
# My Inner Alien

## Left Hand Adventures Book 7

Arwen Jayne

Copyright © 2016 Arwen Jayne

All rights reserved

Smashword edition

While reference has been made to some actual historical events or persons and some real locations all other names, characters and places are fictional; the product of the author's over imaginative mind. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses or places is purely coincidental.

### Disclaimer

This book contains sexually explicit scenes and language that may offend. The author is not responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death resulting from use of information contained in this title.

### Acknowledgements

This book would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of my friends, my neighbors, my partner and my family. Thanks go to my wonderful editor Jen for her volunteering her precious time, for all the guidance and suggestions and for spurring me on to build my style. To my partner for his never ending patience, encouragement and advice on book covers, weapons and other assorted technology. A special thanks to all who have read my other books and have encouraged me to continue the series. That you have read and enjoyed the books means more than I can say. My partner took the photo for the cover of this book and a couple of my neighbors Chris Rayner and Fiona Weaver provided the hands. Fiona is also the owner of Kimba, the kitten who posed as Oscar/Meta on the front cover of A Lick of Immortality. Sadly Kimba's sibling Willow recently passed away after having a bad reaction to a tick bit but Kimba is now fully grown. Thanks to Dale Chaplin for reading the final draft and checking for continuity errors

## A lifetime ago

The little red haired girl watched as the polished wooden box with the shiny handles was lowered into the hole the adults around her were calling a grave. Everyone was dressed in black and very sad, except dad. He kept huffing and looking at his watch. Her mum was one of those who was sad. She wished there was something she could do to take that sadness away. It had something to do with Gran. She sensed that much but couldn't make the link between the box and her mother's mum.

Later, after they'd returned from the funeral, the little girl found her mother in the kitchen, quietly crying as she peeled some potatoes for the evening meal. The child knew onions could make you cry but usually potatoes didn't. "Mummy?" There were so many adult words she would have liked to have said but they didn't seem to be in her brain yet. Daddy had told her once that time would put more words there but for now she hoped her tone of voice would express her concern. Mum didn't seem well. Mum was her world. She needed to fix Mum.

Dad stormed into the kitchen. "Good grief woman. You blubbing again? Death happens. Get over it. I don't need you to be setting a bad example for the kid." He yanked the child from the room, found a chair and seated her on his lap.

"Mummy sad." The little girl wanted to go and heal her mum of her sadness. Couldn't daddy see that?

"Mummy will be alright. She just gets a bit over emotional at times. Emotions get in the way honey. We're better off without them. Look at the mess they're making of your mum."

The little girl nodded in understanding. The emotion things were causing her mum's sadness. They must be like germs. Dad had once told her germs were bad so emotions must be bad too.

Daddy saw the understanding in her eyes. "Good girl. Now go and wash up and put a clean dress on. It looks like you and I are going out for a pizza tonight. You'd like that wouldn't you honey?"

The little girl smiled her pleasure. "Yes Daddy."

  1. **Present day, the Republic of Carpathia**

I looked around the small but lively control room and felt instantly at home. The Carpathian television news team was a fair way into putting the nightly news to air. Mike my cameraman and Steve my soundman quietly lugged their equipment into the back of the room and took a place beside me on the back bench. We'd been allowed in before the end of the news only because we knew the drill: shut up and don't distract the production crew until it was all over.

Our arrival hadn't escaped their notice though. The technical producer, or TP, sort of co-boss along with the program's producer, gave us a nod of acknowledgement and turned back to keeping an eagle eye on the vast array of monitors before him. I don't read Rusyn, Hungarian or Romanian or whatever language they'd used to label each monitor but I could guess their function. An international satellite feed would be one. That would be the one up in the top left corner. There in case some earth shattering news broke and they needed to change the news on the run. Yes their country was now in a different dimension to the rest of the world but that hadn't stopped their technical people from bogeying up a feed from the main news service feed, Reuters.

Three monitors were showing feeds from the remote controlled cameras on the studio floor. A relaxed and genial looking lighting guy and an intensely focused woman on camera control each had their own monitor, to pull up any camera shot they wished to check.

Camera control? You know, contrast, exposure, remote control movement of the camera, zoom in, zoom out, that sort of thing. The producer, in his Italian suit and flamboyant neck tie. His tall, leggy model of an assistant with her overly permed hair and six inch heels, clutching her stopwatch. The scrawny nervous guy switching between cameras, his hands trembling over the buttons. All three had the center of the desk that ran the full length of the room, with the best view of all the monitors. The acutely observant technical producer, aka the TP, had his own place next to them. He was the true power in the room. Another lady, knitting in her lap, had been squeezed into the smallest possible spot at the end of the desk. She worked furiously to bring up the pre-typed names for the people interviewed, while multitasking to keep the autocue rolling through the written script so the newsreader wouldn't lose their place the screen they could see in front of them. In between crucial moments her hands managed to unconsciously make another stitch or two on her jumper's intricate cable pattern. Now there was a brain I'd bet Boswell's resident human biologist and geneticist, Jnarn, would like to study.

How can the newsreader see words on the autocue while the camera had an unimpaired view of him? Sorry but it's one of those technicalities I've never grasped. I just write the stories. Production is someone else's job. That's why I have Mike and Steve. Back at base we also now have a cute Maori guy named Ruru who edits up our stories and whacks them up on our online news site. Yeah I know, cute isn't usually used to describe a six foot eleven wall of moving muscle with a disarming grin but he is, trust me. He wandered through Boswell's portal not two weeks ago and he's already an indispensable part of the team.

The TP suddenly stiffens with tension and is pointing to the news flash on Reuters. "Căcat."

The swear word, which I assume means something like shit, instantly gets the producer's attention. I know this because he erupts into rapid fire dialog. Probably yelling into the news reader's earpiece to announce the story. The nervous guy on the vision mixer is holding a tremulous hand over a button on his console, waiting for the producer's command. On cue he punches it.

As the reporter on screen speaks, the poor woman who does the typing begins typing subtitles furiously.

"Last night Baja California started experiencing a swarm of tremors. By morning large sections of beach were noticeable by their absence. State geologists have confirmed that the peninsula is sinking, rapidly. The peaks behind me are the Peninsular ranges. It is feared that if the current rate of sinking continues these peaks will be little more than islands by the end of the week. Evacuations have already begun.

Elsewhere reports are coming in of a major and sudden increase in seismic activity worldwide. The sea floor is rising rapidly off the coast of Indonesia. Smoke and ash from Iceland's notorious Mt Eyjafjallajökull has, just now, put a stop to all European air flights. Mt Etna in Sicily is degassing but the mounting magma pressure under Mt Vesuvius is of more concern. Evacuations of nearby towns have begun with authorities taking the extra precaution of bussing people to shelters closer to the Italian alps. What scientists are termin explosive strombolian activity has increased in the Russian Kamchatka peninsula near the Karymsky volcano. A major eruption there could cause massive destruction to this pristine wilderness area and its endangered wildlife. Lava is leaking down the sides of Mt Rinjani on Lombok. The temperature in its crater lake has risen so high it's starting to steam. A large fault line is rumoured to have opened up near the Yellowstone caldera in the United States but the United States Geologic Survey people have dismissed the claim as scaremongering, saying such land slippage is common. Mt Colima in Mexico is continuing to erupt, as is Mt Tungurahua in Ecuador. Of two greater concerns, one is the escalating number of tremors around Mt Fuji which hasn't a erupted since 1708, and of course the big one: Mt Cumbre Vieja in the Canary Islands which if it goes could trigger a tidal wave that might take out much of America's Eastern seaboard. Ever vigilant geologists are monitoring the situation. At this stage none of the experts has a theory on why all this is suddenly happening but conspiracy groups have been quick to point the finger at a number of possible causes. Fracking, nuclear underground testing, draining of artesian water reserves, the Earth's dwindling magnetic field or that the Earth is simply sick and tired of us and is getting ready to evict us are just a few of the theories rumbling around the social media. The only thing that is certain is that if the current situation continues to escalate panic amongst the general population will be the least governments around the world will need to worry about. Nuclear power stations may need to be shut down indefinitely, food may become scarce if ash in the atmosphere causes a harsh winter and then there is the inevitable property damage with multiple consequences such as sheltering, feeding and rehousing people.

The escalating situation is already impacting the stock market with stocks in insurance, air travel and property markets crashing down by an astounding 60% overnight. Shares in companies that sell emergency supplies have been rising on fears of food shortages and humanitarian disasters. Some experts have been predicting a rise in the price of gold, silver and diamonds but as yet that hasn't happened. Many are saying you can't eat gold and that it is essentials like food, clothing, medicine and even batteries that will become the tradable goods of the black market if the current situation worsens.

We'll bring you updates as they come to hand."

Well shit! Simon, Boswell's seer and one somehow scarily powerful being, had predicted this possibility only last week. Was it just one of the likely scenarios or consequences he said they could expect from the impending shift in the magnetism of the Earth's poles? Can we do anything to avert disaster? More personally worrying, how's this going to affect my rather vocal subconscious, aka Trian? The alien I'm somehow linked to telepathically is imprisoned in a block stone that's currently all that's holding up the side of Cumbre Vieja. If the mountain blows he'll go with it. Into the deep sea trench off the coast of the Canary Islands. The whole reason we haven't rescued him yet was we didn't want to trigger that doomsday tidal wave, the one that now looked like happening anyway. _Did you catch all that Trian?_ , I queried. I didn't like admitting he was real but now wasn't the time.

_I did,_ came the short and worried response. _It appears our time is upon us._

And what the hell does he mean by that?

"Roll closing titles," came the order from the producer. At least that's what I assume the producer just said i as everyone suddenly started relaxing in their seats, shoulders unscrunching, teeth unclenching, worried brows easing. The gentle collective sigh that always followed a news bulletin that had gone off without a hitch. Chatter broke out as everyone started talking about the news flash. Well I assume that's what they're talking about. Time to quiz the lady with the knitting needles. She obviously understands English.

Walking over to her, bypassing the more senior members of the news team who seemed a mite surprised when I made a beeline for the lowest ranking member of the crew, I held out my hand. "Phoenix O'Halloran."

She accepted my offered hand, "Oana Ionescu, pleased to meet you. You're here with the Boswell film crew that's staying behind to use our studio."

"Yeah, we're going to set up once you guys clear out. By the way I was pretty impressed with everything you did tonight. That was quite a juggling act with everything they asked of you, not the least the translating on the run."

Oana beamed at me so much it made me think this was the first time anyone had ever noticed. "Your kind words are more than I deserve but I appreciate them none the less. Please, call me Oana."

I'd been hoping for that invite. I knew Carpathians could be quite formal with those they didn't know. "Then you should call me Red." I tapped the short boyish cut of hair on my head meaningfully.

She laughed. "You are indeed. We call that color roșu but somehow I don't think roses suit you."

"Oh you'd be surprised. They're a flower that can kick back. Smart plants roses. They invite you to admire them, smell them, touch their petals even but if you try to take one for your own they're liable to scratch or gouge you with a thorn." Sort of reminded me of how I kept men at bay. I'd let them look and admire, maybe take me out, even the occasional pleasurable one night stand but that was my limit. After that I'd keep them at arm's length, even snarl at them a bit if they didn't take the hint. I ignored the snigger in my brain. Obviously Trian had other thoughts, which I chose to ignore right now. "That's some cable you're knitting. Can I look?"

We chatted like that for a bit while Steve and Mike set-up. Adelaide and her brother arrived with Zak and Andrei not far behind. I realised I was keeping Oana from knocking off for the night. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you here so long."

"Not at all. It's been a pleasure. Maybe we're can catch up at a cafe somewhere in town tomorrow."

Well there was a nice invite. "Sadly I've got to get back to Boswell and as I haven't been able to learn how to teleport or any of the other abilities I was supposed to acquire when I got the DNA fix everyone else has had I have a lift I need to catch in the morning." I really would have liked to talk to her more. Unusual people fascinated me. I was sure there was a human interest story here. Yeah sad I know, that that was all I wanted from her. A friend? That would be nice. But no-one bothered once they got to know me. Only Mike and Steve, and perhaps even my ex-boss, accepted me for what I was, an abrasive hot headed story hunter passionate about her job. That didn't mean any depth of friendship, just understanding and the ability to work around each other's strengths and weaknesses. That's what a team was after all. Oh shit, she caught some of that. There's compassion in her eyes.

"Then I will come to you. Text or email me when you get time."

Smart girl. She'd already realised that you could add a lack of mind reading to my list of missing super powers, well, with the exception of my telepathic link with Trian but she didn't know about him. "Will do."

Adelaide tapped me on the shoulder. "We doing this?"

Oops. I'm already in trouble with the ex-headmistress of Boswell, now first lady of Carpathia. "Coming."

Adelaide laughed, obviously having read my thoughts, "You're not in trouble Red but for my own selfish reasons I'd like to get this done." She eyed her guys meaningfully.

I guess when one of your mates is the president of the country, a Martian born vampire and the other is the head of security who can turn into a werewolf, both stunningly attractive and oozing authority, then you might be been keen to play with them too. Not that the whole authority figure thing did it for me. I prefered my guys more malleable. Was that a faint cough in my head? You have something to say Trian?

_Who? Me? Just clearing my mental throat_.

But I could tell he was laughing. Sheesh.

The studio's floor manager, Ivan, helped us set up some chairs for the interview. He was staying behind to make sure we didn't mess with his studio too much. Smart man.

My guests seated themselves while Mike went to repoint a few of the lights. I didn't want to take away from the interview I had planned so I steered them into chatting about doings back in Boswell. "Hideo sends his regards."

"How's he settling into the headmaster role?" Adelaide queried.

"Loves it from what I can see and the kids love him too. But that doesn't mean he lets the kids ride roughshod over him," I added when I saw her frown. "From what I hear he's firm but fair. The kids know where the limits are and the consequences if they go past them. No-one wants to miss out on being in on the really cool stuff like excursions or being in the latest school play. He's pretty quick to give students wanting to do special projects extra resources if they make a convincing case. One girl's even building a modified drone for Sentient Species Liaison." Aka Boswell's team who looked after defence of our interests and liaised with the other sentient species on the planet. At least the ones who weren't our enemies, like the Din.

Adelaide seemed pleased, "I'd sensed as much but it's pleasing to hear."

"No regrets then, giving up your old job?"

Adelaide grinned, her eyes flicking to her two mates. "None at all. These two keep me busy and the new Institute of Metaphysics takes up a lot of the rest of my time."

Zak leaned forward in his chair. "How about the refugee situation. What's your take on that?"

I looked at him quizzically. "Thex didn't brief you?"

"Regularly, and I trust him, implicitly but it's always good to get another's perspective. Your's is rather unique since you're not plugged into the collective mind like the rest of us."

Who knew my handicap might be viewed as an asset. "The big problem is getting them through the portal. Most are traumatized and fearful of our offers to treat them with the genetic repair. They certainly don't believe us that it will make them immortal or let them see their way into any of the dimension of Faery's entrances. Can't really blame them after the hounding and victimization they've received for being 'different'. Whatever different is. I've always thought the whole idea of 'normal' as spurious at best. These people are special because they're already spiritually attuned to where Faery's at. We just need to get them over the hurdle of trust." I wondered idly if he had any ideas to remedy that. Of course he didn't miss my casual thought.

"Seeing is believing. We need to find a way to give them a glimpse of what we're talking about. Prove ourselves." He turned to Andrei. "We should meet with the alliance about this."

Andrei nodded. "Couldn't agree more."

Mike entered the studio. "Ready to go whenever you are. I'll control the cameras from in there. Steve's done his microphone checks and is in the sound booth. Maybe Ivan could give us a countdown so I know when to roll tape."

"Will do." Ivan assured.

We waited a moment for Mike to return to the control room then I gave Ivan the nod.

Ivan readied his hands to give a thirty second warning and then a ten second countdown. "Recording in five."

I continued the count mentally while watching his hands. Four, three, two, one. Turn to face the camera. "With me tonight are Carpathia's First Lady Adelaide Maddison, President Zakar, Colonel Andrei Lupei and Professor Khyen, Dean of Shang Studies at the new Institute of Metaphysics." Turn to guests. Smile warmly. "Welcome and thank you for making the time to come tonight. I know our audience has been waiting excitedly to hear first hand how you did what you did on Mars. Would you like to tell us?" I wasn't going to try and control who answered for them so I just looked expectantly at them and waited. Just the right amount of silence from the interviewer can be a risky but powerful tool, an awkward gap that invites filling.

They in turn looked to Khyen. I guessed a brief telepathic conversation ensued.

Khyen cleared his throat. "They do me the honour of thinking I know the most of the process but honestly you should have seen Adelaide at it. She was a natural."

"Adelaide is your sister." I prompted as this was a topic of much intrigue for viewers.

"From one of Adelaide's previous lives. She was Shang then. She gave up her mortality to incarnate into the lower dimensions, to do what she could to help and teach others."

I watched in fascination, out of the corner of my eye, as Adelaide blushed at this. I trusted Mike to get a close up of her face while I continued with Khyen. "What exactly is it the four of you did on the planet?"

"Essentially, dream yoga. Although we used an ancient artifact, a stone plinth within the five-sided Mars Pyramid, to accentuate our intent."

"And what was your intent?"

"To send positive healing energies into the planet. Honestly we're as surprised as everyone else that it worked as well as it did."

I turned to the others. "Do any of you have any guesses on why it worked so well?"

Adelaide pursed her lips, considering. "If I might hazard a guess I'd say we touched something up there. The mind of something else. Zak thinks it was the planet's guardian spirit."

"Is this true Zak?" I prompted.

"Honestly I'm not sure but I think so. It's the only explanation I can find for the results of our combined effort."

Which made me wonder about their individual roles. "What did you do Andrei?"

"Khyen and I were the firemen, so to speak. If Adelaide as fire and Zak as air generated too much psychic heat during the ritual we were there to cool things back down a bit with our predominant energies of water and earth, respectively."

"But the ritual wasn't dream yoga?" It certainly didn't sound like it to me.

"No, dream yoga is what got us all there together. The ritual was Adelaide's idea."

"You met up in the dream and each of you was conscious of the fact that you were in a dream."

"Exactly." Andrei agreed.

Okay, but I still didn't see the mechanics of any of this. "How could something you did in a dream affect a planet in real life?"

Khyen leaned back in his chair and suddenly appeared as wise and all knowing as he rested his hands in his lap one upon the other. "What you call 'real life' is only another layer of dreaming. How else is it that Andrei can morph into a wolf? That should be impossible, shouldn't it, but most in the dimension of Faery see such wonders every day. It's only the collective delusion of mankind that blinds them to the possibilities. When Adelaide healed the dream version of Mars her intent and her compassion made her dreaming real. As the only other sentient minds on the planet were all dormant, sleeping in the ground at the time, there was no combined effort from their minds that could naysay what was happening. The healing had unlimited power. Hence the vegetation growing around the equator by the time the sun rose on the planet the next morning."

"So let me see if I've got this?" As much for my benefit as my viewers. "Changing things inside a dream is possible but getting it to translate into reality means going up against collective belief."

Adelaide, Zak and Andrei nodded vigorously.

"Especially against your own disbelief." Khyen added.

"And you, Khyen, will be teaching dream yoga at the new Institute of Metaphysics in Carpathia." Wouldn't hurt to promo that fact for them.

"Both Adelaide and I. I'll teach the ancient Shang theories and techniques. Adelaide will supervise the practise."

"So where do I sign up?" I asked for my viewers benefit.

Khyen's eyes twinkled with some mischief. "Glad you asked. Your viewers can of course contact us through our website but we thought you might like a demonstration now. As we were discussing before the interview, seeing is believing."

Shit. I knew he could read my mind. He knew I hadn't meant any interest of my own but he was cornering me nonetheless. Er. Oh hell. Go with. "What did you have in mind? It's too early yet for any of us to be sleepy."

Khyen retrieved a pendulum from his pocket and held it in front of him. I hoped Mike was getting a zoom in on it on camera. "I can fix that. Adelaide, would you be so kind as to call up a circle of protection. Maybe we can also pause tape for a moment while the crew get a mat for you to lay on." He looked meaningfully at the floor manager.

I looked directly at camera and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I've stopped the tape." Came Mike's voice over the intercom.

Off tape I was less than polite. "What the fuck Khyen. What are you up to?"

Khyen merely seemed amused by my rant. "Simon and I discussed this. We thought a demo would give life to the story. You wouldn't want just a boring talking heads interview would you?" He had the audacity to smirk.

Gah! No I didn't like talking heads. I had planned to use some cutaways during the interview, showing the pyramid on Mars where they did the ritual and the new life blossoming at the equator. Still might but, yes, a demo would work. "Okay", I muttered. "We'll give this a go but I have to warn you I don't hypnotise easily. There isn't a spiritual bone in my body remember."

"Yet you live in Faery and come and go as you please. You are also Trian's chosen."

"Trian chose me, not the other way around and I don't exactly see these other beings we are rumoured to co-exist with. I'm here because Ang got me inside Boswell and I got Jnarn's injection. Science, pure and simple."

"Simple? It was a pretty amazing act of faith on your part to grab a lift into Boswell when all you could see outside of the window of the dump truck was a gaping hole in the ground."

I shrugged. What could I say? Sometimes I amaze myself. "Be that as it may I'm just a bog standard ordinary human. There's nothing special about me."

"I totally doubt that."

"Bet?"

"Shang don't bet."

"Oh come on. Live a little Khyen. Just a dollar."

Khyen frowned, pursed his lips, paused for thought and then seemed to nod to himself, having reached some internal agreement on the matter. "One dollar. Seven days from now, if I can't get you to admit that you are a key person in the drama that is unfolding in the world at this time I'll give you a dollar."

"Too vague. Define key person."

Khyen groaned. "You don't ever give up do you? Alright, how's this? By the end of seven days you will know that not only are you here on the planet now because of what happened in your one or more of your past lives but you will find a way past all your karma and all your so called psychic deficiencies. You will be able to explain your method for doing that in such a way that other "ordinary" non-spiritual people, like you label yourself, will be able to do the same."

"One dollar. Agreed." Couldn't really lose could I? Khyen had really backed himself into a corner with those specifics.

"Now that we've agreed on that can I badger you, your team and Ivan into giving me two hours of your time? That's all I'll need to take you into the first watch of a dream yoga cycle. You can go to your hotel after that", Khyen proposed, seeming to have some scheme on his mind.

I looked to Ivan, it was his studio after all. My team would follow my lead. As it turned out Ivan was more than curious and happy to stay behind free of charge. Although I guessed Zak would have paid for the extra staff and hire costs if it had come to that.

Settling down on the rug that Ivan had found in one of the upstairs offices I lay down and stretched out my legs. A sofa cushion under my head went the rest of the way to making me comfortable. Adelaide, Zak and Andrei had left, Adelaide giving me a thumbs up after she finished doing whatever metaphysical protective shit people like her did. Yeah I know I should be more respectful but just tell me, how do I respect something I don't understand, something I can't touch, feel, see or hear?

Ivan gave me a sign to let me know tape was recording. I eyed my instructor, none to sure of any of this. "All right Khyen. Do your best. But I warn you. I'm a dedicated insomniac."

"I only require two things from you: your willingness to do this and your readiness to follow my instructions."

I arched a brow. I never liked taking instruction. But even if Khyen didn't instill trust, which he did in spades, my team was here watching out for me. Just this once I suppose I could follow someone else's lead. "Instruct away."

Khyen retrieved the crystal pendulum from his pocket and dangled it before my eyes. "Pretty."

"Just watch it and without seeming terse can I ask you to stop speaking now unless you have a problem with what I'm doing."

Well that was the politest 'shut up' I'd ever had. "Sorry."

"Watch the pendulum. Watch its movement, back and forth. Back and forth. Feeling yourself sink and sagging into the rug. Letting go all the tension in your body. Just watching the pendulum and listening to my voice. Your breath is effortlessly slowing, deepening. Rest in that lack of effort. Rest and trust."

His voice was as hypnotic as the pendulum. I sank into the feeling of restfulness.

"Let your awareness rest on your throat and let out a great sigh. An ah."

"Ahhhh." Yeah that felt good.

"Feel the restfulness in your throat. It is warm there. Comfortable, spacious, silent. Rest in that silence..."

Resting in that silence...

I was standing in a modest sized room that looked to be the same type of crystalline structure found in the Rasselas community far to the south of Boswell but this wasn't the Rasselas. I was waiting for someone. How I knew this I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I took a moment to get my bearings. I seemed taller. A lot taller. Black hair, much longer than my own and curly cascaded down my shoulders. Ugh! I'd never liked black hair. Why was I dreaming this?

An attendant entered the room. In some way, I couldn't quite work out, he seemed familiar. "Communicator Fennica, I have the Malakim visitor outside."

A Malakim? Like the angelic beings who fought on our side against the evil that plagued our planet? "Let him in." I scanned my mind looking for my link to Trian, to quiz him, but he was either ignoring me or he simply wasn't there at present. That sudden absence was troubling, leaving me feeling empty. Bloody hell, don't tell me I'm getting used to our link. Shit. No melting into sentimental mush. And why had that guy just called me Fennica? Couldn't he pronounce Phoenix? Although some hunch said they might mean the same thing.

An alien entered unlike any Malakim I'd met. More wondrously beautiful than any I'd ever seen and that was saying something. The Malakim were an inherently handsome race of supernatural beings. Only this one had skin of olive green, deep, almost ebony eyes and jet black hair with two finely beaded braids offsetting otherwise straight unadorned hair that flowed down past his shoulders. He, well he looked sort of he-ish, had chiselled features that gave him an almost mesmerizingly primal appearance. Compared to my sudden height gain he seemed short but I decided that was purely relative. I didn't have any reference point but he seemed about five and half foot. Yeah I know I that's not a metric measurement. Call me old fashioned. Five and a half thingies were so much easier to visualise than 165 thingies.

I must have spent too long eying him as he seemed taken aback. "Is there a problem?"

"You're not Malakim."

He gave me an odd look then. "Technically I'm Arcturan but I've ascended, like all two legged sentient species can, to the ranks of the Malakim. I work on board the Galactic defense ship assigned to your quadrant. My role on board includes espionage and liaison." He must've noticed my frown at the former. "You have nothing to fear from me. I only came to bring a warning. I was told you were in charge of communicating such things to your people. Why the surprise at my appearance? Arcturans aren't exactly uncommon visitors to this planet. I do wonder though, how it is you know enough of the Malakim to know what they usually look like? The Malakim usually keep their dimensional distance, except for emergencies like this."

This was strange. The only Galactic spaceship assigned to our quadrant I knew about was Thex's and he resided on the planet. So how was it this guy thought we didn't know any? "Who's your commanding officer and while you're answering that kindly state your name and rank."

"I apologize for my rudeness Communicator Fennica. Your reaction just now caught me off guard. My commander, of course, is Alexios Thex. My rank is special agent. You may call me Trian."

"Trian!" My eyes bugged. "But you're trapped in stone somewhere on the side of a volcano in the Canary Islands."

Trian frowned. "You surprise me yet again. Your reaction indicates you know me."

And right now he was probably thinking me an unhinged nutter. Good one Phoenix. In for a penny in for a pound, I suppose. "I know all of you, Thex, Arion, Kiana, Orea, Zex. Do I need to go on?"

A brow arched deeply, curious. "How?"

"Because they live in Boswell. Well some of you do. The rest live in other pockets of Faery. Kaleem and you we've yet to rescue."

"Rescue? What exactly happened to us?"

He knew all this. Why was I having to tell him? "The enemy, the Din, Draconans, asuras, anti-gods or whatever you want to call them ... just before the ice age started 100,000 years ago you guys tried to stop them coming here to plunder our planet."

He looked even more troubled then. "But that is what we're doing now. They've already breached this quadrant. We believe they've launched an asteroid that, when it reaches its destination, will destroy the fifth planet from your sun. Our computer models have shown it will also cause untold devastation to the Lyrean refugee colony on the fourth planet. Even this third planet from your sun will not escape unscathed. We fear it will destroy one of the moons that orbits your planet, ripping away some of your atmosphere in the process and destabilising the climate of the planet."

"One of? There is only one moon. Hang on a sec." I went to a window to look out at the night sky. Shit. Two moons. Where the hell was I? When the hell was I? I remembered interviewing Inspector Wilson once about his teleporting back in time. But I didn't know how to teleport. How did I get here? Was I really just dreaming? Strange but something in my mind said there was something plausible about this reality. "Forgive me Trian. This dream is getting a little unsettling. I'm more used to hearing you in my head. My curiosity has obviously conjured you up in my dreams."

"I assure you this is no dream and ... you and I have a link?"

Warning sirens sounded outside, startling us from our conversation.

Trian winced. "I fear I am too late. I must return to my ship."

"Wait!" I had an idea. "We could go back a couple of months in time and give the needed warning."

"It's not possible to teleport through time."

"It is. It's been done. Kiana on board your ship has had warning, as did your council through Meta. A human named Michael travelled back and told them."

Trian shook his head as the very earth itself started to rumble beneath my feet. "Show me. Mindshare with me."

"I don't know how to do that. In the future, where my body is", I hoped, "most of us have devolved and lost such skills.

He stalked purposefully towards me and rested his forehead against mine, the sensation disarmingly intimate. "You don't need to know, just allow me."

Objects began falling from shelves around the room as the earth swayed. "Do it!"

In that moment his mind entered mine. It yielded in the face of all he had experienced in his life. His knowledge was immense. His compassion limitless. I shared his feelings. Feelings I thought I had shut off long ago. I observed my own pain and anguish from a childhood I had purposely forgotten. My shock at discovering Boswell undestroyed after the enemy had tried to destroy it. The DNA fix that had given me the vigor of my twenties even if it had given me nothing else. My link with Trian. I felt his surprise and then his elation. Then he tapped into my knowledge of what others in Boswell had done. Their stories. It all happened in the blink of an eye and then we were shifting through a vast expanse of whiteness. When it cleared I wondered where we were. It seemed like the same room but everything was back on the shelves. "What just happened?"

"Once I knew it was possible to travel back in time I did so. I brought us back two months, just like you suggested. Come love. We have much to do?"

"Love?"

"Indeed. Now if your past life memories serve me correctly we'll find your government leaders towards the centre of Lemuria's capital."

"Lemuria!" It made some mad kind of logic. I scanned my own memories and found that my past life here was just as open to me as it was to Trian. "Right, well follow me then." I paused. "What if I meet up with myself. Aka the version of Fennica that existed now."

"You won't. You are that Fennica. I only brought your dreaming mind back. You're as integrated with this week's version of Fennica as you were with her future self, two months hence. The version of Fennica who's here is now aware of all that transpired in two months time. By the way. Should I call you Fennica or Phoenix?"

"Just call me Red." I could hardly be formal with the only man I had ever shared my brain with. What did trouble me is that meant we had left the future Fennica to die in the cataclysm that was still happening in two weeks time, in her timeline. Damn. Well we'd just have to find a way to save this version.

I walked through the wall and Trian followed me. Yes through the wall. My Fennica part went through before I could question her intention or call out. "Um did I just do that?"

"Lemurians and Arcturians have bodies that are more light than matter. Being solid is optional. If you think about what you know of the makeup of an atom it's not such a stretch", Trian explained. "Each atom is but a tiny centre with a few electrons around them. Most of the atom is no-thing. For a mind used to that reality, physical boundaries are purely dream-like."

"How much nothing?"

"Oh, roughly 99.999999% give or take a bit."

"So my tiny little bits of matter just, what, just passed through the equally nothing atoms of the wall?"

"Pretty much."

Worrying, "and I didn't lose any of my atoms on the way or acquire any wall atoms?"

Trian laughed, much like a parent who'd just been asked something obvious by a two-year old. I refrained from throttling him. This time. "No. You have a concept field around you. Sort of like a computer program. A blueprint for a being like Fennica. It knows which bits belong to you so you don't lose any along the way."

"Are we talking morphogenetic fields?" I hoped I remembered that theory correctly. I'd had the pleasure of interviewing a renegade physicist one time. A guy who'd been a student of Rupert Sheldrake's theories. Most of the interview had gone over my head but for some reason that bit had stuck.

"A field that organizes cells into groups to form different organs, arms and legs etc. Hmm. Sort of. Think of it more this way. There's an energetic blueprint of a 'you' that exists on the higher planes and builds you from the ground up each time you come into existence."

"Like personality, eye and hair colour and so on."

"Sorry, none of that. Your concept field adapts its plan to whatever circumstances you're born into. You keep ingrained habits, thought patterns, aversions, likes and your soul's overarching purpose in being but that's about all. Any physical resemblances between each incarnation are usually the result of the above. You could just as easily be a different sentient species from the last time you came into existence."

"To what purpose? I don't exactly remember anything from my other lives."

"No but your concept field does. It evolves based on your learning in each lifetime. Changes in how you respond to situations that are presented to you life after life are recorded and alter the model. That sort of thing. As for your memories, your brain doesn't exactly record memories like a tape recorder. The brain's more like a scaffolding for your thinking to take place in, a kind of four dimensional connected mindmap. Memories, of course, are stored in the akashic field as impressions made by life's positive or negative effects on you. You can access those impressions anytime you want."

Yeah sure. Like I could do that. I was going to ask more but at that moment I had to stop myself from stumbling over a kamikaze ring-tailed lemur that ran across my path. The animal was followed in quick succession by several others. "Bloody hell." But they were cute. I'd only ever seen them on TV before. "So. Lemurs did evolve on Lemuria." I wondered what had happened to the rest of them after the coming apocalypse. "In my time they're only found in one island off the coast of Africa."

We entered the main government building. An impressive structure seemingly carved from one piece of marble. I'd seen this kind of building style before. In the building we'd just left, in the Rasselas and more recently in Zak's new palace in the Republic of Carpathia. The power of sound could be used to move and shape stone for construction. Nice that at least one thing here didn't surprise me. Accessing Fennica's memories I navigated us to where we needed to go. Weird was not the word. I had her body, her memories and mental faculties but I was still future me. I sensed her there with me but she wasn't fighting my presence. She'd known my agenda the moment I had arrived in her mind. Right now she was just observing. Not chatting back to me like Trian's future self sometimes did to me back home.

I baulked when we came to the administrator's reception area. "Tyra?"

The receptionist frowned. "What's up Fennica? It's not like you to forget how to say my name."

Oops. A name flashed up from Fennica's consciousness. "Sorry Teaira. I've had somewhat of a morning. Is the administrator in?"

She gave me another odd look. "You know she is?"

I do? _Of course you do. Reach out with your mind and feel that she is there_ , Fennica instructed. Hmm. How did I explain to my earlier incarnation that in a future world I'd lost the ability to do that. _You have?_ Fennica was shocked by my admission. But then I sensed it. There was a person in the office. "May I see her Teaira?"

"Of course. She's been waiting for you and the Arcturan visitor."

She had? "Oh, great. Ah do you need to announce us or something?"

Teaira laughed. "Really Fennica! She knows you're here. Go in!"

So, either there was no formality or Fennica was important in this place. I opened the office door and Trian followed. The face smiling back at me from the woman behind the large but plain wooden desk took me momentarily by surprise. Simon's mother, the Earth goddess. "Ma. How did you get here? Don't you and Simon come to this planet after the apocalypse, not before?"

"Did you think you and Michael were the only ones who could time travel?"

"But I thought Michael was the first?"

"He was but once we knew it was possible I volunteered to come to this point in the timeline."

"So after Michael came to warn you..."

"I travelled back a few years in time to establish myself here, working my way into my current position. Simon will come after events have taken their course. He was sure we could alter the timeline but he said we needed to be sure you turned up before we knew this was the version of the universe we needed to be in to make this happen."

Er? "The Malakim exist in a plane above all physical multiple universes?" I was stabbing in the dark with my guess but it was all that came to me.

"Not the Malakim but those who have evolved beyond their level do. Good to know you're up with popular science though. Now you are here I will let the meta beings know that is the timeline we will seek to fix things in."

"And the other versions of the physical universe?" Trian asked with concern.

"Once we effect a repair in this universe we'll know more about how to fix the others."

"So the Din succeeded in coming to Earth in each of these versions of reality."

"Not all. In some Thex's team were never captured. They countered the invasion before it progressed to this stage. Sadly though, those realities didn't turn out as we hoped. It appears we need to let the Din invasion happen in order for our final end goal to be achieved."

"And what end goal would that be?"

The goddess gave me one of those annoying smiles. You know, the one that says I know but can't tell you. I guess goddesses were allowed to be irritating. "To tell you now might alter events unfolding in your time. I can tell you this." Her annoying smile softened as she sort to appease me. "As you know the human body is an energy system. When it gets either a physical blockage like a blood clot or a metaphysical blockage of a chakra the person gets sick. The universe works the same but on a vaster scale."

"The universe has a blocked chakra?" Trian, at least, seemed to understand where she was heading with this.

"Exactly. Right bang smack in the fourth chakra, keeping energies stuck in the lower three chakras. Or at least that is what will be the case. The Din greed for financial and physical comfort at the expense of the rest of the cosmos has caused an imbalance, sorry, will cause. The souls on one planet in particular will be altered so that they feel separate from each other and from the all-spirit. This will cause them to be caught in an infinite loop of lives going nowhere. Or worse, devolving. The physical world was meant to be both a science lab and a playground. A place to try things out and then to evolve on to other experiences before returning home. The energy that should flow into the heart chakra of the universe is needed or they won't get there."

"Sounds bad."

"Very bad. A misery of suffering for those caught in the blockage."

"And let me guess. The planet with the blockage will be right here."

"Yes, but it's even more complicated than that. The Draconans or Din as we call them have moved planets, even galaxies, many times. This isn't the first time we've tried to undo their mess. We fix the infestation on one planet and they just pop up somewhere else. What we're trying to effect is a more permanent fix."

"And then the universe, all the universes, can get back to being what they were meant to be?"

"That's the hope."

"How do we help?"

"I need you to convince the Lemurian high council to listen to you. I'll set up the necessary meetings and call you tomorrow once they're ready for you. But it's not going to be easy given the far fetched nature of your current existence.

"Yeah, how does that go again? A devolved future version of me is dreaming she's here inside an earlier incarnation of herself and wants to warn you about a calamity that's about to befall your planet. One not even your best scientists have foreseen."

Ma sighed. "Get some rest. We've got some long days ahead of us."

I headed for the door but then turned back. I had one more question. "Does Teaira know she's Simon's mate?"

Ma winced. "No and don't you tell her. Don't even think it around her as most here are telepathic. You could alter the timeline irrevocably. She's destined to die in the apocalypse. Simon's not fated to meet her yet and she's not yet the evolved soul he needs as his immortal companion.

"Harsh."

"Needs must. We are fighting for the freedom and happiness within all the universes. Simon will understand. You are familiar with our way of reproduction. He was born of the light of my love. Born from my profound wish for all beings in this trap to find a way out."

"So he's your tool."

"No, he's my son."

"So why's Tyra here now?" I just couldn't let my journalist's curiosity rest.

"The soul fragment in question has and always will be the that beautiful combination of a compassionate and intelligent human being. She has an innate ability to organise information and ferret out the good stuff, in order to help others. That and her affinity to the earth and plant life in general attracted me to her when I came here. I felt her vibration and sought her out to employ her."

"So no happy ever after for her just yet."

"I'm sorry. No. Not in the probable futures as they presently stand but they will cross paths from time to time in the future."

I pursed my lips. Not entirely happy at lovers kept apart. Where was the romance in that? At least they'd find happiness together in the long run. "Okay, so tomorrow then."

"I'll send someone to collect you and Trian."

Trian, who had been keeping awfully quiet but watchful throughout the exchange nodded at the goddess. I thought I saw a fleeting expression of a smile pass between them but, no, I must have been mistaken. I was after all rather good at catching people's micro expressions so if it had been there I would have seen it.

Trian and I were quiet in thought as we left the government complex. It was beyond strange to not be hearing his thoughts. I looked up into the hills where Fennica's memories told me my current home was.

"You're not thinking of walking up there are you?" Trian asked as he followed my gaze.

"Er, got a better suggestion?"

"Teleport."

"I don't know how. You really need to get your head around the fact that I am that devolved."

"Not devolved, just a little constrained. Anyway, Fennica knows how. Let her get you there. I'll follow."

Oh, that was right. Trian had no where to stay. "So...you're coming home with me."

"If I'm going to be your mate one day it would seem sensible."

He had a point. And quite frankly I was curious too. I'd never had access to him in this form. It was less intimate than in my mind but I'd so wanted to meet him in the flesh. To know if he was good looking or ugly. Humanoid or terrifyingly alien. Here he was and I could find out all I'd been itching to know. "I'd like that." I sent a thought to Fennica, hoping she was on the job, _Can you get me up there? Looks like a three hour walk otherwise._

_No sweat._ Fennica was already starting to sound like me.

The world went white for a moment then I found myself beside Trian, except now we were walking through the lush jungle of the hillside. "Amazing."

I looked at Trian who hadn't even broken a bead of sweat in concentration. "You sure you're not a meta being?"

"I'm not a meta being but I am Arcturian. Acturians don't buy into the realness of the physical world as much as you guys. No biased beliefs about what's physically possible. It gives us a lot more scope to play with our existence."

"But you will still end up in stone like all the others."

"So I deduced from what I could find in your mind. I'm kind of scratching myself as to why I'll allow that to happen. I should be able to will myself away before any harm comes to me."

"Arion and Thex once told me the Din had used, sorry will use, some sort of special constraints that will stop you all being able to do that."

"Even so."

I couldn't blame him if he felt peeved at his future fate. My legs paused as we neared the entrance to a small stone hunt. Hardly the accommodation I'd expected given my supposed rank in this society yet I recognised it from Fennica's memories. "Here we are, I guess." Intuitively I placed a hand on the center of the front door and it opened to my touch. "Wow, the biometric sensor must be integrated within the wood. I want one. No more keeping track of keys. I'll have one on my motorbike too."

"Like that thing parked among the trees over there."

My eyes lit. "Yeah, like that. I guess some things do stay the same with me from incarnation to incarnation."

"Its got to be an ingrained desire that's embedded in your concept field."

"The uh? Oh yeah the prototype me."

"So you were paying attention then."

I rolled my eyes. "Well of course." Mostly.

"You do know I can read your mind."

I bit my bottom lip and did my best cute act. Trian laughed. It was such a delight to hear that laugh in the flesh. "Come on green man. Let's see what's inside."

He frowned. "I'm not not that green. You make it sound like I'm the color of the jungle."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, where I come from there's a bit of a myth that all aliens are little green men." Maybe not all. "Or grey with almond eyes."

Trian sucked his breath in. "For all-spirit's sake stay away from them. They're not inherently evil but they're scientists with no ethics when it comes to other life forms. They'd have you in a lab and dissected in less than a blink of an eye. And that's if you're lucky. They're known to implant electrodes and give electrical shocks to their test subjects, just to study the results."

"Er." Best to change the subject. "So stay away from Greys. Got it." And I'd thought they'd just been a product of sci-fi movies and internet conspiracy forums. "Fancy a drink."

"Water thanks."

Which brought me to the next obvious question. Could my dreaming self eat.

_Of course I can. You going to starve me or something?_ Fennica queried.

I tapped my head meaningfully. "Fennica thinks food is in order too. I'll go see if I can find a kitchen."

"A what?" Trian and Fennica queried at the same time.

"You know. A place to prepare and cook food."

Trian wrinkled his nose in disgust. Hard to hide that look. "The forest's all around us. Why would you do anything other than browse for your food, fresh from the trees and shrubs?"

"Usually other people grow food, it gets harvested then stored, then distributed to other storage houses called supermarkets. People buy what they want then take it home and cook it."

"Cook it?"

"You know heat it to kill off any bugs and fungi that have moved in during days or weeks, sometime months, in storage."

Trian just looked at me dumbfounded then shook his head as if to clear it. He nodded to a nearby stream. "Come, let's drink then I'll show you how to forage." Which he did. He spent the next half hour showing me how to find the freshest, most energetically vibrant leaves and fruits in the forest and how to heal and strengthen the plants we grazed from, by way of thanks. Light energy pulsed from his hands as he stroked each plant gratefully. The plants responded by, oh I don't know, glowing brighter. I got a sense that given a day or so the plants would show new growth and flowers, much like what happened when Tyra tended Boswell's extensive town gardens back home.

"This is all very well Trian. I can see the benefits. But what about when you're not living in the tropics? You know, when all plant life is under feet of snow."

"Why on earth would anyone want to live in such unfavorable conditions."

"Try nearly eight billion people on the planet, all competing for space and trying to stay away from war mongers and the criminally intent."

"Eight billion? You've got to be joking. This planet could never comfortably support so many."

"Well we will. Which means harvesting from forests will become unsustainable. Taking anything from the few remaining wild places on the planet is likely to get you into serious trouble with the authorities who protect them. A lot of species will be endangered."

"So you have no choice but to eat dead food?" He looked as horrified as he sounded.

Where was one of Boswell's horticulturalists when you needed one? "Some of us still grow our own vegetables. Root crops we leave in the ground through winter, until we need them, or store in a cool basement called a root cellar. Seeds and nuts we harvest in autumn and grind into all kinds of flours. Some seed we use to make sprouts, using indoor light and a warm place like a windowsill to germinate fresh greens in the winter months. Greenhouses that protect plants from frosts also extend our harvest season. Some food, though, just isn't edible unless you cook it. It converts starches into sugars we can digest and breaks down plant poisons. Doing that gives us a lot more plant species to choose from." I hoped I'd covered it.

He looked thoughtful. "I suppose, as long as you chose the best and freshest ingredients."

"You have no idea. Just wait until you try some of Jeff or Simon's cooking. Er..." I suddenly blanched as I remembered that was unlikely to happen for a hundred thousand years, if ever. "Forgive me Trian." I might not be much of one to feel guilt but I knew enough to apologise whenever I'd been insensitive.

Trian hugged me. "It's alright. By the sounds of it the future, outside of this dimension of Faery that you speak of, seems to be a complete and total mess. I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to see the destruction of such beauty as exists here." He gestured towards the forest.

"Speaking of beauty." Trian led me towards the trunk of a particularly majestic forest giant. "Lean against that."

He gave me a slight push of invisible energy that had me complying. "Um Trian, friend, pal, what ya think ya do'in?" Magically, as if moved by unseen hands, the fastenings on my shirt began to come undone.

"I'm creating some memories to keep my soul fragment warm in the eons ahead. Say yes."

Um, Fennica? You okay with this? I asked my current body's consciousness as Trian began undoing the belt that was fastening my tunic.

Are you kidding? I'm curious as all hell about what an Arcturian looks like naked.

Not him. How do you feel being naked in front of him?

_I'm not ashamed of my body. Why would I be?_

Ugh. _Look, in my time some women are shy about being undressed in front of men. I was just being polite. Asking, you know._

Ah, I see. No I don't have a problem. Just you two remember that he's your lover, not mine. For me this is just a short term fling.

Alarm flooded my system. _I didn't say anything about having sex with him._

Whyever not? He's hot. You're not going to deprive me are you?

I rolled my eyes.

Trian watched the exchange, entirely too amused. No doubt following our mental conversation. "Don't you ever play in your dreams Red? This is just a dream for you right?"

"This dream is entirely too real and you know it."

"No, I don't really. All physical reality is a shared mental construct, a dream of sorts. What's the diff?"

I was vaguely aware that that was some philosophical idea. I searched through my brain. Descartes perhaps? Although more recently in discussions with Adelaide, after her experiences in the mountains. She'd tried to explain some such thing. Whatever. A dream. I could go along with that. So no need to get hung up on conventions, least of all about making out with an alien half my current size.

"If you get all hung up on size and shape you'll never get past first base. Look, through your incarnations you will be many sentient species, many skin and hair colours, many sizes and shapes. Close your eyes for a second. Image yourself your size in the future. Consider how that feels"

Yep, I could do that. That felt comfortable.

"Now imagine yourself, in quick succession, as a three foot dark skinned male, a tall white skinned female blond, an aging broad faced dweller from the cold lands to the North. If you were to experience lives as all those people what of you doesn't change."

Hmm. "An unlabeled core me."

"Well that's the you I'm attracted to."

Oh. That was kind of freeing. "So I could be any size or shape, old or young, frumpy or toned, brain the size of a pea or one the size of Einstein's, any race or species, and you would still recognize the 'me' me?"

"Definitely", he confirmed as he started to remove my shoes. "Not sure who this Einstein is but I don't think you'd ever have a brain the size of a pea," he added with a chuckle.

"I guess I feel the same about you. Although it's easier because I knew the 'you' you long before I ever got a look at your body."

He got me to raise one foot so he could remove a sock. "So it doesn't matter that I'm a five and a half foot exotically colored alien and you're currently in the body of a twelve foot predecessor to your future species?"

Twelve foot. Wow, that much. No guessing where all the legends of giants came from. "No. It doesn't matter in the slightest." I watched, as if watching a movie, as he removed the other sock. Why did Lemurians wear socks anyway? In the tropics?

_They're made of a lightweight protective material that wicks sweat away from our skin_ , Fennica attempted to explain but I could tell she was distracted. _And you've yet to see the size of our leaches._

Ugh! I scanned the ground for beasties but the ground was dry and sunlit. No nasties here. I hoped.

Trian had, in the meantime, succeeded in undressing the lower half of my body. I felt exposed, vulnerable. Yet my pulse hitched upwards. He turned that hungry gaze on me and it damned near sucked me dry.

My tongue wet my lips and I swallowed as I struggled to quench my suddenly dry throat.

"Afraid Red?"

"No." I lied defiantly. "I want your touch. I want to know you." That was more than true.

"Then my touch you shall have." I felt the brush of his mind against mine. He was looking for something. Ah, there it was. "I believe you are familiar with safe words."

"Ah. Yes..." Where was he going with this? Shut up common sense. Go with this. Fennica laughed at my mental antics. _Did I ask for a backseat driver_ , I mentally griped at her. She laughed more. I decided to ignore her. "Yes I know about safe words. Yellow if I'm starting to feel like chickening out. Red if what you're doing is a step too far."

"Chickening out ey. I love that phrase. So here's what I want you to do, if you're willing. Let me close your eyes."

Like in me close my eyes or he thought he had some way of doing it for me.

"Just say yes Red."

"Yes."

"That sounded slightly doubtful but I'll go with that. We'll work on your trust later."

My eyes closed involuntarily. I tried to will them open but they would no more comply than my body could step away from the tree. My pulse kicked up another notch but..."I'm still not chickening out."

"100,000 years Red. What you have to ask yourself is when is the Trian you know and trust?"

Hmm. I sensed a trick question. What had he gotten me to think moments before, about myself. "You're experiences change but your core is still you."

"Definitely not the brain the size of a pea," he murmured to himself.

Impossibly I felt an exhilarating brush of energy over my breasts, breasts that had been bared to the world when my fastenings had come undone. Trian wasn't that tall. How could he reach my breasts. But the energy did. It hovered, with acute precision over my nipples, until they were achingly taut. A brief spasm in my nether regions woke something in me, a gnawing need. "How are you doing this?"

"Shh, rest that busy mind of yours. I'll teach you how to levitate energy later."

If my mind had thoughts on that it was soon shut down when a way more physical sensation hit me. Trian's tongue. Oh, so he could reach there. Oh dear goddess...

Bit by bit I was losing control. Control I rather valued. I tried to resist the urge to give over to the pleasure.

Trian nipped my thigh. "Use your safe words if you must. Although I was hoping you would not." An edge of pending disappointment laced his words. "For my species there is no greater act of love than the act of surrender. We believe there is no love where there is control."

Shit. I was on the verge of stuffing this up for both of us. I turned my formidable will onto myself relaxing my muscles and let go.

"That's my mate." Trian took my surrender as his cue to insert a finger into me and returned to licking my nub with his tongue.

Moments later a second finger joined the first, then another. Oh sweet... Okay, giantess here. Not my normal size. Yeah I'd never had more than of finger or two deep inside me before but I could do this. I surrendered a bit more.

Trian purred again, I think he'd felt me yield. He used that moment to slide the rest of his hand inside my now soggy wet pussy. A moment's worry flitted through my mind. What if strangers were to pass by. What would they think?

_That I'd scored big time_ , Fennica answered, _now let it go and yield. I want to feel all of this. I don't want him to stop with worry for you._

"Use your safe words if you need Red." Yeah, he'd heard our exchange.

"No. I'm fine." And I was. I surrendered deeply into the sensations. There was no longer any I, only sensation. The slow, easy slide of his hand moving inside me. Oh...no...he's found my G spot. Uh..."shit. Don't stop. More. Go for it! Ah..." I screamed. I screamed so loud all the nearby birds took flight. All except the inquisitive flightless moa that had come to watch. The giant bird went running off into the forest.

Trian slept well in my bed, with me spooned protectively around him. I'd been worried about crushing him in my sleep but he'd assured me he wouldn't let that happen. In the morning we returned to the forest to let the morning rain wash over us then browsed breakfast. By the time we returned to my hut my assistant was waiting. Hell he looked familiar.

"Communicator Fennica, the council is ready for you and the visiting Arcturian."

"His name's Trian", I corrected his formality. But what the hell was this guy's name?

His name's Aruru. The name means someone attracted to the deeper aspects of life. Aruru lives up to that. He has a quick mind. He's indispensable. So be nice.

Aruru? Of course. Ruru times twice the height and with a more taciturn outlook.

You know him, Fennica commented, shocked.

_Yeah. Rather. And he's just as indispensable in my time_. _He works for me._ At least now I could do a formal introduction. "Trian meet Aruru. Aruru meet Trian."

Aruru offered opened hands, palms facing up, which seemed to be the Lemurian way of greeting. "Trian." He acknowledged with a polite nod.

_The hands gesture is our way of showing we're not hiding anything. It's just symbolic._ Fennica explained. _Probably some hangover from more primitive times when you needed to know strangers didn't have a concealed knife in their hands._

Trian, at least, seemed to know the gesture and offered open hands in return. "Greetings Aruru."

If we thought to make a quick trip to our meeting we were wrong. Trian's energy field had Aruru and me suddenly up against a wall. He moved his hands to his lips in a sign I interpreted as keep quiet. He confirmed that by nodding, he'd caught my thought. He held up one finger and then a hand vertically. The moves looked enough like stuff I'd seen in modern military maneuvers I'd covered in Iraq for international TV that I knew he meant to wait a minute while he went to check something. Then he teleported out of sight.

Aruru looked at me, confused and worried. He tapped his forehead meaningfully, I think suggesting we communicate telepathically but though that might work for Fennica it didn't for me. Oh, hang on. First good idea of the day. _Fennica. Can you tell him you've got a headache or something, either that or relay messages._

_Oh so you need me now. Consider it done. Aruru was just wondering what the Arcturian's hunting. He recognised it as their full hunt mode_.

_He's eaten and I think he's vegetarian anyway_.

Not food, prey.

_Oh._ I had an uneasy feeling. _Let's just hope for the best shall we. Maybe he's just being vigilant._

We waited.

Two locals were walking our general direction. They looked harmless but I sensed unease from Fennica. _There's something badly wrong with their auras. Can you see how something is shadowing them?_

I can't see auras Fennica.

Fennica mumbled. _You're my future. What did I do to devolve so much?_

_Cut it out will you._ I griped right back at her. _I'm immortal and you're not so take that._

Immortal? As in you can live beyond the 30,000 years Lemurians do?

I did a mental shoulder shrug. _Stuffed if I know. I've only been alive on this planet for thirty six years, though these days I'm biologically closer to twenty five. Since I had the retrovirus that healed whatever the draconians did to humans to give them a lifespan of only sixty to a hundred years._

Fennica's horror hit me like a wave. _But at sixty you would still be at school. A life so short. How will humans ever manage to rebuild after the draconians destroy our civilization?_

Don't underestimate us. We're a tenacious lot.

Our conversation was put on hold when the two strangers, who were now closer, suddenly fell face first to the ground. Trian appeared on top of them. Holding them effortlessly. From somewhere on his person he manifested two sets of hand restraints and secured them. "Show yourselves!"

A shadow separated from each of the humans and took solid form. I held my breath. I'd seen their like before. Two huge lizard like creatures with heads that were uncannily lion-like but with scales instead of hair. They made no effort to move either away or towards us. As if held like statues by some invisible force. They looked for all the world just like Boswell's own hybrid shapeshifters.

"They're Din." I was probably stating the obvious.

A strange but deadly looking weapon materialised into Trian's hands. "By the authority vested in me by the high council of the Malakim I pronounce the highest sentence on you for trespass of this world. Have you anything to say before I disperse you atoms back to the source from which they came?"

They just glared at him.

Shit, what if they were Boswell's future reformed Din? Two in particular who'd had their karma erased by the very same administrator, aka Earth goddess we were on our way to pick up. "Trian, wait! Ask their names."

Train paused on the trigger. You heard the lady. Answer with your names or I will extract it from your minds by force.

Er, this was a way more deadly and dangerous side of Trian than I'd seen before.

The two beasts looked at each other for a moment then shrugged their shoulders. "He's Upal and I'm Mendal. What of it?"

"You can't kill them Trian. They're mates of a good friend of mine. Or at least they will be in 100,000 years time."

The one named Upal spat on the ground. "We would never mate a human. Even if we condescended to do such a thing it would only kill her. We can only mate with one of our own kind and they are nearly extinct. We don't know why."

Knowing Trian had them held fast I got up my courage to walk right up to them. "Trust me. One day you will be given an opportunity to ditch Sakla, gain immortality and if you're really nice and sweet to my friend you'll win her as your mate."

"Each of our kind must have their own mate. We don't share. It's not possible."

"You will. Look I'm just saying. When the time comes, many millennia from now, don't throw the opportunity away because of your doubt now. Remember what I've told you."

"We will remember what you have said. Although how we will do that if we are about to die is a question." The beast who was speaking looked to Trian.

Trian sighed. "Actually it's not in the nature of Arcturians to mete out judgment. That's usually my boss's job. I was only going to do so because it was me or no-one. I doubt the authorities here would have an effective way of killing you. Now piss off. Back to your boss. And if I see any of your kind back here I'll shoot first. Is that clear."

"Can we have our host bodies back?" The other asked. "We're kind of conspicuous like this. We'll return to where we have our glider hidden and then ditch our hosts unharmed. They won't remember anything."

Trian looked to me. "You know these two better than I do. Can I trust their word?"

I wouldn't lie to Trian. "Probably not as they are now. The future versions, yes you could. But honestly Trian, the Din only infect the auras of those who are already weak willed and evil."

"You're asking me to consign those humans, he pointed to the two nearby comatose bodies on the ground, to a probable death." No he wasn't happy about this.

I stuck my finger out and poked Upal in the chest. "You will answer to me. Make no mistake about it. I will remember this. If you don't want to balls up what future you might have millennia from now you will not harm them. I will know and my wrath is not to be trifled with. Is that clear."

Upal rolled his top lip back. I wasn't sure if it was a smile or a snarl. "You have my word human."

I wished I could extend his promise to leaving this whole planet alone but I knew that was off the bargaining table. They had their current boss to answer to and from what I knew of him in the future he wasn't a boss you trifled with. "Go!"

Reluctantly Trian released them from his invisible hold. They faded back to shadow form and merged back into their hosts' auras. The two human hosts awoke, restored but startled. They took one look at Trian and his gun and went running.

Aruru was not amused. "There's no knowing what intelligence they're taking back to their mother ship. We should have called the authorities."

I placed a firm hand on Aruru's shoulder, reassuringly. "Ru. You need to trust me on this. There's a lot going down here. Timelines that go on for eons that must not be altered, at least not unfavourably."

"A timeline that involves a Draconian invasion and destruction of Lemuria?"

I took a deep breath. There was no easy way to say this. "Yes. But not total. That's what we trying to ensure. We need to get to this council meeting to make that happen and we're already running late."

Aruru looked me directly in the eye. I held his gaze as earnestly as I could, trusting that he had known Fennica a very long time, enough to trust her. He sighed momentarily then nodded. "We'd best teleport the rest of the way. We'll stop at the administrator's office to collect her on the way."

Teaira looked up as we entered. "Oh, good. You're on time."

Just. But yes we were. Bloody hell, I couldn't look at Teaira and not think of her future self. Their size and colouring were different but there was that essence there that shone out through her eyes.

The administrator smiled knowingly as she watched my struggle. Damn it. She'd done this on purpose. "Why?"

"From your perspective you're just in a dream Phoenix. You can hardly be held accountable for what you dream. Just do me a favor and don't implicate Fennica. Don't say it."

I grinned. I liked the conspiracy. I waggled my finger at Teaira, hoping like hell it wasn't a rude sign in this culture. "Come here Teaira. Come and read my mind."

Teaira looked uncertainly at her boss.

Ma just shrugged her shoulders. "Don't look to me. I haven't the authority to interfere in this. But I will say this. Some opportunities are exceedingly rare, the result of beyond belief circumstances. Those opportunities for rare knowledge only come once."

Teaira considered that then rose from her desk and came to stand in front of me. "I don't know why the administrator is calling you Phoenix when you're obviously Fennica. Is it something to do with why you called me Tyra yesterday?"

"It is." The question was how I was going to let her tap my mind without tapping Fennica's?

I'll just step back from your consciousness for a moment. As the administrator said, I don't want to be implicated with interfering with the timeline. As it is I've caught a fair few snippets of the long-distant future.

Trian and I are already interfering. Who's to say that we not interfering in a way that was predestined.

Like stopping two Din from being obliterated?

Exactly.

Just be careful

I just want to show her her destined mates. Teaira has a right to that much.

You're a romantic.

_Hardly._ Maybe.

"What do you want me to do?" Teaira asked.

"I want you to read my mind. You don't need to share yourself. Just pick through mine."

"But surely you can just telepath me anything you want me to know."

"Actually I can't. Fennica can but not me. You'll understand if you'll just touch your head to mine. Go for it."

Teaira hesitated. "You're sharing Fennica's mind. Who are you?"

"Find out for yourself." I was gambling that curiosity was a defining characteristic of her soul. It was in Tyra.

Teaira rested her head against mine and instantly I felt her touch. Fortunately she'd taken me up on my offer for her to block hers from me. I really didn't need to be overwhelmed by more than I already was at the moment.A few minutes later she broke contact, astounded. "Oh, my. We really must get you to the council. This explains much."

"Did you see them?"

"My future mates, my future friends and family? Yes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will burn their images into my brain in the hopes that I will recognize them in my future incarnations." She looked to Trian with tears in her eyes. "I mourn for their suffering, your suffering, all of us. Go. You must convince the council to save what we can of this civilization. And above all, you Phoenix, must return home and look for what we manage to save."

I wasn't looking forward to waking up as much as I had. Yes I missed future Trian but I would miss this version, the one I could be with in flesh and blood. But... "I will and when I do I'll show Tyra all that I remember of our conversation and my time here."

"Thank you. Maybe I should have shared my mind with you. Then she, sorry I, could have that too."

I backed away to deter any attempt on her part to do just that. "I'm overloaded as it is T. You'll find a way to access those memories for yourself once you know of your past existence. You're one of the brightest of us after all."

Teaira beamed her pleasure but shook her head anyway. "I somehow think I'm not the only bright one in this future we hope to create."

The council was not easy to persuade. It took us nearly a full week of our precious time to convince the government about what was going to happen and start acting on a disaster plan. When it came to his knowledge of the Din, Trian was able to clearly outline his knowledge of the enemy and their usual strategy. Apparently there were enough instances of them using asteroids and meteorites to wipe out opposition in their relentless path across the galaxy that history stood for itself. If the Din came to this solar system logic said they would likely wipe out planets that had no worth to them. Sanctuary and Mars, the fifth and fourth planets from the sun, had no gold. Earth did. Its likely future would be worse than outright destruction. The Din would use whatever means to send civilization on the planet back to the stone age and then put the remaining humans to work in their mines.

Trian was no scientist but when it came to convincing Lemuria's scientists our first hand accounts of the future gave them enough to project the likely consequences.

What the Din didn't know is that we weren't as helpless as we seemed. We could see to it that any survivors were able to hide in plain sight. Underground mostly. In the most geologically stable parts of the planet. A few Lemurians and at least some of their precious knowledge would survive. Life might never be as comfortable again, well not for a bloody long time but there was hope now where there had been none before.

Word had been sent to the planets further out from us. The Sancturans on the fifth planet were opting to evacuate to Earth as their faeries were apparently related to our fairies and they were on good terms with them. The Lyreans on the fourth planet would bunker down in their underground cities. I tried to convince them they wouldn't escape unscathed but belief in my knowledge of the future only went so far.

It was now the day before Trian was due to visit me, in his original timeline. Soon he would return to his spaceship, to await his fate. I would join one of the groups evacuating.

Having told Trian about the other sentients on the planet we'd met with them and managed to persuade them to give as many Lemurians as possible temporary sanctuary. A daunting task given that the Lemurian empire spread out across the three huge islands of Kemuria, Indonesia (a large landmass in its own right, not a stack of disparate islands) and Hawaiiki as well as numerous smaller islands like Madagascar and the island of Wa which would one day become Japan. The Faery, who existed openly in Lemuria, decided it would be prudent to take part of the world into a parallel dimension. A biologist named Zalmoxis agreed to be part of this plan and set up a kind of land based ark to preserve some of the species that would otherwise be wiped out in the expected disaster. Lemuria's archivists and librarians persuaded the Faery into also taking with them most of their writings including precious crystals that were used like computer mainframes. The crystals could store many exabytes of data. Even if Lemuria's paper-based writings decayed over time the versions on the crystals were likely to survive. We would rely on our sentient allies to know when the time was right to release them back to our descendants. The Shang said they'd tough it out in their mountain refuges and if needs be would move part of their kingdom into the parallel dimension as well. The Delphines would stay to watch over the oceans, trusting in their guardian goddess to ensure the future of their kind. After the apocalypse a few brave Lemurians would volunteer to return and reseed civilisation in this dimension. My Fennica self agreed to be one of them, even though, knowing as I did, that the Din would mess with their DNA and reduce Lemuria's descendants to little more than slaves, unaware of their true potential or indeed their innate connectedness to each other and to all other life on the planet. This left me both proud of Fennica and embarrassed that my Phoenix self was one of the psychically, spiritually and physically limited humans who would populate the planet in the future.

Anticipating the morrow Trian and I opted to spend what was left of the afternoon at the beach. Our time together had been short but intense. Now that time was slipping away.

_I know a secluded cove not far from here_ , Fennica offered.

Lead the way.

The place she guided us to was pristine, like much of Lemuria. The people were in tune with the environment, understanding their deeply entwined connection with it. Lemuria was an immense civilization but somehow it managed to keep its impact on the planet minimal. Most people were too busy being simply happy to be bothered about stuff. The climate was blissful; warm with the occasional evening or morning shower of rain. Storms were rare and mild. People had houses but mostly they were just a place to sleep. If you asked any Lemurian if they worked and in the face of their blank stares tried to explain the concept to them they would laugh at you. Most did what they did because they were naturally good at it and it pleased them to share the results with others. Boundaries between what I would categorise as work and pleasure were non-existent. Even in the council meetings we'd had the councillors would stop occasionally to play music while the others gathered round to sing, dance or just listen. Joy, good humor and an unspoken tolerance of each other's eccentricities laced Lemurian life like a fine wine with a good meal. It was integral. I'd loved it here.

Trian sensed the ache in my heart for my impending paradise lost. He hugged me close. "We've done our bit to ensure that what follows the coming destruction will cycle up to an even better version of paradise."

But this one would be lost. I was reminded of something an ancient greek philosopher had said. Heraclitus I think. "All flows, nothing stays."  
"Huh?" I'd clearly lost him which didn't happen often.

"It means no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

"You're forgetting something important you've learnt while you've been here."

I was? Oh! "So places are like beings. They might change but something at their essence never changes."

Trian nodded, pleased I'd grasped it. "You'll find your paradise again. It won't be the Lemuria that exists here but the seed of what's here will blossom again. It will have another incarnation. Come, let's go for a swim. Time's escaping and the future is catching up with both of us."

Like Trian I wanted to make the most of what was left of our 'physical' time together. I followed him into the sea, completely naked to the elements. Together we swam out over the coral reef, glorying in its beauty. The warm blue-green waters of the ocean washed away our sense of impending loss. Schools of brightly colored coral fish swam under us. Flying fish jumped over us. The sun beat down on our backs but I knew it wouldn't burn us. The upper atmosphere, in this time, was much thicker, or so the Lemurian scientists had explained.

We swam back to shore and found a grassy patch under a coconut palm. A place to take our rest under while the breeze from the sea dried us. I felt Trian's energy field brush against my skin. An invisible force caressed my jaw before parting my lips. This was Trian's way of saying he'd like a kiss. I watched as he stretched his green naked body out on the grass, waiting expectantly. Before coming to Lemuria in my dreams I might have seen this as weak and unassertive but with Trian I knew it was his loving way of being uncoercive. He trusted me to read the signs he was sending, loud and clear.

I lowered myself to hands and knees and stalked towards him, until I was over him, dwarfing him with my size.

He watched me with anticipation.

I lowered my head to his and stroked his lips with my tongue. He grabbed my tongue between his lips and sucked and ...oh! Melting core! My cunt clenched and I groaned.

"On your back Red."

Goddess, he was going to look after me. Yep I wanted that but I'd kind of thought of gently sucking him off first. Given my relative size gentle was a must. We hadn't been able to have any 'normal' sex because of our size difference but that hadn't stopped us doing plenty of oral. Not to mention his fingers, which he'd skillfully used on me frequently. "I want your last time to be good Trian. Your haven't exactly got a lot to look forward to."

"Its not as bad as you think Red. Yes I will allow fate to unfold so as not to alter our timeline terribly but that's not to say I need suffer while imprisoned in that stone. Not like some of the others you have told me on will suffer. I will connect with my core and rest in it until I feel your future incarnation. Then I will watch over you, as best I can, until such time as I can begin to communicate with you. Time and space will cease for me in the interim. Doing that will preserve my sanity but I will also gain much from my intervening communion with my core. Now, lie down. What I have in mind requires two things. Me to be fairly creative with my energy field and you to trust me."

"You have a thing about me trusting you."

"Trust is the backbone of Arcturian relationships. Your surrender is a gift I treasure above everything except your love. What I'm about to do might freak you out but you have to know I would never hurt you."

Worrying, but okay, I did trust him. "Just spit it out Trian. What is it you want to do?"

"I want to enter you."

Oh, that didn't sound so bad but, "I thought we couldn't do that."

"Not the way you're thinking. Let me show you in a small way first." He brushed my arm with his hand. Nice. Then to my shock his hand went into me. Like passing through a wall.

I gasped then settled myself. "Okay, not what I was expecting but...okay I think." Wasn't sure it was erotic but if he wanted to do it I could buck up my courage. "You want to pass through me."

"Not through you. Into you. I want us both to feel each other as one, our atoms mingled. It will be highly pleasurable for both of us. I promise you. If you were in your own body, not Fennica's, it would be like taking the Arcturian version of a marriage vow. As it is it is the highest form of offering I can make to you. That is if Fennica doesn't mind sharing the moment."

Is he kidding? I've only heard whispers of this. I want to know.

You know Fennica, we have a saying in my time 'that curiosity killed the cat'. Your curiosity is insatiable.

_And yours isn't?_ Fennica countered.

She might have a point there. "She's happy. What do I need to do?"

"Just let me kiss you. It might also help if you close your eyes, otherwise it might be a bit weird."

Weird yes but the kiss I could do. "Too easy." I closed my eyes. His warm lips met mine in the gentlest love filled brush I could imagine. Then his lips were mine. His eyes, ears and nose were mine. His brain was mine. An immense panoramic understanding of the universe swept over me. Then his heart met mine. Unbounded energy, magenta, white, gold, living colours of blue and green, the fire and passion of reds and tangerine burst forth from our joined hearts.

I woke crying, an absolute novelty for me.

Khyen looked most distressed by this. "Phoenix?"

Shit, the tape was still rolling. I'd better pull myself together. I sniffed away the tears and went on the attack instead. My habitual comfort zone. "You said only two hours not two months. And what the hell was that? That was no dream."

Khyen looked at me curiously then. "It has only been two hours. Time can warp in dreams. You'd best show me." He tapped his forehead.

I shook myself and stood. Khyen roused himself from the floor beside me as well. Then we touched our foreheads together. I was grateful when Khyen blocked me from his mind. Having been inside the past version of Trian's mind had been enough. I didn't need to be overwhelmed again and thankfully Khyen knew this.

We parted foreheads. It was then I noticed that Khyen looked most pleased.

"Impressive. A past life rewrite on your first try."

"Rewrite. What did I rewrite?"

"Patience Phoenix. All in good time."

"Patience? That word is not in my vocabulary and everyone damn well knows it."

"Some things are best left to reveal themselves."

"You can't give me a taster like that and then just walk away." Gods knew it was one of the more profound experiences of my life. Then there were those strange things called emotions. I wanted to sample those again. Just for the novelty of them you understand.

"What do you suggest?"

"Can't you. Oh, I don't know, give me some lessons or something? Just saying. It's your dollar you've bet. If you want to keep it you're going to have to show me more than that."

"You want private lessons."

"Well I can't teleport so I can't exactly come to Carpathia every five minutes can I. I have a job to do."

"You would like me to visit you each night for more sessions? Night being as in Boswell time?"

"Yeah, that'll do."

"Excellent!" He rubbed his hands together, having achieved some purpose. Then vanished.

"Well I never." Then I remembered Trian, hoping like hell our link had reestablished now I was awake and back in my own time. _You and I have some talking to do, mate._

Trian's warm laughter caressed my mind. _Yes we do._

Why the hell weren't you with me through that?

In your mind during the dream? It wasn't in this timeline was it. Why would I be there when I I'm here?

There was an aggravating kind of logic to that. _Well you could have shared the dream with me._

You're always full of interesting ideas Red. I'll think on it and see if there is a way we can do that in the future. But I'm seeing your memories now.

You don't leave me like that again, okay.

_I'll try not to._ A pause. _Is this you admitting you like me?_

"Oh, bloody hell!"

I headed back to the Hotel Karpattia, now a major stopover for all the visiting dignitaries of the alliance. Due to being a city with a full range of facilities and venues the Carpathian Republic was fast becoming the central hub of the growing Faery dimension. Yeah the Shang had a city somewhere in what appeared, to unevolved eyes, to be the Gobi desert but it was out of bounds to all except those they determined were spiritually advanced enough. Simon, Helena and Adelaide had passes to visit there but few others. Zalmoxis, another friend of the Shang, had a small city of his own in the middle of his zoological park but getting there meant getting past a number of highly dangerous 'extinct' animals such as saber tooth tigers, woolly rhino, aurochs aka giant wild cattle and any number of other mega-sized fauna. Although I kind of fancied getting a look at one of the diprotodons, giant wombats, that stood two metres at the shoulders. Their fossils, often found in old lake beds, were probably responsible for the many legends of bunyips among Australia's first peoples.

But Karpattia was a modern city. Sure it was going through the usual challenges that faced the pockets of civilization that escaped the normal dimension. Would people still do their jobs in an economy based on mutual contribution to each other's well being? Would they trade only with other parts of Faery of find effective ways to trade with the normal dimension? How would they support a population who'd just woken up to being as good as immortal, most telepathic and others with new skills that made some occupations obsolete. Yet everyone here seemed to be calmly going about their lives. Some were pursuing new interests in areas they'd previously had no aptitude for like science and engineering, musicology and sonic building construction methods. Some were suddenly passionate about caring for the environment, addressing social inequities or mentoring the young. Others, on a fast track to ascension, were enrolling in such numbers at the Institute of Metaphysics that the new college was struggling to cope. More Shang had volunteered their time to support Khyen and Adelaide in the new venture. Melissa came once a week from Boswell to teach a popular unit on pagan studies. Other sentients came to teach special interest subjects unique to their own cultures.

I wished them all well but right now I needed sleep.

## 2. Waking up

A pale light crept around the curtains of my hotel room. I activated the screen on my computer tablet. 5.40am. Bloody hell! My lift was leaving at 6.30. I cajoled my reluctant body out of bed and headed for the shower. The torrent from the high pressure nozzle did wonders. I gave an unspoken thanks to whatever had created water. I wasn't in the least bit religious but Boswell's local Wiccan priestess had done an interview with me once on the importance of the elements and the need to connect with them. Apparently such connecting with the elements was a particular shamanic way of restoring lost bits of the soul. I could do with filling in a few soul bits and I certainly had no trouble connecting with the water as it cascaded down my back.

Partially awake I headed to the restaurant downstairs and given my disappearing time opted for a smoothie. Made with fresh strawberries, chia seeds, dates, maca, coconut water and vegetarian protein powder it went down rather well.

I caught one of the nearly obsolete taxis in the city and made my way to the airport. I was on my own, Mike and Steve having already teleported back to Boswell the night before. Bloody show offs.

Kiana and her apprentice pilot were waiting near the rather sleek space glider. Big enough to transport a small sports team I felt rather silly being its only passenger. Though it was marginally less silly than the full presidential jet that had brought me here.

Kiana gave me a reassuring pat. "Muire needs the practice. You're giving her a great opportunity. Anytime you need a lift just say."

Oh, well then, not so bad a use of Boswell's valuable resources. "Glad I could help. How long will this trip take?"

"About fifteen minutes if we use the sublight engines."

"So no time for inflight service then?"

Kiana grinned. She knew I was joking. "Take a seat and strap yourself in."

I did just that, choosing a comfortable executive style seat at the back, out of their way. It didn't stop me from watching curiously, and with some 'small' amount of worry as Kiana went over the flight takeoff procedure with Muire. "Should this thing have an L plate on it something."

Both Kiana and Muire turned to give me a not unfriendly "Shut up." Then they went back to their task. Although curiously there weren't as many buttons and levers as I would have thought there should be. I watched them use lots of hand gestures that seemed to make things happen and given the lack of voice commands I was guessing there was some sort of mind interface with the glider. Yet Muire wasn't wearing any kind of headset. A heads up display showed a 3D view of the runway ahead, along with calculated trajectory and trip time.

Muire leaned towards a fairly ordinary looking microphone. "Control tower, this is Boswell 3 requesting permission for take off."

"You have a go for take off Boswell 3. Proceed to a height of 50,000 feet, that will keep you out of all domestic and most military flight paths. Have a nice trip."

"Thanks tower, taking off in five, four, three, two, one."

Lift off threw my stomach back towards my spine as our transport suddenly went from horizontal on the ground to ascending at what quickly became a 90 degree angle, heading straight for the heavens. Then it leveled out. The 3D console was giving a glorious view of the planet below. It really was as astronauts said an opal like jewel of blue ocean, white clouds and brown to green colored continents. "Wow".

"Your first time?" Kiana queried.

"Yeah. I've been meaning to talk Thex in letting me on board his spaceship but he's had no need to take it anywhere since Carpathia joined Faery."

"Kiana!" Muire yelped in panic.

Kiana peered at the object on the screen that had startled Muire with its sudden appearance. She zoomed in to reveal what looked to be a missile heading straight at us. "Shit. Shields to maximum. Brace yourself Phoenix. This ride's about to get rough. Muire, can I take over."

"Please."

Kiana closed her eyes and focused. I worried how she could fly the glider if she had her eyes closed.

_She's flying with her psychic sight._ Trian commented in my mind. _She'll be better able to tap into her intuition to evade the missile if she transcends her physical limitations. She'd never react in time if she relied on the brain's normal response times._

_Oh._ I guess what she was doing was good then. What I didn't have any doubt about was who was shooting at us. Our flight was internationally approved. Your average terrorist group didn't have any weapons that could take us down when we were this high up. That only left one certain answer, our enemy. Really, why hadn't we thought to make a route through space part of Faery? They wouldn't be able to get at us then.

That's a very good idea Red. Tell Thex when you get back. Now hush your thoughts. You're distracting Kiana.

Hush my thoughts. Well damn. But maybe he was right. _How do I even do such a thing?_

I can do it for you if you would allow me.

It was no time to argue over whose brain this was. I was well aware that both Kiana and Muire would be hearing my every thought. _Do it_.

Instantly a cool stillness descended on the mid portion of my brow. Not unpleasant. Much better than the beating my gut and my sense of balance were getting as Kiana veered, rolled and dived the glider to keep abreast of our nemesis.

Trian sensed my ill ease. _I can fix your discomfort too. Just say yes._

_Yes_. Gods yes. Instantly I felt the stillness of mind descend within me, morphing as it did so. It was like an escalator stopping as it descended down my spine. With each stop something eased and opened, ending in a sensation that seemed to connect me with the very centre of the earth. Immovable, immortal and as massive as a mountain. That was the sensation. Grounded. My stomach stopped lurching. My prior discomfort no longer felt real. Did I even have a stomach? Our space glider was about to be vaporized. Sure we were immortal but did that extend to a free fall through space, my blood boiling in the high altitude and then getting splattered all over the planet. Yet I felt...open.

A sudden lurch brought me out of my peace. "What the hell?" The exclamation escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

"Don't panic. That was the Australian Air Force shooting down the missile. We're now entering Boswell airspace." Muire explained.

"We're safe then?"

"Yep."

"Well I have to say you guys certainly provide plenty of inflight entertainment."

Kiana looked pale and drawn but grinned at me none-the-less before turning serious again. "That was a good idea of yours. Bringing some of our most used airspace into the Faery dimension would avoid this."

And maybe I should really learn to teleport. "If not you'd better give me lessons on the weapons console and next time I'll shoot the buggers down while you and Muire fly."

"Deal." Muire gave me a thumbs up.

"The space glider doesn't have weapons. It's only used for transport." Kiana dashed our hopes. "But maybe we should. I think I'll have a little chat to our spaceship engineer Mendal. See what he can come up with."

Muire and I disembarked near Boswell's fire station come space glider hangar, while Kiana parked it. "So Muire. Still keen to be a pilot?"

"Are you kidding? Of course. What Kiana did up there was amazing." Then her smile faded. "But I'm going to have to learn a lot more mental focus before I'd be able to able to get us out of trouble like that."

I stared at Muire a moment. She really was my opposite. Where I bluffed my way through life, oozing confidence and bravado where there really wasn't any, Muire obviously allowed her self-doubts to be seen. I admired her honesty but, well in the often times unscrupulous world outside Faery, someone could use her doubts and weaknesses against her. I felt an itch to hide her vulnerability. "Hey! Yeah you've lots to learn but I've known you a bit now. You'll do the work."

"Thanks Red. I can feel your worry about me doubting myself. You're right. It's just I have other things on my mind today so I'm not feeling my usual self."

I couldn't read either her mind or her aura like others in the town might have but my gut told me something big was worrying her. I didn't need to be psychic to use my knowledge of people to tell such things. Thankfully. "Spit it out!" Yeah that's me. Tactful.

"Mum's not well. I need to go visit her."

Not reason enough of itself I would have thought. "Outside Boswell?"

"Unfortunately yes. I've tried to talk mum into coming here and having the genetic cure but dad won't allow it. He's old school. Dedicated to the church. Doesn't believe in messing with fate. He's also very hard to reason with." Muire let out a deep sigh. "Mum's dying. I need to go and say goodbye."

"Shit Muire. Why didn't you say sooner. I'll come with you. Going outside Faery is dangerous. I'll talk one of the guys into coming with us too."

Muire brightened. "You'd do that? It won't exactly be a cheery visit I'm afraid. Dad's likely to be pissed off when I turn up."

I was getting a mental image of this father of Muire's and it wasn't good. "Why?"

"Because I haven't married some good catholic boy of Irish decent or become a nun. They were the only options he considered right and proper for me. When the pressure to comply got too much I ran away from home last year, making my way to Sydney, living off the meagre pickings of the evening food vans and the good graces of the local charities. I slept wherever I could. Thankfully it wasn't winter at the time. I just had to hide from the drug pushers, the pimps and the cops. I managed to keep myself reasonably clean, washing from the basins in public loos and drying with a bit of paper towel. Eventually I lucked a casual lunch time job in a cafe. I think the owner felt sorry for me. I earnt enough to buy a few better clothes at the charity shops, including a pack to keep all my worldly goods in. Something drew me to the club. Curiosity I suppose. Sheila took me in and gave me a roof over my head. I haven't been back home in all that time. I'd ring up mum when I knew dad would be at work. We kept in touch. She's told me not to come to her. She knows what dad will be like but I just want to see her one more time." A tear threatened.

I didn't feel compassion. I would have liked to have just this once but as always my emotions failed to respond. Yet there was a discomfort there. A discomfort that said this could have been me. Except I'd had no ethics, not when it came to raiding my dad's safe and "borrowing" enough to set myself in a share-flat and pay my enrolment fees to get me into the front door of the local uni. My course fees the government provided until I was on enough of a wage to pay them back. I paid dad back too. Through direct deposit. Ironically my father was also Irish born but from the Protestant area of Belfast. Not that I gave a stuff about such dangerously limiting labels. My dad was a racist and sectarian. By the sounds of it Muire's dad was too. It wouldn't stop me being friends with Muire. We were both Australian born. We both loved celtic music. We both enjoyed 'plastic paddy' nights at the Boswell pub even if guinness was never on the drinks menu these days. Boswellians had become rather light drinkers, when it came to alcohol. Just one of the many side effects of the gene therapy.

But enough of me. A scheme was hatching in my head. Something that would be this particular father's worst nightmare.

Muire's mouth gaped when she caught the thought of it. "You wouldn't?"

"Why not. How's your dad to know we're not legit?"

Muire's muted laugh was tinged with nerves. "He'll kill me."

"Not with me in the way he won't. I'm no easy pushover." That and I'd been learning some Indonesian silat martial arts moves from Doc which I wouldn't hesitate to use if the pompous git got violent. "Let's go and find Ruru and see if he'll be in on it. No-one with a brain's going to argue with a six foot eleven full blood Maori."

"How you going to explain him coming along?"

I mused. The answer quickly came. "We'll say he's my cousin. Fourth cousin once removed or some such thing. He's been staying with us."

"You're not asking me to lie are you Red?"

Er, yes I was. "Let's just say he's a friend. We just won't quantify how much of a friend he is. There's no lie in that." That might even make Muire's dad worry some more but what would her mother think.

"Oh no. She'll be fine. She's always been pretty broad minded. Honestly I don't understand what possessed her to marry dad."

"Some people can be model citizens until they have a wedding ring on your finger." No it wasn't my personal experience but I'd seen it often enough in the television industry where you were often as married to the job as your spouse. Few understood the strange hours their partners had to work. Bored and lonely spouses found opportunities that weren't necessarily desirable; gambling, 'retail therapy' and sometimes finding someone else. It wasn't always the case but divorce rates in the industry were high.

"I'll go ring her and let her in on it."

I could tell she was still worried about it but what the hell. The guy deserved it.

"When do you want to do this?"

Muire's forehead wrinkled in worry, "The sooner the better. Mum won't last long. The doctors say any day now."

I mentally ran through my commitments. No time better than this arvo. "Be ready to leave in an hour."

Muire visibly brightened at that. "Cool. I'll meet you at your place then." She went running off, obviously with a few things to attend to first.

I went to find Ruru. _You're being awfully quiet Trian._

_I'm saying nothing._ But I sensed laughter lacing his thoughts.

I headed home first to find a couple of things I'd need and to ready my pride and joy for the little trip; a factory black 1200cc Ducati Diavel. The local village seer and powerful being from a higher dimension than this, was waiting at my front door.

"Simon." That was his name. That much I knew about him. What I had done to deserve this visit was what I didn't know. "If you're here about my behavioural therapy sessions they're progressing. We're making a program out of it."

"Of course. And by progressing you mean your first session is tomorrow."

Damn. "I was in Carpathia."

"Hmm."

"I'll go Simon."

"You do realise that you are only here because of the gene therapy and our combined support to keep you in this dimension."

I was? Shit. Did that mean without their effort I would suddenly find myself back on planet normal? "Are you threatening me to get me off my butt?"

"Not threatening. Just making you aware of the facts. It would be a lot easier for all if you could just connect with us but you won't do that until you do a bit of waking up."

"So try harder."

"No. Effort is the one thing that will certainly make your task harder. Awareness is what you need. Let me know how the therapy goes. If it doesn't do it for you we can always find other ways."

I knew some of Simon's other ways. Did I want to go down that path? "Ah, let me try the therapy first."

"Very well. Now this mischief of yours." He actually grinned. "Play your game but bring her back to Boswell."

"Who, Muire?

Simon sighed. "The sooner you become telepathic the sooner we can avoid these misunderstandings. No. I mean Muire's mum. Muire can make her own way back. Take Ruru with you for sure but I'd like you to take Meta along as well."

"Your cat?" Although I had heard whispers the cat was more than that. Whispers I wasn't yet ready to believe. Why the hell would I need a cat in on this?

Simon smirked. "Just take him okay?"

"On my bike."

"Of course on your bike."

"He's a cat!"

"Oh, yeah that's right." He paused a moment in concentration then a pair of miniature goggles and a skullcap appeared out of nowhere in his hand. "He can wear these. Just stick him down your leather jacket and zip it only part way up so he can stick his head out."

Er. Visions of a terrified cat wetting itself down my front were not appealing. "He won't shred me?"

"I promise." Simon chewed his jaw as if to say something more but didn't.

I knew enough to know Simon didn't make promises willy-nilly so I took him at his word.

I rode my Ducati down to Ruru's lakeside shack. Long ago abandoned by its owner Ruru was in the process of lovingly renovating the small two roomer and lean-to. The lean-to I guessed housed the bathroom and possibly a washing machine. I wasn't sure because I'd yet to receive an invite to look inside.

Ruru, himself, was waiting on the verandah, jacket and helmet in hand. "You can look inside before we go if you really want so much to see my bathroom."

"Er no. Later." Bloody mind readers. "I guess you know why I'm here then." I kept forgetting the collective mind of this place was no respecter of distance.

"Once you learn telepathy you'll also learn to block. At the moment you're like a free to air tv station transmitting on all channels."

My face warmed in embarrassment. Me embarrassed? Did this mean he knew I'd been ogling when I watched him editing the other day. A smirk from him acknowledged he did. "Shit."

"By the way, the Carpathian shoot came up good."

"You've put it together already?"

"Hey, six hours ahead here remember. You had breakfast in Carpathia not long ago but I've had all day to work on what Mike and Steve dropped off when they teleported back. It's nearly three o'clock you know.

Shit. I needed to get my head in this time zone. "We'd better get cracking then. Muire'll be back at my place soon."

Ruru closed the door to his shack. He didn't lock it. No one did that here. He quickly donned his helmet and gloves and swung a not inconsiderable leg over the monumentally large and very powerful beast he called his bike. A deep blue Triumph 2300 roadster, quite possibly with the biggest engine in production. As much as I admired both the beast and its owner, neither were in my league. It would take someone more woman than me to handle those two. And anyway I had my bike, which I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, and I had Trian. Trian's mental companionship was about as much male as I was prepared to handle.

Trust me Red when I say I would give anything to be more than a voice in your head right at this moment. Just to be your pillion passenger and hold your body against me. To feel...

Shit, now Trian was sounding depressed. _We'll get you out. You know we will._

And how will you do that when doing so will destroy a whole continent? I fear this thing we have is all I'll ever have. I was never a greedy man but you have no idea what I would give to be free to feel you in my arms.

Ruru frowned, obviously overhearing my inner conversation. "Tell your _tāne_ I will not take his _wahine_ from him. I would be his _hoa_ , his friend. I pledge my help to release him."

What was I to say to that? I simply chose to nod. "Thanks. We'd better go." Before anyone else got morbid or, hell, emotional.

Muire chose to ride on the back of Ruru's bike. I guess I couldn't blame her choice. Plus he had a spare helmet he handed her. The bike was too big for her to mount so Ruru put it on the center stand, scooped her up in his arms and place her on the back seat. The whole move was done with an extraordinary gentleness I had never seen from his before. Muire beamed back at him. She looked like she'd just been awarded a throne. Inwardly I smiled, happy for them. _Looks like you don't need to worry about the competition so much Trian._

I wasn't worried.

Yeah, sure.

Just as I was about to mount my own bike I felt something brush against my leg. A cat. I sighed and retrieved the things Simon had given me. Actually the cat looked kind of cute in the skullcap and goggles. The cat Simon had called Meta seemed to sense this and stuck its nose in the air as if offended. "Look just saying you look good. Cool okay. Promise I won't post a picture of you on the web."

The cat seemed appeased. I scooped it up. Perhaps not as gently as Ruru had Muire but with care none the less. I opened my thankfully slightly oversized jacket a bit and he crawled inside, settling himself. Was I really doing this? I was going to look like a dork with a cat down my front. "Oh, one more thing." I gave Muire what I had retrieved from the house. She grinned and put it on.

Trian muttered in my head. _You know that's more than a cat don't you?_

Oh not you too. It's a cat.

Hmm.

We hit the road, enjoying the winding bends of the main road in and out of Boswell. It was one of the few roads in the area maintained now but we needed our main route through the portal that connected Faery to the normal dimension.

On the other side of the portal we passed the refugees camped outside. Hoping to get in. They couldn't because to them the Boswell side of the portal looked like a giant hole in the ground where a 'well aimed' meteor hit. Only thing was, by the time the meteor had hit Boswell had been shifted into the dimension of Faery. Cool what?

The refugees were mostly hippies, mystics, recluses and various odd bods the Din had started targeting. Their likes would disappear suddenly, either never to be seen again or their drained of all blood corpses would turn up a day or so later. Yeah, amongst the other things we had to contend with was a rogue vampire who'd joined the ranks of the Din. Strength in numbers had brought the refugees together and here in the hope of getting in.

There was little we or the government could do. The Red Cross brought food to them daily. A small contingent from the Australian army provided security for the encampment. Jnarn had yet to convince any of them to take the gene therapy. Many had lost family and friends to the Din. Their recent traumas had left them devoid of trust.

Many stopped to stare as we appeared as if from thin air and proceeded down the road towards Valeton.

Muire's parent's house was tucked at the back of a neat cul-de-sac. An unremarkable white painted weatherboard house with a patch of browning lawn at the front. Two overgrown standard roses marked the path to the front door. It had obviously been a while since anyone had cared for the garden.

Ruru helped Muire off his bike and gave her a hug. Maybe she needed it. She certainly looked pale.

A wizened, sun browned male of indeterminate age met us at the door. He grunted something in pure Gaeilge which sounded a lot like swearing.

Muire found enough gumption to straighten her spine and stare him down. "I'm here to see my mother. She wants to say her goodbyes. Are you going to stop me?"

"No apology then."

"I've done nothing wrong. It was obvious I was a disappointment to you. I simply removed myself from your presence."

"If you had wanted to please with me you would have done what I asked."

"Never dad. It was never going to happen. May I pass?"

"Who are these people?"

I didn't like the way he pointed his finger at me and Ruru. Didn't the man know that was rude. I stepped forward none the less and offered my hand. "Phoenix O'Halloran."

The man stared at my hand as if it had poison on it. "You protestant or catholic?'

I shrugged my shoulders, "I've no interest in religion." It was true enough and seemed far safer than admitting that my father had once been a member of Orange Order in Ulster before he'd immigrated. No need to light that fuse.

He reeled. "A bloody heathen." He turned to Muire. "Is this kind of person you know associate with daughter?"

"A bit more than associate, father." She raised her hand to show the gold ring I'd put on it then gave me a kiss full on the lips."

Er. Perhaps we should have discussed this before but, oh hell, if it was one thing I could do I could act. I kissed her back and hugged her to me, surprising her as much as me.

Muire's dad sputtered incoherently before going puce in the face. Ruru stepped forward as if sensing danger. He moved to stand in front of us as the older man stormed forward with an arm raised to hit. Ruru blocked the hit and stood his ground placidly, like the immovable mountain he was. "You really don't want to do that Sir."

"And who the hell are you? This pair's toy boy?"

He meant it as an insult but Ruru just smiled calmly. "I would be so lucky. I'm just here to see them safe. Are you really going to attack your own daughter?"

The man baulked, as if caught out, then turned to Muire. "See your mother then get out of my sight. You're no daughter of mine." He stormed off towards a shed behind the house.

Lovely. Just lovely. I could hardly credit this obnoxious man as Muire's father. Which meant the mother had to be special. I urged Muire forward before she had any more time to think about what her father had said.

Inside the house was quiet but a hacking cough led us to the back room.

Muire rushed forward to hug her mum, tears streaming. "I'm so sorry mum. If I'd known I would have never left."

"Hush girl. You did what you had to." Her reamy eyes took our measure. "And it seems you've landed on your feet. I'm proud of you Muire."

Yes the mother was definitely where the genes had come from. I stepped forward and took a seat on the other side of the bed so she could reach my offered hand. "Pleased to meet you Mrs Dubh. Please call me Red and this here is Ruru." I'd taken Muire at her word that her mother wasn't into formalities.

She patted my hand. "Call me Rose. It's not my birth name but it's a plant I love. Now would you be the lady that came up with the plan to put a sock in Aedan's gob? I gather by the peace and quiet he's retreated to his man cave."

I liked this woman. "That he did."

Rose turned her head to Ruru. "And you young man. I heard two bikes pull up. I hope you didn't speed with my daughter on the back?"

"I would never put a woman at risk Rose, especially not your daughter." If he was affronted it didn't show.

Rose seemed appeased but frowned when she saw a movement under my jacket. Meta's feline head popped out surprising her. "Oh, how delightful. May I pet him? What's his name?"

As far as I was concerned I would do just about anything this delightful dying woman wanted. I unzipped my jacket and handed over the cat. Meta nestled close to her and purred as she stroked him. Meta was known to be a somewhat aloof cat but not at the moment it appeared. "His name's Meta. I think it's from the Greek for 'more than' or 'beyond' or something like that."

_It's what we call beings more spiritually evolved than the Malakim. It's also the particular name of one individual who lives among the Malakim. I think this is him._ Trian mused inside my head.

"He's just a cat," I declared adamantly to no-one in particular. I certainly didn't want to entertain the idea that I'd had some higher spiritual power stuffed down my jacket. Let alone against my breast.

_If it is who I think it is I think he's mated with the Earth Goddess._ Trian tried to allay my unease but only made it worse.

Like that ever stopped a guy from enjoying an extra bit of fluff.

The cat looked up at me, as if sensing my conversation with Trian. He continued to stare as he nonchalantly licked his paws.

The Malakim aren't a possessive lot like you humans. They don't own their mates. They enjoy them and accept them as they are. They don't try to change or control them.

Hmm. That was food for thought. Does that go for you too Trian? I mean accepting me as I am?

You know it does.

A bout of hacking coughing from Rose brought me out of my conversation. "We need to get you back to Boswell Rose. We have doctors and treatments there that can cure you. I think Muire has already told you about them."

Rose recovered her breath and sighed. "I'm afraid Aedan would never let me leave this house. He thinks it's my time to die and that no one should interfere with that. I've tried to tell him what Muire's told me but he just covers his ears and leaves the room whenever I try. Even if I could get past him I'm in no fit state to travel."

Ruru neared her bed. "I think that is why Simon asked us to bring his cat. I suspect the cat is a powerful shapeshifter who can teleport you. All you need to do is say yes."

I stared at Ruru. "You knew what the cat was. You didn't tell me."

"You would have believed me?" Ruru raised and eyebrow in question.

I let my suddenly tense shoulders sag and relax. "Probably not."

But as quickly as I relaxed Ruru became alert. "We need to get out of here. Mr Dubh called some contact. The Din are on the way. I feel a powerful presence headed in our direction."

Muire grasped her mother's hand. "Mum. Please."

Rose kissed her on the forehead. "One way or another my time here is over. If you have some way to give me a second life count me in. I trust you Muire."

Tears of relief ran down Muire's face. I was happy for her. As happy as I could be in an intellectual sort of way. At least I understood happiness was the required response for such a moment.

Ruru walked over to Muire and handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket. "We must hurry. Put your hand and your mother's hand on the cat. We'll meet you back there but we may be a little while."

Muire nodded. She took her mother's hand in hers then placed them on the cat. All three vanished instantly.

"You go Ruru. You can teleport."

"And you can't. I'm not leaving you on your own."

Oh god, he's going to play hero. But I was glad I wasn't being abandoned. I went and locked the door of the room from the inside. Time to put my potential savior to good work. "Do you think you could move that bed to block the widow?" Ask a silly question. You'd have thought the bed was made of balsa wood.

Ruru lifted it easily and manhandled it into place. "At least that should stop them seeing where to target their weapons. I don't exactly fancy being turned to stone if they have stone fire weapons with them."

I didn't fancy being hit by any weapons. Pain so isn't my thing. Immortal or not this could get messy. I'd already dismissed the idea of making a run for it. I sensed something in my gut. Psychic I might not be but my gut I trusted.

You're right love. They have the house surrounded.

How do you know that?

I'm borrowing your unused extra senses.

I thought you weren't allowed to do that, you know, take me over without my permission.

I'm not possessing you or interfering with your free will. I'm just tapping into a few of your faculties. Your weren't using them anyway.

No I wasn't was I? _I suppose that's okay. Don't suppose you can give us a head's up on what you're seeing?_

A scream from outside gave me some info about what was going on outside but not much.

That was Mr Dubh finding out he was no longer useful to them. I think that rogue vampire's with them because some guy in full wrap around sunglasses and a hooded cloak just drained the blood out of the old man.

Damn. That was so not good news. I didn't fancy being drained like that, even if it wouldn't kill me. _Is there a way we can get to our bikes?_

Not a prayer. But you won't have to. Help is on the way. We just need to hold out here a bit longer.

"Meta's coming back?" I hoped.

"No but Thex and his team are on the way." Ruru answered. "They want to try and catch this vampire."

"And what? We're bait?" I rolled my eyes.

Ruru gave me a reassuring pat. "Buck up Red. I'll be back in a minute. Just going to Mr Dubh's shed to see if there's anything we can use to shore up our defences."

"Wait!" My gut said that was a very bad idea but I was too late. He'd teleported to the shed.

I didn't like the wait. Wondering if he was okay. What was going on outside. _Come on Trian. you're not giving me much of a running commentary. What's going on?_

_Hmm. Nothing good_.

"Ms O'Halloran. We know you're in there. We mean you no harm. We just want to talk."

Who was the guy outside trying to kid?

"Ms O'Halloran. We're waiting. You have five minutes and then we turn your companion to stone."

Tell me they haven't got Ruru.

Sorry. They have. He's unconscious.

And you know that because?

Because I can no longer hear his thoughts and because I can see him with your psychic sight.

I have psychic sight?

And enhanced psychic hearing.

Well what are they planning?

They want to capture you and take you back to Sakla's headquarters. As a well known media figure you have great power to influence others. They plan to use you to convince people that Sakla's the good guy and Boswell's just been a hoax.

And how will they convince me to do that?

You've had the gene therapy so they can't possess you, even if they try, but they might brainwash you. Reprogram you so to speak. You'd only remember as much of your past as they were willing to let you keep.

"Shit." I looked at my watch.

"Ms O'Halloran. You have two minutes left. Does your friend mean so little to you?"

Yeah I know, I know. Like I couldn't keep track of the time myself. _Help Trian. What do I do?_ _Give myself up and become a pawn of the enemy or condemn Ruru to stone?_

A loving warmth spread through my brain. Like the caress of finely spun silk.

You asked. I feared you mightn't. Yes there is something WE can do. Will you merge with me?

What? Permanently?

_It can be temporary. Just a taster if you wish._ If he had heard the fear in my thoughts or felt any disappointment himself at my reluctance he didn't let me be aware of it. _Together we can beat them._

I doubted that but I was game. I glanced at my watch again. We're running out of time.

Indeed. Close your eyes and imagine an opening in the very heart of your being, wherever you envisage that to be. Invite me in.

It couldn't be that simple but I obliged. I was opening myself to a possession of a kind. Was this wise? I brought my mind back to the visualization. I was out of options. I felt something stir in the depths of my being. A crescendo of sound from around the neighbourhood hit my ears. The thoughts and conversations of everyone in the vicinity overwhelmed me. Yet I felt stronger. Not a steel like strength but willow like, resilient, flexible. A 360 degree panorama of psychic vision opened up within my mind's eyes. I flexed the muscles of my hands and the walls of the room appeared to vibrate. Okay that was cool.

"Ms O'Halloran. You have thirty seconds."

Apparently I wasn't going to get any more time to relish my new senses.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming." I yelled out and hoped they heard. "Tell your goons to back away from the door and lower their weapons. I'm unarmed."

"Very wise Ms O'Halloran. We're waiting."

Before unlocking the door I focused my senses on the other side. Yes they had indeed stepped back. Although not far. I braved it, opening the door, pausing only to verify with my physical senses what I had perceived in my mind's eye. Okay, my senses hadn't lied.

As I strode forward the enemy began to close in like sharks. Instinctively I moved my hands away from my body in a move that could have been straight out of some martial artform. I only impacted air yet bodies fell on either side of me, as if blown over by a strong gale. Others took a couple of steps back.

The seven foot plus being under the hooded cloak pierced me with his gaze, well if you could see past his mirrored sunglasses he would be. Because their blood pigment color was different to ours their violet eyes, if exposed too often to the sun, tried to grow a protective layer, causing blindness. Fortunately for those vampires that had had the DNA treatment that was no longer a problem. This vampire, however, was untreated. Probably wearing SPF 50 suncream and all.

Unnervingly, with my suddenly enhanced senses, I could feel inside his brain. I was shocked to realize he was fascinated with me. Gulp.

"Very impressive Ms O'Halloran, the way you pushed back my men. I had been led to believe you were somewhat defective when it came to the paranormal but obviously my contacts have failed me. Do that thing with your hands again and this man is rock." He aimed an unfamiliar looking weapon at the still comatose form of Ruru and gave me no reason to doubt he would not carry out his threat.

"I told you to keep your goons off me." I wasn't apologizing even if I'd been as surprised by what I'd done. "I'm well aware of your intentions yet I came out of my own free will. You're offering me a one on one interview with Sakla are you not? Did you think I wouldn't be enticed by that?"

"Telepathic too I see."

He seemed displeased by his lack of knowledge about me. I wouldn't want to be his contacts when he caught up with them. Did I feel guilty that they would suffer though their information had been correct, at the time? Nah. Anyway we were going to catch this guy weren't we? It was an excellent thing that ordinary vampires couldn't read minds.

I bucked my courage up a notch again and approached him, extending my open hand in offering. "Triglav isn't it? Word has it that you've had a meteoric rise through the Din's ranks. I'm honoured to meet you." Did I sound smooth or what?

I was close enough to see the face under the hood. Yup, the evil alien sure was dumbfounded by my approach. How long did I need to stall? The answer came as I felt Thex, the commander of our defence force, connecting with my brain. I did my best to keep my cool at the strange feel of someone else other that Trian connecting mentally with me.

Keep it up Red. We've just about got a fix on you.

Triglav shook my hand. Well there was a surprise. I'd thought he'd just continue to stare at it. "I must say you are a surprise Ms O'Halloran."

He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it, acting almost gentlemanly. Then quicker than I could blink he turned my hand over and bit into my wrist. It was excruciatingly, exquisitely erotic, boiling my blood with unwelcome need.

Shocked I threw my power at him, forcing him back. Then remembering his earlier warning I placed myself between him and Ruru. "You can't blame me for reacting like that. It was instinctive."

Triglav grinned, "as was my bite. We'll call it even then. It was not my intention to betray your apparent trust." He licked his lips unnervingly. "You do taste most excellent, I must say."

Fuck. What would my blood do to him? The retrovirus all Boswellians carried in their blood was known to kill the Din and a Din was most definitely possessing this vampire. With the enhanced eyesight Trian was lending me I could see it in his aura.

I think he realized his mistake at the same moment as I did. "Shit I shouldn't have done that." He started turning green.

A braver man in his guard approached. "Boss?"

Triglav growled at man. "You were told to stay back. Contact Sakla and tell him that Ms O'Halloran is willing to meet with him of her own accord and needs no further persuasion. Also tell him I died from my own stupidity and she is not to blame."

"But Sir."

"Do as I say. Now leave me to die in peace. Go!"

Scratching their heads but obeying orders Triglav's boys left. Well, appeared to leave. I sensed one or two remained close by, watching.

"Convulsions then heart attack I'm told." Triglav commented to me grimly.

"So I've heard. The question is do you want to live?"

"I've lived too long. I lived through the destruction of my planet by the very enemy I sort to infiltrate. I led a half life among primitives on your planet for thousands of years, waiting for them to evolve and achieve some kind of civilisation. I accepted a life devoid of love because your kind were always dying on us. Now you look to surpass us and take even our new home into other dimensions. Why would I want to keep living?" He sagged into a seated position on the ground.

I sat down beside him, still running on bluff and bravado. "Because where there is life there is hope." I drew on my store of compassionate sounding cliches. "You may still find the love and life you seek." Seeing his appraising look I quickly added, "er, not with me of course. I am already mated. But there are others."

"Your dimension will never accept me. I have done too much. There is too much water under the bridge, so to speak."

Sheesh. He almost had me feeling sorry for him. I had an odd sense I was actually feeling compassion for him.

Thex appeared at that moment, along with a few of his special ops team. I was guessing they'd brought the spaceship which would be in stationary orbit above us. He had his P90 at the ready. No doubt it would contain banishing bullets that would send the demon that Triglav had allowed to possess his aura into the abyss of the underworld. What worried me though was that Thex was aiming at his heart. Damage to a vampire's heart could disrupt the electro-magnetic field that held their cells together. Stop the heart and a vampire would turn to dust. "Step away from him Red."

"No,"

"No?" Thex arched a brow in surprise. The commander wasn't used to having his orders questioned. No surprises there.

"Everyone deserves a chance."

"Compassion from you?" He frowned. "Or is that Trian's idea? I'd recognise that dazzling blue-green aura anywhere and it's not yours. What have you two done?"

"It's of no concern to you. It's only temporary anyway. You couldn't have expected Trian to let me walk out here totally defenseless."

"Trian is a spy. Defense was never his area. I can't for one minute imagine what possessed you to come out unarmed against this one. As for your compassion, you have to know our allies will never allow us to give Triglav sanctuary. The Carpathians will want him turned over to them so he can face his death sentence with honor."

"I know he tried to have Zakar and his mates assassinated." Several times. "But what if he was trying to infiltrate the Din, to get their trust so he could assassinate Sakla?"

"Did you?" Thex kicked Triglav's nearly comatose body with his foot.

Triglav groaned, "I did. I don't expect you to understand but the apocalypse that the Din visited on my planet and on the neighbouring planet of sanctuary killed my entire family. I am the last of my line. The only thing that has kept me going all these years has been my burning need to take revenge on the being behind it all."

"But why try to assassinate your own president, one of your own?"

"He wouldn't let me go after Sakla. The country, its people and their well being were his sole focus. As long as the Din left our country alone Zakar wouldn't pursue them." Triglav convulsed.

Doc, who'd been watching everything came forward to check on him. "We need to get the Din demon out of him. I'd say he's only got about five minutes before he has a coronary if we don't and I'm guessing with him being what he is that will mean a pile of dust."

"Step away Red. I won't kill him but we need to do this."

I glared at him, "I'm trusting you Thex." I got out of the way.

"Trust? You? You're just full of surprises today."

I stuck my tongue out at him. What else could I do. He was right.

Thex laughed at my antics then shot Triglav in the foot.

The moment the bespelled bullet made contact with the etheric entity inhabiting Triglav's aura it separated from him and took physical form. One ugly bugger of a lizard, huge and snarling. Definitely pissed off about being given its eviction notice. Thex shot it again for good measure but its form was already shimmering out of existence. Back to a murky between dimensions existence, called simply enough 'The Between'. It would wait there until it found another soul to inhabit.

Doc made moves to dress Triglav's foot but I pushed him aside. "No, let me."

Doc looked at me, surprised. "If you're sure."

"Just give me a moment. I think I know what to do." I closed my mind and sought out the bullet with my psychic sight. Ah, there. Now, there was something Adelaide had told me of her experiences. You do learn a lot from other people by doing interviews. What had she said? See the bullet. Imagine a space around the bullet. Find the mind that is seeing the bullet. Empty, vast. Yes that was it. No boundary between the space in the mind and the space the bullet resided in. The bullet was only a dream within that space. It had no reality of its own except within my own mind so I created a mental eraser and rubbed it out. I'm pretty sure that's not how Adelaide would have done it but it worked enough form me. Checking back with my psychic sight I found the bullet had indeed gone so I continued with the artistic theme and brushstroked new flesh and tendons, finally sealing the wound on the skin."

Doc's jaw gaped. He'd seen miracles of healing before but never from me. He examined the wound and pronounced it healed.

Triglav stared at the foot then stared at me. He shook himself and bowed slightly to me. "Thank you. I owe you a debt of gratitude. All of you."

Thex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now piss off and don't get caught. The Carpathians are out hunting for you and no doubt Sakla's cronies will be now too if they heard and saw as much of what just happened as I think they did." He fished into his pocket for a card and passed it to Triglav. "Officially we can't have anything to do with you but keep in touch. Ring Andrew McCullum on this number if you need any help or if you have any useful leads that would help us with our mutual battle with the Din. Might be a good idea if your were to stay in Australia for now. Andrew works for the Australian government. He might be able to find you a job. Oh, and be careful of who you give blood to, they could acquire your traits. Same the other way. Might pay to be choosey who you feed off but you should also be able to go out in the sun without protection and have liquid foods, as well as blood that is. After a couple of days anyway. Give your body time to adjust. Zakar didn't have too many problems after he had Adelaide and Andrei's blood but watch out for changes."

Thex stepped forward menacingly. "And if I find out you're causing harm to any innocents or any of our allies I will put my next bullet in your heart. I promise you that."

Triglav smirked. "So non-innocents."

Thex winced. "Just don't get caught."

Triglav nodded then turned and walked away. I watched him going. Wondering about what TV series could be made out of his future adventures.

Ruru groaned. I went to his side. "You alright Ru?"

Ruru stared at me as I helped him up. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You, helping me up."

"Oh, bloody hell. What is it with you people. I'm not usually THAT inconsiderate."

"Yes you are." Ruru, Thex and Doc answered in sync.

"Whatever. Thanks for the rescue. Now, if you don't mind, I'm riding back so I can clear my head."

"I thought you wanted a ride in the spaceship."

He just had to throw that carrot out in front of me.

Thex came up and put an arm around me. "Come on Red, don't sulk. We luvz you however you are. We'll transport your and Ruru's bike's up to the ship. Upal and Mendal have been working on some kind of particle transportation device. They haven't tried it out on living things but it works alright on inanimate objects."

Damn. He had me intrigued. "Oh, alright." Maybe I could do a news item about it in tonight's broadcast. Then I had a disturbing thought. "And how are you going to transport me up to the ship." They weren't planning to use me as their first live subject with the particle transporter, were they?

Thex rolled his eyes. "You and Trian are still merged aren't you? He knows how how to teleport."

The rest of the day went like a mad thing, catapulting towards its eventual finish. _You still there Trian?_ Not that I was being clingy after losing my mental connection to him during last night's dream. Honest.

I'm here.

You ended our merge pretty quickly. I got immersed in looking at the new technology on the spaceship and next I knew I was back to plain old me.

I thought it best to withdraw while you were distracted.

I know I said temporary but you didn't have to end it quite so quick.

A pleasant warmth I suspected was Trian smiling brushed my mind. _I'm glad if you enjoyed it. Actually, at this stage I thought it would be unproductive for us to stay that way too long._

Why the ever not?

I suspect it is the cool powers you miss more than our union. I don't want to short circuit your own awakening by becoming both a crutch for you and a source of resentment in an unequal relationship. You are more than capable of opening to what I showed you. Like most on this planet at the moment you teeter on a threshold of waking up to your full potential. Rather than push you across that threshold I'm hoping you might choose to come across of your own accord. And for more than the cool powers. I would have us merge as friends and equals, not master and student.

_You're not asking much._ One psychically and spiritually handicapped human to suddenly become akin to an Arcturan. Um.

You're closer than you think.

So harness my bulldozer motivation and push through.

No.

No?

Effort won't do it.

A combination of intent, desire, openness, awareness and effortlessness is the magic recipe you seek.

Awareness? Like the mindfulness my therapist harps on about me learning.

Definitely.

And openness? What exactly is that?

It's the emptiness you find when you find what the self is not. Within that emptiness is everything you seek.

Let me guess. It would be located in my heart.

Your heart, your mind, the souls of your feet, the boundless sky, the space around you, everywhere. At the smallest level it's the vast space that exists within every atom in the universe. About 99.9% of any atom is no-thing. Consider that.

Then what's the bed I'm laying on? How's it holding me up? If the atoms in the wood are mostly not there what is?

What's there is the constructed world that is created by every being in this universe. A shared experience that is a product of how your brain interprets signals it receives through your rather limited human senses. The brain moderates its interpretation based on your beliefs, memories and your ingrained responses. Everyone interprets that constructed world differently.

It was too much. It was starting to sound like that old conundrum; 'if there's no one in a forest when a tree falls does the sound it make as it crashes to the ground exist?'. Way too much philosophy or physics to think about at this time of the night. I'd need to let my subconscious chew that one over. Change the subject. _I liked it you know. Being merged with you like that. Not just the cool powers._

Another sensation of joy washed over me and something more, hope.

Good night Red. Don't forget to do your dream yoga.

I sighed. I had forgotten. _Good night Trian._

I wondered if the same recipe Trian had given me for my development would work with the dream yoga too. Intent. Tick, yes. I had my bet with Khyen and I couldn't very well claim my inevitable win unless I really tried what he'd asked. Fair's fair. That was my motivation too. Effortless? Well just do it! Maybe the real trick though would be in being aware of what I was doing without putting any mental force into it. As for openness, I hadn't a clue.

How about imagining your throat is a glittering cave lined with rubies that are emitting a red glow that illuminate the darkness within. Be in the space within that bejewelled cave. Be that space. Open, empty, silent. Listen to that silence.

How do you listen to no-sound? Sounded kind of Zenish to me but I gave it a go. Imagination could do what my ears could not. As I listened to Trian's thought stream I relaxed into the vision he described, sleep dragging me down.

I woke with a start about three am to find Khyen seated by my bed.

"Er..."

"Your next lesson?"

Oh that was right, although I hadn't figured on waking up in the middle of the night to find him here. Gods, the things I sign up for. But I was interested. I roused myself a bit further awake. "I'm afraid I failed with the first bit."

"Not at all. I sense your success at bringing some awareness to the central energy channels that run up and along each side of your spine. The fact that you didn't go into a dream state is more a function of your tiredness from an eventful couple of days and your need for some deep Delta wave sleep. Now you're a bit refreshed you should do better with the next watch of the night."

So I hadn't totally flunked. Cool. "What's next?"

"Spinal breathing. Simply pull you breath in while visualizing energy rising from the base of your spine to the third eye. Then on the out breath you visualize the breath going back down to the root of your spine."

"And my third eye is?"

He touched the forehead between and a little above my eyebrows. "The front facing portion is here. There's also a back facing portion of the eye, in the back of the brain."

"That allows you to have a psychic view of what's behind you."

"Yes, how did you know? Few are aware of its existence."

"I had a sneak peek of what it could do today."

"Interesting. I've never experienced it. Care to show me your memories of what you experienced?"

"Not now Khyen." I yawned. "We'll mindshare later. It's your daytime but I want to get back to sleep."

Khyen paled in embarrassment at his error. "I'm so sorry Red. So just close your eyes and start the breath. Once you have the hang of it add a visualization of white light at the third eye."

It seemed too simple but I did as he said. It was a relaxing practice and I had no trouble sinking into it. Seven breaths he said. I got to about five.

## 3. My spirit guardian

The water was deep and dark but not impenetrably so. I could see my hands in front of me as I swam. The ocean was vast, endless. How was I breathing this far beneath the surface? I wasn't drowning. I felt along the sides of my neck but there were no gills. Okay, this isn't real. I'm definitely dreaming.

Knowing that didn't help quell the fear that rose when I recognised the dark shape coming towards me. Shark. Did I stay and pretend that sharks didn't eat people in dreams or did I try to out swim it? I'd never been much of a swimmer. I stayed put, treading water, wondering all the time if I was doing the right thing. It was clear now that the shark was no fish bait. It was huge. something so primordial it made a Great White look puny. "Um g'day mate!" Sharks should be able to speak in dreams right?

"You greet me yet you fear me."

Yep, dream sharks could speak. "Um hi. Yeah, shaking in my bones here but you're a product of my dreaming mind so why not chat?"

"I am a product of mind. As long as your mind constructs boundaries, calls them objects and gives them labels I am no different in the dream world as the 'real'. No less dangerous. But you sense I am not entirely what I seem so you choose not to flee."

Ah? "I do?"

"Your subconscious does. It knows what I am."

"And what would that be?"

"The thing you fear the most. Your self. Or at least what you currently believe your self to be."

"Hey. Sharks are nasty evil creatures that gobble people up. I'm not a shark, no offence."

"What is evil?"

"You going to get all philosophical on me?"

"Just answer the question." It circled me, coming closer.

"Ah, I suppose something that lives for its own ends, heedless of the pain and suffering it causes others. It exploits the natural world. Rules it even. Takes almost a cat like pleasure in killing its prey. That's you isn't it?"

"I think you're confusing sharks with orcas. My only pleasure in the kill is the nourishment it provides. The hunt is a means to an end, food. Yes we enjoy the hunt but mostly we hunt those creatures that are sick, injured, too slow or too stupid. We eat when we are hungry. The sea creatures know this. They are happy enough to be around us when we are not feeding.

More importantly we are an evolutionary force, culling the weak and the slow. Species evolve, stronger and faster, to escape us. Doing so we protect life. We stop its stagnation. We are guardians of the slow but relentless ascending force which eventually brings all beings back to the source."

"But you have no compassion."

"And what would you know of compassion?"

Er, time to change the subject. "You said you were me, not a shark."

"Indeed but since your knowledge of sharks was sadly lacking I strove to correct it. The shark is your spirit animal. Embrace it. It represents fearlessness, forward motion and an authority that people listen to. You have an innate understanding that death is not real. You're able to manipulate people and events but not necessarily in a bad way. You're a master of survival and know when to listen to your gut. Yet you despise yourself as somehow deficient."

Not bad sounding but, "I don't feel. I can't love, grieve, feel joy or cry. I'm dead inside."

"Are you really or have you just repressed those emotions that your father wasn't comfortable with. You're quick enough to anger are you not?"

"Quite."

"And you stood your ground with the vampire today in the same way as you are standing your ground with me now, despite real fear."

"I'd be silly not to be afraid. I'm alert but I'm not going to run if something looks like it might be more interesting to come face to face with. New places, new people, new experience. They're my lifeblood."

"Exactly. The fear is there but you don't let it distract you. You don't let it rob you of opportunities. You're just as capable of being aware of the other emotions. You're never going to be a blubbering mess when you watch a sad movie. That's not you. What makes what you are any less useful than the alternative. Fat or thin, tall or short, empath or emotionally distant. These are just labels along continuum. But there's nothing to stop you broadening your range of emotional responses. Being what you need to be in a particular situation rather than a one size fits all approach could increase your opportunities to thrive. You're an opportunist, embrace your potential to survive, thrive and be all that you can be. You've simply put the bulk of your emotions in a box marked 'store in the attic' of your mind. It's time for you to take them out of storage. It will take skill to befriend them but doing so will be worth it. They'll add power to your message. You are the messenger that people will listen to."

The shark turned and swam away, swimming after a school of mackerel and eating more than a few. I swam to the surface, waking to find it was already six in the morning, wondering what message my animal spirit thought I was meant to tell.

I didn't have time to think about it. I needed to get going. We were going to start recording the behavioural therapy sessions at my psychologist's weekend workshop. It was a free two hour session she ran each week for those with mental health issues, some who were recovering from self harm such as drug use, some dealing with reactive emotions like explosive anger and me. I'd been avoiding going along to the sessions but I'd rung Leigha last week to say I was coming. I kept my appointments. That and the shark encounter left me more determined to give it a fair go.

I threw on some uncharacteristically 'non-aggressive' clothes, a white cotton shirt, a pale grey cashmere bolero, a tastefully medium length skirt and some sensible shoes. I looked more like my mum than me but at least I wouldn't be visually intimidating. Leigha had asked me to try and not do that.

## 4. Behavioural therapy

Steve, Mike and I got there about half an hour before the session was due to begin. I went to unwind some of their cables for them but Steve stopped me.

"You feeling alright Red?"

"Er, yeah. Just trying to help."

"Well, thanks I guess. Bit of a surprise but nice. But you'll get yourself dirty." He handed me a couple of wipes to clean my hands. "Got to look after our presenter."

"Oh, thanks." I went over to talk to Leigha instead, vaguely aware that both Mike and Steve were staring at me, stunned that I had tried to help them set up. I'd never done so before. Maybe not all of my psychic hindsight, my awareness of what was going on behind me, had gone from the day before.

_It is more that your mind has a model of what to look for now and it's seeking to activate that sense for you_ , Trian murmured in my mind.

I put that in the box marked 'consider later' and greet Leigha instead.

"I'm glad you finally came Red. Everyone is curious about what program you'll make of this although a few are nervous about whether you'll really hide their identities."

"The camera will be on me or you at all times. Voices of the others can be electronically altered if they're worried. We'll show everyone the first cut of the program before we finalize it. They get the final say. Just as you asked."

Leigha visibly relaxed. "This program you're making will be unique. If it captures your audience's attention it will do much to spread the message about these new treatment methods. So many people still fear therapy because the old ways were about branding you with an illness. The very people that needed to feel good about themselves were made to feel wrong and in need of reprogramming or a drug treatment."

I waved Mike over with his camera. "Leigha. Could I get you to say all that again with the same passion you just did?"

After waiting a moment for Mike to ready himself and for me to re-ask the question she did.

"Reprogramming/behaviour therapy, aren't they the same thing Leigha?" I enjoyed shocking my interviewees with obvious misunderstandings. It usually brought out an impassioned response.

"Goodness no. Not at all. Through making the client aware of their behaviour and feelings the therapy gives the power directly to them, to heal, to accept and if necessary moderate their responses. The change comes from within them."

"So what's your role in this?" As if I didn't know. But the audience would need to.

"To guide them towards that awareness. To give them a toolkit of strategies they can choose, reject or adapt for their unique needs. To reassure them that they're okay, not sick or abnormal. That skills in emotional responses can be learnt. Ultimately they heal themselves. It's not unlike what happens when someone goes to a massage therapist. The Massager guides the client to an awareness of their tension and through touch invites them to release that tension. They might also show the client exercises and strategies like exercises or relaxation meditation that they can use themselves at home. It's the desire to heal combined with the awareness of what needs to change and strategies to bring that change about that truly empower and heal a person."

"So today you will be giving me and the others here that toolkit of strategies." I liked to insert summaries into my interviews often. It kept viewers on track.

"Most definitely. But to start with we'll do a couple of mindfulness exercises. Please. Come and meet everyone. We usually have an informal cuppa before we start."

Mike switched the camera off and I followed Leigha over to where a few earlier comers were starting to mill around the kitchenette. Three I instantly recognized.

"Muire, what are you doing here?"

Muire rolled up one of the long sleeves of her top. An angry red rash I recognised as eczema formed distinct blotches up her arm. There were also old marks that looked like something had scratched her, repeatedly. "I used to self harm. Nothing major, just scratching myself until I bled. These days I just have the eczema. Ruru here talked me into coming along. He came for moral support"

Well at least she didn't harm herself anymore but "I don't understand, why would you have hurt yourself on purpose?"

I watched as Muire first winced then gathered her courage. "Because I feel, I felt", she self corrected, "unlovable. I don't know why. Maybe it's a hangover from some past life. Ruru thinks the eczema might be related. It might be my body trying to say that at a deep level I still feel that way."

"Are you crapping on me? You're one of the most lovable people I know."

Muire spontaneously hugged me. "That's what I love about you Red. There's no doubting you mean what you say. Thank you. And you? You're making a program here I understand. Can I help?"

Of course Muire would offer to help. It was the kind of person she was. Hugs made me uncomfortable but I hugged her back anyway. "I have my own issues." There that wasn't so hard to say. Could I say the rest? I coughed to clear my throat. "I, um, want to get on better terms with my emotions. That is if I have any." A certain dream shark thought I did and Trian certainly did, I was yet to be convinced. "Leigha thought I might get something out of coming along to these sessions. We both thought it might make good TV."

"Well, I know you're preserving our identities and our privacy but I don't mind being an extra if you need. The program's a great idea Red. I'm sure Ruru will enjoy editing it up for you." She smiled at him.

I grinned at Ruru too but not quite the same way. "Yes I'm sure you will do a good job on the post production, won't you." It wasn't a question.

Ruru laughed "Wouldn't dare otherwise. By the way we must talk sometime about the mangō."

"Who?"

The shark protector you dreamt of last night. It has many meanings to my tribe."

"And how would you know what I dreamt last night. Don't tell me the Boswell telepaths can pick up on my dreams too."

"Absolutely not. But he did visit me in a dream after he visited you." He nodded to the third familiar, well recently familiar, presence in the room that had both of us feeling uneasy. "Talk later."

I was guessing there were things Ruru wanted to say that he didn't want in earshot of the seven foot hooded being who was loitering at the back of the growing crowd. "Triglav. Is this wise? Shouldn't you be on the run or something?"

"I can teleport."

Of course he could. One day after having my blood and he could already do what I couldn't. Make me feel deficient why don't you. "Show off."

"I can read your mind as well you know."

Damn. "And you're here because?"

"Andrew assigned me to protect the Boswellians in this group."

"And who's making sure you don't get found and come to harm?"

He fingered a ring on his finger. "This. Some guy named Simon programmed the gemstone in this to hide me from anyone looking for me psychically."

It looked like ordinary turquoise to me but who was I to know. "And the pendant around your neck." It was a small spiral of black stone with white blotches hung on a leather thong.

"Snowflake obsidian. It's supposed to help me process and cleanse the past negativity from my soul."

Sounded like something I could use but then I hadn't gone around trying to get people assassinated like Triglav had. "Well, just don't get caught. After sticking my neck out yesterday", or more precisely a wrist, "I've got a vested interest in you."

"So you do care." He seemed pleased.

"Hey! Vested interest does not equal care. I'm here because of my lack of emotional IQ aren't I?" Which reminded me of why we were all here. Apart from our chatter it had been eerily quiet.

"Is there a reason hardly anyone's talking Leigha?"

"They're being mindful."

"Of what?" I hoped they weren't being quiet for our benefit.

"Being is what they are doing. They're taking a moment to consider each mouthful of tea or coffee, savoring it like it was their last chance on the planet to enjoy its taste. They're intentionally noticing what they're drinking rather than having their minds ramble on internally about worries or regrets, rather than trying to multitask between drinking and talking and missing something in both."

"I don't understand." So a mouthful of tea tasted good. So what?

Leigha smiled like she'd caught a large fish on some bait. It was a smile that left me uneasy. Leigha turned to Ruru. "Could you grab that platter of fruit and nuts Ruru and pass it around?" Leigha clapped her hands. "If I can get everyone to take a piece of their favorite fruit or nut and bring it back with them to the main room. Don't eat it yet!"

More than curious I snapped my fingers at Mike to get him grab what was happening on camera but he was already one step ahead of me, camera on his shoulder. Steve ran back to his post and made sure the boom mike was in position.

The main room had been arranged with chairs in a circle with large cushions beside each chair. As I watched people get seated I realised I'd guessed right that the cushions were for those who prefered to sit on the floor. Although I noticed some used them as a foot rest. Leigha chose a chair at random. I chose one about three seats away from her and motioned for Muire and Ruru to take the ones in between. This way we could at least get something of a group shot even if we kept the others out of the camera's eye for privacy sake.

Triglav took a post at the back of the room but Leigha was having nothing of it. "You too Trig. Andrew briefed me about your background. You need this too." He didn't move. Leigha rolled her eyes. "Your boss's order." Apparently she'd had that ace up her sleeve.

Triglav frowned but complied. I guessed he'd take it up with his new employer later. He sat down beside me. Gah. I so didn't need that distraction. _Trian. Can't you do something to repel him?_

Trian laughed. _Oh, I see, now I'm your personal body guard. Trust me. You'll be fine. He means you no harm. I rather think he really would lay down his life to protect you after you spoke up for him yesterday._

Damn, I had brought this on myself.

If Triglav overheard my internal dialog he gave no indication. I wondered if there'd ever been a comic book hero called Mr Inscrutable?

Leigha picked up her own chosen morsel of fruit in her hand. "First take a moment to examine the item you've chosen. What's it size, color, texture. What does it smell like. If you squeeze it gently does it have any give?"

Merriment erupted as someone's mango decided to squirt juice all over its victim.

Muire was up and back with a paper towel for the poor person before anyone called so much as say boo.

Leigha smiled. "Thank you Muire. That was not only considerate but also mindful. While the rest of us were momentarily distracted by what happened you still had the presence of mind to think and do something about it. It takes a mind that is calmly observing rather than grasping on to or rejecting some event to react like that. Those who try to control us, advertisers, politicians and propagandists, know how easily distracted we are and will often subject us to a fright or surprise so we don't have time to react to what comes next.

Now back to our fruit. Gently bring your mind back to our task. There is no condemnation to be had for getting distracted. We are taking baby steps here. Mindfulness is a skill learned through regular and consistent practise, like a child learning to walk. Even after years of walking as an adult we can still fall over. There is no gain in self blame. Whatever thoughts arise in your mind simply allow them to be, just as they are and direct your focus back to the task. I'll ask you in a moment to put the fruit in your mouth but I don't want you to swallow it straight away. Let's take this a step at a time.

Take a small bite and enjoy the taste. What is that taste like? What is it's texture like now? Is it warm or cold or somewhere inbetween. Feel your tongue and teeth as they play with it in your mouth. Feel the moisture of your saliva. The flavours of the fruit mixing with your saliva. Coating your mouth."

The peach I had chosen from the basket was rapidly becoming the best peach I had ever tasted. I'd thought of peaches as my favorite fruit but nothing in my memory had prepared me for this taste sensation. Almost orgasmic. As if on queue I felt Trian stir in my mind. She's going to tell you to swallow next but I want you to hang on for a moment. Trust me.

"Okay, now you can swallow." As predicted Leigha gave the instruction.

Now what Trian?

Close your eyes and see the fruit with your third eye.

You know I can't do that.

Would you allow me to assist.

_Yeah sure._ Instantly I was aware of an entirely new experience. The food in my mouth was energy. Pulsating life giving energy.

Now give thanks to it and swallow

I did. OMG. The energy from the fruit exploded into my system. I felt, no saw, streams of light radiating out from my stomach into my other systems. One thread in particular wove its way up my spine, directly to my third eye. Light flooded it. A feminine energy, promising wishes fulfilled and love beyond condition.

Phoenix? Leigha asked in concern. Bringing me out of my reverie.

"Sorry, momentarily lost in an orgy of taste." But it had been more than that. Much much more. I made a mental note to quiz Trian later.

Fortunately Leigha took me at my meaning. "Yes, the first time we eat something mindfully can be something of an eye opener. Worth learning?"

"You've got me hooked."

"What you just did can be applied to any daily activity. Or non-activity. Can everyone find a comfortable position. If you can lie on the floor without going to sleep that's fine otherwise you might like to stay upright." Leigha waited a moment while we made ourselves comfortable, as instructed.

"Now close or half close your eyes, whichever you prefer. Become aware of your breathing and without trying to control it or alter it in anyway just be with it. Intentionally observing, without analysing it or judging it..."

Once she had us all in a mindful relaxed state Leigha guided us through a mental scan of each part of our body. This took about half an hour. To be honest I was starting to feel a little floaty.

While everyone else stirred and came out of the meditation Trian prompted me to take a couple of seconds to imagine an invisible connection between me and the centre of the earth. That helped ground me. "Okay, what's next Leigha?"

"Next we are going to work around the room and everyone gets a chance to say one sentence about something or things that challenged or bothered them in the last week."

Hell. I hope she didn't expect me to start. I looked hopefully at Ruru. He'd read my thought and fish me out of trouble wouldn't he?

Ruru grinned knowingly. "I'll start off if that's okay with everyone."

Phew. Double phew when everyone else agreed with him.

"I met someone this week who I'd like to wrap up in the safety of cotton wool but I know I must let her out to explore and to grow."

If I had to guess the her was Muire. The safety of cotton wool would be Boswell or more generally the dimension of Faery. Letting her out was what was involved in coming her to this session, well outside Faery and well inside the domain of our evil enemies.

Leigha looked between Muire and Ruru and seemed to guess as well. "That shows true compassion Ruru. Acknowledge that you are neither right or wrong for wanting to protect the woman. It is a normal human urge but even more so a normal male urge. Be aware of that feeling knowing that you can be aware and yet not act with the overprotectiveness she may not welcome. Thanks for sharing."

Leigha turned to Triglav. "And what about you Triglav."

"I'm a criminal on the run, hunted and sentenced to death for treason and betrayal."

More than a few around the room sucked their breath in in astonishment at his revelation.

Leigha who'd obviously been briefed by Andrew wasn't surprised. "And what brought all this about."

"The need for revenge on those who killed my entire family and most of my kind."

"You feel this revenge is justified."

"Damned right I do."

"And after your are caught and face your sentence, who will continue your vendetta?"

Triglav's shoulders sagged in obvious defeat. "No-one."

"If by lessening your grasp on your need for revenge you could bring the one who wronged you to justice. Pursue him with a deadly calm presence of mind unhindered by hatred. With a mind cleared of revenge, outsmart him. Would you?"

Triglav stared at her for a very long moment. Their gazes locked. Then he blinked. "You're saying my desire for revenge is so strong it's clouding my judgement."

Everyone in the room collectively held their breath as they turned back to Leigha for her reply. It was like watching ping pong. A very emotionally charged dangerous ping pong.

Leigha's gaze locked with Triglav's again. "Yes."

He stared back at her as we all watched and listened, on the edge of our seats. "I've had this desire for so long. Eons of time you could never imagine. How do I let it go?"

"You don't. Mentally place a frame or fence around it in your mind. Let it be whatever it wants to be there. You are outside the fence. You've identified with your need for revenge so long that it's become part of your identity. There was no other reality for you. Once you step on the other side of that mental fence it will no longer control you. Allow it to be. Just as it is. Find freedom of mind in what is outside of it."

He frowned and looked at her curiously. Then closed his eyes. "Okay. I see that desire. I've got that fence around it. What now?"

"What you feel now is infinite. Its anything. A far greater chance of achieving justice. A chance at any life you might desire to create. A future."

Triglav blinked and I would have paid a lot to get on camera what he thought in that moment but it wasn't to be. He simply nodded. "Fair enough."

And then Leigha turned to me. Shit a brick. "Phoenix. What brings you here?"

Leigha already knew but this was for the camera. I could say I was told to but that would be petty. What would my audience want from me? Thinking of the audience always got me past my self. Hmm. I counted on my fingers. "I'm arrogant, abrasive, socially insensitive, incapable of intimate relationships and generally uncaring of others."

"That sounds like a list of personal attributes. Is this how others have told you they see you or is this how you see yourself."

"Both."

"You don't seem bothered by admitting that."

"No, not really."

"Why is that?"

I shrugged. "I don't feel anything about it. I am what I am."

"Do you not feel because it is something about you or is lack of emotion common for you."

"It's how I've been, as long as I can remember." Honestly I couldn't remember ever being any different.

"Unique to you or were others in your family that way?"

Hmm, I was starting to get uncomfortable with the direction her questions were taking. "My dad isn't an emotional man. Neither was his dad I believe, but I never knew him."

"Would you say your dad is uncomfortable when others around him were emotional?"

Ha. She didn't know the half of it. "You bet."

"And he rewarded you for not being emotional?"

Had he? "I guess so." I'd never really thought about it. "I certainly knew I'd displease him if I got upset about anything."

"But getting angry was okay."

"If it was justifiable and targeted at the cause. As long as that cause wasn't dad, yes."

"So would you agree that it is a learned behaviour?"

"A bit of nurture yes but also in my nature, perhaps, but my geneticist won't tell me what he knows on that one."

"Even if you have a predisposition there is now a lot of science to show we can rewire our brains through using individually tailored exercises. Would you be interested in changing your brain?"

Hmm. I'd never had a problem with being me but other people did. Did I care about my effect on them? In the past I would have said a definite no but now I wasn't so sure. "There are some feelings I wouldn't mind having. Not sure I can define what they are but it has something to do with being close to someone. Could I become capable of being intimate and affectionate with someone."

"Some one?"

"Okay, someone in particular but I'm not discussing the nature of that relationship here. Can you help me or not?" I was beginning to feel a tad exasperated or was it a feeling that I was under a microscope? Well the camera was on me I supposed.

"No"

"No?" What the fuck! Why was I here then?

"I can't help you. I can only give you a toolkit of strategies. The work is up to you. The question you have to answer for yourself is do you want to help yourself? You will need clear intent and lots and lots of motivation to succeed. You will need to commit to practice of some exercises I will give you to do. Consider it going to a gym for the mind. Do the series of exercises regularly and consistently and you will create new neural connections in your brain, tapping into the underutilized right front brain of yours. Not to fundamentally change you. It's better to accept and fully embrace yourself, just as you are. But you can rewire your brain to give you access to other parts of your mind, when you want. Keeping a journal of your experiences and your progress will also help."

I thought this TV program we were making was my journal. Still writing was no chore for me. "Ok."

Leigha took that as her cue to guide the whole group through a body scan meditation that got everyone monitoring how each and every part of their being was feeling, physically and emotionally. After a short loo break we continued around the group. First hearing of Muire's guilt over not feeling grief over her father's demise and her worry for her mother's recovery. Another lady, Joan I think but I didn't really catch the name, spoke of her fear of being lonely once her ailing spouse passed away. The lady next to her spoke of her pain at giving up her child to authorities because of her alcoholism. A quiet bespectacled guy named David, yeah he's a bloke so I noticed, spoke almost in a whisper about the rage he continually felt burning inside. What was clear was that everyone's pain was very unique to them but at the same time the pain itself wasn't. Suffering was the pervasive theme. That there was so much pain in the world...did you point a finger of blame at the enemy who ran the world for their own selfish need or did you point it at these people. Was it both or even something else. Maybe I did need to take Sakla up on his invite to do an interview with him. I had a gut hunch it might be insightful.

Red.

What?

Danger approaches.

Bloody hell. What now?

One of the new hate groups has organised a rally in the main street. A small group has splintered off and is heading this way.

_And of course they would take what we are doing here as something airy fairy and new age._ Most of these hate groups were comprised of angry recently unemployed males who felt their way of life had been taken from them and they were looking for scapegoats. Any scapegoats. _Can you call for help?_ I asked Trian.

Ruru has heard our conversation and is already doing that. We need to organize everyone.

Shit and by we he meant me. I made a sign with my hand to Mike to indicate to stop the tape.

Leigha stopped mid sentence with the person she was talking with. "Red?"

"We need to get everyone to safety. Now. That march that was happening in the town at lunch time today has turned violent and is spreading out."

"Uh?" Leigha was momentarily speechless but she knew where we came from. She was an old friend of Simon so she knew a few of us here today were a bit special. She'd been briefed.

"Lock the doors." I ordered Ruru and Triglav. " Is there a back entrance?" I asked Leigha.

"There is but it just goes to an alleyway which leads back to the main street. What about we go upstairs? We can get up on the roof. If anyone comes in here they should think the place is deserted."

I didn't like us being trapped on the roof but it seemed our only option. On the way I spied a broom at the bottom of the stairwell and grabbed it. When we got to the top I handed it to Ruru. "Could you break the end off that and split it in two?"

Ruru eyed me curiously but then he must have read my mind. "Good thinking." He busted the broom up and then passed me the two sticks, minus the broom end. Then he went to finding what he could put against the roof door. He disconnected a couple of heavy gas cylinders and leaned them against the door. "Won't really hold them but if they try the door and it initially doesn't budge they may think it's locked and go away. Worth a try anyway."

_I know what you're up to. You think to fight this out. But there is a better way._ Trian muttered in my head.

And what would that be?

Compassion

I rolled my eyes.

No, hear me out! If you could get close enough to touch them on the forehead you could mindshare. I think it would be insightful for both parties and end this before anyone gets injured, killed or worse.

I gave a moment's thought to the women in our motley group and knew what he meant by worse. _We'd have to restrain our attackers before we could mindshare_.

If you have the opportunity try to reason with them but if there's no chance of that you've got Ruru, the man with the rage issues and the vampire. Between the four of you a co-ordinated attack could work. If not then fight with everything you've got. I will lend my strength if you are happy to be a channel for it.

_Of course._ Now wasn't the time to have issues over someone else sharing my body. I had to admit I was actually looking forward to it again. I'd felt kind of only half a person since he'd withdrawn from me after yesterday's events.

I felt his mental smile warm me from the inside. He liked that I wasn't shying away from him any more. _You might want to also tap into that inner shark of yours_

I could do that. _You there mangoh?_ I hoped he didn't mind his name sounded like a juicy fruit.

Always.

Not sure what my animal spirit could do to help me but it was reassuring. In my dream of it it had told me something about fearlessness and authority. A lack of fear was no problem for me. Authority? I'd only ever exercised that over my film crew but I guess I could embrace that.

We needed to keep quiet in the hope our would be attackers wouldn't discover us but we also needed to discuss this. I waved everyone over and we formed one of those huddles you sometimes see sporting teams make. "Okay listen up everyone. Here's what we're going to try and do."

We'd no sooner organised ourselves than the door to the roof burst open, the gas cylinders rolling out the way. Four men, brandishing knives fanned out onto the roof. "Well well well, what have we here? You men should be with us. Join us now or pay the consequences. As for these women, they should be home serving their men. No matter, they can serve us."

Triglav moved in front of Leigha, Muire and the other women, drew two knives from somewhere in his boots, rose to his full height and hissed, baring his teeth. "touch anyone of them and I will bleed you dry little man."

The six foot goon who spoke for the group frowned. Obviously he'd never been called little before but it pleased me to see him have to crane his neck up to view the women's protector. "Easy big guy! We won't hurt them. They'll enjoy screaming out our names. It will be a revelation for them. Really. They'll be happy to join our cause. In return for a bit of cooking and cleaning we'll be happy to service their needs."

Triglav's skin flushed violet and I guessed that might go bad for all of us. So I stepped forward to distract the situation. "In your dreams fella. If you think you're so hot see if you can take me on."

The man smirked. I didn't. I passed my improvised Pencak Silat sticks to David and then approached our lead accoster. His cronies nearly panted in expectation, watching. It was just the distraction we needed. They didn't see Ruru, who'd been hiding behind the rooftop air conditioning unit, circle round behind them. Such a classic attention blink. You know, watch the ball being passed among players and fail to notice the gorilla walk through the room. I'd counted on it.

The man held out his arms in welcome and I walked right into them. Then I rammed the spike of my heel into his foot. Many things happened simultaneously. He screamed and swore. I used that moment to knee him in the groin and to latch hold of his pinky finger then bent it backwards. Not breaking it but forcing him to his knees. Ruru in the meantime, had two of his cronies by the shoulders, applying a Din Mak pinch to the nerves that ran up into their necks. Dangerous yes but I noticed they were both still breathing as they hit the deck. David had not been quite so graceful in his attack on the fourth man. He was ever so quietly trying to beat him to a pulp. I nodded to Leigha to go and try to talk him down.

At that moment Kit, Boswell's resident ninja, appeared and threw a net of some kind over the man at my feet. I acknowledged her. "Nice of you to show."

Kit shrugged. "Simon foresaw events. He said you'd be okay. What you going to do with this lot now?"

"Trian says I should do a mindshare."

"With that man?" Kit pulled a face. "Rather you than me."

"Great. Thanks for the encouragement." But Trian had thought it important. "Can you get him on his feet and restrain him."

"Easy peasy." Kit yanked him to his feet. "What's your name, hater. Or should we just call you idiot?"

"Leonard. Now release me. We'll go. Honest." He seemed in rather a hurry to get out of the way of the woman in black leather who'd materialised out of nowhere and was now firmly holding his arms behind his back. Nor was he missing the hissing seven foot male. He kept eying him nervously.

"Not so quick Leonard. You and I were just getting to know each other."

"I've changed my mind." The fleetingly brief downward turn of the lips gave away his dismay.

"Aw. Is that meant to offend me? It doesn't you know. But wouldn't you like me to understand your cause? To understand you and what brought you here, to this moment?"

"Er."

I revelled in his uncertainty. So different from the brash cocky bastard who'd stormed onto the roof moments before.

"What do you want to know?" He seemed to have recovered his tongue.

"What's inside your mind. Your thoughts, your feelings, what your consider yourself to be."

Confusion ran across his face. Philosophy so obviously wasn't his thing. "Er?"

"Just say yes to me Leonard." I leaned into him until my forehead nearly touched his.

"Yes, I think."

"No think Leonard. I need a definite answer or I'll incur the wrath of some very powerful supernatural beings. Yes or no. Will you open your mind to me?"

"Er. Yes. If I say yes can I go then?" He looked at me now like he thought me some crazy woman.

"Certainly." I closed the gap between our foreheads and waited for Trian to do his thing because one thing was for sure. My telepathic ability was limited to Trian and I certainly had no knowledge of mindsharing.

His name now might be Leonard but as a child he'd preferred Leo. A gentle soul to begin with he'd been kicked and bullied throughout his childhood. Bend, break or get stronger. He'd chosen the later, along the way becoming a blokey bloke, a man's man. Compounded by the fact his dad had forced him into a 'real' job. There was little left of the gentle soul who'd had a fleeting interest in becoming a musician. Or so it would appear as I fossicked through the surface layer of his memories.

He was aware of my exploration. Observing. Waiting for me to judge him. In a way, seeing someone else's mind was no different to guessing the mind of an actor in a murder mystery. Just as fascinating. Here was a man who had been moulded by circumstance and his response to it. What choices he'd made he'd done to survive the best he knew how. Like being driven by some mindless biological imperative. He'd been motivated to improve his status among his peers. He'd manipulated the odds in his favor to get what he wanted. Girls. Jobs. Financial rewards. He'd sold his soul to keep peace with his family. To keep a relationship going.

In the end it had all been to no avail. The conglomerate he'd worked for laid off local staff as it looked to place its work in countries that didn't have the same level of workplace safety standards or minimum pay rates. A cash strapped government had also starting asking difficult questions about why such a successful mega corporation was managing to avoid paying any tax. Left with little to do Leonard had taken to spending afternoons at his ex-workmates places where they collectively drowned their sorrows in beer.

His wife had become disgusted at his increasingly disheveled state of appearance and his disinterest in helping around the home or even pitching in to pick up the kids after school. She up and left him, taking herself, the kids and the family car to her mums. Then she'd set the lawyers onto him to extract her share of what was left of his redundancy payout and to get some ongoing maintenance for the kids.

Frustrated, depressed and wondering if he'd have to sell his house to payout his wife he'd turned angry and joined the Haters Society. Joining their marches had given him an avenue to vent all his feelings and seek revenge on an unfair world.

But I saw it now. His present state was like an onion. Peel back each layer of hate, disappointment, labels, opinions, emotional responses and the stories he told himself to justify it all. Peel back each layer and throw it away. I was more than fascinated now. There was something earth shattering in what I was doing. Not just for him but for me too. At least that was my sense of it.

I felt Leonard's interest and wonder at what I was doing. He wanted this. Wanted to know what lay beneath it all.

I think Trian had nudged me to do the mindshare, thinking it would give me an insight into another human. To see someone's suffering and maybe to kick start the rusty compassion circuits in my brain into operation. But I'd taken the experience in a different direction. As I would. Curiosity was my thing.

So I peeled away the layers of his self, one-by-one, and eventually found a core. Strangely though it wasn't a self. I'd gone too far perhaps. Beyond the name he'd been given at birth. Beyond the form of his body. His genetics. Even beyond the way he breathed. Beyond all that. But what was it?

I touched that core with my mind. Trying to touch it my own mind seemed to pass right through it. Taken aback I retreated a little to regroup. I observed. I felt Leonard's awareness of it alongside me. He seemed as dumfounded as me by its intangible nature. Yet we could both see that it was light, vast, silent and unjudging. It felt slightly warm and welcoming.

_I think, perhaps, this is really me_. Leonard telepathed to me and astonishingly I heard him. _This is what I want to be. I want to stay this way?_

Then you'd better not cover yourself up with all those messy layers of shit again. Walk away from it. Let it go.

You're not going to condemn me then, for all my mistakes, for joining the hate group. For the things I've done in their name.

I don't think it was this core of yours that did those things. Those actions were a natural consequence of what you believed yourself to be. I think you believed in those imaginary layers more than you did this core. Those layers you called your self can't be worse than a bad TV show can they? Just switch the program off.

I'm going to have to walk away from all of my past life aren't I?

I think if you stick around this hate group you've joined they'll just drag you back under. They may even try to force you back. Bury you in new layers. You could become worse than before.

I think you're right. I need to disappear

That can be arranged.

I pulled out of the mindshare to find everyone watching me but so what. I was interested in what Leonard was going to do now. "Where to from here? What should I even call you now?"

"Leo will do, as much as I need a label for others to deal with which seems odd as I no longer see a boundary between myself and anyone else. Leo sounds right though, a bit like a lion but I'm hoping a not so violent one. One with courage. I need to set some things right. At least what's within my power to fix or make amends for. I'll give my wife's lawyer's what they're asking for. It's only fair. I'll sell the house and put the money in a trust fund for the kids education and then I'm moving on. Everything that's happened to me has to be turned around to some good. I want that. The first thing I want to do is learn what you just did. Maybe I can use it to help others who are caught in the same mind-trap I was in. Can you teach me?"

"Who me? Hell. I don't even know what I did. It just sort of came to me." But I planned to document it as soon as I got home. "There might be others where we come from who could shed some light on it."

"Cool. Could you take me there?"

"Er." How did I tell him it wasn't as easy as that?

Muire chose that moment to reappear with a certain cat in her arms. Inspector Wilson was with her. "Safe now?", she asked.

As if she hadn't already intuited that. "Sort of. We still need to deal with these others though." All of whom were now conscious and looking pissed off as all hell.

"Fuck off cunt. You're not touching us." One with a closely shaven crop of brown hair viewed all of us, including his ex comrade Leo, with disgust and spat.

"Yeah, too right." A wiry looking guy with an underfed air about him agreed then spat on the floor as well.

The last man was still a groaning battered heap on the ground. Guess it took a bit to get David to stand down.

"Lovely. Inspector, you want to lock these two up in Valeton's local lockup?" Valeton, at least, was outside of Faery. "Perhaps a healer for the messed up twit and then lock him up too."

"Gladly but what about the other one?", he pointed to Leo.

Shit. By all standards of the law he should answer for any crimes he'd committed as a member of the Haters Society, including breaking and entering into these premises and threatening us. How did I put his case? "Isn't the ultimate goal of the justice system to reform."

Inspector Wilson laughed. "I think you did a little more than reform him Red. Kind of wiped away his self. A clean slate." His eyes took on a calculating gleam. "Quite some weapon if you can master how you wield it."

"A weapon?" I hadn't really thought of it that way. "Maybe but we can consider that later. Right now I'm concerned with this man. He's of no further threat to anyone. If we don't help him we could be responsible for him going back to a life that will reinstate his old ways." Not that I really thought he would but it was a good bargaining point.

The inspector frowned. "You want to not only let him off the hook but also let him into Faery? That's really not my call."

I looked at Leo and then looked at the cat, hoping it could read my thoughts. _What ya reckon?_

Meta squirmed out of Muire's hold and gracefully landed on the floor near Leo's feet. He circled the man a couple of times, as if taking his measure, then brushed up against him. Immediately the two of them disappeared.

Kit patted me on the shoulder, "Saving more strays I see Red. Speaking of which where's Triglav?"

We all looked around but he was gone. Surprisingly so was Leigha. I wasn't sure what that meant. Plus it peeved me a little. She still had things to teach me.

_You're doing fine Red, all on your own_ , Trian murmured in my mind. _Leigha pointed you in the right direction and you've taken off running._

_Have I?_ I wasn't aware of having done anything. I certainly didn't feel any closer to touching my emotions so as far as I was concerned I hadn't gotten anywhere. Yet. But first things first. There was the matter of some normals who had perhaps seen a little too much. "I hope you guys realise if you speak of any of this to anyone you'll attract unwelcome attention to yourselves. You could end up persecuted like other people our enemy labels as different."

"Then take us with you." David suggested.

"It's not as easy as that." Although it had been for Leo and I'll I'd admit that didn't make for a good argument. "There's only two ways in I know of", three if you counted our special pickup cat but I thought that might only complicate things. "you either need a revelation akin to what Leo just had or you need a retrovirus we've developed that basically makes you immortal. Most of the so called 'Differents' we've come across are distrusting of the later."

But we're not exactly 'Differents' are we? We're just normal people with normal problems. Personally I have no problem with being made immortal. You people seem pretty bright and switched on. I'm assuming you've tested this treatment."

"Extensively. Our whole town's had it."

"Well then. Count me in."

"Me too."

"And me."

Everyone seemed in agreement. I looked to Kit for help. "Do you think you put a call out to Jnarn or your mate Doc?"

"Gladly but..." She turned to the members of Leigha's group. "Consider these facts. You'll age backwards towards what your body considers to be your prime and sometimes that can mean an unpleasant couple of days as your body sheds diseased cells. If you continue to live in this, what we call the normal, world you'll become targets of our enemy. You're welcome to come live in Faery but you may find you have limited contact with the life you knew. Think on that before you have the treatment."

Doc had already appeared with his doctor's bag, having responded to his mate's telepathic call. He waited for their response.

David nodded. "We're in." He took the puff pack Doc offered him and inhaled. The others followed suit.

I guessed some refugees were easier to help than others. Nice when what you're offering is welcomed. Now we just needed to find them places to stay.

## 5. Seeking advice

Back in Boswell, Mike and Steve were working with Ruru to piece together the morning's footage into a short half hour doco for tonight's alternate tv program rundown. We'd already advertised it so we'd go ahead with it even though we didn't have as much to go with as we'd hoped. I'd record a longer intro if we ran short.

Right now though I had some people to see. I had the usual amount of thoughts crashing through my head at breakneck speed. I needed some perspective and knew just where to get it.

I knocked on the door of number seven Park Street. George opened it. George, who would never like it if you compared him to a butler or chauffer, kind of organised the running of the house in between working on leading edge engineering solutions to the town's power and infrastructure needs or tinkering with his boss aka best friend's cars. I restrained myself but, nup, I had to ask. "George, why is a man with the brain size of planet opening the door for me?"

George paused midway down the corridor. He looked lost in thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "It's my way of showing my gratitude to the man who saved me. It's not as if it takes much time out of my day. I can't be thinking up engineering schemes twenty-four seven. Anyway. I suspect I'd be tempted to think too much of myself if I didn't do these little things for Simon. My parents were staunch Anglicans and believed in service."

"But the free energy system you, Ally, Mendal and Upal came up with is a service to the whole town. I believe you're even setting it up for other communities within Faery."

"That's my hobby. Fun. I'd do it anyway. This is service as it's doing something I mightn't otherwise. Done as an act of love and friendship."

The glistening gleam in his eyes and the softening of his facial muscles told me the truth of his statement. Oh how I wished I could feel the depth of his emotion. To have someone feel about me that way. To have that deep love wash over me and to have the time to wallow in it.

_You will Red._ I felt Trian's reassuring pat though our mental connection.

George ushered me into the kitchen. "They're waiting for you."

"They?" I'd only come to get some advice from the town's sage.

Simon's lounge was full. A full meeting of the alliance council no less. They were waiting for me.

"So the next item on the council's agenda is...?"

"Our new tactical weapon", Simon smiled not quite benignly.

"You realise that makes me a threat to any one of you." I just had to point that out.

Simon laughed. "You think you might wipe our personalities. There isn't a Malakim or Meta being in existence who would worry at that. We are what we are because we know we can construct our own dream realities any way we want."

"So you're saying that if I peeled back all your layers you wouldn't lose what makes you uniquely Simon."

Simon leaned forward in his chair, avidly interested. "And what is it you think defines me Red?"

"Well..." I considered that for a moment. "You're our seer", and general know all but I didn't say that. Oh hell, he would have heard my thought anyway. I blundered on "you like cooking, you're deadly with a weapon and you seem, if the rumours around town are true, to like a fair bit of kink with your sex. On top of that you have a fair knowledge of herbs and I don't mean necessarily for cooking."

Simon's lips twitched in amusement. His grey eyes sparkled with mirth. "Of all the paths I could have chosen to follow the one I've constructed for myself has been the most fun. But. I could be anything I chose. Have at it Red. Do a mindshare with me."

Thex erupted from his chair yelling "No!"

Arion stared at him with pleading eyes. "Simon!"

Tyra came to sit at his feet and rested her head on his leg but said nothing.

Simon reached down and 'affectionately' yanked Tyra's hair, drawing her head back so he could bend down and kiss her passionately.

The rest of us stared at the ceiling, the floor, the doorway, anywhere but directly at the depth of their passion. Then Simon got up and made his way over to Thex and Arion, mindsharing with each of them before giving each other a manly hug. Whatever passed between them seemed to have them relaxing. Then he walked straight over to me. "Now Red."

What if he lost his seer abilities? What if he no longer wanted to stay in Boswell, helping the alliance? How would his mates feel if he moved on to higher dimensions, leaving them behind? But I looked into those clear grey eyes and saw certainty. "As is where-is." I stated for good measure. "I won't be blamed for whatever happens."

I looked to Tyra, Thex and Arion but they just nodded back at me. "Ok, here goes." I touched my forehead to his and was met with a high speed indecipherable blur that whizzed back in time, back to the big bang, back beyond that. Universes upon universes. No beginning. No end. My mind unravelled in the face of it all. "Oh my..."

Simon placed a finger over my lips. "No Red. We are all That. He steadied me with his other arm and steered me to a much needed chair. "You've done well. I wasn't sure if you'd pass out but I was trusting Trian to safeguard you mind from burning out."

Now he tells me. "But nothing happened to you? You're still the same?"

"Am I? Are you sure of that? No don't panic. I enjoyed the spring clean. I had formed a few unnecessary habits and hangups. It was time to let them go. But as to what I am now...I am what I choose to be. It's not my time to reunite with the all-spirit just yet."

"And you knew that."

"Of course."

My shoulders sagged in relief. "You still might have told me."

"Perhaps, but some experiments are better done without too much foreknowledge. You will need more practice though, before you meet Sakla's mind. Imagine the innermost core of the human mind, the reptilian brain. He only functions at that level, driven by the need to survive, improve his status and accumulate wealth and power to ensure his own safety at all costs. Nothing else matters to him. You think yourself unemotional but yours are only suppressed. Sakla has none. He hasn't evolved to that level of being able to access the mammalian part of the brain of his host body. What you may perceive as anger, greed and malice are purely his automatic reactions to threats. He will lash out at anything that may interfere with his survival. The only way to deal with him is to understand that and give him what he craves, that safety, power, wealth, status and above all, ongoing existence. Not the existence of his kind. The well being of others of his kind doesn't enter his consciousness. Just his individual existence. Imagine an entity totally closed in on themselves, tight, constricted, risk averse and humorless."

In other words the opposite of Simon's mischievous, open, non-judging, loosely held self. "Who exactly did you want me to practice on?"

He smirked that archetypal all knowing Simon smirk that he knew irritated me. Yes the Simon we all knew and loved was still there. "Opportunities will present themselves. You don't need to go looking for them. In the meantime go and fix things with your father."

Let me see. Which was worse? Sakla or my father. Interviewing Sakla seemed preferable.

"If you interview Sakla as you currently are he will use every bit of fear, anger and hate in your heart and turn you to his cause. Instead of being our secret weapon you will undo all our plans. You're an asset Red but you're also our greatest risk if you meet him. You need to learn how to guard your mind, to clear it of all judgements and negativity, to do to yourself what you can do to others. Learn how to combine yourself with Trian consciously, rather than waiting for him to do all the work."

I sighed. Then had an evil thought. "You're not in on Khyen's bet are you?"

Simon just laughed, not answering. "Bets aside, time is of the essence. California is sinking fast. The electro-magnetic field which protects this planet is diminishing by the day. It would only take one mega flare from an earth facing sun spot to send this the normal dimension of this planet back to the steam age. Before that happens Trian needs the resources of a particular group of aliens who operate out of Area 51 in the United States. All their science will be to no avail if everything electrical is fried by such a flare."

"If?" Or did he just mean maybe and was trying to scare me into action.

"It is one of many possible futures I'm monitoring. Key choices made by key people such as yourself will play a large part in shaping events."

I looked to the rest of the council who were listening avidly, eyes mixed with hope and worry. "I'm hardly a key person. I'm just an outspoken, nosey, vitriolic, stubborn journalist."

Ma moved from her seat beside Simon's and came to stand before me. "The same person who dreamed her mind back in time to save everything. If you hadn't have told Trian of the ability to teleport through time Lemuria would have been lost."

"Lemuria wasn't lost?"

"Much of its land mass was but no, Lemuria still exists. In much reduced form and in a dimension akin to what we have here but it does exist. And that's all down to you and Trian.

"If what we set in motion worked then it's down to more than just me and Trian. A whole heap of scientists, organisers like you, everyone doing their bit."

"That may be but it doesn't take away from the fact that you are far more than you think Phoenix O'Halloran. Now go make peace with you father. Right now would be as good time. Time is something we're all short on at the moment."

As I left the meeting Thex met me at the door and whispered in my ear. "Take Upal and Mendal with you. Your vampire's disappeared off the grid and you still need protection out there in 'normal' land."

Damn it. I could protect myself but I didn't try arguing with Thex. Anyway, I had a bit of catching up to do with the pair. "Thanks." See, I can be courteous. Trian laughed in my mind. Thex just smirked. "You know one day I'll read minds too." I pointed out.

That only seemed to amuse Thex more. "I'm sure you will Red but don't get your hopes up that you're going to discover all sorts of earth shattering secrets when you do. Most of us can block our minds when we want."

Annoying man, angel, all powerful commander of the galactic defense force, whatever. I went to find two ex-Din scientists but Tyra followed me out.

"Tyra?"

"I just wanted to say thanks. If it hadn't been for you firmly planting images of my mates into my essential self I might have married in this lifetime, before I met Simon. All my life I had dreams of them. No male ever measured up so I stayed single. I didn't know the why of it until this morning when Ma shared with me what you'd done."

So rather than messing with the timeline I'd made it come out as intended. "It was the right thing to do. Call me a romantic."

"A wonderful romantic." She hugged me. "Now go and make a happy ever after for you and Trian."

As I continued on my way I wondered just how was I going to do that? The man's body was a stone stuck in the side of a mountain. A mountain that would collapse into the sea causing a tidal wave bigger than anything in recorded history, if we tried to rescue him as the others had been.

When I returned home to get my bike several beings were waiting for me. Two ex-Din, a very welcome visitor from Carpathia, and a cat.

"Upal and I'll teleport there and case the joint so we don't get any repeats of Muire's mother's place." Mendal explained. "Just picture in your mind the place and the address."

"Hold on just one minute. I have got a question for you two." I turned to Oana. "Sorry. This will just take a moment."

"Nici o problema. I mean 'No problem'."

"Now..." I turned back to address the ex-Din. "Would you like to tell me what happened to your host bodies back on Lemuria?"

They both looked astounded. It was Upal who spoke first. "That was you? You said you'd remember. Have to say you've shrunk a bit."

"The guy that was with you. That was Trian wasn't it?" Mendal asked.

"Don't let's get off subject. What did you do with your host bodies?"

"Released them of course." Upal seemed adamant about that. "When faced with a being as powerful as your mate we'd hardly be wise to do otherwise. And anyway, you seemed pretty adamant you'd catch up with us if we hurt them. We didn't need their guise any longer anyway. There was no problem being in our true form once we left the planet. Din only borrow bodies so we don't freak out the natives."

Did I take his word for it or not?

"Look Red", Mendal approached. "I'd let you mindshare but I hear there's a bit of a side effect from doing that with you so I'm not offering. Are we going to beat around the bush all day or are you going to accept our word?" He looked me directly in the eye and waited.

Perhaps I wouldn't have believed their past alter-egos but these guys were changed men. That and they were Ally's mates. Ally, the town's electrician, wasn't a bad judge of character from what I'd seen. "Fair enough." I thought up the image of my parents house and they promptly disappeared.

"Sorry, did I come at a bad time." Oana asked.

Er. Yes the timing was all wrong but I wasn't going to say it. I could do with a friendly face right now given what I was about to go up against. My dad.

Of course Oana heard my thoughts. "I'm coming with you then."

"I couldn't ask that of you Oana. Mum's nice but my dad, well." Just what could I say without sounding like the ungrateful daughter I was?

"You're not asking. I'm coming. Got room on the back of your bike or do I have to teleport?"

Oh I liked this woman. Not giving me an option eh. Maybe I'd recruit her as a second journalist for our news team.

Her eyes flared with interest. Oh. She liked that thought. Well I just might put it to the team later. "Hop on the back but you get to carry the cat." I so wasn't having the goddess's mate stuffed down my front again.

"He's what!" Oana queried startled, attempting to back away from the cat who was brushing affectionately up against her legs.

I guess I'd better do the formal introductions. "Oana meet Meta, Meta Oana."

Introductions aside Oana still warily assessed the cat. "I don't want to upset the earth goddess."

"Honestly you won't. The Malakim don't get jealous like we humans do. Just pretend he's a cat. Forget you know any different."

"Er." Meta took that moment to spring into her arms anyway. Oana cuddled him but gave him a stern look. "No looking down my cleavage. Are we understood?"

The cat just purred and licked her hand.

"I guess that's a yes." Oana muttered.

## 6. Catching up with my past

Upal and Mendal had already taken up strategic positions around the house by the time we arrived. Mendal gave me a thumbs up, whatever that meant.

_It means your mum's inside on her own, your dad's in his shed out the back and there are none of the enemy in sight._ Trian conveyed everything he must have picked up from Mendal's mind.

Oh, cool. I whispered to Oana, "We'll keep our voice down as I don't want to attract dad's attention just yet."

"Why is it you two don't like each other? It might be best if I know that so I don't put my foot in it." Oana had finally got worried by the animosity and dread she was feeling from me.

"Let's just say I'm a major disappointment to him. I didn't follow the path in life he'd had marked out for me."

"Oh!" She sounded still in the dark and she was. I wasn't ready just yet to dump it all on her. I was hoping to have her as a friend. No need to scare her off with too much family talk.

Oana laughed. "Carpathians love everything to do with families, good, bad and everything in between. We believe that knowing about someone's family tells us much about the person. I have no doubt yours is interesting."

"Interesting's the word", and I didn't mean that in a pleasant sense. "Come meet my mum." There was some nice safe ground to start on at least.

We found mum in the kitchen, lost in thought, trying to scrape some burnt mass out of the bottom of a saucepan. The microwave was beeping incessantly and an alarm was sounding on the washing machine to say it had lost balance. Status normal. I went to attend to the microwave and Oana went, unasked, to attend to the washing machine.

Mom noticed the sudden quiet and looked up, flustered then delight washed over her face. She threw the pot into the sink and started to race towards me but then paused mid flight. She found a towel to wipe her hands on and then wrapped me in her arms, tears streaming down her face. "My precious Phoenix. You've come home."

I returned her hug, using those precious moments to wonder how in heck I was going to explain why I hadn't come sooner, why I hadn't rung, why I hadn't exactly been the daughter she needed.

_Tell her you love her._ Trian prompted, helpfully.

Well yes I did. A lot. So I guess it couldn't hurt to force the emotion laden words out. "Mum I love you. I'm sorry it's been so long."

"Oh, thank you Phoenix. Thank you for coming. I don't care how long it's been. You're here now. You make me so happy. I'm so proud of you and all you've achieved."

"You are?" I had a fan in the family?

"Oh, yes. Come. Look." She steered me towards a kitchen cupboard and opened the door. Drawers and drawers of DVDs. "I've tried to record every news item you do. I might have missed a few, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Mum I'm flattered. But. Does dad know about this little collection?"

She blanched. "Hell no. That's why I keep them in here. You know how he won't come into my 'Den of Chaos' as he calls it."

"He still calls it that." I noticed Oana had moved on to tackling the dishes in the sink. The place might not be so chaotic by the time Oana finished with it.

"I'm afraid he hasn't changed." Mum mused. She tilted her head slightly to gaze at me. "But you have. You look younger. It's those people you're with now isn't it. Boswell. They haven't been doing any experiments on you have they?"

Well, yes, a broadscale experiment but I needed to broach the subject carefully. "I'm well mum. And yes I'm physically younger." Oh hell. There was nothing for it. Mum was always into the out-there stuff anyway. "They've developed a genetic cure for some damage that was done to our species in ancient times."

Mum's eyes lit with fascination. "The evil reptilian overlords. I read about it all on the internet."

Er. Maybe telling her the truth wouldn't be such a stretch. Despite the dubious sources her information might have come from. "Sort of. The reptilians as you call them are actually etheric demons that can take physical form but usually don't because they'd scare the crap out of the locals. Most of the time they inhabit the auras of susceptible humans."

Mum nodded her head in understanding, "those humans who vibrate at the same frequency as the demons."

"Um. Yes", I was surprised at her the depth of her knowledge. I wasn't sure anyone had even thought of that vibratory angle. "So to cut a long story short our scientists came up with a fix that repairs our DNA, making us as long lived as we were meant to be." Dare I say it. "Effectively we're immortal." There I said it. I fished into my bag and retrieved a puff pack with said cure. "If you want you can have the cure but I must tell you that the first few days after you have it aren't pleasant. Plus there's no going back once you have it. You might want to..."

Mum, who was no stranger to asthmas inhalers, snatched the inhaler from my hand and without a moment's hesitation had used it.

"...think about it. Well I guess you thought."

"Oh this is all so exciting Phoenix. And I have much to show you too. Quickly before your father comes in looking for a meal." She retrieved a tablet from another hidden drawer. Just what did she have in this kitchen empire of hers?

"I've been doing some online study", she whispered to me conspiratorially. "First I did a few free MOOCs, massive open online courses, with regular universities. Then I found this. It's based at Mt Shasta in California. They teach forbidden history and all sorts of other fascinating subjects. I'm majoring in vibrational science," She beamed at me with pride.

"Vibrational science?" The eternally curious journalist in me perked up and took notice. "Tell me all about it."

"We're short of time," she whispered in hushed tones and I knew why. Dad had never had any time for mum's interest in the way-out. He'd belittle her for sure if he knew. Maybe even take away access to the internet or whatever he could to stop her. "I'll just have to show you." She closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate. A spoon rose from the table, floated in midair then bent to elegantly form a knot.

"How the hell..."

"Janie, where's my food." A disgruntled yell came from the back of the house. " You haven't gone and burnt it again have you?"

"Quick. Get out of sight. You two go into his office and I'll try to break the news that you're here to him as gently as I can. That is if you want to see him." She turned and noticed the clean sink and Oana folding a tea towel. "Oh dear. I've been so rude. I don't even know you're name." But she was already steering us out of the kitchen.

"Yes, I'll see him mum." I hugged her briefly before she ran in haste back to the kitchen to get his meal.

"She's got some go in her, your mum." Oana commented.

"More than I thought. But she'd need a well of courage to live with that man. Did you see what she did?"

"Amazing. I've seen nothing like it."

"I have. It's an Arcturian skill." _Isn't it Trian?_

_We need to find out more about this online college she's been doing her training with. Simon did say that the last vestige of the Lemurian civilization was holed up there, near Mt Shasta. It can't be coincidental._ Trian sounded more than curious.

"Phoenix. Come and look at these blueprints over here and see what you make of them." Oana called me over to the office table.

"Blueprints?" Dad was a world renowned engineer, a designer of ships. That there were blueprints in his office was nothing special but something had attracted Oana's attention.

"These look like they're for a huge ship. Bigger than anything I've ever seen. A floating island. And look at this." She held up a price estimate.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is the budget for a small country."

"Or a floating country," Oana mused.

Trian. What do you think?

_Run your eyes over it, in detail. Pause when I tell you. Stop. There. Those are photon drives. This is way ahead of current human technology. A bit to your left. Yes, there. Those are monstrously big greenhouses on the deck. And look at the sewage system._

As Trian mused excitedly on the layout I saw through his eyes and understood the magnitude of what I was looking at. Not only was this a self-sufficient floating island but it also had massive electromagnetic shields to protect it from...the reversal of the poles and the possibility of a mega flare. Of course.

Oana laughed. "Look at the name of this thing will you. The SS Plan B."

"I think if we were to go through the paperwork on this one we'd find a certain someone we know's funded this."

"What are you two doing in here? Get out. This is top secret."

Oh bugger. My dad. "What, that you're building a photon engine powered, electromagnetically protected, floating island for J.D.Security of Boswell. To be a refugee camp is my guess."

That gave my dad pause. "You understood the blueprints?"

"Well yes. By the way. I think you need to rejig one of your equations." I pointed to the culprit, a jumble of numbers and arcane symbols I wouldn't normally understand. "That should be to the power of minus two not the power of two.

His mouth opened slightly, his eyes widened. Then the expression was gone. A classic micro expression of surprise. Got you I thought to myself as he hurriedly checked the maths again.

"My god, you're right. How did you? No matter. I always said you should have studied engineering." He moaned regretfully.

"No dad. I was always destined for something else. But I'm glad we could help." _Sorry not to give you the credit yet._ I mentally muttered to Trian.

Dad took the 'we' as his cue to notice the other woman in the room. "And you are?"

"Oana Ionescu. Pleased to meet you Mr O'Halloran."

"And what is it you do Ms Ionescu, or do you also dabble in my errant daughter's dubious career?"

Oana smiled benignly back at him but there was a slight twitch of the lips. "My Harvard major was in particle physics, My Phd thesis looked at the implications of string theory for our understanding of the origins of the universe. Since Carpathia doesn't have a particular need for a particle physicist at present I work at the local television station. One day I hope to get a position as lighting director for the tv station. At the moment I'm working my way up through the industry. Physics is still my love though, that and knitting.

"And Oana speaks several languages", I couldn't help but add.

Dad, for once, looked a little in awe. Then he frowned and looked at me. "And what's with you? You're looking a little green. If you're going to chuck up kindly get out of my office. Why'd you come anyway?"

"To see if we could mend our bridges, Dad." I added the last with emphasis. "Do we have to be this way? I know I didn't go into engineering like you wanted but you must admit. I haven't done too bad at my chosen field."

"Hmph." Actually that sort of reaction didn't sound so bad coming from him. "You have acquired a certain notoriety," He noted.

"Well then. I think mum actually burnt your meal so let me order in a few pizzas, for old times sake, while you and Oana pick each other's brains on this project you've got on the go."

Was that a momentary brightening of the eyes I saw before he blinked? Yes you old bastard. You do have emotions. He just kept them as buried as I did.

"I thought there were bad fumes coming from the kitchen. You'd best stop your mum then before she tries over-microwaving some baked beans to a crisp."

I went and told mum to hold off on the food while I went outside to make a call for the pizzas. Mendal wandered over. "Everything going okay?"

"Better than I expected but I suspect Simon had a bit to do setting things up that way. There's some blueprints inside. I think Simon's requisitioned dad to draw up plans for a floating island of some kind. You might want to take a look."

"Ah! It's your dad who's designing 'SS Plan B'. The science team back at Boswell has got way too much on our plate so I asked Simon if it would be safe for us to delegate to an outside contractor. I'll call Upal. He'll want a look too. Meta's holding the fort. He'll give us a mental miaou if we're needed."

Mental miaou indeed. I wasn't sure the two legged version of Meta would like the jibe. "Okay, but you'd better tell me what do you want on your pizza."

"Vegetarian. Whatever they've got but pass on the garlic and onions."

Silly me. I should have known.

I introduced Mendal and Upal to Dad. "We have other scientists back at Boswell but Mendal is an aerospace engineer and Upal is an inventor involved in our innovations department." Department of one, but I left that unsaid.

Upal and Mendal grinned at my improvised titles for them. Upal perused the design. "You've done amazing things with what was little more than a concept drawing we threw together. And the photon drives? That didn't baulk you?" Mendal queried.

"That was your idea." Dad was flabbergasted, I could tell. "The drive was unheard of but I think I've come up with a design that will work. I had to work up a whole new branch of physics to base them on."

"They're remarkable." Oana commented.

Oh bloody hell. I was in the middle of scientist convention. "Hey guys. Let's not forget why I came here. I think with what dad's working on and with what mum has on the go we'd better get them both safely back to Boswell before the enemy comes after them as well as me." Mum's aura alone would be a beacon to those who watched out for our kind.

Dad wasn't keen on the idea. "I can't leave here. I have all my work here and my scale models are in the back shed, along with all my tools. I took me years to set up what I have here."

"Not a problem." Upal murmured. "Give us the word and I can have it all transported using our new onboard particle transporter. We could try transporting you too."

"You're not using my dad as a guinea pig. Seriously though dad. You're work is in danger". I was counting on his work being more important to him than anything else. "There are those who'd just love to get their hands on this."

"Over my dead body."

"Oh don't worry, making you dead wouldn't bother them at all."

Dad's eye's narrowed. "These people are a threat to you?"

"Dad, they're a threat to the world."

He grunted, possibly acknowledging what I was trying to get across, possibly not. I wasn't sure. "What of your mother? You made some comment about her as well. Don't think I didn't notice."

No, you never did miss much dad. "She's special. More than you know. They'll want her. To pick apart, study, possibly even dissect her." Was I trying to scare him? Sure was. Although I suspected I was conjuring up more of an image of Trian's description of Greys rather than Din.

Dad's eyes narrowed further. There was a fleeting telltale pinch between the eyebrows. Well, well. Anger? Another of his missing emotions. He went and gathered up his paperwork. "We go then."

Mendal moaned. "What about the pizzas?"

I rolled my eyes. "We'll meet back at the Bushranger's Rest. Jeff'll make better veg pizzas anyway."

"Now Dad. See this cat here." The one that had just wandered unannounced into the room. "I know you don't like cats but consider this one a particle transporter of humans. Just touch him."

Dad wrinkled his nose. "So help me daughter, if you're messing with me..." He touched the cat and disappeared. I was trusting that Meta would be back to pick up my mum but Upal explained the possibilities of non-local travel to her, gave her a mental vision of Boswell to target, and she was away. Mendal and Upal got Thex to press some button back at base and the rest of dad's gear disappeared into the ether as well.

## 7. Where to next?

"So what is Plan B?" I asked Simon once we reconvened at the pub.

"It's a couple of Plan Bs actually. One it's a Plan B solution if we can't convince those at the portals to FFaery to take the treatment and walk on in to where they can be protected.

I was right. It is a refugee camp.

"And processing facility. We'll be able to administer the treatment to the willing more easily there than putting ourselves at risk out in the open. Secondly. If things go awry. If Mt Cumbre is going to blow and we have to free Trian from his stone the usual way we plan to teleport as many as we can, humans and animals, from the East Coast of America, using Upal's new transporter technology. Those we can't shift the other side of the Mississippi we'll transport onto the floating island. But it won't come to that." He sounded confident. It was always good when Simon was confident. "Thirdly, if the aftermath of the mega flare we're expecting causes widespread chaos and violence in the normal dimension we need somewhere safe to hold those we rescue, while we process them for relocation into Faery. Fourthly, it will house backups for many of the world's internet servers and key databases, historical archives, seed banks, genomic data, that sort of thing.

Wow. "But surely we won't have time to build such a floating vessel before all this happens?"

Simon smirked. "You've seen the crystal domes of the Rasselas, Zak's new home in Carpathia and the government complex in Old Lemuria."

"You're going to use sound to build it from base particles."

"Exactly. We just needed to provide a design for Bran to go on. JJ is now skilled in this form of manufacture too. We'll chose an area rich in minerals as a building site, an old meta recycling dump to be exact for it. Once made we'll teleport it to its location. We're hoping your mother is an amplifer who can boost the process."

My mother? "Is nothing accidental in your world?" I quizzed Simon suspiciously.

"There's always choice and chance but in the main accidents are poor planning. I'm not much into that."

No I don't suppose you are. "And you'll use your combined efforts to keep my dad in this dimension, like you do me."

"You're both important to us. We will do what we must. Your dad will accept the treatment soon, once he realises his wife Janie is aging backwards and why. After that we'll just have to see what is needed to help Stewart reconnect with the emotional part of his brain. As for you I am confident that you will shortly be able to stand with us, on your own two feet, so to speak.

I'm glad he was confident. Oh hang on, did that mean I was on my way to losing my bet? Damn. "So where to next?"

"Mt Shasta tomorrow. Meta will transport you there. Take Ruru and Muire with you. Your mum and Khyen will be interested too. For now, get some sleep, you're looking a little green." Simon grinned.

"What is it I'm supposed to find at Mt Shasta?"

"DNA."

It had been a good evening at the pub. Given what was up for the morrow I'd called it quits early, giving my regards to Oana and promising to catch up. We both knew better than to say 'until things settle down' because settled that wasn't the nature of any of our lives right now.

I dreamt well that night, applying everything Khyen had taught me. I couldn't remember the all of it but my friendly shark had been talking to me. I was sure of that. Just wished I could remember what we'd been chatting about. Khyen had turned up at half past five to guide me in the final section I had to learn of the dream practice. He called this stage 'developing fearlessness'. It was simple enough. Just put my mental focus lightly on my base chakra and go back off to sleep. The dreams that came after were not so easy. My subconscious fears I expect. At least that's how I interpreted getting chased by a large snarly reptilian twice my size. Whoever said you don't dream in color had it so so wrong.

I awoke to pounding on the door. "Hang on a minute." A quick glance around the room reassured me I was still where I'd gone to bed. After Lemuria I always liked to check. I threw on some clothes

Whoever was at the door was most insistent. "Coming. Hold your horses!" Crikey!

It was mum, bright eyed, excited and missing more than a few strands of grey hair. "Should you really be up and about? What with going through the reverse aging detox and all."

"I-Wayan said I'm fine. On the outside I might have had a few wrinkles and the odd grey hair but otherwise all my herbal teas over the years must have kept my insides pretty good."

So glad to hear that. "We just call him Doc," I corrected. "By the way, you know I'm heading off to California today."

"And I'm coming with you. Simon said so."

And I was guessing that he'd just had to tell her where in California I was going. "Your eagerness wouldn't have anything to do with my going to Mt Shasta would it mum?"

"Stop with the mum bit. Call me Janie. By the end of the week it will look silly to be calling me mum. I'll look the same age as you. And yes I want to go to Mt Shasta. You can't stop me you know. I've got the teleporting bit down pat."

"It's dangerous out there in so called normal land mum, er Janie. Did Simon explain how the enemy have spotters looking out for people with particularly bright auras. You don't want to end up turned to stone like Trian." Shit! Did I just say the T word. That was a whole heap of explaining I wasn't sure I was ready for. How did I tell my mother I had a mate. One who lived in my head, sort of.

Janie laughed. "Simon told me about him too. Come on then. Let's go and find the others.By the way, I should tell you, I can read your mind now."

Of course you can. "Damn!"

"No swearing. I raised you better than that."

"I thought we were done with the mum bit?"

Janie smirked. "Changing what you call me doesn't change what I am."

Figured. "Does dad know where you're going for the day?" He'd be sure to have a fit.

"Oh, no problem, Stu's getting a guided tour of Boswell's state of the art science facilities. I doubt we'll see him surface for days."

Khyen did turn up to come with us, yawning lots. The teleporting between different time zones was starting to take its toll on him. Today would only add to that.

Ruru and Muire looked significantly better than Khyen. You just had to politely ignore the love struck looks that passed between them.

"And Meta? Anyone seen the cat."

"In person today." Said being appeared in our midst, in human form for a change, and wearing clothes. Thankfully. It was too early in the morning for a god in full frontal nude. "I don't have to hide what I am today."

"You sure about that are you?" I inclined my head towards my mother who at that moment seemed awestruck by the vision before her.

Meta groaned.

"Mum he's not a god." Well kind of but he didn't like to flaunt it. Something to do with his personal set of ethics. "You don't have to worship him. He's just a being who vibrates at a higher frequency than us. Get used to it. There's no telling who we might come across today and we can't afford to have you being starstruck."

Janie shook herself and apologised, every muscle in her body straining against her will, not to bow down to Meta. "Don't mind me. I'm a quick learner."

Meta smiled tentatively. He was restraining himself too. The last thing we needed was him turning on the charm. "Apology accepted. Now if your daughter will 'just' take my hand we'll be underway."

"Uh oh. He had notice my 'just a being' comment.

The world went white as I took his hand and we entered the field of the non-local. When we emerged the other side the sun was setting. The marvels of shifting time zones. "I hope there are no bears out."

"I doubt there are any bears in this area," Meta commented, "but if there are I'll send them away."

Oh cool. My own personal bear deterrent.

Meta glared at me.

"Where are we exactly?" I couldn't see any town. Not that you could see much of anything in the twilight.

"Lake Siskiyou's behind those trees over there." Meta pointed

And there I thought we'd be heading towards a mountain.

_I think those we seek are undergound Red. We need to find their gateway. Meta might be onto something_. Trian suggested.

In other words shut up and follow Meta.

Never, ever, would I say such a thing to you.

_Charmer._ But his words pleased me. _You know you would have made a great diplomat like Zex._

Delicacy is part of the game of espionage too.

I hadn't thought of that.

We walked over a small suspension bridge that spanned an inlet and then continued along a trail that followed the pine forest lined shore. "Where we going?" Meta seemed to know but I hadn't a clue. "Isn't that Mt Shasta up there?" Somebody talk to me or I might get stroppy.

Meta smirked. "We can hear you Red." He pointed to the shore where some canoes had been pulled up out of the water and left for the night. "We're just going to borrow a couple of these."

"Borrow?"

"I'll make sure they're returned unharmed before morning dawns here." His tone suggested he was annoyed that I'd think anything otherwise."

"I'm 'borrowing' this one then."

"Why that one."

"It's red."

"And"

"Red goes faster."

Meta spat out a laugh. "I see. Well I guess in the dark it doesn't matter what colour it is."

So, two to a canoe we divided up. Ruru and Muire. Meta and Janie. Khyen and me. We headed out onto a pleasantly calm lake. Which I gave lots of thanks for. I'd never been much of one for water travel. All that sloshing and bobbing around.

We reached a point out in what seemed to be the middle of the lake. "This is where the vortex would have been before the Sacramento River was dammed. Can you feel it?" Meta asked.

All of us except Janie shook our heads in the negative. "It's amazing," she gushed. "It's like a river of life flowing through me. I can actually feel the life of the land as it was before the reservoir was created.This is an ancient sacred land."

Meta nodded and smiled. I sensed he'd been testing my mother. Just what was my mother capable of. I was starting to realise she'd grown lots on a spiritual level since I'd left home. I was going to have to chuck all my preconceptions about her out the window and get to know her all over again.

Mum smiled back at me. She'd heard.

"So, what now?" Always the itch for answers burned at my core. We were over a vortex. So what?

But before anyone could answer me a white light enveloped us all and we were transported into that place beyond time, space and location. The non-local. When we emerged on the other side we were no longer in the canoes we'd borrowed. Instead we were faced with the vast vista that was the underground city of, I guessed, New Lemuria. "Effing hell!" It went on for miles and miles in either direction. High speed hovercraft, like something out of a sci-fi movie, The Fifth Element perhaps, vied for airspace between elegant crystal buildings. I instantly wanted one. Light shone down on us from, well I didn't know where exactly. Maybe they were using fibre optics or some other technology to channel sunlight down into here.

A white robed man, about seven to eight feet in height or 213-243 centimetres if you wanted a measurement you couldn't visualize, walked towards us. He seemed to zero in on me in particular. "Great great grandmother. You've returned to us."

"Er. Should I know you?"

Troubled, the man turned to my mother. "Grandmother. You were supposed to keep her safe. Does she remember nothing of her former lives?"

"Um, I'm afraid I don't know you either."

Astounded the man walked over to Ruru. "And you, ancestral protector. Is that the case with you too?"

Ruru looked at the man compassionately then glanced around the city, as if trying to remember it. "This does seem oddly familiar but that is all. I'm sorry if we're a disappointment to you. The fact is that, on the surface, few know their past lives. Only through hypnosis and dreams do we get glimpses but usually they are so fragmentary that we can hardly trust them as anything more than the products of our imagination. May I at least introduce us. This is Phoenix O'Halloran, Janie O'Halloran here is her mother. This gentleman is Khyen of the Shang mountain people. Muire Dubh is my chosen". Muire gasped with surprise and pleasure at that. "And this gentleman is Meta of the high council of the Malakim. We come as representatives of the alliance to extend a hand of friendship. We also bring warning in case you are not aware of the dangers the earth is currently facing from its diminishing magnetic field. Not least we come on Phoenix's behalf and the one her mind connects with, the Arcturian Trian, who also serves the Malakim. Trian was turned to stone by our enemy, a very long time ago. We are looking for a solution for him. To free his consciousness and perhaps even his body."

The man studied us all intently, I guessed studying our auras and our intentions, then he sighed. "I apologise for my rudeness. My name is Akoni. I should have greeted you properly from the start but I was shocked. This is not quite as the homecoming was foretold. But I guess it was written down many millennia ago. Many choices will have changed the probable outcomes between now and then. Come, let us see if we can set things aright."

The guy was rambling incomprehensibly as far as I was concerned. "His great great grandmother. Was he kidding?" But we followed.

We entered into a small crystal building where Akoni met someone he obviously knew. He whispered in the woman's ear but the acoustics of this place were such we could hear anyway. "They remember nothing."

"Truly? That's not how it was foretold." She looked up and smiled at us. "My name is Ikaia. I apologize. You've taken us somewhat by surprise."

"Perhaps if you were to mindshare their pasts with Phoenix, Janie and Ruru we could remedy their lack of knowing easily enough."

Ikaia bowed slightly from the waist, acknowledging Meta's suggestion. "I think we can do one better. We'd best take you to the stones." When she realised that none of us responded with any look of comprehension she explained. "The stones are our repository of knowledge. In your terms they might be equivalent to databases on computer servers."

My ears picked up in interest. Now they were talking. "In a recent dream I had of ancient Lemuria I remember talk of you using giant slabs of manufactured emerald to safeguard your knowledge from loss."

Ikaia seemed pleased at my knowledge. "That is exactly what we did. Let us take you to them. They're deep within the catacombs of the city but we can quickly teleport there. You can teleport can't you?" She asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend.

Meta put a hand on my shoulder. "I will take your gg-grandmum. Just think an image of where you want us to go and the rest of us will follow."

"I'm not a gee gee", I muttered.

"Welcome to the Hall of Aluru." Ikaia announced.

The first thing that took my breath away was not the emerald stones but the huge tiled mosaic on the floor. "Mangoh."

Akoni seemed pleased at my recognition. "Sharks are sacred to the Lemurians. We see them as our individual spirit guardians as well as protectors of the civilization as a whole."

Was this what Khyen had been wanting to talk to me about? I looked to him and he nodded, having read my mind. So the shark protected more than just me. I was momentarily miffed by that. He was 'my' shark. But I guess I could share him. Probably from Mangoh's perspective I was one of his rather than the other way around.

The emerald 'stones' were more like pillars holding up the ceiling. They were startling in their beauty, taking my breath away. "I thought the emerald tablets of Thoth were Atlantean, but now I wonder."

"We brought them here before Atlantis fell. We had hoped to build a civilisation out in the ocean, away from the Din controlled lands but they discovered and infiltrated us anyway. From there it was a downhill slide. They targeted Atlantis's scientists. Those who had become so engrossed in their work that they had forgotten their connection with the whole of creation. The Lemurians had mentored Atlantis's civilization, helping it to grow and blossom. In the end it was just a failed experiment.," Akoni commented sadly.

"Oh I wouldn't say failed. It's been food for thought for thinkers for thousands of years. An inspiration. Even a common rallying point for the new age movement of the last hundred years or so."

"If they knew how badly it had failed they'd no longer get inspiration from it. The scientists there created genetic monstrosities. Inserting animal DNA into humans and vice versa. Half men, half beasts. We're still dealing with them, hiding some, protecting others that survive in earth's wilder places. Some we have had no choice but to eliminate as humanely as we could. Then there were the sacred crystals the Atlanteans destroyed in their attempts to understand how they worked. Many crystal beings passed from existence. Many were our friends and protectors of old. To truly orchestrate their own demise the Atlanteans' final act was to draw too much power from the geothermal power station that linked into the earth's natural power grid. At the same time so called wise people tried to bend our most sacred knowledge to give them control over their enemies and remake the world to suit themselves. They did that most feared act of all. They used black magic. While they busied themselves engineering their own end we quietly slipped away undetected, coming here. We learnt from our mistakes. This time we chose to preserve the knowledge until we could truly trust homo sapiens again."

"I don't think they're ready, not in the normal dimension anyway." I mused. "The Din stranglehold on our economy, science, education, medicine and military is still as strong as ever. If anything the old regime is trying even harder to control, manipulate and brainwash the population."

Akoni assessed each of us. "The Din are in a state of near panic as they see their hard won empire slip from their grasp. But your dimension is unaffected. We have been watching the rise of this alliance of yours. We have seen the shifts of whole populations and land areas into your dimension. You are a little unsure of the future you are heading into but you've been doing well so far."

"Been spying on us?"

"Hardly. Everything is recorded into the Akashic field. It's an open book for us. Through observing, standing witness to your progress, we practice our meditations on compassion, sending love into what you are co-creating. We've had your back, so to speak, for some time now."

"But you didn't know how devolved Janie and I were?"

"It never crossed our minds to ask the Akashic that. We assumed..."

"Always dangerous."

Mum tapped on my shoulder agitatedly. "There's a question I've just got to ask." Having silenced me she turned to face Akoni. "Are you guys behind the spiritual online college?"

Akoni brightened. "You found that. We weren't sure how well we'd marketed it."

"I've been doing your courses for some few years now. I was wondering if it might be possible for me to meet my teachers."

"Sure. Perhaps if I could tell them your online username." I got the impression Akoni was as curious about who their student was as I was.

"Crucible".

I looked at mum quizzically.

"As in a vessel that can withstand great heat. A melting pot for metals."

"I know what it is mum. I just wondered why you chose it. It had some meaning for you didn't it?"

"I felt like my life up to the point of joining Mt Shasta's online college had been a melting pot. Your father as you know, bless him, has not always been an easy man. Many a time he had me doubting and questioning my most cherished beliefs. At one point I reached the depths of despair. Did I give up what I believed to be true and follow your father's empirical knowledge based opinions or find some way past my doubt. I couldn't go to your father, as you can imagine, so I took to doing the weekly shopping as quickly as I could so I could spend a little time at the library's online access centre. The kind people there showed me the basics of life online. I had a few pennies stashed away for a rainy day so I splurged and bought a computer tablet. The library people showed me how I could go into some settings on the tablet and link up to Stewart's internet. I couldn't find where he had his logon id so I had to get your uncle to impersonate Stewart to ring up the helpdesk for the internet company. You know how much your uncle sounds like his older brother. He so enjoyed getting one up on him." Mum sniggered like a naughty girl. "Once I was connected I hid the tablet and a notebook in the kitchen where I knew your father would never come looking.

At first I found some free online courses on psychology and philosophy. They helped me to see that while the pure skepticism of your father was one philosophy there were others out there. Some even criticised the limits of skepticism.

It was then I decided to find out as much as I could about the very things I had always had hunches about. That life is some kind of dream. That everything that appears to exist has a vibratory nature, even in its densest form. Along the way I discovered there were some highly respected scientists who thought as I did. Then I found the college. Crucible seemed to sum up in one word the melting point of all my life's experiences and the gold that could come out of it now I had stopped doubting myself."

I hugged my mum. "You did all that after I did a runner. I deserted you."

"Don't be silly. We each had to find ourselves. We both faced the options of being psychologically crushed, becoming clones of your father or finding our own way. I just did my own path finding a little more covertly."

"And you got away with it?"

"Stewart never caught on. But, you have no idea how hard it was to bite my tongue sometimes, to stop myself giving my viewpoint on things, in front of him. I found many friends online though and they gave me an outlet for discussing what I was learning. I even started blogging my thoughts, under a pseudonym of course."

"You must let me read it." Wow. My mum 's hidden depths took my breath away. I so wanted to explore them.

"Ladies, please!" Meta interrupted. He didn't look annoyed but I got his meaning.

So where were we? Oh yes. "Ok. Can we tap into your history and find out about our past lives. Then perhaps mum can go and talk to her tutors while I have a talk to any Lemurian scientists who might have ideas on how to free Trian without causing a tsunami in the Atlantic." Not that I was trying to organize everyone. Not half.

Ikaia pointed to the hand impressions on the stone. "Just place your hands there", she instructed.

Janie opted to go first so she could max out her time with her teachers. As she connected with the stone she seemed to wobble a bit but then, to my relief, steadied. A moment of so later she removed her hands from the stone and smiled. "Your turn Phoenix."

What had she seen? I really wanted to quiz her but time was of the essence. Okay. Hands in the handprints. I could do that. As my fingers caressed the cold hardness of the stone my mind was spun out into something akin to a vast, finely threaded net. Strands of energy. One bright point on one tiny strand drew my attention. It was brighter than the others. My mind whizzed towards it and I found...Fennica! I was Fennica in a life after the apocalypse. What's more I was pregnant. Ugh. I so didn't want to go there. But the network didn't seem to hear me. So whether I liked it or not I stood witness to her thankfully uneventful childbirth. Of a child who was green. Green? Lemurians weren't green.

_Oops._ Trian murmured in my head. _I think I know what happened. That last time we were together. My love for you was, and still is, so much. I think that energy flowed over into Fennica and produced a child._

_I see_. How did I feel about that? Awkward. A small part of me was...jealous? Nah. Not me. No motherliness here. No, I know what you're thinking. Just don't. And yet Fennica bore the child of our love. I wondered how she'd felt about that?

The timeline wove through into the future. I saw Fennica's love for the child. Well that at least answered that question. And there was a protective father figure. Aruru. I sensed Aruru's relationship with Fennica was one of deep friendship rather than sexual. Thank you goddess. I don't know how I would have faced present day Ruru otherwise. But this did go a long way to explaining our natural friendship and easy working relationship. As well as my close bond with my mother who now turned out to be my grand daughter. Well at least Fennica's granddaughter.

I saw years, hundreds, thousands of years drift by. The Lemurians were indeed a long lived people. Somehow they had escaped the virus the Din had unleashed on humanity to shorten our lives. Some thirty thousand years after she gave birth to her beautiful son Fennica had chosen to enter something they called parinirvana. That point all Lemurians faced at their voluntary passing, the moment of complete nirvana before choosing between ascension or rebirth. Fennica had chosen to rebirth into the human race. To give me life. I was overwhelmed by my own feelings of gratitude for her doing that. It can't have been an easy choice. To ascend or to devolve as humans devolved. Until such time she rebirthed as me. I pulled away from the stone. I'd seen enough.

"You going to give me any clue?" Ruru asked me as he walked up to the stone.

"No. Go see for yourself." But I couldn't help beaming my gratitude back at him. "But thanks."

Ruru arched a brow, just as he touched the stone. I took the next few moments to go and talk to Muire. "He..."

"Was your friend. Yes I see it all now in your mind. I'm so glad he stood by you and your child. Isn't telepathy so cool. No need for misunderstanding."

I sighed with relief and for once was glad that the people around me could pick my brain willy nilly. "Thank you anyway."

Once Ruru finished his session we teleported back to the surface for refreshments and to outline Trian's problem.

"It seems obvious", Akoni commented. "You need to produce a new body for him. You will need his DNA."

"Well that would be great if we had it."

Akoni grinned. "You are forgetting that Trian is the great great grandfather of many of my race. Notice how most of us are rather shorter now, than our original twelve foot. And most of us have some Arcturian traits, whether it's just a slight green tinge to our skin." He paused to meaningfully note mine. Which by the way no one had yet explained. "Or the abilities to levitate, cast energy, create out of nothing or hide in the shadows.

Fennica, knowing Trian's future, asked him for a few strands of his hair before he departed back to Thex's spaceship on the day of the apocalypse." Akoni retrieved a large piece of amber from his pocket. I think you will find it perfectly preserved. We owe him much. Bring him back great great grandmother."

The next question was how.

I disagree with this. You know that.

Trian. We've been over this. You know what Simon said. There's going to be a mega flare from the sun any tick of the clock. Right this minute there's a huge sunspot coming into an earth facing position and apparently it's got the positive and negative parts to it that could trigger a flare. We don't know if it's 'the' one but if it is we need to hurry. We don't have the technology, yet, in Boswell to do this. We have to use theirs.

I could be with you when you go up against Sakla. You don't have to do that on your own. Together we are stronger.

I'm not having you trapped forever in that bloody stone. And if I'm not psychically strong enough to go up against Sakla then you're just going to have to teach me so I am.

Trian groaned inside my head. _"Just don't trust these guys. Okay?"_

They've been working for the US government for years. They know their continued well being relies on their co-operation.

One of the four foot expressionless grey aliens we were talking about headed over. "You have the DNA?"

I handed him the amber that contained Trian's hairs. "This is what I've got."

The Grey's brow wrinkled as much as it was able to. "Hmm." He wandered off muttering to himself. I hoped that was good. Distracting myself from the worry that the sample might be useless might be a good idea right now. "So you met your teachers, mum?" I knew she had but she'd been awfully quiet and thoughtful ever since.

"Uh huh."

Silly me for asking a closed question. "Well? And? What did you talk about with them?"

Khyen and Muire looked up expectantly too. Ah. So they hadn't been able to pick her brain. Marks to mum for already learning to block her thoughts.

"There's not much to talk about." Janie tried to brush off the query.

I looked her squarely in the eye. "You talked about something. Spill it. And if you tell me I just wouldn't understand I'll...I'll..." Yes what exactly would I do? I wouldn't bully my mum. My dad had done enough of that over the years.

Janie smiled, "We communed more than spoke. They shared with me the final bit of a puzzle I've been learning about."

"Which is?", I prompted.

"Nothing"

"Ah...!" Yes this conversation was working as a distraction. It was annoying the hell out of me.

Janie laughed. "I really mean that. We communed about the nature of thing and no-thing. It gave me the context I've been missing until now. It all makes sense."

"Well explain it."

Khyen intervened. "You don't explain no-thing. The nearest science has come to it so far is with their guesses about something called they've dubbed the Higgs Field. You're better off simply experiencing it which you're welcome to do anytime you want. We'll help you make the connection."

How the heck could you experience something that was nothing? But before I could ask anyone that the Grey with the DNA sample returned.

"The sample is good. We've run an analysis of the genome and we can use it to do this. Do you wish us to proceed?"

_No,_ came the resounding comment in my head.

"Yes", came the answer from the rest of us, including Meta and Simon had said Meta had the overriding authority in the matter.

Meta sighed and faced me. "I wish to speak with Trian." I think he was trying to make sure I didn't think he was talking to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Talk away."

"Trian. You've been long enough in that stone. You want out don't you?"

Of course I do. But not if it means putting Red at risk. I could help her. You know that.

"What if I was to tell you the greatest gift you could ever give her will come from agreeing to do this. If it proves necessary we'll help to make sure Red is ready to interview Sakla. You need have no fear on that account. You know Meta beings like myself don't intervene with freewill or the natural unfolding of events but I give my word I will do all in my power to ensure she is safe."

Gulp. The godlike being in the room was promising Trian he'd have my back.

Trian was quiet in my head for a moment or so. Then there was a great releasing sigh. _I can ask no more than that. Let them do it._

"He says yes."

"Yes, we got that." Of course Meta had. "Proceed." He directed the Greys.

Khyen tapped his head meaningfully. "Simon's yelling at us to hurry up."

Bloody hell. Could they really telepath across continents?

"Across galaxies if we have to." Meta commented as if to no-one in particular.

## 8. Area 51, USA, deep underground

The four grey aliens muttered to themselves as they worked around the big 3D bioprinter that would do the job. After a lot of nodding and narrowing of their almond shaped eyes they finally seemed to be happy. They all seemed identical in appearance but one, who seemed to be the boss, came back over to brief us. "We're about to start. Just a few last minute choices for you to make."

At least they were asking. "Okay."

"We need to incorporate a framework to hold the bones together as they grow and mature. We could use a fine mesh of titanium. The other option is a new polymer we've designed. The titanium is the strongest solution but it will give him problems when going through airports and he may feel the cold more in bad weather. The polymer is undetectable to airport scans, being basically a tough heat-resistant engineering quality biocompatible thermoplastic. We can introduce nanites later to remove it from his system once his bones are at full strength."

Wasn't sure I was comfortable about the nanites but it did sound better. "What's the catch?"

"We haven't tested it in a humanoid, not on this scale. Titanium's the proven technology."

Far out. That suggested they'd printed humanoids already, with the titanium option at least. "You've done this before."

"Ask no questions about our other projects and I'll tell you no lies."

I could swear he smirked. Could Greys smirk? "Fair enough. What else did you want to know?"

"Well, as you know, his genetic skin color is green. Is that a bother to you? He will stand out."

"It's no bother to me but I'll ask him." I'd seen him in the flesh and he was breathtaking. I didn't want him any other way but... _Trian?_

I'm glad you like me as I am Red. I think in the world you and your allies are creating it won't matter even though it may limit where I can go in the normal dimension. But I'm pretty good at hiding when I need."

"He's fine with green."

The grey seemed happy about that. "That'll make things easier. Now just one more thing and I don't mean to embarrass you both but there is the question of a certain appendage. The genetics gave a lot of scope for variation on that part. Would you care to come and view the options."

I knew I was blushing. Damn. I never blush. Well, not much. "Um, er. Yes." I moved over to the bench he indicated and he gave me some of their models to handle. _What do you think Trian? It's your body we're designing here._

I think it's more your call. It's you I'll want to please. Just don't make it too ginormous okay. I'd rather like to be comfortable when wearing pants.

I mentally considered my favorite dildos and studied the models in comparison. "Um." I coughed to clear my throat. "Do the sizes here represent an erect of relaxed form?"

"Erect."

The eight inch was tempting but I knew my eyes were being bigger than, well not my head, but certainly bigger than my vagina might really appreciate if Trian got vigorous. Seven and three quarters perhaps. I paused to imagine him getting vigorous. Well why not a bit of fantasy? Oh, okay yes, time. "I think this one with but with the thickness of that one over there." I barely managed to restrain the impulse to stroke the plastic. My cunt clenched at the thought. Yes, nice and snug but not painfully ambitious. I thought so too. My cunt and I were in agreement. Trian was chuckling in my head. I hoped that meant he approved of my choice.

The Greys fed the final numbers into their state of the art 3D computer model, pressed a few buttons and we were away. Now all we had to do was wait.

Khyen mentally contacted Jeff at the Boswell pub and called up some pizzas. I guessed from Khyen's wince he'd forgotten the time lag. Jeff must have been sleeping. But the pizzas did duly materialize. Along with salads and some tamarind balls. The later as dessert or appetizers. I wasn't sure. Tyra had once told me that some thought tamarind could help rid the body of fluoride. The toxic chemical that could block the third eye. Maybe someone back in Boswell was worried about us drinking fluoridated water while we were here. Anyway, we wouldn't starve. Someone on Thex's ship must have used the new particle transporter to zap it all to us. We offered some to the Greys but they looked aghast at the food, choosing to chew on some greyish shaped cubes of some unknown substance instead. Well at least we offered.

The lights in the lab chose to flicker for a moment. The Greys raced around in a sudden panic, checking their readings on the printer then seemed to relax and settle. But the fluctuation in the electricity left me on edge. "Tell me you do have an unlimited power supply."

"We do", the Grey in charge answered. "That shouldn't have happened. We have failsafes in place." But he looked worried.

_We can still call this off if we have to_. I reassured Trian.

Damn. Not now. I know I had my doubts but we're so close. They're nearly finished.

And then they were. The machine stopped. The body was ready. Even a cardiograph gave a reassuring picture of his new body's heart beating away. All we had to do now was to transfer Trian's consciousness into it. _I hope you know how you're going to do this because I sure as hell don't_ , I moaned to him.

That bit'll be easy. It's just like a mindshare only one sided since the brain of the printed body is a blank slate. I'll get you to touch your forehead to his then I'll transmit my consciousness into the brain. You'll just need to take a bit of a back seat in your own brain while I do that.

And afterwards? Will we still have this mind to mind connection?

Always. Only instead of me living out my life inside your brain I'll have my own. You'll hear my thoughts just as clearly as now. We're mates. Nothing can destroy that connection. Well almost nothing.

I sincerely didn't like that 'almost'. _What could break that link? I have a right to know._

If I was to ascend to say the vibrational state of a Meta being, on a different plane of existence, and you didn't that might break the link.

_So don't get ahead of me then._ As if he wasn't already.

It's not so simple. If something was to temporarily destroy my body, my consciousness, while admittedly immortal, would be thrown into a state that the Shang call the bardo. It would take some time there before I could generate another body on this physical plane.

How long?

Forty-nine days, usually. Depends. If I ascend rather than retake a physical form then maybe never.

I thought on that for a moment. _I'm not sure I'd cope for forty-nine days without the companionship of our connection, let alone eternity._ And then something occurred to me. _If all those years ago, if the Din had just outright destroyed your body rather than freezing it in stone you would have been able to return to your normal form after forty-nine days._

Definitely.

That's bad luck. Or did the Din know what they were doing?

Oh they definitely knew what they were doing. They wanted to take us out of the equation for as long as possible so they could have free reign to do whatever they wanted on this planet.

Couldn't the Malakim high council have sent reinforcements.

Not after what happened to us. They wouldn't risk it. Not sending more galactic defense force members, that's for sure. The Malakim are few in number. Our warriors, diplomats and spies are as precious as our wise people. The council wouldn't risk any more of them. But a few such as Simon, Jnarn and Ma volunteered to come and see what could be done when the prophesied time was right.

Thank the, what did Simon call it, the all spirit, that they had.

_Indeed_.

"We're ready", the lead Grey announced.

"Coming." This had better work.

I gave permission for Trian to do one of his temporary takeovers of my mind. He had the control. I was just an observer in my head.

He positioned me at the head of the printing platform. "This is weird, seeing myself lying there. Apart from the perspective it's just weird realizing I'll have a body again." It was my voice but it was Trian's words coming out of my mouth.

Trian gave Meta a momentary worried glance. I wondered what that was about but it must have only been to ask for reassurance or high council permission or some such thing. Meta simply nodded his head and that seemed to be enough for Trian. He lowered my head to the forehead of his new body and I felt the moment they touched. In some kind of surreal metaphysical landscape unfolding on the screen of my mind I saw Trian's consciousness being drawn out of his crystal prison, high on the mountain side in the Canary Islands. The full extent of his mindstream took my breath away as it streamed into my own and then on into the printed the body. A-effing-amazing.

Then two things happened simultaneously. I was back in control of my mind and then the lights went out. All the whizz bang machines that were keeping Trian's new body alive stopped.

"No!" I screamed with all my might. "No you can't do this to us. This is not fair." I wasn't even sure who I was screaming at as I had long ago given up ideas of some anthropomorphic all knowing male super being peering down from his seventh heaven to busy himself in my personal affairs. The all-spirit I could understand. A seamless integrated whole that included everything that was and wasn't. All creation and all the space in between. The universe as it was and everything that came before and would come after it. I was as much a part of what I was screaming at as anything else. And it still wasn't fair. I burst into tears and cried out from the core of my being. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

"Thank you." I heard my mother whisper. I wasn't sure who too. Then I felt her comforting presence wrap around me. "Do you trust me Phoenix?"

With what? I couldn't help but wonder. Curiosity stirred, trying vainly to make it to the surface against the tsunami of my grief. "You know I do."

"Then I need you to step away. I need room for what I am about to do." She nodded to Khyen and Muire to coax me away.

I could barely see them in the room but some battery powered lights had kicked in so we had a bit of light to see by. "Where's Meta? He's some super powerful Malakim isn't he?"

"He is. He's with you boyfriend's consciousness right now."

"Damn it. He needs to be here. I don't want him steering Trian to some ultra higher plane. Tell me he's not doing that." I felt angry and uncertain now.

Khyen put a hand on my shoulder. "Come away Red. All is as it should be but your mum doesn't need your negativity right now. Trian needs you to trust your mum and Meta to each do their thing. Your trust will bring back your inner calm. Anger takes so much effort, let that effort go." He touched my brow and just like that my mind shifted. Still, silent, vast. "Feel that?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Rest there. Trust and rest. Come, Muire wants her chance to do her bit."

Muire obliged by pulling me into a hug but I was already wondering what was my mother up to. I turned to look over my shoulder. The Greys I could see were in a frenzy, trying to get their machinery back on line. The fact that smoke was wafting out of at least one of their machines did not bode well. Khyen tapped my forehead again and zapped me back into that still, silent mindspace. "Watch if you must, but without worry or judgement. Just sink into that space I have shown you and you may see something that might change your perspective on this whole scene."

Curiosity finally surfaced above my overwhelming grief. I sank, as instructed, into that space in my mind. My active mind, that never stopped, continued to watch Janie, Trian and the Greys but some other part of me was happy to let that all go on. Just as it was.

_Exactly._ Khyen unbelievably murmured straight into my mind. It was like a veil had been lifted from my mind. I wasn't sure when or how it had happened but there it all was. Everyone's thoughts, as clear as day, rambling through my head.

Khyen intoned some sound that seemed to vibrate at some frequency my body recognized. I went deeper into the state of observer and saw... Oh wow. There was Trian's spirit hovering above the bed. And another presence was with him. One that shone like a thousand suns. Was it even okay to look at something that bright? But I trusted Khyen to safeguard me so I looked further. I saw energies around my mother. Deep in trance, arms extended to above her. It looked almost like she was beseeching something but when I looked again I realized she was channeling energy, drawing it down into her being. The area where her heart was appeared to be glowing and the glow was getting bigger. A clear light of shimmering green laced with pink and gold and a bioelectric fringe of crackling blue. It burst like lightning out from her, piercing the chest of Trian's would be body. And then he took a breath. My eyes bugged out as I stared at my mother in a mixture of wonder, fear and gratitude. She'd just raised the dead. "How did you...? Oh buggerations. There were more important things to do. I shook myself from Khyen and Muire's gentle grasp and raced over to the printed body. I took the left hand into mine. A beautiful green hand and gently stroked it as tears once again streamed down my face. Tears. Who'd have believed. But I didn't care about me right now. Just the man before me. "Trian. Oh Trian. Make this work. You can do it. I believe in you. Together we are stronger. Remember you told me that. I can't go up against someone like Sakla unless you come back to me."

A single eyelid half opened blearily. "You blackmailing me Red?"

"Trian!" Hell, I wanted to smother him in kisses. I looked over to the Greys who were all staring back in wonderment at what had just happened. "Ah, how much can I touch him yet?"

The Grey in charged shrugged his shoulder. "This is beyond our science. He shouldn't be alive. I guess just treat him gently for now. Till we can get him under a scanner and run some tests."

Gentle ay. I could do gentle. I leaned over Trian and a gently as I could brushed his lips with mine. "Thank you for coming back to me."

"For you I would cross a thousand universes and time itself." He murmured but his eyes were already drifting shut.

I looked worriedly at the nearest Grey. He placed a finger on Trian's carotid artery in his neck. "He's fine. He'll sleep deeply for a bit."

That proved to be an understatement.

Trian slept soundly. I stayed by his bed, half dozing, half holding his hand. I wasn't about to let him go. Well not until I couldn't cross my legs anymore. Muire intervened. "Go freshen up. The ladies is out the door, turn left and down the end of the corridor." She handed me a torch. "I'll watch him while you're gone."

The morning came and area 51 was still without power. It hadn't been the planet-wide power outage we'd feared. Just a warning shot over the bow. Apparently the really big mega flare was still biding its time. In the meantime half the United States was without power. Emergency services were frantically trying to get some going, at least for essential services. The problem was the amount of electrical equipment that had fried from the power surge that had hit the grid just before it went down.

That didn't stop a now fully awake and sitting up Trian from consuming our pizza leftovers as if it was the best meal he'd ever tasted. "When can I come home with you?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. They need to run some tests."

"I feel fine."

How to slow him down a bit while we got him checked out. "The Greys consider you a bit of a special case. We think they've bioprinted whole human bodies before but no beings of the off world kind. We couldn't have done this without their help. They deserve a few moments to check you out." I pleaded to his sense of fairness.

Trian didn't look convinced. "Just don't leave me alone with them or they'll be tempted to dissect me."

"Over my dead body." An unfamiliar possessive and protective urge surged through me.

Meta materialised, in cat form, and hopped up on Trian's bed.

"I guess there's more than one of us watching out for you." Maybe at least one anthropomorphic godlike being did care. I stroked Meta behind the ears and he purred.

What I hadn't told Trian was that I'd mindshared with the lead Grey. A fairly unpleasant experience given some of what the Greys had done in the name of science but I'd been mindful of what Simon had said of practising in preparation of my meeting with Sakla. And some emergent compassionate being within me hadn't been able to reject the small grey being with the pleading almond eyes who'd been an effective prisoner of this complex since his group had crashed here many years previously. He asked us to take him with us. I'd simply outlined a scenario where that might be possible. He needed to drop more than just some of the shit from his karma. Just as before I'd peeled back his layers of self until I found a core that was starting to get rather familiar. Everyone, except Meta, had been shocked that I'd agreed to do it for him. Honestly, I felt I owed them. If they rest of the Greys had wanted out too I would have obliged them. Fortunately for my sanity, I'd had enough of one's grisly reruns through my mind for one day, they were quite happy to stay where their work was.

## 9. The best part of a day later, morning back in Boswell...

"Come on. Get you're ass out of bed." And what a fine ass it was to. I wheeled the borrowed wheelchair over to the bed.

Trian frowned. "I can walk."

I rolled my eyes. My handsome green mate was trying to go all macho on me. "Look fella, you were dead less than twenty four hours ago. Your new bones need time to strengthen. When they do they'll be stronger than any of ours but for now you can humor our resident town doctor. At least for today."

Trian pursed his lips. Damn cute I thought. "I suppose so." He sat up briefly then flopped back down. "Maybe I'll just stay here for the day and sleep, with you cuddled up next to me. That would definitely help with the healing process."

"Oh no you don't." I helped him sit up again and then swing his legs out of bed. "Do you know how much restraint I'm using right now not ravish you?"

Trian's eye's widened in surprise then his mouth crinkled at the edges, amused. "Something to look forward to. Why are you so keen for me to go to this breakfast meeting."

I blocked my mind as Khyen had briefly shown me while we were waiting for Trian to recuperate enough to teleport. He wasn't getting anything out of my mind. "It's a meeting of the alliance. They meet almost daily now. What with the impending magnetic pole shift of the planet, the refugees trying to get into Faery and the ongoing problems with the planet's Din overloads, one in particular."

"They have a lot on their plate. I can see that. But why me?"

I groaned. "Don't waste your effort arguing with me. We're going."

Trian's mouth twisted into an almost evil smirk. "I won't be weak forever you know. There'll be no power games between us. Mark my word. I think we'd best start as we mean to continue."

With that I found myself levitated and positioned over the bed with my head face down. He reached me easily and used a thrust of energy to spank my ass playfully. At least he didn't use his hand. I'd have worried if he had. The cells in his bones were still growing. "Now who's boss?"

I tried to raise my head but couldn't. I was so going to have to learn how he did this. I was so going to wop his ass one day. "We're equals." If he had thoughts of me playing submissive he had another thing coming.

The energy released its hold on me and I could stand on my own two feet again. I glared at him.

Sitting in his wheelchair, all harmless looking, he folded his arms and smirked. The bastard. My beautiful bastard. "Now are you going to tell me why I have to go to this meeting?"

I hedged. "Introductions. Many members of the alliance want to meet you. And then there's your old team from Thex's spaceship. They'll all be there. Well except for Kaleem." Poor Kaleem would have to wait his turn for rescue but I hoped it came soon for him.

Trian wasn't convinced. "There's something more you're not telling me but okay. Wheel away. Can we do wheelies in this thing?"

Hmm. Interesting thought. But I thought again about his well being. "Tomorrow, perhaps. Today we'll just do the scenic tour of the town on our way there. The meetings used to be in Simon's house but it was getting a bit crowded, even for a two storey Georgian sandstone mansion. While we were at area 51 they got the geologist lady, Elena, from the Rasselas to find a seam of quartzite in a field just on the edge of town. Then they got Bran and JJ to work their magic with their science of sonics. They literally called the stone out of the ground and persuaded it to reform into the building we're going to.

Trian arched a brow. That had grabbed his interest. "Like the buildings in Lemuria. I wish I had been here a day earlier so I could have seen them do it."

"I'll make sure you get invited to their next building raising."

It was a crisp clear day outside. We trundled down past Boswell's miniscule CBD of pub, post office, the grocers, the vet's, the garage, Doc's medical centre and a few shops. We turned the corner of the block and headed into Park St, past the sorcerer's place, past Simon's mansion and out into the field beyond where the science research labs had been built, one for genetics and one researching free energy and environmental clean-up solutions. It wasn't that far and it was all on the flat.

Trian was taking it all in as I did my best tour guide commentary about the town and its inhabitants. Then he looked up at the sun in the trees. Mostly fruit trees. The landscape committee had done a superb job turning the town into both an edible landscape, a safe place for children to play, a recreation place for adults and a sanctuary for non-herbivorous animals. The herbivores were fenced out by a simple moat that Rob had dug around the town with his backhoe. A cattle grate kept them off the roads and bridges. But that didn't mean they went without. Many old abandoned fields around the town's perimeter had been reforested and turned into a green belt for the animals. The moat, a sophisticated network of ponds and dams and an extensive inground system of sprinklers and fire pumps all ensured that if fire ever threatened we could protect not just the town but at the very least our nearest bushland. "You know. I'd forgotten this kind of simple, natural beauty. Thank you."

An awkward warm glow in me seemed to trigger the threat of a tear. I blinked. "My pleasure." It was going to take a while for me to get used to the sea of emotions I'd been feeling since my grief at Trian's apparent death had unleashed them.

We continued the rest of the way in silence as I wheeled him up the garden path towards the great circular building of pure white quartzite pillars interspersed with nearly translucent panels, also of quartzite. And all they'd had to do to build this was play a tune. Amazing.

As we entered the building cheers erupted, ebbing away as the crystal clear soprano voice of Melissa filled the room. "Happy birthday to you...

Trian leaned towards me to whisper. "Whose birthday?"

"Yours silly. You were reborn less than twenty four hours ago so today is still technically your birthday." Come to think of it I was feeling rather reborn as well.

Simon, Jeff and Rachel wheeled a large cake in.

"By the looks of that they've made a tuscan chestnut cake. You'll like that."

"It's cooked?" He worried.

"Reserve judgement until you taste it. Only the freshest of local in season ingredients will have gone into it. Chestnuts, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts and grape juice."

"Help me up Red."

I frowned at his request but then I saw his commanding officer was walking over. I helped him up. He was a little unsteady on his feet at first but then he straightened. "Commander Alexios Thex." He gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement.

Thex rolled his eyes. "Trust an Arcturian to want to abide by old formalities. I'm told I'm not to go giving you any bear hugs just yet but I can do this. He took Trian's right hand gently in his and gave the barest of shakes. Yep, it seemed Thex could be gentle when it was needed. "Welcome to your new home my old friend."

Trian's smile was pure pleasure and I shared in his happiness. "It's good to be here Commander."

"No-one does formal here. Call me Thex."

"I'll try Sir. Thex."

Thex and I helped Trian back into the wheelchair and others came forward to greet us and some to renew old acquaintances. It was undoubtedly the most heartwarming business breakfast I'd ever been to.

Cake consumed, and yes Trian did enjoy his, we retired to the relative peace of the back of the room where Trian had full permission to doze if he needed. I remained all ears. Ever curious I wanted to know the current state of affairs. I listened.

"Upal, how's the state of the earth's magnetic field?" I heard Simon ask.

"Dropping daily now. That's what caused the major blackout around area 51. The earth's magnetic shield is so diminished now that even relatively minor solar flares like that one can cause damage to the electrical grid where only a few years ago they wouldn't. If we get anything on the scale of the Carrington Event, the solar storm of 1840 which reached possibly x40 in strength, the damage could be massive. Even as we speak there is an ominous pair of giant sunspots forming on the incoming limb of the sun. One of the pair is negatively polarized, the other positively which means there is a likelihood of it flaring. If it destabilizes while it is facing earth we expect not only massive disruptions to the electrical grid but it is quite likely it will literally fry the circuits of most electrical equipment switched on at the time. Those people at risk of strokes will be vulnerable. Migraines are likely to be common. If planes are flying at the time the coronal mass ejection hits the earth's ionosphere they are likely to lose power and those on board, even if the plane doesn't go down, could get a massive dose of cosmic radiation passing through their bodies."

"Are we ready for it?"

Upal nodded. "We've shielded the power station's vital components and have circuit breakers in place that will automatically close our entire system down at the slightest hint of an electromagnetic pulse hitting it. People in the town need to be patient with us. We have erred on the side of caution so it is likely the circuit breakers will go into action in some cases that are false alarms. If this happens in the middle of a favorite tv program we're sorry but... All garages have been shielded to prevent damage to our vehicles. Everyone has been issued with shielded cases for their most precious electrical items. Our IT team in the Rasselas have designed a phone app will give people warnings of any risky sun activity."

"And the world governments have been warned?"

"Yes but only a few are taking our warnings seriously."

Simon turned to Elena, our resident geologist and geophysicist. "Have we a confirmed location yet for the new magnetic poles?"

"Off the West Coast of Indonesia is looking likely for at least one of the poles. There's some ominous rising of the sea floor there so something's definitely brewing down there and that's where the magnetic pole is currently heading if it keeps on its current trajectory. There's also a lot of earthquake activity all along the equator at present; Vanuatu, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea. Wherever the other pole pops up will depend on where the first settles. West Africa would be likely if the Indonesian theory holds true."

"Other than the magnetic pole is there likely to be any other sort of geological disturbances.?"

"It's likely but let's hope not. Unfortunately the best situation we can hope for is increased earthquakes and volcanism though more likely we will see whole land masses rising and falling, like what's happening in California. My guess is the planet is in for a shaking. I certainly wouldn't want to be living or working in any poorly built skyscrapers. The doomsday scenario, of course, is that the whole mantle shifts. I'm cautiously hopeful that that is unlikely. There was a minor glitch in the magnetic field of the planet forty one thousand years ago. From what we know it didn't move any continents at the time. There is one other thing you should be aware of though. A somewhat major fly in the ointment."

"Which is?"

"The axis of the earth, which controls the turn of the seasons and has a large bearing on our weather, is shifting. Has shifted. Imperceptible to us but the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets and the using up of water in underground aquifers around the world is changing the balance of the planet. The earth revolves like a spinning top and it's getting lighter at a couple of major points. Put simply the melting ice sheets are affecting its wobble. We're likely to see an uptick in freak weather events like the recent snow in the Caribbean and the hail the size of oranges on the Indian subcontinent. Land based hurricanes are likely. Both the scientists and the Inuit people of the Arctic agree the axis has already shifted and is continuing to do so. And we're not talking about the normal variations in the Earth's wobble. How much further the axis will shift and how fast is the question."

Everyone in the room winced at the implications.

"How about the Oceans Em? ", Simon.

"Warming. Coral's bleaching all over the place, rapidly now. Krill stocks are collapsing. I of course don't mention the fish stocks because as you know we're already at an all time low."

Shit. Things really didn't sound like they were going well. Dad was up next with his report on the floating island project but my phone vibrated in my pocket. I could never ignore a call. What if I missed a breaking story. I headed outside to take it. "Hello, Phoenix O'Halloran speaking."

"Hello Ms O'Halloran. I believe you want to interview me."

I shivered. Fear or anticipation I wasn't sure. "Sakla Sauros I presume." Shit, how'd he gotten my direct number?

"Indeed. I'm sending you gps coordinates for our meeting. You may bring one other human with you but no Malakim. No weapons. You will be searched."

Crikey, that was going to make it hard. My production team were specialists. I'd need someone multiskilled who could handle the combined roles of cameraman, sound assistant and production assistant. Someone who didn't mind going on a potentially suicidal mission with me. I didn't try to argue for more though. This was Sakla. I'd take the interview on his terms. But what of mine? "How can I be assured of my safety and that of my assistant? How can I know you won't attempt a kidnapping like you did at Muire's parent's place?"

Sakla laughed. "You don't. If you want this interview be at my offices in Wellington at 3pm New Zealand time. I'm assuming you have a way of getting there by then."

I wasn't about to tell him about teleportation. Hell, he probably guessed some of us could. I'd started seeing auras and hearing other people's thoughts since nearly losing Trian. That didn't mean I could necessarily teleport. I'd tried on the trip coming back from the US but ended up stranded in a swamp on the other side of the portal. Meta had had to come and rescue me. Teleporting was a learnt skill. So far I just wasn't getting it. I'd have to get Meta to drop me and whoever came with me somewhere in Wellington's CBD and we'd make the rest of the way on foot. But I wasn't about to tell Sakla that. "I'll be there even if I have to head to the airport right this minute." Why did he want to meet in New Zealand anyway? His main offices were in North-East Asia. Obviously he didn't trust Polemarch enough to do it at the nearby mining complex Sauros Enterprises owned nearby and there was the fact that Australian Security had a strong alliance with us. Yeah I supposed New Zealand was logical. Close but not on our home ground.

"I look forward to it." Then he hung up.

Stunned at the enormity of what I'd just agreed to I wandered back into the meeting, deep in thought, planning the interview.

Simon noticed my return. "Would you mind coming forward and briefing us." Of course he knew.

Dad passed me as I made my way to the front. "You missed my presentation." He looked none too amused.

"Sorry dad." But I'd be damned if he'd get me grovelling. I reached the front and repeated the conversation I'd had with Sakla. There were more than a few in the audience who were stunned that I was about to interview the world's most powerful being. I looked around the room. Thex, Em, Simon, Meta, Ma...no maybe not the most powerful on the planet at this time but definitely Sakla was the most greedy. The one being who owned a fair proportion of the planet either directly or indirectly and used it as his own personal mine for anything he wanted, more money, more power. There wasn't a country on the planet he couldn't bring to its knees. Bribery, black ops, destabilisation of local stock markets, assassinations, funding civil uprisings. Sakla didn't flinch at anything to get his way.

"Okay, now here's the plan..." Simon had obviously foreseen the call.

Trian had been awfully quiet since we'd returned to my house. I directed my internal focus to his mind and found worry, frustration and more surprisingly; guilt. "You don't think Simon's plan will work?"

"It's not that. I should be with you but Sakla's made that impossible. If we'd still been linked..."

"He'd sense your presence within me as soon as I stepped in the room. You have to know he'll have aura watchers there. People who can spot the aura of a super being at thirty paces. I have to be as 'normal' as I am now."

"And Oana?"

"She's a scientist. She's pretty grounded. She's not Malakim and I doubt she gives off the magenta, gold and white of the more highly spiritual amongst us. I'm counting on her having a bright but otherwise 'normal' yellow knowledge based aura or perhaps a dark blue mind related one. They'll see her as enhanced but not dangerous. Simon must think so too or he wouldn't have suggested her."

"And she has the production skills you need?"

"I think there's not much about television production Oana doesn't know. She'll be fine. Okay I couldn't read her mind or her aura last time we met but she oozed competence and efficiency. I've relied on my gut feelings a lot longer than I have this other stuff."

"There has to be a way I can protect you."

Ah, that was why my Mr Macho was frustrated. But he had a point. I wasn't going into this situation blind but I could use all the help I could get. I emptied my mind for a moment, as Khyen had taught me at area 51 while we'd waited for Trian to be strong enough to move. I loosened that mental noose I was holding on my own worries and just connected with that emptiness. As I rested there I noticed my subjective mind drifting, remembering how I had channelled Trian's powers during my encounter with Triglav. It gave me an idea. "Could I channel you?"

Trian blinked in surprise. "What a brilliant idea. Having an open channel won't affect your aura when you're not channelling. Let's try it? Look at that vase on the table with an intent to raise it, as you open your mind fully to me. Embrace me with the core of your being." He watched me with keen interest as I followed his instructions.

The vase didn't budge.

"If you need an instrument to direct my will extend your hand towards the vase and raise it."

Ah ha. That was the trick. I needed to direct 'his will', not my own. I opened myself fully to our connection and then sent his energy out along my hand, towards the vase. It wobbled at first and then much to my shock it levitated midair before crashing down, at the point of my surprise, and shattering into a million pieces. "Um! At least it didn't have any water in it." Damn, that had been a gift from my mum. I should have thought about that before I'd used it for this test.

Trian extended his own hand towards the vase and all the pieces proceeded to fly back into the shape of a vase. The image of it blurred for a moment and then, there it was. A perfectly solid vase. I went over to examine it closely but there was no sign of any damage. No missing pieces. "How...?

"It's just matter. My perception of matter is a product of my conscious mind. I simply re-envisaged it as whole."

"Impressive."

"After this interview is over I will teach you how to do all this yourself. Your aura will blaze like a thousand suns, just as it did a moment ago when you went into the all-space."

"You will? I did? Wow." I shook myself, I was getting distracted. "I should practice on something else."

"Have you any special fondness for that cup hanging on the hook over there?"

The supermarket one dollar made in china red mug. "Not especially." I opened my inner being to Trian, found our connection again and simply let his energy stream flow through me while I focused my eyes on the cup. It began to sway on the hook."

"Let your eyes track the route along the hook, the path that you want the cup to travel."

It took concentration and precision while at the same time staying open to Trian. It was like juggling. I'd get the path I wanted the cup to go into my head and find I'd lost my inner connection to him.

"You're trying too hard. Precision yes but less effort." Trian instructed.

Less effort. Hmm. Like emptiness I supposed. I kept the cup in my mind's eye but rested in the space around it. I released my control and simply allowed it to be moved by Trian's energy. With an upward flick the handle released from the hook and the cup went crashing to the floor. Unbelievably it didn't break. Score one to the robustness of generic pottery.

"You forgot to direct its landing." Trian teased.

I shrugged. Honestly, my mind was going ninety to the dozen on the ways I could use this channelling. "I hadn't thought that far. I just wanted to get it off that damned hook."

"And you did." Trian wrapped me in his arms and nuzzled my neck. "Thank you."

I frowned, puzzled. "Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you wanted to ease my suffering, to find a way for me to help you. Because of your willingness to open to me more. And because I'm so damned proud of you."

My eyes nearly watered. I blinked. "You're proud of me?"

"You bet."

Wow. Just wow. I hoped Trian could truly feel how that made me feel.

"I do."

Ooh. I like those words. I had a moment's flight of fancy on that one.

Trian's smile glowed. He responded to my thoughts by levitating out of the wheelchair he'd still been sitting in and gently lowering himself to his knees in front of me. "You are already my mate but I would undertake any ritual you require of me. Would you honor me by agreeing to wed me? I think that is the correct term is it not."

I knelt down in front of him. I wanted us equal in all ways. I took his hands in mine. "I agree. Just a simple ceremony, before the goddess, in the town's sacred grove. Melissa officiating." I hoped he'd like the idea too.

"Out in the open, among the trees, at sunrise."

Sunrise. Early. Err. I suppose I could. "Okay. Any reason why sunrise though?"

"It is a special time among my people. A time of new beginnings, new ventures, to cement new relationships before the beauty of the dawning day."

Oh. When you put it that way. "You're on." I kissed him gently on the lips but it didn't go further. A knock at the door had me helping him back to his chair. "You'd think they could give us at least a few moments of 'us' time." But I knew there was much to organise before we left.

"Later Red. Survive Sakla for me. Come back home to me, unscathed."

Unsaid was all the desire burning a path between us. All the things we wanted to do to each other. And above all, the ultimate desire, to be there for each other, unconditionally, for each and every day of the rest of our lives.

## 10. The interview

"You sure I've got permission to do this?" I quizzed Meta, not wanting to get on the bad side of the cosmic higher authorities.

"As long as his greed or his need to annihilate Boswell drive him to it?"

"So no holding Sakla down to the ground while I force my mind on his."

Meta spat out a laugh. "Have you ever tried holding a Din against its will?"

One small fiery red head against a large snarly demonic lizard? "Er, no."

"You'll be fine. Just go with that famous gut instinct of yours."

"Oh, okay." Yeah I could do that.

It was quarter to three and we were standing out in the open at the nominated meeting point. In clear view of the enemy's offices. "You'd best go Meta. They won't come here while they see a Malakim in the vicinity."

"I won't be far. And you know, you won't be on your own."

I nodded my understanding even if I couldn't quite get my head around how that protection would come. Meta's shapeshifting I'd seen but somehow a cat was easier to believe. Hell, what was I saying. Any shapeshifting was just far out. But really cool.

Meta filtered off into the crowd. _You there Trian?_ I clutched at my metaphysical safety blanket. I knew he was still in Boswell recuperating but the distance didn't seem to matter.

Always Red.

I felt his worry but I also sensed his trust in my good sense. Who am I kidding? There's no common sense about any of this. Yet, my tense shoulders relaxed a little. I turned to Oana. "Ready?"

Oana didn't look quite as self assured as usual either. Her look was rather one of steely determination. But she nodded. "Let's do this."

Two dark suited men in dark glasses approached from the shadows. Sakla's security detail. "Follow us!"

After being thoroughly frisked for weapons, a not unpleasant experience, the guys were good looking, we were allowed to enter the building with our equally thoroughly inspected and now repacked equipment.

We proceeded to the elevator which took us to the top floor. Along a corridor and then into spacious reception area. One of our detail went into the room behind the reception area while the other took up a strategic position, feet apart, arms stiff at his side, eyes scanning. He blocked the same entrance the other guy had gone through.

Meanwhile, across town, in the office of a legal firm that was largely responsible for overseeing Sakla's legal affairs other things were afoot:

Steve and Mike used the cover of the alley to enter the ventilation shaft. It was a public holiday. Anzac day in fact. The day both New Zealanders and Australians commemorated those who had fought and died in wars. There weren't many pedestrians about. The office they were about to break into was empty. At least they hoped that was the case.

Their contacts had supplied them with a map of the building's ducting system. Mike just hoped there were no nasty high speed fans that would suck their bodies into some vortex of whirling blades. Not an end he fancied. Still, life might be short anyway. Breaking into the Wellington office of Wallace, Williams and Beedle wasn't exactly the wisest of life enhancing options.

Steve adjusted his head touch and signaled to Ruru to turn right.

They found the point they thought was the "X" on the map and removed the grill in the ceiling. It wasn't easy. Some bastard had overdone the glue on this one. Sighing Mike removed a mini wrecking bar from his backpack and proceed to prise the thing loose. Friggin hell, if this took any longer they'd never get the job done.

"Give us a go." Steve whispered.

Yeah, sure, like he could do any better. But he handed him the bar.

The grill gave under Steve's gentle persuasion.

"Blow me down!" Mike swore in amazement. He shook his head tie off the other end of the rope Steve was lowering down through the hole in the ceiling. Yeah, should hold. Ceiling joists weren't like they used to be but it should be enough to hold their wait.

Steve only just managed to squeeze through the grill. He was a big lad.

The computer wasn't hard to find. Mike reached into his top pocket for the USB stick and handed it to Steve. "Put that in its slot first then switch the computer on. At the point where the computer checks for plugged in hardware it'll take over the boot up and bypass any passwords."

Steve pursed his lips, impressed. "Cool!"

The download took its time. Steve looked nervously at his watch. The sooner they got out of here the better to his liking.

A light flicked on in one of the adjacent offices. The sound of a slightly inebriated man stumbling about made Steve and Mike freeze. Some employee must have had a little too much to drink at a post parade lunch at the local returned services league and was looking for somewhere quiet to sleep it off.

The blinking light on the harddrive stilled. The download was complete.

Mike nodded towards the fire escape.

Not even risking the extra noise it would make to put the office back the way they'd found it they edged out of the room and rushed the fire escape.

"Oy." The sound of their departure had caught the employees attention. But he was too late. They were out the door and running down the alley. As they cleared the alley Alicia, a corporate trouble shooter, drove the pick up car to meet them. Sandy, Alicia's partner, swung the back door open. "Get in."

With a scream of tyres they high tailed it outta there. A sudden storm had closed the Moa Point Road but they rammed the barricades and braved the waves that were breaking onto the road. Yeah they could have teleported but sometimes it was fun doing things the old fashioned way.

While all this went down. Oana set up the camera and mike as well as some three point lighting to make sure our interviewee looked his best. Oh, and me too. I brushed a loose hair from my face and straightened my jacket.

"Ready whenever you are," Oana announced. Her eyes darted between me, our subject and the two guards who hovered over us.

I took her meaning. Yeah, it was a bit crowded. More crowded than even the guards knew. A small insect hovered around the vent. A quick escape if he needed. Not that General Polemarch needed to but I guess once a general always a general, weighing risks and opportunities. I still couldn't believe that fly was a man. Well, a super being like Meta. At least that's what Meta had explained. Then there was our other ex military man, the Major. Gifted with Siddhi powers, whatever they were, by the goddess herself. At least one of those powers was invisibility. Another was the ability to project an image of himself to somewhere other than where he was. He was somewhere here. No Oana and I weren't unprotected but we did need to lose the two goons.

"I think for best effect, to get your best side Mr Sauros, it would be good if we could sit over here near the coffee table. It will add a feel of trust and intimacy to the interview. Cosy fireside chat, that sort of thing. Of course it would help that image if those two weren't in view." I nodded towards the offending parties. "They have searched us. Are they really thinking two helpless women are going to take on someone of your considerable reputation?"

Sakla preened himself. My ploy had worked. "Of course", he flicked a finger. "Jones, Brown...out!"

"Sir", one begged to differ but his boss stared him down with repercussion written in his eyes. "Uh, yes Sir."

Score one to us. Goons zero.

I cleared my throat and settled in my seat.

"Tape's rolling," Oana cued me.

"I'm here today with Mr Sakla Sauros who has kindly agreed to this world first interview. He is the unacknowledged richest man in the world." Sakla beamed his pleasure at the accolade. "He sits at the top of an exceedingly large pyramid of companies, overseeing several powerful global conglomerates that sit below him on that pyramid. Arguably the pyramid controls much if not most of the commercial activity in the world. Mr Sauros, would you be willing to comment on that?"

"Please, call me Sakla. And yes you are mostly correct. You only err in degree. Barring a few annoying micro businesses and self employed wannabees I believe Sauros Enterprises has an interest, one way or another, in all business conducted on this planet. Even those who think themselves independent end up using the services of our legal, insurance, financial or construction firms. They are just not aware of it."

Gulp. "That's amazing. You must be very proud of your companies' achievements."

Sakla shrugged his shoulders. "Pride doesn't interest me. It's the bottom line that counts. But I do like to think of us benefitting the world."

Benefitting? "How so?"

"Through the optimal use of the world's resources and I include in that the world's human resources. It is gratifying to see efficiency at all levels of our operation. From the best use of the world's arable lands for food production to the eventual mining of every last ounce of precious mineral from the earth. Education is now more efficient, only focusing on what we need our future employees to know rather than wastefully training them to question their seniors or entertain dreams above their allotted station in life. Health is rapidly being rationalized to only provide expensive operations and medication to those who are still of economic worth. Aged care programs that wastefully seek to entertain clients rather than simply ease their speedy and efficient departure from this life have been forced to see reason through the funding models we have advised governments to consider. Co-operation is key and we use choice architecture to ensure those we interact with choose correctly."

"Choice architecture? Could you explain how that works?"

"Its simple really. When we want a government or a company to see sense we make the right choice as easy for them as possible. Incorrect choice options are mired in bureaucratic red tape, costs, complexity or undecipherable jargon. If that doesn't work we highlight the repercussions for the wrong choice." Sakla's smile was chilling. "They usually see sense."

And I knew what some of those repercussions could be. Companies, overnight, lost value on the stock exchange, countries suddenly had civil unrest in their midst, individuals were found to have illegal files on their computers or drugs in their luggage, children kidnaps or sold into slavery. Need I go on. "How would you sum up your vision for the world Sakla?"

"Simple. Capitalize everything. Our think tank just came up with a great scheme to capitalize on sex between married partners. Essentially keep them working in separate companies distant from each other then they have to buy flights on one of our airlines. Of course we would never force such a thing to our employees," he grinned, "but the concept is interesting."

"If you did want to implement one of your think tank's proposals how would you go about selling it to potential customers?"

"The tried and tested way. Make them unhappy with their current lot in life. In the instance we are discussing, make it financially unviable for a single family income to be enough for the average family to survive on. Both partners start working but it's still not enough to put the kids through college. Suddenly each partner receives offers of a lucrative posting overseas that splits up the family, necessitating air travel. Everyone's a winner. The family members get the lifestyle we've encouraged them to want. The kids get their education and become, let's say, data analysts for one of my companies and the whole cycle starts again. In the meantime my companies and the countries in my sway benefit through an improved bottom line and an improved economy."

"And if the couple doesn't want to split to pay the way?"

Sakla shrugged again. "No problem. They can just as easily become clients of care services which will keep them so busy in paperwork and meeting targets that they will never have time to even consider working for us again. Honestly, if they can't make the right choices after we make it so easy for them why would we want to bother with them?"

"What about companies and countries that refuse to make," I had to be careful here, "the right choices?"

Sakla leaned back in his chair, the emperor of all he surveyed. "Anything that is a threat to us is a threat to be dealt with."

I sipped my glass of water to clear the near cough in my throat. "You certainly have an amazing breadth of vision Sakla." A bit of flattery wouldn't go astray to get some control back in this conversation. "But I know the audience would also like to know about your personal aspirations. What drives you Sakla."

"Survival Ms O'Halloran. Survival of the fittest, the most competitive, the richest and most powerful."

A good point to end the interview I thought. "Thank you Sakla. This has been most illuminating. Thank you again for your time."

"My pleasure."

I'd been itching to ask him to reveal his demonic side but I'd guessed that would be asking for trouble. I made a sign to Oana to stop the tape. "Well, that went well. Are there any changes you would like us to make, anything to edit out, before we put that to air on the Boswell Alternate News Service tonight?"

"No, I think that was most useful. It was time those who would stand against me knew who they'd be taking on." His penetrating eyes pierced me with meaning.

"Well, then. We'll be off."

"Not so fast."

Ah. Here it comes. The real reason he wanted me here. "I could do with a spokesperson of your skill and following. You'd still appear to work for the Boswell Alternate News Service but I'd be paying you. Let's say a two million contract for you and $300,000 for you lovely assistant here? Think of what you could do with that. It can't be that comfortable living in a two bit rural town, cut off from the mainstream."

He really didn't understand did he. What we had in Boswell was priceless. The only think Sakla seemed to understand was self interest and self survival. Just as Simon had explained. Human's might have a lizard brain under their cerebral cortex and their mammalian feelings but Sakla was pure, unadulterated lizard brain. "I have a better proposal for you?"

That go his interest. "I see. Can you tell me more."

"I'd rather my assistant left first. We need to get this footage back for processing."

"Of course." Sakla moved to his desk and pressed an intercom. "Brown!"

Mr Brown entered. "Sir!"

"Escort the lovely Ms Ionescu from the building and help her with her equipment would you?"

"Yes Sir. Anything else Sir?"

As in ensure her demise. I hoped not. I knew she'd be safe once she got outside. Meta would make sure of it but until then. "You have security cameras I assume. I can make sure she gets away safely."

"Of course." Sakla smiled that damnable smile of his. "Don't you trust me Ms O'Halloran?"

"Would you?" Put it back on the other foot.

He laughed. "Of course not. Brown, ensure Ms Ionescu comes to no harm."

"Yes Sir."

_You be right?_ , I telepathically quizzed Oana as she followed the guard out.

Been going to Krav Maga lessons with Helena in the Yungas. Don't worry about me. It's you I'm worried about.

You know who's watching out for me.

Yeah. Just take care. I don't care who you've got with you. If Sakla goes demonic on you there's no knowing the full extent of what you're going up against.

Yeah, didn't I know it. I watched Oana's departure on Sakla's computer console until she was safely out of the building. Then I turned to face him. "Thank you."

"You have me so curious now I'd have done just about anything to find out what you were up to."

"How about full disclosure of everything I know about Boswell and its allies operations against you."

"What?" That got his jaw gaping. His eyes narrowed. "You're trying to trick me into something."

Ever the lizard on survival alert. "No. I'm just trying to be open and upfront with you. You see the Boswellians and their friends haven't been entirely welcoming of me", I lied. "I'm deficient as far as they are concerned." Or had been, not that anyone had minded. "No emotions you see. They see me as dangerous. A potential psychopath."

"Then you don't have their trust?" He seemed a tad disappointed at that.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm in at all their council meetings. They need me as their spokesperson just about as much as you do."

"I see." That had pleased him. He was smiling again. "How much?"

"Sorry?" How much what? Honestly, trying to read his mind was like trying to ready a brick wall, all snarl and images of self, not much else.

"Your price."

"Oh, five million, payable in monthly installments into a Swiss bank account. For as long as what I'm giving you is useful to you." Better explain more why. "Your vision for an efficient world impresses me greatly. Far better than the hand to mouth hippy-style existence the Malakim would have us live." Hand to mouth, hardly. And our existence involved us all contributing to each other's well being in whatever ways our individual capacities and interests would allow. No, he would never understand that.

"Understandable but I would need some show of trust from you."

"And I you."

"What do you suggest? For starters next week's movements of individual ally members would be useful"

I'm sure it would but you're not getting that. "There's a skill among Boswellians. The ability to share the contents of our mind with anyone we choose. I am quite happy to connect my mind with yours. You could pick through for anything you particularly want to know. It's efficient." I used his words with emphasis. "But you will need to trust me to do it as I will see into yours as well. Is that not a suitable halfway meeting point for us?"

I watched Sakla pace the room as he considered my proposal. "They're building something big. I don't know why."

"Oh, you mean the ship. They're getting a lot of people wanting to come into Faery but most of them are suspicious of taking on what's required to get in."

"And what is required."

"An arduous spiritual training course", I fibbed.

"Yes I can see how that would put them off. So they intend to house them on this boat."

Bit big for a boat I would have thought. "It's your choice architecture all over again isn't it? Give them free food, housing and protection. Build trust. Let them talk to others who'd had their DNA repaired then give them the treatment. It's like a cult." I lied but it sounded plausible. "Once they're there they become too comfortable to think about going back to their previous existence. They become more than willing to do the course and then we send them out to rope more in." To tell their families and friends where they could find safety from the likes of Sakla and his vision for the world.

"The Malakim have stolen some of my best scientists. The ship will be state of the art. What can you tell me of its construction."

"Nothing really, the science is way beyond me but I have seen its blueprints. I can give you a mental image of those if you want."

"Through this mindshare."

"You got it." I gave him pause to consider. I needed a willing choice from him and that meant giving him space to make the choice.

"Very well."

Yippee, hurray and hallelujah. Bring on the full angelic choir. I nodded to encourage him further. Better than sounding pushy by saying something. I wanted him to feel the power of this choice rested with him.

"How do we do this?"

"Just rest your forehead against mine." I removed my jacket to show I had no weapons his goons might have missed and then held my hands out from my side, palms open. A simple gesture of 'look no weapons' that spoke louder than any verbal assertion.

We came together with a simple tap of foreheads. At the instant he made contact with my mind he saw my intent and tried to pull away. Three things happened simultaneously. I opened my core to Trian and he sent me much needed energy, not only to hold fast but also to stay focused. General Polemarch morphed from fly to human form and the Major John Samuels appeared to hold Sakla firm, arms shackled to his back. Sakla began to shift form, throwing John and Polemarch to the side, me holding on for dear life as he rolled us both to the floor. From nowhere Khyen appeared, I hadn't counted on him. He began chanting something that stopped Sakla's throwing off his host body and retaking his demonic Din form.

Sakla growled in frustration but I was already in, peeling back layers one by one.

Sakla swore. "You want to see my mind human. Allow me."

I was instantly swamped by some of his more vicious atrocities but I held firm with my focus, Mangoh, my shark spirit whispering in my mind. _It's just a dream. Don't engage with the images. Think of it as just a bad movie. Look for the pattern to it._

Bile built in the back of my throat as I viewed the things he'd done in his rise to power as the most avaricious, dangerous Din the universe had ever seen. But underneath and through it all was a theme. Self interest. His need to survive. I needed to show him the waste of his energies, I peeled his mind back further, while blocking my own from him. I followed the timeline back, back to beyond the demise of the dinosaurs sixty five million years ago. Back to life on the planet when lizard life ruled. A hot, swampy, rather more volcanically active world. A dog eat dog, or rather a tyrannosaurus eat tyrannosaurus world where no-one really won the game of life for long. Only as long as they were strong, fast and smarter than the others.

We travelled back further. To life in the oceans. Also pretty nasty. An abundance of life for sure but it mostly involved everything eating everything else.

Back to slime. One bacteria trying to multiply faster than its neighbour, sending out toxins to kill off its competitors.

Back to a barren planet, awaiting life.

Back through three evolutions of our sun.

Back to the big bang itself.

And then I saw it. A single fragment wanting its own triumphant, unique, better than anyone else, individuality. Wanting something more than the bliss of connected wholeness. Constructing a self to play out its desires in a dream. Then slowly over time coming to believe that that was its true identity, becoming trapped in that, life after life. I saw other fragments. Fragments that had been held over from a previous instance of the universe. All doing the same, all building luxurious prisons for their piece of the great mind so that they could be, unique, different, separate. But all they achieved was a hell of aloneness and misunderstanding with no-one to truly love them them or connect with, except themselves and they were too miserable in the failure of their trapped existence to do that.

Sakla screamed and collapsed against me, crying pitifully. "No more. No more. I don't want it any more. Let me out."

"Let you out of my mind or let you out of your self made prison and unnecessarily limited existence."

"Both." He was sobbing like a child now.

I pulled away. Looking for someone else to take charge. I was used up for one day.

Polemarch seemed to take my mental cue and came forward to his old boss. "There's no need for us to be enemies. We can be friends, just like in old times." He extended a hand in offering.

Sakla looked at the hand for a moment then accepted it, allowing Polemarch to help pull him up. "They did this to you too?"

"No old friend. I had my own awakening when you sent me to exterminate that troublesome Shang priest."

"I knew it! You were never the same after that but I couldn't put my finger on it."

"I couldn't tell you. You would never have understood. As it was you tried to kill me."

"Only because I couldn't trust or understand the new you." Sakla shook himself. "Now what."

"Now we have bigger fish to fry. The survival of this planet."

"What our scientists have been talking about. I thought they had just buried themselves in their theories so deep they had gone mad."

"No, what they've been trying to tell you, at risk to their own lives I might add, is true. We have multiple risks to the planet racing towards us at this time. You should know too that data showing the corruption that holds this empire together is about to be released to the few investigative journalists you don't have on your payroll. Things are about to get ugly for the company."

"Shit. And you knew this was going to happen?"

Polemarch nodded.

"Sakla let out a pained sigh. "I guess I can't blame you. If you're back to being my friend again. What do you advise?"

"Come clean."

"On what?"

"Everything."

Sakla sagged into the nearest chair and appeared lost in thought for a moment. Other than Polemarch the rest of us were watching him cautiously, wondering if his awakening would hold.

Sakla snorted at us, already reading our minds. "Bloody doubters. Yes I've got it thanks." He turned to me specifically. "Call back your assistant. We'd better record a second part to that damned interview."

Glad to see his basic personality hadn't changed. I was tempted to say 'yes oh Mr High and Mighty' but I didn't. I retrieved my mobile from my pocket and pressed dial."Oana? Could you come back. Looks like we haven't finished yet."

## Epilogue

The news that night had the biggest online viewer audience in history. The social networks were in meltdown as people shared the interview and discussed its ramifications. The global stock exchange had taken a tumble. Currency exchange rates were fluctuating wildly. Governments worldwide were in a panic. Sakla had gone into hiding, into one of his bunkers no doubt. Polemarch probably knew where. Politicians and CEOs on Sakla's payroll were diving for cover in all directions but the masses, in partnership with the world's investigative reporters were hunting them down. Those parts of the world where the work day was just starting were finding a dearth of employees turning up to work as many people started questioning their lives and their choices. And more than anything, people were talking about Sakla's rallying call, to face the earth's oncoming challenges with a fearless combined effort to safeguard each other.

It had been a rallying call I'd followed up with my own thoughts in a piece to camera about recent events. That we should stop trying to fix each other. That the so called fix wasn't so much a fix but an awareness that we had to step out of the way of and allow within us. To get our focus off our limited labelled selves for five minutes and onto everything that self was not. To realize we were all connected. All in this together. That together we were stronger. I'd been remembering what Trian had told me when I'd said that last bit.

I rolled over in bed and snuggled into Trian's arms. Strong muscular arms that had gained much strength during my afternoon and early evening absence. "You eaten yet?"

"Yeah, went down to The Bushranger's Rest earlier with your parents. Thought I'd better get to know them better. You?"

My brave Arcturian. Meeting my parents on his own. "Not hungry. Rather got a hankering for something else."

Trian arched a brow, as if he wasn't catching on.

I elbowed him gently in the ribs. "You, silly."

"And what part of me were you wanting to munch on?"

"Hmm. Let me think." I got up and began the shedding clothes I'd been lying in, hopeful.

Trian's skin flushed a brighter shade of green. Was that an Arcturian version of a blush or excitement? "Come back here mate."

I climbed back on the bed and catlike prowled forward until I was hovering over a very healthy looking, suddenly very erect 7 and 3/4 inch cock. "You think you're ready for a test drive?" I teased. "We could always wait another week or two." An invisible field energy coaxed my head lower until my lips hovered, tantalisingly over what was a truly beautiful cock head. I should know I'd chosen it. "Or I could do this." I swished my tongue around my mouth to gather some moisture for lube then lowered my mouth, sliding down the shaft in one effortless, elegant slide, until I felt a tickle at the back of my throat. Back up slowly, licking the shaft as I went.

Trian vibrated as though a finely tuned earthquake rumbled through his body. I almost worried for him but when I saw the shade of green he was wearing I went back to my slow assault, um, test drive, of his new equipment.

I was so intent on my new toy that initially I didn't feel the bed falling away from me. We were rising from it. Levitating. How was that possible? But I refused to be distracted.

"Enough!" Trian pleaded. "Crawl up on top of me."

Hmm I could see where this was going. I just hadn't expected the magic carpet ride. Somehow I didn't fall back to the bed as I moved. Trian's energy must have been holding us both in mid air. "You know you're breaking the laws of physics."

"This is my dream reality. If I want to break them I will", another rumble vibrated through his being as I positioned his cock at my entrance and slid onto it. We fitted together easily but not too easily. I felt a nice stretch but not too tight. If I'd been any less wet, warm and willing it mightn't have been but this was...perfect. Trian's inner vibration only added to it. A one-man vibrator.

Trian laughed, delightedly. "I'm glad I have my uses." He spun me over in midair, putting himself on top. I suddenly felt uneasy. The bed was some four feet below. Trian sensing my unease moved us to a more vertical upright position. "Better?"

"Much."

Seemly happy that I was comfortable in mid air he drove into me, finding his rhythm. In out, in out. I found the rhythm too and met him thrust for thrust. A two tone harmonic percussion. I melted into that harmony, became it, became Trian and me moving as one.

While we both moved in union with the harmony that held us fast in its grasp our conjoined bodies began to spiral as one. A rainbow of light streamed towards spiralling around us, entwining us, moving through us. I blissed out, riding the edge of the ecstasy, a wave better than any ecstasy. Who wanted to come when you could surf this.

In my blissed out state I was hardly aware that both our bodies had become transparent, luminescent body shaped rainbows. I was light. I was space.

"Come for me Red", Trian whispered in adoration.

And for the first time in my life I obeyed a command. I came. The room trembled. As I screamed my release it became apparent to me, just for that instant of frozen time, that the whole world was light, a vibrating mass of uncontained joy.

Softly we landed back on the bed and fell into a deep coma-like state until pounding on the door woke us.

I opened one bleary blissed out eye and stared at the man standing in the doorway, arms crossed, studying us with bemusement. A swathe of gold, white and magenta aura surrounded him but his body appeared like a translucent rainbow of colors in a range of hues I had never seen before. I blinked and this time saw his physical form still showed in a blindingly bright aura. "Simon?"

"You two don't do anything by half measures do you? Do you realize you just extended the boundaries of this part of Faery to include Valeton and some of the valleys around it." At least he was smiling about it.

"Um." I sat up, clutching a sheet to my front, belatedly, and nudged Trian who thankfully was waking too. I didn't have to face this all on my own. "Is everyone who was in that extended area alright?"

"They're fine. Standing on a bare lifeless plain of rock, wondering what the hell just happened but they're fine. Andrew McCullum's on the phone to the Feds in Canberra, smoothing things over. He's telling them this was going to have to happen sometime anyway. That it was just a test that got out of hand. Tyra's liaising with our erstwhile mayor who of course came into Faery while the rest did not. We've inherited all the buildings, wildlife and vegetation that were out there. Back in normal land the State Emergency Service will setup some bigger refugee camps to deal with the displaced. Who are admittedly mightily pissed but we hope that this will give them incentive, once they see all they think they've lost is still in existence in this dimension, to come on over."

"You're still hoping that our dimension will weather the coming earth changes better than the ordinary dimension." Trian, now awake, quizzed.

"Definitely. We have some powerful co-creators of reality within Faery." He stared at us pointedly. "We're hoping that, even at the very worst, we can moderate the outcomes for those here."

That sounded good. Not good that I might have to be one of the ones doing the moderating but good that Simon foresaw the possibility we could. It was always a good thing when Boswell's resident seer saw the possibility of fortuitous outcomes.

"Thinking of which." Simon smiled at me, having heard the thoughts I'd forgot to block. "There's another fortuitous outcome unfolding as we speak and the both of you are required to bear witness. Be at the pub in five." He turned and walked out, without looking back, which was good because I was rummaging for my clothes on the floor.

Trian took in my sheepish grin, feeling my both my embarrassment at what we had caused but also my after glow. "You must admit, though, we sure know how to rock each other's world."

My grin blossomed. "You're not wrong about that."

"You don't mind levitating while having sex then."

"My personal magic carpet ride. You've got to be kidding. I'll go for a repeat anytime." Possibly after consulting with our resident seer to see what the consequences might be. I looked at Trian and he shone. It seemed I could choose to see him as form or energy. "This eyesight thing?" I knew he was in my mind and would know what I meant.

"Interesting. It's how I see the world, both ways that is. It would seem you are becoming more like me. He stoked the skin of my arm meaningfully. It pale suggestion of green that had been there since my dream of old Lemuria was slightly less pale. "I hope you don't mind."

"Hell no. But I'm not the only one who's changing."

"What do you mean?"

I found a hand mirror in the bathroom and held it out to him. Have a look at your new growth."

Trian held the mirror up while he lifted a lock of hair...and stared. "Well I'll be. It's going red, just like yours." He studied it for a moment, apprising it, then seemed satisfied. "Well, I guess I'll be the first red haired Arcturian in history."

"It looks pretty damn good", I commented as much as fact as to reassure him. "They're complimentary colors after all, your skin and new hair color I mean."

"Since it looks like you're going to end up with the same color scheme eventually I'm pleased you like it." He held out his hand to me. "Shall we go and find out what's happening at the pub?"

"Just one thing first." I rolled up my sleeves to show off my new skin hue, proudly. Then I took his hand. "Let's."

There was a small intimate crowd at the pub. Made up chiefly of people my parents had come to know in their short time in the town. Most notably Khyen, looking time zone lagged as he often did these days, Ruru and Muire stood in a group off to the side, along with our new resident Grey from area 51.

Our resident legal bigwig, Lewis James Sutterfield the Third, if you please, presided at the a table near the back of the room where my parents appeared to be signing papers. Curious.

As they finished with the mystery paperwork Melissa strode to the fore, in her full Wiccan, high priestess regalia. What was going on?

Janie and Stewart, my parents, no they couldn't be reaffirming their wedding vows could they, strode over to stand before her.

Melissa raised her voice over the crowd and everyone came to a hush. "Dear friends, we are gathered here today to witness the unwedding of Janie Laura Spencer and Stewart Malcolm O'Halloran. If there is anyone who wishes to object to this they should speak up now.

On mass everyone looked at me. My mother's look pleadingly at me to trust her. Dad gave me a stern stared down. As he would. I shrugged my shoulders.

Melissa took that as her prompt to continue. "Do you Janie and Stewart untake each other as husband and wife. From this day forth to be firm and trusted friends, parting amicably from your marriage and wishing each other well in your future endeavours."

"We do."

"You may remove the rings that bind you."

Stewart took his off but struggled to remove Janie's. Jeff appeared from behind the bar with a little soap and water. He'd been ready for this eventuality. Jeff held the bowl while Stewart did the honors then he stepped out of the way.

"I know announce you unwed. If are willing you may hug each other."

And they did.

Tears filled my eyes. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful divorce I had ever witnessed. I went forward to hug them both, a million questions yammering through my head. Which they heard.

Dad, currently sporting a bald head from having all his grey hair fall out post DNA repair, was first to step forward to reassure me. Even without the DNA fix he was looking twenty years younger, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Your mother and I couldn't go on the way we were. It wouldn't have been fair to each other. We'd raised you then stayed together more out of habit and comfort than anything else. I hope you understand. By the way, are you well? You're looking very green."

"I'm fine dad. I think what you and Janie just did was beautiful in its honesty. So what now dad? Sorry I haven't been around much the last couple of days while you settled in."

"You haven't exactly been around much the last decade have you? No don't wince. You did the right thing. I had no right to expect you to follow in my shoes. You have your own mind and I respect you for that. Honestly I think I would have been disappointed if you hadn't rebelled. You've done alright for yourself." While my jaw flapped he continued. "I'm going to be working with Boswell's science team. They're an overworked but inspiringly innovative group. There is much I can learn from them." He spied Oana across the room and smiled. "And from your new friend."

Uh oh. I hoped I wasn't about to lose Oana to the science team, let alone dad's sudden attack of charm. I hadn't even had a chance ask her yet if she would be interested in being a journalist at our small rebel tv station.

Oana looked over at me then came to talk. "Actually I was going to float the idea of a science news segment. Something to promote new innovations the team here come up with and educate the public so they are not afraid to use them."

Dad to my amazement seemed pleased. "Excellent. So you'll move to Boswell then. Don't suppose you know how to heat a can of baked beans by any chance?"

Oana suppressed laughter at Stewart's frankness. "I would have thought someone of you engineering calibre could open and heat up a can of baked beans Stewart."

Ooh, ooh. There was a comeback the likes of which I'd never seen my mother dare use on dad.

Dad scratched his chin ruefully. "Yes, I could."

Oana's expression softened. "But I might just be able to do better than that. I make a pretty mean goulash. Do you like goulash?"

He looked blank.

"Meat and veg."

"Oh, yes. Although maybe not too much of the meat. I'd don't know why but I kind of don't fancy it any more."

Which would be because he'd had the treatment but obviously Jnarn hadn't told him of that particular side effect.

"Then it's a date. My place Saturday night. That is if you don't mind the time lag."

Dad beamed pure pleasure. "Not at all."

"Great. Now that's settled, how would you feel about being technical advisor to the science show if Phoenix here gives the idea her thumbs up?"

Stewart rubbed his chin again and considered. "I could make time."

Why how magnanimous of you dad. But fortunately I remembered to block that thought. "Okay, okay. You two have twisted my arm. We have a planning meeting about this new show of yours tomorrow. Excuse me. I want to talk to", I almost said mum, "Janie."

"You're too late. Last I saw she was disappearing off with that Shang professor. What's his name? Khyen? They were deep in conversation. Rumor has it he's offering her her own new faculty at the institute in Carpathia. The Department of Lemurian studies or some such like. But if you ask me they'll have more than that to talk about," he noted whimsically before turning his attentions back to Oana. If he was worried about his ex-wife it didn't show, although a sensed a fondness from him and a hope for her future.

It was all too much. I turned to Trian. "Fancy browsing from Boswell's edible gardens."

Trian licked his lips with anticipation. "I am a tad hungry." But for what he didn't say. Hell, we were going to have to tone things down a bit or we'd ascend the whole of the known world, piece by piece. Was that such a bad thing?

Two hours later, well sated in more ways than one and having managed to restrain ourselves from expanding the realm of Faery any more for one day, we returned home, our home. Khyen was waiting for us.

"I thought you'd kidnapped my mother or something."

Khyen grinned. "Working on that. I intend to court her." His look dared me to say otherwise. But I didn't.

"So if that's not why you're here...?

"You owe me a dollar."

"I do?"

"Let's just go over the facts shall we? It's been less than seven days. You met your spirit guardian. Understood and accepted the nature of your strengths and weaknesses. You found your emotions, even without Leigha to help you. You've become both a weapon and an asset to the alliance. You ascended Sakla out of his rut and turned him into an ally rather than a foe. You've saved the sixth imprisoned Malakim. You realized for yourself that your 'self' and the created world is just that. 'Created'. No more than another layer of dreaming. You realized that you can make of it anything you want. Then you, having understood that, gave your audience the low down on how they could do the same. Cough up. I want my dollar."

I rolled my eyes. He might be right. I fished into my pocket and found a dollar. "Are you going to tell Silwa you gambled?"

"Hell no." Smirking he vanished.

Trian hugged me close. "I think I like our future father-in-law."

Khyen as my father-in-law? "Let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we." There was already enough to wonder about. Like where had Leigha and Triglav gone to? Would Muire ask me to be her bridesmaid? How was her mother Rose? Who was going to rescue the last Malakim trapped in stone, Kaleem? Not to mention, where the heck was he? Most of all how was the earth going to survive the trials bearing down on it?

Trian simply kissed me and telepathed his solution. We will create our reality together. As we've always done.

## References, notes and suggestions for further reading

Tenzin Wangyal, The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

<http://www.whats-your-sign.com/shark-totem-and-symbolism.html>

Shark totem meanings and symbolism of the shark

<http://earthchanges.org/>

"An online research community investigating solar activity, earthquakes, and weather."

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVgUZv9ccyQ>

"Ben Davidson (of Suspicious Observers) explains how the sun can trigger the #1 risk to earth, based on severity and likelihood, and the current state of earth's magnetic reversal, including how our protection from solar energy is weakening with it.".

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/

"Daily news service with objective and informative approach to global events, world evolution and transformation. Earth changes, pole shift, seismic activity, ..."

<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160408-climate-change-shifts-earth-poles-water-loss/>

"As ice melts and aquifers are drained, Earth's distribution of mass is changing—and with it the position of the planet's spin axis."

<http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/alien_races01a.htm>

I've deviated a bit from what they describe here but I hope I have stayed true to most of what people believe about the Arcturians, including them being possibly the most civilised species in our near neighbourhood. Trian does have five fingers and he's of human height but I did give him green skin and dark eyes. Telepathy, levitation, moving objects with the mind, acute hearing and sensing things behind them are generally agreed upon characteristics. I added the ability to move through walls and move energy as he did in the story.

<http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/esp_vida_alien_19a.htm>

Describes the Greys as "logic-based and operate on base animal survival or predatory instincts and in most cases are emotionally insensitive to humans". Again I've improvised a bit and turned them into brilliant but unscrupulous scientists.

## Encyclopedia of Malakim, Human and other sentient interaction

Characters

**The original team from Thex's spaceship**

Part of an intergalactic, interdimensional force tasked with protecting this quadrant of the galaxy. Once caught by the Din and turned to stone they were cast out into space and landed on Earth.

○ Commander Alexios Thex

○ Arion, Thex's 2nd in command. Son of the goddess protector of the delphines he has an affinity with the ocean and likes to surf a lot.

○ Kiana, officer on board Thex's spaceship.

○ Orea, communications officer. Born as a mortal of another planet she ascended to the state of a meta being and has become the protector of a small community in Borneo. She is now George Morrisby's mate.

○ Zex, diplomat and peace negotiator. His mate is Helena. He lives in the Yungus. (see book 4, Don't call me kitten!)

○ Trian. He's still trapped in stone but is able to communicate with his irascible destined mate, Phoenix O'Halloran (journalist). Phoenix calls him her subconscious and has no intention being anyone's mate.

○ Kaleem (member's of Thex's original crew, still trapped in stone)

○ Alpha, Bran, Conn, Delta and Evie (now reside in the Rasselas community, see below.)

Other Malakim

The Malakim are higher dimensional beings who have ascended past the need to be reborn. Immortal they can only evolve further by pursuing their own spiritual understanding of the universe. They protect and guide less evolved beings in the lower dimensions. Some guard species, some planets, some are troubleshooters and peacekeepers. A few evolve in their knowledge so far that they are no longer bound by the laws of the known universe. They are called meta beings. The Deniers are a sect of the Malakim who split from them long ago after a disagreement about the value of the relative world.

● Ma, goddess protector of planet Earth

● Simon, Ma's son. Born with powers to foresee the future. Practitioner of the left hand path he has lived on Earth since Thex's team became trapped here. He was a Kadesh, a sacred whore. Now he heads up a security firm called J.G Security which was named in honor of his mate Tyra's uncle who the Din killed.

● Tyra, mate to Simon, Thex and Arion. Turned into a Malakim through mating with Simon.

● Jnarn, scientist with a special interest in genetics. He fathered Tyra with Annie. They are now reunited and living in Boswell.

● Kit, Jnarn's adopted daughter. She was a ninja in medieval Japan. She now assists her father with his work, when she's not teaching shibari (rope bondage). Doc (I-Wayan Agung) is her mate.

Meta beings

Beings that have truly understood the nature of dreamlike nature of existence and their connection to all. Meta beings generally don't need to obey the laws of physics. They have difficulty existing in the physical realms without anchoring themselves. They usually use a la stone for this purpose. Because their auras are so powerful there is always a danger of less evolved beings worshipping them. Not wanting to take away free will through the influence of their innate charisma they often take the shape of an animal when others are around.

○ Major John Samuels (Arion's brother Lukos from a past life). His divine children are Crystal and Sky (Book 2) but the girls were John and Arion's sisters when John was a Malakim called Lukos (wolf). He chose to become mortal in the hope of finding and helping his brother who was imprisoned in stone. He has many strange powers granted to him by Ma for saving her son Simon, amongst them turning into a wolf, invisibility and being able to pass through walls. His wife, Sally Wilson, was turned immortal by another meta being called simply 'Meta'. She has some meta-like powers, especially healing, but she doesn't have the overpowering aura. She can turn into a a blue burmese cat with pale green eyes, named Beauty.

○ Meta merged his soul with a kitten whose life Simon saved (Book 1). He did this keep an eye on his son, to make sure the Malakim on Earth stayed within the galactic rules and to be of help where he could. His kitten form got called Oscar because they'd found him in a garbage can. He became Ma's consort when they both shifted Boswell into the faery dimension to save it from the asteroid.

○ Orea, member of Thex's crew, see above.

Others in the Boswell community

○ Adelaide, Boswell's headmistress. (central character in The Vampire President and the Headmistress).

○ Annie, Tyra's mum, Boswell's bookkeeper and mate to Jnarn

○ Anya (town's new vet and Helena's sister) and Andrew McCullum (John's friend from his army days, previously crippled from an injury in Afghanistan, now healed. He's high up in the Australian security and heads up the Sentient Species Liaison unit that's now based at Boswell.

○ Daniel O'Rourke (Long haul truck driver and Sarah's recently discovered father. He's also a bit of an anarchist or at the very least anti-establishment). Frieda (Mrs Anderson who's Doc's medical receptionist and also a viking Seidr, seer) is his mate. (Book 3)

○ George Morrisby (Sudanese refugee migrant, English university trained engineer and Simon's chauffeur) and now Orea's mate (Book 5, Don't Label Me!) He spends most of his days Boswell working as an engineer and his nights in Borneo with Orea, when she's not on missions with Thex.

○ Hideo Suzuki (exchange teacher teaching Japanese at the local school and also Aikido instructor at the local youth club), destined mate of Sathi Rupasinghe, Lewis and Roger (book 5)

○ Jeff (the pub owner) and Rachel (previously an aged widow named Mrs Simmonds). Jeff is a divorcee and has a son by his previous marriage.

○ Lewis James Sutterfield the Third, the alliance's lawyer. Previously worked in the international law courts where he prosecuted Zak's predecessor. Roger's sub and also mate to Sathi and non-sexual mate of Hideo.

○ Melissa (the town's Wicca coven priestess, seamstress and tarot reader) and Rob (the local machinery operator). They have a son Adin who's been blessed by the goddess Ma (Simon's mum)

○ Michael Wilson, local policemen. Recently promoted to inspector. His mates are Sarah Brown and Kiana. His boss these days is Andrew and his second in command is Constable Hugh Sedgeworth. Kiana has become a police cadet but Sarah has opted to work using her innate skills as a tracker.

○ Roger. No-one's really sure of his surname, except perhaps Lewis. He works undercover and is a master at infiltration. He now works for the Sentient Species Liasion unit. Lewis's master. He is also mate to Sathi and non-sexual mate to Hideo.

○ Sathi Rupasinghe (Tamil Sri Lankan sold into sexual slavery and freed by the members of a Sydney BDSM club, now their business manager. Kit has made her immortal but at the end of Book 4 she didn't know it.)

Rasselas community

Alpha, Bran, Conn, Delta and Evie: those mortally wounded in the original battle 100,000 years ago. They were long ago thought lost for all time but Eleni finds them in the novella "Guardians of the Rasselas". Eleni, JJ and Yiannos are the Munro family who befriend and mate the lost Malakim.

● Alpha is an ascended Malakim. He started out as a shaman on an alien planet. He achieved ascension through following a path or ordeals and shamanic rituals. Apart from being a shaman he is an excellent tattooist.

● Conn

● Bran, master musician capable of reshaping matter with sound. JJ's mate (friend)

● Delta

● Evie, currently learning hacking skills from Yiannos, Yiannos's mate.

● Yiannos Munro

● JJ Munro, Eleni's father, general backyard handyman and Bran's non sexual mate

● Eleni Munro, geologist with a strong metaphysical affinity with the Earth and stone in general. Mate to Alpha, Conn and Delta.

Carpathians

● Zak

● Colonel Andrei Lupei

● The other Nova Lyreans (vampires): The vampire, oops, sorry, Lyrean 'gods' of the Carpathians in the hidden Republic of Translavia (It's fictional and it's not Transylvania) - an alien species living a little known republic in the Carpathian mountains. Lewis had their last president convicted. Slavic gods include: Veles-agriculture. Triglav - war. Dazhbog is a Slavic god. He is also known as Dabog by the Serbs and Dazbog by the Poles. He is a sun god, son of Svarog (god of the sky), and brother of Svarazic (god of fire). Perun - thunder god. Yarovit (Slavic) God of all victories

Yungus

A small community in South America, in a silver mining area.

● Helena. Geneticist and ex-dungeon monitor for a Russian mafia owned sex club. Friend of the faeries, particularly Eadaoin. Badass Krav Maga street fighter and runner. Recognized by the Shang as the human incarnation of a goddess from the Pleiades. Her mate is Zex and her sister is Anya.

● Yaguar, human shaman to his people

● Zex

Shang

Came to Earth long ago as a place to live in retreat and meditate. Having taken Adelaide's jibe to heart they felt a need to stay in the middle dimensions and help out by teaching and guiding those who were ready. These days they keep out of the way of the Din by living in the high mountains of the world, in hidden valleys and underground. In the fairy dimension they have a city where the Gobi Desert exists in our dimension.

● Silwa. Leader of the Shang. Appears to be a meta being who's stayed on the lower planes of existence, waiting to help souls who are ready to understand the nature of existence.

● Khyen, a Shang immortal and brother in the Shang monastic order. Adelaide is sort of his sister.

● Thomas, human (Boswell's sorcerer, of dubious repute but he did invent the banishing bullets which are a major piece in the alliance's defence against the Din. He also used a demon binding spell to trap a Din spaceship that landed on Boswell's football oval. Currently living and studying magic with the Shang)

Delphines

Whales and dolphins and the higher dimensional beings who guard them. Generally distrustful of "two-legs" (their nickname for the other sentient species) but Arion is working on gaining their trust.

● Em, delphine emissary to the alliance. He doesn't really relate to having a name but adopted 'Em' short for emissary for Ang's benefit.

● Ang de Silva (local rubbish truck driver), Em's chosen mate and ambassador to the delphines on behalf of the alliance.

Din-human hybrids

● Polemarch, once Sakla's most feared general. He was given realization by the Shang Silwa. He is now a meta being. Currently he is in charge of Sakla's mining operations but Sakla is starting to think he has joined the other side, which he has. Sakla can't do anything about him because Polemarch has documented everything the two have ever done and threatened to release it to the media if Sakla tries anything against him.

● Upal, ex Din scientist and inventor of the stone fire weapons and technology

● Mendal, spaceship engineer

● Ally, the town's electrician who lives in a refurbished church. Became a Din hybrid when she simultaneously mated Upal and Mendal.

● Jamie, created when Ma merged Sakla's personal assistant James Smith with the unusually female Din who he was harbouring. Of mixed gender. Polemarch sent Jamie to Boswell for his/her/hir safety. Sakla thinks Jamie is there as a double agent but instead he assists Tyra with co-ordinating the running of Boswell.

Din (Draconan) enemy

Demonic beings, souls of a reptilian species, possibly the dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth but seem to have also plagued other galaxies under the name Draconans. They refuse to work out their karma through rebirth so they are trapped in The Between, a relatively grey lifeless place with no form. They found a way to possess other species by inhabiting their aura. From there they can direct the being to do their will, often without their knowledge. Stronger Din such as Sakla can takeover the will of their host fully, passing on to another host when that body wears out. They can separate from their hose and manifest in a physical form. They are vicious formidable fighters. Upal and Mendal are a special case as the goddess purged them of their bad karma and merged their reptilian souls with that of their human hosts. They are still able to shapeshift as long as it is in her service. They tend to stand out because of their tangerine colored eyes so they wear sunglasses most of the time. Sakla, aka Mr Sauros, is the leader of the Din. Polemarch is his general but unbeknownst to Sakla Polemarch is now one of the good guys thanks to the Shang Silwa converting him to their side.

● Sakla Sauros. Leader of the Din and head of Sauros Enterprises, a multifaceted global empire bigger than any one country on the planet. He also has off world mining interests.

● Triglav, Din infected vampire who has displaced Polemarch as head of Sakla's armed forces.

**Fairies/Fae/Feya/Elderfolk**

Androgynous winged beings who were once like humans but were advanced enough to be immortal. They phase shifted part of the earth into a parallel dimension where they now exist beyond the reach of the Din. They tend to look down on humans and they hate the Din for taking the rest of the earth which they consider rightfully theirs.

● Eadaoin, Queen of the faeries.

● Ogham, Eadaoin's spouse

Others

● Peter Stein, Mayor of Valeton, a neighboring community in the normal Din Dimension. Boswell came under Valeton's jurisdiction before it shifted into the dimension of faery. Peter was once a Denier, a sect of Malakim who deny the worth of the relative world and hate women, sex and anything pleasurable. They have infiltrated many of the world's religions and 'guided' many of the world's thinkers. They were allies of the Din because they believed if the world was hellish then people would follow their way. Peter was healed by Trya after he tried to shoot her. He's now learning to allow a few pleasures into his life.

● Sandy Snape and Alicia cockshut (pronounced koshoo), corporate trouble shooters who work for Peter Stein. Ultimately they work for Polemarch, getting dirt on Sauros Enterprises so they can undermine it.

● Sheila, owner of the BDSM club that exists under a hotel in Oxford St Sydney. The club is now its own special little bit of the Faery dimension

● Muire Dubh (Mary Black), a shy goth girl who first appeared in Book 5 when Sheila was interviewing prospective members for the BDSM club. (More on her later)

● Astraea. The goddess who will return when the Earth is ready to reawaken. (More on her later).

● Taz. At one time contract delivery driver in Afghanistan. Was living as a recluse in a remote area south of Boswell. Now on the run (see the short story: Guardians of the Rasselas). Janic Jasinski (Polish film maker and son of a Polish freedom fighter who first appeared in Book 4). More about them later.

## The spiritual paths of the Malakim:

Right hand path - followed by those who pursue justice and fight to protect the innocent, maintaining the balance of the universe.

Left hand path - followed by those who pursue enlightenment through ecstasy, using shamanic and tantric practices. They use sound, diet, herbs, yoga and a variety of disciplines to achieve immortality, ascension and oneness with the all-spirit. Followers of this path tend to be mages, guides and visionaries.

Middle path - the path of love and compassion, equanimity and joy. Followers of this path tend to be healers. Capable of deep communion with other beings, the earth and the elements.

Knowledge path - is what it says it is. Followers of this path tend to be scientists, innovators, problem solvers and philosophers.

Earth path - the path of those who honor the earth and seek to serve and aid those who protect it. They preserve the ancient rituals and magic, using them to protect and heal the earth and others. They also use practical means and tend to be environmentalists.

Chaos path - the path of rebels like Thomas. A dangerous winding path pursued by individuals seeking individual empowerment but ultimately leading them back to union with the all-spirit anyway.

Beyond the paths - there are those, like Meta, John and Polemarch, who have seen and understood the true nature of reality and no longer need to pursue any path. They are no longer bound by any of the rules or constraints of the lower dimensions. They find it difficult to exist in the lower dimensions and must anchor themselves to stay there, often using a soul or La stone which they wear around their neck.

## The technology:

Banishing bullets - bullets bespelled by Thomas, Boswell's scorcer. When they hit a Din infected host the Din is banished to the lower realms of existence, usually leaving the host in a daze. The allies try to only use non-fatal shots so as not to harm the hosts unduly.

Stone fire - a ray that when it comes into contact with any carbon based substance, including living tissue, turns it into the hardest, densest known element in the universe known as Sama crystal. It is 0 on the periodical table.

Retrovirus - a virus that sneaks genetic material into the body and is used by the geneticists of Boswell to repair human DNA, meddled with long ago by the Din.

Thex's space ship, usually parked at the bottom of Boswell's nearby lake

The space glider, used to shuttle mortals between the spaceship and Boswell. Usually parked in a spare bay of Boswell's volunteer fire station.

The UFO that Kiana, Michael and Sarah commandeered in Book 3

## For more about the author and her books visit:

Twitter: <http://www.twitter.com/arwenjayne>

Facebook: <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arwen-Jayne/114282508759132>

Blog: <http://arwenjayne.blogspot.com.au/>

email:arwenjayne@gmx.com

## Books by the author:

Non fiction

A simple nuts and bolts guide to yogic meditation and relaxation

A short introduction to the Sattvic diet (aka Simon's cookbook)

Left hand adventures series

  1. Heart of Stone
  2. A Lick of Immortality
  3. Trust and Destiny
  4. Don't call me kitten!

4.5       Guardians of the Rasselas (a novella)

5.       Don't label me!

6       The Vampire President and the Headmistress (a novella that grew)

7      My Inner Alien
