Chapter Seven: The Garden
Sandoval and Liam suited up and made their way to the medical wing. Sandoval had said that was where the sick were being transferred. The whole time they walked, Liam was searching for his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. Whatever Da'an was doing, she was doing it well. Sandoval stopped Liam's train of thought as the number of people grew. Liam could hear the moans of sick Taelons and the thundering footsteps of volunteers and implants rushing them the portals as quickly as they could. Once they reached the medical wing, Liam saw the burst of activity for himself. There had to be at least fifty Taelons inside or parked outside of the wing in stretchers. Volunteers were pulling them to two portals at the end of the corridor as fast as they could in groups of five. As the stretchers passed, Liam saw the blushing, pained faces of Taelons he either knew personally or had seen on the Mothership. They were all doctors, scientists and mathematicians that he had met through Da'an or when he had a case that required the use of a Taelon scientist. He tried to look for Mi'en, but, as he had expected, she was nowhere to be found.
"Major!" Sandoval whispered nudging him in the back. "Pay attention."
"I…can't believe this," Liam said lost in the confusion.
"Believe it," Sandoval said. "We need to grab one of those stretchers and pretend like we're volunteers. On my signal, we're going to run in there and grab the first one we can. Are you ready?"
Liam shook the astonishment from his system and said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready."
Sandoval counted to three and then, with Liam by his side, made a mad dash for the infirmary. They grabbed a stretcher and pushed it towards the portal. There was so much activity that no one bothered to look at them as they went. After maneuvering through the corridor past stretchers and implants, they reached one of the portals. Liam took the short opportunity to look down at the sick Taelon. It was Ta'lay.
"I can't believe it. I just talked to him," Liam whispered to himself.
The pain had been so agonizing for Ta'lay that he had lost consciousness. Sympathy suddenly rippled through Liam's body, and he reached to grab Ta'lay's hand in a vain effort to comfort him. Before he could, however, they had reached the Moonbase and were moving again. Shouting volunteers directed them down a long hallway until they reached a giant dome that had to be the size of the Astrodome in Houston with beds stacked all around the edge. This was where the Taelons were being kept until they could see the priests. Each bed appeared to have a portal attached to it. Every five to ten minutes a Taelon would disappear. Volunteers would then rush to that bed as quickly as possible and place a new Taelon in the empty bed. When Liam and Sandoval's turn came, they rushed Ta'lay to an empty bed and carefully placed him there. They were far away enough from the volunteers so that they could slip out of the dome and down a separate hallway without being noticed.
"This is stupid," Link said to Renee as they rushed down a deserted hallway towards Central Command.
"It's what Da'an told us to do."
"It's still stupid," Link said stubbornly.
"Look, I'll admit that I think this is not the best plan in the world either, but Da'an knows what she's doing…usually," Renee said.
"What if they don't get there by the time we get to Central Command? What if they both get captured before we get to Central Command? Do you know a way off this damn Pentagon-wannabe?"
"If anyone can get out of this alive, it's them. And once we get to Central Command, we'll have access to our own escape routes. It was this way or no way at all."
"Man, she'd better be worth all of this," Link said to himself.
"What?" Renee asked.
"Nothing, we're here," Link said stopping at the portal that would take them to Central Command.
After Liam left with Sandoval, Da'an led Renee and Link to another portal. She reprogrammed it to take them to an area on the Moonbase well away from all the commotion. Then, she told them to stick with their original jobs and get to Central Command. She would go on to find Mi'en alone and hopefully meet up with Liam.
Despite Link's very adamant objections, Da'an raced in the opposite direction to another portal. Because the Moonbase was so large, the only way to get around was via portal. She programmed the portal to send her to the section where the priests were said to be and stepped in, ready for anything.
Once she reached her destination, Da'an immediately looked around and listened to make sure she had not tripped any alarms. She slowly walked down the hallway, watching for anything that might trigger an alarm. When she reached the end of the hallway, Da'an was startled by a ghastly discovery.
She had portalled right into the fields, the facility where the Taelons had originally harvested humans for kryss. The factory was shut down after Dr. Curzon had developed the substitute, but apparently they had not torn it down. So this was where the priests were "curing" Taelons. Fitting.
As she walked in, she found one of the priests tending to the plants in the fields. She cautiously stepped forward to try and pass him without incident.
"Come closer, my child," the priest said. "A young one such as you should not be intimidated by us."
"I am not young," Da'an said.
"Only by comparison to humanity. I am millennia older than you will ever be," the priest said. "Please, speak to me."
"I hardly believe the high priest wants any of his fellows speaking with me, and I have not come here to comfort you."
The priest said nothing and continued his tending to the garden. Da'an wanted to continue on for Mi'en, but a part of her still wanted to remain and speak with the priest. She could not decipher the feeling that drew her to him. She theorized that it was some remnant of her Taelon ways longing to return to her brethren and the Commonality, but that would not explain the underlying feeling of sadness she felt emanating from this priest. He reminded Da'an of Nye: compassionate and wise, but sad.
"Why do you tend to these plants?" Da'an asked.
"Because no one else will."
"Why would they? These plants represent a dark and shameful period for the Taelons and humanity."
"Is that the fault of the plants or the fault of their masters? Why should this beautiful garden die at its master's expense? Perhaps they require a new master to rebuild and renew them, a master that will love and care for them and allow them to prosper once more."
Da'an understood. "Is that why you are doing this to the Taelons?"
"Perhaps. How are these plants any different from our brethren? The Synod was once their master. The Synod's job was to protect them, nourish them, and provide them with a world in which they could prosper. However, the Synod grew selfish and corrupt. Humanity's blasphemous ideals poisoned their minds, and the Commonality began to wither and die from neglect. We were put on this world by the Kimera to take charge and protect our brethren when others could not. The Synod is why this garden has begun to die. It is our job to cleanse the poison that lingers in each plant and restore the garden to its former beauty and glory."
Da'an looked around at the withering plants. This priest confused her. She could sense the genuine concern inside of him for his people. "Are you…the Priest of Responsibility?"
He turned and gazed at her directly with that black mask. "I am."
"Why do you not disguise your voice like the other priests? I thought the voice masks were for your protection?"
"As are the face masks, the gloves, and the oversized robes," the Priest of Responsibility added. "However, in our effort to protect ourselves, we have also erected a barrier against our people. We have turned ourselves from the tangible blessed mortals we once were into empty godlike idols requiring worship and satisfaction. We were not always this way, and you know that more than any of us. Although you may not remember it, you once lived and walked among us for several years under our protection. You have seen my face numerous times and have heard my voice as frequently as you have your own child's. How else could you have recognized me?"
"Why do these plants have to have a master? Plants prospered on their own long before sentient beings took it upon themselves to domesticate them."
"You believe that is best for our species, and I, unlike the High Priest of Light, respect your decision to be free. I respect anyone with enough strength to resist the poison of the blue rose. Was it a calm feeling when you felt yourself dying?"
"At first, no. It was painful. However…I think it was painful only because I was afraid. When I ceased being afraid, a blissful calm overtook me. It is so much easier to let yourself die than to live and face your own demons."
"I understand, like you understand that the Taelons became domesticated the moment the Commonality was created. It cannot survive without a master to tend to its needs. It is a single consciousness made up of spirits that feed and protect it. A Taelon life has no meaning without the Commonality."
"Is that how you see me?"
"You are not a Taelon, child. You are an Espelon, ridden with the burden of creating your own meaning of life."
"Do you believe that there will ever come a time when other Taelons are ready to create their own meaning as well?"
"I do. It will be the day that we die and are never reincarnated again."
"What if it came earlier than that?"
"As in now?"
"Possibly."
"If that truly was the case, and we are the last generation of priests, then it is our duty to aid the Taelons on their passage to freedom and individuality. However, the majority of our people do not want this freedom. Many of them fear it."
"Then, why not let that small minority become free and leave the rest to your care?"
"Because simply letting them go burdens them with devolution. If only it was so easy as to free them and send them on their way. However, the punishment for breaking away from the Commonality is the wrath of the beast. Once you domesticate any living being, it is all the more difficult to set them free. The Taelon's need for the Commonality will cease only when there comes a time when Taelons can break away without devolving."
"But Taelons are already doing that. I have met the Espelons you cut off when they refused to come to Earth."
"But the Espelons are not Taelons, child. A Taelon is asexual. The Espelons are not."
"Taelons are asexual because you compelled us to be that way."
"Do you truly believe that we have such control over the Commonality that we can direct the path of our own evolution? If so, why would we choose asexuality?"
"Only the masters can set their followers free. If that was your true desire for the Taelons, you could easily make it happen. Whoever controls the Commonality controls the Taelon path of evolution. What you fail to see is the corruption of your own master. He does not care for the well being of the Taelons. Your power is fueled by the Commonality. The Commonality is what makes you gods, and the high priest has been a god for far too long to simply let it go even when it's time. He is manipulating you into believing that this cleansing is what's best for us, but you know it is not. The Taelons are ready to be free. How long has it been since someone put it in their mind that controlling the Commonality would make them as godlike as the priests? When was the last time a Taelon actually acted on that mindset?"
The Priest of Responsibility sighed. "Never."
"The continued dissention of Taelon people deems that they are ready to be free. Instead of cleansing that desire from their minds, why not nurture it and make the transition as simple and as painless as possible? You can help Taelons like me free themselves without risking their lives with the blue rose."
"It is too late for this, child. I am sorry."
"You are not like the high priest. You have dignity and compassion. You take your responsibility seriously. You are just like me."
The Priest of Responsibility removed his gloves and approached Da'an. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and caressed her façade. "Life has no meaning without the Commonality. Our purpose is to create that meaning for our species." He raised his hand to summon someone from behind Da'an. An energy pistol poked Da'an in the back. "When you return to us, you will appreciate the meaning we create for you. Only we know what is best for you. Only we can protect you."
Da'an turned to face the one behind her. It was Mi'en. Her eyes were dark blue and empty. The expression on her face was cold, callous, and deprived of all the life it once had. Da'an turned and sadly gazed into the eyes behind the black mask of the priest. "You are so much better than this. We all are."
The priest nodded for Mi'en to take her away and continued to tend to the garden.