Blue Roses and Lithium Thorns
Chapter 3: Blue Rose
Da'an dimmed the lights in the Embassy and prepared to rest. The two volunteers on night duty wished him sweet dreams and took to their posts at the front of the Embassy and at the entrance to Da'an's chambers. Da'an tried to shake off the events of that day. He had calmed since his discussion with Liam, but he had not forgotten.
As he walked in the room, he dimmed the lights. They revealed his shadow walking with him to his chair. But…there was another! He stopped dead in his tracks to the outline of another person walking beside him and then past him.
Da'an of the noble family, a male voice said in the Taelon language.
Da'an sighed.
Seer of the prison bars.
"Show yourself!" Da'an called.
The entrance behind him closed and locked.
"Now, I have you right where I want you." A man in that blue robe appeared into the faint emitting from outside.
Liam raced back to the Embassy as fast as he could. He had told Da'an that he would be back later that night, but he wasn't sure that Da'an had heard him. The volunteer at the front welcomed him. The volunteer guarding Da'an's chambers was a little startled.
"Major, sir," he said. "I wasn't expecting you at this time a night."
"I…forgot something in there. Could you let me in? I won't disturb Da'an," Liam said casually.
"Yes, sir, no problem," the volunteer said. He pressed the code to open the door. "Well, that's strange, sir. The-The code's not working."
"Try the emergency override," Liam said quickly.
The volunteered hopped to it. "No, sir. That's not working either."
"Is Da'an in there?" Liam asked firmly.
"He just walked in there ten minutes ago. He's got to be in there still."
"Wait," Liam whispered. "Do you hear that?"
They both put their ears to the soft bio-slurry.
"I don't know who you are, but you will open this door immediately," a faint voice said within.
"For what purpose? I merely wish to talk."
"And I would be convinced of that if I could leave my own office any time I wish."
"Da'an?" Liam called.
"Liam! Liam, open the door!"
"I can't. It's locked."
"No one can open it. You and I must speak. We must speak alone," the male voice said firmly.
"Not without my protector! Now, open this door!"
A loud smash!
Liam and the volunteer looked at each other. "Da'an!" they both cried.
"Can you hot wire this?" the volunteer asked.
"Hot wire? This is a biological building with nerves and a circulation system that the Taelons use for a computer! Not a car!"
"Well, if you can think of a better way to get inside…"
"You jack-ass. Stand back," Liam said drawing his pistol. He began shooting at the door. The volunteer got the idea and began using firing with his skrill to help.
Da'an had just barely managed to escape the blast. It burned a hole in the wall big enough to crawl inside.
"How did you…"
"Not just me, Da'an. All of us Taelons have this power."
"That is not possible."
"You know it is true because you remember now. I know what you are going through right now, Da'an. I know your secrets. I know because I have been through the same pain."
Da'an shuddered. He could swear that there was another voice speaking with this man…or through him. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You need more than humans to help you Da'an," Nye's voice said. She appeared from another entrance to the office. She had been there for some time. "You can see the prison bars. You have seen the world beyond the Commonality, and you will fight to obtain it. Your struggle from within to obtain a freedom you know you cannot obtain will destroy you. I have seen thousands of Taelons murder themselves because they felt trapped within a prison from which there was no exit. Others were driven insane trying to gain what little control they could to satisfy their egos. If you continue to remain in this mental jail, it will drive you mad. It will drive you mad or it will kill you."
"You don't know that," Da'an said.
"It does not have to be this way, Da'an," the male said. "You do not have to make yourself a victim to drugs and depression. We can help you."
"You…can?"
Nye smiled. "Have you heard the legend of the blue rose with the lithium thorns?"
"My…um…Ka'li used to tell me."
"He learned that legend from me, Da'an," Nye said. "The blue rose with the lithium thorns. A rose so rare and delicate. It was one of a kind. People traveled thousands of light years just to get a look at it. But what would happen when you touched it?"
"The…lithium thorns killed anyone who attempted to touch it," Da'an said.
"Right now, that rose is your freedom Da'an. It is a rare and beautiful thing that can never be obtained because the price is too dear," Nye explained. "But what did Urumu do to get the rose?"
"He built a glove made of crystal. It protected him from the thorns so well that he was able to pick a petal from the rose with his uncovered hand."
"What does that tell you?"
"That nothing is impossible. There is always an alternative."
"Precisely. Come with us, Da'an, and we can help you touch that rose that is your freedom," Nye offered. "Come with us, and we will show you a way around the thorns. We can teach you to shine, Da'an."
"But the humans have offered to help me…"
"The humans have no means. It could be decades before they find a way. You might die before they do. You do not want to spend the rest of your life in a prison."
"I have to think about it."
"You are the only Taelon that understands, Da'an," Nye said. "Only you can see the prison bars."
"I cannot leave the humans. Liam and his friends…saved me."
"And when they find out what your freedom will mean to them, they will force you to remain in the prison like everyone else," the male said.
"No. Liam would never—"
"He cannot keep finding excuses to keep you here, Da'an," the male said. "In time, he will force you to remain here."
"You are lying to me!" Da'an cried.
The ground began to shake. The white tree began to rattle.
"He does not understand, Da'an," the male said. "You are a pawn to him. All you are is his means to destroy the Taelons, your own people."
"Stop it!" Da'an yelled. His eyes began to glow red. His voice began to waver. "I am the supreme authority here! I am the one in control, and you will not challenge the wisdom of the Commonality!"
The walls of the room burst into flames. Da'an collapsed to his knees.
"No! You can't do this to me! This is not happening," the wavering voice cried.
"We are not doing anything, Da'an," the male said. "The beast inside you is crying out. It's taking over your body. It is the Commonality's penalty for emotions, for free thinking."
"Nobody else understands, Da'an. We came here for no Taelons. They cannot be saved. Only you can," Nye said. "We will be waiting…at the Moonbase at midnight tomorrow."
The flames surrounded Da'an in a circle. His hands melted into clawed talons.
The locked door exploded. The volunteer and Liam were aghast at the flames. "H-How is this possible sir?" the volunteer asked.
"Just get something to put this out!" Liam yelled. "Da'an! Da'an!"
The moment he caught sight of Da'an in the middle of the flames he leapt through the with no thought about it. He could see Da'an's wavering form. He was devolving. But how? He rushed to the crouched Taelon and took his hands.
"Da'an, it's okay," Liam said softly. "Don't let it take over. Just let it go. It's not real. None of this is actually happening."
The flames began to disappear. His hands reverted back to their slender white. His eyes converted back to their pearly blue.
The embassy was quiet. There was no sound, and there were no flames. In fact, there was no indication that a fire had occurred. The volunteered returned with a fire extinguisher only to find there was no need for it.
"What the hell just happened?" the volunteer asked.
"Seal the embassy," Liam ordered. "Nobody gets out."
"Yes sir," he said.
"How did I…?"
"I don't know," Liam replied. "It couldn't have been real. But the flames and the heat. I could feel it."
"It's Nye," Da'an said. "She did this."
"If that's the case, then she has to be lying," Liam said. "You would get your freedom, but it would be just another illusion."
"No."
"Da'an, no Taelon can do that. It can't be the real Nye."
"But she is the real Nye, Liam. She is not lying. She did this to prove that she was not lying."
"You can't believe that."
"Liam, why can't you trust me?"
"Because you've abused it way too much!"
Da'an's head hung low.
"Da'an…I'm sorry."
"No, you are right. I have abused your trust," Da'an admitted. "But I am not lying to you now, Liam, and she is not either. I know why she did this to me. I know why she is here."
"What does she want?"
"She wants to save me from myself. The Commonality stands upon the brink of destruction. What was once our sanctuary is now our prison. It threatens to destroy us all. What she showed me is what will come to pass if I should remain here. That is why she is here. That is why I have to go with her."
"But why now? Why not later?"
"I don't know. Perhaps I will never get another chance."
"Are you willing to throw it all away for her?"
"I would not be doing this for her. It would be for me."
A long silence.
"What are you thinking?" Liam asked.
"I am thinking that I'm scared."
"What can Nye offer us that we already don't have?"
"My freedom. The ability to work with you without someone's eyes constantly watching me. The ability to choose a side once and for all."
"But if you choose humanity, you can never go back to the Taelons. You'll never be as close to the Synod as you are now."
"You do not know that. You do not know that anymore than you know why Nye is doing this."
"Do you think Nye's a prophet?"
"I believe she is a powerful woman, but no, she is not a prophet. Before now, I would not have even considered leaving with her. But ever since I…collapsed, things have been bothering me."
"What things?"
"I told you about my dreams."
"Yeah, what about them?"
"After what Nye showed me, I know now they are not dreams. They are memories. My lost memories."
"What kind of memories?"
"I have never told this to anyone, not even my own kin, but I want to tell you, Liam. I never thought much about it…until it happened again very recently. All Taelons have complete and full memories of their past. They can reflect upon memories that are centuries old as if it happened yesterday. For the most part, I can too, but for some reason, there are some…pieces missing."
"Pieces."
"It never seemed significant to me at the time, but ever since I was hospitalized, strange images and voices have returned to me. I…I want to show you, Liam. I want you to understand. Maybe if you feel what I have felt, you will understand why I wish to leave with Nye. However, I fear your reaction. I know that you do not want me to leave you and…my career behind, but if I let this pass—if I ignore this opportunity—it will haunt me for the rest of my days. For ever little thing that goes wrong, I am going to look back on this moment and wonder…what if. I never imagined that I would have to take such a large step so quickly and unexpectedly, but if I share with you what has been haunting me, perhaps you will not see this as such an impulsive decision."
Da'an held his hand out. Liam was hesitant, but then…that look of longing. How long had his companion thought about this? And who was he to deny him? After all, they were fighting for the same thing. Liam grabbed Da'an's hand.
As fast as lightning, Liam was pulled into darkness. A kaleidoscope of images and voices bombarded and overwhelmed his mind. It was a world of complete confusion and total lack of logic. But it does not mean a thing to me…
I know something about her…
A distorted voice in the background with some ringing, speaking a strange dialect of Taelon. You can see me…
Ma'el…see me…please see me…
Liam could feel his stomach and heart switching places. He didn't know how much longer he could stand. Soon, the ground gave way beneath him. Another black abyss took him inside. He was falling backwards. No one was holding him. Where was Da'an?
A flash of light, and then a dark room. Little stones were scattered, and two little children glowing blue. One had a black cloth shielding his eyes from the world. The other had the stones behind him. Even he did not know which were which.
Then, another image of two older people talking, glowing blue.
In a flash one image; in another flash, the other…like two images on a television screen colliding…
Red…
I know something about the twins…
Blue…
He is not like normal children…
Green…
Neither of them are…
Yellow…
I sometimes can't tell which is which…
Blue again…
One can see things before they happen…
Purple…
The other is like a ghost…
Green again…
He never speaks…
Orange…
Sometimes I see objects floating by themselves…
You do not have to be special for objects to float by themselves…
Yellow again…
All of us can do it…
Pink…
But the Commonality suppresses it…I thought…
Orange again…
Their abilities reflect their emotions. The emotions release the beast…Once the beast is unleashed, you can never return to the Commonality…
Some children are born more mentally aware than others…
Green again…
These children must be taken to the priests…
Their gifts must be suppressed by the Commonality…
Yellow…
If not, they risk total devolution…
Not my children!
Ma'el, see me…please see me…
Liam could feel himself growing nauseous. Before he could open his mouth to react, he was thrust into another time.
Ma'el…see me…please see me…
I can see the prison bars…
For those Taelons that can see the prison bars, the prison will consume them…
Ma'el…wake up…please…
Your choice is either to forget…
Ma'el, where are you…
…or to die…
I will die…and so will you, unless you can free yourself…
Liam began to grow dizzy. What was this that he was seeing?
"Ma'el?"
Several years later…there are two people glowing blue. One is very small. The other is grown. They are surrounded by…by Jaridians. One is getting beaten…the other is hiding…
Taelon scum!
Useless Taelon bastard!
Let me go! Leave me alone please!
Tell us where the boy went! We saw you with him!
I don't know where he would go!
Tell us!
A pair of eyes in the shadows…they appear angry…
The Jaridian beating the Taelon starts choking. The room begins to rumble. Objects start floating by themselves and begin striking the Jaridian. The tiny Taelon hiding is frightened. He starts to shiver. Eventually the Jaridian suffocates. The other ones are frightened. They run outside…into the screams.
The grown Taelon leans over the dead Jaridian…He knows he is not alone. He is too frightened to be angry, and too angry to be grateful…
"Da'an! Did you do this!"
Another Taelon grabs the little Taelon's hand and rushes out with him to meet the one standing over the dead Jaridian. They all stare at each other.
"Tell no one of this, boy! Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
"No Taelon can kill! He was killed by the other Jaridians. Do you understand!"
"Yes, sir."
They all flee…
"Da'an…did you do this?"
Before Liam can get an answer he is pulled into a dark room. Two people are talking. It's Da'an and another human.
"Live free or die…do you truly believe this? That death offers a preferable state than imprisonment?"
"In my mind, I'm a prisoner already."
"…So too am I. We must speak of this marking again…It tells of a paradox…I do find puzzling."
I envy your freedom…
I want release!
Darkness consumed the image. Liam was pulled into another world. In the background, there are voices. They sound ghostly. It feels like a dream.
…let's talk about that day. The day you decided to try it. First and foremost, why did you lie to Liam about your reasons?
I do not remember what I said.
Yes, you do. "…large amounts of kryss…supplement…energy levels…"
Then, I do not know why I lied.
You know why you do everything you do. You are just afraid to admit it.
Admit what?
It!
No!
You are trapped. They all are. They all long to be free.
But why now?
Because now you know that there is such a thing as individuality and that it is wonderful. You want that. You know whom they seek.
People like me. People who can see the prison bars. I just want to be free. I just want to get out!
Liam jerked away from the image. The embassy walls melted into existence, and he could feel himself falling backwards…away from Da'an.
Just one more thing…
A woman with a blue rose in her hand…
The thorns are cutting into her skin. A drop of blue blood hits the ground.
Liam thudded on to the floor. He began gasping as if he had been immersed in water and just brought back from death.
Da'an kneeled on the floor and helped him sit upright.
"What in God's name did you just do to me?" Liam panted, crawling away from Da'an. This was the first time he had ever been frightened of Da'an.
The Taelon's eyes were narrower, enigmatic. "Do you understand now?"
"I only…understand why you're so afraid."
Da'an nodded. "That day I collapsed from an overdose of kryss, I saw something that I had never seen before. Memories that I didn't understand. They were my memories. Memories of me as a child."
"A…child?" Liam had only seen Da'an as an adult for so long, he had forgotten that once this Taelon was a child. "Why…don't you ever talk about your past?"
"Because I cannot remember…I have no memory of my childhood. I never knew it," Da'an replied.
"You think those images are pieces of your childhood?"
"Not just my childhood. I think there are other pieces as well. Lost chains finally reonnecting me with my past. I must have done something horrible."
"But why can't you remember?"
"Because when I was sixteen, I was taken to a group of powerful Taelons called the priests. They blocked memories of my past."
"And you just accepted that?"
"They said it was for my own good. Who was I to tell them wrong?"
"What does all of this have to do with Nye?"
"Nye knows something about me…"
I know something about the twins…
"Da'an…are you a twin?"
Da'an looked away. "I don't know."
Liam was afraid to say it. He never imagined that the Taelons would ever pervert their own kind. "Do you believe that the Commonality stole your memories?"
Da'an looked back at Liam, again with those narrow eyes. "Yes."
"Then, if that's true, you don't owe it anything," Liam said, starting to understand Da'an's decision.
"So what should I do?"
Liam didn't answer. He had none.
"Nye said the Moonbase, tomorrow, at midnight."
Liam nodded and rose to his feet. Da'an rose to meet him. "Da'an, I'm going with you."
"I understand."
"Me too."
"You're not serious," Renee said.
"I wouldn't have believed it if he didn't show me, Renee," Liam said. "It's nothing but bits and pieces, nothing whole."
"Are you sure that they're Da'an's memories?" Street asked.
"Positive, but I don't know what to make of it."
"What about the Synod?" asked Renee. "They'll be furious when they find out where you're going."
"If it is possible to free a Taelon from the Commonality, that may be the key to their salvation," Liam explained.
"I don't know…" Renee said uneasily. "I still don't know what to think about these people. What do they want with Da'an? Why are they here?"
"Nye knows something about Da'an, something that not even the Synod knows, or if they do, it's something that they've been jumping through hoops to hide. I believe that Nye thinks Da'an is special in some way, and I also believe that she is answering to an authority even more powerful than the Synod. Even if we did resist, I think she would take him," Liam said.
"Why? What is so important about him that these people would come all the way over here and manipulate him into joining them?" Street asked. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe they're like us," Liam suggested. "Maybe they're a form of Taelon resistance. It would explain why they're after Da'an. Da'an's the only Taelon in our resistance."
"But how did they find out?" Renee asked.
"Wait. What about that one Taelon that came to Earth talking about a Taelon resistance?" Street asked. "What was his name?"
"Bel'lie," Liam said.
"Yeah, that's the guy," Street said. "Augur told me all about him. He said that Bel'lie showed you some kind of data from his ship about planets in different phases of destruction. Maybe these people worked for him."
"But still, Bel'lie wanted Da'an dead," Renee said. "These people just want to kidnap him."
"Maybe they had a disagreement with Bel'lie," Liam said. "If they did, then that would explain why they're here and perhaps why Bel'lie came before them. I'm gonna go talk to her."
"Then, I'm going with you," Renee said getting her gun.
"Me too," Street said.