Chapter 2 : The question of Haruhi Suzumiya
It did not sit well with anyone in the room.
Representatives from multiple organisations, species and other such collectives were gathered in a secret spot, a space whose reality had been modified so that none outside of this assembly would be aware of it. Rebels from the main factions, outside agitators, third parties, malcontents who wished to deviate from established goals and agreed-upon procedures - they were all here, dissatisfied with the current status quo. Sub-groups, splinter-groups, dissidents and strays, all gathered in the same place, at the same time. It had been agreed upon that this was to be done in secret, away from the eyes of the many and of those in power… or who pretended to be in power. That was the actual problem.
It did not sit well with anyone that the most powerful being in existence was basically a teenage girl.
"We're all on the same page here, that Haruhi Suzumiya is dangerous and needs to be stopped, yes?" a time-traveler suggested, voicing the obvious if only to get things properly started, now that they were all assembled in conclave. "Her whims and fancy are putting everyone in danger!"
"We've already had one near miss, where she nearly ripped apart reality… because she subconsciously thought that the destruction of the world would be interesting to see," a recusant of the esper Organisation announced to everyone. "Many among us aren't certain what did happen, but reports from Itsuki Koizumi indicate the world was almost destroyed, and would have been, if it wasn't for another party's intervention."
The name of that party did not need to be said. The young man who had been perhaps their greatest asset in furthering an understanding of Haruhi Suzumiya, and perhaps the greatest threat beyond the girl herself. The only one in her inner circle who answered to no power beyond his own conscience, the otherwise unremarkable person that Haruhi had personally chosen to stand at her right hand.
"Let's not even talk about the time-loop she created," another time-traveler said, participating in the spirit of this gathering: solving the problem that was Haruhi Suzumiya. "The same two weeks were rewound for thousands of years and the timeline nearly tore itself asunder under the load exerted when the loop collapsed."
"Her ability to create data, to assemble new objects and concepts from null-space is a unique anomaly, quite miraculous!" chirped a disturbingly cheerful envoy from the radical faction of the Data Overmind. "But poorly used, and triggered by her subconscious rather than actual voluntary acts. Observation confirms that she's the most innocent god-like being that we could envision; if she wasn't such a colossal threat to existence as we know it, she would almost be boring." The artificial humanoid, wearing a school uniform identical to that worn by Haruhi and her classmates, cocked her head and smiled, herself the very image of youthful innocence. "And the fact is, none of would be here, or so much as acknowledge the existence of one-another, even hidden from our own numbers, if we did not all think the very same thing."
"Yes, and the solution presented in the SOS-Brigade is proving to be more temporary than expected," one of the time-travelers added. "They were supposed to keep her in check, yet now they seem to be indulging her more than anything, which makes them as reckless and dangerous as Suzumiya herself."
"We could add to the list, we've all got our worries and warnings, but what we need here is a solution," said another Organisation turncoat, clapping their hands to get everyone's attention. "We wouldn't be risking this conclave if some of us did not have see either a threat or an opportunity, yes? What is Suzumiya working on right now that's shifted the balance?"
"A theatrical narrative inspired by an anthology of tales called 'The Arabian Nights'. She placed crude declarations about the grounds of the education facility she frequents," explained another Humanoid Interface, producing one of the actual posters. On it was emblazoned the picture of a young woman dressed like a belly dancer, a shy expression on her face, together with multiple grandstanding remarks declaring the show to be the greatest event in the universe. "This is her current obsession."
There was a soft groan among the time-travellers, while the espers visibly paled. Almost all among their numbers were personally familiar with Haruhi's mental state and the effect it could have on the world…
"She decides to make a sci-fi movie, and then cats start talking, extinct species are resurrected and the Earth shifts in its orbit," a representative of one faction of time-travelers threw up his hands in petulant despair. "She doodles a logo for her silly little club and wakes up an eldritch abomination."
"Data entity…" one of the Human Interfaces clarified calmly.
"Whatever, either way we're all slaves to her classified-information!" the human snapped, sneering at the alien construct. "But if those are the consequences from her everyday thrills and spills, what's going to happen when she starts obsessing over… magic and spells and genies?!"
"That's it!" One of the espers, apparently experiencing a stroke of genius, got up and looked at everyone with an expression of wondrous delight, having in their mind already saved the universe. "Is anyone here familiar with the book Miss Haruhi's been reading?"
"It is an anthology of multiple stories with fantastical elements, all centered around folk tales from Turkey, Persia, Saudi Arabia, India and other neighboring regions, all focusing around the context of a woman trying to-"
"Yes… yes… it was a rhetorical question. But look, The Arabian Nights are what's fueling her mind right now and there is one concept within those stories that could prove to be the answer we need," the esper interrupted, turning to the previous speaker. "You said it yourself, Genies!"
"Genies," whispered a quiet, yet somehow burningly ominous voice. It was another Humanoid Interface, but this time a representative of the Sky Canopy Dominion, a reclusive equivalent to the Data Overmind, and a power none of the others were entirely sure was present at this meeting as a participant or passive observer. "Unfamiliar_define."
"Genies, singular Genie, derived from Djinni or Djinn," recited the cheerful Data Overmind representative, expression slipping slightly towards hostility as her eyes lit on her counterpart. "In human stories, they are servants of great power that are imprisoned within mundane objects, capable of great feats yet unable to do so without an order from those they would call master." She grinned with a smile that showed a few too many teeth to be called friendly. "Oh, to do that to Miss Suzumiya would just be wonderful!"
A moment of silence passed, some among this coalition of the willing showing a certain confusion, while others debated in murmured whispers among their numbers.
"So… you're saying we should turn Haruhi Suzumiya into a genie? Really?" a time-traveler said, rather overt in their doubt with the proposed plan.
"Actually… I think it's brilliant," another time-traveler said, realizing the true scope of this solution. "Her powers would still be intact, she'd still be the anchor to this universe, yet she'd be much more manageable; we wouldn't have to worry about petulant acts of whimsy, not if we can control her. She'd end up being subservient to those with the intent of protecting reality."
There was a momentary flicker of almost everyone's eyes. This was a temporary alliance at best, and each had their own desires regarding the future of Haruhi Suzumiya. To protect her, to study her, to preserve her or transfer her powers to another host - some among the more extremist time-travellers even wanted to kill her. Like hunters and conservationists and scientists in conference over how to best capture a dangerous animal, all that united them was the unique threat the 'specimen' presented. Once successfully caged, this conclave would become a delicate power struggle, quite literally a struggle to possess the power of Haruhi Suzumiya.
But for now, there were of one mind. Chatter began to fill the room, debates and arguments on full display as this plan began to develop, opening up the possibility of solving a problem that plagued just about everyone. If this worked, then they would have to worry about Haruhi Suzumiya no longer and they all knew it.
"Query: attain-ment_of_objective?" the Sky Canopy Dominion's representative asked in her soft monotone, trying to gather more information on this scheme that felt so odd to her perspective, a perspective more distant from humanity than the already alien Data Overmind. "Chall_enge of change: obstacle towards induce_ment of metamorphosis."
"We just need to convince her… and to do that we must play with the most dangerous weapon in the universe," said the esper who had proposed the plan, looking at everyone as he paused for obvious dramatic effect.
"Her subconscious..."