Chapter Sixteen
--Ienji--
Ienji checked his watch. It was five minutes to five; he took the time to reflected on the events of the past few days.
It was as if he had been flung into a bizarre dream. Sunday afternoon at the library he'd focused on a feeling and in doing so, accidentally brought about some strange 'natural' event for which he had been chosen; an event which connected him to remnants of a long-lost digital world.
Evan had been very considerate in his explanation, although Ienji knew that he wasn't telling everything. For the rest of the day he'd experimenting with the materialization and dematerialization of his new 'digital device', and had remained in a surrealistic haze through the thunderstorm and into sleep.
And then Ienji had woken up the next morning, and now he was beginning to look at things more clearly, and marvel at how quickly this had all progressed. This unusual ability to sense the minds of others, and a digital divice all his own which clearly had several unique 'manipulations'.... and Evan's promise to help and guide Ienji through all of this.
Not to mention Evan's assertion that there would be others in Siojaton City who would receive the same abilities as he. Cleary Anish, the kid who had taken the junior lounge hostage for a few brief minutes, was one of these. But why hadn't Evan known about it, and come to help? Instead a strange man had broken down the door and scared off Anish, before disappearing himself.
Ienji clearly couldn't trust Evan as much as he'd like to, but he knew his friends well, and would relate all of this to them.
No sooner had he thought all of these things than he sensed Alec's presence in the reference section; three seconds later, Alec stepped into the study room.
"Glad you could make it," Ienji greeted him.
"I wouldn't miss this," Alec replied, as he set his laptop on the tabletop and released the catch to pop it open. "Everyone's talking about what happened, and I'd be interested to hear what your exclusive on this is," he said.
Ienji frowned. "It's not an exclusive, it's just.... something that happened. It was just yesterday, and I haven't had a chance to tell any of you yet. It's complicated. Which was why I asked you guys to come."
Alec nodded. "That's interesting. At the moment, the police aren't getting very far in their investigation--they have only had seven or eight hours to investigate, of course. One part of their difficulties is probably the fact that the fissures closed up and the floor sealed, so any evidence was erased; I have some photos of the open fissures, which I'm thinking of sending to the police, unless what you say indicates that I should do otherwise."
As he said this, Ienji sensed a very hurried person heading in their direction; only when this person was directly outside the door to the study room was he able to identify him as Jared, who entered the room clearly out of breath.
"Hey, guys. I'm here," Jared greeted them, as he slid his backpack off his shoulders and onto the table similarly to the way in which he slid himself into the seat of the table. "I apologize for any lateness."
"What do you mean, lateness?" Alec replied. "You're here a minute or so early." Frowning, Jared checked his watch. "That's strange, my watch is off," he said.
Ienji took a seat at the table with his two friends. "Hmm. Okay," he began. "I guess I'd better get started explaining. I'm not quite sure of all this myself; it's very complicated, but it happened."
Then Ienji proceeded to detail the events of Sunday, and how he'd gone into a trance at the library and the kid had ran in and they'd both hit the wall, and then how the kid introduced himself as Evan and gone over to Ienji's apartment and called someone and subsequently explained things to Ienji.
Then he talked about his new abilities and the way he'd felt all through Sunday, and then waking up and remembering everything, and then getting on the bus with Jared but hesitating before saying anything; Ienji apologized, but explained that he still wasn't thinking right then.
Then he explained how first period world history, the kid Evan had walked in with school attire, and then how he'd felt strange in the junior lounge the moment before Anish had presented himself, and then how he'd watched along with the rest of them.
Finally, he finished. Alec and Jared had listened intently, although Alec was leaning back in his chair as if he were lazing about with one half of his mind and using the other to listen, and Jared had his elbows and the table and was holding his face in his hands, and seemed to be staring blankly.
Alec spoke first. "Wow. I'd say you were lying but it would be so uncharacteristic of you to lie about something like this, that when weighed against all of known science with Occam's Razor, it still wouldn't prevent me from believing you."
Jared's eyes suddenly focused, and he asked, "Can you still do that? Make the digital device appear in your hands? Like Anish's and the man's?"
"Sure," Ienji replied. He'd been expecting someone to say this; it was, after all, the one proof he could provide that verified the truth of his words. He lifted his hand over the table and focused.
His two friends both started involuntarily as a translucent device shimmered into the air before them, and a three-dimensional holographical monitor popped up as well; it displayed the complex interactions of several geometric figures.
Ienji almost twitched as well; he'd never seen this before. Was it symbolic, or did it serve a purpose?
"Anyway," he said, "Now you know it exists...."
--Evan--
Evan made his way back to the hotel; he had briefly considered turning back to the school to avoid suspicion, but it had seemed likely that they'd dismiss the kids anyway after an event like that, and his sighting of a yellow bus showed that to be true.
All the while he was cursing under his breath, and wondering how this had all happened so quickly. Everything was going wrong. He'd assumed--they'd all assumed--that Ienji was simply a miscalculation. But apparently every one of their miscalculations was incorrect, but it appeared that dozens of kids had already passed through the connection process.
And without harm, either. Although Evan had refrained from informing Ienji, the fact was that without intervention and guidance, the connection process resulted in catastrophe every time.
They all knew--and felt--that the energies just couldn't work, just couldn't make things the way they should be. With the digital world destroyed, and only scattered remnants in existence, destiny had broken.
He said those last three words aloud, under his breath, and then he realized that for the first time in four years, he'd said the word 'destiny' aloud.
Evan would call Amelia--that would have priority. And then they could make a decision on his next course of action, which he assumed would be to prevent events from progressing any farther astray than they already had.
--Ienji--
After holding the digital device on his palm for several seconds, Ienji decided to dematerialize it; he closed the palm of his hand, and the light disappeared.
"Do you think you could hold open a little longer?"
Ienji glanced at Jared, who had asked this; his friend appeared lost in concentration. Nodding in acquiescence, Ienji rematerialized the device.
Alec was typing lightly upon his laptop, although for once, most of his attention seemed focused on the glowing device, something other than the screen.
"When I look at it, I get a feeling.... like..." Jared trailed off for a moment before continuing, "....like this."
With this, Jared opened the palm of his hand and materializing a digital device.
"Whoa," he said in shock, before the digital device disappeared again.
Ienji and Alec repeated Jared's sentiment. Alec realized what had happened before either of them did. "Apparently you're one of a chosen child just like Ienji, Jared. Right now I'm wondering where you got that."
The two of them peered at Jared as he shook his head uncertainly. "I don't.... I don't know where I learned to do that. I...." He paused for a second, as though recalling something. "I remember now.... it was just yesterday...."
Ienji and Alec listened as Jared recounted previously unknown events of the previous day; apparently Jared had had an experience similar to Ienji's.
"That's why it all seemed familiar--it actually happened," Jared finished. "I don't know why I forgot all of it, though, when Ienji remembered."
Alec stopped typing for a moment. "Let's approach this logically; when we compare your account of events and Ienji's, what's the difference?"
"Well...." Ienji said, "I know that I was interrupted by Evan, but it looks like Jared went through the entire thing."
"So maybe when the connection is made, the chosen child forgets?" Jared queried. "Do you think Evan would keep a thing like that from you?"
Ienji shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I'll have to ask him, though. He said he'd be in town for a while, but I don't have a number to reach him at."
There was a brief silence, during which Jared checked his watch (which had since been adjusted to the correct time). "We have five more minutes scheduled for the hour-long study room reservation."
The three friends stood up, Alec flipping closed his laptop. In the course of their conversation Alec had told them that he'd keep a lid on his photos. It was their general sentiment that these things should be kept secret for the time being, at least until more could be known.
As the clock struck six, each of the three went his separate way.
--Ienji--
Ienji checked his watch. It was five minutes to five; he took the time to reflected on the events of the past few days.
It was as if he had been flung into a bizarre dream. Sunday afternoon at the library he'd focused on a feeling and in doing so, accidentally brought about some strange 'natural' event for which he had been chosen; an event which connected him to remnants of a long-lost digital world.
Evan had been very considerate in his explanation, although Ienji knew that he wasn't telling everything. For the rest of the day he'd experimenting with the materialization and dematerialization of his new 'digital device', and had remained in a surrealistic haze through the thunderstorm and into sleep.
And then Ienji had woken up the next morning, and now he was beginning to look at things more clearly, and marvel at how quickly this had all progressed. This unusual ability to sense the minds of others, and a digital divice all his own which clearly had several unique 'manipulations'.... and Evan's promise to help and guide Ienji through all of this.
Not to mention Evan's assertion that there would be others in Siojaton City who would receive the same abilities as he. Cleary Anish, the kid who had taken the junior lounge hostage for a few brief minutes, was one of these. But why hadn't Evan known about it, and come to help? Instead a strange man had broken down the door and scared off Anish, before disappearing himself.
Ienji clearly couldn't trust Evan as much as he'd like to, but he knew his friends well, and would relate all of this to them.
No sooner had he thought all of these things than he sensed Alec's presence in the reference section; three seconds later, Alec stepped into the study room.
"Glad you could make it," Ienji greeted him.
"I wouldn't miss this," Alec replied, as he set his laptop on the tabletop and released the catch to pop it open. "Everyone's talking about what happened, and I'd be interested to hear what your exclusive on this is," he said.
Ienji frowned. "It's not an exclusive, it's just.... something that happened. It was just yesterday, and I haven't had a chance to tell any of you yet. It's complicated. Which was why I asked you guys to come."
Alec nodded. "That's interesting. At the moment, the police aren't getting very far in their investigation--they have only had seven or eight hours to investigate, of course. One part of their difficulties is probably the fact that the fissures closed up and the floor sealed, so any evidence was erased; I have some photos of the open fissures, which I'm thinking of sending to the police, unless what you say indicates that I should do otherwise."
As he said this, Ienji sensed a very hurried person heading in their direction; only when this person was directly outside the door to the study room was he able to identify him as Jared, who entered the room clearly out of breath.
"Hey, guys. I'm here," Jared greeted them, as he slid his backpack off his shoulders and onto the table similarly to the way in which he slid himself into the seat of the table. "I apologize for any lateness."
"What do you mean, lateness?" Alec replied. "You're here a minute or so early." Frowning, Jared checked his watch. "That's strange, my watch is off," he said.
Ienji took a seat at the table with his two friends. "Hmm. Okay," he began. "I guess I'd better get started explaining. I'm not quite sure of all this myself; it's very complicated, but it happened."
Then Ienji proceeded to detail the events of Sunday, and how he'd gone into a trance at the library and the kid had ran in and they'd both hit the wall, and then how the kid introduced himself as Evan and gone over to Ienji's apartment and called someone and subsequently explained things to Ienji.
Then he talked about his new abilities and the way he'd felt all through Sunday, and then waking up and remembering everything, and then getting on the bus with Jared but hesitating before saying anything; Ienji apologized, but explained that he still wasn't thinking right then.
Then he explained how first period world history, the kid Evan had walked in with school attire, and then how he'd felt strange in the junior lounge the moment before Anish had presented himself, and then how he'd watched along with the rest of them.
Finally, he finished. Alec and Jared had listened intently, although Alec was leaning back in his chair as if he were lazing about with one half of his mind and using the other to listen, and Jared had his elbows and the table and was holding his face in his hands, and seemed to be staring blankly.
Alec spoke first. "Wow. I'd say you were lying but it would be so uncharacteristic of you to lie about something like this, that when weighed against all of known science with Occam's Razor, it still wouldn't prevent me from believing you."
Jared's eyes suddenly focused, and he asked, "Can you still do that? Make the digital device appear in your hands? Like Anish's and the man's?"
"Sure," Ienji replied. He'd been expecting someone to say this; it was, after all, the one proof he could provide that verified the truth of his words. He lifted his hand over the table and focused.
His two friends both started involuntarily as a translucent device shimmered into the air before them, and a three-dimensional holographical monitor popped up as well; it displayed the complex interactions of several geometric figures.
Ienji almost twitched as well; he'd never seen this before. Was it symbolic, or did it serve a purpose?
"Anyway," he said, "Now you know it exists...."
--Evan--
Evan made his way back to the hotel; he had briefly considered turning back to the school to avoid suspicion, but it had seemed likely that they'd dismiss the kids anyway after an event like that, and his sighting of a yellow bus showed that to be true.
All the while he was cursing under his breath, and wondering how this had all happened so quickly. Everything was going wrong. He'd assumed--they'd all assumed--that Ienji was simply a miscalculation. But apparently every one of their miscalculations was incorrect, but it appeared that dozens of kids had already passed through the connection process.
And without harm, either. Although Evan had refrained from informing Ienji, the fact was that without intervention and guidance, the connection process resulted in catastrophe every time.
They all knew--and felt--that the energies just couldn't work, just couldn't make things the way they should be. With the digital world destroyed, and only scattered remnants in existence, destiny had broken.
He said those last three words aloud, under his breath, and then he realized that for the first time in four years, he'd said the word 'destiny' aloud.
Evan would call Amelia--that would have priority. And then they could make a decision on his next course of action, which he assumed would be to prevent events from progressing any farther astray than they already had.
--Ienji--
After holding the digital device on his palm for several seconds, Ienji decided to dematerialize it; he closed the palm of his hand, and the light disappeared.
"Do you think you could hold open a little longer?"
Ienji glanced at Jared, who had asked this; his friend appeared lost in concentration. Nodding in acquiescence, Ienji rematerialized the device.
Alec was typing lightly upon his laptop, although for once, most of his attention seemed focused on the glowing device, something other than the screen.
"When I look at it, I get a feeling.... like..." Jared trailed off for a moment before continuing, "....like this."
With this, Jared opened the palm of his hand and materializing a digital device.
"Whoa," he said in shock, before the digital device disappeared again.
Ienji and Alec repeated Jared's sentiment. Alec realized what had happened before either of them did. "Apparently you're one of a chosen child just like Ienji, Jared. Right now I'm wondering where you got that."
The two of them peered at Jared as he shook his head uncertainly. "I don't.... I don't know where I learned to do that. I...." He paused for a second, as though recalling something. "I remember now.... it was just yesterday...."
Ienji and Alec listened as Jared recounted previously unknown events of the previous day; apparently Jared had had an experience similar to Ienji's.
"That's why it all seemed familiar--it actually happened," Jared finished. "I don't know why I forgot all of it, though, when Ienji remembered."
Alec stopped typing for a moment. "Let's approach this logically; when we compare your account of events and Ienji's, what's the difference?"
"Well...." Ienji said, "I know that I was interrupted by Evan, but it looks like Jared went through the entire thing."
"So maybe when the connection is made, the chosen child forgets?" Jared queried. "Do you think Evan would keep a thing like that from you?"
Ienji shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I'll have to ask him, though. He said he'd be in town for a while, but I don't have a number to reach him at."
There was a brief silence, during which Jared checked his watch (which had since been adjusted to the correct time). "We have five more minutes scheduled for the hour-long study room reservation."
The three friends stood up, Alec flipping closed his laptop. In the course of their conversation Alec had told them that he'd keep a lid on his photos. It was their general sentiment that these things should be kept secret for the time being, at least until more could be known.
As the clock struck six, each of the three went his separate way.