Encompassing (5 page)

CHAPTER 13

“No matter where you are, you’re always experiencing your mistakes or your wisdom.  Usually, people consider their wisdom as mistakes and their mistakes for wisdom.”  -- from the book of Christina

“OK. It wasn’t even close to easy but I called in our position and they said they won’t dedicate more force to this nightmare of an operation.  However, they are sending someone.  I guess their bringing supplies or a transport out of here.  I don’t know.  It was all weird and I suspect they had some idea of who or what you are or they wouldn’t have given me the clearance to bring you here.  I should have thought of that before I came.”

Renfield, lolling down at his leg answers, “Oh yeah, Christina.  I miss her, it will be good to see her again.”

“What?”, yells Brady.  “How the hell do you know the name of the person their sending?  What are you not telling me?  What in God’s name is going on?  What is all of this?  Who are you?”

Renfield says, ‘I’m your friend, or will be when you stop being angry and suspicious of me.  Christina, this one, doesn’t know me yet, but she’s good.  She’s a pilot, but also a fighter and she…”

“Hey don’t trail off on me!  How the hell do you know who their sending if I don’t and that look on your face…you really do know her!  What kind of reunion should I expect!  Tell me now!”

“None, she doesn’t know me yet. In fact, she likes me then hates me then understands.  It’s complicated.”

“Stop saying that and start giving me answers!  Are there more of those things?  Are we sitting ducks?  Start there!”

“Yes and yes and it’s always complicated, how can I not say that?”

“You could answer me directly, starting right now!”  Brady stands and walks towards Renfield.

“Neither of the things you are considering is a good idea.  I promise you you’ll be dead long before you can beat out of me things you cannot comprehend yet.  Stay the path.  You’ve believed this long.  Have faith.”

“Faith in what?  Your madness?  This madness?  Do you know how scared my whole team is right now?  Then you tell me you know who else they are injecting into this and you don’t think I have some pretty serious questions?”

“Well if it’s any consolation, I didn’t tell you anything, hence my point.  I was just remembering some pasts.”  Renfield looks up at Brady.  “In all of them you are my friend.  That means a lot to me and I hope it’s true this time as well.”

“What do you mean, ‘THIS TIME’?”  You keep making statements like that, but that leaves me to guess and that is what I cannot stand about you, so I highly doubt we will be friends!”

“Loud and clear, Detective.  How about some rest?  We have some walking to do and well, more, but Christina should be here soon and we need to be ready to move again once she is here.  You can’t say I never told you anything.  I told you this was going to happen.  Also, to give more, her plane goes down so we have to be ready to get her.”

“You mention that as an aside?  I believe and I have seen, but that’s messed up.  What takes the plane down?  I can radio that information in and she can avoid it.  If it’s a ‘her’ and she is named Christina.”

“Don’t.  This is when I need you to trust me.  If we change too much from what I know we can’t win.  All of the previous tries will be in vain and that’s a fool’s move.”

Brady looks at Renfield and is struck by an omniscient feeling that Renfield, is again, telling the truth and fate matters to him.  The popping embers from the fire that Brady was watching land on Renfield and he notes that they burn into his flesh, but don’t seem to phase Renfield at all.  He looks up, half-gazing at the stars, half anticipating the plan and wonders, “Who is Renfield?  What is Renfield?”

CHAPTER 14

“I believe he was serious when he said he knew everything, but he just couldn’t remember all the answers at once.”  -- from the book of Sara

“Why are you here, Brian?”  Renfield turns to look at the subject of his distraction.

“I just want to ask you.”  Brian responds.

“Ask me what?”  Renfield responds, but he already knows and he also knows Brian has heard him and knows that he knows.  Renfield takes a long deep breath while Brian stands in front of him waiting.  Renfield turns his eyes to the ground and he simply stares.  He knows Brian can’t hear the answer to his own question because Renfield has yet to gather this thoughts.  He breathes in deep, but slightly shallower as his eyes rise slowly to meet Brian’s gaze.  Then he asks a question of his own.  “Have you asked your mother?”

Brian thinks to Renfield, “Of course, she draws concentric circles when I ask.  I’m not here to hear vague thoughts.  I am asking for words.”

Renfield hears Brian think about the difference and he smiles at the similar processes and the difference between each.  Then he reaches to his desk, pulls out a fresh piece of paper and grabs a pen he knows to be fairly trusty.  Renfield begins drawing concentric circles.  He can hear Brian’s ire rise, but then just before Brian can say anything he dashes the pen to the edge of the paper and continues while it draws the line on the desk.  Then he turns to Brian.  “Do you understand now?”

“Yes.”  Brian answers and draws a deep breath of his own, then he adds, “Basically, either your insane, I’m insane or we both are.  But since I know my mother is not insane, although different, I’ll assume she sees a part of what you do.  However, I think you are too focused on the line and she is better at seeing the circles.”

Renfield laughs for a moment, “Actually, your aunt is best at seeing the circles.  She’s more accurate than your mother or I.  You take after her, but you are your mother’s son.”

“And my cousin?”  Brian asks.  He doesn’t completely understand the answers he has received so far, but he knows it’s the best he will get and that he caught Renfield at the right time to get at least that much.

However, Renfield turns to his desk again and answers, “You know the answer to that, Brian.”  Then he stands and walks towards the stairs and looks back.  “Are we done?”

Brian looks around him as he draws in anger from around everything he sees and then he responds, “I suppose your point is that we will me, someday.  For now, yes.”  Then Brian is no longer there and Renfield sits on the stairs and ponders.  He lifts his own body up to stand as if he is lifting a thousand planets and then he starts making his way up the remaining stairs while thoughts run wild in his head.  The worst of which is all of the thoughts of all of the thoughts weighing so heavily in Brian’s head.

Renfield looks up at the ceiling and he clicks.

The Senator seeing him again within. What seems to him as a few mere seconds, looks up in panic.

Renfield clicks again and stands with his hand on the Senator’s.  He raises his other hand to the Senator’s chest and goes as Renfield’s eyes roll back slightly in his head.  The Senator begins to panic, but he doesn’t feel pain.  Then he looks down at his hand and starts moving his fingers.

“Why?”  The Senator asks Renfield.

“Just, tell me you will keep your word to the people who believe in you and help them have better lives.”  Renfield answers.

The Senator looks at him distrusting, “And what do you want?”

“There is a price for me to do that.  But I am the one who pays it.  Just tell me you will keep your promise.”  Renfield responds.

“Why is this one issue so important to you?”  The Senator asks him now grasping things on his desk with his previously ruined hand.

“It is.  I made that clear.  Go, preach, do whatever.  Take this loss and do it publicly and with dignity so that thing is never built.”  Renfield looks deep at the Senator.  “Please, just promise me that.”

The Senator looks at Renfield then at his healed hand then back at Renfield, “You’re not threatening me?”

Renfield grins at him.  “I’m not taking anything off the table.  I’m sorry, but please do what I ask.  It can’t be built.”

The Senator looks back at him wondering about everything he’s seen and who or what he is looking at.  As he is still considering several options he looks at Renfield and answers simply, “Okay.”

Renfield looks at him and says, “No, funneling it through the junior Senators isn’t an agreement with what I am asking you to do!”

The Senator looks at him, wondering how he knew that thought had crossed his mind.  Then he simply gives in to the fact that Renfield is something he doesn’t yet understand and cannot yet control.  He looks at Renfield and says, “Okay.”

Renfield looks back at him and says, “And your plans to figure out my weakness and use whatever you come up with will fail.  I want you to do this because I want to believe you know, deep down, what’s right.”

The Senator again looks surprised, but he considers that thought was obvious and again answers, “Okay.”

Renfield narrows and eyebrow as he looks at the Senator and then vanishes.

“Brian!”  Renfield says.  He sees the man turn to him.

“What are you doing here?  You know better.  Seriously, leave before anyone sees you.  This can’t be good and you’re messing up what I’ve done to fix what you’ve done.”  Brian replies.

Renfield continues to walk slowly towards Brian.  He reaches out his arms and takes Brian into them and Brian stands very still at the strange show unfolding before him and the arms around him.  Brian looks around and sees that there is no one present, then he notices Persistence looking at him from behind a pillar, with pleading eyes.  He looks at Renfield and asks, “Why?”

“You’ll understand.  I’d rather show you at this moment than never have showed you.”  Renfield feels Brian’s arms around him for a brief moment.  Then he turns to Persistence. “Of course, I know you’re there.  The same goes for you.  Do the right thing when you think about it, Persistence.  And take care of your cousin, he can be as foolish as I.”  Renfield looks back at Brian and then lets go of him and takes two steps back.  “It’s not easy.  You’ve done well.”  Lowering his head he thinks for a moment then looks straight into Brian’s eyes and says, “Take care of Persistence.  You will always need her.  I suppose I’m preaching to the choir.  But I just want to reinforce that point.”

Persistence leaves the poor hiding place behind the pillar and begins to walk towards them both.  Renfield turns and holds up a hand to her as if to tell her to stop.  Then he says, “You both know.  Why do you do all of this if you both already know?  Is it the luxury around you?  Is it the power?  No, you both despise the power.  What makes you two do this?”

Brian looks at Persistence who shakes her head as if she doesn’t understand and he thinks to her, “Me either.  I think he’s having a meltdown or something.”

Renfield looks at Brian and grins.  He thinks to Persistence, “You know.  He does too, but he’s more resistant.  You’ll fix that.  In time.”  Then he vanishes.

Brian looks at his cousin and shrugs.  Persistence shrugs back, but neither of them can stop wondering what Adam mean by that statement.

CHAPTER 15

“Love is undefinable.  It is far easier to hate the person who put you under that spell than to care for them.”  -- from the book of Jessica

As they ran towards the wreckage as fast as possible, one thing was clear in Brady’s mind.  “No matter how fast we run Renfield seemed to be moving twice as fast or more.”  He saw from his vantage point Renfield pull her out.  He picked up his speed because indeed the pilot was a ‘her’ as he had said.  He heard Renfield say, “Waiting sucks!  I’ve missed you!”  Adam holds her body to himself tightly, not wanting to let go.  The pilot looks at him confused. 

Brady thought, “Awkward!”  He steps in. “Nice landing, that leaves two craft down and we’re still stranded.  Let me bring you up to speed.”  Brady sees it’s not a good time and adds on, “Umm, after we deal with your injuries of course.”  She was dazed but still looking at Renfield suspiciously, as was everyone else.  Cavidge yelled for gauze, but she had brought the tin down nicely so she wasn’t too hurt.

Brady pulled Renfield aside.

“You do know her, but she clearly has no idea who you are.  Step slowly into wherever that’s going.  Just a word of advice…from a friend, ok?”

“Thanks and I knew you would come around.  I just…anyway, now we head towards that rock.”

“What rock?”  Brady peers in the direction Renfield is pointing but doesn’t see any particular rock, just a lot of them.

“I think you call it a mountain or a ridge, it’s just a big damned rock, but we need to get to it.  However, we have to get through that valley.  So now I start telling you things you don’t want to know, but have to.  Are we ok with that?”

“Start talking Renfield!  Explain all of this, or a lot of it, now!” Brady yelled.  His temper began to rise and it was clear on his face.

“OK, in the near future we, umm you all, me, never mind that.  We build a system and decide to robotocize it.  Based on how well humans react to social media, it was decided all of the bots should be able to talk to each other.  So the idea was to create a hive mind.  It required one to make the ultimate decisions.  The Queen had a thought.  Why am I in charge if my subjects, the other bots, are doing the bidding of humans who are too weak to do the work themselves?  So she started sending them messages to build an elaborate tunnel system when they were not in use by the humans that created them or her.  When we are on flat ground we are closer to their tunnels.  On the rocks they can infiltrate, but they can’t keep sending waves, IF they lose.  It’s strategically a bad decision.  They know human need, so they are willing to wait.”  He hears a thought from Brady and continues, “Yes, Brady, they are in the water too.  We did make waterproof bots for specific purposes and so can the Queen, because she knows how.  Why?  Because she was taught how.  Yes, it’s that bad.  Yes, this seems unwinnable, but this is not my first crack at this and I’ve learned some things.  Now get that stupid look off your face and help me kill that damned Queen!  I’ll explain more when we have time.  Right now, we don’t.”

“You’re mad, Renfield!”

“Damn right, Brady!  So let’s get this done!  We need to move now because this is their slow period.  If we are going to make it, we need to move now!”

“Cavidge, how’s the pilot?”

“She seems pretty much fine, sir.  Cuts, bruises and what not, but fine.”

“And everyone else?”  Detective Brady asks, as if he doesn’t already know, but he realizes he should stick with SOP and ask for a SITREP.

“Confused.” Cavidge pauses then looks up at Brady, “Me too, we don’t know what’s going on.  We’re officers, but we feel like we just got drafted and shipped out without warning.”

“Understood.”  Brady pauses for an extended period of time while still facing Cavidge then he says, “This is important, our oath to protect still stands, but we have to move.  We’re headed for that next mountain.  Down across and up, quickly.  Do your best to pass that on.  I don’t want to lose anyone else.  Understood?”

“Copy.  I’ll just tell ‘em there’s a river of Scotch up there and they’ll run fast.  You saw how fast they ran for the girl.”  Cavidge’s dry humor and dis-attachment are obvious.

“Yeah, Cavidge.  I’ve got a feeling the girl may be spoken for.”  Brady gestures with his hand at Renfield who is still holding the woman to himself as if the world depended on her.  “HE did run the fastest.”  Brady notes to Cavidge.

“Yes sir.  By the way did you clock that run?  It didn’t seem normal.  Then again, nothing in the last two days has.”  Then Cavidge straightens his back as he announces to Detective Brady, “That’s why I’m going with the ‘river of Scotch’ story.”

“Something tells me, if we live though this you’re going to get promoted!  I’ll certainly put in the word, but after all of this I don’t know if my word will be worth much.”  As he finished his sentence he glanced over at Renfield.  Renfield look up and shrugged.  Somehow Brady knew that meant Renfield was hedging his bets on a lot of factors he couldn’t even begin to imagine.