The Transdyne Awakening (16 page)

Skye shut the book.

“So you see, God changed a man named Saul, who was hunting and persecuting members of the early church, into the apostle Paul.

God chose to do it. We can’t know all the why or how of His will, but salvation is for all who hear and respond. It’s not our job to guess who might respond. We just share the message. Only God knows what will happen with Yuri. Only God can draw a person to Himself. Only God can make a person aware of their need of Him. If Yuri came to the point where he genuinely repented and accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour, he too could be ‘saved’ as the oldtime preachers used to put it.”

Clay shook his head.

“What about those kids? What of his intentions for you? You mean to tell me none of that counts?” Clay snorted and made as if to go on. She interrupted him.

“Of course it counts! Our actions are not without consequences. We are created with real significance. That man is involved in dreadful evil. I believe that some people become so enmeshed in evil, that they come to utterly resist God. It’s possible Yuri has gone that far into sin, but while he’s alive there may be the possibility that he will repent. I’m not saying he is going to come to salvation, I’m just saying, I’m glad you didn’t send him into the kind of eternity that awaits him.”

Again Skye opened the Bible in front of her.

“The letter to the Hebrews puts it pretty plainly. Right here in chapter 10 verse 31 it says that
‘It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God’.
Yuri could never put right what he’s done. He couldn’t atone for it - none of us can. Imagine that you are going to be executed for a crime and someone says that they will go in your place so that you can live. Jesus Christ paid the price of our unworthiness before God. He gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice to ransom us. The pardon is for all those who accept it gratefully. Many never do. Listen, again;”

She was in full flow now. She pushed herself further up on the cot. “This is from the gospel of Luke, chapter 23. I’m going to start at verse 32. This is a passage that tells of Christ’s crucifixion. I know that John has told you what that meant.”

“Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an
inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

“You see, Clay, one of the men rejected Him and one asked for forgiveness. If Yuri was to see the evil he’s done and genuinely repent of it - and I’m not saying that he will - then he too could come to Christ to be forgiven. He could be spiritually reborn.”

Clay was silent for a long while.

At length he said, “I’m not proud of my life, Skye. I’ve done wrong things, things that you call sinful. The fact is, I never thought of them as wrong. I never saw the line between right and wrong until I met you people here. If I did, I guess I ignored it. I’m like that guy hanging on the cross beside Jesus. If what you are saying is true, then it’s not too late for me. I do want God’s forgiveness. I feel like I want to start over again.”

He was leaning forward in his seat. Skye reached out and placed a hand on his.

“If you really mean that, you can start over right now. If you’re genuine about allowing God to change you, He’ll do it. That’s what Jesus meant when He said ‘You must be born again’. But you have to take the first step.”

Clay looked at the open Bible on Skye’s lap.

“I still have a lot of questions to go alongside my list of regrets,” he said.

“Well I’m not one for picking unripe fruit but, when you’re ready, I’d be happy to pray with you, Clay. Just don’t put it off too long, okay?”

“Yeah. I hear you all right. For now, can I get you something to eat?” Skye shook her head. “No, I have water and I feel as if I might go back to sleep.”

“Fine,” Clay smiled. “I can’t tell you how good it is to know you’re going to be all right.” Skye leaned forward and put her face beside his.

“Thank you,” she said, placing a small kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for everything you did for us.”

She sighed, squirming back down the cot. “Now, go and let me rest.” Turning onto her side, she pulled the covers up over her shoulder. Clay left, closing the door quietly behind him.

He wanted to see Whitney before he went.

Back in the dining area he got more coffee. He’d never had so much good coffee. Standing in the doorway, he watched John and Whitney walking together. They were on the outward leg of a look around. He knew it would be a while before they returned.

He headed down into Adam-son’s chamber. It wasn’t so dimly lit now. He could immediately see the Tran strapped into his strange throne. He was startled to encounter Adam-son looking directly at him with two eyes. “Soon, I may be able to leave this chamber,” the electronic voice informed him. “They have worked wonders with the parts and diagrams you supplied, Clay. They have corrected my vision and they are working now on my mobility.” Clay was genuinely taken aback at the speed of progress. He had imagined that the process of replacing the Tran’s old circuitry would be a lengthy one.

“That’s great news. They seem to be fixing things very quickly.”

Adam-son closed and then reopened the new eyes, becoming accustomed to the novelty of binocular vision once again.

“Yes. The technicians here are greatly gifted. Years ago, some of them worked for the Transdyne Corporation. They understand how I was fashioned. I shall walk again soon I believe, and be able to move among the people. I might also be capable of speech without the aid of these devices. All of this is possible because you brought us these parts. You are largely responsible for my regeneration. I trust the people here will benefit from what you did.”

Clay smiled. He was smiling at the words, but he was also conscious again of just how bizarre this all was. He was conversing with a synthetic being on ‘life support’. What was more, he had come to have a regard for the Tran and the learning it retained.

“It was good to be able to help. It’s been to my gain, too. My time here has changed me in many ways. I couldn’t have imagined this sort of exchange with the likes of you. It would never have seemed even remotely possible. And yet, here I am. You know the story of Noah and the flood? I guess I think of you that way, as having preserved knowledge that everyone needs in your memories. What is in your data storage banks is priceless. It might have been lost. You’re sort of a small version of that old ark - a talking electronic ark. What they teach here, and what they can rediscover from you, will help a lot of people to understand who they really are. That’s become important to me.”

Clay looked at the Tran’s scarred face. In time the technicians would rebuild Adam-son’s physiognomy. He felt good that this strange, now quite elderly being was to be restored. He thought about the wealth of knowledge that the men and women here would be able to recover from him. Yes, he realized that he had come to regard Adam-son as a ‘him’. What might appear in Adam-son’s memory banks as an enormous series of zeros and ones was really much more. Once accessed and analyzed, the content of those banks was a great body of human learning.

“I’ve met a great many Trans in my work. Recently, one of them witnessed a toxout. I won’t forget the things he told me. Like you, he said that men had lost sight of their purpose. He said we had lost ourselves and become empty, hollow. He will probably end himself in toxout. That Tran wasn’t at all like you. You seem to have found a reason to continue.”

Clay pointed upwards. “You, and some of those up there, are helping men like me towards some of the understanding they lack. I’m glad that they are restoring you.”

Whitney was back.

Clay went to sit with him.

“I wanted to see you before you left,” he said. “Got everything you need?” Whitney paused between mouthfuls and sipped from his drinker. “You could stock me up on p.k.s again. Soon as I’m done here, I’m on the move.”

“You still hurting?”

“Only when I laugh,” Whitney said without the slightest smile. “I’m on the mend, but I tend to enjoy life better without pain!”

Clay nodded. “Sure. Did John take you right around?”

Whitney glanced at the open door. “There wasn’t really time enough for that. He showed me a fair amount of the space here though. Pretty impressive for a bunch of dreamers and anti-socials!”

“I guess you know you have an open invitation here, should you ever want to take it up. These people will never forget what you did,” Clay told him. “You don’t regret using a guy like me in your schemes?” Whitney asked.

Clay thought for a second.

“Seems to me that a lot of people get here along some pretty twisted tracks. And me? Well, I’m certainly no exception.” Whitney finished drinking. “I’ll tell you something. I’ve always viewed people with their kind of faith as losers; people who can’t deal with reality, idiots who need an illusion about how life really is. I’ve been talking with John. He seems to be the one most of ’em listen to. I’ve been around Polibro troopers and military types all my life. You don’t get the kind of respect he has for nothing. He’s certainly isn’t shy about this ‘gospel’ stuff either, is he? So anyway, he let me have his take on things. If I ever
was
drawn to any kind of faith, it’d be the Christian gospel like he holds it. That’s one fine man, my friend.”

Clay nodded. “Something for both of us to think about, eh?”

Clay went and got two large packs of painkillers. He put them down on the bench next to Whitney’s drinker. Beside them, he placed a small electronic pad.

“Here’s the route I took out here. I was on manual, so it won’t be stored in the autonav. It’s on here if you need it, but delete it when you get back. You taking the big glide?”

Whitney nodded. “I’ll trash it somewhere nearer the Citizone.”

He stood up and put the meds in his pack. “Time to get going.”

Clay went out with him to where the big vehicle was waiting.

One of the community’s Transport Techs was finishing his check on it.

“This thing’s charged and good to go,” he said, slapping the side of the craft.

Clay watched as Whitney clambered up into the cockpit.

“Don’t take any faithcrime jobs, eh?” he called.

Whitney frowned. “I think my days of gainful employment in that arena are over. The injured hunter becomes the prey in my game, son.”

He didn’t seem in any hurry and paused, looking back at the people going about their daily chores.

“You know, it seems to me The Dominion can go on passing all the laws they want about faithcrime, but they’ll always be futile. Look at what’s out here. You can’t stamp out the kind of faith these people have. It’s just never going to work.” He smiled broadly. “Who knows, I might wind up back here myself.” “Well, the invitation seems to be open. Travel safely, Whitney,” Clay called.

Five days had passed. Both Casey and Bradford were progressing well and Skye was starting to get back some of her energy. Everyone felt the loss of Jansen. From what Casey and Bradford said, there didn’t seem any hope that he was still alive.

The memorial service for him was short.

At the front of the meeting chamber a simple display was arranged. There were flowers and a picture of a smiling, younger Jansen. Ivor stood up and began running through some chords on his big twelve string guitar. Another man started playing a bass accompaniment. A young woman lifted a gleaming flute and picked out a simple melody. The people of the community began to sing a song called ‘Higher Ground’. They began quietly and sadly. By the time they had reached the third verse the song had become a deafening song of triumph.

“I want to scale the utmost height and catch a gleam of glory bright

But still I’ll pray ‘til rest I’ve found - Lord, lead me on to higher ground

So, lift me up and let me stand, by faith on Heaven’s tableland

A better place now I have found - Lord, plant my feet on higher ground”

There were tributes from those who had been closest to Jansen and John gave a brief address. It was clear that this man had meant something to a lot of people. Those here would miss his presence. Clay wondered what there was in his own life that anyone might find worth celebrating.

Casey was standing near him at the back. He was holding it together but was clearly upset. Clay went over to him.

“A terrible thing. I guess they could have done for you, too.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t, thanks to you getting Whitney on board and all. You took an awful risk.”

“I just did what I could,” Clay said. He looked away, embarrassed. Casey put a hand on his shoulder.

“Jansen knew something about what we were getting into. I’ve lived a pretty dangerous life myself. Sometimes I wonder how I’m still around. One thing I’ve learned is that dying’s not hard, Clay. Living right - that’s the test. Jansen lived right.”