The Cleansing
Chapter One: Useless Chatting
The Human Liberation could rest easier knowing that there were others out there willing to support them in their cause. There was no place safe on Earth to hide Da'an, so Street let her stay with her in her trailer for a while. Dr. Curzon frequently visited to check up on Da'an, but she became concerned when she found that the kryss substitute that helped the Taelons adapt to Earth's atmosphere was not working on Da'an anymore. Da'an was already experiencing signs of fatigue.
Street had made a small bed out of an air mattress right next to her own bed. She was surprised that Da'an did not find it cramped, but Da'an was too tired to care. She found Da'an in the morning with a blanket over her shoulders trying to get a decent signal on the television.
"There must be clouds blocking the satellite," Street said.
Da'an sighed.
"I know it's not what you're used to, but you're doing pretty well. You've been the best guest I've had, and believe me, I don't invite too many," Street said, trying to make her feel better.
Da'an gave her a confused look. "Oh, did you think that…oh, no. It is not that. I am watching this debate on the Fox News Network."
A curious Street decided to sit down and watch with her. Two white men with black suits, obvious receding hairlines, and glasses were debating with a middle-aged woman on the intentions of the priests, who had just made their arrival on Earth.
"All the Taelons have done in the past four years is lie to us, and now, these new Taelons—allegedly more powerful than the Synod—have come. Their intentions could be just as malicious as the Synod's have been," the woman said.
"Now that's just not true," one of the old men said. The text said he was a reverend of the Church of the Companions. "The Taelons have done more for humanity in the past few years than humanity has done for itself in thousands of years. The arrival of the priests only proves what our followers have been preaching for years. The companions truly are holy messengers sent by God to reinstate the values we have lost and truly better our lives. The arrival of the priests only signifies that humanity is ready."
"For what? Ready for what?" the woman asked angrily.
"To be a part of the universe of course," the reverend answered.
"Well, while I do not agree with the reverend's very religious argument as to the reason for the priest's arrival, I will agree that the Taelons have indeed helped humanity as they said they would," the other old man, who was a respected political analyst said.
"What about the state of emergency in the United States?" the woman, another respected political analyst asked.
"That was about eliminating a terrorist threat to both the people and the Taelons."
"And what of all the other things that have been exposed as malicious projects conducted by Taelons? Human experimentation, genetic tampering, political subterfuge and blackmail?"
"Look at your sources. That information was all exposed by an extremist faction of people known as the human liberation, and cannot be condoned as reliable in any way. It is biased propaganda to keep humanity off the course. We need to stay the course—"
"A thousand points of light," Da'an and Street interrupted with together.
"The priests have said they are only here to observe, and that is what I believe they are here for," the male political analyst said. "Now, we can argue and lead ourselves to believe otherwise, but until we have reliable proof, our beliefs are all merely speculation and nothing else."
"And what do you say to those viewers who ask where we draw the line at reliable proof?" the reporter asked.
"Ugh, that is it. I cannot watch this," Da'an said disgustedly. She flipped to another news channel.
"They've been debating like that since the priests arrived," Street said.
"And that would be fine, but listen to their material," Da'an said still flipping channels. "'This whole debate's obsolete because there is no definite proof.' 'It is all speculation.' Why not debate about why the sky is blue while they are on the subject of speculation? Those charlatans are sitting there debating about nothing and taking up valuable air time that belongs to someone with a clue."
Street laughed. "This is why I don't vote. You know how easily the media can be manipulated. They're just looking for the next big stories to further their own meaningless careers."
"That is sad," Da'an said.
The bleeping of a global interrupted their conversation. "Hello? Hey. No, we're fine. We're just sitting and watching TV."
"Who is that?"
Street ignored her. "I haven't noticed any change, but she's not getting much better. She said it's hard to stand sometimes. No. She can still get around. She's as…enthusiastic as ever, but she tires easily, I guess. Tomorrow morning? Sure it's fine. Wait. Bring what? Oh. Okay. No, don't worry about it. Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay. Bye." Street closed the global and set it down. "That was Dr. Curzon. She said she might have found the solution to your problems with the atmosphere."
"With what?"
"A new formula, but it's liquid, so you'll have to take it orally."
"Interesting. I have not ingested anything through my mouth for medicinal purposes since I was sixteen."
"Okay, I can think of a thousand different ways to interpret that—all of them wrong."
Da'an grinned at her.
Street laughed. "What about the ritual?"
"I hardly think that qualifies as a medicinal purpose."
"Okay. I'll give you that. How about for eating and drinking?"
"Not since I was three months probably. I really do not remember."
"You Taelons and your damn hands. You've become too dependent on that damn hand."
"You remember what you just told me about the thousands of wrong ways to interpret that?"
"Shut up. What are you gonna do if you lose your precious hand?"
"Simple. I will just grow another one."
Street shook her head. "I hate you."
"No you don't. You love me. Everyone loves me."
"Zo'or doesn't."
"Everyone who counts loves me."
Street laughed. "Auger would probably love you. I hope you and he get some real time to make friends when he gets back."
"Yes. I have been meaning to ask you about that. Where is he, and why did he leave?"
"The FBI's on him for something big. He's skipped the country until the heat dies down. I can't say where."
Da'an nodded.
"Da'an. Can I ask you something?"
"I suppose."
"What was it like? To die, I mean."
"I…" Da'an sighed when she could not finish. "I do not believe all the words in the universe could accurately describe what I went through."
"Was it painful?"
"Yes, but only at first. It passes quickly, and then…there is nothing but darkness. It was a mixture of peace and pain at the same time. You know I still have trouble distinguishing what was real and what was fantasy."
"Did you see the light?"
"No," Da'an said looking at the blue rose in a jar on Street's table. "I saw the rose."
"Oh…um, can I see?"
"What?"
"You have a scar on your hand. Can I see it?"
Da'an observed her hand where two blue dots had made their homes. For some reason, the wound had not healed completely. She let Street examine it.
"Wow. I never thought a Taelon could scar."
"Neither did I."
"Did you feel the poison killing you? Did you…feel yourself going?"
"Pardon my asking, but why are you humans suddenly so obsessed with this? Liam and Renee have been asking me about every little detail trying to distinguish for themselves how much of the ritual was real and how much of it was mere narcotic fantasy."
"Well, we just think it's healthy to talk about stuff like this. You know humans. They want to understand every little detail about death. It's almost like they want to prepare themselves for it by asking people who've been there."
"You should not be in such a hurry to die. What happened to me happened, and that should be the end of it. Every time I reflect on the ritual trying to analyze it logically, ethically, and pathologically I start to feel ill. There are some things that you are better off accepting on faith. There are some questions that have no answers, and the only way you will ever even remotely understand is if it happens to you. But I would not wish that ritual on my greatest enemies."
"So you didn't like it?"
"It's not a question of like. I do not have to like it. I was enlightened by it, and to Nye and her sect that is all that matters. What I meant was that I would not wish the pain and the confusion that ritual caused. I would not wish the impact and the constant worry it left with Liam and Renee. It is a draining procedure on everyone."
"So are you glad that I wasn't there? Do you think that I couldn't have handled it?"
"I don't know. I'm not you. If you want the answer to that question, I am not the one you should be asking about the ritual."
"So what are we gonna do about these priests? How are we gonna free all of those Taelons with a ritual that kills more people than it saves?"
"Tay'jay and his people evolved without the ritual. If I can ascertain how that happened, then I may be able to free the others. However, I can only do so much. The Taelons have to want to be free, and with the priests here, that is going to be extremely difficult to do."
"But you know what they're planning right? Liam said that you saw their strategy."
"I saw bits and pieces of it. There are still some things that I am having difficulty understanding and remembering."
"Well, I guess the only thing I can say is that I respect you."
"Thank you. I respect your curiosity as well."
"Thanks," Street said, trying to think of any more questions she could ask. When nothing came to her, she started thinking of how she could end this conversation. When nothing came to her, then, she just walked to a small nightstand next to her bed where several DVDs were stacked. "Well, um, there's nothing really good on. Wanna watch a movie?"
"Sounds good."
"What is it?" Da'an asked Dr. Curzon watching the neon green liquid swirl in the small beaker Curzon was holding in front of her.
"It's basically the kryss substitute with a few more additives to adjust to your metabolism," Dr. Curzon explained. "After the many tests we did on you, I've perfected the solution into this."
"And you can make more of this?" Da'an asked.
"More than enough for you."
"That is not what I meant."
"Oh, you mean if others like you decide to come? It shouldn't be a problem."
"Well, why is it liquid?" Street asked curiously.
"Most Taelon medicines are made to produce an immediate reaction. In order to obtain that reaction, the Taelons usually absorb a crystallized version of the medicine through an organ in their hands directly into their systems. The problem is that this solution is too potent to be absorbed immediately. I tried to make it less potent, but it just broke down when I did. Therefore, Da'an will have to take it orally to give it time to filter through her immune system."
"I suppose I should have expected this from a human doctor," Da'an said to herself.
"I heard that," Dr. Curzon said.
"Hey, give her credit. She got it done," Street defended. "Besides, what do you care? You probably won't taste it anyway."
"And thank goodness too because this probably tastes terrible," Da'an retorted.
"You wanted effective, not tasty, Da'an. If you wanted something that tastes good, eat a mint after each dosage," Dr. Curzon played along. She handed Da'an a thermos of the liquid. "Take ten milliliters morning and night. If you have trouble measuring, there's a cup attached to the thermos."
"Are you trying to tell me something?" Da'an inquired.
Dr. Curzon laughed. "Just take it. I'll send you a refill every Sunday. Any other questions?"
"Yes, does my insurance cover for this?" Da'an asked.
"Nope sorry," Dr. Curzon joked. "That'll be two-hundred dollars a week. Oh, and you also owe me for this visit. That'll be an additional twelve-hundred."
"Ms. Palmer will send you a check," Da'an said.
"Freeloader," Street said.
"I was gonna pay it back," Da'an pretended to whine.
The three laughed.
"Seriously, Da'an, it's all taken care of," Dr. Curzon said. "Don't worry about a thing."
Street's global shook, interrupting the conversation. While she answered, Dr. Curzon gave Da'an a small business card.
"If you have any problems, call me at this number," Dr. Curzon told her. "It's on and it's with me all day and night."
"Thank you," Da'an said pocketing the card.
"Yeah, Da'an, you should probably scrap that 'don't worry about a thing' comment," Street said. "Liam just called me and told me homicide came to the embassy. They're asking him questions about a dead protector from Queens last night."
"Why are they asking him?"
"Because they think he was killed by a Taelon weapon. Liam wants you to go with him as a profiler and take a look at the body. Apparently, the new North American Companion's opened an investigation."
"Well, I certainly cannot go as a profiler in these clothes," Da'an said examining the acid washed jeans and lime green, skin tight t-shirt Street had given her.
"Hey, it was the only thing in your size," Street said.
"I know, and it is fine," Da'an said seriously, "but I need something to hide my figure and my face, something that does not stand out as much as this. Just because my body has changed does not mean my face has."
"Shopping time, then," Street said excitedly. "I know! Renee has a discount at Saks Fifth Avenue. They've got clothes that are just perfect for you."
"So that's where Renee gets all those black dresses!" Dr. Curzon exclaimed.
Da'an and Street gave Dr. Curzon an awkward look.
"Well, 'bout time for us to be hittin' the old dusty trail," Street said pretending to stretch. She grabbed Da'an and the thermos and left.