning and crying out for me, but I followed my own dreamy pace. As my mouth slid around, she cried out in frustration, but my hands gently and firmly held her until she had quieted.
Gradually my movements were becoming more urgent and my fires began to take control of me. No longer able to tease, I moved down to the bottom of her round little tummy. Just as the passion was coming to the point where I was wondering whether I would last the course, she pushed me away. Startled I looked up, wondering what I had done wrong. She smiled at me.
“You had your fun teasing me, now it is my turn.”
“Theresa,” I moaned, “not now, next time.”
She shook her head, her golden curls glinting in the light, so I lay back and let her pay me back. We both then went a little wild. The incredible softness and heat of her drove the sensations to a tight holding back of an explosion that was already starting within me and suddenly we were both coming as one.
At the last, I drank of her sweet breath, I saw the splotchy redness across her chest and knew I had truly pleasured her and it made my own pleasure complete. We lay for a long time just touching and loving each other, our love now a comfort and deep well of happiness. When she finally lay down beside me, she turned my face to hers and looked me deeply in the eyes. “I have been so stupid fearing your loving. Thank you for understanding and waiting for me.”
“You are thanking me? After all you saw in me, surely you can feel how special you are?”
“Yes. That is why I am thanking you. I would have been very angry if you had done the same to me. You are the sweetest man alive, now I understand why all the girls adore you.”
“They do!? I thought they only put up with me because they love my sense of humour.”
She laughed. “That will need some time to get used to. I will learn to like it, I promise.”
That got all the girls laughing and they now began to join us, their hands and lips paying their own homage to her. They saw that my eyes had not deceived them, she truly is as lovely as I had seen her to be. When she fell asleep she was a truly contented little princess. As for me, I thought my girls were going to keep me going all night, but they only placed little Candy and Irene over me and cuddling wherever they could against me or against each other, as many of them as could fit, slept surrounding me with their delightful warmth and love.
We let the start of the next day be a languorous slow beginning, enjoyed our breakfast and shower as a loving family and then settled down to calling or phoning everyone, arranging for a meeting that evening. Savva it turned out would be on duty, but I insisted he must come, even if it means calling in sick. He knew I would not ask it of him if it is not serious and he promised to come.
Themi, with my mother, Natalie and the two baby boys were the first to arrive. My mother wrapped me in her arms. “Thank you Robert. You gave us a double gift last night.”
Themi had come early more out of concern. “Are you certain I will not be a risk to you anymore?”
“Themi, you are now a true Cherinian. They would really have a difficult time breaking through you. There is nothing as strong as a Cherinian who is filled with love and really happy. We will discuss strategies and make plans once all are here, but you need not worry any longer. You do not resent my tricking you?”
“Resent? You must be joking. If you had not I would have still been a cripple. Now I even have my brother, a second chance to make things right with him. Robert, I do not know how much you know of my profession. We would not hesitate to trick a patient if it would cure him, so please do not fear there may be any hard feelings. How did things go with Theresa?”
“I think you only need to look at her. Isn’t she lovely Themi?”
1136
“Are you keeping detailed records of all you have done Robert, I mean with regard to helping unravel mental problems.”
“No I haven’t, just a broad general description. I think you are making a classical mistake Themi. You are thinking that I have some sort of genius for this, I do not. As your gifts develop you will find yourself able to do all I have done. As a matter of fact, I bet that if you went back into private practice now, you would quickly acquire a name for yourself as the best in the world, just as is happening with Dr Maria.”
“Thank you. You like throwing out these casual suggestions to disrupt the lives of your friends. I will resign tomorrow and devote my time to helping those in the asylums, the ones all others have given up on.”
Those not listening closely laughed, thinking he was making a joke, then they realised he was serious . I felt a little pain in my heart at my thoughtlessness. “Themi, I was not trying to...”
“Do not apologise Robert, you have not forced me to follow my good conscious, not that it would have been a bad thing. I have enjoyed teaching young minds, but have always wished I could spend more time helping people with problems. Otherwise I find knowledge turns into a sterile dry dust, losing its true meaning.”
“Let’s first have our discussion tonight before deciding on making any changes.”
“Welcome my friends. Most of you have already picked up that we are here to discuss an unpleasant problem. The meeting will not be held here. I ask that all of you join me in the void, there please proceed to our World, the meeting will be taking place on the emerald isle.
I am leaving our protector and my healer to close off and guard this area. You will all please come back into this room. I am sorry if it is necessary to pack you like sardines, but the smaller the area the protector has to watch over the more effective it becomes.”
They all proceeded directly to the isle while I called for our ‘I’.
*You sense something important is happening. If you wish you may join us and maybe contribute to our survival. If you wish to do so you must take a form and be present physically. I would suggest you take the form of a young person without any special attributes to make you stand out. That will make everyone think of you as being more mature - at least until you open your mouth. If you talk to them the way you do to us, you will cause the family great humiliation.*
I saw the isle had changed. The beach formed a half circle with a tiny island in the centre. Meli gestured to me that I must jump onto the small island. I shook my head. “Get everyone onto the little island then I can walk up and down the beach while talking to them.”
“I’m sorry, I forgot you hate standing still.”
“Just join it to the beach. We do not need pretty waves right now.”
I faced them all and saw a stranger in the back. “Friends, as those of you who have your own Worlds know, a personality is created out of the melding of your souls and it then runs the World for you. Ours has decided to join us. Please welcome him or her, I’m not sure what gender has been chosen.” I gestured to it and it was forced to come forward.
“Thank you Robert. I would prefer to be thought of as female. I have noticed that our females are far finer and better developed than the male.” Everyone laughed, thinking it was making a joke.
“Josephine, would you like to tell them of the warning you gave us?”
“I would prefer you do the talking thank you.”
“Fine. I called you here for it seems we are facing our first challenge from our own planet. We are being watched and this is the only place where they cannot listen in to whatever plans we make. There are a group of people with gifts and it would appear that their gifts are not similar to ours. They have entrenched themselves within society by acquiring wealth and a broad political power base.”
“I apologise for interrupting Robert, you have visitors who request permission to join us. They are Solomon and Ordinx.”
1137
“Are you trying to give us a heart attack?” I smiled, “Of course they may come. Meli, please see to... welcome friends, I see you have designed your own bodies!” I brought them up to date.
“Their gifts are not based on love and empathy. Their gifts are those that give them an edge on Normal people. They are the kind of gifts that have ensured them the wealth and power over mankind that secure them from any progrom - I would say very unlike us!” There were a few nervous laughs.
“I have to ask this, being the person I am. Is there anyone here who would rather join them? They seem to be, in an ecological sense, better equipped for survival. If any would, I promise there will be no reprisals from us. You are free to leave - we only ask that if you are tempted by the promise of power and wealth, please do so now. If you stay, we expect total commitment.” I waited, but the only feelings I sensed were those of hurt that I could expect them to desert us.
“I am sorry, I feel your hurt, but I had to ask. We have to be together not only because we love each other, but because our beliefs are the same. I would rather be killed than become like them.”
“Do you have any idea what sort of powers they have?”
“None. I think one of the things we will have to do is make a list of what kind of powers it would take to be as them. For instance, the first one I can think of is an ability to influence Normal people, affect their beliefs and thoughts. They must also have a variety of powers that enable them to kill. From what Josephine said it would seem they are also able to affect the soul. Otherwise, how would they capture ours?”
Socrati stood up. “I am worried. This sounds to me like a war between sheep and wolves. They will have no compunctions about killing us, even the children, while we do not kill. Do we also become wolves to fight them?”
I sensed the dismay and answered quickly. “Socrati, loving and having empathy does not mean we cannot kill. You all know that I have killed. I cannot speak for those who are born Cherinians, but I think the rest of us can. If not all, then most of us. Alki, Tasso, Savva? I think you all could. The rest of you, I suggest those who cannot kill, even to save their loved ones, you must let us know.
Socrati, I do not know whether there are children who will attack us; if there are, then I cannot kill, as my protector would attack me. If they have the ability to appear as children, I have a sneaky suspicion they will do so, for they will know our weaknesses…then I do not know how I can fight them. Any suggestions?”
I had started off so positive, convinced I could and would kill to protect my loved ones and had talked my way around it till I was faced with my inability to do so. The same dismay I felt was felt by all. Sadly I looked at them and felt my heart breaking.
“It seems we are not going to realise our dreams. I only see one alternative. Meli, you must teach me how to help bring your world into our reality so that we can all go there.”
“I don’t know how Robbie.” She was almost in tears.
Henry stood up, his face angry. “I will kill. If they are children but evil, then I will kill them. I will not let them kill you.”
I shook my head. “Thank you Henry, I know that a number of you feel that way. Tasso, Savva, maybe you can both confirm for me, if Henry is attacked by a child, will he delay trying to kill it because it is a child - will that hesitation lose him the battle?” They nodded in agreement. I sat down and wrestled within myself. “The way I see it, the protector is the key here. We need it, but it also becomes our greatest weakness. How do I convince it to fight children?”
Solomon answered me. “It has already killed millions of children. Did you think that the Sparklers you killed, all the souls they were holding, were adult?”
His words tore at me. Dizzy with the pain I hung on grimly. “It is not the same Solomon. When we killed we thought of you as mindless insects. Parasites. If we had known you there is no way we could have harmed even one of you.”
Charlie stood. “You are all thinking of the physical death. What concerns me is the soul. I suggest we imitate Robert, taking it one step forward, if the Sparklers will help us. Solomon, I understand you have solved the problem and no longer damage souls when you collect them.” Solomon nodded. “Good. Then each of us give a strong part of our soul to a Sparkler to care for. If one of us is killed, that sliver can be returned to a new body.”
1138
“Charlie, if they have been watching us for some time, then they know of our tissue banks. It would be foolish of us to base our survival on them not knowing.”
Cherine got up excited. “You may be wrong Robert. They will not know of all of them. Or even if they do they may not be able to go to them. What about the ones on the alternate world.”
Alki took over. “Roberto. Let us start to break this up into small steps. First thing we all do is exchange slivers. Each of us must have a sliver of every other Cherinian. Second. We deposit a sliver of our souls with the Sparklers. Third. Elia and I will draw cash and we open as many tissue banks as we can. This world and the alternate. Robert, can you do so also by travelling in time? That is good. Even if they know what we are doing, we do not speak of it and never mention where and when these banks exist. Only the protector and healer of Robert need to know.
Fourth. This I see as our biggest problem. If we all go back to our normal lives, they can pick us off one by one. For an indefinite time, perhaps for years, we will all have to live together, staying in sight of each other at all times. I can provide a building suitable for us to do so. Between Elia and I we can provide the funds to keep us going.
Fifth. No more pregnancies. No new members.”
Tasso called out, “All the actions you mention are of a defensive nature. No battle is won that way Kyrie Alki. We need to learn who they are, find out what their weaknesses and strengths are. I know that unfortunately Robert will not allow us to attack first. Once they attack us, we must also attack them. If they have the political powers you suggested, then they will use ordinary people against us. If they send the army of a country to attack us, do we kill them?”
Dommi added, “Roberto, if what Tasso says is true, then who says they do not exist on the alternate world also. That means the other Robert and Cherine are in danger. They do not have a protector, we must bring them all here. It would be a good thing to do for us also, Roberto, having them with us would strengthen us in many ways.”
I heard what Alki, Tasso and Dommi said and I felt an anger growing in me. I turned to Arsehole. “You are made up of all my family. You know us, our strengths and weaknesses, what do you suggest?”
“The obvious one would be to have you all withdraw from your bodies and come to me.” It put up its hand to stop me. “However, I have come to the conclusion that you are right. You are not ready, you need to live longer, gain more experiences, mature. I accept that the same is true of me too. I hate to say this. Robert, you are the Killer for the Cherinians. You are the only one who is able to overcome your empathy and kill if your loved ones are hurt or in danger.”
My mind blurred with the agony I felt within. It was right. “How do I prevent the protector from stopping me, especially if they attack me as children. Despite what you say, I cannot kill innocent humans if they are just tools of the enemy.”
Sweet Cherine fought herself and offered, “Robert. You all have this empathy from me. What if I kill it, change it into something more aggressive?”
“Then we no longer will be what we are. We will then have lost the battle before it started.”
Niko spoke, “Alki, Dad, we must create a number of homes all over the world and keep them ready, fully stocked with anything we could need for years to come. Perhaps it would be wiser of us to employ a number of non-Cherinians through Panamanian companies to prepare the homes so that we do not betray where they are - if we really are being watched all the time. If Normal humans are used against us then we may have to jump to a new home, but if the enemy attack directly, then we fight, or else we’ll only lead them to our safe homes.”
“You must all wait here. Cherine and I will jump to the alternate world and bring the others to join us. Then you return home to our bodies. I hope they cannot hear our mental communications and until we find out they can, on Earth we only talk of important matters using mind-speak. Alki, please begin putting into effect your plans of action. Savva, will you be able to resign without leaving our home again?”
1139
“I think I would be of far more use to us all if I do not. I have to risk it Robert. I might be able to send fire power to help or might hear of anything being planned against you if they use official means to attack us.”
“I appreciate your reasoning, you are brave to offer. Savva, if they are able to get one of us they might be able to force their way into your mind and know all we plan. Anyway, I refuse to lose even one of you. We fight together. Maria, please prepare a letter for Savva and anybody else who needs one showing they are ill and cannot work for a period of months.
We have one other weakness. There are a number of children, babies, who were not born as Cherinians. They cannot be protected as effectively. Do we find a home for them? Would they then be attacked?”
“If I was them and I was ruthless, yes I would. They know you would sacrifice yourself to save them.” Alki spoke with certitude and I kept quiet. I could not tell them yet that the Robert they knew will no longer be. I have to change to ensure their survival. Cherine, Dommi and Wendy looked up at me and then I saw all my girls had understood. I saw tears, but not one of them spoke in protest. I had to quieten the pain in them.
“When this is over Dommi, Cherine, you may operate on me as you did before. You will have me back.” The others sat silently, some taking longer than the others to understand.
Ordinx spoke into the silence. “I suggest you all return together. Solomon and I would like to stay by your side for the duration of this war. We might be able to provide some help. Josephine, you will be staying here?”
“It is not time for me to return to Earth yet.”
We said our goodbyes and I went to our Arsehole. “Until proven otherwise you deserve a name of dignity. We will call you Adam. I know you prefer to think of yourself as a female but we need the feeling of a male, a warrior. Do you agree?”
“I thought the Amazons were the fiercest warriors?” it replied with a smile.
“They used to cut off one breast so that it would not hinder them when using the bow. I’d prefer you as Adam, if you will accept.”
“You are worried and do not see that I was trying to be humorous. Of course I agree Robert. The name may not be apt, Adam was the first man, I am not of mankind in that way.”
“I think you may end up becoming so. We will talk about this another time. Goodbye Adam.”
“Goodbye Arsehole.” He grinned. “We have to have one, so since I am Adam now, I suppose you will have to be it.”
“It is apt, since I will have to deal with all the shit.” Adam laughed and faded away.
I checked with our protector, it had followed our discussion and was troubled. I promised to talk with it later and grabbing Cherine we jumped to the farm.
Their joy at seeing us was short-lived. They rushed to find Cedric and gave him the job of watching over the farm, provided for a monthly amount to be deposited in his account and we dashed off to little Cherine and her parents. We had greater difficulty in persuading them until Cherine opened her mind to the little one and she made her parents obey us.
“No need to jump back to the farm, we might as well leave from here.”
“I am not ready Robert.”
“What now?”
“I want our Wendy. They could attack her here.”
I found myself pondering the ethics of it and stopped myself with a laugh. “Three Wendies in one house! I’ll get her.”
“No Robert, we get her and her mother.”
1140
We did not explain, we just jumped there, grabbed the two of them and jumped back. We ignored the screaming and all jumped together back to our home.
Seeing our Wendy with her mother had me cursing myself for not thinking of this before. The little Wendy looked at Candy and thought she was seeing double. They were almost exactly the same age. They were instantly friends and became as twins. It took the mother longer to adjust, but I left it to the girls to explain and convince. Finally I heard weeping and went to check on them.
“Robert, Wendy’s mother, Sylvia, she already has Aids.”
“Why is she crying, haven’t you told her we can cure her?”
“She is crying because Wendy had to convince her we were telling her the truth. She let her see what her father did.”
“My healer is in her, she will be well soon. Her heart I leave to you. Wendy love, it would not be fair to change the name of little Wendy. What do we call you?”
“My Wendy.”
Candy spoke up, “No, this is my Wendy.” And she hugged her twin.
I had no time for this and let them settle it. I went into my mind, dragging Cherine and Sam with me. We spoke with the protector. I explained all and asked if it would stop me from attacking the enemy if they appeared as children. It asked to speak.
*Cherine, Samantha, Robert, I do not have the option of making up my own mind as you do. You can listen to your emotions, your heart as you say, and then decide that logic forces you to do otherwise. I only am made of the emotions, I come from the heart of Robert. The prime directive in his heart is that all children, all, are precious beyond anything else. I would be forced to attack Robert should he try to harm what I perceive as being a child.*
*Even though you know they are not really children and are evil. Even if you know they would kill us, the real children?*
*I spoke of the mind and the heart. You speak of knowing, that comes from the mind. I am forced to act according to the instincts I was given.*
Cherine asked, *If it is a choice between saving them and me?*
*I may be forced to destroy the other child, but then I will also destroy myself. Call upon me Cherine only as a last desperate measure.*
*No. Then I cannot call upon you.*
I was feeling dazed by the speed of all the changes and though I knew it was silly, I had an idea and tried it. *If you had a prime directive to protect all humans and their art, and aliens infected all the marble in our world. You could destroy the stones, but if you were faced with destroying a statue made of marble, could you not see that statue as being marble and destroy it? Remember, if you did not you would be allowing the marble infection to destroy humans.*
*Your analogy is meaningless.*
*I know. What I am trying to say is, if a wolf wears a sheep skin, it does not become a sheep. You are able to see the soul within. If the soul is of an adult and the soul is evil in that it wishes to destroy a child or a Cherinian, then the sheepskin disguise should not influence you. Your prime directive is to stop harm to a real child or to a good person.*
*Understood. If you attack a disguise, Robert, I will still be forced to attack you.*
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)15th June, 2019
- posted on Steemit: 15th June, 2019